He was looking at the screen, and on the bottom right corner, there was a notification blinking. He clicked it open and a smile spread across his face.
He cracked his knuckles and straightened his back. He once more pushed up his glasses, and a glint flashed past his eyes.
"I welcome you to my maze. Let's see how you will be able to backtrace to me, Victor The Calculator", he smiled and began to play defense from the hack.
He began typing commands, and a battle between hackers began.
(The Heart Palace, After Jason, had arrived)
Jason was now looking at the Palace, and he was in awe at the vastness of the place. He was beginning to wonder they were going to defend against such a large force in such a vast place.
The place was bustling with people all around, and there was also the Royal military. They were taking positions all around the place, and he had to sneak past them. The GUardians are a branch that was unknown to everyone.
He looked around and saw a path that was totally in the shadows. He headed straight into the path, and he saw the tower that was the place the King was supposed to be. He used his Lion's claws and dug into the wall as he ran up the wall.
After he reached the top, he stood in a corner and watched the King have a calm seat, and have his hands on his chin. After a few seconds, a smile spread across his face.
"You can come out, Jason. You have improved significantly", he said which startled Jason. He was sure the King didn't look in his direction, but he had sensed him.
Jason appeared out of the shadows, and right when he stepped inside the room, he was surrounded by Icicles all around him. Ben turned his head and looked at him.
"Now, answer me this. If you break me, I do not stop working. If you touch me I may be snared. And if you lose me, nothing will matter. What am I?", he asked. Jason was stumped when he heard that question.
He was about to think about it, but the icicle which was near his throat was now piercing slowly. Blood was trickling, and he felt the pressure to answer immediately.
"Tell them its 'Your Heart'", came Anthony's voice from his earpiece. Jason was confused, but if that would bring him out of this situation, then he was willing to take the gamble.
"Your Heart?", he said in a skeptical voice. The moment he said the answer, the Icicles pressed deeper. He was confused as to why this was happening.
"Did I answer wrong?", he thought as he looked at the Icicle slowly drawing his life. It was hanging by a thread, and he was thinking about how to save himself.
He looked at the person that was controlling the Icicles, and it was a woman. Although she was looking slightly old, she was pretty.
"Who is in front of you?", asked Anthony hearing the panting on Jason's side. Jason was stuttering now.
"A woman and Icicles are around me with on in my neck. Any way to get out of this, I would appreciate it", he said with sweat falling down his face.
A laugh was all he heard from the other side. There was a chuckle of a girl, and it was Sally's. Jason was confused as to what was going on.
The Icicle pressed, and now he was coughing. The was a trickle of blood from the side of his mouth, and his vision was darkening.
"Is this how death feels like? I don't want to die", he thought as he tried to transform his arms. He couldn't transform it, and he felt drained.
Just as he was about to pass out, he felt the Icicle pull out from his neck. His healing took over and the wound was covered up in a second.
Ben had a smile across his face. That was when he noticed something around the both of them. There were dead bodies all around them, and all of them was Leon's.
"They aren't the real deal. They took the shape of him, and just died by our hands. That was why had to investigate you. Sorry you had to go through that", said Martha to him.
Right after he understood the situation, he knew why they had to do that. He didn't hold it against them and smiled back at them.
"The moment we had drained enough blood, they showed their true natures. That was why he had to drain the blood and see if you turned. But when she was sure that you were the same person, she stopped", explained Ben further to him.
Jason understood their concern, and after what they had faced, they were sure to be on edge. He smiled and stood guard next to them.
He was overlooking from the window that was present in the room, and he saw all the troops taking positions to take their shots at any intruders. The way they had set up now, Jason was sure he would have got caught the moment he stepped inside.
He turned and saw the both of them relaxing, and they were discussing something. He tried overhearing it.
"According to our sources, it seems like all of the Head Royals are missing. They have been missing for the past week, but they were present here in the Palace. And if I match it with this attack", said Martha.
Ben nodded his head in realization. He took his hands from his chin, and he was sure that if they had disguised like the Royal heads, they will have access to this place.
"Jason, it seems like we will have to work together. We have been infiltrated on a deeper level than we had thought. And thus, we will need to smoke them out", he said. Jason nodded his head as he thought he would not get a piece of the action.
"There are Six heads of each Department. Head of Magicians, Head of Archers, Head of Swordsman, Head of Assassins, Head of Military, Head Of Strategies. And among these, we will face only four, and the other two will be hiding".
Jason nodded his head after he heard the names of the heads. He was sure that the Head of Assassins would be a tough opponent to deal with, and the Head of Strategies will be attacking from behind the scenes.
The moment this realization hit him, he understood what he was going to do. He had his fair share of training in The Guardian Tower about strategies, and how to understand tactics.
"You are going to be bait?", he asked as his eyes went wide. He looked at Martha, thinking that she would stop his madness. But the smile she had was something he didn't expect.
"Stop him! If something happens to the King, you know what will become of this Kingdom?", he exclaimed out loud. He was worried sick about the insane plan he had.
Martha smiled and placed her hand on Jason's back. He felt a slight sting, but after that, he felt nothing. He turned around and saw nothing behind him.
She nodded her head and Ben walked out the door, and Jason followed behind. He didn't understand how to protect both the Queen and the King, but to him, it seemed like The King needed more protection.
The moment the both of them left the room, a chill hit Jason's face. The room which they were in was now covered in Ice, and in the middle was Martha. It was like a room in an Ice Cave, and she was the ruler of the said place.
The door closed in his face, and he tried to push it open. He was confused as to why she would lock herself inside the room alone, and in Ice.
"Don't worry, in that environment, her attack power increases by thirty percent by every hour. After the boost reaches a whopping one hundred and fifty percent, she will not be able to gain extra power anymore.
Jason didn't understand the plan, but it seemed like their plan relied on Marthe quite heavily were the train of his thoughts. He followed behind ben and they were looking at the assembly of the army around the Palace.
He was making small adjustments as he was looking around. Right after a few minutes, a loud boom was heard from the Southern side of the Palace.
Jason was about to run in the direction when he felt a hand on his shoulder stop him from moving. He looked at Ben smiling, and his eyes were twinkling.
"Seems like Father had received the transmission", he thought as he stepped away from the army, and an arrow whizzed past his head.
Jason was right behind, and he caught it with his hands.. His eyes had now transformed to that of a lion, and he was looking at the direction from which he saw the arrow come.