Zafiri's Whispers and the Shadow of Conflict
Zafiri finished his morning meal and stepped out of the dining hall. He stretched his arms wide, yawning lazily as he reached his hands behind his back. Just then, someone suddenly approached from behind him.
“Zafiri.”
“Ah, Arkin.”
Zafiri guessed it was something important that had called him out. His already pale face looked even more so today. He sensed something was off.
“What is it? Wanna head outside?”
Zafiri slipped an arm around Arkin’s waist and winked playfully. But even quick-witted Zafiri was left bewildered when Nefetia suddenly grabbed him from the left as they stepped outside.
“Zafiri, I need to talk to you.”
With Nefetia on one side and Arkin on the other, Zafiri found himself practically surrounded. He could only follow as they led him away.
“What? What’s going on?”
Neither Arkin nor Nefetia spoke a word as they walked stiffly. Something was definitely happening… something serious.
Only after they had circled the building and slipped into a deserted spot did they release Zafiri’s arm.
“Zafiri.”
Arkin scanned the surroundings before lowering his voice to a whisper.
“From now on, listen carefully to what we’re about to say.”
“What? Why the serious face?”
“Zafiri is someone we trust. We need to discuss this carefully.”
Even Nefetia stepped forward with a grave expression, leaving Zafiri more confused than ever. Just a moment… could it be?
Zafiri bit his lip hard, furrowing his brows. He was certain the thing he feared most had happened.
“You… got caught having sex naked?”
Zafiri’s question brought a heavy silence. Nefetia and Arkin stared blankly at him, their faces slowly reddening until it was impossible to ignore.
“Eh…? Really?”
Their embarrassed reaction made Zafiri even more shocked. “I was just saying that…”
“Who saw you two? No way….”
Zafiri covered his mouth in shock.
“You were caught while you were still intertwined? Like that?”
“No! Definitely not!”
Arkin interrupted him in disgust. His voice cracked from panic. He wiped his burning face repeatedly and cleared his throat.
“It wasn’t like that.”
“What? You two are the ones who should be surprised. Why are you so serious? You’ve been stone-faced since morning.”
Still unsettled, Arkin glanced at Nefetia once more. Then he lowered his voice and got to the point.
“Zafiri. We went to the forest last night. You mentioned feeling an unusual wave in the center of the forest, right? We went to investigate.”
While Arkin paused to catch his breath, Nefetia quickly jumped in.
“We saw Draconis and Serena near the World Tree.”
“Oh, I was wondering what you two were up to… You two are in love?”
Zafiri chuckled lightly, as if it didn’t bother him.
“Serena’s a surprise, but Draconis… he’s probably always skipping classes anyway. If you two were secretly meeting at night, everyone would be shocked. But Draconis? He’d probably laugh it off…”
“No, Zafiri.”
Arkin cut him off sharply.
“That wasn’t a simple secret meeting.”
“What do you mean?”
“Zafiri. Igninof and Lakelium have joined hands. They plan to invade Stonegard soon. They want to steal the Magma Stone mining rights from Stonegard.”
“…”
The smile vanished from Zafiri’s face instantly. He frowned, struggling to believe what he was hearing.
“They’re starting a war? They’re going to attack Stonegard?”
“Zafiri, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”
“But… right now? During the World Alliance training session?”
Arkin and Nefetia patiently repeated the same explanation over and over. They didn’t know which kingdom this new ally belonged to, but one more kingdom had joined their alliance…
“Wow… this is insane. Completely insane.”
“Zafiri, calm down.”
“Insane people. What on earth are they trying to do?”
Zafiri paced restlessly, hands on his hips, then grabbed Arkin’s arm.
“Petra? Does Petra know about this yet? You haven’t told her?”
“Not yet.”
Arkin patted Zafiri’s back reassuringly.
“If Petra finds out now, it’ll make everything worse. First, we need to find out who’s been sharing information with Draconis and Serena. Once we tell Petra, we’ll immediately contact our homeland.”
“Okay, okay. I get it.”
Zafiri let out a long sigh and brushed his hair back. The vine prince, who couldn’t easily calm his emotions, stood in place for a while before finally turning back to Arkin and Nefetia.
“For now, I’ll track Draconis and Serena with my vine network. You two were the first to tell me, right?”
“That’s right. We’re counting on you.”
Arkin nodded and offered his hand. Without hesitation, Zafiri took it, gripping firmly. Nefetia joined their handshake.
“One more thing… listen up.”
Nefetia continued carefully.
“When we entered the forest yesterday, something strange happened. It felt like a cold current wrapping around my ankle. The farther we went into the forest, the stronger the wave became. Later, it felt like standing in the ocean with water up to my calves.”
Zafiri’s eyes narrowed. Arkin added, “I couldn’t see it with my eyes, but I felt it clearly. Zafiri, as you said, something is flowing from the ‘center of the forest.’”
“Even though Arkin and I were right next to Draconis and Serena, they didn’t feel the power at all. Only you two and I might be able to sense this wave.”
“Interesting.”
Zafiri stroked his chin, lost in thought.
“But for me, I can only detect it when I touch vines with my hands. I can’t sense the ‘wave’ or ‘current’ you two felt. So maybe only the two of you can feel this power.”
Just then, a bell rang from far away — clang, clang — signaling the start of class.
“Class is starting. Let’s go.”
“Wait, you two.”
Zafiri added quickly before they parted.
“Let’s meet again soon. Just the three of us. I want to go to the source of that wave.”
“Alright. First, act normal today. Keep an eye on Draconis and Serena.”
The three of them dispersed as naturally as possible and rejoined the other trainees.
“Nefetia, where have you been? You keep disappearing lately!”
Petra grinned mischievously and pulled Nefetia close. While Petra fussed over Amalfi, Stella, and Elio as she always did, Nefetia felt her chest tighten with a heavy, unmovable stone.
“…”
Nefetia gently reached out to calm herself. Petra’s hand — now her precious friend’s — was rough, calloused, yet warm.
“Eh?”
Petra startled at the sudden touch, eyes widening. But soon a bright, joyful smile bloomed across her freckled face.
“Let’s go, Nefetia. Class is starting.”
Petra squeezed Nefetia’s hand tightly and urged her forward with an excited voice.
Unlike Petra, Nefetia felt nothing but heaviness. She simply hoped her kingdom remained safe and held her friend’s warm hand, hiding her troubled expression.
***
“Seneca, what are we doing today? History again? Or poetry?”
The trainees grumbled, convinced they would be forced to write boringly.
“Today is….”
Seneca stood before a large brush wall, arms loosely crossed. He wasn’t fond of this time either. The trainees could only imagine how much he disliked it.
“Logical writing….”
Ugh! Despite the incoming complaints, Seneca forced a wry smile. The High Priest had summoned him that morning and repeatedly warned him not to skip the maze training.
“I’m heading to the temple. I’ll only come down in the evening. If anything comes up, report it right away.”
“Understood.”
If he stayed in the temple all day and only descended in the evening… Seneca chewed his lip. Damn it, the High Priest wasn’t even here. Could he just skip?
He usually followed orders without complaint, but wasting time like this was unbearable. Why hold the training session if they were only going to write all day? Seneca decided he would endure the lessons and take any punishment.
“Since writing is done, I’ll conduct the maze training as scheduled.”
Seneca declared calmly. All eyes turned to him at once. Draconis frowned deeply in displeasure.
“Hey, Seneca. The High Priest hasn’t given permission yet?”
For a brief moment, Arkin and Nefetia exchanged a glance.
“I’ll take responsibility. Let’s proceed.”
The priest answered shortly and continued.
“The Death Maze is behind the World Tree, in the middle of the forest. I’ll call the assistant priests to prepare. You’ll wait at the World Tree for about an hour.”
The Death Maze. Behind the World Tree, in the center of the forest… Seneca’s words lingered in Arkin’s mind. He clenched his fists lightly.
The source of vital energy. The place where an unknown flow burst forth… Could it possibly be the Death Maze…?