"It is illegal in Ruseid to conceal and sell Spirit Orbs!" The knight's voice carves through the silence as he bursts into the carriage, his presence suffocating. Spirit Orbs shimmer in the dim light—Ethan among them.
"I found them!" His gaze sweeps across the collection. "Release the others. But that one—the one with the ring—bring it to the king. We must ensure it isn't too dangerous to be freed."
Ethan freezes. He's talking about me…
His pulse pounds, thoughts crashing together. This can't be good. Can it? There is no escape. Not from this box. Not from their judgment.
"I think… I should just go with them," Ethan murmurs. Fear curls around his words. He has no other choice.
"Wait. You can talk?"
The voice comes from the shadows, hesitant, soft. Ethan jolts, turning toward the far corner. A boy sits there, blindfold loose around his neck. His eyes—wide, searching—lock onto Ethan.
Ethan hadn't even noticed him.
"Yes, I can talk… Why?" Ethan's voice steadies, but something feels wrong.
"Spirit Orbs don't talk. They… can't." The boy drops his curiosity, his tone shifting. "My mother told me that before she—before she died."
His breath hitches, his words falling apart at the end.
Ethan watches him. Loss. He knows it well—he had been about the same age when it happened to him.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ethan says, his voice softer now.
The carriage shudders forward. Time passes—slowly, painfully. The knights control their every move, the cold wood beneath them a constant reminder of their captivity.
At first, Haruy barely speaks. But Ethan keeps talking. He tells the boy about his parents, about things that don't matter but somehow do. Bit by bit, Haruy responds, until silence no longer hangs between them.
Until they are no longer strangers.
Days later, the castle towers over them, its jagged spires cutting into the sky.
"I think that's the castle!" Haruy exclaims, excitement cracking through his voice.
Ethan stares up at the enormous structure, a pit forming in his stomach.
"Yeah… I think it is," he says, though his eagerness has been replaced by something else. Unease, they are brought to the corridor it starts to grow in Ethan's eyes and the stairs start winding becoming longer and longer as the go to the king room with his throne
"What brings you to my Palace young boy and Spirit orb" The king says with immense power
"Well this spirit orb is like none other I have ever seen" one of the knights say bowing in front of the king
"Now that you have said something he does look A bit peculiar" THe king says nodding his head
"And this boy Was also emmenting a bit of power and we did not know if you wanted us to release this them or lay ground to them now, so they don't cause us problems down the road" The knight says
"I see, how about this the kid and the spirit orb Make a bond so they are bound together and then set them free in a different country" The King says with great thought
"That could work" Another knight says
Ethan is shocked that's all that needs to be done Haruy is also shocked by this because he gets a friend to stay with
"Yeaaaaaah!!!" Haruys screams with excitement.
But elsewhere—far from the grand halls of the King's palace—Emma moved through the shadows and allies where assassins thrive, and hitmen live.