King James, Princess Tracy, General Helmond, and Raphael froze as the manipulated soldiers closed in around them from every side. Steel blades glinted under the dim moonlight, all pointed inward, all perfectly aligned. The sudden shift—from allies to enemies—left them stunned, their minds struggling to catch up with what their eyes were seeing.“What is happening?” King James demanded, his voice tight with disbelief as he turned slowly, taking in the hostile circle.“They’re being controlled by the Mind Crystal,” King Raynold said, his expression hardening as he studied the soldiers’ darkened eyes. He added, “Be careful. The Mind Crystal will give them greater strength.”A cruel smile touched Zussorader’s lips. He turned slightly toward King Raynold and said calmly, “You will have to go through them to get to me.” Then, without another word, he lifted his staff and gave a silent command. The soldiers moved.As they advanced, Hawk suddenly shifted, his body expanding and twisting as

LYTHRIDITE King Raynold spoke to the hall, his voice carrying weight. He said, “The stealing of one of the crystals has never been reported in history. Yet it has happened during our time, and that is… not good at all.” He paused, letting the words sink into the room, eyes sweeping over the assembly. He continued, “This will be written down and told as stories when our time passes. And for our era not to be remembered as a dark one, we must recover the Mind Crystal as soon as possible. Just so you all know, it was stolen by a wizard with plans to awaken Marcelos. If he succeeds… we are all doomed.”A tense hush fell over the hall. King Marcus leaned forward, cutting through the silence. He said carefully, “I am sorry to interrupt, Your Royal Majesty, but I believe we should punish Guzen first. As head of all the wizards of Lythridite, it was his duty to protect the Mind Crystal. Yet it was stolen by a wizard just like him. Guzen failed.”All eyes turned to Guzen, who sat motionless,

LYTHRIDITEEveryone was gathered inside the grand palace hall, seated beneath towering pillars and flickering torchlight. An uneasy silence hung in the air. General Aiden broke it.“It has been days now, Your Royal Majesty,” he said, his voice heavy with concern. “The princess and Hawk have not returned. We have heard nothing from them. What should be done? We can't keep being here doing nothing and waiting around".King Raynold gave no immediate answer. He sat still on the throne, his expression unreadable, his mind weighed down by thought. The silence stretched.King Marcus said at last, “I am thinking maybe Hawk betrayed us. And took the princess with him.”A murmur rippled through the hall. King Marcus said at last, General Raphael said firmly, "That will never happen. Not with what His Royal Majesty promised him.”King Marcus narrowed his eyes, asking, "And what exactly did the great King promise him?”.General Raphael paused. Then he said, "Why don’t you ask His Royal Majesty?”.

The Orgmus are creatures that belong to the Orges, created by Marcelos through his powers. They are animals with the body of a lion, sharp teeth, and a horrific face and head that inspires fear at first glance. Their movements are swift and deadly, far faster than most creatures, and they cannot be killed with a single swing of a blade. Their legs possess a strange ability to cling to surfaces, allowing them to climb walls as though their limbs were coated with sticky gum.---MONTHS LATER (AXRAX)The princes and princesses had begun living in Axrax, and they quickly fell in love with being together. They ate together, trained once in a while, and did almost everything as a group. Most of their time was spent within the city, enjoying themselves without the consent of King Raynold. From time to time, they even took Gabriel out with them.Through Zussorender—acting on the command of the Great King—they were told about Marcelos and the armies under his control. Despite this knowledge,

Zussorader had begun moving long before the world sensed the danger.He sent out the Orges in silence—into sleeping villages, into forgotten paths—where they seized men, women, and children alike. Those taken were not meant to return. They were dragged into darkness, twisted, remade, until the Orges multiplied in number, growing strong in secret before the world could ever learn their name.At the same time, Zussorader kept up the deception. Messages were sent regularly to King James, calm and reassuring, claiming that the Hawk and the princess were safe and that the search for Zussorader continued without delay. As commanded, King James relayed these same messages to King Raynold, keeping him convinced that all was well—while everything was already falling apart.For two days, Hawk and Princess Tracy tried to break the shackle locked around Hawk’s neck. They struck it with stones, scraped it against sharp edges, pulled until their hands bled—but nothing worked. The metal refused to be