The Dark acres.

Lawrence didn't want his plan to get ruined. He was worried that Kiich-ten might have overheard what the man said back at the palace. Kiich-ten was hard to read; you could never tell what he was thinking just by looking at him, and he was unpredictable.

The rising sun was bright in the east. The queen loved this view and woke up every morning to watch the sun rise. She stood in a special place in the palace where she could see it clearly. Lawrence approached his mother, who was gazing directly at the sun. She remembered the fall of the rising sun from long ago, when she was very young.

Her village in the Dark Acres was under attack that night. The Magus Titans wanted to eliminate all threats, and the Dark Acres clan was one of them. They had broken away from the Jegonee Titans to form their own group. The Magus Titans were the most feared and powerful, even the Original Titans feared them. They were especially afraid of greater threats.

The Dark Acres practiced dark instincts, which was a very corruptible energy. If they harnessed it, they would become incredibly invincible. Zean was the daughter of Willmal, the highest priest of the Dark Acres. She was running with her father during the attack. The sky had been dark since the evening, and by nightfall, the Dark Acres army had fallen.

Willmal, the high priest, ran to the sacred grounds of the Dark Acres. He knew the spirit would live as long as there was one last blood remaining. Zean was six years old, and she was terrified. The attack from the Magus Titans scared her.

"You are brave," said Willmal, giving her a round object. "Take this. It is the key to the sacred grounds of the Dark Acres. When you're older, have a child and rebuild the Dark Acres."

"Stay alive. When you see the rising sun, it means salvation. It means go forward and forget your past. I know you can do it," he said.

Suddenly, there was a large explosion approaching Zean and her father. They ran until the force and dust from the explosion reached them.

Zean woke up the next morning, looking at the rising sun in the east. She realized she was the only one alive. She had to move on; she couldn't find her father. There was nothing to weep about; it wouldn't bring them back.

Lawrence moved closer to his mother, who seemed to be meditating. Even though he stood beside her, she didn't seem to notice him. "I never thought you'd take time to think about something," Lawrence said.

At that moment, Zean realized someone had been standing next to her. She snapped back to reality and turned to see who it was. "How long have you been standing here?" Zean asked.

"For a few minutes now," said Lawrence. "I didn't think I'd find you here."

"What brings you here this early in the morning? I hope it's important," said Zean.

"It's about Kiich-ten. He was sneaking around when you were talking with the seeker last night. He said he didn't hear anything, but I think he's lying. He's very cunning. I told him he was the palace night guard," Lawrence said.

"Don't worry, Lawrence," said Zean. "There is no force or power that can stop us from taking this city. Soon it will be ours, and no one will dare challenge us."

Kiich-ten woke up from his bed, breathing heavily. He'd just had one of those unusual nightmares where he was drowning in a huge sea. Kiich-ten had the same dream almost every night. He remembered what he'd seen and heard last night and knew the only person who would believe him.

He went to bathe and then dressed in his princely clothes. He headed outside to where Princess Vegian liked to walk in the mornings. He went to the garden arena and saw Vegian from a distance. He hurried to catch up with her.

Vegian was gently touching the green flowers along the palace lawn. She loved this part of the palace, especially when the morning dew had settled on the grass. Kiich-ten approached her, and she noticed something was wrong.

"Is everything okay? Was it the drowning dream again?" Vegian asked.

"No, it's worse than that," Kiich-ten replied.

"Then what is it?" Vegian asked.

"The queen is planning an attack on the king, but not a physical attack. It's something else. She was talking to a man, and he seemed dangerous. It was like he was using dark matter or something, and I think Lawrence is involved," Kiich-ten said.

Vegian looked around to see if anyone was nearby. She saw some guards and held Kiich-ten's arm. "We need to leave. I'll show you somewhere safe," she said.

Vegian led Kiich-ten into an enchanted forest where the trees were different and quiet, and the grass glowed beneath their steps.

"We have to stop whatever the queen is planning. If we're too late, she might succeed in taking over the kingdom," Kiich-ten said.

"Here's what we'll do," Vegian said. "Mother might be doing her evil activities during the day because we're usually away. You need to meet Elmael in Spear Town. He knows a lot about dark matter and its connection to the palace. He was one of the palace's builders. When you meet him, make sure you bow, or you'll get a big slap. He doesn't care if you're a prince. He's partly immune to royal punishments, as are all the builders. I'll stay back to watch. They'll be uneasy with my presence. Now go."

Kiich-ten left for Spear Town to meet Elmael while Vegian headed back to the palace.

When Vegian reached the palace, she saw a strange man there. It might have been the man Kiich-ten mentioned. The palace should have been empty except for the maids and servants. King Leo was at the ancient temple seeking the spirits of past kings. Lawrence was visiting Nicora in Purple Titan Town, and her mother was seeing a friend in a nearby town. Kiich-ten was supposed to be training his instincts.

Vegian moved stealthily so neither the maids nor the stranger would see her. She got closer and saw that he was using dark matter or instinct. She thought they were extinct and that there were no more Titans of the dark instinct. The man was using the dark instinct on a wall in the palace. Vegian hid behind a pillar to observe. The wall had inscriptions absorbing the dark instinct.

The man walked away, and Vegian wondered why the maids or guards didn't see this. She followed him but kept to the shadows. The man noticed her and released dark instinct energy toward her without her realizing it.

Vegian accidentally walked into the instinct while sneaking from one pillar to another. When she emerged, she was seeing the palace in reverse and couldn't see the man anymore. She suddenly forgot about him and went her way. She was under a spell and wouldn't regain her senses until later.

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