Deep within the palace, where the burned laboratory lay, Novich began to slowly regain consciousness, feeling a sharp pain throughout his body. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was restrained by his hands, feet, and neck inside a cold metal cage.
He glanced around, seeing a place filled with ash and debris, with charred walls surrounding him like the ruins of a haunting memory.
Outside, his attention was caught by two men standing before a massive circular device resembling a metallic ring. One of them was Nikola Mask, his face exhausted and his clothes covered in dust, while the other was Advisor Edison, standing with visible agitation, his eyes fixed on the device with a mix of excitement and tension.
Edison looked at Nikola and said angrily, "We don't have time! You must hurry and activate the portal. I have to return to my homeland, Niponaki."
Nikola struggled to adjust the device, pressing the buttons with trembling fingers, until it finally began to glow with a majestic blue light, and indicators appeared showing that the portal was close to opening.
Signs of joy spread across Edison's face, and a sinister smile formed on his lips as he muttered, "I've waited for this moment for so long… and now it's finally happening!"
But suddenly, the device stopped working, and the light went out completely.
His joy turned into raging fury, and Edison began shouting hysterically as he looked at Nikola, "What happened?! Even now, you're still incapable of activating it?!"
Unable to control himself, Edison grabbed a wooden staff beside him and began beating Nikola brutally as he shouted, "This is all because of you! You are the reason for everything I've suffered!"
Blind rage surged through his veins, and it didn't subside until Nikola's body collapsed onto the ground.
Novich watched as his uncle took the blows, screaming and striking the bars violently, anger clear on his face, yet he was powerless to intervene.
Edison continued his savage assault until he grew tired, then grabbed Nikola by his robe and dragged him harshly toward the cage where Novich was imprisoned.
Inside the cage, the flames of anger ignited in Novich's chest as he saw his uncle in that state. He shouted with eyes filled with fury, "How dare you do this?! I'll make you pay for it! I'll expose your truth to everyone!"
But Edison showed no reaction. Instead, he threw Nikola into the cage beside Novich, then turned to him and said sharply:
"You and your uncle are the reason for all this destruction. You are the ones who convinced the king to settle on this land. Everything that happened was because of you."
Novich clenched his fists and said with suppressed rage, "How dare you strike the hand that extended kindness to you?! The hand that gave you shelter, fed you, gave you water, and granted you safety when you were homeless, fleeing from death! And after all that, you repay it with betrayal?! Is this the reward for the one who made you rulers of this island?!"
Edison fell silent for a moment, his eyes staring into the void, then he spoke with a voice filled with hatred:
"You mean King Bodia? The king who destroyed my life? The reason behind our rebellion against the king of Niponaki! Because of him, I lost my wife and child!"
Edison continued, "I could hear their screams… I saw them collapsing one after another, exhausted from hunger and thirst while we were fleeing… and I couldn't do anything! Do you think I can forget that?!"
Then he said in a tone of vengeance, "No… I will not forget! And I will not forgive!"
Novich's eyes widened in shock, the truth far harsher than he had imagined.
Edison looked at Novich and said, his voice heavy with vengeance:
"Do you know who caused the energy generator to fail? I did that! I knew an explosion would happen, and I waited for that moment… to make the king taste the bitterness of loss just as I did. I even wished you were inside the palace at the time, so you would burn along with the others… but you… survived."
Shock spread across Novich's face as he froze in place, staring at his uncle in disbelief.
Then Edison continued, letting out a tired sigh, "I've endured a lot… and I need rest."
He slowly stood up and walked toward the small room in the lab, leaving Nikola and Novich inside the cage, then quietly closed the door behind him.