Chapter Four: The Smallest Things are the Most Important

Elwood collapses on the ground after emerging from a blackened void, coughing up black blood and choking from the bile in his throat. He could hear terrified voices all around him, but the swirl in his vision wouldn’t allow him to see who it was; all he knew was that he was home. His eyes began to fill with white spots as he relaxed, and realizing he was secure, he sagged to the ground.

When Elwood first wakes up, he is disoriented and can only hear the conversations surrounding him. Then someone approaches, says something about medication, and pours something medicinal down his throat.

He then falls under again.

In brief periods, he would see his brother emerge from the completely black space and stand in front of him. All he wanted to do was apologize for getting harmed once more, but why was his brother there? He shouldn’t be walking without an attendant; he’s still sick! Who let him out of bed without his permission?! Confusion swept over him as his brother appeared in front of him. He was standing on his own two feet; he struggled to understand why his sibling was here when he could barely go to the restroom without someone helping him move. Wasn’t he supposed to be bedridden, under constant care? The ache in his brain intensified, as if trying to push out the answers he desperately sought.

He extended a shaking hand in the direction of his sibling in an effort to touch him in order to verify his existence. But as his fingers grazed the air, they met with nothingness. His brother’s form wavered and dissolved into the darkness, leaving him feeling even more disoriented and lost.

Frustration welled up within him as he tried to piece together the jigsaw of his own life; many of his memories felt like they were only a touch away but were never able to reach him. 

Why couldn’t he remember?

His mind wandered again, and he would succumb to a tranquil emptiness, only to awaken and realize he had dozed off.

His brother, who resembled him almost exactly, would often stare at him, but the boy vanished as soon as he called out or even screamed his name.

He occasionally caught people’s expressions—people he should know but couldn’t fit the name to the face—and then he didn’t recognize anyone, and his panic soon overtook him. He was caught in a corner; where was his brother? He needed to leave. Is his brother safe? He heard more shouts and frenzied voices. However, the voices ceased after a cool liquid poured down his throat, and he calmed down.

His thoughts began to become more clear gradually, and he soon had the ability to wake up without being in a dream. He could sense a breeze of frigid air, the comfort of the pillows, and the sheets beneath him. As he lay there, completely awake and aware of his surroundings, he marveled at the unexpected clarity of his thoughts. He was able to detect even the minute details with increased awareness, as if a cloud had lifted from his brain.

The frigid air that gently caressed his face carried a refreshing chill, awakening his senses further. Slowly blinking, he strained his eyes to see the light, and sensing someone near him, he called out.

“Ali.” Although Elwood could see her approaching, his eyes were still hazy, so he blinked a few times to clear them. “Master! You’re awake! Thank God!” She rushed deliberately to his side and poured him a cup of water before pushing it onto his lips.

“MMmmph!” Cold liquid flows down his throat, and he coughs, “Hey!” He continues to cough, and Ali scrambles on alert. “Oh no! Was it supposed to be warm?” She puts her finger in the cup and squeaks, “This is too cold! I should have warmed it in the kettle for you! I’ll go get the doctor and new water; I’ll be right back!” She yells out before rushing out the door, leaving Elwood lying down, looking up at the ceiling, and taking slow breaths before getting up and wincing. His body is covered in bruises, his hands have cuts, and there are bandages on his chest, right leg, and arm that he glances at.

His muscles coiled as he rose up and as he pushed through the pain, but the nausea ended up flipping his stomach, causing him to move himself to the side, reaching out for the sick bucket. He emptied his stomach, and by the end, he could only spit out bile. “I have too many things I need to be taking care of right now to be confined in bed,” he moaned, cursing the duties that had been put on hold. He wondered how many days he had spent in bed.

Before getting anywhere far, he finds a white patient robe nearby and covers himself with it. The pain in his bones and discomfort throughout his body are then immediately felt when he gets up, causing him to pause for a few moments to take a couple of long breaths before settling himself again.

Despite the excruciating pain he was in while walking, he exhaled in relief when he looked up.

He has gotten used to this area after numerous battles; he was in the infirmary. Some of his everyday clothes should be in a chest nearby, he remembers, and when he finds it, he opens it and discovers nothing inside. Huh, strange. Honestly, all he wanted was to find some clothes that would fit him, and not even necessarily comfortable ones. "I really do not want to leave in this," he says, tugging at the white robe that was neither see-through nor particularly thick, making it seem uncomfortable for anyone to walk in. He should not let anyone see him in this state; he is a ruler, after all. But maybe he can get to his room before any servants find him.

After finally deciding, Elwood opens the door and glances outside. When he sees no one in the halls, he hurries out of the chamber and books it to his room.

His doctor might worry about where he had left, but she knew better that he wouldn’t stay in bed for too long. He’s already dreading the long lecture she will give him, and he tries to cast that thought out of his mind. He knew her lectures were not mere reprimands but rather heartfelt pleas for him to prioritize his well-being. But he frankly didn’t want to listen to any of that talk right now.

What he should worry about right now is finding out everything he can about the Asaka kingdom; of course, they rank high and are a part of the main kingdoms alongside his, but all they are capable of is labor and battle prowess, which he had laughed at a long time ago, but now seeing that man with the intense but lifeless green eyes in black armor...  It was exciting to have a foe that matched him, yes. But had he really almost lost in that battle? He had to run away in order not to get plummeted into the ground! Shit! What’s wrong with him? Has he gotten that weak? Biting the side of his mouth, Elwood makes it to his room without anyone seeing him in his white patient robe.

Elwood enters his room and closes the door, his heart pounding just thinking about that fight. The adrenaline rushing through his veins begins to fade a little, giving him a chance to ponder the other man, and his mind races with self-doubt and frustration. Was he too confident in his own abilities? Had he underestimated his opponents? Or worse, had he become too comfortable in his position of power? 

That day, the unexpected had happened—a momentary lapse in judgment that had almost cost him dearly. Haaa… Sinking onto the edge of his bed, Elwood clenches his fists tightly, feeling the sting of disappointment wash over him. He recalls the days when he effortlessly triumphed over any challenge that came his way. But now, doubt lingers like an unwelcome shadow. However, an inkling of resolve sparks from deep inside, reminding him that setbacks are only stepping stones. On the path to development and perseverance, you need to go through some hardships. He just wishes it didn’t hurt his pride like this.

Elwood dons a more appropriate outfit once more as he gains the courage to get up again, consisting mainly of whites and light sky blues, beautiful white slacks that fit his frame, and a white dress shirt with a sky blue ribbon at the collar.

The door opened behind him just as he tied the ribbon into a small bow.

“Why do you always run away from me, El?” The doctor slyly says this and sets her large bag down in front of her. “Don’t tell me you’re still afraid of a couple of needles?”

Elwood pays her no mind and reaches out for a blue lace corset to put on. “No. I am not. I think getting stabbed as many times as I have would alleviate that childhood fear.” He places it along his waist, but before he can reach for one of the strings, a hand pushes it down.

“I don’t recommend wearing one of those for at least a week; you are still recovering and should allow your body to rest. Everyone was worried about you when you came back from that battle and collapsed on us. We have never seen you so beaten up before, so for my sake and for the sake of others who love you, take a break.” She reaches out and pats him on the head. “Okay?” She says while making enormous puppy-dog eyes at him.

It would have been more endearing if she knew how to do it right. She had been his doctor for a few years now, but she still acted more like a child than Elwood had ever been given the freedom to be.

Elwood sighs and tosses the corset aside, exclaiming, “Don’t give me that face. Your eyes are bulging out like a frog.” He pauses, “I need you to do something for me, Judith.” His tone turned serious as he let out a deep breath before continuing, “I need you to go and pick out some royal daze flora from the garden and gather some gospel particles from my old shed and leave for a while with Emmett,” Elwood says, and he slowly walks to his desk to lean on it.

“Go to the ice ruins and demand that they give you some white frost at any cost. I’ll notify you when you may return,” he said.

After years of researching various plants, exploring old books, and experimenting with different combinations, he discovered the royal daze flora and white frost, which are two drugs with unparalleled effects on the human mind. Can create a mixture that can make even the most ferocious foe powerless. The royal daze flora, when brewed correctly, can induce a state of deep trance in anyone who inhales it; it can bring one’s consciousness to wander through ethereal realms while their physical body remains immobile. Combined with the white frost, which heightened sensory perception and amplified the effects of other substances, it was a recipe for temporary paralysis.

But he knew that such power came with great responsibility. A vital component of his strategy involved gospel particles. It was extracted from an old layer of rock, found only in underground caverns in his territory, deep in the mountains, and it had the potential to loosen tongues and induce honesty from anybody who came into contact with the powder deposits. Because of that, it might be beneficial for retrieving essential information during critical circumstances.

The atmosphere paused momentarily before Judith blinked her eyes fast. “What happened for you to go this far?! All those herbs and plants are scarce and can only be grown in specific conditions; who wounded you so badly that you have to take such drastic measures?!” She waved her hands around vigorously.

“It’s not the one who injured me who I have a death wish for…I ran into the goddess.” Elwood tsked and crossed his arms, “I’m not sure what she’s thinking, but if I’m correct and she’s doing what I think she’s doing, it’ll take more than these flowers to do any harm… I only wish to protect my kingdom from all of this chaos.”

“That’s- that’s Stupid!” The doctor spat out, “Your brother will be fine, but you, look at you! You’re covered in bandages! I understand your attitude toward the fertility goddess, but do you really think she will harm innocent people?”

“Just because she’s a goddess doesn’t mean she made a pact with us humans not to harm us by her hand alone; whoever told you that doesn’t fully comprehend how the gods operate. She may not directly harm us, but who is to say she doesn’t have a slew of allies doing the dirty work for her? She knows I’m keeping an eye on her; I need to be prepared if anything happens.” He turns to Ali, who walks in with a warm pot of water. “First and foremost, Ali, go grab Hazel and come to the library to see me. I need to do some studying on Asaka's king before asking him around for a conversation.” He turns around and strides to the exit before the door slams open, startling him.

“I overheard someone calling me.” A young man with slicked-back brown hair grinned as he approached Elwood, who pushed him aside and continued down the hallway.

“El~ stop being so mean; you only have to ask for my help since you know I can’t refuse you anything,” Hazel sings.

“You’re so annoying.” Elwood shakes his head before coming to his previous point. “I need information on the Asaka kingdom; what do you know about them?”

“Hmmm, the Asaka kingdom, huh? Well, the family is a bit of a mess, but they have no children to speak of. The King Larkin–”

“Is it the man with the oddly long arms, punchable face, and cut on his right eye?” Hazel laughs in response to Elwood’s questioning. “Yup! That’s the one and only. He is a bit of a leecher, always going to brothels, and he frequents the Ionoe Kingdom quite often for their selection of women.”

“What a fucking creep.” 

When Elwood enters the library, he unlocks a door that leads to a hidden passageway that takes them to the archives. “What about his wife?”

“Well, that’s where it gets a bit messy.” Hazel trips on a partly open book and earns a glare from Elwood, who picks it up and shoves it into the bookshelf. “The wife didn’t even want the marriage, nor did he. Their parents arranged it all before they died, and they only married to respect their passing wishes, but they hate each other, of which the servants are aware. They could be heard screaming in the bedroom, and not out of pleasure but out of anger; they have also claimed to have seen the wife throw a chair at him once during a lunch date, and to be honest, even though she was married into the kingdom, most of their men respect her more as the leader than her husband.”

“That’s intriguing… I can manage that. Are there any rumors? Has anyone heard anything about a stupidly strong man in black armor with piercing green eyes?”

“The Eludore Kingdom’s King?”

“No, not him; he has red outlines and stuff on his armor. The one I want is fully black and a bit shorter than him but might be equally as strong or even more and has green eyes, not red.”

“Hmmm…No. However, that gets me to my other claim, which is related to my earlier research into the Asaka kingdom. Do you know how they are renowned for their strength? Well, supposedly, they were employing a new type of medicine so that, over time, the children they would be nurturing would develop into these powerful monsters. I recall them going through a couple of allegations of them experimenting on children, and although they do have those who were seen to be experimented on, it was never traced back to that kingdom… Perhaps the individual you’re seeking grew up during their experimental period.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Elwood, who responded by rolling his eyes.

“Alright,” He retrieves a few volumes labeled with ‘the history and forefathers of the Asaka Kingdom.’ “I should have more books about them upstairs, but I believe this would be the best place to start if we wanted to delve deeply into them.” Hazel snatches the enormous book out of Elwood’s hands and skips up the stairs, giving Elwood a teasing smirk.

Elwood sticks his tongue out as he walks back up the stairs, following Hazel. 

He could just tell this kingdom would be a pain in the neck if he did anything drastic, but something in the back of his mind didn’t feel empathetic enough to cling to that feeling.

After hours of research on the fierce kingdom called Asaka, he receives a particular letter.

Ah, speak of the devil.

“That’s unexpected…” His words fall flat as he rolls a piece of paper in his hand and sets it on fire.

“The Asaka king wishes to come over and confess his sins for opposing me, and he has some… gifts. How amusing.” His monotonous voice belies the whirlwind of emotions churning within him. He had grown used to effortlessly outmaneuvering opponents, but this new situation piqued his interest—a chance to engage in a battle of wits with someone who may perhaps equal his brilliance. The prospect of meeting a worthy opponent who had actively sought him out sparked a fire inside him.

“Very well, let’s see how you intend to get out of this mess; at least I don’t have to go through the whole turmoil of going to you. You’ve fallen into my lap, and I’m not going to let you go without a fight.” Elwood snickers.