A Lack of Heart: A Kingdom for One: Chapter 1 – Broken and Scattered

Chapter 1 – Broken and Scattered

Where am I? Who am I? I’ve just fallen from the sky after being launched from the top of the inactive volcano that has a ruined city on it. How do I know what it is? What about this barrier of hundreds of thousands of white and black spirits that reaches up to the sky?

Where am I? Who am I? In my chest, I feel a pull to answer these questions first so I can know what I should be doing, but first, where should I go? The tug in my heart tells me to go in a direction and I go to it. In this direction, I find the black and white spirits gnawing at bones and fighting amongst each other. The ones that aren’t fighting appear to be stuck in their thoughts and aren’t aware of what’s happening around them. These people are most likely the ones responsible for what’s happening here.

“It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault.”

“Where’s my family? Has anyone seen my wife? Has anyone seen my daughter? What about my son?”

“Rally with me and we’ll make the world a better peaceful place without wars! If you won’t be with me, you are against me and will pay the price for doing so!”

“Kill me. Can someone kill me or put me in prison? I deserve worse than Hell. I deserve worse than being forgotten forever.”

What is this insanity that’s going around? These spirits are so fractured and keep repeating the same things over and over. I guess everyone here is like that including me. Coming across a broken mirror, I find that I’m fractured as well. My scarred chest in the shape of a heart is the only body part that I have. Besides it, I have three big light grey eyes, what seems to be a crown on my head, grey wings, grey claws, and a grey flowing robe. All of it is grey. Why is every part of me like this? Who or what am I?

The answer to my questions is close. My heart is magnetized to it as it’s a servant to a kind master. I now stand in front of a small house with many weapons and shields in front of it. This must be the home of a blacksmith by the looks of it. Going into it, a find a small child playing with makeshift figures of knights, princesses, and horned spirits.

“I’ll be the protector! When they need help, they need only call and I’ll be there to lend a hand or my sword!”

What a fascinating boy. His face seems to glow like the sun. When I reach my arm out to him, his essence enters me and everything around me changes. I am in the place of the boy and the world around me is no longer grey.

“Absalom,” I hear a woman call out.

Absalom. Is that me? My body moves and gets up at the woman’s call and goes outside to the woman who called me.

“Yes, mother?” I say to her excitedly without intentionally meaning to speak.

So, my name is Absalom and this is my mother. She’s a woman that seems like the sun is always shining on her. Her clothes are made of some kind of beast and look like they have chainmail in them. A colorful crown that’s made of paper and grass sits on her head. Looking at it makes me proud, which means I must’ve made it for her.

“Father is going to be home soon from hunting. Get the table ready for him,” my mother says.

“There’s no need,” I hear a man’s voice.

Turning around, I see the man who is presumably my father. He’s a large muscular man covered in heavy armor and blood. On one of his shoulders sits a deer and on his other shoulder sits a wolf. He carries an unsheathed knife and sword on his hips and on his back is a chipped shield. A crown of chainmail sits on his head and he seems to shine like the sun because of his armor.

“Are you okay?!” my mother asks.

“I am. Are you worried about the blood? Don’t worry, this is mostly their blood. I’ve only been scratched thanks to my armor,” my father says before laughing.

“Of course he’s okay. My father is the master blacksmith of the world!” I say.

“That’s right! Speaking of my works, where is your brother?”

“Still trying to replicate your work.”

“I’ve told that boy that he needs to stop trying to replicate what I do and make his own. The Absolute has gifted us all with unique gifts and I expect him to make better work than I can.”

“And I’ll be a great protector of you, mother, and brother!”

“Of course you will! You’ll become a great hero that many will sing stories of! I can see it already as if the Absolute has granted me a vision of the future.”

I’ll make you proud. Huh? What’s that noise? I hear silent cries and screaming. Who could be making that noise? It doesn’t matter to me right now. I want to see my older brother, listen to his stories, and watch him work. Before I know it, we’re out hunting together.

“If father can kill a deer and the wolf hunting it, we can do the same or even better,” my brother says.

“Yes, we can!” I say.

We stalk through the forests looking for prey and watching out for predators. My older brother looks like he blends into the forest with the many leaves on his armor and his green and brown face paint. Eventually, we hear the sounds of something in the forest, get excited, and go to it to find a pack of wolves eating the remains of a rival pack of wolves. They turn their attention to us before my brother grabs me and tells me to run.

“I’ll hold them off for you!” he says while pushing me ahead of him.

Since he knows best, I run away, but I have second thoughts when I see that he’s surrounded. I go back running to him while reaching out to him. This is when specters in the form of legless knights appear and fight off the wolves with swords, spears, and shields.

“You have…you have your Heart Absolute ability! That’s amazing, Absalom,” my brother says.

There’s a slight hint of jealousy in his voice that I ignore since I’m confident that my brother should be getting his Heart Absolute ability soon enough if he doesn’t have it already. Hearing about this ability reminds me of it. People obtain it at certain times some earlier than others. The ability is also different ranging from being good at basic jobs to more amazing abilities like mine. Every factor of it is based on our heart made by the Absolute and when we aren’t ourselves, we become conceited and our abilities become an inversion of our real one or a pale imitation of what we want our talents to be.

Now that I have my Heart Absolute ability, I daydream of what I could do with them. Immediately, these daydreams transition to me helping people and then to a small group of royal soldiers arriving at my home. With them are clergy that are dressed in such a way that makes me doubt their vows of poverty with their ornamental outfits designed with hearts on it similar to the armor of the royal soldiers. They’ve heard of my abilities and want me to go with them so I can hone my heart’s ability and protect even more people. I immediately accept the offer without question. Turning around I say goodbye to my family who are proud of me, but before heading out, I hear the same screaming and crying from before, but it’s a bit louder this time.

The change of scenery reveals the source of this screaming and crying as I am now fighting on a battlefield or rather, I’m hardly fighting while my specters do the work for me. When they take damage, I feel their pain, however, even though they are stabbed through the chest and head, burned, and blown up, I don’t suffer any major injuries. In battle, I can summon seven specters, but this never feels like it’s enough, so I push myself to summon three more. Doing this takes its toll on the other specters who aren’t as strong as they were. Still, I am told that I am one of the Absolute’s most valued soldiers and am crowned and celebrated as such.

Huh? What’s going on? I can see hear the screaming and crying, and it’s louder this time. At this celebration, everyone but one woman stops in place as if time has affected everyone but us. We look into each other’s eyes and soon after, I’m transported to us getting married, having children, and then…I’m alone in a burning forest. Where’s my family? Huh…there are heads of my family in the dirt and body parts buried as well. My son…my wife…my father, mother, and brother…The screaming and crying are even louder than it was before.

Wait! Hold on! Stop! I’m in battle again, but this time I feel a sense of unquenchable rage. These people are responsible for the deaths of my family and friends. No matter how many I bring to justice and how many honors I get at the celebration after, I feel a chasm in my heart that can’t be filled that is until I see another woman, however, I come back to the same scene with my family buried in the ground, this time with her and my daughter being among the bodies, and again the screaming and crying gets louder until I finally realize the tears coming down my face and that the screaming and crying is coming from me.

“Please…stop…not again,” I say.

“This is not even your worst failure,” a disembodied voice says.

“Don’t remind me of it!”

I feel like I know what the voice is talking about and am struggling to keep it out of my head and forget what I just remembered.

“Twice you lost your family. Twice there wasn’t enough for you to bury. Twice your friends, leaders, and the Church promised you they would be protected from the conceited, and twice they failed. Twice you prayed to the Absolute for their protection and many times over your prayers fell on deaf ears.”

“Shut up! I’ll kill you if you say another word.”

Manifesting out of thin air, a man with green and grey eyes appears in front of me. This man has half a face, and half a body, and floats in the air like the specters I’ve seen. Something about him reminds me of myself even though none of his features are like the faces of myself that I’ve seen in reflections so far. There’s something unnatural about him.

“I wish I could kill myself as well. Regardless, I will tell you what you need to hear. You went mad after the death of your second wife and first daughter, especially since you decided to marry again and have another child, a baby boy. In your mind, there was no cost too high to pay for their protection. Darkened by the temptations of the vainglory, you sacrificed your arms and people who you decided were guilty so that you could spawn an army of specters to protect the world with. You recruited many people. Many people also were damned to the Land of the Forgotten as a result including your new family.”

Hearing this gives me flashes of when it happened. When a servant of the Absolute made me feel the cold and forgotten fates of my family and when I was brought to justice.

“What is this then? Am I dead? Is this the Land of Purification before I am sent to the Land of the True or am I in the Land of the Forgotten?”

“Neither though you deserve to be forgotten forever for your crimes and failures. You’re a failure of a brother, son, friend, father, and husband, especially for leading two of your family members and your supporters to eternal damnation. Who can live with a sin like that on their soul?”

He's right. How can I live with this much failure? Remembering it all puts a weight on my heart that feels like it can crush it any second now.

“Just because you fail, it doesn't mean that you can't get up again,” the voice of my mother says as I remember it.

“Failure is not the end. The Absolute gives us as many second chances as we need,” my father's voice rings in my ears.

“I fail all the time,” my brother says, “We'll never be perfect in this life, but we can always get better.”

I remember that. It's hard to believe, yet I still remember it and believe it to some extent.

“I may have failed, but I'm still alive, which means it's not over yet,” I say.

“So what? Can you live with your failures for the rest of your life? Can you do enough penance to pay for what you've done?”

“To be honest, I don't feel like I can, but the Absolute has judged that I stay alive to try. I may have failed my family with my recent actions. Not again. I will never fail them again from this moment on.”

As I speak, the other me is absorbed into my body until I am one with my other self. The scenery around me has changed back to the blacksmith's house. I'm back in the city that sits on the inactive volcano, the place I wanted to start my empire peace at. Turning around, I look into my reflection in a shield and see my half face and half of my torso with half a heart shape cut out of it. It's an ugly sight to behold not just because most of me is missing, but because it's my face, the face of a vile sinner. Nevertheless, I embrace it and will have to live with it. There's much work to do to put myself back together and right my wrongs.

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Prince Caleb and Princess Kyla are rudely woken up by an attack on their home from their enemy, a conceited man named Absalom. This man seeks to bring peace to the world through his army of specters after tragedy has struck one too many times, but he does so in a way that corrupts souls. Both the prince and princess must show him how peace is truly achieved through true mercy and justice.

A Union of Heart: Mercy and Justice: Chapter 4 – The Absolute’s Love

*Concept art for Absalom and his specters

Chapter 4 – The Absolute’s Love

Caleb used to be sleepy as we traveled our way here. Now, he’s awake and focused. Absalom’s city is in the distance. It sits upon an inactive volcano and is surrounded by what must be hundreds of thousands of specters that fly around it like a tornado. The sky is covered in black clouds that swirl around as if something bad is going to happen. Sure enough, Absalom approaches us by using one of his specters to speak to us.

“You’re going to wish that you took my offer and died in the battle against my allies and specters because I won’t kill you in this battle. Instead, I’ll sacrifice you to add to my power just like I’m doing with the men, women, and rebellious children around me right now,” Absalom says.

“Don’t do it!” I say.

“It’s too late. You can probably hear their screaming from where you are.”

It’s true. I can hear and feel their screams in my soul even though they must be far away from us. The tornado of specters grows fiercer and black lightning starts flashing in the sky.

“You’ve crossed the line and you’ll pay for what you’ve done!” Caleb says.

“I thank you for the inspiration. Your power has shown me that I need more to beat you. I also have to concede that you’re right in that violence is needed in some cases to bring about true peace. These people were threats to that peace whether you think so or not. No price is too high for peace and the people you love after all. I’m sure you agree. Now, enough talk. Behold my power and despair.”

“I don’t think we will. Caleb!”

“You’re the one who’s going to despair at our power!” Caleb says before taking my hand.

Together we say, “Beg for mercy from the Absolute, all you conceited sinners! Judgment has arrived!”

Our dragon combines itself in a flash of golden light before it breathes its golden and black fire at the incoming specters and the conceited. It then spirals around the inactive volcano to create a tornado of flames. While it does this, we defend it from its attackers on top of its body until the entire volcano is covered in gold and black flames and many of the conceited and specters are burned to ash. The clouds have also somewhat cleared so that the sun can shine down in places. Seeing that it's safe to go down, we head straight to the castle that sits on the volcano, where Absalom must be.

Going into the castle, we find it mysteriously quiet. Be careful, Kyla. I know, Caleb. There are probably more enemies around here somewhere. Also, I know it's okay to admit you're starting to feel tired. Though that battle was short, the power to make that tornado took a lot out of you and me. It sure did. Hey, when this is over, do you want to finally start to have children? Why bring it up now? I'm not doing it, Kyla. Neither am I, Caleb. I guess it's on both of our minds. I guess so, Kyla. So, do you? I think it's a good idea, especially since there aren't any threats like Absalom around that need our immediate attention and it would be good to let our armies do the work for once rather than just being peacekeepers.

Let's try then when we get back home and after the celebration. I'd love to have two daughters and two sons. You know what I'd like, Kyla. Four sons and three daughters. Or we could have four daughters and four sons, Caleb. Who am I kidding? The Absolute decides this, so let's hope and pray for the best. Thank you for bringing it up. We both did. With something that we really want now in our minds, we both feel invigorated with more energy to wipe away our tiredness for the time being.

There's still no sign of anyone in this castle. The sound of nothing but our footsteps and the footsteps of our dragon is deafening. To our surprise, we don't face any resistance even when we enter the throne room and find Absalom waiting for us without any of his specters around him.

“What? Decided to give up?” Caleb asks.

“No, not at all. I've just been busy using my specters to keep more of my citizens inside so they don't fight you. Believe it or not, I didn't intend for any of them to attack you. I only wanted my specters to do that,” Absalom says. “Now, with the innocent out of the way, we can have a proper fight.”

To start the fight, our dragon breathes its blue and red flames on Absalom who uses a seemingly endless supply of specters to shield him. We attack him on both sides and even now, he conjures more specters to defend him and fight against us. Seeing that our tactic isn’t working, our dragon ceases its flames and we back away to quickly think of a new plan. What can we possibly do, Caleb? Use the dragon’s gold and black flames, I guess, Kyla? It’s risky and may completely deplete us of our strength especially since he’s concentrated all his power into himself. Better than tiring ourselves on his defenses. Maybe.

“Are you done? You’ve yet to bring me to my knees despite all my specters that you managed to dispel. Remember that damage done to them is damage done to me and see that I still stand unshaken and uninjured,” Absalom says before turning his head and eyes to the side. “No. I thought…I thought I had all of…”

Two people enter the room from behind us and stand defending Absalom. They are cloaked in darkness and specters that defend them from their sides and back. The darkness cloaking them dispels a bit to reveal that one is a woman and the other a boy that’s about ten years younger than us.

“What are you two doing here? I thought I said to stay safe in your rooms,” Absalom says to them.

“I couldn’t let you fight this threat by yourself,” the woman says who must be his wife.

“We can help you, father,” the boy says.

“We love you and make sure your dream comes true.”

“You’re my hero, father. Let’s put these villains down.”

“Okay, okay. Just make my specters do most of the fighting,” Absalom says as he begrudgingly accepts their help.

“Yes, my love.”

“As you command, my father.”

Somethings wrong. I have a feeling the conceited are possessing them in a strange way, Kyla. Me too, Caleb. Try not to hurt them too much. Of course not. We let our dragon coat the room in red and blue flames to keep away Absalom’s wife and son as it tries to purify them. Meanwhile, we fight against Absalom’s specters who are more fully formed now. These specters look like skeletal knights with horns on their heads. They wield various kinds of heavy swords, axes, and halberds in an effort to overwhelm us with their strength and end the fight quickly.

The fight seemingly goes nowhere with Absalom’s side slowly whittling down our strength. That is until Absalom’s wife manages to get in front of Kyla and starts to fight her while Absalom’s son fights Caleb. Absalom is sure to overwhelm us like this. Let’s risk holding these two down while our dragon purifies them, Kyla. I’m afraid that’s the only thing we can do too, Caleb. It may intensify Absalom’s aggression, but if these two wake up from their possession, they could get Absalom to stand down. That’s what I’m thinking.

We take this risk and hold down these two in front of our dragon as it breathes its fire on us. Absalom tries sending as many of his specters against us, and even though our dragon’s flames don’t hurt us and act as a shield, some of his specters’ attacks get through and we have to suffer being cut and stabbed by their attacks. Eventually, the presence of the conceited is gone from Absalom’s wife and son, except…something is wrong. Deeply wrong. Can you feel it too, Caleb? I can, Kyla. They’re dead but they haven’t turned to ash. It's like…they been dead this whole time, and not only that. Their souls are in…

“Get away from them!” Absalom says as he pushes us to the back of the room with a flood of specters.

To defend ourselves from this flood, our dragon has to use its gold and black flames and use the rest of our energy to mitigate the damage. By the end of it, our dragon is separated into two and our strength has reached its limits. Meanwhile, Absalom whispers to his wife and son as he tries in vain to wake them up. Caleb and I look at each other before slowly approaching him.

“Absalom, they’re dead and have been for a while. What have you done to them?” I ask.

“I haven’t done anything and they have been alive! They were at least…until you killed them!” he says.

“They’ve been dead, you dolt! Wake up from your self-delusions if you have any sense left in you,” Caleb says.

“I gave them the constant protection of my specters. I would’ve known if they were dead!”

“You don’t have full control of them because they don’t always follow your orders,” I say. “The attacks on our home, your allies not listening to you, and you not even being able to hold back these two from coming here. Face it. The vainglory are manifesting themselves through your specters and are using you for their own ends. They aren’t communicating to you everything. Least of all the deaths of your wife and son who are now…now, in the Land of the Forgotten.”

“That’s not true! It can’t-”

Before he can finish, I touch his wife and use my other hand to touch Absalom so that he knows what I do. I’m able to sense the destination of a heart if I touch their body and his wife’s soul is damned along with the soul of his son who was at the age of reason.

“You made them conceited, Absalom. Their souls were in a state of falsehood, of grievous mortal sin and they accepted it because of you. You helped damn their souls and the vainglory kept their minds in a state of sin,” I say.

“I…I…” Absalom says unable to make an excuse.

I can feel his shriveled heart slowly begin to beat more as he begins to cry and regret what he’s done. Turning around to Caleb, I see that he’s dropped his guard. Absalom is obviously defeated and doesn’t seem to want to fight anymore.

“Do it then. Punish me for my failure,” Absalom says.

Caleb and I step back from him while our dragons burn him with their flames. By the end of it, his crown is gone along with the black cloak and the hole in his chest is no longer there. He’s somehow deserving of the Absolute’s mercy much to Caleb’s and my surprise. Suddenly, Absalom’s body convulses. He curls up on the spot as specters come out of him and then disappear.

“Get out of here! The vainglory are furious at my repentance and are trying to manifest themselves,” Absalom says.

With our dragons, we try to defuse the situation with more fire, but this ceases Absalom’s convulsing for a few seconds before it begins again. We then try using our weapons, however, this doesn’t work either as specters manifest to defend him and push us back.

“Save yourselves and leave me to my penance!” Absalom says before using his specters to push us out of his castle along with our dragons.

“Come on, Kyla! We must go!” Caleb says.

Seeing as there’s nothing we can do, we ride our dragons far away from the inactive volcano until an explosion rocks the entire land, and black and white made of specters shield the city that lies on top of it. This shield is unbreakable as neither our dragons nor are attacks can make a dent in it.

“We should have soldiers guarding this thing,” Caleb suggests.

“I agree. Do you think Absalom is still alive inside of it?” I ask.

“Probably. I don’t know really. All I know is that he made an act of perfect repentance, so even if he’s dead, his soul will be purified and then sent to the Land of the True.”

“Yeah, and despite everything that he’s done, I hope that’s the case.”

“Yeah…”

Now that our job is done, we head back home much to the joy of our people. We tell them of what happened and a force of soldiers is sent out to guard the shield of specters. Also, we tell them that we’re taking a break to start a family, and the leaders of the kingdom agree and think that it’s an appropriate reward for us after all that we’ve done. A celebration is then held for us at which we are required to give a speech much to Caleb’s dismay.

I start the speech by saying, “Though we are glad for our victory, we mourn the lost at the same time. Absalom was a man afflicted by tragedy and buckled under the weight of it despite being one of the greatest self-sacrificing soldiers of his kingdom. During the last time we saw him, I revealed to him that his wife and son were in the Land of the Forgotten as a result of his actions and he repented of his sins and did his penance. Even now, his shield holds him in a makeshift prison where I believe he is doing his penance. This should remind us that the Absolute always gives us a chance to repent despite our many flaws and what we do and that even the worst of us are not beyond redemption. Days and years may seem the same and our situation may get worse but remember that love and truth remain constant and so will our promise to the Absolute and to you that we will do the best for you as your prince and princess of Simbiosi.”

The people clap and await Caleb’s addition to my speech. All eyes including mine are on him forcing him to get up and not hide in his chair.

“What else do I need to add to that wonderful speech?” Caleb adds much to everyone’s amusement. “My wife and I went out and did our job and despite everything that’s happened, we didn’t learn anything new and weren’t challenged in any meaningful way, in my opinion. We were just the Absolute’s tools in Absalom’s conversion. There’s nothing of note of me to reflect on either than one thing. Life is a constant battle. We stumble, fall, and get back up repeatedly. Though we know there’s an end to it, we never know how long we must hold out and sometimes may lose ourselves in the process like Absalom did. I only ask that you don’t lose yourselves. Remember who the Absolute made you to be. We are all made to be saints. Remember the endless mercy that the Absolute contains and is willing to give to all. We are unworthy of it, but the Absolute is waiting to give it to us like a father waiting on the porch for a wayward child. Through this war that we call life, we will sanctify ourselves and the world. Empowered by love and truth, we will make it to the Land of the True together.”

This speech gets the crowd to stand, cheer, and clap even more than my speech much to Caleb’s surprise. The rest of the celebration goes well and Caleb even willingly dances with me and seems to have fun doing it. It’s a good start for the restful times that we will raise a family in. As the slow music starts to play, I kiss Caleb and rest my head on his chest while slowly dancing with him thankful for everything I have, everyone around me, and everything that I’ve been through that’s made me stronger.

 

The End

A Union of Hearts: Mercy & Justice: Chapter 3 – Honor Through Violence

*Concept art for Caleb and Kyla’s combined dragon, the Judgment of the Absolute.

Chapter 3 – Honor Through Violence

“Caleb, are you falling asleep again?” Kyla asks me.

“I’m trying not to,” I say.

Kyla and I took a nap and ate a bit at an inn before heading back out to check on my parents who are supposed to be investigating a city that’s under the influence of Absalom. The short downtime has reminded me that we didn’t learn anything useful about him when we met him. Sure, we didn’t know he could empower his allies with his specters, but that’s not enough. We don’t know the full extent of his power. What’s obvious to me is that the vainglory are influencing him and we may have to deal with a demonic threat that’s worse than the sorrowful wrath of a man who’s been brought down by the tragedies of his life and the reality of this world.

From what we’ve heard from travelers at the inn, there’s an eerie red fog where the city we’re headed to is supposed to be, and those that dare head in the direction of the city are never heard from again. Not even our parents have come out nor any soldier or person with a Heart Absolute ability that can do anything. The neighboring towns and cities in the area have been careful in who they sent their messages to so that no one else will find themselves lost in the fog. This is clearly the work of Absalom and his ally must be the one responsible for the fog. When I heard of the fog, part of it reminded me of someone in the city, but I didn’t know who so I kept quiet about it. Now, I think I remember.

“I think I know what’s in the red fog,” I say.

“What is it? Is it like the man who could put people in dreams?” Kyla asks.

“Sort of. It’s similar to Absalom’s power except it’s more limited. I remember it being called the fog of war because it put individuals or groups of people into nonlethal battle scenarios for training.”

“That’s probably what we’re going to be dealing with. How do you think we should approach it?”

“Head on.”

“Seriously?”

“There’s nothing we can do from the outside. What? Do you want to try to dispel fog with our flames or shoot fireballs into the city until we hit the user of the ability?”

“Fine. We’ll go with your plan.”

I’d honestly like to hear something better from Kyla, but since we’re dealing with something mostly unknown, then we can only guess what to do. We continue traveling until we find the red fog that covers a large portion of the land. Heading in, we’re surprised that we don’t find any buildings around us. Instead, we find a forest as if a city was never built here. I look up and see that the red fog that we passed through is gone, which probably means that we’re trapped in here until we can figure out what to do.

“This place is beautiful, isn’t it,” Absalom says as he appears from behind a tree.

Instantly, my dragon breathes its fire on him, however, only the trees around him are burned and catch fire.

“Why do you got to be so predictable? Why don’t you face us in person?” I ask.

“Why do you have you resort to violence before I say anything?”

“Because you deserve it.”

“I think it’s because you were raised that way. Your side of the kingdom has always been prone to violence and kept on a short leash by the other side of it. Do you know of the time when both kingdoms were separate and had distinct names?”

“I remember from my history lessons. My side was called Vindicta and the other side was called Miserationem. They’re both still called that by few people sometimes, but the distinction doesn’t matter anymore since we’re one people.”

“I must admit that you’re right on that part. Even the merciful side is prone to violence now. The kingdom of Simbiosi is one of the Church’s peacekeepers and seemingly the biggest out of them and therefore guilty of the most bloodshed.”

“We fight for those we love and bring justice to the wicked. What point are you trying to make? Get to it so I can fight you already and get to my parents.”

“My point is to remind you that your kingdom, the Church, and the powers that be are one of the reasons the world is in a constant state of war and tragedy. Why don’t you see that it needs to end sooner rather than later? With my solution rather than yours?” Scenes of some of the most intense battles and struggles pass us by. “Look at it all! Doesn’t it sicken you? Don’t you think about the many children that are orphaned, the people that are enslaved, and those that die horrible deaths for nothing?”

“I do think about it. How can I not when my entire life revolves around fighting? I think about the worth of every fight I get into and what may come of it as a result. I'm fighting against you because I know you're wrong and the people who have convinced me of my reasons to fight and live a life of war against evil are right.”

“Don't you ever consider that they're wrong?”

“I have, but I trust the Absolute to guide my heart to make the right decisions and the Absolute is never wrong, and may the Absolute have mercy on me if I'm guided by my own foolish mind.”

“What about your life of war? Do you really want to fight all of your life?”

“I'd rather not honestly. I want to make the world peaceful for those that I love and this includes getting rid of conceited people like you that will ruin it if you get your way.”

“Kyla, are you going to let your husband do this? Don't you prefer mercy over violence?”

“I do, but mercy comes in the form of violence in this case. We will use it to punish you and your allies for your actions. Hopefully, your defeat will open your eyes and make you repent,” Kyla says while taking out her hammers.

I take out my weapons as well and prepare to fight.

“I see. If you won't change your mind, then I have no choice but to defend myself and kill you and your supporters. You have your loved ones to fight and die for and so do I. When you lie dying in the dirt, remember that I gave you a chance to peacefully work this out.”

The entire forest around us starts to burn around us as Absalom turns into a specter and then disappears. In the distance, we see two armies approaching on both sides. Both of these armies consist of Absalom’s specters and his conceited allies, but one of them is led by a conceited man in armor and wielding a halberd. His armor is decorated with skulls and bones, and I’m sure he’s the one controlling this since I know that the man with the ability to create war scenarios wears armor decorated with skulls and bones.

“Kill the warmongers!” the man in the armor says to his troops that scream in response.

Our dragons thin out the armies around us, however, some manage to get through unscathed somehow. Kyla and I fight on for a while until we realize that we may soon be overwhelmed. The man decorated with bones is down but not out as more specters continue to go into his body to replenish his strength.

“We’re going to have to use our combined power to get through this,” I say.

“I think so too. Are you ready?” Kyla says.

“Ready!”

Kyla and I hold each other’s hands while our dragons scream out and keep us safe.

“The two become one flesh. Let the Judgment of the Absolute fall upon all of us!” we say together.

Our hearts, minds, and dragons are now one for the time being as long as our strength holds out. The dragons of mercy and justice are now one dragon called the Judgment of the Absolute that has aspects of the dragons that comprise it such as the shield-like wings of the dragon of mercy and the horns and thorny crown of the dragon of justice. Are you ready to finish this, Kyla? I'm ready, Caleb.

“Let the flames of mercy and justice come!” we say together.

In a gust of wind, our dragon flies into the air and sprays blue and red fire all around us that begins to clear the scenery around us that exposes the red fog and making it disappear. Soon enough, the red fog is gone. The city that is supposed to be here is revealed and everyone in it is freed. Sometimes, I wish more cities in the kingdom looked like this, Kyla. I prefer the ones that look like the city I'm from, Caleb. The whole spiky tops of the buildings and their dark colors of them give this oppressive feel to them. But they look so cool and give them so much personality that reflects our culture. I'm not saying they don't. We should look for your parents. They won't be too hard to look for. Look in the sky!

Above us, we see my parents flying around checking on everyone and probably looking for us. They have a similar Heart Absolute ability to your parents, Kyla. Yeah, except your parents manifest aspects of the dragon of justice instead of the dragon of mercy. Looks like they found us. They're coming down to us right now.

“Caleb! Kyla! We knew you had the power to break that spell,” Caleb's father says while landing and the aspects of the dragon of justice disappear from him and his mother's body.

“We're sorry we couldn't break it ourselves,” Caleb's mother says.

“There's no need to be sorry. We're glad to see that you're still alive and well,” Caleb says.

“It's a good thing too because I sense an incoming battle.”

“I sense it too. Are you two ready?”

“Yes, we are,” we say together.

“Where's the enemy coming from?” Kyla asks.

“...all around us.”

Caleb's parents and I fly up in the air with the aid of our dragon to see that the trees are coming to life. No, wait. The ones that are coming to life are specters of Absalom that were pretending to be trees. There are also conceited among them that were hiding in the surrounding forest. All of them are coming at us in full force so we must act quickly.

“Listen to me, people of Simbiosi!” Caleb’s mother says in a voice that echoes throughout the entire city, “The conceited and vainglory are at our walls! Take up your arms! Defend your homes! Defend your loved ones! Fight for truth and love and all that is the Absolute!”

The entire city screams a battle roar as everyone who can take up arms does and since everyone who is from this side of the kingdom is given training in weapons, most if not everyone is ready to fight. They take weapons handed out to them by the blacksmiths, guards, and armies or take weapons from their homes and are then organized by Caleb’s father who tells them where to go from the air. As for us, we hold hands again as our dragon breathes fire into the air to create a large ball of blue and red flames.

“O, loving and terrifying judgment of the Absolute, deliver your verdict!” we say as the fireball is complete.

The large ball of fire hangs in the air like the sun before one fireball of black and gold flames breaks it apart and spread it over the lands as far as the eye can see. We then join the fighting below and defeat the enemy army thanks to the help of Caleb’s parents and the people of the city. After the fight, hardly anyone from the city is injured since the fire has been reported to heal them and turn to ash a majority of our enemies. In addition, the fire has also strangely not affected the forest. Instead, it has healed the wounds of battle inflicted on it and has seemingly made it more beautiful. Few of the conceited have survived and are sentenced without trial to a life of servitude and penance per the orders of Caleb’s father. Our people celebrate this victory immediately when returning back to the city.

Caleb, we should join them and separate our dragons. I’m starting to get really tired of keeping it together. Me too, Kyla. It was fun and epic fighting like this together again. We’ll probably have to do it again when fighting Absalom. Yeah, so let’s rest as much as we can.

As we separate, our dragons separate too, and return to their original forms. A weight is also taken off my shoulders that was feeling a bit too much to bear, but I still feel my heart’s connection to Kyla even though our minds aren’t one. To be honest, I’ve felt this connection ever since we met as if our hearts were always meant to be one, which they were since the Absolute made us for each other. Anyways, we go down and celebrate with our people and then rest for the night before we begin to head out. My mother flies at me to hug me as we are making our way to them.

“You can’t leave without giving your mother and father goodbye hugs and kisses,” she says.

“We were coming to you to do just that, mother. Why do you always have to act like we don’t?” I ask.

“Because I love embarrassing you in front of your wife.”

“Come on, honey. Let them go,” my father says.

“Fine.”

“I’m sure I don’t need to say this but be careful with Absalom and the vainglory that gives him his powers.”

“You already know that he is being aided by the vainglory?” I ask.

“What else could boost his conceited powers besides demonic powers? His allies also seemed possessed and not themselves when his specters merged with their bodies. Absalom spoke of peace, but his allies were quick to violence after an exchange of few words.”

“Figures. We'll do our best, mother and father.”

“We already know you will, but you should reassure our citizens that you will obtain victory for them and bring justice to Absalom.”

“We don't have time for speeches. Absalom could be mobilizing his forces right now.”

“Well, it's a good thing that we already have people gathering in the main hall.”

“What? How did you-nevermind. I guess I have no choice now.”

“That's right,” my mother says.

I almost forgot that mother can echo her voice throughout the city and father can give commands to people through his thoughts. What am I even going to say? Going to the main hall, I see what must be hundreds of people trying to squeeze in with lots more people outside. Looking behind me, I see Kyla and my parents smiling at me. They must be silently cheering and praying for me in their minds. I feel an empowering force emanate from them, so I nod and smile back before facing the crowd. Well, here goes nothing.

“Faithful citizens of Simbiosi, justice for the conceited Absalom is at hand. Soon, you will no longer have to worry about him, his influence, and the vainglory that manifests through his powers. Princess Kyla and I will have his head or him on his knees begging for mercy from the Absolute. Remember that even when this is over, the constant battle of life doesn't end and we still have more enemies to bring to justice, so stay vigilant, stay strong, and keep fighting for truth and love!”

Everyone cheers and claps for me despite my simple speech. I was never good at giving speeches, which is why I let Kyla do all the talking during political discussions and times when we need to say speeches. Regardless, I’m glad that what I said was appreciated by everyone. Kyla and I say our goodbyes to my parents before leaving to finally face Absalom in person. Justice will finally be coming to him, the idiotic pitiable sinner. He’ll get what’s coming to him for what he’s done to everyone I love.

A Union of Hearts: Mercy & Justice: Chapter 2 – Knowing Your Enemy

*Concept art for the dragons of mercy (left) and justice (right)

Chapter 2 – Knowing Your Enemy

After flying for a while, I see that Caleb has fallen seemingly asleep on his dragon.

“Shouldn’t you stay awake just in case we’re ambushed along the way?” I ask.

“I’d like an ambush right about now. You know I hate nothing more than doing nothing. Besides, my dragon will wake me up if there is a surprise attack,” Caleb says.

Tch. Caleb can never enjoy relaxation outside of sparring, sports, working out, and sleep. He never really does like traveling or going places just to admire their beauty. I guess I can’t blame him too much because of the culture he was born into. Looking below us, I see the simple rolling hills and forests that always amaze me with their natural beauty.

“After we bring Absalom to judgment, we should go camping again,” I suggest.

“Sure, it’ll be a good excuse for getting out of politics,” he nonchalantly says.

“If we do have to deal with political matters when we get back, then our rest will have to wait.”

“Nah, we can let your side of the family handle it. I’d rather rake my brain trying to make poetry with you in the forest than deal with the politics of kingdoms and the Church.”

“Then I’ll make you sing and dance to those poems if that’s really what you prefer.”

“Sure, I accept that over politics.”

If it doesn’t have to deal with duty or politics, Caleb doesn’t care. The part of the kingdom he’s from leaves politics to my side, however, they are very duty bound and if something needs to be done, then they do it in one way with no questions asked and everything else becomes secondary. My side of the kingdom does value duty, but it also questions the way to accomplish it with mercy and justice being the obvious example. Also, part of me wishes Caleb didn’t always say “sure” to everything I suggest if there isn’t anything else he thinks is important that needs to be done.

 “Promise me that the next time our appearance is mandatory at the next meetings you won’t just skim over the information and make me make the decision for us?”

“I promise that all the information that doesn’t interest me won’t stick to my brain.”

“You know politics can be interesting to be in.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not. It’s like a game of chess and there are better ways to play it than just letting my side of the kingdom and me make all the decisions.”

“But your side is the best at it. If my side or I tried our hand at it, then it wouldn’t end so well as the history of our kingdom has shown. There’s a reason why we’re the duty bound soldiers and you’re the big brained statescraftsmen. You aren’t called the Wise Princess Kyla for nothing.”

He's right and I can never argue around it so the conversation ends here. If only he could make arguments like this when we are making decisions for the kingdom, then he’d make a fine politician rather than just being a warrior prince. The only joy I find in this is his confidence and trust in the decisions I make, however, we are still the prince and princess of our kingdom and must make decisions together rather than him always saying “nah, you deal with it”.

“Be alert! Our destination is close by,” I say.

“Finally,” Caleb says while stretching.

The city we’re in is one from my side of the kingdom where my parents should be. Cities from my side are modeled after cities dreamt of in fairy tales and what future cities might look like when all evil and falsehood is erased from the world. Most of the buildings are a silvery or white color except for the churches which are light gold. When the color fades or is dirtied, the buildings are repainted or even given colorful designs based on the wants of the building’s owners. People dance, make music, paint, erect statues, and write stories in the streets of the city as one creative force for the gain of each other and to proclaim the goodness and beauty of the Absolute.

As we land in the city, Caleb and I find it strange that no one comes to greet us or acknowledges our presence. My vision begins to blur and my hearing starts to become deaf. I reach out to Caleb, but he and everything around me disappears as all becomes black. My dragon is also gone and I can't summon it. It feels as if something is constricting my heart and abilities. Soon after, my body changes, and I become smaller and wear different clothes. The blackness disappears and presents a battle I remember being in. This was between a rebel city and Caleb and I were sent in to put an end to the violence. Unfortunately, it wasn't so cut and dry.

The enemy was prepared for us and had a few conceited people who could blow themselves up and they did when we had the advantage. Bodies from both sides liter the battlefield in front of the besieged city with my own body now being heavily injured as it remembers the situation I was in. A large force of enemies is coming in to finish off the wounded. Meanwhile, I feel that I am unable to move and may die any second now because of my wounds. It is then that Caleb, who is as injured as I am, stands in front of me. He can hardly manage to stand and even falls to his knees as he struggles to.

“Save yourself!” I say.

“What kind of husband leaves his wife to die alone?” he asks.

Now, he manages to stand, but he is quickly stabbed through the chest after only taking down a few of the conceited. I scream out and raise my hammers with the nonexistent strength in my body and kill a few of the conceited as well before a blade goes through my chest as well. Time slowly goes by as I feel a beating in my heart that defies my dying body. Blue flames engulf me and completely heal me while Caleb is engulfed in crimson flames and healed to full as well. Our dragons manifest themselves in these flames and burn all of the conceited around us to ash. This was the first time our Heart Absolute ability showed itself and the event seems to have temporarily broken the spell on us as everything turns to black again before putting Caleb and me into a castle that’s decorated with designs of black hearts contrasted by white and gold walls, ceilings, and floors.

From one of these hearts comes a person cloaked in darkness, dressed in black, and crowned with a spiky black crown. Despite his appearance, I recognize him as Absalom. His face and body are scarred, a large heart-shaped hole is in his chest that exposes his shriveled black heart, and his once glowing green eyes that I’ve heard about are now a dark green and dark grey.

“Thanks for saving us the trouble of finding you, Absalom. You have a lot to answer for,” Caleb says.

“You cannot harm me where we are. This is a dream after all,” Absalom says.

“A dream?” I ask.

“Yes, a dream. One of my supporters from your kingdom has the ability to look through a person’s memories and allow them to relive certain ones in a dream.”

“I know who you’re talking about but I can’t remember his name.”

“I don’t blame you since not many do. They only know him for his ability and nothing more. He’s a good man that got by on his job but wanted to do something more with his life to help people more than he could. Making people happy by allowing them to relive the past doesn’t do much if anything for their present situation, so with the help of my specter that possesses him and gives him strength, I gave enhanced his Heart Absolute ability so that people can live through their memories and alter them with their minds to live the life they want. At the same time, their bodies go about taking care of themselves. He can also put people into dreams that are within a large vicinity around him. Even now, both of your bodies are resting or getting some food to eat or something to drink so that you stay alive outside of this dream.”

“We can't control what we're dreaming. Where's our control? If this is a dream I can control, why aren't you dead yet?” Caleb asks.

“You can't kill a person in a dream and you have no control because my friend hasn't given you control. He's given control of your dreams to me instead because I want to look into your memories and I want to show you my own.”

“We don't care about that. We've only come to bring you to judgment.”

“Hmph. We'll see if you don't care by the end of it.”

Again, Caleb and I are separated this time by a wall that comes out of the ground, and again, I am unable to summon my dragon. My body becomes younger and the castle around me turns into the castle I was raised in. I can see what Absalom is trying to learn about me. My brothers and sisters come out of their rooms dressed for the challenges they have to face.

“You'll lose this time, Kyla,” one of them says.

“I'll be the princess of Simbiosi,” another says.

“You aren't skilled enough for it. You should just let me represent the family.”

This I remember too well. My siblings and I competed to be the representative of our family. They said a lot of mean things some of which they said to be competitive or to a joke. After that, we had to see if we would fall in love with someone from the other side of the kingdom. That's when I met Caleb. My surroundings and body change to reflect the change in the time period. I remember seeing Caleb training in a garden with training dummies. At the time, I was cautious to approach him not only because there are those in my kingdom that view the other side as single-minded soldiers who always resort to execution and violence, but also because I felt a connection in my heart to him. This type of feeling is from the Absolute that we met the person we were meant to be with.

Caleb seems to have felt this tug in his heart toward me as well. He turns around and is stunned to say anything at first. Every now and then, I get this sense from seeing him that feels like a taste of the Land of the True. A taste of Heaven. We look into each other's eyes for a time as we remember the first time seeing each other before turning back into our usual selves. The area shifts into a forest with Absalom sitting under a tree.

“Your story together seems romantic. Something that would be told in a fairy tale,” Absalom says.

“Thanks, but I've had enough of this,” Caleb says before taking his spear from his back and throwing it at Absalom.

The spear passes through Absalom and then appears back on Caleb's back. We see two boys fighting off a large pack of wolves.

“Run! I'll hold them off for you,” the older brother says while pushing away the youngest.

At first, the youngest does what the oldest says but then runs back when he sees that the oldest is surrounded by wolves. The youngest runs back with his arm out for his brother and this is when white specters in the form of legless knights armed with swords, spears, and shields appear and fight off the wolves for the brothers.

“As you can see, the story behind my Heart Absolute ability isn’t as story worthy as yours,” Absalom says as the area around us shifts to what he tells us next. “Once I got my Heart Absolute ability, I tried to help as many people as I could and as a result, I attracted the attention of the Church and the royalty of the kingdom. Before I turned twenty, I fell in love and had a child.”

Everything around us comes to a sudden stop as the setting is stuck in a burning town.

“I know this part of your life. Your family was killed by a rogue kingdom of the conceited,” I say.

“That’s right. There was barely enough of them to bury when I saw their bodies. The event still haunts me to this day as you can see in the specters I conjure. Some of them look like mangled bodies and limbless infants with blades for heads for this reason. My superiors said they would be protected and I had nothing to worry about, but that wasn’t true. Even so, I directed my anger to the correct source and punished those who killed my family. After a couple of years, I was okay and blessed enough to have a new family…but…”

“They were killed as well even though they were protected by people close to you.”

“…yes…”

This memory is drastically affecting him. He holds one of his cloaked arms over his face and we can hear cries all around us.

“Look, we know that it’s sad what happened to your family, but it doesn’t excuse what you’re doing now,” Caleb says.

“How does it not?” Absalom says as he collects himself, “I’m trying to create a better world through my army of specters.”

“You’re making people conceited and you’ve attacked our home and the homes of many others!”

“I have done no such thing.”

“The people that you’ve killed would say otherwise.”

“I gave strict orders to my allies and specters to not kill or harm anyone. The attack on your home was meant to be a show of force with damage only done to the city and not to its citizens.”

“That’s not what happened. You should know.”

“I do know. I felt the pain of every specter that you strike down though you cannot kill me by killing them as you can see. What is this? I can see in your memories that you’re telling the truth. Something’s wrong with this. What is it?”

Absalom seems genuinely confused and distressed at what we’re telling him as he paces back and forth while whispering to himself.

“Even if you didn’t attack anyone, it’s still wrong to convince people to be as conceited as you. You damn their souls to the Land of the Forgotten when you make them sin and lose themselves.”

“The Absolute makes use of the conceited to bring about greater things. Even those who have their Heart Absolute abilities, fall to sin every once in a while, no matter how dedicated they are to being true to their real selves. With my conceited ability, I am no longer constricted to the number of specters I can conjure and I can empower the abilities of my allies with them. My Heart Absolute ability is nothing in comparison to what I can do now. Once my influence spreads throughout the word, I can empower the weak, defend the innocent at a moment’s notice, cease all conflict by force, and give my new family and all families the peaceful world they deserve.”

“I don’t believe your plan will work,” I say.

“Nothing good can come from those who are conceited and refuse to change,” Caleb adds.

“If I don’t do what I need to, then the world will continue to be engulfed in wars and violence. You won’t even need to fight anymore in the world I’ll create. You’ll only need to govern and enjoy it. How does this world of peace not seem like one the Absolute wills to create?”

“We already told you that you will damn souls despite your best intentions,” I say.

Something seems to have taken Absalom’s attention away from us.

“Then we’ll have to agree to disagree for now. Your parents are breaking through their dream, Kyla. This will wake up everyone else as a result and you’ll have to deal with my allies who will defend themselves if you attack them. Also, be careful with your citizens. You did wake them up from the best dream they’ve had in a while.”

The dream around Caleb and I fades away and we find ourselves back in the city with people waking up and wondering why they stopped dreaming. An explosion catches everyone’s attention. In the distance we see my parents fighting people in the air. My parents can manifest see-through parts of the dragon of mercy on their bodies such as the wings, head, and legs to help them in battle. It’s their Heart Absolute ability that they use more for seeing if a person is innocent and transportation than combat. Caleb and I jump on our dragons and aid them in the air. As we get closer, I see that the people that my parents are fighting have Absalom’s specters help them fly as if they were puppets.

“Mother, father! We’re here to help!” I say to them as we join the fight.

“Glad to see you’re here, my daughter,” my mother says.

“Let’s finish this fight together then give them their trial assuming that our flames don’t burn them to ash,” my father says.

Together, my parents, Caleb, and I defeat the few conceited and the small squadron of specters they have as a backup and bring those that survive to the court square where people are publicly judged in front of the city. Some in the city are mad that they were taken out of the dream and the guards in the city have to make sure a riot isn’t started. Others are mad that what they were seeing was a dream and want Absalom’s supporters put to death, and finally, there are citizens who are not sure what is and what isn’t real because of how long they were dreaming or because they were so engrossed in the dreams.

“Put us in prison or kill us and stop wasting our time,” one of the conceited says.

“You deserve the honor of a trial as is the tradition of our people,” my father says.

Caleb rolls his eyes and obviously wants to get this done as fast as the conceited do. Regardless, the conceited are allowed to defend their actions to receive a lesser sentence.

“We did what our hearts told us to do because we could no longer deal with the reality of this world that is constantly at war and filled with violence and tragedy. Absalom has the best solutions that the Church and the many kingdoms of the world lack. He will be our king, army, and guard all in one man. Though he makes us conceited and he is conceited, he is the closest thing to having the Absolute in the flesh today,” one of the conceited says.

The other conceited say the same things in different ways and add in their praise for Absalom and how he helped them. My parents and Caleb give their judgments of them and decide their fate. What am I even going to say? My parents say they should be put in jail for five years and must work community service that fits their particular abilities until they repent. On the other hand, Caleb says that they should be put to work and jail until their deaths or they repent as is the usual sentence of this magnitude from his side of the kingdom. His side used to enslave their prisoners if they didn’t kill them decades ago before our two sides of the kingdom came together.

Should I have them executed? There’s a loud cry in the crowd for it and I’m feeling the urge to. These people were able to put this entire city in a dream. My parents were able to break it, but it took them a lot of time to do it. Who knows if Absalom will send more specters here to strengthen them and put everyone in a deeper dream. Part of me also wants to spare them and agree with either my parents or Caleb. Even though they were spared from being turned to ash, this could be a test of my judgment. People who have been spared from the flames of mercy and justice don’t always turn to ash if they deserve it. Caleb and I learned that the hard way and had to let go of our pride in our abilities so the flames could do what they needed to.

“Just say what your heart tells you,” Caleb says as if he was reading my mind, “I know it’s pure and wise enough to make the correct judgment.”

At times like this, Caleb always seems to read my mind and say or do something to comfort me. Our hearts are connected so it shouldn’t surprise me, but it always does. My parents smile and nod at me and seem to know how I’m feeling similarly to Caleb.

“It is my decision that these conceited should be jailed and put to work that suits their abilities until they repent of their evil deeds,” I say to the mixed reception of the crowd around us. “All of us have been guilty of some sin and evil deed. Was there not a time when you were lost and obstinate in your sin and repented after a time? Were you not thankful that you were shown mercy rather than struck down in your shameful state when you weren’t yourself? There was a time when I was in ignorance like that and I still am in some respects. That is why I have chosen to show mercy to these poor sinners and they will continue to receive it until the Absolute says otherwise.”

The crowds now murmur among themselves until they start clapping and cheering my name.

“All hail the merciful and wise princess!” they chant.

“The princess has decided and it shall be so,” my father says.

Looking back at Caleb, he winks at me with a smile and I wink back. After the prisoners are taken away and the public goes back to their daily business, Caleb and I take the time to talk to my parents before we go.

I hug them and then say, “It’s good to see that you’re safe. Do you need us to help you with anything before you go?”

“You’ve helped us plenty by being here,” my mother says.

“Just be careful with Absalom. It took us a while to break through the dream his ally had on us. We’ll be sure to keep that man under maximum security and no specter comes to possess him to give him his freighting power again. I can imagine that his other allies are just as powerful,” my father says.

“We’ll be careful. Still, Absalom confuses me. He said that his allies would attack us if we struck first, but they attacked you first, right?”

“Right. The specters inside of them tried to aid them in their fight so Absalom must’ve aided them.”

“Why would he say what he said to us then? He also mentioned that he gave strict orders to his allies and specters not to attack anyone in our home, but that’s exactly what they did. When we told him what happened and he saw it in our memories, he seemed distressed and confused.”

“Who knows what’s really going on in that madmen’s head?” Caleb says.

“It’s possible that he’s being corrupted by the vainglory. Demons could be possessing his mind and then make him think he’s innocent right after. He did use a dark ritual to gain his new power after all,” my father suggests.

“That’s probably the most likely scenario. We’ll see what happens when we see Caleb’s parents.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be okay. I don’t know a family tougher than them from their side of the kingdom.”

“Thank you, sir. I have to say the same about your family as well with Kyla here being the toughest among you,” Caleb says.

“That she is. Have you managed to beat her in sparing yet?”

“Of course I have.”

“That’s not what I heard.”

“No, you heard the victories I gave her.”

“What are you talking about? I beat you fair and square a few times,” I say.

“I don’t want to see you cry because I’m constantly besting you, so I give you a victory every now and then.”

“You’re lying!”

“No, I’m not. I’m being honest.”

“Fine then. When this is over, we’ll spar until I beat you for real and I end up with more victories than you.”

“Deal.”

Caleb and I say our goodbyes to my parents and then head off to see if his parents need him. I think we’ve learned a lot about our enemy and our weakness against him, but also what we can do. If my parents can break through Absalom’s power, then so can we. With our hearts, our love, our strength, and the Absolute, we can accomplish anything after all.