Yoongi was sitting in his seat in the great hall, waiting for the rest of the princes to arrive. Already, the princes of Pacem, Sapientia, Tenebris, and Umbra were settled in their respective spots, probably as nervous as Yoongi was. Or that was what he read based on their staggered heartbeats and wavering breaths.

There were no guards in the great hall—a precaution to prevent another Royal Council-esque disaster. That didn't help, though, when the true assassin was yet to be captured, and based on the eyes darting around the room, he wasn't the only one to think so. However, outside, the halls were packed with sentinels. If Yoongi was entirely honest, it was a waste of their efforts. He didn't understand why the Umbrans expected the same failures to protect them.

Once the princes of Vita and Lux arrived—one with a bored frown and the other with an apologetic blush—Jimin opened the council of war. Yoongi paid no heed. After trying in vain, he gave in to focusing on the rapid heartbeats and heavy breathing of the six other men pervading his senses, whether he liked it or not. He despised hearing such things, knowing how others felt. And the lack of pills, thanks to Mother Erna's refusal to supply him, only worsened his situation.

These days, he was restless, taut, and it made way for him to become impulsive. He tilted his head. The noises were loud, blurring his thoughts. If only he could silence them and concentrate. If only he had those damn pills.

He hissed through his teeth.

Concentrate.

Rolled his head.

Concentrate.

Closed his eyes.

Why the hell couldn't he just concentrate?

Someone banging their fist against the table broke him from his inattention. Jimin was clenching his jaw, his blue eyes sharp. "Prince Hoseok, Prince Namjoon, please continue with civility."

For a person who went on a rampage in the first meeting, he was surely keeping order in this one. Resting his chin on his fist, Yoongi tuned his ears to listen.

Namjoon seemed annoyed, but his voice was calm. "We must gather all the guards and search their minds to find the assassin. There is no saying what could occur if we fail to do so."

In contrast, Hoseok was seething with bridled rage. "Gather all the guards or gather all the information the guards can provide? All you want is an upper hand against the kingdoms."

"We can let other mind elementals take the lead."

"And trust that they do not disclose what they find? Preposterous."

"Then how do you propose we find the assassin?"

"Will your method work if the assassin avoided capture thus far?" It was Taehyung. His lilac eyes were ablaze with determination, and the pads of his fingers were tapping against the tabletop. "You must have searched for the assassin during the adjournment of the Royal Council."

"I only searched the minds of everyone in this room," Namjoon explained. "And it is difficult to search for the culprit when the assassination was most likely a group effort. Look around." He gestured at the table, the seats, the darkness above. "From the angle of each wound in the sovereigns' heads, we can only assume that one person could not have accomplished such a feat." He pointed behind him. "One murderer was there to kill my mother—Queen Cleona. Another was there behind Prince Seokjin to kill King Rucaites. Because Prince Novas was in the way, he died as collateral damage. Similarly, the rest of the assassins must have been stationed behind their targets.

"And it can be argued that weapons could have been set before the Royal Council, but there was no evidence of any. We still do not know the true nature of what killed the sovereigns, if it was a weapon of Kartas or another dimension. But we are sure one assassin could not have executed all the kills at once."

"That is unless the assassin was a demon."

All eyes shifted to Jimin as everyone fell silent. Suddenly, Yoongi felt eyes burning into the back of his neck. "We do not know what demons can do," Yoongi said, "so we should not jump to such conclusions."

"A demon attempted to murder my sister. Mother Erna confirmed it. It is a possibility that the demons have infiltrated the kingdoms and are living among us."

Another wave of silence crashed through the hall.

"Then everyone is a suspect," Namjoon said.

"Even us?" Hoseok asked. "You claimed that you searched the minds of everyone in this room."

Namjoon's brown eyes landed on Yoongi. "At least some of us."

A fire ignited in Yoongi's chest, but he held his tongue.

"Either way," Hoseok said, leaning forward, "I will not condone the breach of my guards' minds."

Shrugging, Namjoon chuckled. "Then you are only doing a disservice to yourself."

Yoongi scoffed. "The only disservice is to ourselves since we decided to convene with an assassin on the loose. Who knows whether they will return to finish what they started."

A snicker echoed through the hall, sharp and mocking. Turning his head, Yoongi saw Seokjin smiling, and it caught him off-guard since that was the first noise the Vitan prince made.

Drying his fake tears, Jin settled down. "If the assassin wanted to kill us, they would have already done so."

"That is unless they want information," Namjoon piped in.

"What information? Is our bickering information? What do we know that they do not? If we were supposed to die, the assassin would have done it the moment we began our first bout of shouting. And if the assassin was truly a demon, they would not be able to think. One attacked the Vitan castle, and it didn't have a mind of its own. We would already be dead."

Jimin's lips curled in disdain. "And why is it you tell us this now?"

"You were busy bickering in an endless fray about mind-reading. There was no time to cut in."

"About demons," Jungkook interrupted shyly, "I encountered one in the slums of Clarica, but unlike the one you described, Prince Seokjin, it was fully sentient. It spoke and laughed and threatened me almost like a human."

"I, too, have a similar experience," Jimin said. "The demon I beheaded in Stieffera manipulated hellfire and taunted me. It had a personality and mind of its own. If I had passed it on the streets, I would have mistaken it for a human."

Heavy clouds of apprehension loomed over the table, filling every corner of the room and piercing dread through all they touched. Yoongi shivered and wiped his sweaty palms. "As I said, we do not know enough about demons."

Namjoon mused, "But if we could capture one. . ."

Fear gutted Yoongi in the stomach, lurching back and forth like a boat at sea. He avoided eye contact with Namjoon, who turned his attention to Seokjin beside him.

"How did you kill the demon?"

"I shot three arrows through its head, and once it died, it disintegrated to ash. Unsightly, but efficient."

Namjoon gestured to Jimin and Jungkook, who blanched. Grimacing, Jimin crossed his arms. "I decapitated it. The body did not disintegrate."

Jungkook hesitated as if he was thinking of a response. After a moment, he said, "One of my guards beheaded it." Then as an afterthought, he added, "Miasma escaped its mouth before it died."

Yoongi wondered if he should share what happened at the Tryda, tell everyone about the man who staggered into the throne room screaming for help.

Demons in the West! Demons in Maren! Demons heading towards the mines on the Silver Tracks!

At the time, Yoongi thought the man was delusional. But after hearing the possibility that the Demon Days may come again and seeing the tragedy at the Royal Council, he began to doubt it. The man probably witnessed horrors at the Mines of Haren, and if that was true, Bellum could fall.

Yoongi glanced at Namjoon.

But if he attracted too much attention to himself, his secret might be discovered. He bit his bottom lip and picked at the skin on his fingers. There was no way he was willing to risk that.

Namjoon hummed thoughtfully. "Except for the olden tales, we know nothing about demons."

"Yet they know everything about us." Taehyung clicked his tongue. "If they have infiltrated the kingdoms and are among us, they will know our customs and ways."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Yoongi prevented the fear from spreading across his face and clamped down on the trembles running through his limbs. "We cannot find the assassin, and we know nothing about our enemy. We are at a loss."

"We can take a blood sample from everyone in the castle and the city," Namjoon suggested. "Mask it as a plague check. A demon's blood is black, so we should find hidden demons and possibly the assassin."

Yoongi bristled. If his blood was sampled, it was all over. He would be caught. Everyone would know what he was, and since Namjoon saw him smiling at the Royal Council. . .

Mumbling a curse, Yoongi covered his mouth. But what if the demons had a method to hide their own blood as he did? What if they knew a way to blend in—become human? If he could do it, who was to say the demons couldn't? They were supposedly hiding in the kingdoms, but they couldn't go for long periods without being caught, without bleeding.

Once again, Yoongi was caught in a dilemma. He clenched his jaw. He was a coward who wasn't willing to risk his own life. Pathetic. But if he could nudge the conversation in the right direction, perhaps he didn't need to reveal his own secrets. "What if their blood is unrevealing?" Yoongi said. When Namjoon raised a brow, Yoongi mentally kicked himself. "What if their blood is red?"

Curious eyes from around the room stared at him, but Namjoon's gaze was the most intense. "You speak as if from experience," Namjoon said, shifting in his seat.

Pushing down his overwhelming fear, Yoongi wrinkled his nose. "I only speak in common sense. If the demons can live among us without being detected, then they must have methods to hide themselves—and their blood—as well."

Namjoon scratched his head. "You are not wrong to think so."

"Wait!" Jimin and Jungkook shouted at the same time. They exchanged awkward glances before Jungkook spoke first.

"The demon I encountered had dark, black blood."

"The same goes for the demon at Stieffera," Jimin added.

Yoongi stifled a growl. Why did they have to get in the way? "Not all demons have to be the same."

"We should stick to what we know instead of extrapolating on your conjectures, Prince Yoongi," Hoseok said.

This was more difficult than Yoongi had imagined, and that became even more true when he noticed Namjoon nodding. From the corner of his eye, he saw Seokjin shake his head and heard him murmur something along the lines of "it is sometimes best to think beyond what we know." But no one reacted to the statement. Yoongi wasn't even sure he himself had heard it correctly.

After a while of thought, Taehyung pursed his lips. "I agree that we should stick with the facts instead of the theories."

Namjoon sighed. "Although we lack evidence, Prince Yoongi's conjecture is a possibility we must consider."

Yoongi grumbled but made no attempts to further his argument. When no one else spoke, Jimin said, "Then I will speak to Mother Erna about that possibility, but for now, let us stick with what we know. We can take a blood sample of everyone in the kingdom."

"The time and effort are a waste," Yoongi mumbled, a final attempt to dissent.

Unfortunately, he was loud enough for Jimin to hear. "I am willing to waste time and effort, so it should not concern you. Just prepare a sample of your blood."

Yoongi failed to hold the grimace from spreading over his face.

"Is there a reason you are against this proposal, Prince Yoongi?" Namjoon asked.

Namjoon's voice was starting to grate Yoongi's ears. He laughed. "No, I just do not see it as a feasible solution."

He just didn't want everyone to aim for his head. He just didn't want a similar atmosphere like the one in Bellum to develop.

"There are many flaws, I admit, considering the people may simply refuse or avoid the test, but is there any better solution to identify the demons among us?" Namjoon sent a glare at Hoseok. "Except mind-reading, of course, since some of us refuse to condone such practices."

Nails digging into his palm, Yoongi clicked his tongue. "There is always a better way."

"Yet you cannot propose one." Namjoon crossed his legs, making Yoongi's eyes twitch. "First, it was with the color of a demon's blood, and now, it is with the idea of taking a blood sample. Is there something you desire to disclose?"

At this point, Yoongi lost all caution and openly scowled. "Are you accusing me of being a demon?"

"No, but you must be hiding something to feel I was."

Smacking the flat of his palm against the tabletop, Yoongi sprang to his feet. "Just because you cannot read my mind does not give you the right to accuse me of being a monster!"

"Then you wouldn't mind proving that you are not one, yes?" Namjoon pulled a small blade from his inner pocket and threw it across the table. It lodged itself in the space in front of Yoongi and wobbled from the impact. "Show us your blood."

There wasn't even time to think about how Namjoon managed to sneak in a knife or notice Jimin frowning. Yoongi could only focus on the blade and the feeling of eyes on him, observing, judging, scheming.

Once he collected himself from the initial shock, he hissed through his teeth. "I have already shed enough blood in this room at the Royal Council. I take it that you did not notice it was red."

A smile flitted over Namjoon's lips. "According to you, demons have learned to disguise their blood and hide their true nature. What happened to not all of them having black blood?"

Yoongi braced his hands on the table, inches away from the knife. "Is there a reason why you are threatening me, Sapientian?" While everyone stared at him with wide eyes, he yanked the blade from the table. "Instead of in here, why don't we move this outside? Take my blood for yourself if you can."

Yoongi glared at Namjoon, who matched the intensity of his gaze, but a fist banging against the table sliced through the tension.

"Enough!" Jimin hollered. "Prince Namjoon, please refrain from spreading false accusations, and Prince Yoongi, please control your temper. You do not have to shed an ounce of your blood."

Huffing, Yoongi threw the knife somewhere behind him. As it clattered against the marble, he sat.

"We stick with the blood sampling," Jimin concluded. "Now for the next topic: what will we do with the dead?"

No one spoke, still calming down from the remaining sparks of the last discussion. At length, Seokjin shrugged and said, "Is what we are doing right now not the best option? Giving the sovereigns a formal funeral will only cause chaos. Some kingdoms are better off not knowing the death of their rulers since revolutions could arise at any moment. And the death of a king or queen only provides a perfect opening for rebellious minds to foster."

It was a sensible conclusion, but Yoongi honestly didn't care what would happen to King Kaitta, whether he was burned, buried, or thrown in the ocean. The moment that man died, Yoongi freed himself from any emotional attachment.

Hoseok lowered his head and sighed into his hands, while Namjoon looked like he was withholding himself from speaking. Neither, however, voiced another plan nor started another round of arguing.

"Any objections?" Jimin asked. The hall was hollow with its dreaded silence. "Then on to the final subject of today's council: what will we do about the upcoming Demon Days?"

Unlike the previous subjects, this one generated a greater cloud of discomfort. Yoongi cleared his throat to disperse the sudden unease. "We must prepare for war."

"That was already clear," Taehyung said. "The real question is how are we supposed to accomplish it."

Again, there were no answers. Over the debates and disputes, everyone seemed to have eased their trepidation. The heartbeats drumming in Yoongi's ears were more stable, but he couldn't say the same about the thrumming in his own chest. There was no doubt another disagreement would surface. Going head to head with Namjoon had already fatigued him, had attracted suspicion from one of the most dangerous princes at the table. So he opted to remain silent no matter what was said or done.

Namjoon—it was becoming a pattern—was the first one to voice his thoughts. "We should agree to a plan and return to our respective kingdoms, tell our people the truth and prepare for battle. There is no saying how many demons have infiltrated our lands, so we should return to our homes and prepare to sample blood. And those who refuse should be killed—a small sacrifice for the common good of our world. Umbra alone cannot manage this threat, but together, with all the seven kingdoms, we can stand our ground and lead everyone to victory."

To Yoongi's amazement, he agreed. Then, much to his chagrin, he realized that the same man who almost compromised him had a brilliant idea. And he would most likely support him. Damn.

"If we separate now, we will be weakened." Jungkook was biting his lips, his eyes trained on the table. "There is a reason the demons have not shown their faces until now. If we separate, we are opening an opportunity for them to strike us where it would hurt the most. And once we all fall, who will protect Kartas?"

"As I explained," Seokjin said, unsurprisingly raising a challenge, "if they had wanted us dead, they would have already finished us."

"That depends on what their ultimate goal is."

Taehyung was clenching and unclenching his hands, his eyes distant as if deep in thought. "Revenge. They want revenge."

"Exactly!" Jungkook exclaimed, a little too excitedly. "And if they want revenge, they would want us to suffer, to slowly crumble at their feet. Why do you think they told us the Demon Days are approaching? Why not slaughter us when we were unaware? Some kingdoms will fall once the people hear of the deaths of the sovereigns. If we were to return to our homes, all that would ensue is utter chaos."

Namjoon released a lighthearted breath. "I assure you, the people will rally if there is a threat greater than themselves. As for why the demons attacked us now, they were most likely biding their time until the perfect moment arose."

"If that was their goal, why not finish you all off at the Royal Council?" Jungkook's hazel eyes were stern, unwavering.

Namjoon was taken aback. Quickly regaining his composure, he narrowed his eyes. "Who would come to Umbra if all the royals were assassinated?"

"A demon was sent to kill me," Seokjin said calmly, pulling everyone's attention to him. "Or that is what I assume it was tasked to do. You don't see a demon wandering the castle every day. If they wanted us dead, they had means to reach those of us who did not attend the Royal Council, so Prince Jungkook has a point."

A glimmer of confidence grew brighter in Jungkook's expression. "They are not trying to kill us all, then. They want us to struggle, plan, and return to our kingdoms, where they would watch us fail. We are falling into a trap."

"The only trap is staying in this godforsaken kingdom," Hoseok gritted out. "If all of us stay unprotected with the killer still roaming, the demons will eventually come to finish what they started."

Even though Yoongi was not pleased to break his silence and draw more attention to himself, he added, "If we return to our kingdoms and prepare for war, we can fight with our full might." And he would have the time to prepare Bellum for whatever attack arrived from the west, the mines.

"In a war of attrition?" Jungkook shot back. "Once we return to our kingdoms, if there are truly demons among us, they will destroy us from the inside out. They will barricade us in our borders and wait for us to wither from lack of supply and food."

"That is, only if they infiltrated all of the kingdoms."

"If they infiltrated Umbra, what is there to doubt that they have infiltrated Bellum? Or Sapientia? Or Vita? Or any kingdom, for that matter? We cannot weaken ourselves with this mistake."

Namjoon chuckled, and in a way, it signified a crack in the airtight composure he maintained the entire duration of the council. "If you object to my mistake of a plan, what do you suggest we do?"

As everyone turned towards Jungkook, a blush spread across his cheeks and up to his ears. He scratched the back of his neck. "The demons are aiming for the roots of Kartas—us. So why don't we take the war to them instead?"

Yoongi tilted his head in confusion. Was Jungkook implying what Yoongi thought he was? Because, if so, a war was about to erupt. Everyone leaned in closer, and from across the table, Yoongi heard Namjoon say, "Explain."

Inhaling a deep breath, Jungkook set his jaw and raised his head.

"Why don't we infiltrate Infernum?"

* * *

Jungkook had no idea what he was doing or saying. All he knew was that he couldn't accept Namjoon's plan because it would lead to the fall of Lux and that Jungkook stood by what he said: the demons were too clever to leave a simple solution wide open. But although he was conveying what he felt was right, he should have considered the consequences thoroughly.

Especially since he just blurted out that they should infiltrate Infernum.

Everyone was too stunned to speak, gaping at Jungkook with varying expressions, wordlessly questioning if they had heard him right. In all honesty, Jungkook didn't believe he had heard himself correctly, either.

A quiet chuckle yanked Jungkook's attention to Seokjin, who slapped the top of his thigh as he broke into full laughter. "Infiltrate Infernum? What do you plan to do? Kill their king? Kill Daetunos?"

"Yes." Jungkook willed himself to hold onto whatever expression was on his face, fighting against the twitches daring to break through. He hoped he at least looked solemn.

Seokjin gawked at him, but his mouth soon twisted into a smile as he began laughing again. Everyone else was silent, staring at Jungkook as if he had lost his mind. Heat diffused over his cheeks.

"Do you even know how to get to Infernum?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook was thankful no one else laughed because Seokjin crying from laughter was enough to put a permanent blush on his face. "If the demons can come to us, there must be a way for us to go to them."

"The only known way of reaching Infernum is with the power of a space elemental," Namjoon said. He raised a brow at Taehyung, whose eyes went wide before clearing his throat.

"I cannot travel between dimensions yet, but I can access Anairum."

Namjoon smiled in Jungkook's way as if he were saying, There you have it.

"But the demon I battled in Stieffera was not a space elemental," Jimin said.

Hoseok furrowed his brow. "Can demons even wield an element? And if it wasn't an elemental, it must have walked to Stieffera."

Jimin shook his head. "There are three gates in Stieffera to protect the people from the dangers of the weather. None of the gates were broken. Instead, they were open from the inside."

"Then the demon blended in and killed the people once inside."

"Elkii would have sensed its presence."

Bracing his chin on his palm, Yoongi tilted his head. "So you are claiming that the demon appeared in the middle of the town and murdered everyone?"

Jimin was quiet for a second, his face scrunched. "It is possible that they are coming into Kartas through a tear in Anairum."

"Impossible."

"I am not the first to throw conjectures around this council," Jimin retorted.

Yoongi grinned, but it was belied by the strain in his jaw. "Mine was a plausible observation."

"As is mine!"

Jimin and Yoongi glared at each other. By now, everyone was accustomed to the tension that arose. Tapping his foot against the ground, Jungkook wondered if he should add his own input, but Namjoon beat him to it.

"That does raise a question: how are the demons entering Kartas? If we stop that flow, we can stop the demons and win the war before it begins."

Hoseok's face darkened. "This war began the moment they slaughtered my mother."

Opening his mouth in a silent ah, Namjoon adjusted his statement. "Then we can prevent more bloodshed."

Unconsciously grappling for his pendant, Jungkook bit his bottom lip. "How can we be sure we can block that flow? We do not even know if that is how the demons are entering Kartas."

Seokjin, who had calmed himself a while ago and was chuckling every now and then, said, "That is precisely why your plan fails, Prince Jungkook. We have no way to reach Infernum."

Jungkook clenched his fists. He had reached an impasse.

"There could be a tear in Anairum," Taehyung remarked. "That is how space elementals move from place to place in the blink of an eye. They travel through the tears."

"Can you locate these tears?" Namjoon asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Taehyung answered regretfully. "They are supposed to heal themselves. When a tear does not mend, it becomes a rift."

A scoff came from Yoongi. "So you are implying that there are these rifts all over Kartas? What? Are space elementals making unmendable tears everywhere? I thought they were considered one of the vanished."

Taehyung ground his teeth. "All I am saying is that Prince Jungkook's plan is not a complete failure and that Prince Jimin's conjecture may have some merit."

"So you want to risk the safety of our world and leave for Infernum?" There was unsuppressed wrath behind Yoongi's words that deterred Jungkook from joining the fray.

"If that is what it takes to win, yes," Taehyung bit out.

With no way to outright thank Taehyung, despite the urge to, Jungkook settled for an awkward smile that Taehyung turned away from. The room was splitting into two factions, and Jimin was the next to cross onto a side.

"If we manage to locate a rift and reach Infernum, how are we supposed to locate Daetunos?" Jimin asked.

Another dead end. Jungkook opened his mouth and closed it, and his answer caused shame to bubble in his stomach. "I don't know."

Even though Jungkook wasn't familiar with Hoseok's usual demeanor, seeing him scowl was the most menacing sight he had ever seen. "You don't know? This matter has all our lives at stake, but you don't know?"

The blood drained from Jungkook's face. "All I know is that there is a reason the demons are not killing us and that returning to our kingdoms is a mistake."

The patience that laced Namjoon's previous words was nearly absent. "That is what you think, not what you know. They could be simply regrouping."

"Or plotting to take down each kingdom from the inside out," Jimin whispered. "Like Stieffera."

That silenced everyone. Chills raced down Jungkook's spine, and when Jimin regarded him with a curt glance, Jungkook looked away.

"It seems we have reached a crossroads. Explain this, Prince Jungkook. Let's assume there is a rift at Stieffera and that we reach Infernum. How do you plan to kill Daetunos? How do you know Daetunos is alive? We know nothing about demons, so how are we expected to infiltrate their homeland and kill their leader?"

That question. This time, Jungkook would not get by with an "I don't know." As he gathered his thoughts, he tried to ignore the pressure of everyone's attention on him. When he was prepared, he clasped his hands together and forced himself to look at Jimin.

"The demons most likely knew nothing about us and spent years planning in our midst." He paused and took a deep breath, synthesizing everything he knew. "The demons we encountered must have been the most reliable and strongest of Infernum since it is unwise to send weaklings to infiltrate an entire dimension. Assuming that the strongest demons are already here, our infiltration may succeed. Just as we cannot identify them, what if they cannot identify us? We can spend time in Infernum and assassinate Daetunos once we learn the terrain."

"And you want us to go?" Jimin gestured to everyone around the table, and Jungkook nodded. "Not our strongest soldiers but us. Why?"

"Can you trust the soldiers you would send?"

"More than I can trust you? Yes."

"But what if they fail?"

"What if we fail?"

Jungkook clenched his pendant. "We are the descendants of the Seven Legends. If not us, then who? Like the previous Legends, we can seal the demons back in Infernum."

"Wait," Namjoon interrupted. "First, your plan is contingent on many variables that we cannot ascertain. Second, the Seven Legends were the strongest of the elementals to ever exist. Are you saying that we can match their strength?"

Jungkook hesitated. "No, but. . ." Nothing came to mind.

Namjoon looked at everyone else and spoke as if he were a Caist at a pulpit. "We are only human. We will die all the same if we bleed—elemental or not. But I agree that sending soldiers is only an act of folly."

"We can send the best," Jimin argued.

"Your best got our parents killed." Closing his eyes, Namjoon sighed. "Our best got our parents killed. Prince Jungkook, you are unsure how we will kill or find Daetunos. How are you certain that this war will end when we kill him?"

"If we cut the roots of a flower, it will perish."

"And if Daetunos is not the root?" Namjoon countered. When Jungkook had no response, Namjoon began preaching to the other princes again. "If that is the case, then the flower will grow back. A new head would take its place, and the war would continue."

There was no way Jungkook was backing down now. "Then we can find the root."

"What if we can't?"

When everyone shifted their focus back on Jungkook, he felt something crack in him. He shouted, "What if the demons kill us all now and decide to burn all our kingdoms!? What if we return to our homes only to find all of them destroyed!? What if the demons want to toy with us and are waiting to break us at this very moment!? What if, what if, what if! There are many variables we will never be able to control or ascertain. But if Daetunos is the root of this conflict, we can end this war if we kill him. We can save the lives of thousands. If we are too afraid to sacrifice anything, we cannot accomplish anything. Instead of choosing the safest route, we should take a stand, band together, and destroy our threat. Once and for all."

Namjoon frowned. "We do not even know if there is a rift in Stieffera."

"But it is a start."

Slamming his hand against the table, Namjoon yelled, "That is not good enough! It needs to be the beginning of an end to this war, not the start of our mistakes. This plan is foolish, implausible. We have no guide to Infernum or any clue about how to kill Daetunos—if he is still alive. But if we set a battle plan here and return to our kingdoms. . ."

As Namjoon continued to advocate his plan, Jungkook stopped listening. This was wrong. He didn't know what was making him feel that way, but deep in his heart, there was a voice telling him that Namjoon's plan would fail. He had to do something, speak up, but when he scanned the room, he saw that the other princes were engrossed in Namjoon's ramblings.

Jungkook slowly shook his head. There had to be a way to make them consider another plan, and an idea flickered to life in his head. It was horrible, risky, but Jungkook would make it work. He had to. "I have a guide that can take us to Infernum. She can lead us to a rift."

Namjoon stopped talking, and the rest of the princes gawked at Jungkook. This time, it was with a mixture of anger and bewilderment.

Kicking his chair back, Yoongi shot to his feet. "What an utter lie! Do you think we will believe you just because you have the guts to spit it out? Why not mention this earlier?"

Jungkook couldn't bring himself to look at Yoongi's glinting, red gaze. "I did. The guard who decapitated the demon I encountered in the slums of Clarica is the very guard I speak of now. I can bring her here. She traveled with me."

Sending a silent apology to Two and begging Faestuna for fortune and mercy, Jungkook was about to add more when he felt something akin to fingers sifting through his mind. Immediately, he jerked his head to Namjoon, who flinched. The sifting sensation receded.

Did Namjoon figure out his lies? If he did, he did not say it. Suppressing his stammering, Jungkook continued. "She has connections she can consult. With her help, we might be able to locate a rift and defeat Daetunos."

Yoongi growled. "Do you take us for fools? Do you think we will listen to your lies?"

"There is no harm in meeting her," Jimin mumbled.

Ignoring the comment, Namjoon asked, "Prince Jungkook, why are you trying so hard?"

Why? For once, Jungkook knew the answer. "Because it is what I believe is right."

Yoongi obviously wasn't amused. "Enough. There is no point in listening to this."

"I see merit in meeting this guard," Taehyung said. Yoongi scowled at him.

Before Yoongi could say anything more, Jimin jumped in. "As do I. All we accomplished today was bicker, so what harm is there in humoring Prince Jungkook?"

Jungkook flinched at the snide undertones of the statement but kept his mouth shut. When no one else objected, Namjoon acquiesced. "Fine. We will meet this guard you speak of. When? Now?"

"Tomorrow," Jungkook said stiffly, hoping he could convince Two in such a short time.

Jimin nodded. "Then tomorrow, we'll continue this debate and vote on what course of action we will take."

"No, we cannot decide the fate of Kartas in such a short time," Namjoon asserted. "We need to outline a complete plan—"

"Do you expect us to waste more time than we already have?" Jimin retorted. Namjoon was speechless, so Jimin continued. "Tomorrow, we will reconvene, and Prince Jungkook will introduce us to his guard. Afterward, we will vote on whether to pursue Prince Namjoon's or Prince Jungkook's plan. Any objections?"

Jungkook caught Namjoon's gaze. Everyone was silent, dejected, fatigued.

Jimin clapped. "Then this council is adjourned."