Chapter 234: A Nation In Mourning
[Music recommendation: Koji - The Beginning of the End]
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Murmurs rippled through the silence as disbelief settled heavily in the air.
"You may rise," Ivan said at last.
At those words, King Alaric lifted his head and looked at Ivan once more, then at the unconscious woman in his arms. A soft, guilt-tinged smile crossed his face. He glanced at the crowd, still whispering about how he had greeted the Prince, before rising to his full height with the support of a couple of royal knights behind him.
Addressing everyone, he declared, "You all heard it correctly. I am nothing more than a servant before His Highness... for the very first founder of this kingdom served him, and him alone, for a lifetime."
Lord Renwick and the other royal advisors of Dartmouth, who had fallen completely silent in shock after witnessing the true colours of Viva and Valen, finally found their voices at the sight of their king. "Your Majesty, regardless of the reason, you are still bowing before a prince of another kingdom."
"You are wrong..." another deep, masculine voice cut through the air. They saw the same translucent figure drift beside King Alaric, and those who had not clearly seen him during the chaos felt their eyes nearly pop out in shock as they recognised the face of the very first king of their kingdom, King Zevran Kaine.
Ivan, who was now able to see Zevran clearly, felt a flicker of recognition cross his face as fragments of old memories rushed through his mind and he murmured softly, "Zevran..."
Zevran knelt in absolute submission, a habit forged centuries ago and a smile filled with reverence on his face. "You are finally able to recognise me, oh divine one," he said. His voice was heavy with raw emotion, as though his long-held wish of seeing him again had finally been fulfilled.
He lifted his gaze to Evelyn in Ivan’s arms and whispered, "I am so glad you finally found her again....in this life as well."
Ivan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he continued to stare silently at the man who had served him with unwavering loyalty in his past. Seeing him now, no longer human but a lingering soul, stirred a tangle of emotions within him.
"Oh my! Is that-" one of the royal officials gasped in utter shock.
"Am I truly dreaming? Someone pinch me, please!"
"So I wasn’t imagining things when I thought I saw him!"
"Th-the first king?!"
"Yes....he is indeed the soul of the first King Zevran Kaine," King Alaric answered. He did not wait for their reaction and continued in his firm yet quivering voice, "As you all are aware....I suddenly fell gravely ill a couple of years ago."
His expression grew sombre as he went on, each word heavier than the last. "And you would have all seen my face....directly during my funeral....had I not been..." He drew in a shaky breath, "...freed by the divine one....from the dark influence that the wicked woman you all know as Queen Viva had placed upon me."
"What?" Lord Renwick stepped forward. "My king, how did you-"
Alaric turned his gaze to Renwick and asked calmly, "Did you forget that my chambers are located right beside this courtyard?"
That was when Renwick’s eyes widened as he stared up at the room on the top floor of the building attached to the courtyard.
Alaric continued, "The bright, cleansing light not only enveloped the courtyard....it reached deep into the palace grounds as well, to where I lay motionless in my chambers, and freed me from whatever dark poison that woman had been giving me."
It was then King Zevran’s apparition spoke. "As you all can see and for those who did not hear me clearly, Prince Ivan and Princess Evelyn are the same celestial beings I fought alongside during the Great War of Ruins."
He turned his reverent gaze to Ivan and continued, "It was because of his presence that I awoke from my centuries-long slumber, waiting for his soul to reincarnate once more. So neither I, nor any monarch of this kingdom, is anything more than their servant. For it was because of them that our world was saved long ago....and it was also because of them that this very kingdom came into existence."
Still kneeling before Ivan, Zevran felt his form fluctuate again before breaking apart into countless soft blue motes. The dissolution began at his knees, the light drifting away like ash on a quiet wind, creeping slowly upward.
He turned his head towards Alaric, his gaze unwavering despite the unraveling of his being. "I leave the rest to you," he said in his calm voice, "Do not disappoint me, my descendant."
Then, for the last time, he looked at Ivan.
Ivan met his gaze in silence, his expression remained somber and in response, a gentle, fulfilled smile curved across Zevran’s face.
"It is time for me to go, Lord Malakai," he said softly. "If the gods allow it...,I wish to be reborn, and granted the honour of serving you once more."
The light had already reached his chest, his shoulders, his throat. As the last fragments of his form dissolved into the air, he leaned into his final breath and whispered like a promise he carried on fading light, "I kept it safe for you....until now."
Ivan’s eyes widened at his words, and the molten orange glow in them softened, "You did well....Zevran, my old friend."
With that, Zevran smiled one last time before his form dissolved completely into the air.
Silence hung heavily in the air for a moment before King Alaric stepped forward and bowed to Ivan once more. "Your Highness, please tell me how I may assist you."
The softness in Ivan’s eyes vanished, as though it had never been there at all. He glanced down at Evelyn in his arms and said, "I need a room for her."
"At once, Your Highness," Alaric replied, turning to the commander of the royal knights, "Lead His Highness to the finest room available in the palace."
The knight bowed immediately, "Yes, Your Majesty." He then gestured ahead. "This way, Your Highness."
Without another word, Ivan carried Eve into the palace, heading towards a lavish chamber where she could rest. Septimus, Edward, Cece, Damien, Alex, and Caleb followed closely behind. Leaving the rest of the audience in the courtyard stunned, Dante and Seira stepped forward and asked for permission to return with their students to the Rosemount Hotel, promising to come back later for the remaining students who were still inside the palace with Eve and Ivan.
After that, King Alaric issued a decree stripping Valen and Viva of their royal titles. Not only that, upon learning of the countless innocent women they had harmed throughout the kingdom, he ordered that the two be publicly punished as well.
When morning came a few hours later, the public was informed by the royal announcer of all the victims who had been abused and murdered by the wicked woman and her son, and their rage knew no bounds.
In the presence of the High Council members, the two culprits were handed over to the public, who unleashed their fury upon the already battered Viva and Valen, leaving them unrecognisable and barely alive. Later that same day, they were publicly executed.
Yet even their death did not bring any solace to the victims’ families. Their grief did not lessen when the decaying bodies of the murdered women were returned to the families, numbering in the hundreds. Some were even discovered buried in the forest grounds surrounding the palace.
It became a true national day of mourning, as the graveyards were filled with hundreds of grieving families who arrived one after another to lay their loved ones to rest, finally burying their remains and praying for their souls to find peace.
While this unfolded in one part of the city, in another, the return of their rightful king set sweeping change in motion. King Alaric was occupied with reforming the royal court, removing every individual found to be complicit in Viva’s schemes and corruption.
Within one of the quieter wings of the palace, a woman lay unconscious after saving everyone from the catastrophe that would have consumed them all had the criminals succeeded. Septimus continued to channel his healing energy into Evelyn, mending her wounds and carefully assessing her condition, while Ivan sat beside her on the bed. Not once had he left her side since carrying her into the room.
He neither ate nor slept, even though he felt utterly drained himself. Ivan was acutely aware that, with their identities as celestial beings now revealed, the dark forces would do everything in their power to harm them once the news spread. So he refused to risk leaving her side even for a second.
With every passing hour, his heart grew more restless as the love of his life lay unconscious and completely defenceless. When it came to her safety, he trusted no one but himself. So he remained there, guarding her like a dragon, ready to char anyone alive who dared step into the room without his permission.
For this very reason, neither King Solan nor Queen Elara was allowed to step into the palace wing where Evelyn was staying, given how Solan had attempted to harm Eve in front of Ivan. They were stopped not only by Ivan’s elite guards, but also by the royal guards of Dartmouth under King Alaric’s orders, who were instructed to obey every command issued by Ivan.
