"So you broke free."
Miruth narrowly dodged Shine's strike. Had it landed, he would have been cut in half. For him, this was a genuine shock — no one had ever broken free of his control before.
"You're becoming quite a nuisance. I'll have to get you out of my way," Miruth said.
Outside the palace, no one had any idea what was happening inside. People were carrying on with their usual forced labor, same as every other day.
The slaves working the gold mines and the guards keeping watch over them were talking.
"Mite didn't show up today. He's always here by now," one guard at the mines said.
"You're right. Miruth's probably got him on some other job," another guard said.
"Wait, you haven't heard? They caught some boy at the gate. They're probably killing him right now," a third guard said.
"What? A boy?" The first guard grew uneasy.
"How many more children are these bastards going to kill," the guard muttered.
Outside, the clouds remained just as strange as before. No one knew a prophecy was coming. And no one knew that Mite would never show up again — that they were already free.
Jhed sat slumped on his knees. He still hadn't come back to himself.
Nain had gone back to her father.
"Nain, take your father out of here, and tell everyone in the city — they're about to be free today." Shine said this, staring straight into Miruth's eyes.
"Right..." Nain said, letting her father lean on her shoulder for support.
Miruth smiled. He said nothing.
Nain slowly led her father away. Miruth moved to attack them, but Shine blocked him. Miruth dodged Shine's counter.
"If even one of his strikes lands, I'm finished. I need to seize control of his mind again," Miruth thought to himself.
As she left, Nain glanced back at Jhed.
Shine had nothing left to worry about now — it was just him and Miruth.
Miruth kept his eyes locked on Shine.
The throne sat empty. Who would sit on it next would be decided by this fight. The walls around them seemed to watch closely, as if they'd witnessed Miruth's cruelty for all these years and were finally watching it come due.
"Do you really think you can kill me?" Miruth said, baiting him.
"He's trying to control me again. I need to keep hitting him without stopping."
Miruth was smiling. He could read every thought in Shine's mind.
"You're nothing but a slave to him. Your master isn't even conscious right now — go help him instead."
"He's trying to provoke me."
"You couldn't even save your own master. What makes you think you can save your village?" Miruth narrated exactly what was running through Shine's head, back to him.
Shine struck at him faster, more recklessly. But Miruth dodged every blow.
If you want to manipulate someone, speak ill of the people closest to them. They'll fall under your control easily. And just like that, Shine was now swinging blindly, without thinking at all.
"There it is," Miruth said.
"'Animal' was right — he really isn't fit to be S-Class." Miruth laughed.
Shine was now completely under his control.
"Drink this poison." Miruth pulled a small bottle of poison from his pocket and placed it in Shine's hand.