Author’s POV

The lab was a mess by the time Kai came back with his own army of Estrovians. They streamed through the portal one by one, holding up their swords with one hand and the other getting ready their own Aether Power aimed at the Commander and his own Guards.

“You guys capture the Commander; the rest help with the fallen here.” Kai instructed and they get moving instantly. The Commander was dumb-founded by this counterattack made by Kai and his gang. He wasn’t ready to fight real Estrovians.

“No! Don’t come over! I’ll kill you!” the Commander threatened, pointing the gun towards the soldiers who seemed not perturbed by this threat and advanced closer to him. They locked him up in a circle formation, leaving no gaps in between and two of them grabbed whole of his body, pinning him against the ground.

L managed to free himself from the Guards before they plunged their knives into his body. He rained kicks and punches on them, flinging them to the sides. All of them were drenched with water by the time Kai took control of the situation. He approached the Commander, fumed with anger. He squatted down to his eye level.

“Commander Park…” he snarled, rudely patting his cheek. The Commander glared at him, spitting a ball of saliva out to Kai’s hand.

“It’s not over, punk. Humans will dominate over the Estrovians!”

“Dear Commander… it hasn’t even started,” Kai chortled, showing no mercy for this screwed man.

“Do you think it hasn’t started?” the Commander copied his laughter, overwhelming Kai’s voice. All these test subjects here will soon wake up and be corrupted! They’ll destroy Estrovians. Pure-blooded Estrovians.”

Kai gripped the collar of the Commander’s sleeve, pulling his body up. “What did you do to them?” he hissed lowly.

“Well, I was planning to raise an army of defected Estromans but I guess it’ll never happen now. But it doesn’t matter. Because all these Estromans are far more stronger than Estrovians. They’ll kill and annihilate the entire Estrovia.” The Commander burst laughing and Kai felt like killing him right now.

“Jael! Jael!” L screamed from the side, shaking Jael’s shoulder and trying to wake her up. “Kai! Jael is dying!” he screamed for Kai. Kai snapped his head towards L’s direction and dropped the Commander, darting across the room to Jael’s place.

“What happened?” Kai asked exasperatedly, checking Jael’s pulse and breathing. Her breathing was shallow and labored, and she was freezing. The water on the ground turned red because of her blood and Kai had to zip her jacket down, her white shirt revealing a bright, crimson red gunshot wound just above her bone.

“L, go get my backpack near the entrance. I have some emergency medicine and bandages to stop the bleeding.” Kai ordered, desperately trying to be calm in this situation. He brushed Jael’s hair to one side and wiped her cold sweat. “Come on, Jael, hang in there.” Kai said, clutching her hands. The rest of the soldiers were busy trying to safely take the tubes and wires out of the ‘Test Subjects’ and then bringing them to a safer place.

L returned with Kai’s backpack and emptied it’s content on the ground. “Who did this?” Kai questioned, while taking out the ‘miracle pill’ from the small bottle.

“The Commander. He shot her when I was trapped.” L muttered while Kai propped her chin up and feed her the miracle pill. He then ripped her shirt apart and tried cleaning the blood wound with some cotton before bandaging it.

“That son of a – he’ll get it later.” Kai gnarled while trying to stop the blood from flowing.

“There’s no need to dirty your hands, son.” A figure stepped out of the portal before it closes and disappear. It was Queen Ito and her own entourage. Flames danced across her palms as she strutted towards the Commander who was pinned helplessly by the Estrovian soldiers.

“Mother…” Kai called out, shocked that his own Mother came all the way here too.

“You beast… This is for Thia and her husband!” Queen Ito shot a blast of fire across the room and it hit the square of the Commander’s face. He screamed in pain and the soldiers let go off him so that they won’t get affected by the Fire. Queen Ito continued firing her own Magic until his screams stopped – dead.

“Mother – you can’t kill him! You’ll start a war between us and Humans!” Kai exclaimed while pressing on Jael’s wound. Her condition wasn’t improving at all and she needs to be brought to the doctor back in Estrovia.

“No, it’s okay, Kai. I’ll explain this situation to the committee. Leave the Human World to us.” L said, patting on Kai’s shoulder.

“Your Highness! What about the people here?” one of the soldiers yelled, pointing to the bodies of the ‘Test Subjects’.

“I’ll make another portal. Send them through it and call for the doctors and heal them.” Queen Ito said, creating another portal instantly, replacing Kai’s one. One by one, the soldiers streamed through the portal, each one of them carrying a ‘Test Subject’.

Kai managed to stop Jael’s blood from flowing out temporarily and lifted her up swiftly. “I’ll bring her back to Estrovia first. L, would you mind cleaning up the aftermath here?”

“Already planned to do that,” L said, smiling briefly. Outside, the higher ups heard the commotion and are already proceeding to this room. It’ll all depends on L on whether he can convince the officials that all these were the Commander’s fault and that it has got nothing to do with the Estrovians.

“It’s all on you, L.” Kai said, nodding his head before disappearing into the portal. The last of the Estrovians were gone and the portal closed, leaving L facing to a group of dumb-struck Humans.

*I am going to save the world. Here goes nothing…*

**

“Jael! Jael! You hang in there, you hear me?” Kai mumbled while he rushed down the hallway, finding the best doctor in the Palace. *Nothing must happen to you!* “Jael, I’ll tell you some good news if you survive. Please…” he trailed, slamming the door opened with his body and yelled for the doctor to come forward and treat her.

Jael’s wound opened up again and fresh blood spilled out from her ragged jacket. She show no signs of conscious and her breathing was barely even there. Her pulse was getting weaker and weaker. Kai put her down on the bed and demanded the doctors to aid her now.

“I don’t care what method you use or what pills she takes, you must save her.” He ordered. “Please, doc. Please.” He grasped her icy cold fingers and kissed them lightly.

“Yes, your highness, we’ll do our best. Please leave the room while we treat her,” the doctor said and the nurse escorted Kai out of the room. Kai was unwilling to leave Jael for a second. He’s afraid that he would lose her and wouldn’t be able to see her ever again.

“I’m sorry, your highness. Please wait outside.” The nurse closed the door and Kai leaned against the wall, cradling his head with his bloodied palms stained with Jael’s blood.

“How’s Jael?” Queen Ito rushed to where Kai was standing, worry showed all over on her face. “Is she all right?”

“I don’t know, Mother. She just went in.” Kai answered. His mother patted his shoulder reassuringly.

“She’ll be fine; she’s strong like her mom,” Queen Ito comforted, her voice soft. Kai lifted his head up, meeting his mother’s gaze.

“Mother… Is it true that we’re not Royal bloods?” Kai asked.

His mother’s eyes widened, taken aback by Kai’s sudden question. She should reveal this now since she’d managed to avenge Jael’s parents. The throne should be passed back to Jael. “Yes. We’re not.”

“Why, Mother? Why did you fake it?”

“I did it because of the country. Estrovia can’t go without a ruler and there’s no other Royal blood to take over the throne. And so I did it; forged the Will and everything, married your Dad and eventually gave birth to you.” Queen Ito explained slowly, revealing the truth bit by bit.

“I’d never expected the real Princess to return to Estrovia. But it’s a good thing; a blessing for us. Now I can safely pass the throne back to Jael…” Queen Ito said ending off with something Kai wanted to hear. “You both aren’t cousins.”

“I know. L told me.”

Queen Ito held Kai’s hand. “No matter what, my son; I’ll always be with you.”