"Yes, Zorgh... You are a good king," was all I could answer.
I turned around and left the study, leaving the old man alone with his decision.
I reached my room and collapsed onto the bed. I need to think. More precisely... I just need to sleep on it all.
POV: Mira
Sowhere very far from the cold Mount Slick.
"What? Getting married?! To Alastia?!" the girl asked loudly, staring at the night guest.
The large mountain eagle, sitting on a stone in front of her, only gave an important and approving nod of its beak in response.
Mira froze. For a whole minute she stood absolutely motionless, like a statue. And then the space around her began to distort. Her body suddenly started vibrating unnaturally, blurring and jerking from side to side, as if she were stuck between several points in space. Her face was contorted by a grimace of genuine anger.
"Getting married, huh... And to her, of all people!" she said through gritted teeth. "She irritates
so much!"
BANG!
A sharp pop of displaced air rang out. Mira forced herself by sheer willpower to stop shifting from side to side and froze in place. She closed her eyes and took a loud, deep breath out.
"Whew... stay calm."
She rubbed her temples, trying to soothe the throbbing headache from this news. She knew him well.
"That crybaby is going to cry again..." she said with a note of habitual doom and care. "Alright. Plans change."
She tiredly adjusted her clothes and quietly added into the void: "But first, for your things, Zen. You absolutely won't be able to manage without them."
POV: Mira
She was already approaching the foot of Mount Slick. Mira carefully examined the changed landscape, adjusting the straps of the huge, heavy bag she was carrying on her back.
Where is that blockhead? she thought with irritation. He didn't even deign to et his own sister.
Mira stepped confidently into the cool caves of the Mountain. Along the way, she stopped a few locals and asked where to find the leader. They calmly answered that King Zorgh was ruling now and that he usually sat in his study.
Interesting, flashed through Mira's mind. Any resident just simply knows where the king is and can go in to see him? Interesting customs here.
She walked up to the right door, knocked briefly, and entered without an invitation.
"Hello. My na is Mira," she declared right from the threshold. "I am Zenkhald's sister."
Zorgh, who was sitting at the desk, quickly stood up and bowed respectfully.
"The Master didn't ntion he had a sister... Although, my apologies, your facial features are indeed similar. The Master is most likely sleeping right now."
Master? Mira mockingly repeated to herself.
"As usual," she tossed out loud and imdiately left the study, heading towards the wing where the mages resided.
Soon she entered a spacious hall and almost imdiately bumped into Alastia. Seeing the guest, Alastia imdiately headed towards her with a welcoming smile.
"Hello."
But Mira had no intention of playing pleasantries.
"What, am I supposed to call you Alastia Helvard now?" she attacked right off the bat with a clear note of malice and sarcasm.
Alastia only smiled wider, ignoring the jab.
"In a month and a half," she answered lightly.
"Alright, I wish you happiness," Mira cut her off. "Where is Aurora and my student?"
"I don't know."
Frightening, sparking lights of madness flared up around Mira's eyes for a mont. She blinked heavily, and the delusion instantly vanished. Without saying another word, she turned around and walked away.
Mira climbed to the highest, windswept peak of the Mountain. There, sitting in a lotus position right on the bare stones, was Aurora. Mira walked up and silently sat down opposite her.
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"Do you know that Zenkhald is getting married, Aurora?"
Aurora slowly opened her eyes and relaxed her tense body.
"Getting married? To Alastia? No..." she looked thoughtfully into the distance. "But now it's clear why she's walking around so smiley."
"How is your progress?" Mira changed the subject.
"I still haven't reached his level."
Mira shook her head skeptically.
"Studying under them, you will never reach his level. Ask him—only with him will you be able to catch up to him. Then again..." Mira waved her hand. "Whatever, your pride won't let you do it anyway. Aurora, do you know where my student is?"
Aurora silently pointed a finger sowhere downwards, towards the very foot of the Mountain. Mira brought her fingers together and let out a piercing, loud whistle.
About ten minutes later, a young girl ran up onto the peak, panting.
"How is your progress?" the ntor asked strictly.
"Everything is wonderful!" a ringing girlish voice reported cheerfully.
"Excellent. Then use magic to create a truncated cone with a triangle inside it, and repeat that three tis."
The girl blinked in confusion. "Uh... what is a cone?"
The fires of madness flared up in Mira's eyes with renewed vigor.
"What has Alastia even been doing here?!" she exclaid in a fury and slamd her fist into the rock with all her might.
From the point of impact on the solid stone, a fine web of deep cracks spread out with a crunch. The student cowered in terror.
"Is there sothing you dislike about Alastia?" Aurora asked calmly, observing this outburst of anger.
Mira turned around sharply.
"Alastia? She's a complete screw-up! First, I personally asked her to look after the three of you, and especially Zenkhald. And what happened in the end? She sent him alone to look for a haven for the mages! You can see the result yourselves. And everything could have been completely different... During the war, she fell into a deep sadness and simply left, abandoning everyone. Fine, with gritted teeth, that can still be sohow understood and forgiven. But now? She is marrying my little brother! It's so irritating... She only thinks about herself."
Mira exhaled heavily, trying to pull herself together.
"Alright. Aurora, will you keep an eye on Zenkhald?"
"What else?" snapped Aurora, who absolutely disliked the commanding tone.
"I'm asking you," Mira added much softer, almost pleadingly.
Without waiting for Aurora's answer, she turned around and began to descend into the inner levels of the Mountain—to look for her hapless brother.
POV: Zenkhald (Room)
The door to the room quietly swung open. Mira walked inside and dropped her huge bag onto the floor with a dull thud.
I was lying on the bed, having fallen into a heavy oblivion.
He's sleeping, she stated to herself, looking at my tired face.
All her fury, flashes of madness, and irritation towards Alastia instantly evaporated the mont she crossed this threshold. She quietly walked over, sat on the very edge of the mattress near my head, and gently, incredibly carefully stroked my white hair.
"Little brother..." she whispered barely audibly, with the warst and tenderest smile she was capable of. "Long ti no see."
I felt soone's fingers running through my hair. It felt nice. I opened one eye a crack and saw her.
"Mira..." I breathed out.
Before I could finish speaking, she grabbed
by the ear with lightning speed and gave it a sharp yank upward.
"Ow, ow, ow! Mira, that hurts!" I hissed, trying to squirm away.
"That hurts!" she mocked, not letting go. "And how do you think it feels for
to hear your news? Who swore to
that he would never get attached again? Who kept repeating that he wouldn't love, that he had learned all the lessons of the past? So many tears were shed, so many promises made... And now what? A wedding?"
She finally let go of my long-suffering ear and stood up, heading towards her huge bag.
"Alright, what am I going to do with you," she sighed.
At that mont, Aurora appeared in the doorway. She simply leaned her shoulder against the doorfra and silently watched our squabble.
"Oh, hi, Aurora! Long ti no see," I tried to feign friendliness, but she just asured us with a cold glare and didn't answer.
anwhile, Mira was eagerly rummaging through her bag.
"You brought it, right..." I began, leaning forward.
"Shut your mouth," she interrupted without even turning around. "I brought everything necessary."
Finally, her hand erged from the depths of the bag, clutching what I had been waiting for so much. I almost jumped up on the spot with joy. It was a mask. A happy, unnaturally wide smile was frozen on it, and its entire surface was covered in chaotic yellow, blue, and purple spots.
"Give it, give it to !" I literally snatched the mask from her hands. "I can't manage without it. I can't play this role for so long on sheer willpower."
Aurora, who had remained silent until now, spoke up, "And what's wrong with this mask? How can it help?"
Mira straightened up and looked at her, "It's not just a decoration. Psychomagic is imbued in it. Zenkhald used to be really into that back in the day. When the owner puts on such a mask, their mind is engulfed by a specific spectrum of feelings embedded in the artifact. For example, one of his most 'outstanding' works was the mask of madness. Whoever put it on instantly fell into a state of rage and completely lost control. But this mask... it helps him maintain his facade."
While she was explaining, I carefully placed the mask on the nightstand. It wasn't ti to put it on yet; I needed to save it. anwhile, sothing clinked in Mira's bag. A glassy, rattling sound. She pulled out four bottles, but one of them turned out to be empty.
"Hey, Mira!" I squinted suspiciously.
"What? I was just checking the contents," she answered unbothered.
"And what are those bottles for?" Aurora asked, taking a step into the room.
I instantly scooped them up and hid them in the darkest corner, behind the bed.
"For nothing. Just... just because, Aurora. Unnecessary information, don't fill your head with it."
Aurora looked suspiciously at the corner but didn't ask any more questions and soon left. I breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Mira. I really am glad you ca. I... have a favor to ask you."
"I'm listening."
"Could you..." I hesitated, examining the patterns on the ceiling. "Could you invite our friends and acquaintances to the wedding? I don't want to do it myself... I don't want to step into that graveyard of the past."
Mira froze, looking at
with undisguised sarcasm.
"You want your only sister to travel across the entire continent in two weeks? While the groom chills out here?"
I lowered my head. My sister's words about how I don't learn anything and refuse to grow up pierced my soul sharper than any blade. I felt unbearably ashad.
"I... I will go with you," I squeezed out quietly.
Mira suddenly smiled warmly, seeing my dismay.
"Oh no, don't trouble yourself. Your only sister will fly across the whole continent in two weeks herself for the sake of her little brother, who will just lie here and suffer in the anti."
"No, I will go!" I jumped out of bed. "Please, take
with you. I will help, I... I want to do this."
Mira looked at
carefully, assessing the seriousness of my intentions, and her smile beca even softer.
"Alright. Let's go."
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