The young woman smiled and Replied:
"Oh, it's an honour. And you stole My lines, Your majesty."
Seeing him closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, she looked at herself and asked:
"So even a ruler like you cannot resist a sight like me?"
Arkane opened his eyes with a smile and..
"Bitch, I'm a married man. I'm not supposed to see other women."
The young woman nodded.
[Author's Note: that was cute.]
"I'm Siena Fox, I'm the last adopted daughter of President of Ember in this world if you ask. And I know a way back to your world, no actually, our world. That's how I knew you have claimed the Rulership of that place- whatever it's name is. That answers all your questions. So now listen to what I have to say."
She looked at him, expecting him to nod. But that was too sudden.. he didn't nod, he asked:
"That is too sudden.. but, let me ask one more question, 2 more actually."
Siena stood up from her seat, moving her hand signaling him to continue:
"How to go back?"
She shook her head and said:
"I expected you would ask that, but it's simple- because we don't have enough mana. We need to restore enough of it to open a mini portal between worlds then cross over to our own. Only those who came from the other world can do this."
Arkane looked at himself and thought for a moment. If she knows this then there must be other people like him and her in this world.. where are they? Is everyone living just like Arkane? And how did this woman became a daughter of Ember? He Then said:
"You seem to know too much about it, why are you here then if you knew how to go back? And how do we restore mana without a core?"
Siena stared at him, then chuckled.
"Hey, that's 3 questions. Isn't that cheating?"
Arkane just kept looking at her hoping to get answers..
Eventually, she told him.
"The first question is what I'm about to tell you, so let me answer the second before it. We need to restore our mana by killing beasts. You might not know it - no one does actually - but some of the beasts from our world has escaped into this one. Other animals here are being infected because of them and mutating into their kin. It's under control right now but I don't it'll be for long. We need to kill those beasts or any beast we can get literally to restore our power. When we kill something - we get some of its life power and eventually it converts into mana.
It's different for different people. That's what I know for myself though. You should be different because you are not here by the same means as I am. "
Arkane opened his mouth to say something but then she stared into his eyes chillingly:
"No more questions. I'll talk now, okay Mr. King? Better be shut up and listen."
Arkane suddenly felt a immense pressure descend upon him- he staggered and knelt on the ground, gritting his teeth, he looked up to her. She said with a chilling smile:
"Be my blade. I'll be your hilt. Let's become a sword together. You have the ground i want, and I'd have the desire to walk upon it. Isn't that fair enough?"
She smiled brightly just as she walked and lifted his chin with a hand. Staring into his eyes, she Siena said:
"You know what this pressure is? You're under the effect of a relic which makes one's mind weaker."
She continued talking while Arkane was feeling the effects of The relic on extreme by now his mind was screaming internally to tell him to lose himself and listen to the woman standing in front him.
"Let me tell you another thing as a bonus it's about your Wife, Apertia Silvae."
Arkane forced himself to look in her direction when she mentioned Apertia.
"Your wife.. she betrayed you, she was betraying you from the start. From the time your parents were killed to the time when you proposed to marry her. You were born during The Continental siege, it was usually seen as normal for soldiers to die While confrontating the beasts but your parents didn't die for that reason, they had found something valuable enough to attract the attention of higher officers. And so, they were killed. And it was by Apertia's Brother- he was the assassin sent to kill your parents while they were exploring a cave with thier cohort. She never loved you, she came to kill you. I don't know why she delayed it so much, maybe she really started loving you but that doesn't matter if the higher officers want you dead. I guess you went to Moon's Cry being instructed by her? You won't remember anyway. She never expected you to succeed but you did- you did something impossible and now you're a more valueable Piece in this game of chess than any officer of Apertia's parent's rank."
Arkane was trembling since the first line said by Siena.. he knew that something was wrong.. but he never thought that it would be Apertia, why she.. why she of all people?.. Arkane lost his purpose for a moment and his whole attention turned to His wife.. and the words From Siena's mouth. He didn't think .. or accepted that this was true but.. he was boiling inside. What is this so sudden? His world parted so Suddenly as if it was meant to be like this..
When Arkane's emotions boiled, Siena's red dress started burning- but instead of burning- it's coloured started changing. It was probably the relic.
'But is this woman even telling the truth?'
"A-Aperti-tia? Sh- she betrayed me?"
Siena answered with a neutral expression as if nothing was happening:
"Yeah she did, honestly if it was me- i would never ! Not a handsome guy like you atleast.."
Arkane's face was already drowing in tears but then he frowned, wasn't there was a relic being used here? Maybe that replica made his mind weaker and vulnerable to lies, He said:
"It's.. it's.. all a lie, you are just trying to use me- you're trying to lie and use these words against me. She would never betray me, she said she wouldn't. She wouldn't! She would not.."
Siena sighed and walked over to him again, placed a hand on his head and ran fingers through it slowly. Then she said with a smile:
"Aww, don't worry, she is already dead and so is her new lover and her family. They were all burned slowly slowly, thier eyes were dismantled cell by cell."
[Author's Note: damn that's the woman, but please gods no !]
Shivering, Arkane looked up to her, and grabbed her hand tightly leaving marks on it.
He Opened his mouth many times, and closed it many times too. Eventually he said:
"How do you know all of this? Just who.. are you..?"
After a long pause, she sighed and said:
"Uhm, You don't need to know who i am or where I came from. But as for how I know all of this- that's because I know everything. It's my ability. You won't ask the details now, will you? Oh- and the previously mentioned the Moon's cry is the place you conquered. It was written in a newest script found in the mines."
Arkane ground his teeth, he felt as if world was spinning around him. And who wouldn't feel like that? You're suddenly away from your seemingly normal life and you want a way back to your home and again suddenly a woman tells you that your wife betrayed you, the wife who was your life. What is he even supposed to do? He can live a normal life here in this world now. He doesn't have any reason to go back- really.. but is this even truth? Is this woman telling the truth?
"Did you kill Apertia?
But .. he should get himself together and think straight. If this woman knows this much about these things and if her ability really is what she told, then she's the only way to getting back to his own world. And he needs to get back to his world either way.. if this woman is telling the truth then there's nothing to say more but if she's telling a lie then he must check it at any cost.
So.. what option he has left now?
To accept what she said and play along for now.
Wiping his tears off his face, Arkane looked straight up to where the woman was standing- on the stairs to the throne.
He said in a low and frustrating tone:
"First, tell me did you kill my Wife? If it was you - then I'll kill you too."
Siena looked at him deadpan and then suddenly burst in laughter as if what he said is a joke.
Then catching his breath, she said:
"Oh that would not be very nice, but it wasn't me who killed you wife. It was one of e higher up in the hierarchy who ordered to kill her and her family for not being able to complete the mission. I don't know what that mission was but they probably needed something from you before you die or maybe your dead body? I don't know."
She said after a pause:
"You know it yourself that you don't have a choice- I can make you do whatever I want and you'll have to do, you can do whatever you want after we clear the mess up. That-"
She was cut off by another low voice in the distance.
"Siena! Why did you closed the entry !?"
Hearing this Siena grabbed her temples and frowned.
"Damn, can't I play with my dog a little? This idiot brother.."
Apparantly, that man was Siena's Brother- not by blood ofcourse. All the kids of Ember are adopted and are meant to become the perfect heir for the company. They are basically at competition with each other where even killing is allowed.
Just as she finished this thought, there were footsteps and there appeared a striking man on the red carpet.