Chapter One

Royo, Mikail, Fallador, and Gambria regroup at an inn on Gaya after escaping Khitan with the Water Scepter and Golden Ring, reeling from Prince Euyn’s death and Aeri’s deceptions. Fallador and Gambria admit they lied about being Gayan royals and reveal a Miat tradition of secretly swapping the youngest heir with a commoner to preserve the bloodline.

They explain Mikail is the true surviving Miat, never told due to the Festival of Blood, while Fallador was the swapped child who fled with Gambria’s help. With Aeri and Sora asleep, the group inventories the relics and threats: Aeri holds the Golden Ring and Sands of Time; Mikail wields the Water Scepter; King Joon controls the Flaming Sword and Immortal Crown.

Mikail sets a decisive goal: sail to Jeul, Gaya’s former capital, and remove Governor Yong to free the island. Fallador warns of roughly six thousand Yusanian soldiers, and Gambria challenges Mikail’s assumption that Gaya’s people will rally after twenty years of assimilation. Mikail counters that memory of oppression and ongoing rebel activity will draw support.

The argument escalates as Gambria insists a generation now sees Yusan as liberators, while Mikail rejects that as denial of subjugation. Gambria leaves to cool down; Mikail lapses into a grief-stricken vacancy that worries Royo, who fears Mikail’s recklessness after loss. Fallador offers quiet support, and Royo, uneasy about trust within the group, withdraws to patrol.