‎Valari sat on the couch across from Rasmus, in a room where he was alone and facing a man that he admired and despised at the same time. He sat there trying to not show any emotion and behaved like the heir of Ashenvale.

The room was quiet, and Rasmus kept his eyes staring into Valari’s eyes. The two of them stared at each other’s eyes and Valari thought that they were trying to see who would look away first.

‎"Are we in some kind of staring contest, Valari?" Rasmus shook his head as he chuckled. "The reason I want to talk to you privately is because I want to know what you know. The current state of East Neva," he crossed his legs and clasped his hands, resting them on his thigh.

‎"What?" Valari was taken aback by the question because he thought Rasmus would test him or would say anything to challenge him about what had happened. "The current state of East Neva?" He repeated the question.

‎"Yes," Rasmus nodded.

‎Valari felt a chill down his spine from seeing how casual Rasmus looked. He had just seen Rasmus holding a dagger and slit his youngest brother’s throat like it was nothing. Although his brother was alive and healthy for some reason, he still couldn’t believe the audacity of Rasmus to sit there like nothing had happened.

‎"I don’t know much about the current situation. I have been busy studying and learning about business that my father entrusted me with," Valari answered with a cold expression. He didn’t want to give Rasmus the satisfaction of trampling on the dignity of Ashenvale.

‎"As I said, tell me what you know," Rasmus responded, knowing exactly what was inside Valari’s head. "I’m not asking some fancy information, I’m asking you an information."

‎Valari closed his eyes for a moment, his hands tightened on his lap. He knew he had to address the elephant in the room and grew some spine for himself, for his family.

‎"No," Valari rejected. "If you think you can do as you please after what you did, you’re wrong, Count Blackheart. You could convince my father it was his fault that it happened, but in reality, you were the one who did it, and that didn’t change the fact you dared to use that dagger to hurt my brother and that’s enough. You can’t just sit there and ask for something like nothing happened!" He said as he clenched his fists until veins popped on the back of his hands.

"And yet here I am. Which reality are you referring to?" Rasmus asked as he pointed his hand at the couch he was sitting on. "Didn’t I teach you to not speak with emotions? Think before you think of answering. Emotions don’t give you an advantage, it wears you down. Not only that, but you’re also not the man in power in this place, which is make it worse for you because your threat means nothing to me," he added.

Valari scoffed, trying to dismiss Rasmus’ words so he could keep his dignity. Unfortunately, Rasmus’ words had pierced through him, and he would never be able to ignore it.

"I’m not here to lecture you or waste your time," Rasmus said under his breath as he made himself comfortable on the couch. "The others have seen who I am. Aurelia, Alexander, Monica, Maximilian, Isador, they have seen it, and they were as shocked as you are. But they pushed that aside and focused on the real problems," he revealed, tapping his finger on his thigh.

"Problems? The only problem I see is the one who’s sitting in front of me," Valari answered with a cold expression, his gaze never leaving Rasmus’ eyes.

"Exactly," Rasmus smiled.

Valari narrowed his eyes, surprised that Rasmus didn’t deny his accusation.

"I’m going to be the problem that will lead this continent into chaos, Valari. But as I said earlier. You have to deal with the problems without using your emotions. I’m giving you a heads-up, a glimpse of the damage that I’ll cause into this land," Rasmus explained with a serious expression.

"What are you talking about, Count?" Valari asked with his brows furrowed.

"I’m talking about what kind of action you’ll take once the problem arise," Rasmus answered as he stood up and buttoned his suit. "I want to see if you’re worthy to be standing among your peers," he stared down at Valari before he lowered his head to him before he walked away and left the room.

Valari looked over his shoulders and watched Rasmus abruptly leave the room. He took a moment to think of what had just happened. He wondered if it was a warning, a test, or something else, but when Rasmus mentioned Aurelia and the others, he knew that they were all working together to create a better world. It reminded him of the assignment that Rasmus gave him back then in the academy.

"What was that all about..." Valari sighed as he leaned back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Rasmus went to meet with Aris and the others, they were in the dining hall where Malik’s wives and children were. His presence was enough to bring fear into the room, and they all stood up from their chairs, seeking comfort from their mothers while the mothers tried to protect their children. On the other hand, Aris, Rullein, and Serena realized that it was time to leave. Suddenly, Rasmus, Aris, and Rullein turned their heads facing the window for a moment before they finally saw a shadow that blocked the sunlight.

"Is that what I think that is?" Rasmus asked, his gaze fixated on the window.

"That one is nothing like Yur," Rullein furrowed her brows.

"You’re right. Yur feels like a child compared to that," Aris nodded as she stood up. "And I think we know why it came," she glanced at Rasmus.

Rasmus left the dining hall with Aris, Rullein, and Serena. The four of them walked the long hallway while the guards were lowering their heads, not toward them, but toward the presence outside the palace. The palace was completely dark because there wasn’t a single light that came into the palace.

When the four of them walked out of the palace, they slowly turned around and looked up. That was when they saw the mythical beast, the one that protected the Ashenvale family. A large garuda that stood tall on top of the palace with its wings covered the whole palace. The garuda could easily flatten the palace, but somehow it wasn’t as if the garuda’s weight was that of a feather.

It was nothing like the ones that Rasmus saw earlier, the garuda wore a golden helmet with its fiery mane and ashen skin that looked like a rock. Its gold wings shone brightly, reflecting the sunlight. The wings weren’t made of feathers, they looked like made of steel, tough and solid. Everyone in the city trembled because it was the first time they had seen the mythical beast that belonged to the Ashenvale, the beast that had protected the Ashenvale for centuries.

"You..." The Garuda spoke, its voice like a rumbling thunder that shook the whole city. Its glowing golden eyes stared at Aris, Rullein, Serena, and Rasmus. "Who are you..." The Garuda leaned its head down until its massive beak almost touched the ground, its eyes stared at Rullein and Rasmus.