Departure to the Land of Sundew

It was said that the northern lands were rich in forestry and famous for their fresh, sweet sundew, breathtaking view of the lands, and unique birds chirping beautifully which were melodious to listen to.

For Eidan, it was his first time traveling such a long distance. But he knew he was needed and he held his chin up while marching.

The route was fast and they reached within 3days of departure.

Upon arriving, they were stunned. On the lands, instead of flowerbeds now lay many bodies of the dead.

The sweet scent no longer easing the nose, was filled with metallic heavy air that stirred Eidan's heart. It sent shivers throughout the army behind him.

Their breaths hitched whenever the light breeze spread the pungent smell of rotten bodies, and they felt nothing but sorrow all around.

They finally reached the dreadful location.

When Eidan went past the horrible pathway, he came across the soldiers that were guarding the main mansion and greeted him gloomily.

"Take me to your King." He demanded softly. The soldiers nodded and bowed.

The mansion was the only safe place for the people that remained, standing its ground, firm and strong.

A man in his late twenties, wearing the traditional white and grey silk robes, emerged and awaited Eidan's arrival at the top stairs.

His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. His afflicted gaze fell on Eidan's calm face and he spoke with respect, "The Northern Lord, Rene Norwell, Son of King Rudius Norwell, welcomes esteemed crown prince, Eidan Agapitus Lucidnia."

Eidan nodded in response.

"The last time I heard from my father, the northern lands were ruled by King Rudius Norwell, may I ask what happened to the King?" Eidan inquired calmly.

No one spoke at the matter and that made Eidan more agitated.

"Please forgive the rudeness but," Lord Rene invited him inside, and in a hushed tone he spoke, "Let us discuss the matter inside."

Eidan understood the urgency, nodded and walked towards the hall of the court, followed by Lord Rene from behind.

They all gathered in the court and the Young Lord motioned them to be seated.

A man in white robes wearing a courtier's hat, holding a scroll stepped forward.

He read out the recent report they had recorded, "There was an enormous light in the sky while it was still midnight. It was so bright that the whole place woke up."

The courtier spoke his hands slightly shaking, "It was followed by a loud thunderous noise that pierced our ears and left us all stunned."

"We gathered our soldiers in haste but some of them were rendered motionless, dead by the screeching noise. Some were writhing in pain and rolling on the ground begging for it to stop ringing in their ears." now his voice was trembling with uncertain fears.

Controlling his voice he read further, "When the soldiers did proceed towards the cities, they were already in rumbles. Screams and wails echoed throughout the place. If not for the rain that the court magician conjured, the forest would have caught fire and the whole northern lands would have been demolished."

"We did save the forest but the wild beasts and animals rushed out of the forest as if running away from something even more horrible and they attacked everyone in the area." reaching towards the end the courtier didn't sounded the same.

"King Rudius gathered men and soldiers and led an army of 50 inside the forest but," he trailed off.

Narrowing his eyes, Prince Eidan demanded, "But what?"

The courtier looked at Lord Rene and he gave him assurance to speak.

The courtier cleared his throat and continued, "There was a sudden quake and a wave of inaudible resonance was felt by most of the magic dwellers and many fell unconscious."

"The soldiers returned empty-handed and confused, they held the King of North who was limp from the resonance of magic and since then, King Rudius hasn't woken up."

"He hasn't woken up? Did you examine him for the cause?" Eidan asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes, the court magician has searched and found that the inaudible wave of magic interfered with the waves of his brain and forced him into a coma." Lord Rene answered.

"The inaudible wave…where did it come from?" Eidan inquired further.

"We…don't know, your highness. Everyone is terrified of going into the forest since then. We haven't let the young Lord Rene into the matter because if we lose Lord Rene then it will be a fatal blow to our lands."

At that, Lord Rene sighed and hushed the courtier. "That is not the matter to be discussed; we have to form an alliance of strong mages and soldiers as soon as possible to ensure the safety of people in other lands. It must not spread."

Eidan thought for a moment and after analyzing the situation he declared, "The imperial soldiers are on standby outside the city, they will protect the villagers. As for going into the forest, I'll have to go alone."

There was a burst of whispers and half-spoken words. "We can't allow this! If something terrible happened to the crown prince..!"

"Nothing will happen to me I assure you that." Eidan stood up and so did the whole court.

"No, it's still not plausible to send your highness alone into the woods." Lord Rene insisted.

"Indeed your highness is exceptional in both magic arts and martial swordsmanship and it is not that we do not trust in your highness's abilities," he looked at Eidan in a determined way, "But that we care for our land as much as you do, we cannot sit and let others handle the situation."

Eidan appreciated Lord Rene's words and asked, "I need to meet the court mage and question for a bit, why is it that I don't see any mage?"

Lord Rene softly sighed and lowered his head, massaging his temples, "The court mage…"

The door to the courtroom opened with a loud creak, the sound of heels clicking on the floor echoed as a woman dressed in silver white robes, holding a crystal ball staff entered.

Her long bangs covered half of her front side and the rest smoothly fell behind her waist.

"I am late." She confessed shamelessly.