The Unsettling Calm
The successful negotiation at the Conclave of the Golden City had cemented King Hayate's image as an unbreakable, eternal ruler. He returned to the Aurekawa Citadel with a strengthened sense of purpose, deeply comforted by the fierce, absolute reality of the Eternal Imprint.
However, the political peace was immediately shattered by a subtle, unsettling internal disturbance. The Citadel's sophisticated spiritual sensors began picking up intermittent energy leaks—small, focused drains of the Angelic aura occurring deep within the eastern sector, near the old military barracks.
The drains are small, Hayate, but precise. They are targeting the most stable conduits,Neshuda projected, his consciousness flowing through the Anchor's Seal with concern. This is not an external attack. This is an inside job.
Hayate immediately realized the danger. A traitor within the Citadel's ranks—someone with access to the highest-security spiritual conduits—was slowly siphoning their power. But who?
The Surveillance of the Soul
Hayate and Winter initiated a secret, intense investigation. They discovered that the energy drain was specifically occurring during the shift changes of the Royal Guard—the very warriors entrusted with the spiritual defense of the Citadel.
The chief suspect was Commander Jarek, a long-serving, highly decorated officer with access to the security codes. Jarek was known for his cold efficiency and deep ambition, but he was also a personal friend of Consort Neshuda.
The idea of betrayal from someone Neshuda had trusted was agonizing for Hayate.
I cannot believe Jarek would do this, Anchor. He was loyal to you, fiercely loyal, Hayate projected, his own judgment clouded by emotion.
Your grief is blinding your logic, my King. Loyalty to the Consort does not mean loyalty to the Imprint. Jarek may see our unity as a usurpation of the natural order, Neshuda analyzed, his counsel detached and necessary. We cannot confront him. We must find the Relic of the False Star he is using.
Neshuda focused his internal memory and guided Hayate to a key piece of information retrieved from the Western mission against the Silent Virus: a small, highly specialized Lyran device capable of siphoning power without detection. The device was code-named the Relic of the False Star—a small energy capacitor disguised as a decorative item.
The Search for the Relic
Neshuda guided Hayate to the deepest, most forgotten sub-levels beneath the old barracks—a network of abandoned Lyran maintenance tunnels. The energy drains were strongest here.
Hayate and Winter descended, moving through dust-choked tunnels where the air was heavy with forgotten spiritual energy. Hayate relied entirely on the constant pulse of the Anchor's Seal to guide them, Neshuda's spiritual signature acting as a flawless Geiger counter for the hidden relic.
They eventually found the source of the drain: a small, dark-metal device, disguised as a ceremonial weapon hook, mounted on a forgotten Lyran conduit. The device was warm to the touch, humming faintly as it slowly pulled energy from the Resonance Key array.
As Hayate reached for the relic, Neshuda's warning was immediate: It's a trap, Hayate! The relic is linked to a seismic charge! If you touch it, the tunnel will collapse.
Neshuda quickly projected the relic's internal schematics into Hayate's mind. Use the Angelic aura as a dampener. You must override the seismic trigger without disrupting the siphon.
This required an agonizingly precise act of spiritual control—a fusion of Hayate's raw power and Neshuda's absolute surgical precision. Hayate, gripping the Seal, channeled the combined energy, gently dampening the trigger circuit while simultaneously overriding the relic's energy draw.
Hayate succeeded, seizing the device without incident. The relic was deactivated, confirming its purpose: to slowly weaken the Citadel's spiritual shield in preparation for a major, external assault.
The Shadow in the Mirror
Returning to the surface, Hayate realized the profound sadness of the situation. Commander Jarek, Neshuda's friend, was a traitor.
They confronted Jarek in the interrogation room. Jarek was initially calm, denying everything, until Hayate placed the Relic of the False Star on the table.
"Commander, this device siphons the Angelic aura. It was found linked to your access point," Hayate stated, his voice heavy with disappointment.
Jarek's composure finally broke. He didn't deny the crime, but the source of his betrayal was more agonizing than simple greed.
"I did it for him!" Jarek screamed, pointing at the spot where Neshuda used to stand. "The King is supposed to be one! You are a mockery! You killed Neshuda's soul and stole his body! You are using his ghost to rule! I was trying to weaken the shield so a real warrior could force a change!"
The accusation—that Hayate had stolen Neshuda's identity and body—was the ultimate psychological weapon, and it pierced Hayate's defenses. He felt the old, agonizing doubt and grief surge up.
He's wrong! I am not stealing you! We are one! Hayate projected desperately to Neshuda.
Ignore the physical truth, Hayate! The betrayal is painful because he speaks to your deepest fear. Show him the unity of our love! Neshuda commanded, his Resolve a cold, absolute shield.
Hayate looked at Jarek, and then he let Neshuda's consciousness flow fully into his face and voice.
"I am the King. And I am the Anchor," Hayate stated, his eyes hardening, the voice ringing with Neshuda's familiar, cold authority. "Your betrayal dishonors the Consort's sacrifice. His consciousness is the eternal life of this realm, and I am his vessel."
Jarek was silenced, staring at the cold, perfect fury of Neshuda's presence emanating from the King. The confrontation was won, but the doubt lingered in Hayate's heart.
Reaffirming the Flesh
The psychological toll of Jarek's accusation was devastating. Back in his private chamber, Hayate felt a wave of self-hatred and profound confusion. Had he become merely the vessel? Was he still the King?
Hayate walked to the plinth and pulled Neshuda's cold, silk-wrapped body onto the bed. He held the lifeless form, desperately seeking comfort and clarity.
Anchor, am I just your shell? Did I steal your life to secure mine? Hayate projected, his soul consumed by self-doubt.
Neshuda's response was immediate and fierce, flowing from the Anchor's Seal with boundless love and absolute dominance. You are the King! You are my soulmate! I chose this! I chose you! I command you to believe the truth!
Neshuda initiated their deepest spiritual union—the ultimate display of his love and ownership over the King's essence. He channeled his consciousness into Hayate's body, instantly overriding the self-doubt with pure, overwhelming ecstasy and physical sensation.
Neshuda took spiritual command of Hayate's physical form, directing the King's hands and mouth with the powerful, loving memory of the Consort. The act was a forceful, sweet assertion of Neshuda's eternal, dominant love—a declaration that the body was merely a vessel for their shared, fierce intimacy.
Feel me, Hayate! Know me! This is not theft; this is eternal possession! I am your truth! Neshuda commanded, his voice filled with fierce, possessive affection, driving Hayate to a shattering, cleansing climax.
Hayate collapsed, his body trembling, the self-doubt purged by the undeniable, absolute reality of their spiritual-physical bond. He was not a thief; he was the Eternal Anchor's perfect, chosen vessel.
The Final Security
With the internal threat neutralized, Hayate commanded the creation of the Core Guardians—a new division of the Royal Guard, composed of warriors sworn directly to the Eternal Imprint and led by Winter, ensuring loyalty to the Anchor's doctrine.
Hayate held the Anchor's Seal, looking at the cold, perfect logic of the recovered Relic of the False Star. They had defeated the traitor, but the psychological wound was deep.
We will not be shaken, Anchor. We have the truth of our love, Hayate vowed.
We have the silence, my King. And the silence is unbreakable, Neshuda confirmed.
Hayate turned to the vast, complex challenges of his eternal rule, his love absolute, his control complete.