A large, dark figure zipped through the corridors, darting past the maids, who exchanged puzzled glances, unsure about who or what had just rushed by.
With a panicked look across his face, a million thoughts occupied the mind of the usually indifferent Valor while the words from the letter he had read earlier echoed relentlessly in his head.
'It simply can't get worse than this...' He couldn't shake the heavy dread settling in his chest despite doing his best to think optimistically. 'To think that even the headmaster has caught wind of His Majesty's situation...'
His footsteps quickened at the thought, eager to relay his message as soon as he could.
The past seven years have been quite a ride, to say the least, as Kango dealt with the highs and lows of the emperor's mood swings that followed Zeya's extravagant departure.
Varen's unexpected decision to temporarily transfer his power to Kaari caused a huge stir among the Valors and the Academy, but no one dared to take any real action, especially given the state he was in.
Thankfully, the inexperienced princess has been handling the situation for the past few years wonderfully, leaving almost no room for criticism besides her innate lack of self-assurance.
Still, the majority of the council eagerly wishes for Varen's prompt return to the throne, and the challenging task was given to Kango, who, despite his best efforts, has made no progress in persuading the stubborn emperor over the years.
After searching every possible place Varen might have gone, Kango was left with just one last area to check, much to his displeasure.
Thus, he reluctantly made his way to the underground chamber.
He abruptly stopped in his tracks when he noticed his sister, Sukha, pacing impatiently right outside the entrance.
"What are you doing here?" He furrowed his brows in confusion, surprised to have run into Sukha during an urgent time like this.
"I'm here as damage control." She replied with a dejected smile. "Today's morning search was cut short because of the perpetrator, which is why Varen is more upset than usual."
Before Kango could ask any more questions, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from within the chamber, sending shivers down their spines.
The dreadful sound reverberated through the winding passage that led up to the palace's surface, only to dissipate into the corridors of the most deserted part of the Exousian palace, the eastern wing.
"Good luck going in, brother. He's been going at him for almost two hours now." His sister, Sukha, added in with a look of despair. "Apparently, the Valor was part of the search team... one of our seniors, no less. My guess is that he attempted to deceive the emperor with a false statement to claim the reward money."
"... Fuck." Kango cursed, questioning the kind of luck he had today.
After the incident in Toyah, many things in Exousia had changed drastically, including Varen himself.
In fact, most would say he had changed for the worse, which has been nothing but a nightmare to those closest to him.
The emperor even went to the extent of assembling a special team solely dedicated to finding her, assuming she was still alive, of course.
When Kango finally gained enough courage to push open the steel door, the metallic scent of blood hit him instantly, moments before his eyes took in the gruesome scene of what Varen had done to the Kaxarene.
"Well, would you look who it is." Varen flashed a lazy smile when he turned to find Kango standing behind him. "I didn't expect you'd come all the way down here... especially with how much you despise this place."
"Forgive me for my intrusion, Your Majesty." Kango managed to keep his composure despite being shaken up. "I just wish to speak with you regarding something important."
"Hm, I was about done with him anyway." Varen replied without much emotion laced in his voice. "And judging by that look on your face, I'm assuming it's about the same damn thing again."
Varen hurled the blood-stained wrench onto the cold concrete floor, scattering specks of crimson in its wake.
"Be a dear and clean this up for me, will you Sukha?" Varen ordered, his voice devoid of any sympathy. "It's still breathing but bury it anyway. Just make sure you do it in the outskirts, so that the monsters will take care of him if he tries to run away."
"... Understood."
As Kango walked past Sukha, he gave a reassuring nod to his poor sister, who had no choice but to take care of the aftermath of Varen's fit of anger.
Still wearing his blood-stained clothes, the drunken emperor made his way through the palace, solely relying on his muscle memory to find his study.
His first impulse was to grab the bottle of whiskey resting on his desk the moment he stepped into the room before taking a heavy swig of its contents.
Once Kango was certain they were alone, he wasted no time and dove straight into explaining the current situation as Varen listened intently despite being barely sober.
"The headmaster appears to be... worried about your current state. Therefore, he has made the decision to visit before the spring festivals is to officially commence."
"Why, what a surprise." Sarcasm dripped from Varen's comment before he let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "The great headmaster finally chose to handle things himself rather than relying on his meddlesome minions."
"Well, I don't see why not." Varen nodded his head without any defiance. "It's not like he's the type to take no for an answer. I'll let him do what he wants, as long as he doesn't get in my way."
"It seems as though he has caught wind of what you've been up to, Your Majesty." Kango tried to reason with him, though he could tell that it was useless. "Perhaps it would be wise to postpone the searches while he is here, at least until the spring festivals officially conclude."
"And what benefit will that bring us?" Varen snapped, irritated by the foolish suggestion to halt the search. "The headmaster is not a gullible fool. If he's so hellbent on coming over, chances are he already knows what's been happening over the past seven years."
"But still-"
"We've gone over this countless times before, and yet you still persist with your foolish ramblings."
Varen exhaled a long, weighted sigh before locking eyes with Kango, his gaze commanding authority.
"This game of hide and seek will only end once I find her and bring her back to my side." Varen declared one final time, the patience for his right-hand man clearly diminishing. "And it is in your oath that you assist me, unless... you wish to be replaced by someone much more, obedient and competent."
The Valor visibly flinched at the mention of being replaced, completely unaware that Varen had even considered the possibility.
Kango had never failed a mission in his entire career as a Valor, and the thought that this might be his first was an insult he couldn't accept, not after all the effort he had poured into this line of work.
"So, what will your answer be, Kango?" Varen questioned once more when his proposal remained unanswered.
"... Forgive me for my rudeness." He finally responded with a hesitant bow, finally admitting defeat. "It's clear that I overstepped a boundary I shouldn't have."
"As you requested, I'll arrange another search this evening and inform Ezra or the headmaster to ensure the necessary arrangements are made."
"Now that's more like it." Varen replied with a content smile before waving him off.
"Based on the progress we've made over the seven years, there's no doubt that she's running out of places to seek refuge in." He declared confidently, his eyes glimmering with an emotion that was hard to place. "After all these years of coming up empty-handed, we're bound to stumble upon something eventually, so stay ready."
The silence that came after Kango left started to press down on Varen, the feeling more suffocating than it was comforting.
'I will find her in due time.' He told himself as he abruptly turned to leave his study. 'Right now, I should be focused on what is at hand. Giving up is simply not an option. Not when I can still sense her out there.'
Even with his attempts to reassure his own doubts, he couldn't escape the relentless dark thoughts that completely overwhelmed him.
Before he knew it, his body acted on instinct, and it wasn't until he saw the intricate patterns on the door before him that he realized where he had carelessly wandered off to in search of solace.