"It's bad, isn't it?" Kai-Se said while Yu-Shang, the head of the court physicians, took stock of his pulse.

"It's worsening, that's for sure," the physician replied, rummaging through his satchel of medical supplies once more. After a few seconds, he shoved a bottle in Kai-Se's hands. "Drink that."

Kai-Se held it out to the meager sunlight streaming from his window. If anything, the advent of the summer rains had dampened both the sky and his mood. "What's this?" He gave the bottle a little shake, watching the watery liquid slosh inside its amber-tinted body. "Rather, should I ask what's this for?"

Yu-Shang sighed. His graying hair had never been that apparent to Kai-Se before. Has this man really served the palace all his life? How many Emperors did he even attend to? "It's for your stomach, Your Highness," he said. "You need to be able to keep something down at the least."

Kai-Se flinched. "I...how do you know about that?" he asked.

The physician shrugged. "Your korza is being strained. Of course, your physical body is sure to follow," he said. "Anything it feels to not be capable of sustaining, it spits out."

"So you're saying my own body is killing me?" Kai-Se said, his fingers twiddling each other again. It was something he developed over the course of a few weeks. Without the magic coursing through them courtesy of An-Ri, he didn't know what to do with them anymore. "How much time do I have left?"

Yu-Shang clasped his hands together, resting his elbows against his thighs. "I'm not an ancestral spirit to decide on that, Your Highness," he said. "If you stay at this rate, you'd have a few months at best. If it continues to worsen at a steady pace, less."

"Are you not troubled by that at all?" Kai-Se found himself asking. He had no one to talk to about his own pending doom anyway. Chi-Sae would outright deny it and Nao-Zai would just tell him they could still fix it—rather, him. "That your Crown Prince is dying and no one has to know?"

To his credit, the physician didn't laugh or do anything else but to lean back against the backrest of the chair Chi-Sae had brought him. "Making peace with your own end is hardly a chance given to many," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more, Kai-Se. I truly regret it."

"Where else am I to search for answers?" Kai-Se blurted. The whiteness of the sheets thrown over his spindly legs had never looked so sullen in his eyes. It resembled the fenhais worn whenever there's someone who died in the palace. "Maybe you can advise me. You're the one who's a shaman, after all."

Yu-Shang coughed into his fist. "I am no shaman, Your Highness. I can only sense the korza of the world around me but I cannot control or imbue it on something or someone," he said. They both had to be careful in throwing that word around here. "But if I were to be in the same boots as you, I would go for the root."

The root. The beginning of everything. The source of the world's korza. "Shaoryeong, you mean," Kai-Se said. "I tried accessing it but failed. I'm not strong enough."

Yu-Shang gathered his medical supplies back to his satchel and tied it cleanly. He ducked his head at Kai-Se. "Your korza is a wonderful thing, Kai-Se," the physician said over his shoulder as he turned towards the door. "Make use of it and there might be surprises along the way."

Kai-Se watched the physician disappear out of the door. As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, Chi-Sae strode through, her hands once again hidden in her wide sleeves. Her frown didn't contribute anything to the improvement of the ambience in Kai-Se's room.

"Chi-Sae," he began. The court lady stopped at the foot of his bed and bowed.

"Yes, Your Grace?" she said as she straightened once more.

Kai-Se picked at the chapped skin of his lips. These days, he wouldn't stop until they bleed. "Do you know anything about the mass gatherings up north?" he asked.

Immediately, a guarded look passed across the court lady's face. "Where did you get that from, Your Grace?" Even her chuckle sounded suspicious now. Nervous, too. "No. I don't know anything about it. I'm just a court lady at your service."

"Doesn't look like it, though," Kai-Se narrowed his eyes. "You said it was just rumors and that the other head court lady should keep it between yourselves. Am I correct in assuming she's the head of the Jade Palace?"

Chi-Sae looked at her feet hidden by a curtain of red skirts. Her eyes moved back and forth, as if she was trying to come up with the most plausible answer. "Don't even think of lying to me, kwonxia," Kai-Se added before she could spew more nonsense. Her eyes snapped up to his at the mention of her title. She knew he was serious. "I know you have a penchant for that."

"So tell me," Kai-Se folded his hands together to avoid them from doing anything unnecessary. "Which one do you serve: me or my father?"

Chi-Sae blew a shaky breath. "I-It's impossible to choose, Your Grace," she said. "You both are the pillars of this Empire and—"

"Tell me!" Kai-Se yelled. The court lady visibly flinched. That sudden outburst left him feeling hollow and exhausted though. That's why he didn't do it often unless required by the situation. Like...well, now.

"T-the Emperor, Your Grace," she admitted. "I serve His Majesty, the Emperor of Xuijae."

Kai-Se nodded. He thought so, at least. "And does he not want you to tell me these things?" he said. "About the empire that I am going to rule?"

Chi-Sae trained her eyes to the floor once more. She wasn't blinking at all. Wouldn't she get something in her eye if she kept doing that? "He stresses it is important for you to focus on your recovery."

Kai-Se cursed so loud the court lady's head briefly snapped up in shock. "I'm not a fool, Chi-Sae, to believe that I can still get better," he said. "I have a request, something a mere kwonxia should even be hearing from the mouth of a prince."

"What is it, Your Grace?" she said.

Kai-Se stared at the flower pin at the top of her head. That symbol made sense to him now. It's not an excuse to give to the heads of the palace servants. It's a mark. A warning. Whoever messed with a kwonxia with a lotus on her head would answer directly to the Emperor. They're not mere court ladies. Far from it.

"Serve me just this once, Chi-Sae," he said. "Just this once."

Chi-Sae met his eyes then. She must have taken Kai-Se's tonal shift as a signal for her to do that. A beat passed between them. Two. Then, she folded her entire torso until it was parallel to the ground, bringing her splayed hands crossed at the knuckles forward. "What do you need, Your Grace?" she asked.

"Tell me of the factions rising against the Empire," Kai-Se said.

Chi-Sae's mouth folded into a flat line but she tucked her hands back into her sleeves. She didn't raise her head from being ducked, though. "The Jungro-Pyeong Clan has been amassing unprecedented public support for quite some time now," she said. "We don't know what led to it but we have confirmed the message this clan is trying to send is that the Empire needed a new dynasty."

"Why?" was all Kai-Se said in reply.

The court lady shook her head. "Other members claim it was because of some policy changes that caused harm to other sectors of the Empire, farmers and herders, mostly. Some believed trying to ally with the tyrants of Dansarun was a bad move."

Kai-Se dreaded asking this question but he had to know anyway. "Does it have anything to do with...me?"

A dark glint flashed in Chi-Sae's eyes. "We have been doing our best to quell all kinds of rumors and whispers about you, Your Grace," she said. "But I fear that it has worked against us. The Jungro-Pyeong Clan has now asked a question of why the Butterfly Palace seemed adamant about refusing to talk about the Crown Prince."

Kai-Se gritted his teeth, making his head hurt more than it should. "What of this faction's leaders?"

"It was founded by a man named Pyeongjeon Jang-Ho," Chi-Sae said. "He is a general in the Yomaura Fortress and seemed to have been able to get Kangchae Jin-Ai under his thumb. Jin-Ai is the head of the fortress but he has relinquished control over the fortress for unknown reasons."

Pyeongjeon Jang-Ho? Who in the world was that? "What other movements have they made recently?" Kai-Se asked instead. He'd hound Nao-Zai later on to see if the soldier knew about him considering they're both from Yomaura.

Chi-Sae exhaled through her nose in a loud gust. "They have moved their troops east of Dangrao just this morning. It seemed like they're provoking the Imperial Palace to make a move and made their presence known."

"So they've become arrogant," Kai-Se rubbed his chin. "What does my father have to say about all this?"

Chi-Sae shook her head. "As far as I know, he is determined to wait it out and tear them from the inside," she said. "He has planted several men in their ranks to try and sow discord among them. If that doesn't work, he'd try diplomatic talks."

Kai-Se pursed his lips. "And I assume he intends to send me?" he said. "I seem to be called only for tasks like that."

"Only the Emperor can answer that," Chi-Sae said. "Are you satisfied now, Your Grace?"

That question was so carefully laced with apprehension and venom Kai-Se fully expected the woman was capable of. She's got the Emperor's ear with that lotus on her head. She could afford to be cheeky. Why Kai-Se hadn't seen it sooner was another addition to the list of things he should be ashamed of. Here he thought he could simply dismiss her if he got too annoyed with her rules and admonitions. It turned out they were of equal ranks, per se.

Would the Imperial Palace go to war? Would the palace army be enough against the might of Yomaura? Why was the Jungro-Pyeong clan so adamant about toppling the dynasty? It would plunge the empire into disarray and managing its effects and repercussions would take years. Decades, even. What was so great with power that people went crazy trying to attain it?

"I'll go and hear his answer for myself, then," Kai-Se said, edging off the bed despite the lightness in his head and the fact that he couldn't even be sure he could still walk after not being able to get up for the last three days. "You don't need to help me. I can dress myself."

Chi-Sae stepped forward, a clear disagreement heavy in her frown. Kai-Se stopped her from saying anything more with a stern glare. As much as they all wanted to shelter him from it, the problems of the Empire were his problems. Whatever's happening inside Xuijae's borders, Kai-Se has to have a hand in it. If not, he'd inherit a fragile throne and it would come crashing down on him sooner or later.

He yanked his robe from the closet and slipped into it. His fingers shoved his messy hair into his headdress. His feet found solace in one of the many dark boots he owned. Within seconds, he was out of his room without another word from Chi-Sae, tearing through the dim halls of the Butterfly Palace.

None of the sentries in the Jade Palace made a move to stop him as he burst through the courtyard, the stairs, and finally, the familiar halls of the Emperor's office. Contrary to public belief, the Emperor didn't sit on his throne the whole day. Instead, he spends it in a dingy office surrounded by more sentries, mounds of books and paperwork, and the occasional son bursting through the doors.

"Ah, Kai-Se. I am glad you chose to drop by," the Emperor said from behind the low desk he sat behind. His crossed legs were still from under the table as his hands whished through the parchment with a brush dipped in ink. Unlike Kai-Se, the Emperor had wonderful and legible handwriting. "I was actually going to come to you later in the day but it looks like I don't even need to."

Kai-Se opened his mouth to ask about the Jungro-Pyeong clan when the Emperor plunged in. "Prepare for a trip to Hankuure first thing tomorrow," he said. "I must get you and the rest of the clan out of Dangrao."

His hands clenched at his sides. "I'm not leaving," he said. "Why didn't you tell me about the Jungro-Pyeong clan? What do they want?"

The Emperor grimaced. "Has Chi-Sae broken her oath?" he said. "She seemed to be doing that a lot these days."

"It's not her fault. I pressured her," Kai-Se replied. "If you're getting the clan out, what's going to happen to you?"

His father rolled his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. "I'll stay here and hold up the fort," he said. "I need you to join the clan. I might lose the Empire but I won't lose my family. Your mother and sister are already traveling as we speak."

Kai-Se gritted his teeth. "I'm not going," he said. "I'll stay here and figure out a way to help. Chi-Sae mentioned diplomatic talk. Why can't we go down that route first?"

The Emperor scoffed. "Anyone who's made the effort to get the Yomaura Fortress under their control isn't going to sit it out and talk. It's time you wake up to the reality of the world, son," he said. "The wise don't always fight every battle it's being given."

"So you'll run away? Without even defending the dynasty?" Kai-Se asked.

The Emperor frowned. "I told you I'm not running," he said. "I'm merely saving you and the rest of the clan from the destiny that's sure to follow should the dynasty fall. You do know what's going to happen, right?"

Kai-Se did, unfortunately. Those belonging to the previous dynasty overturned by revolt were led to their own deaths, whether by stake, hanging, or flogging. All of which were dishonorable. All of which were horrible ways to pass on. No person in his right mind would wish them to happen to their family, to their clan.

"It's not going to be like that, Father," Kai-Se said. An idea was already blossoming in his mind. He might have something they needed to win this battle and they couldn't do it without a little bit of divine and magical help. "I'll stay and find a way to fix this."

The Emperor sighed. "Some things didn't need fixing because they're not broken," he said. "Let it go, Kai-Se. We can manage with what we have. Focus on getting better. Please."

Kai-Se regarded his father then. Now, he didn't look like the sovereign head of all of Xuijae. He was just an ordinary man, in a plain fenhai, writing poetry on a normal sheet using a normal brush dipped in normal ink. "What's the point of getting better if I don't have a home to go back to?" he asked. He wasn't expecting an answer though.

Before the Emperor could say anything more, Kai-Se strode out of the room and went back to the Butterfly Palace. The doors to the library snapped open as Kai-Se burst through it. Within seconds, he had the shamanic text propped open in front of him.

It's not just a matter of his own life and death anymore. The rest of the Empire were bound to fall away with him despite him not being involved in it. If what Chi-Sae said was true, then he wouldn't have to worry about hiding his sickness anymore. He wouldn't have to worry about getting better either. The Emperor was making sacrifices to ensure his clan flourished even without the Empire. Kai-Se should now make his. That way, no one would have to in the future.

He flipped to the end of the book where the topic has shifted to the gates between the mortal realm and Shaoryeong. It still didn't say anything as to how to properly do things but it gave Kai-Se enough ideas on how to access Shaoryeong's magic. Gates. He opened one before. He could do it again.

So, Kai-Se reached inside himself, feeling all the roaring energies around and inside him. With his mind straining, he gripped at the ends of these energies. They strung him along, too fast and too wild for him to know what's going on. His fingers unconsciously wrapped around the necklace that once contained An-Ri's magic. Then, he opened his eyes to find not the familiar landscape of the library but a swirl of color and an explosion of currents whirling and crashing against each other. The noise was unbearable, but Kai-Se forced himself to keep peering into whatever realm this was.

The jade in An-Ri's pendant pulsed against his grip, searing through the skin of his palm. Home, it seemed to be saying. It has found its way home. What was he waiting for, then? He had to find An-Ri and bring her back to Xuijae. That's the only way all of them could survive.

Find An-Ri. That's all Kai-Se has to do. That's all he let himself think as he stepped into the currents. His foot hit nothing but air. The winds gripped him and he fell. Towards the edge. Into a cliff he didn't think existed. This time, it was real, no matter how spiritual and colorful it could be, and Kai-Se let it eat him whole.