"Where could he have gone? Not to the branch. Not to the Queen's chamber..."
"Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm..."
Kavin, Robin, Ravi, and Leo discussed seriously.
Suddenly, Ares said, "Maybe he just wanted some time alone."
Everyone looked at each other.
"Yeah, maybe."
"That makes sense."
"True."
They were convinced that Commander Levize had simply wanted some time alone and gone off on his own.
Then Leo said, "But he wouldn't do anything without the Queen's knowledge, so it just doesn't add up. And now that he's gone, who would report to the Queen?"
Everyone looked at Kavin as if he were the last resort.
Kavin said, "Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I'll say it to her directly. It just really troubles me that the commander just went like that."
As they talked, Levize's ripple reached the Queen's chamber, and they asked permission from the guards. Seeing them, the guards let them in immediately.
While the others waited, Kavin went to see the Queen. He walked in with a weary expression on his face. It was not common for Kavin to have such a face and act like this. The hallway seemed very subtle and not lively, unlike when Levize had visited before.
Walking past the curtains, he reached a large door carved out of a single piece of wood. The whole palace was carved out of a single piece, in fact, so it was marvelous and truly magnificent to see.
A young girl came out of the door and greeted Kavin. She had a black blindfold over her eyes and long white hair, and she wore a black-and-white full dress. She called to Kavin, "You may come in now. The Queen has granted you her presence."
Kavin bowed slightly and said, "After you, my lady," and followed her through the large door.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Kavin's spine. He could feel it—the dark feeling in the room.
There was a large table with three seats on each side facing each other. The young woman went near it and sat in one of the empty seats. There were six women sitting in the seats just like her, and at the end, on an elevated platform, the Queen sat with her right hand resting on her chin.
She wore a full white dress with too many sparks coming from it like smoke, with revealing shoulders. Her long hair rested on the other side of the chair, and atop it was a silver crown with three spikes, the middle one slightly higher than the other two. Her white eyes glistened like marble carved out of a fully creased sculpture.
She was not just a caring mother, but also a menacing queen with the history of leading the Great War with sheer force. She was not just beautiful, but dangerous too.
Kavin greeted her first. "Greetings, Mother. This poor child has news for you."
Noticing the tone in his voice, the Queen's expression changed. She asked in a soft voice, "Where's Levize?"
Kavin seemed to lose his composure under the Queen's questioning gaze. He felt pressured and said, "He... he... he disappeared."
Hearing him, the Queen was shocked. The young women's seated there also seemed confused.
The Queen said in an unfiltered tone, "He what?"
Kavin was flustered by seeing the Queen's true reaction. He clarified what happened in the Tidals, how they killed old Tom, and what happened with the commander.
"And we don't know where, he went just like that. At first, we thought he went early to report to you and then to the branch to rest, but it doesn't seem to be the case. He has never done anything like this... so we came personally to report it to you."
Hearing him, the Queen closed her eyes and rested her hand on her forehead. In disdain, she told Kavin and the women seated there, "Spread news of his missing, and report it if he is seen anywhere."
Kavin left the Queen's chamber and joined the team.
They asked him what had happened inside.
"What did the Queen say about the commander's missing?"
Kavin was still taken aback by the Queen's reaction. He said, "She will notify the others and inform us in case he is seen."
Everyone felt slightly down, and Leo was hurt more than the others, so his wounds were not healing sooner. They should visit the infirmary.
Suddenly, Kavin notified them, "And we need to pick that boy up. How do we do it? We already went on a mission without him, and now the commander is gone. It's troublesome, so leave it for now. Watch him closely, and when you get a chance, pick him out."
Everyone wore confused expressions.
Kavin corrected him. "Ohhh, yeah. I mean recruit him to the team."
Then they dispersed, and Robin took Leo to the infirmary. Ravi and Ares went to see Drake and recruit him directly.
After they left, Kavin had a troubled face.
"Be safe, Commander. Not that I question your resilience—it's just that you are a family to us too. So please be safe."
______________________
As the news flashed on everyone's communicator species, Drake was confused.
"Missing? What the hell does that mean? I can't picture it. Did he just vanish, or what?"
Noctis did not seem to mind it that much. With a calm tone, he asked Drake, "So, what do you want to have today, kid? We've got whale meat and usuals."
Drake asked, "Which would be the cheapest? I'm really low on nectar, you know."
"It's not about the nectar, kid. Enjoy for today. It's a gift from your old friend."
With a faint smile on his face, Drake said, "Okay then, I'll go with the cleaver whale."
He ate and left the place, gliding through streams that worked as highways of the tribe, and reached a grand structure like a colosseum, where people battle until there is only one winner.
There, Drake stood in the side passage of the structure and recited some sounds. A beautiful silver-white scarf weaved itself into existence. Drake covered his face and head with it and went inside.
As he entered, two pairs of eyes noticed what he did, but did not react and waited to see what would happen.