A woman's cold and firm voice brought back Jaejoong to consciousness.

"He is possessed by the darkness."

Jaejoong slowly opened his eyes. He was no longer in the forest. He was sitting on a chair made of iron in the middle of a large room. The room was full of brightly lit torches. But the brightest light was coming from the yellow flame behind a woman looking down on him.

Anger quickly rose up inside of him! The woman was none other than Wisdom, the middle incarnation of the Oracle. She was the one who declared him unfit to be king! Angry insults toward the woman came rushing out of his mind. He quickly suppressed such thoughts and emotions. Wisdom had the power to see through a man's heart and deepest thoughts. If she started reading his mind, he would be in big trouble.

Wisdom’s emotionless golden-tinged grey eyes continued studying Jaejoong. Had she heard his thoughts? If she did read his mind, she showed no sign of being affected by his blasphemous thoughts. Her words that woke up Jaejoong earlier came back to him. Who was being possessed by darkness? He tried to rise from the chair but cold chains restrained him!

His eyes widened as he realized he was tied like a common criminal in an interrogation chair! Such a chair was designed by a Solaris blacksmith several decades ago to protect the interrogators from lawbreakers who were either insane or too drunk to behave properly. The chair was made of iron as was the chains attached to it. Jaejoong's arms were pulled behind the chair's back where a chain securely tied both his hands. Both his feet were also chained on the two front legs of the chair, severely securing and limiting his movement.

Jaejoong never once thought he would be in such a predicament.

"Jaejoong? Have you come back to your senses?" said the worried voice of his mother.

Jaejoong turned toward the direction of his mother's voice. He saw his parents standing on the right side of the room. Their faces were full of concern. The five regents were also with them. All their eyes looked at him with grave concern and fear as they kept a safe distance away from him. Only Wisdom dared to stand near him.

How did he get here? Or was he really here all along? Was Cloud and those terrifying visions simply part of a dream?

"It was not a dream," came Cloud’s clear voice.

"Where are you?" he blurted.

Everyone was startled by his sudden outburst.

"You can talk to me using your thoughts, Prince Jaejoong. I can hear you clearly since I am still inside you," explained Cloud. "And if you keep talking out loud, you would just strengthen the Oracle's words that you are now possessed by the darkness."

The words of the Oracle a moment ago became clear. He was the one possessed by darkness!

"You are the darkness the Oracle predicted!" he accused Cloud.

"I'm not sure. But they all seemed to think so."

"How could you not know that you are the darkness?" he snapped angrily. "Didn't your own color give you a clue that you are this darkness?"

"I am not all knowing!" protested Cloud. "I just gather and absorb all information and knowledge! You named me Cloud, while this Oracle called me darkness!"

"Get out of my body!"

"I can’t! That bright fireshadow is preventing me from moving and leaving your body! What they call possession, I call being trapped in your body!" he groaned. "If you can get out of this place, I can easily leave your body."

"I am chained!"

"You are weak," mocked Cloud.

"No normal human being can break this stupid chains, moron! And don’t you dare call me weak when you yourself has lost control of your body because of a mere fireshadow!"

His silent argument with Cloud was interrupted by the voice of Wisdom.

"Queen Na-young, please do not touch Prince Jaejoong. You could become tainted by the darkness," warned Wisdom.

It was only then that Jaejoong noticed his mother near him. She had approached him silently while he was busy arguing with Cloud. His mother began crying. Jaejoong felt his heart breaking as he watched his mother's tears streamed down her face. His strong and composed mother looked so frightened and helpless, and he was the cause of her tears!

His father held his mother's hand and led her away from him.

"There must be something we can do to drive the darkness out of our son’s body." King Won Bin pleaded to the Oracle.

"If we let the darkn