The first rays of sunlight touched the mountains of Panchavat.
The palace gates slowly opened.
One by one, horses were brought forward. Armour was tightened, weapons were checked, supplies were secured, and the imperial banners were carefully raised above the departing troops.
The peaceful morning of Panchavat was about to end.
Kshiraj stood near the main gate, already dressed in his armour.
His hand instinctively moved toward his waist.
The payal was there.
The one he had promised to keep until he returned to Lavyaa.
He closed his fingers around it for a moment.
Then released it.
"Your Majesty."
One of the commanders approached and bowed.
"Everything is ready."
Kshiraj nodded.
"How many soldiers?"
"Three thousand imperial soldiers, along with the warrior mages."
"And the remaining forces?"
"They have already taken the eastern route. They will join us near the marked location."
Kshiraj looked toward the horizon.
"And Yuga?"
"He has already departed with the advance unit."
Kshiraj nodded.
"Then we leave."
He turned toward the palace one last time.
For a brief moment, his eyes searched the upper windows.
Nothing.
Lavyaa had already returned to her chambers.
Or perhaps...
She was watching from somewhere he couldn't see.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Then he mounted his horse.
"Move."
The gates opened completely.
The army began its journey.
Inside the Palace
Lavyaa stood beside the palace window.
She watched the procession disappear beyond the gates.
Her fingers unconsciously touched the kamardaani around her waist.
The gift Kshiraj had given her was still there.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Come back soon..."
She whispered.
Then her expression became serious.
"Because I still have a story to hear."
She turned away from the window.
But something caught her attention.
A strange glimmer appeared upon the floor.
Lavyaa stopped.
She slowly bent down.
A tiny crystal-like fragment lay near the window.
She picked it up.
The moment her fingers touched it—
A faint pulse of magic travelled through her hand.
Lavyaa's eyes widened.
"What...?"
The fragment suddenly became warm.
Then cold.
She immediately dropped it.
The crystal struck the floor.
Crack.
A thin line appeared across its surface.
And from within it...
A faint whisper emerged.
"The queen must not leave Panchavat."
Lavyaa froze.
She stared at the broken crystal.
"Who are you?"
There was no answer.
She carefully picked it up again.
This time, there was no magic.
Nothing.
Only an ordinary piece of crystal.
Lavyaa's expression darkened.
"Someone is watching us."
On the Road
Kshiraj's army moved through the forest.
The journey was quiet.
Almost too quiet.
Yuga rode near him.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Finally, Kshiraj asked,
"How far?"
"At this speed?"
Yuga looked toward the mountains.
"Four days."
Kshiraj nodded.
"And the advance unit?"
"They should reach the marked location before us."
"Good."
Yuga glanced at him.
"You are unusually quiet."
"I usually am."
"Not like this."
Kshiraj looked at him.
Yuga smiled.
"You are thinking about Lavyaa."
Kshiraj's expression immediately hardened.
"Focus on the road."
"That means yes."
"Yuga."
"Fine. Fine."
Yuga laughed softly.
For a while, they continued in silence.
Then Yuga's expression changed.
"But there is something else."
Kshiraj looked at him.
"What?"
"I received a message from Viraj."
His eyes sharpened.
"What did he say?"
"The eastern route isn't safe."
"Why?"
"Someone has been following our movements."
Kshiraj's expression became serious.
"Do we have confirmation?"
Yuga shook his head.
"Only traces."
"Then assume we're being watched."
Kshiraj raised his hand.
The entire formation slowly came to a halt.
"Double the scouts."
"Keep the mages spread across the formation."
"No fires after sunset."
"And nobody leaves the formation alone."
The commanders bowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The army continued moving.
But now...
Every shadow seemed suspicious.
Back at the River
Siraj stood beside the lake.
The place where Raaya had disappeared was still visible in his mind.
The morning light had almost completely replaced the moonlight.
Yet his thoughts remained trapped in the previous night.
No mana.
No trace of ordinary magic.
And then... she simply vanished.
He looked toward the large tree beside the lake.
He could still picture her sitting beneath it.
The armour beside her.
Her long hair falling freely.
Her calm eyes.
Her strange words.
And then—
Nothing.
A faint sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts.
"Yuvraj Siraj."
Siraj turned.
One of the senior mages approached him, carrying a small cloth pouch.
"We found something near the river."
Siraj's eyes immediately narrowed.
"What?"
The mage opened the pouch.
Inside lay a small black stone.
"We found it near the exact spot where the princess disappeared."
Siraj stared at it.
For a moment, he said nothing.
"Did you sense any magic from it?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"What kind?"
The mage hesitated.
"We are not certain yet. There is a faint residue of magic, but it doesn't resemble ordinary spellcraft."
Siraj took the stone from him.
The moment it touched his palm, a faint chill travelled through his fingers.
His expression remained unchanged.
"Could it belong to the princess?"
The mage looked at him carefully.
"That is what we are trying to determine."
Siraj's fingers tightened around the stone.
"No."
The answer came almost immediately.
The mage looked surprised.
Siraj realized how quickly he had responded.
He composed himself.
"I mean..."
He looked at the stone again.
"There is no evidence that it belongs to her."
"Your Highness, the stone was found exactly where she disappeared."
"I know."
His voice became colder.
"But coincidence is not proof."
The mage bowed slightly.
"Of course."
Siraj looked back toward the river.
His mind replayed the scene.
Raaya standing beneath the tree.
Her calm expression.
Her strange words.
The way she had vanished.
The impossible absence of mana.
Everything pointed toward her.
Yet something inside him refused to accept it.
She is suspicious.
That much is undeniable.
But involved in this?
His eyes narrowed.
No.
Deep down, he didn't believe it.
He didn't know why.
Perhaps it was instinct.
Perhaps it was the way she had looked at him before disappearing.
Or perhaps...
He simply didn't want to believe that she was his enemy.
The mage interrupted his thoughts.
"Should we have the stone examined by the royal mages?"
Siraj finally nodded.
"Yes."
"Keep this matter confidential."
"Not even the council should know about it until we understand what it is."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The mage turned to leave.
"Wait."
He stopped.
Siraj looked at him.
"And if the stone does belong to the princess?"
The mage waited for his answer.
Siraj's gaze drifted toward the river once more.
His voice was quiet.
"Then we find out why."
He paused.
"And until we have the truth..."
His fingers closed around the stone.
"...no one touches her."
The mage bowed.
"Understood."
He left.
Siraj remained beside the river.
The wind moved gently through the trees.
He looked at the empty space beneath the tree where Raaya had been sitting only hours ago.
"You had better not be involved in this..."
He murmured.
Then, after a moment, almost against his own thoughts—
"...Raaya."
Inside Panchavat
Raaya stood alone in a quiet corridor of the palace.
She looked down at her palm.
Nothing was there.
Yet she could still feel the faint warmth of the promise Siraj had placed upon her.
From now onwards, you are under my protection.
She smiled faintly.
"What a strange man..."
Her smile slowly disappeared.
Her eyes moved toward the distant horizon.
Something was coming.
She could feel it.
The magic in the air had changed.
The disappearance had not been an escape.
Not entirely.
She had her own reasons.
And there were things she couldn't tell Siraj.
Not yet.
Because sometimes...
Protecting someone meant allowing them to misunderstand you.
Raaya quietly closed her hand.
"Not everything can be explained, Yuvraj."
Four Days Later
The forest grew denser.
The army of Swarnartha continued toward Panchavat's marked location.
Kshiraj looked toward the mountains.
"We should reach the meeting point by tomorrow."
Yuga nodded.
"If everything goes according to plan."
Kshiraj looked at him.
"And if it doesn't?"
Yuga smiled faintly.
"Then we make a new plan."
Kshiraj almost smiled.
Almost.
But then—
A bird suddenly flew out from the trees.
The horses became restless.
The scouts immediately raised their weapons.
"Stop!"
The army halted.
Kshiraj's hand moved toward his sword.
Yuga looked around.
Nothing.
No enemy.
No movement.
Only the wind.
One of the mages closed his eyes.
"Someone was here."
Kshiraj looked toward the forest.
"How long ago?"
The mage opened his eyes.
"Very recently."
Yuga's expression became serious.
"Then we're definitely being followed."
Kshiraj looked ahead.
"Keep moving."
"But Your Majesty—"
"If they want us to know they are following us..."
He drew his sword slightly from its sheath.
"...then let them follow."
The army moved again.
High above them, hidden among the branches, a pair of eyes watched silently.
But the figure did not attack.
It simply waited.
Because the real battle had not yet begun.
And somewhere far beyond the forest...
The pieces of the game were moving into position.
The dice had been cast at dawn.
Now...
Fate was beginning to reveal where they would land.