"You should not have sent him out like that, Your Grace," Lord Gerrant sighed, speaking with disapproval of the king's actions. "He is still the prince of our world, and his dignity must always be respected."
"Oh please, spare us the sermon, Lord Gerrant," Lord Varnaak snapped, clearly unwilling to hear any words of empathy. "You saw what the prince did—he failed terribly at a simple task assigned to him years ago. I agree with the king: Prince Andreas must not return to Gorgor until he has found the mutant with the illumination ability."
"But what if the prince is right?" Lord Gerrant argued firmly. "He is powerful and strong enough to find the illuminator. His fighting skills are exceptional, and the range of his powers is outstanding. I support Prince Andreas's claim that the mutant may not be from Triven, but from other planets in Omania. We must be certain before making rash decisions." He was not ready to concede defeat to Lord Varnaak, especially when he believed he stood for what was right.
"That is absurd, Lord Gerrant! Your words are nothing but ridiculous ranting to the hearing of this entire council and our king. Do not make me say that you should be relieved of your position as a—"
"Enough!" King Radia interrupted sharply, calling the council to order and cutting Varnaak off before he could finish. "I have given my decree, and so it shall be. If anyone has an issue with my order, they should prepare to join the prince in his temporary banishment. This council is dismissed!"
At his final words, the lords and ladies of Gorgor rose and left the chamber one after another, leaving King Radia alone to depart at his leisure.
"Lord Varnaak!" the king called to the lord lingering near the door.
"Yes, Your Grace?" Varnaak turned and bowed respectfully.
"I do not trust the prince," King Radia said slowly and calmly as he rose from his throne and approached Varnaak. "I no longer trust his loyalty to Gorgor. He has always cared more for the people of Omania than for us. I believe he is hiding something. I suspect he has found the illuminator but chosen to conceal him rather than bring him here to restore our core." He sighed deeply.
"What would you have me do, Your Greatness?"
"I want you, Lord Varnaak, to spy on him—know his every movement and report anything you discover immediately. Find out what or who he is hiding and bring him to me at once. Is that understood?"
"Of course, Your Grace."
---
*Nerwin, Triven*
*(The Institute)*
"You look ravishing tonight, Lilith. I would say perfect too, but you're terribly late. The speech is already over," Nexine said as she entered the hall, taking her hand immediately.
She wore a silver gown with an evident touch of purple, paired with glittering silver heels. Her purple hair was tied into a neat bun, leaving her neck, face, and ears bare—no jewelry or makeup adorned them. But this did not diminish her beauty in the slightest.
"I'll take the compliment, thank you, Nexine," she smiled, taking his hand as they walked into the hall to find a seat.
"Ehmm, Lilith, just call me Nex. I find it suits me better than my full name," he requested as they settled around an unoccupied table. The speech, as Nex had said, was already over. They sat and enjoyed the snacks prepared while music played and dancers took to the floor.
They had barely sat down before a group of girls approached their table. Some were older, others about their age. They flocked to Nex like flies drawn to rotten food, touching him and flirting shamelessly.
In no time, Nex had all their attention, basking in the spotlight as the proud son of Sensei Velskud. They took the empty seats around him and even pushed Lilith from hers just to have him all to themselves—and they succeeded.
"Shoosh, get out of here, purple head!" a blonde girl, clearly older than Lilith, said harshly as she shoved her from the seat. "You look pathetic, purple idiot," she mocked loudly, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Lilith ignored their sniggers and moved to another empty seat she was lucky to find. She sat quietly, trying to keep her composure despite feeling deeply offended.
"Whew," she breathed, taking a glass of water from the table before her, then abruptly left the hall. She walked to the trees a short distance from the entrance, out of sight of anyone near the hall—it was already dark. Standing alone, she gazed at the bright moon, gulping down the water.
She was about to return to the hall to drop her glass and take a brief stroll among the trees when suddenly, someone yanked her hair hard.
"Oh, our purple freak came here to be all alone like the little baby she is," the blonde girl sneered. She was becoming unbearable.
"Let go of my hair!" Lilith whimpered in pain as tears slid down her cheeks from the forceful pull.
"What if I say I won't? Huh? What are you going to do?" Miss Blondy taunted, but Lilith wasn't about to be intimidated.
Without hesitation, Lilith smashed the glass in her right hand against the girl's head, gaining temporary freedom from her grip.
"Aaaah! You little scum! You'll pay for this!" the blonde screamed, blood trickling from the wound caused by the broken glass, staining her already pink cheeks. She lunged at Lilith with a punch, which Lilith dodged by bending down, then drove her shoulder hard into the girl's chest. She kneed her in the stomach and followed with a nose-breaking punch, sending the blonde unconscious to the ground instantly.
"What a weak bully," Lilith sighed in irritation, looking down at the girl. She leaned over to check for a pulse—but there was none.
'What? There wasn't? Did I kill her?' she panicked internally. 'I only smashed a glass on her head, kneed her stomach, gave her a shoulder bash, and punched her nose. Maybe I was a bit too rough. Oh no, what have I done? I'm going to get into deep trouble for this.'
She considered returning to the hall but noticed her dress was ripped.
"Dammit!" she cursed under her breath. Now she couldn't just return and pretend nothing had happened. She was sure she'd be expelled if anyone found her here. She looked around for security cameras but found none.
'Good, at least I'm safe from that.'
"What do I do?" she whispered, rubbing her face.
"What have you done, Lilith? You're a murderer!"