Prince Senjahari closed his eyes. “If Your Majesty allows us to hold and study the monster, I will relinquish my succession.”

The court burst into chaotic whispers and Setia held Captain Taring back from barging in.

The Queen’s cold eyes remained on the youngest foolish prince while Princess Kipassalju smirked from her seat.

To others, this was the end of the young prince.

But to Senjahari, it was just another pathway to the throne, albeit a thorny one.

Stripped of his royalty rights, he became the lord of Sunrise Boundary. The soldiers and aristocrats turned away from him but Setia and Captain Taring followed his footsteps.

Working with Doctor Melati, they ran hundreds of experiments on the monster. The blood was thick and dark, almost similar to the hudoq’s black matter. However, it didn’t affect any living being and didn’t have any melting properties. It was failure after failure but at long last, Doctor Melati found traces of pure black matter in the monster’s blood. It was a step forward in her research.

A black matter contained in a Bloodline.

If they could harness this power, it could open up a whole world of possibilities. Powers that overwhelmed an entire army, powers that could stand equal grounds with the Royal Cendrawasih Bloodline. The moment they discover how to control the monster, Cahayaranga would be overturned.

By succession or by blood, Senjahari swore to take the throne.

-

“My Lord, tea has been served.” Several maids escorted Lord Senjahari to the drawing room. He didn’t want to stay a day longer in the Capital but he had an image to keep up. Once morning comes around, he would be on his way back to Sunrise Boundary.

Lord Senjahari reached the end of the hallway with more determination burning inside. Doctor Melati’s latest research proved that the prisoner’s Bloodline was different either by nature or by mutation. His hunch leaned towards the latter. If he was right, the answer could be found in the fallen Kingdom of Lekasi.

As he entered the drawing room, he crossed paths with a group of Shewei Ambassadors.

“Greetings, Lord Senjahari.” A man spoke up. His long, dark green hair was tied neatly in a high ponytail, adorned with a golden clasp. A traditional hanfu covered his toned body with a silver sword attached to his hip. “I am the Shewei Ambassador, General Xinling of the Royal Guo Family.”

“What brings you here, General Xinling?” Lord Senjahari took note of the light number of guards General Xinling had with him.

“We were discussing a peace and trade agreement with Your Majesty, Queen Birambat,” General Xinling answered.

“Isn’t that something the Prince has to attend to?” Lord Senjahari said, “Your brother.”

The corner of General Xinling’s mouth twitched and his lips fell into a slight grimace. “I am here on behalf of Prince Yuanyin. He is overseeing our current expeditions to investigate the nests while I deal with trade and finances.”

“Apologies if it sounds discourteous but to my knowledge, Prince Yuanyin is well-known for his intelligence and wit, while you, Prince Xinling, are known for your fighting skills and battle strategies. Why, may I ask, are the positions reversed?”

“I believe you are prying into more personal matters of our Kingdom.” General Xinling replied coolly. “It’s not as though you are in a comfortable position either, ex-Prince Senjahari.”

Lord Senjahari had to control his emotions and avoid showing them on his face.

They took a seat while the maids served tea and refreshments. Once they left, Lord Senjahari said,  “I hope the agreement goes well, although the Shewei Kingdom is quite far from us.” He paused to think before asking, “The expedition, how long ago was it?”

General Xinling hesitated. He couldn’t contain his disdain at the thought of him not leading the expedition. “A week ago. Are you curious about it?”

“Indeed.” Lord Senjahari said. “We found someone we believe to be from the Shewei Kingdom, lost in the desert, without any memories. Perhaps you would know.”

General Xinling snapped his eyes at Lord Senjahari, his cool exterior shattering. “What do you mean?”

“Only groups are allowed to be out in the desert but we found one person who declared that they ran away while their comrades fell to the hudoqs.”

A slight panic dripped from General Xinling’s voice. “Only one expedition went out recently. They are all strong soldiers in their own fields. For all of them to be killed… who… who is the survivor?”

Lord Senjahari studied General Xinling’s desperation–a prince who couldn’t win against his younger twin brother. He had been cast to the battlefield to lead the armies while Prince Yuanyin controlled the entire story with his words and strategies. He was only a puppet for Prince Yuanyin to play with. How frustrating it must be to lose his rightful seat. Just like Senjahari.

Perhaps, if things were different, they could make an alliance.

Perhaps, they could stand side by side, and take what was right for them.

“From the combat medic unit,” Lord Senjahari never took his eyes away from General Xinling. “Fuxiao.”

And that was all it took for Lord Senjahari to be determined to get General Xinling on his side. The wide eyes, the slight tremble of the lips. The clear panic that shot through him despite his attempt to stay collected. Lord Senjahari had found it. Another key. Another sword he could draw.

“No…” General Xinling said. Fuxiao was alone in the desert? With no memories? What happened to the rest of the group? The expedition was supposed to scout and destroy a small nest to make way for the next expedition which in turn gave them access to safe land. Land for them to trample and invade Cahayaranga Kingdom.

But how did things turn out this way?

Prince Yuanyin had made the decision and no matter how much General Xinling rebuked, he was sent out to Cahayaranga to draw up a peace agreement as a cover for their real plan. Perhaps it was out of spite. Perhaps it was simply to put General Xinling in his place. To reiterate that Prince Yuanyin was the rightful heir to the throne and General Xinling would always be his sword.

If it had happened as planned, General Xinling would have gone along with it for the sake of the Shewei Kingdom, but now something more important to him had come up.

Fuxiao’s safety.

If what Lord Senjahari said was true, Fuxiao must have survived a terrible incident. As long as they were alive, General Xinling would do anything to take them back home and away from the frontlines.

Even if it meant betraying Prince Yuanyin, his brother.

“Lord Senjahari,” General Xinling said, “If you would allow it, I would like to meet with Fuxiao.”

The request confirmed Lord Senjahari’s suspicion. He took a sip of his black tea without a word as he pondered on the best way to win General Xinling over. Lord Senjahari waved his hand to dismiss the servants. The Shewei guards left the room except for a man of small stature who remained firm behind General Xinling.

“Pardon the rudeness. Hanxiu is one of my own who will not leave my side no matter the circumstances. Rest assured that he doesn’t have the abilities to speak.”

Short black hair. Dark eyes that reflected nothing. Battle scars covered any exposed skin. He stood rigid as though he was made out of stone.

“Very well,” Lord Senjahari said, “Even though I no longer have succession to the throne, I am the lord who oversees the Sunrise Boundary. I do not lead the Royal Army, but my troops are specialised in combat. A Royal Cendrawasih Bloodline still holds immense power to rival a thousand men. That, is unaffected by political titles.”

General Xinling remained quiet.

“If I were to allow a foreign general into my territory, the Prince’s older brother at that… What would the aristocrats say?”

For many years, the Shewei Kingdom and the Cahayaranga Kingdom had been at odds. The tension between them was held on by the simple knowledge that they were of equal strengths with too much to lose if they fought. So no matter how many areas Cahayaranga had plundered and took over, they never touched a hair of the Shewei Kingdom.

But that was the case for the Kings and Queens, not the abandoned princes.

General Xinling said, “I will return the favour.”

“Really?” Lord Senjahari chided. “Aren’t you here to meet with the Queen? For the peace agreement?”

General Xinling hesitated. Then with a firm tone, he said, “When the time comes, I will stand next to you.”

“As a sword?”

“No, as a partner.”

A cold silence settled around them, one that neither of them felt uncomfortable with. For the first time since he had been stripped of his succession, Lord Senjahari knew that he had taken a step forward. A sword to cut through this thorny path. A sword that would be by his side.

The pieces were starting to fall into place.

A smile tugged the corner of his lips. “Very well, General Xinling. I invite you to the Sunrise Boundary as a distinguished guest.”

Fueled by the sudden rush of meeting Fuxiao and the possibility of turning against his brother, General Xinling shook Lord Senjahari’s hand. “I shall humbly accept your invitation.”

Lord Senjahari settled in his seat. “If I may ask, who is Fuxiao to you? I don’t believe the Prince’s brother would go to such length for a mere subordinate.”