Zeke stood on top of the gate once more, watching the messengers disappear into the distance.
The three Striders moved quickly across the uneven ground, carrying their riders back toward the capital. In only a short while, they had shrunk to little more than specks on the horizon. Yet Zeke’s gaze remained fixed on them for a long time as he recalled the recent events.
After Vulcanos had received his certificate of merit, it had not ended there.
Three more people had unexpectedly been called forward: Elder Tiger, Elder Dragon, and Leo.
Zeke hadn’t been caught off guard by the move itself. By that point, he already had an idea of what the Queen was aiming for.
What had surprised him was not the intention, but the accuracy.
The recipients had been chosen masterfully.
Neither David, Zelkara, nor Raileh had received anything, despite their contributions. Any one of the three could have been named without causing surprise. David had fought on the frontline, Zelkara had led the Bloodguard, and Raileh had done her part as a healer during the entire campaign.
But they were Zeke’s direct subordinates. Their merits naturally belonged to him.
The Queen had avoided that mistake.
The same could not be said for the others.
Leo was Zeke’s younger brother, but that was precisely why he had the standing to receive merit for himself. More than that, his contributions could not simply be folded into Zeke’s own. Leo had come to Rukia even before him and had already made a name for himself in the war long before the tide began to turn.
He had fought, bled, commanded, and survived on his own merits.
Honestly, it was only proper to reward him personally.
That part, at least, was easy enough to explain.
The other two names were far more interesting.
Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon.
Zeke’s eyes grew deeper as he thought of the two faction leaders from the Undercity. Their presence here had never been a secret, but their exact relationship to him was another matter. Very few people understood the web of promises, favors, threats, and interests that bound them together.
They certainly were not people a newly crowned Queen of Rukia should have been able to classify so precisely after only a handful of days.
Zeke tapped a finger lightly against the wooden railing.
This was no simple list of names thrown together by a grateful ruler.
Either Miriel’s information network ran far deeper than he had expected, or somebody had helped her.
Zeke’s lips curled slightly.
Interesting.
He had already known that the new Queen was a political animal through and through. That much had been clear when she confronted him during their last meeting. She had lost that clash, and Zeke had ended up supporting her claim back then.
But he hadn’t done so purely out of goodwill. It had been as much a favor as it had been a strategy to put the other commanders in their place and establish his position.
He wasn’t sure if she still counted him among her allies or if she had genuinely chosen to turn hostile. But, in his heart, he doubted it was either. More likely than not, the new Queen was playing every side, aiming to extract as many benefits as she could.
That was fine with him. There was nobody easier to control than a person who was this greedy. Especially if he already knew what she was after.
While still in deep thought, Zeke felt a presence approaching from behind.
Zeke smiled. He already knew who had come. Even without his spatial perception telling him, he had expected it.
“Master…”
Turning around, he found Vulcanos standing there with a complicated expression on his face.
“You should stop calling me that,” Zeke said, his smile growing even wider. “Judging by merit alone, I should be the one calling you master.”
Vulcanos snorted. “What merit? I slept through the entire thing, and they still pulled something like that. I…” Vulcanos shook his head, the words failing him. “I am sorry, master. It truly wasn’t my intent to steal your glory.”
Zeke’s smile slowly disappeared. Not because he was displeased, but because he could sense that this was genuinely weighing on Vulcanos.
“Walk with me,” he said.
Vulcanos looked up in surprise but didn’t question him.
Zeke stepped off the wall, solidifying the space beneath his feet as he descended. Vulcanos moved more directly, dropping from the gate and landing in the courtyard without making the slightest sound.
“Stuff like that was bound to happen,” Zeke explained in a more serious tone as the two of them started walking through the camp. “Whether you want it or not, now that you have officially stepped onto the stage, there is no getting off it.”
“Then what should I do?”
Zeke shrugged. “In politics, there is no universally right answer. You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons and play it by ear.”
The two passed through the lively courtyard. Many of the soldiers still gathered there looked their way, but after seeing that Zeke had no intention of stopping, they quickly made room.
Vulcanos scratched his head sheepishly. “That… That is not exactly my strong suit.”
Zeke smiled. Vulcanos, despite his newfound power and status, hadn’t changed a bit.
“It’s actually not as complicated as it seems,” he explained. “The only reason it feels that way is because you are looking at a puzzle with half the pieces missing.”
“Puzzle?” Vulcanos asked. “There was something like that?”
Zeke shook his head. “Not literally. It’s a metaphor for…” He stopped, seeing Vulcanos grow even more confused. This wasn’t the right approach.
They had already reached one of the main paths leading toward the outer edge of camp. The further they went, the thinner the crowd became. Behind them, the excited voices of the soldiers slowly faded into a muffled background noise.
“Why do you think the Queen has given you so many merits?” Zeke asked directly.
Vulcanos answered without pause. “They said it was because of the guys I killed and all that.”
Zeke shook his head. “That was the reason written on the scroll. But official reasons are rarely the whole truth.”
“Then how do I find out?”
“By not just looking at the action itself, but at the motivation behind it.” Seeing that Vulcanos was still struggling, he gave him another hint. “The Queen has given you merit. What do you think she wants to achieve?”
Vulcanos thought about it for a moment before answering haltingly. “She… invited us to the capital. Could it be that this was her true goal? Could it be a trap?”
“That is likely part of it.”
Vulcanos’ eyes widened. “What, really!? Then shouldn’t we have refused?”
Zeke couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s not what you’re thinking. And even if it was, what could she even do to you? Have you forgotten how strong you are now?”
Vulcanos calmed down immediately. He looked down at his own hands, which now looked perfectly human. “Ahh. Right.”
By now, the two of them had reached the edge of the fortified camp. The guards standing near the gate straightened when they saw them approaching, but Zeke waved them off and continued past.
“It’s most likely a political trap,” Zeke explained. “Power games and the like.”
Vulcanos remained silent for a moment, his expression uncertain. But he seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
The noise of the camp began to fall away behind them. Ahead, the mountain path stretched upward, narrow and uneven. Zeke led the way, using solidified space beneath his feet whenever the path became inconvenient. Vulcanos followed, his steps carrying him over the broken terrain without difficulty.
“Do you already know what the Queen is going to do?” he asked eventually.
Zeke inclined his head slightly. “I have a guess.”
“Can you tell me?”
“I’ll give you a hint if you want.” Vulcanos nodded, and Zeke continued. “The Queen is going to trade what she lacks for what she desperately needs.”
“…Trade what she lacks,” Vulcanos repeated. “How can you give something you don’t have?”
Zeke waved him off. “It’s a hint. Figure it out yourself. And even if you can’t, won’t you find out soon anyway? When that time comes, just follow my lead, and everything should go smoothly.”
Vulcanos nodded absently, his mind clearly already on the hint.
Zeke watched him struggle with it for a moment before deciding to leave it there. Vulcanos would learn faster by thinking it through himself.
For a while, the two continued in silence.
The camp had long since disappeared behind the rocks, and the terrain grew steeper with every step. Yet none of it seemed to hinder Vulcanos in the slightest. He climbed sheer walls with the same ease as he traversed flat ground, moving with an ease that made Zeke marvel inwardly.
Without Zeke’s ability to solidify space, along with the occasional teleport, there was no telling how often Vulcanos would have had to wait for him.
“Vulcanos,” Zeke called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Yes?”
“How is it?”
“How is what?”
Zeke pointed at him. At his face, at his hands, at his hair, at his skin. “The new body. How is it?”
Vulcanos remained silent for a moment. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to answer, but rather that he lacked the words. “It… is strange,” he said eventually. “It feels like wearing a costume, pretending to be something I am not.”
Zeke nodded slowly. “Should I ask Winter if he is willing to help? Maybe he could show you the ropes?”
Vulcanos shook his head decisively. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I have a feeling that…” His words trailed off.
“…A feeling that what?”
Vulcanos continued, his voice uncertain. “It feels like we would start fighting if we met again.”
Zeke’s brows furrowed. “Something you cannot control?”
Vulcanos shook his head. “Not to that extent. More like an itch. Just thinking about that man has me grinding my teeth.”
Zeke rubbed his chin. That was interesting. Perhaps there was more than one reason Progenitors lived far removed from one another. Whether it was instinct, rivalry, or simply the clash between opposing affinities, he couldn’t say.
As they spoke, Zeke led them higher and higher, away from the paths any ordinary person could have followed. Eventually, the two reached a distant peak overlooking a valley nestled between three mountains. It was shaped like a basin, completely surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides.
Only then did Zeke stop.
Vulcanos came to a halt beside him, looking around the secluded valley.
Zeke turned toward him. “If that is so, then there isn’t much I can do to help you figure this out,” he said. “But I am truly curious.” He paused, looking the other man up and down.
“This isn’t your real form, is it?”
Vulcanos remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. “It’s not.”
Zeke had expected as much. When Winter had fought the enemy Progenitor, both had discarded their human forms and taken on different appearances. Winter had turned into a wolf, while his opponent had become a giant snake.
The same was true of Rhea and even Khai’Zar. Higher-ranked species all had a human form, but that wasn’t their true appearance. He had already guessed that it would be the same for Vulcanos.
Ever since he had evolved, Zeke had been curious what form Vulcanos would take when he showed his true face.
“Can you show me?”
Vulcanos looked at him, then at the empty valley below. “So that’s why you brought me here.”
Zeke smiled slightly but didn’t deny it.
Vulcanos exhaled slowly. “I’ll do it,” he said. “But please keep your distance. I can’t control it very well.”
Zeke nodded.
Vulcanos turned and made his way down into the basin. Zeke followed only until he reached a suitable vantage point along the slope, then stopped at a safe distance.
“Please stay here for now, master,” Vulcanos called out.
Zeke waited expectantly, his eyes locked onto Vulcanos’ body, determined not to miss anything.
The moment he reached the center of the valley, Vulcanos looked back, meeting Zeke’s gaze. Zeke nodded, encouraging him to begin.
In the next moment, a wave of heat struck his face. The air twisted violently, and for an instant, the entire world blurred before his eyes. It took several heartbeats before his vision adjusted enough to make out the scene.
He looked toward the middle of the valley, the very location where Vulcanos had just been.
His eyes widened, and for a rare moment, no words came to him.
“This…”