Agatha gnashed her teeth.
"They won't make the right choice."
They were back home now.
Icarus sat on the front porch, head in his hands, watching as Agatha paced back and forth.
"The cowards in that council…" she muttered. "They'll accept Morvane's dominion."
She stopped.
Her fists clenched.
"Then what happens to us? To the people?"
Her voice dropped.
"When something big happens, it's always the small people who suffer."
Icarus said nothing.
He wasn't ready.
Not again.
Not so soon.
His mind drifted—
to his mother.
His father.
Altheis.
One day. Three autumns.
Gone.
He looked out at the sea.
It would be more beautiful… if I could see it through your eyes.
Agatha followed his gaze.
Her expression hardened.
"They've anchored their ship right next to our house."
Icarus stared at it.
That dark, metal thing—
cutting through the peace of the ocean.
"I don't like it."
Agatha looked at him.
"You should hate it."
Icarus buried his face in his arms.
"I hate it."
Please don't die, Agatha.
Agatha exhaled slowly.
"I would die for this land."
Please live.
Please.
A whisper crept into Icarus' mind.
Familiar.
Unwelcome.
Unforgettable.
You will lose everything.
His fists tightened.
Do you want me to tell you the future?
Icarus' jaw clenched.
It's about time you did something useful.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Icarus lay awake that night.
Agatha slept soundly above him, while he lay on a thin mattress on the floor.
He clutched his chest.
When will you come?
With a slow breath, he opened his profile—
for the first time in four years.
[Name: IcarusAge: 14
Attributes: Prince (Lv.3), Advisor (Lv.6), Refugee (Lv.10)
Skills: Charisma (Lv.3), Strategy (Lv.6), Leadership (Lv.4), Swordsmanship (Lv.2), Adaptability (Lv.10)]
He stared at it.
Unchanged.
Almost.
"Refugee."
He let out a quiet, hollow breath.
"Looks like I'm good at something."
A voice spoke from the corner of the room.
"Don't like what you see?"
Icarus shot upright.
"Who's there?"
Agatha didn't stir.
He squinted into the darkness.
"Show yourself."
And then—
he saw him.
A smile.
Thin.
Knowing.
A face wrapped in black cloth.
Blindfolded.
"Do you want me to tell you the future?"