Kazuri walked through the open corridor of the east keep. Rays of morning sunlight illuminated the dark coral rocks of his path as he made his way toward the corner tower where the machine was housed.

Eskolars who boarded in the building greeted him as they passed by. "Beautiful blue skies, Master."

Kazuri gave them nods and smiled in return.

Seeing them in their intricate green karkan made him wonder where Gat Kida was and what she was doing at this time. He realized that he didn't know her schedule or where she would be when they weren't working together—that was something he needed to fix.

He grew fond of her and thought of her often, consuming his mind. Lately, he would frequently contemplate their dinners together. He'd spent hours absorbed in his memories, but he liked it. Everything about Gat Kida made him feel excited.

"Master Kazuri!" Someone called from behind him, distracting him from his thoughts.

He stopped, and when he turned, he saw the Matu walking up to him in a simple brown tunic. Gat Kiyo, with his zarok bandana wrapped over his head, strode behind Prince Reiji.

"My Matu." Kazuri bowed low with his right hand pressed over his heart—over the threaded design of his karkan. "Beautiful blue skies."

"Beautiful blue skies," Prince Reiji returned. "I was coming to see you in your workshop."

"Did you need anything from me, May Matu?" Kazuri asked, straightening.

"I was hoping to hear more about the soldier." Prince Reiji smiled, hopeful. He had been very curious about the soldier and the machine of late, but Kazuri could only give him the same answer as he had given when the Matu asked the same query.

"Unfortunately, there is no word about the soldier yet," Kazuri gave a disappointing response. "The ladies who came in, claiming they are the soldier, are all false so far."

The Matu regarded the answer. The hope in his green eyes fell away. "I see." He took in a deep breath before asking a different question. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to visit the machine. It is my usual morning routine," Kazuri answered.

A smile returned on Prince Reiji's face. "May I join you?"

"Of course." Kazuri always enjoyed having company during his visits to the machine. It was an opportunity for him to discuss his work, which excited him. "We can also talk of my discovery on the way."

"What discovery?" The Matu proceeded to walk, leading Kazuri to follow. Gat Kiyo stayed close behind.

Kazuri jumped in the question. "I've figured out how the human body works as a container of lakar. The explosion that lakar makes as energy is suppressed with the right heat. The human body heat. I was able to replicate and implement it on the machine. I shall show you when we get there." He waved a proud hand in the air

"That's fantastic." The Matu gave an approving grin.

"I also have another discovery with Master Taoro's work," Kazuri continued.

"What is it?" Prince Reiji asked. His voice came eager.

Kazuri grinned back. "It may be difficult to understand without visual reference, but I will try." He raised his hand in front of him as if he could see or touch the design. "When Master Taoro built his machine, he created a portion that looks like a tube. It connects to a chamber where the human subject with lakar rests. The other end connects to the ground. Master Taoro created the means to get an endless supply of power directly from Bickra. I didn't understand before because I knew that a small amount of lakar is powerful enough to destroy a whole city. During the Sulunese War, he could have used only a cup full of liquified lakar to destroy the Sulunese fleet that came to Bickra. I questioned why he needed to use more."

"I'm guessing that you've solved that problem?" Prince Reiji asked.

"Yes." Master Kazuri gave an immediate reply. "Master Taoro intended to use up all the lakar, to destroy it all."

"To destroy all the lakar?" The Matu's brows shot up, and his eyes widened.

"Yes, My Matu. To destroy the whole island of Bickra. I don't know why he wanted to do what he did, but he succeeded. It may sound foolish, but it's the only explanation. This is also why he directed the blast into the sky above the island and not at the enemy ships. If he had pointed it to the horizon, the results would have been incalculable and devastating." There was amusement in Kazuri's voice as he said the last words, but he felt a chill crawl over his arms when he understood that what he spoke of was a dark thing.

Prince Reiji looked doubtful but also grave. They both fell silent as they continued to walk.

They made their way to the corner tower on the northeast side of the palace.

When Kazuri opened the door, he expected the shadow of the machine to greet him, but the tower was empty except for some scraps of metal and wires thrown on the floor. The cylindrical tower was bare from the bottom to the top, where he could see the rafters that were once concealed by the machine's height.

The machine was gone!

"What happened?" Kazuri asked no one in particular, eyes darting around the empty chamber.

"Where is the machine?" The Matu asked.

"I don't know. I—" Kazuri stopped and thought. The only way the machine could be transported was to take it apart, and he had made that possible by creating latches that would allow the machine to be divided without breaking it. The only people who knew how to work the latches were the Kahani and Master Hatari.

"My work!" he said as if he'd lost a loved one. As if someone dear to him had died. The words shook in his chest, and his breathing came ragged, draining all the blood from his face.

"Master Kazuri," Prince Reiji said. The quiver in his voice shared the direness of the situation.

"My work!" Kazuri repeated, blinking and looking around as if doing so would make the machine magically appear. But everything in the tower stayed the same. "No!"

The Matu tried to reach out, but Kazuri stepped away from his grasp.

He whirled to the door. "What if—" Then he burst into a run.

"Master Kazuri!" Prince Reiji and Gat Kiyo ran after him.

What if the machine was not the only thing that was gone?

He ran to his workshop back in the east keep, almost stumbling from bumping into some Eskolar who walked through the corridor. He didn't even bother to apologize. He only kept running as dread started to crawl over his mind.

When he reached the metal door to his quarters, he pushed inside. He'd hoped and prayed for his workshop to be intact, but the old kings or the forgotten gods did not answer his prayer. Exactly like the corner tower, his workshop had been emptied.

"No. No. No. No. No!" Kazuri cried in despair.

"Master Kazuri," Prince Reiji held him by his shoulders and shook him hard. "Calm yourself!"

"My work!" he screamed at the Matu, disregarding any respect or knowledge that he was shouting at the future ruler of Daracka.

"I understand. I don't think that you were robbed. You know as well as I do who relocated your work," Reiji said, still holding Kazuri.

"The Kahani," Kazuri said. His voice shook.

"I know. I know," Reiji answered. Then he released Kazuri and turned to Gat Kiyo. "I need you to step outside for a moment," he said to his attendant.

"My Matu?" Gat Kiyo looked confused.

"Please," was all Prince Reiji said.

The attendant nodded and followed the order, leaving the Matu and Kazuri in the room and closing the door.

Kazuri's tears started to fall as he whirled around in his empty workshop. Seeing his work gone had broken something inside him. There were no more books on the shelves and no more equipment on the tables. The metal safe box where he'd kept Master Taoro's notes and the last of the lakar had left only a square dust mark on the floor. "My work," he said again, and he sobbed.

"Master Kazuri, we don't have much time." Prince Reiji held him by the shoulders again, trying to straighten him.

"What?" The question escaped Kazuri's lips.

Prince Reiji started speaking, but Kazuri couldn't comprehend the boy's words. He heard the words—

"Do not trust the Kahani."

"I am the heir."

"Will you serve me?"

Kazuri blinked at the Matu's young face. "What?"

"Listen to me, Master Kazuri," Prince Reiji said, shaking him again. His voice turned furious and urgent.

Kazuri focused. "Yes, My Matu," he answered, though his voice shook. He tried to school his emotions and his tears. Crying in front of Prince Reiji was embarrassing, but he didn't care. Still, he had a duty to listen and answer what the Matu asked him.

Prince Reiji's face had suddenly evolved from a young boy to a mature and serious man. "I know what you feel," he started. "I know how it feels when someone has taken something important from you."

Kazuri listened, watching wrath grow in the Matu's eyes.

"I share your sorrow," Prince Reiji said. His words came genuine.

Kazuri could only nod. What was he going to do now? What about his daily routine? What about his work? If the Kahani intended to tell Kazuri where everything was, she would have told him before anything was touched. Confronting the Kahani and demanding to know where his work was would result in nothing.

He looked at the Matu now. He felt hopeless as if the old kings and the forgotten gods had left him, though he was never a practicing believer. He wanted to beg. "Help me," he said to Prince Reiji as he sniffled.

A smile grew in the Matu's eyes, and he nodded. "Do you believe that I will rule this kingdom someday?"

"Yes, My Matu."

"Do you believe that I will be your Kaharaza?"

"Yes," Kazuri said.

"Will you serve me one day?" Prince Reiji asked confusing questions to Kazuri.

What did these have anything to do with Kazuri's work? But he didn't question the Matu and tried his best to listen. Somehow, he felt that the boy in front of him would be his savior—the one who would bring the machine and the last of the lakar back into his possession. "I already serve you now," Kazuri answered.

Reiji smiled. "Good. Then you will have no problem with what I'm about to ask you to do."

.