Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ LIII. JAE ❆ ❆

Jae finds himself inside the exact place he was when he last explored a castle.

A library.

As he sneaks around though, Jae's not entirely sure what he's looking for.

Back in Cevalon, he knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted a map — the real map, the map that would show him the location of Ruisea. And he had found it, in a little locked chest, hidden away from where any candlelight could shine on it.

He had found it, and now he had found Ruisea itself.

So now he wasn't sure what to do...

He had a plan, of course. He had to find out — not just what was happening to Cevalon, but what had happened, to Cevalon and all the kingdoms — why Ruiseans had been locked away, why nobody remembered them, and most importantly...

Why Jae's father was killed.

Because that was... Always it, wasn't it?

Trust not your ears nor what they hear... Trust not your eyes for your vision lies. Trust only your heart...

"And we'll never be apart," Jae whispers, taking another book out to examine it.

He flips through pages idly, not focused. His mind is elsewhere — on the plan, the mission. On what he'd been conspiring all along...

It was never about taking Kumari to see snow. It was always about Jae. Jae had plans, Jae had something he needed to find... Kumari was just a complication.

He snarls at the intrusive thoughts in his mind — like something Tadao or one of the Qilucan spirits would say.

Kumari's not a complication. She's my friend. She's helped me so much — and she's been affected by all this just as much as I have.

Or is he just saying that to make himself feel better?

"Can't think about this now," Jae says, shelving the book in his hand. "Gotta find it."

"Find what?"

Jae's startled — and he hates being startled, how dare people sneak up on him, master of stealth! — by the soft question, whirling around with his hand in his vest, gripping his Huveni dagger this time, blue eyes searching desperately for where the voice came from.

"Eep!"

A mop of white hair hides behind a book, and Jae's grip on the dagger loosens, deciding not to take it out.

He would probably be arrested for pulling a knife on the Crown Prince, probably.

"Sorry about that," Jae scratches behind his head. "I just get, uh... Antsy. Yeah."

"It's alright," Alexei slowly lowers the book, looking at Jae curiously. "You're one of Kumari's friends. The conspiracist."

"So she's told you about me?"

"She wouldn't stop. Said all sorts of nice things about you... About how grateful she is you set her free from her tower, showed her the world."

Jae can feel the heat rising to his cheeks — people being grateful to him is his weakness. He loves and hates all at once how it makes him feel so happy. It really shouldn't... Ends badly.

"I guess I understand how she feels," Alexei's still talking. "She did the same for me..."

"You two had a good time last night?"

"Oh, it was wonderful," Alexei sighs. "She was right. Snow is so much better when it's not something you can just see and never touch..."

Man, this guy is similar to Kumari. And man do I not like him.