An Ominous Message

William gritted his teeth as he thought back on the scene that replayed in his mind. He felt infuriated that his father showered a stranger with heaps of attention eventhough it was someone he had met not too long ago.

Who does he think he is? Hero? Pah! What a joke!

William clenched his fist as he stormed his way through the crowd of people who were focused on getting to safety, not caring that they were bumping into a member of royalty.

"What's the situation?" William asked as he glanced at a nearby soldier who seemed to be at a loss at the situation and pulled on his pair of dark gloves, assessing the situation.

"P-prince William! Salutations! We're doing everything we can to get the situation under control. But with all the citizens running amok..." the soldier replied with a salute before trailing off on his sentence.

William clicked his tongue as he turned his gaze away from the soldier with scorn. "As usual... how inefficient."

He then headed off in the direction the arrow came from, a seemingly good lead if not for the fact that the culprit would surely have left by the time he arrived.

***

Mikhail and Susie trailed after Xander, their eyes wandering the regal hallway of the castle.

Mikhail was awestruck as he gazed at the high walls of the palace and the beautiful tapestry lining the walls. The columns were decorated with intricate gold linings, making up small images of dragons and knights which could only be seen if you looked closely enough.

"So this is where all the citizen's tax goes to? Wow. Amazing how you royalty live so lavishly." Susie said in a mocking tone as she folded her arms, sarcasm clearly lacing her words.

She was impressed by the beautiful palace but found it to be a waste of resources. Though she mostly didn't want to admit that Xander did something right at the very least.

"It was built from the ground up by the very first king of Enoch... with the first citizens of this nation... in a way, you could say his comrades and loyal followers. I merely maintained the castle. There were arguments to break it down and to expand the palace but... maintaining it as it is... serves as the history of our proud nation... how could I possibly..."

Susie clicked her tongue from such a well thought out answer, rolled her eyes and glanced out the window. The sound of people screaming in terror was muffled yet prevalent, her eyes gleamed mischievously as a grin formed on her lips.

"My, King Xander of Enoch... why are you staying in the comfort of luxury while your people are seeking for a blanket of security? Aren't you in the wrong area?"

"Susie... Tch! I just... want to keep my promise with Diane to keep Mikhail safe. Once I ensure his safety, I will handle the situation prope--..." Xander said before he wobbled in his footsteps, his hand grasping his bandaged shoulder.

"X-Xander?! Are you alright?" Mikhail gasped as he peeled his eyes off the walls and rushed to Xander's side.

"I... feel woozy... the arrow... might be poi--..." Xander struggled to say, holding onto his head before the bleariness of his vision turned to darkness and he collapsed on the ground.

"X-Xander! Ugh... A-anyone?! The king! He's..." Mikhail started yelling but to no avail.

"We'll have to move him ourselves." Susie said as she moved Mikhail aside whilst sighing and stood in front of the unconscious Xander.

With a huff, Susie lifted Xander over her shoulder before gesturing Mikhail with her head to find a place to lay him down.

Mikhail stared in awe at her raw strength but shook himself out of his stupor before rushing to find a room with a bed. The palace was needlessly huge, hence, doing so took far more time than necessary.

***

"Tsk! Damn. That rascal... We were only trying to help but..." William clicked his tongue in annoyance as he stared at the child taunting him from the top of a broken column. 

The child had been discovered a while ago at the same location where the arrow had been sniped from. It was unlikely the culprit could be a child and yet the possibility still exists. Hence, he shouldn't be too quick to rule it out.

He had instructed the knights to 'aid' the child and send him home. Though what he had meant for the soldiers to understand by hinting at them to read between the lines were to send the child home but to keep a watchful eye on said child.

Nevertheless, the situation got out of hand when the child suddenly started running away. It was a highly suspicious move so William had cast rationality aside and given chase.

"... However... this could also be a distraction..." William muttered to himself as he wiped the sweat off his brows before directing the knights to corner the child.

The chase had been needlessly long and had led them to a ruin not too far from the capital. A lost ruin you could say, as it was unfamiliar in terms of history and placement.

... Where is this place? Did it exist before this... No, I shouldn't take my mind off of the situation! In case he pulls any sort of tri--?!

William was met with a sight he didn't expect to see as the soldiers he had brought together with him were subjugated, leaving him as the only one standing.

"Wha?! What did you do? M-men! Curses!" William yelled as he noticed his soldiers lying motionless on the ground.

They can't be dead could they? What did he even do?!

"My... to think you are still able to stand... I didn't think I would find another one of your kind here. Hehehe..." the boy said as he chuckled. 

What... why is the air getting colder...

"I didn't think the job would be this interesting. However, I see now why he had sent me here." the boy said as he brushed William's face with spindly fingers.

"What?! Who is he? And who are you?! How dare you lay your hands on Father!" William said as he narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"Now, now. It's a shame I can only see you for this short period of time. However, in time all will be clear. Kekeke... Goodbye, Prince William. Let's see if you live up to your name." the boy said as he grinned maliciously at William before a strong gust of wind billowed. 

"Ack! What do you me-- Ugh! Where's this wind coming from?! Eh.... he's gone..." William said as the fervent wind slowly died down.

He glanced around him at the ruins but couldn't spot the child. 

William then bent down to check on the conditions of his men and sighed in relief as they were only unconscious.

Now what could that boy possibly mean... And this place... 

***

"D-do you know what kind of poison we're up against? Is there any way to save him?!" Mikhail asked frantically as his voice raised in pitch.

"No... I'm not an expert in this sort of thing... Do you think he'll die because of a puny amount of poison, though? It seemed like it would take triple the dosage just to drug him to sleep." Susie said with a serious expression, though her words seem to indicate something else entirely.

"C-cut that out... What if he really dies?" Mikhail asked worriedly as he wiped the sweat off Xander's brows.

"What happened?" a voice asked, garnering the duos' attention.

"Louis! The King! He's been poisoned!" Mikhail exclaimed as he grabbed Louis' collar in an earnest manner, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"Wh--... Calm down... for a second... put me down..." Louis said as he tapped gently on Mikhail's hands.

"Oh! Sorry! Can you check on him? Are you knowledgable in this field?" Mikhail continued to pester Louis as he followed after him, watching as Louis inspected Xander's condition.

"This... might be bad..." Louis said as he stared at the continuous spreading of black lines across Xander's arm.