King Won Bin stood before the locked door of Queen Na-young’s bedchamber. He knew that everything around him was falling apart! All the experience and wisdom he gained throughout his long reign had not prepared him for what had been happening in his kingdom! Everything started when his son was replaced as Haldor's future king and when he had finally accepted this and followed the words of the Oracle, his son became the prophesied darkness that would bring chaos to Haldor!

His wife had fallen ill after Jaejoong had stolen the Sword of Truth and escaped last night. Na-young had kept herself shut in her room, refusing to talk to anyone, even to him. He knew, Na-young blamed him for everything that was happening to their family.

The strong woman who supported him all through these years had abandoned him. Just like his son.

"Your Highness!" came the loud voice of Ji-Ho.

He turned and saw the captain of the castle guards almost out of breath. "You must come to the temple!"

"What happened?" Fear gripped King Na-young's chest. Was Jaejoong captured? Was he being called to witness his only child’s execution?

"Prince Jaejoong abducted the Oracle!"

"He did what?!" This was unheard of! No one in written history had ever done such a treasonous act! If Jaejoong hadn’t been already condemned to death by the Oracle before, his actions now would get him beheaded immediately and his name would be stricken out from the pages of history.

"I know that it’s impossible. But that’s the report I got from the temple guards who witnessed the abduction," continued Ji-Ho.

"How could Jaejoong do something like that? The fireshadow would consume him if he even dared lay a hand on the Oracle’s robes!"

"According to the temple guards, Jaejoong separated the Oracle from her fireshadow using the Sword of Truth and demanded that his horse Salamander be brought to him. No one was able to refuse him because he held the Sword of Truth in the Oracle's throat, threatening to kill her if his demands weren't met," Ji-Ho took a deep breath. "Our soldiers are pursuing them right now. But I am afraid by the time the soldiers catch Jaejoong, he could have..." He stopped. He couldn't utter the terrible words.

Won Bin leaned his back on the corridor’s wall. His mind was reeling. Would Jaejoong really kill the Oracle? What had happened to his son? How could Jaejoong behave like this? His mind could not accept that the son he raised could ever do such things. No! This wasn't Jaejoong! The darkness inside his son was responsible for all of this! As long as the darkness controlled Jaejoong, his son would indeed become the prophesied darkness that would bring chaos to Haldor!

Queen Na-Young’s door opened.

"Ji-Ho, what is happening?" Queen Na-young’s voice was weak, her hair disheveled. "Is it about my son?" Her eyes began to moisten as her features paled with fear.

"Our son is still alive, Na-young," King Won Bin answered for Ji-Ho. "The soldiers haven’t captured him."

Her eyes remained suspicious.

"There is something you are not telling me," she accused Won Bin.

"Jaejoong..." Won Bin took a deep breath. "He took the Oracle."

Queen Na-young’s eyes widened with shock and then, she started laughing! Won Bin was dumbfounded by this behavior of his very proper wife. As queen, Na-young wouldn't even show her affections for their son in front of other people. She had always been composed and elegant. But she was now laughing like a crazy woman in front of Ji-Ho! Had these events and their son's actions pushed her to the brink of madness?

He glanced at the captain of the guards. Ji-Ho remained speechless and tried to avert his eyes from Queen Na-young.

"Na-young, get yourself together!" He grabbed his wife's shoulders. "Such behavior is not-"

"Not appropriate? I don’t care anymore what is appropriate or not!" she screamed. "And no one can tell me if I can't laugh or cry at what is happening to our family, to our only son!"

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