Ten Years Later…
The island had grown quiet over the years, its once-fierce battle scars hidden beneath creeping vines and shifting sands. The past had settled into whispers among the trees, but those who had lived it—Keth, Zillah, and Rex—could never forget.
And neither could Maingan.
Now twenty-six, he was no longer the boy who had been betrayed and taken from his home. He was a man, hardened by years in the Queen's service.
And today, he had come back.
---
The Arrival
The ships arrived at dawn.
Keth was already awake when he heard the distant thudding of boots on sand. He stepped outside the small hut he had built over the years, his hand instinctively going to the knife on his belt.
Zillah joined him, her face set in wary tension.
She spoken in a low, measured tone, yet Keth could feel the tension beneath her words.
"They've found us."
Keth didn't respond.
He watched as figures in black armor marched through the jungle, disciplined and precise. At their head—
A man, tall and broad-shouldered, his long black hair tied back. His uniform bore the insignia of Queen Spadina's elite officers.
Keth narrowed his eyes.
It wasn't until the man stepped closer—until their eyes met—that Keth felt the ground shift beneath him.
Maingan.
---
Face to Face
Maingan coldly
"Ketheral VII."
Keth exhaled, shaking his head. "You're back."
Maingan spoken sternly but his expression remained unreadable.
"I never wanted to come back."
Zillah stepped forward, a mixture of shock and guilt on her face. She spoke softly her voice barely above a whisper.
"Maingan… what have they done to you?"
Maingan ignored her and immediately delivered the message.
"You are under arrest. Both of you. By order of Queen Spadina."
Keth looked at him carefully.
The boy he had once fought alongside—the boy who had once called him family—was gone.
In his place stood a soldier of the Queen.
But Keth wasn't a fool. He could see the shadow of something deeper in Maingan's eyes. Something unspoken.
"What did she promise you?"
Keith asked,. not merely out of curiosity, but out of pity and care.
Maingan's jaw tightened, his expression still unreadable.
"You have no right to ask me that."
---
The Capture
The soldiers bound their hands in iron cuffs and led them toward the ship.
Keth didn't struggle.
Zillah, however, was trembling. She had spent the last ten years in hiding, avoiding this very moment.
As the ship cut through the sea, she finally spoke, her voice raw with desperation.
"Maingan, please—whatever this is, whatever she's done to you—don't let her win."
Maingan coldly responds with a firm tone.
"I serve the Queen."
Keth clenched his fists.
But he said nothing.
Not yet.
---
Mariah's Reaction
From the treetops above, a pair of wide, horrified eyes watched the soldiers drag Keth and Zillah away.
Mariah had been out gathering fruit when she heard the voices—when she saw the black-armored soldiers marching toward their home. By the time she had climbed high enough to see what was happening, it was already too late.
Her parents were in chains.
Her breath hitched.
Her fingers curled into the bark of the tree, her nails digging deep, but she didn't feel it. She didn't even realize the tears running down her cheeks.She whispered mostly to herself, her hand shaking .
"No… No, no, no!"
She wanted to scream. To run. To fight.
But she couldn't.
She was alone.
She clapped a hand over her mouth, swallowing her sobs as the soldiers led them to the shore.
A strong hand suddenly gripped her arm, making her jerk back—
It was Rex.
Rex hissed as held his sister in place
"Be quiet. You'll get us both killed."
Mariah turned to him, her face twisted in pain.
Desperation filled her expression as she spoke.
"We have to do something! We can't just let them—"
Rex responded harshly, his voice laced with remorse."
"And what? Get captured too? Think, Mariah! If we want to save them, we can't be stupid about it."
Mariah's hands were shaking, her body trembling with rage and helplessness.
Her parents—her family—were being taken.
And she could do nothing.
For now.
She swallowed hard, staring as the ship vanished beyond the horizon.
Then, slowly, she turned back to Rex. Her voice, steel-hard, rose as she spoke.
"Then we find a way."
Rex exhaled, nodding.
They had no choice.
---
The Escape
Night fell. The ship was silent, save for the steady crash of waves.
Keth sat against the wooden walls of the cell, studying their surroundings. The guards were few. The night was dark.
This was their only chance.
Keth whispered to Zillah
"When I tell you, run."
Zillah sat in shock, uncertainty clouding her expression.
"What? No, I won't leave you—"
Keth spoken firmly
"You have to."
Before she could argue, Keth struck the guard through the bars, yanking him forward and grabbing the keys.
The moment the door swung open—chaos erupted.
Keth shoved Zillah toward the railing as soldiers ran toward them.
Keth yelled as he fought off the guards.
"GO!"
Zillah hesitated—until she saw Maingan approaching from the other side of the ship, his hand on his sword.
She looked at Keth one last time.
Then—she jumped.
---
Meeting the Immortal Queen
The Queen's palace loomed over the city, carved from black stone that shimmered under the moonlight.
Keth was dragged through its halls, past golden statues and eerie silence, until finally—
He stood before her.
Queen Spadina.
Her skin was ageless, her eyes dark as the void. She studied him as one would study a puzzle, a quiet smile curving her lips. Then she sloftly spoke up.
"You finally arrived."
Keth said nothing.
She stepped closer, circling him like a vulture.
"You are an anomaly, Ketheral VII. A remnant of a forgotten legacy. You should not exist."
Spoken as she circles him.
Keth held her gaze, unmoving.
Queen Spadina walked close to his bent form and whispered to him.
"And yet… you do. And within you lies something I desire."
Keth dryly mocks her with a devil smile.
"A good punch to the face?"
She chuckled, but there was no warmth in it.
"Tell me, Keth, do you know what runs through your veins? Do you understand the power you have?"
Keth's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Queen Spadina leaned in, her expression radiating joy.
"You could stand beside me. Rule beside me. I could make you stronger than you ever dreamed."
Keth coldly spoken
"I'd rather die."
For the first time, the Queen's smile faded.
She stepped back, her gaze hardening.
"A shame."
She turned to the guards.
"Take him to the Coasted Gate."
Keth stiffened.
The Coasted Gate.
A prison where only the Queen's worst enemies were sent—those she wanted forgotten.
The guards grabbed him, dragging him backward.
Queen Spadina watched as he was carried away, speaking softly with a devilish tone.
"Let's see how long your defiance lasts."
The doors slammed shut.
And Keth was locked away.
---