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🕑 Added 2022-11-06 10:06:16 +0000 UTCAlmost one more day passed until everyone woke up inside the dome. Seth and Maya had tried experimenting with the mark, but no matter what they tried, it didn’t seem to bring any advantage or disadvantage.
Seth knew it couldn’t be so simple, but he was actually stomped and decided to let time reveal the mystery behind the new mark. Until then, the girls took it as a symbol of Seth’s love and became even somewhat excited about it.
With his breakthrough into the fourth shell finally complete, Seth teleported with the girls back to the castle, inside the royal chambers. After the girls went to do their own stuff, Seth teleported inside the throne room, sitting on his giant throne.
‘How are things in Oath?’
<Iris and Elise have found some sort of middle ground, but Cain is already heading over there, and things might take a bad turn.>
‘It’s fine. Elise will deal with it. What are the other kingdoms doing?’
<The Blood Race had started reigning terror over their lands, but there was a slight turn of events I hadn’t anticipated.>
Seth frowned and asked: ‘What is it?’
<Due to the Oath Kingdom being peaceful and only its enemies suffering from the blood crisis - >
‘They think Oath was the one responsible for it?’
<Affirmative. A meeting will be held in approximately four months, and all Oath’s enemies are gathering there, discussing a possible alliance to deal with the blood race and eliminate Oath.>
‘Hmm. That’s not that bad. Now that I’ve broken through, four months is enough time. I’m curious, don’t they suspect something is strange in the Blood Kingdom? I’ve been killing all their spies for a long time, and there was no response.’
<There is suspicion that Oath is also involved in killing those spies since a mass cleansing has also been happening in the Oath Capital, but they don’t care much about it. The more important issue they are considering is hiring ascended from the far north and finally striking at Oath.>
‘So all the timetable has moved up...’
“Guess is time for me to get involved as well.” Muttered Seth, a stern look appearing in his eyes as he disappeared from the throne room.
He appeared next in a large room, where all his knights were sitting around a table, discussing crucial matters. Seth’s sudden appearance made every one of them stand up, a respectful look in their eyes as they bowed low.
“Your Majesty.”
Seth nodded and sat down, asking them to tell him what had been happening inside the city while he was occupied with his breakthrough. After listening to all the various issues, Seth advised Sal on how to deal with everything before leaving and returning to Maya’s room inside the Royal Chambers.
Maya was dressed in a thin gown, sitting on her small sofa, reading through a book. Once she felt Seth’s presence appear in her room, she lifted her head from her book with a broad smile and asked: “Did you come for secon - “
Her words stopped when she saw the serious look in Seth’s eyes, and she sighed before putting the book down and saying: “What happened?”
“Not much,” Seth replied, sitting next to her and moving an arm behind her waist. “But I need to leave the kingdom for a while…”
Maya frowned and looked into his eyes before asking: “Is this about Oath?”
“Yeah. A meeting between the other kingdom’s leaders has been set for a few months from now. The alliance is happening faster than in the past, and I can’t sit on my ass anymore.”
“I see…” muttered Maya, a wry look appearing on her face as she asked: “And you’re not taking me with you?”
Seth sighed and rubbed her waist before shaking his head: “I need someone I trust to continue watching over the Kingdom we have built. I’ll also move a lot faster on my own.”
Maya nodded with a sigh, grabbing his hand as she asked: “How long will you be gone for, and where are you going?”
“I don’t know exactly for how long. Maybe a year, maybe more. The meeting will be held in the Hope Kingdom, straight north from Oath, so that’s where I’m heading, but I’ll travel through Wrath and Loss Kingdoms since there are more things I need to do.”
Seeing that Maya’s expression was turning sadder by the second, Seth pulled her in his arms and asked: “Before I go, how about I officially make you my queen?”
Maya’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at him, eyes as big as saucers: “You mean…”
“Indeed.” Interrupted Seth with a smile before asking: “Will Ascended Maya Cantory do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears started appearing at the corner of Maya’s eyes as she jumped in his arms, resting her behind on his lap as she hugged him tighter and nodded continuously: “Yes. Yes. Yes. I want to.”
Seth chuckled at her pure excitement and said: “Then, before I leave, we’ll hold a grand wedding.”
Maya nodded again before she broke away from his arms and asked: “What about the others? Are well all having a big wedding?”
Seth sighed and shook his head: “Not yet. I’ll hold a wedding for each of you, but the others will have to wait. I want every single one of you to have your own wedding, but I also don’t have the time now, so I’ll only hold our wedding. The others will have to wait until I return.”
For the next week, Seth started preparing for his grand wedding with Maya and his departure from the kingdom. The other girls understood the need for a wedding since someone had to remain in charge with Seth leaving.
They also understood that Seth didn’t have the time to prepare five weddings, so after a few promises from Seth, everyone was on the same page.
The news created an uproar inside the kingdom, and everyone was excited for the day a queen would be crowned. The wedding was supposed to take place in a week inside the royal palace, and everyone was invited to assist, even if they could only stay inside the palace grounds and were not allowed inside.
The Knights and Ascended of the academy had begun making accommodations for thousands of people on the palace grounds. Maya and the other girls had started working on her wedding gown.
Seth was just returning to his room with a tired look on his face from all the running around when he found someone waiting for him in front of his door, someone he more or less expected to see.
“Good evening, father.”, said Seth with a sigh, but Nash’s face had black lines running across it as he said: “Oh, you now remember you have a father? How come you’re getting married in two days and didn’t even bother to come and let us know as well?”
Seth sighed and moved to open the door, leading his father inside.
“I was planning on coming by later tomorrow. The wedding is in two days, you know…” said Seth after sitting on a small chair.
Nash stood across from him, and his expression didn’t relax as he said: “Oh really? Aren’t you just avoiding your mother?”
“I am not. You guys asked me to give you time when we spoke last, and I decided to give you two as much time as you needed, but I was not going to not invite you two to my wedding. I left it for last since I wanted to come together with Maya and ask you to attend, but we’ve both been quite busy in the last week.”
Nash scoffed and said: “Hmm, if you don’t go and talk to Hilda, I’m afraid your mother will never forgive you, so go see her before it’s too late.”
Seth smiled and asked: “Did you come to see me because you were worried I wasn’t going to invite mom and we’ll argue again?”
“Of course, I was worried. You’re both just too stubborn for your own good. She’s long been missing you and maybe even Maya, but she was too stubborn to come to see you herself, spending all her time daydreaming in her house, while you, I get it that you are busy with all the kingdom stuff going on, but that’s no excuse for not going to visit your mother.”
“As for those girls, none even came to see her. If not for Pearl visiting once in a while, we wouldn’t even know how you were doing.”
Seth lowered his head with a sigh, realizing that he unconsciously avoided visiting his parents. None of what he had said to Nash was a lie, and he was planning to visit them with Maya to invite them to the wedding, but they kept postponing it for the entire week.
Shaking his head, Seth said: “Thanks, dad. I’m going to see mom right now.”
“Go. I’ll remain here.” Said Nash before looking around the room. “Any good booze to keep me busy as I wait for you?”
Seth chuckled and brought some wine from his storage space, placing it on the table before disappearing from his room and appearing in front of Hilda’s.
Seth’s parents lived in a decently large mansion made by Pearl close to the Palace Grounds. Even if Seth was the one who asked Pearl to do it, this was still the first time he had stepped inside.
With a heavy sigh, Seth knocked twice on the simple wooden door.
“What are you knocking for, Nash? What do you want?”
Even from her tone, Seth could already tell his mother was not in a good mood, but even so, he pushed open the door and walked inside.
Hilda was sitting on a comfortable armchair, reading through a book Seth had made himself, stolen from the library by Pearl and brought as a gift for Hilda. Once the door opened, she lifted her head from the book, but her sad eyes turned slightly angry as they landed on Seth.
She said nothing before looking into her book again, pretending Seth was not even there.
“Mom…” muttered Seth, coming to sit next to her, but Hilda once more ignored him. Seth couldn’t say he wasn’t expecting it, so he sighed again and said: “I know that you are angry I haven’t been coming to visit you, so I’m sorry that I didn’t.”
“I’ve been avoiding you, afraid you’ll once more try to go against the women I love and me. You also asked me to give you time, and that’s what I’ve been doing, giving you time.”
Hilda’s eyes reddened as she looked up from her book, a blaming look in her eyes as she said: “Even with all I said, I am your mother, and I still love you. It’s been over a year since the last time you came to visit us…”
“I know, mom, and I’m sorry. I love you too, and I don’t want to keep arguing. I already told you my stance about my love life, and I’m not going to back down on it, so I hope you and dad can support me instead of fighting me about it every step.”
With a sad look, Seth continued: “I know it is strange to you, but eternity is a long time. A time I don’t want to spend alone anymore. I want to spend it with the ones I love, and if those are one, ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even more women, I will love them all as much as they deserve.”
“Why can’t you just be happy your son is surrounded by women who love him?”
