Shadow and Smoke
The sight of the Aurekawa Citadel burning was a punch to Hayate's gut. The seat of the Angelic bloodline and the capstone of the world's Seal was now a fortress under siege. Narakka's forces were pouring through the main gate, which Henudra had so casually opened. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, fear, and the metallic tang of fresh blood.
Hayate and Neshuda were hidden on the ridge overlooking the chaos, their exhausted horses trembling beneath them.
"We can't charge the front, Hayate," Neshuda stated, his voice tight. His master of stealth mind was already running scenarios. "We are two men. They are hundreds. If we try to fight them, we are pinned, and Narakka wins the throne before we even reach the inner court."
Hayate felt the reflected anxiety and intense resolve of his Life Anchor. He knew Neshuda was right. This was not a physical battle they could win with brute force.
Hayate closed his eyes, activating his Angelic senses, pushing past the residual weakness from the summoner's attack. He focused on the spiritual map of the Citadel—the complex magical conduits and ancient walls.
"The outer walls are strong, but not perfect," Hayate whispered. "In the old archive, there was a mention of a secret drainage tunnel for the inner courtyard fountain—built in the First King's time. It leads to the Royal Gardens. It's too small for an army, but perfect for two strays."
Neshuda didn't ask questions. He was a weapon ready to be deployed. "Lead the way, King. Tell me where to break the stone."
They descended the ridge, abandoning their horses in a deep copse of trees. They moved through the city's outer district like shadows, using the chaos, the smoke, and the darkness to cover their movements.
The Secret Tunnel
The drainage tunnel was located beneath a massive, old fountain outside the eastern wall. It was a dark, cramped space, choked with debris and the smell of stagnant water and decay.
Neshuda used his considerable stray strength to pull back the heavy, iron grate covering the tunnel entrance.
"I go first," Neshuda commanded, his voice gruff. "If there are traps, I take them."
"If there are traps, the curse takes me," Hayate countered, his tone gentle but firm. "We go together, Neshuda. Your job is to keep me moving. My job is to perceive the spiritual danger."
Hayate felt the sudden, powerful acceptance from Neshuda, mixed with the uncomfortable reality of the cramped space.
They entered the tunnel, crawling on their stomachs. It was immediately dark and suffocating. Hayate's Angelic senses flared, not with magical danger, but with the painful, reflected claustrophobia of his Life Anchor.
"The space is too small, Neshuda. Breathe," Hayate instructed softly, knowing Neshuda's fear of being trapped was amplified in this dark hole.
"I'm fine," Neshuda lied, his voice tight.
Hayate reached out in the darkness, finding Neshuda's ankle and giving it a gentle, firm squeeze. "No, you're not. I feel your panic, Neshuda. Focus on the feeling of my hand. Focus on the fire outside. Your determination to protect me is stronger than the fear of a small, dark hole."
Neshuda took a harsh, rattling breath. The reflected panic subsided, replaced by the familiar, cold steel of his resolve.
They crawled for what felt like hours, the only sounds the scraping of their clothes on the stone and the constant, low roar of the burning Citadel above them.
Infiltrating the Burning Palace
They emerged into the sprawling, manicured Royal Gardens, right in the shadow of the inner palace walls. The contrast was shocking: quiet, damp greenery against the backdrop of flames and battle cries.
The inner palace was their goal—specifically, the Throne Room. That is where Narakka would go to establish his claim.
"We need to get to the main tower," Hayate whispered, pointing to the tallest structure, where his father's study and the throne room were located.
Neshuda, using his master of stealth training, moved like a true shadow. He scaled the garden wall with impossible speed and grace, pulling Hayate up behind him.
The corridors of the inner palace were a confused mess. Narakka's troops, easily identified by their dark banners and heavy military boots, were everywhere, clashing with the few loyal Royal Guards who had managed to hold out.
Neshuda moved through the chaos, using his master of stealth to lethal effect. He didn't engage in prolonged fights. He moved through the periphery, taking down isolated soldiers with quick, silent blows. Every soldier he disabled turned into a reflection of clean, professional triumph for Hayate, momentarily pushing back the spiritual exhaustion.
They moved up a grand staircase, its marble steps littered with fallen armor and broken flags.
As they reached the second floor, Hayate pulled Neshuda sharply behind a tapestry.
"Stop. Henudra is here," Hayate hissed, feeling a spike of cold, calculated malice and intense satisfaction radiating from the main hallway ahead.
The Chess Master's Move
Henudra stood in the center of the hallway, a picture of calm control amidst the chaos. He wore a scholar's simple robes, contrasting sharply with the bloody scene around him. He wasn't fighting; he was coordinating, giving quiet, precise orders to Narakka's officers.
"Excellent work, Captain," Henudra said smoothly to a passing officer. "Secure the King's study. The throne is merely a symbol. The seals of the Treasury and the Royal Order are what matter. Narakka will need those to rule legitimately."
Hayate understood immediately. Narakka wasn't just planning to sit on the throne; he was planning to seize the entire infrastructure of the government.
"We can't let him get to the seals," Hayate whispered to Neshuda. "We have to stop Henudra. He's the brain of this operation."
Neshuda nodded, his eyes narrowed into slits of lethal determination. "I can take him. He's unprotected."
Neshuda moved, flowing out of the shadows.
But before he could strike, Henudra spoke, without turning around.
"Guardian Neshuda. I thought the King would send his favorite dog after me first."
Neshuda froze. Henudra knew they were there.
Henudra turned slowly, his eyes fixing on the corner where Hayate was hidden. He smiled—a cold, terrifying expression of pure, intellectual cruelty.
"I left the drainage tunnel conveniently unsealed, Your Majesty," Henudra revealed. "I knew the King would use the oldest, most ignored secret. I never intended for you to die at the shrine. I needed you to defeat the ghoul summoner and cleanse the spiritual threat. Narakka only wants a kingdom, not the Ancient Darkness."
Henudra had used them as pawns. He had allowed them to win the spiritual war, only so the political war could begin on clean ground.
"You used us," Hayate stated, stepping out from behind the tapestry, his charisma burning with cold fury.
"I guided you, King," Henudra corrected. "The ghoul summoner was chaos. Narakka is order. I prefer order. Now, if you would kindly surrender and accept your comfortable imprisonment, we can avoid more needless bloodshed."
The Second Ghoul Attack
As Henudra finished speaking, the air in the hallway changed again. The oppressive feeling of Narakka's political control was suddenly pierced by something dark and familiar.
A chilling, rasping shriek came from the grand hall they had just passed through.
Henudra's face, for the first time, showed genuine terror. "Impossible! The ghoul summoner is dead!"
Suddenly, three massive, bloated, corrupted Ghouls—larger and stronger than any they had fought at the shrine—burst into the hallway. They were pure, mindless engines of destruction, radiating the residual malice of their dead master.
"Residual summoning!" Hayate cried out, his Angelic senses screaming. "The summoner left a final trap!"
The ghouls ignored the dozens of Narakka's soldiers. They moved with absolute, terrifying focus on Henudra.
Henudra, the master strategist, was utterly defenseless against this raw, magical hatred. He turned to flee.
Neshuda, driven by pure instinct, didn't hesitate. He thrust Hayate behind a broken pillar and charged the largest ghoul, his sword flashing.
The ghouls were slow but massive. Neshuda's blows glanced off their corrupted skin. He managed to dismember one, sending its torso spinning, but the other two were too strong, too mindless.
Hayate saw one ghoul slam its clawed hand into Henudra's side. The former advisor screamed, collapsing onto the marble floor.
Neshuda, focused on defending his King, fought on, but he was overwhelmed. The second ghoul swung a massive, corrupted fist, striking Neshuda across the chest.
Hayate felt the terrible, cracking impact of the blow instantly—a reflected agony that felt like his ribs were shattering. He cried out, sinking to his knees. Neshuda was in severe physical pain!
A Strategic Retreat
The battle was lost. The ghouls were too strong, and they were drawing the attention of all of Narakka's troops.
Neshuda, clutching his broken ribs, fought off the ghoul and stumbled back toward the King.
"We have to go! Now!" Neshuda gasped, his breath ragged.
Hayate, fighting through the mirrored pain, seized Neshuda's arm. He looked at Henudra lying on the ground, wounded and abandoned by his own troops.
"We can't let Henudra die!" Hayate insisted. "He's the only one who knows the full extent of Narakka's plan! He's a crucial prisoner!"
Neshuda didn't argue. He knew that the strategist, even wounded, was more valuable than any sword. He moved, dodging the ghoul, grabbing Henudra by the collar, and dragging the traitor with him.
They plunged down a side staircase, the sounds of battle and the ghouls' shrieking pursuing them. They fled deeper into the labyrinthine palace, leaving Narakka's soldiers to fight the horrifying, residual ghouls.
They had infiltrated the Citadel, failed to take the throne, and were now fleeing with an injured traitor in tow.
"Where are we going?" Neshuda demanded, leaning heavily on the wall, his broken ribs radiating white-hot pain into Hayate.
Hayate, his Angelic senses finally finding a safe anchor point, pointed down a darkened, seldom-used corridor.
"The old infirmary," Hayate said, his voice strained. "We heal the traitor. We get the truth. Then we take back my crown."