Dhulka's King was a man that reminded Lua much of his own father. Quiet but conscious. Tough yet coolheaded. Compassionate but decisive. A great strong leader. Everything he strode to be.

Lua faced a vast glass window that had the view of a fine city, showered in sunshine and glistening like crystalline. But as wonderous as a sight it was, he remained glued to his chair allowing only his gaze to travel the room. The king's office was spacious and grand, accented with gold in every corner. But even with all its grandeur, it felt empty and lacking warmth.

In the next moment, the doors fell open behind him. Lua was on his feet and bowing in greeting. For now, he had to know more. And until then, he had to be civil.

"Please return to your seat." The King waited for Lua to sit before he seated himself in his large leather chair. Lua couldn't help but see Zemlya in his features, but he wiped his mind of the princess and came back to the present.

"Lua," the King said, wasting no time at all. "I believe we have much to discuss."

"We do. I'd appreciate it if you'd start from the beginning."

And so the King did begin at the very beginning. A hundred years after the establishment of Dhulka, there was an expedition to the surface. A group of explorers from Dhulka, ventured to the surface in the dark of night to study the remnants of the past society only to wander upon a blossoming civilization, Drait. At first there was hostility towards the Dhulkanian explorers but a friendship soon formed between the people and an agreement ensued, Dhulka would stay hidden away from sight and Drait would pretend they knew nothing. And for centuries after that only the leaders of Drait and Dhulka knew of the existence of the others' world. The Drait Chiefs were always aware of the technological advantage Dhulka harbored but the kings and queens of Dhulka were also aware of the surface folks abilities. Both agreed that such powers couldn't coincide lest it fell into the wrong hands and wiped out what was left of humanity. And so Drait relished in the sunlight of day and Dhulka savored every moment of night fall. And the world's remained separated.

"So you're saying, I almost broke that long kept secret." Lua was hesitant to trust the king and his words. "Before you revealed it yourself."

"I had to." The King was indignant.

"Because Drait has been seiged and my father is dead." With every word out of Lua's mouth, he wished this was all only a dream. A nightmare he would wake up from in the morning.

"I can't be certain that Chief Shan is dead. I believe there's hope."

"Of course you do, you've never met a Cadit." Lua didn't mean the harshness of his tone. But he wasn't sorry.

"You're right I don't know. I don't know much and that's why I need your help. Dhulka can't protect itself and Drait needs help in this time of crisis. You may not trust me but we only have each other against the Cadits."

Lua had two options, disregard every word out of the King's mouth, return to Drait and fix it himself. Or take his words as truth, take up his offer, a stranger's offer that is, to give him a better chance of saving his people.

"Zemlya," Lua said her name, if only for the reason that he liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. "What would Zemlya do? Would she trust you?"

At the mention of his daughter he seemed to break from the inside. He hesitated. A storm of emotions brewed behind his eyes. "I'm her father, of course she would." But he lied, Lua knew as much.

"How would you go about helping Drait?" Lua would consider his offer. Only for now.

"I have men who'd gladly lay down their lives to protect their home. I have tools and weapons you've never heard of. I have strategist and great thinkers. Dhulka will fight for you when you cannot. All you have to do is simply trust me."

"Who else from the surface knows?"

"It was only Chief Shan and now you."

"Will you let me leave?"

"Of course I will."

"Then let me go. Let me see the situation for myself, to deem it necessary to accept your assistance."

"Alright." The King rose from his seat and stretched a hand to Lua. "I trust you."

Lua couldn't help thinking that the king trusted him more than he let on. He only knew him as Chief Shan's son and nothing else. Lua had more or less taken his daughter hostage. But perhaps the latter didn't matter as much to him. Lua took his hand. He'd see for himself if it were true.

"I'd like to say goodbye to the princess."

The King bristled. A hundred questions seemed to bombard him at once. He retracted his hand but held Lua's gaze, emotions masked. "Has she been hiding you all this time?"

"She saved my life."

~~~

The princess sat in a mostly empty room, humming a song under her breath. Her voice like a soft breeze and the trickle of a stream. She wore a long white gown and had her hair tied up so delicately intricate. She was the calm and he was the storm.

Her head whipped in his direction when he pushed the doors open wider.

"Lua?"

"How did you know it was me?"

She grinned and beckoned him forward. "Guests are usually announced."

He inched towards her. "Aha, I see how that would cause some confusion."

"How long do we have left?" She wore a smile but a grief lingered behind her eyes. She reached for him and he took her hand.

"Probably a minute or two."

She wrapped her arms around him. For a moment Lua didn't know how to react. Then he let himself hold her, rested his head on hers as they held each other for their very first and last time.

"Won't you sing me that song?"

She stiffened under his arms. "You heard that?"

"It was beautiful. Will you dance with me?"

Her cheeks reddened but she smiled. He laced his fingers through hers.

"I'm not a good dancer," she murmured. "I might step on your toes."

Lua laughed and spun her. She chuckled and fell against him, resting her head against his chest. They swayed gently as she sang:

Slow dance with me under the sunrise
Slow dance with me in the moonlight
Slow dance with me on the seas
If only the world were made for me

Slow dance with me in the meadows
Slow dance with me through the storms
Slow dance with me among the stars
If only the world were made for us

Lua wished he could give her everything she longed for. If only, if only, the world were made for them.

"I have something I want to give you." Lua broke embrace and untied the twisted vine from the back of his neck. He took her hand and placed the sea treasure in her grasp.

A smile lit her face immediately. "Is this what I think it is?"

"You'll have to tell me, because it could be anything really."

"A sea shell?"

Lua turned his face away. "I may have snooped."

"I figured." She traced the curved edges with her fingertips, her smile never leaving her lips. "Didn't you try to kill me with this?"

Lua reached for the shell but she locked it away in her fist and hid it behind her back. Yes, he knew how stupid he was, but he had nothing else to give her.

"It belonged to my brother," Lua explained. "He loved collecting sea shells and such as well."

"Oh." Her smile fell, she brought the shell forward. "Then I can't take it."

"No, I want you to have it. He'd want you to have it as well. If you'll take it, that is—"

She placed a hand against the side of his face and pulled him forward. "I'll treasure it then."

If not for the door opening behind them, he'd have stolen his last kiss then and there. They jumped apart in a heart beat.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry to interrupt—" A woman stood by the door. The same woman who had directed him to the King's office. A primly dressed petite woman with a mess of violet curls atop her head. She took in the scene before her without a drip of emotion.

The princess was halfway across the room, rocking back and forth on her heels while Lua found himself staring at the glass wall at nothing in particular.

"Our guest must get going, if all farewells have been exchanged."

"Well," the princess said. "I wish you all good things upon your return to the surface."

Lua thanked her and wished her the same. "Goodbye Princess, I'm truly grateful for all you've done for me."

But he had a feeling they'd see each other again and that frightened him more than it brought him joy. Because if he ever had to come back, Drait would be in worse shape then he'd anticipated.

~~~

He heard the sea. Then he saw the blue. Sea and sky met and waves rolled forward. The sun so real and so tangible. No longer filtered and fake. He felt alive in what felt like forever.

No man for miles, no soul in sight. Lua trekked his way through the grassy plains following the river that had brought him here. When he finally arrived, dread layered his heart. The ruins were desolate and silent.

There was evidence of a conflict. Recent scorchmarks and damage. Blood stained streets and broken arrows laying about. The invasion came through the ruins but it never passed because the other half of the ruins was clean of any conflict.

Lua investigated his surroundings. But kept an eye out for any survivors. He deemed there to be none. Or so he thought.

In the next moment he was caught round the throat and dragged into the dark cover of a building. But Lua was faster than his attacker, with an elbow he aimed straight for his attackers chest, knocking the winds out of him. Lua reversed the roles, as he took hostage of his attacker, throwing him over his shoulders and to the ground where he pinned him under his fist and brought a flaming fist to identify him.

"Zaki?" Lua pulled away at the realization that it was none other than his own warrior. "Why are here? Where are the others?"

But all Zaki's answers seemed to die in his throat, as his jaw hung open and bewilderment consumed him, albeit shortlived. He soon snapped to action. "They've left, it can't be too late though."

Zaki sprang to his feet and darted to the door.

"Zaki."

The named froze. He finally took in Lua with recognition. "I'll explain on the way. We can't spare a second."

Lua followed after him, listening to Zaki as they went. Drait had been invaded, The Chief had been killed. They stopped short in the center of the road.

"I'm sorry Lua, we did all we could." Zaki's apology was laced with venom and a sour regret. "We just didn't anticipate a traitor. He led them through the sewers all the way to Drait."

"Who was it?" Nothing was worse than betrayal, Lua swore on his father's death that the traitor would never know peace for the rest of their days.

Zaki hesitated. He regarded Lua, as if to make sure he was ready. "Huo. Huo and Kakaito."

Lua felt his world fall apart a little more than it already had. Huo was alive but their father was dead because of him. How do you reconcile that?

Zaki pried a sewer gate open and climbed under. Lua took a breath and descended. A traitor was a traitor, brother or not.

The sewers were damp and smelling of mildew and decay, but it kept one out of sight and brought you fastest to Drait. But being underground came with a risk. Weilders would be left vulnerable without the sun.

Lua didn't have much of a plan. But he knew his people needed him most at that moment.

A/n: "...and when the world needed him most, he vanished"🥲🤭 forgives me, I had to