Chapter 145

When Kasser arrived at the palace, he saw Marianne waiting at the entrance.

He jumped off the horse and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Marianne was capable of handling even the major things. So, if she had decided to send him an urgent missive, the matter had to be extremely important. Thus, without an extra word, he had hurried back. 

When he had spotted her from afar, he had tried to discern the matter from her expression. However, her face held no hints… so it was hard to place a finger on the gravity of the situation.

“Your Majesty,” Marianne said solemnly, “It would be better if you were to see the queen.”

Kasser’s heart sank. “What is going on?!”

“I don’t know what to say.” She spoke in a whisper. “I don’t… I truly don’t know. Please it would be better if you were to see for yourself.”

Swiftly passing Marianne, Kasser went up the stairs and through the corridor… with each stride, his pace gradually increasing. There was no one following him, but he was too focused on reaching the queen’s chambers to find it unusual.

By and by, inexplicably, his confidence started sinking. When he had reached the hallway to the queen’s chamber, his heart felt inexplicably heavy. It was now that the incongruity finally struck him. 

This corridor was shrouded in pin-drop silence, there was not a soul around…

He clicked his tongue in irritation. Where are all the attendants? Why is there no one by the doors? How dare they slack!

When he reached the doors, he found it ajar. He angrily grabbed the doorknob, pushed the door, and tried to get inside… startled, he took a step back.

The scene that greeted him in the confines of the chamber was truly unfathomable even to the ever-serene King Kasser. For a moment, he felt his senses were playing tricks on him, he held his breath. Then, he shut his eyes tight, and gradually opened them again.

What in the world is this?

The entire room was filled with water. But unlike the usual water bodies, neither were there ripples nor did it overflow. It felt like the door was the boundary, not a drop made its way into the hallway. Suddenly, the queen’s chamber had transformed into a giant bowl of water.

There on, his gaze fell on the part that divided the chamber and the hallway… right, where he stood. The water seemed to have cut out a section, forming a perfect wall between the two sides. He foundered deeper into confusion.

He slowly brought his hand to the surface of the water. He touched it with his fingertips and rubbed them against each other. There was no feeling of wetness.

Kasser now understood Marianne’s inexplicable expression from earlier.

His hand lingered near the water’s surface. He thought he might be blocked by a hard wall, but without any resistance, his hand went through the water.

His body stood at the door, only his hand passed into the chamber. He looked around, moving his hands in the water. Every time he moved his hands, a ripple emerged, but he still couldn’t feel a thing. In other words, the water could only be seen, it didn’t have a tangible form.

He walked into the chamber. Once, he looked around the corridor beyond the open door, there was no doubt that he was inside the water.

Is this Ramita?

He had heard Ramita was “water” but it was only today that he found out it was literally that… water. He couldn’t believe it would have a concrete shape.

The world of Anika is obscure, its members secretive.  But there were a few things that, although known to all, have never received confirmation. For that matter Ramita.

This was an unknown power the Anikas possessed, they were defined by it. It existed, yet no one had ever seen it. When Roxi Anika had sprouted the seed in full view, none had come forward to claim they had ‘seen’ it. Thus, Ramita, the enigma, only intensified with time.

Unresolved intrigue leads to doubt, and Ramita was no stranger to conspiracy theories. Some conspiracists questioned the very existence of this power, going so far as to say this was an imaginary power concocted by Sang-je.

Well, if they were to witness this, they would certainly shut up.

What the hell is going on with the queen?

He hurried to the bed where she lay and stopped right at the edge, clutching his chest. Inside his body, the hot energy erupted. It was a familiar feeling. It’d been a long time since Praz had revealed its presence. 

During the active period, Praz was on a rampage in his body. So, as such, he was always trying to control Praz. That was why he was on edge all the time. However, these days, Praz was weirdly quiet. It was easy to control, like a custom weapon that fits in the hand. 

So, besides the time he was busy hunting Larks, it had been a very peaceful time for him personally. Until now.