Chapter 12: The Letter
The royal residence was far less extravagant than Kai expected.
After hearing the words King Akshay, he had imagined golden halls, endless servants, and enough luxury to feed a city.
Instead, the residence felt more like a fortified command center.
Maps covered the walls.
Stacks of reports occupied every table.
Military officers hurried through corridors carrying documents.
The entire place felt busy.
Stressed.
Alive.
It looked less like the home of a king and more like the workplace of a man buried beneath responsibility.
Kai and Andre were escorted into a large room.
Akshay entered shortly afterward.
Without his soldiers.
Without ceremony.
Without even wearing his crown.
He tossed the crown onto a nearby table.
The metal rolled in a circle before falling over.
Andre pointed.
"That's why nobody respects you."
Akshay immediately pointed back.
"And that's why you're unemployed."
Kai sat between them.
A position he was beginning to regret.
Akshay dropped into a chair.
For several moments nobody spoke.
The king looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Like someone trying to solve ten problems at once.
Finally he leaned back.
Kai gave him the letter.
"So."
His eyes settled on Kai.
"Tchoco Lee."
Kai nodded.
"You know him?"
Akshay laughed.
"Unfortunately."
Andre snorted.
Akshay ignored him.
"Lee and I arrived in this world around the same time."
Kai immediately became interested.
Another drifter.
One of the older ones.
"We were both idiots."
Akshay continued.
"Difference is I became king."
Andre crossed his arms.
"And you're still an idiot."
"Fair."
Kai blinked.
"You just accepted that?"
"I've known him for years."
Akshay pointed toward Andre.
"Trust me, fighting that battle isn't worth the effort."
The king stood.
Walking toward one of the windows.
Outside, the lights of Yggdrasil stretched across the mountainside.
Beautiful.
Massive.
Alive.
Akshay quietly looked over it.
For a brief moment he didn't seem like a king.
Just a tired man.
"You came from Lee's village."
Kai nodded.
"How are they?"
The question caught him off guard.
It sounded genuine.
Not political.
Not formal.
Personal.
"They're doing alright."
Akshay relaxed slightly.
"The monster problem?"
"Handled."
The king nodded.
"Good."
Kai noticed something.
Akshay hadn't asked about trade.
Taxes.
Military strength.
Resources.
The first thing he asked about was the village itself.
The people.
Maybe he wasn't a bad king after all.
A servant entered.
Tea was served.
Andre immediately stole half the snacks.
Nobody stopped him.
Apparently everyone had accepted that fighting Andre was pointless.
Several minutes passed.
The atmosphere relaxed.
The tension from the prison break finally faded.
Then Akshay became serious.
The shift was immediate.
The joking disappeared.
The relaxed posture vanished.
The king returned.
"Demon attacks."
Kai looked up.
Akshay folded his arms.
"You've seen one."
"The monster?"
"No."
Akshay shook his head.
"The cockatrice."
Kai frowned.
"The bird?"
The king nodded.
"It wasn't supposed to be there."
The room grew quieter.
Akshay walked toward a large map hanging on the wall.
Several locations were marked.
Red circles.
Notes.
Military symbols.
"Monsters have territories."
His finger moved across the map.
"They migrate."
"They hunt."
"They reproduce."
Another point.
"But they follow patterns."
His finger stopped.
Directly on Yggdrasil.
"The cockatrice wasn't part of any pattern."
Kai immediately understood.
Something forced it here.
Akshay nodded.
"Exactly."
Andre leaned forward.
"So somebody's moving monsters around?"
"Maybe."
Akshay crossed his arms.
"Or something is."
Neither possibility sounded comforting.
The king continued.
"We've had reports."
"Strange sightings."
"Disappearing patrols."
"Villages attacked."
"Monsters showing up where they shouldn't."
Kai remembered what Zindine said.
Demon activity increasing.
The stories matched.
Akshay sighed.
"The problem is I don't know who's responsible."
For the first time, Kai saw uncertainty.
Not weakness.
Concern.
The concern of a man responsible for thousands of lives.
The king sat down again.
"I've dealt with monsters before."
His gaze drifted toward the city outside.
"I've dealt with wars."
"Bandits."
"Famine."
"Politics."
Andre laughed.
"You still suck at politics."
Akshay threw a biscuit at him.
It hit him directly in the forehead.
Kai almost laughed.
Almost.
Akshay remained silent for several moments.
Thinking.
Evaluating.
Finally he spoke.
"You planning to stay in Yggdrasil?"
Kai froze.
He hadn't thought that far ahead.
Stay?
Leave?
Travel?
Find answers?
He didn't know.
"I don't know."
The answer felt familiar.
Akshay smiled.
"Lee said you'd say that."
Kai blinked.
"What?"
The king laughed.
"He said in the letter."
Akshay took a sip of tea.
"'If Kai ever shows up, he'll probably have no idea what he's doing.'"
Andre burst out laughing.
Kai immediately regretted trusting Lee.
The king continued smiling.
"Looks like he was right."
For the first time since arriving in Yggdrasil—
Kai felt comfortable.
Not because his problems were solved.
Not because he had answers.
But because for a brief moment, surrounded by a king, a thief, and a city hanging from a mountain—
Things felt normal.
Unfortunately, normal never lasted long.
A loud knock echoed through the room.
Three times.
Firm.
Urgent.
The smile vanished from Akshay's face.
"Enter."
The door opened.
A royal guard stepped inside.
Breathing heavily.
The man's face alone was enough to kill the atmosphere.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Your Majesty."
The guard swallowed.
"We've got another attack."
The room immediately went silent.
And just like that—
The peace was over.