The Anima Wish was folklore grandparents would recite. It was a story they would embellish with magic and dragons to appease the children.

"Do not tell me you laid waste to this land and its people for a cursed bedtime story?" Oliver growled.

Piers crossed his legs and kept smiling. "It's real... As you know, that story begins with a world filled with magic and grand creatures. However, the humans abused magic and set the world on fire for their desires, and thus arose the great Eternal War, the century-long struggle for dominance between our current four nations and the Kirith Empire.

"The dragons—damned tyrants of magic—hated this fate, so they stole the world's magic. They sealed it in the heart of the Rucrean Kings' ancestor, the dragon Anima. Without magic, the Kirith Empire fell to ruin and went into hiding. Without this foe, the remaining humans created a truce between the most powerful families. They broke the dragon's heart into five pieces to guard separately to ensure no one could undo the magic's seal.

"A piece stayed with the dragon-blooded Lyrell family in the North. A piece was given to the pious Commodus family in the East. Another to the Tuah strategists of the South. And a piece to the affluent Belelots of the West..."

Piers stood up and calmly stalked up to Oliver. His gloved hand caressed Oliver's cheek. "The fifth piece was given to the undefeated and glorious Kardos family... This was the piece that eluded us the most. We only knew that the oracles determined that it would rest with the greatest Kardos warrior."

Oliver flinched. Oracle? These mythical beings were born from a sacred bloodline that allowed them to see glimpses of the future.  Their magic was from the ancient roots of the world, born with the dawn of time, and lived amongst the dragons... But this bloodline dwindled and was thought to be extinct.

Piers continued. "I originally sent you off to war because I expected you to die early. Then I wanted to frame you, even with flimsy excuses, so that I could execute you. But in the end, my associate convinced me otherwise."

Oliver almost missed what Piers said.  Not only did Piers have Ewen by his side, but he had an associate to assist him in destroying so many lives. Who would be so blackhearted to join Piers?

"We didn't know who would emerge as the greatest warrior, so we laid waste to Wynter in search of illegitimate children and the missing piece.  Thirty damn years of a fruitless search... until now."

Oliver sighed. "So you brought me back because you finally found the last piece." 

The rabbit was finally caught, so it was time to boil the hound.

"You are suddenly useful again.  All others had treated these pieces as a sacred heirlooms, something cherished.  Yet this entire time, we never once thought that you would have been holding on to it so casually.  You have even surprised my associate."

He tucked a strand of silver hair behind Oliver's ear, but Oliver jerked his head away to avoid the touch.

Piers laughed sinisterly. "The myth continues and claims that if all pieces of the heart were gathered together, a great wish would be granted."

Oliver pulled his head away from Piers' touch. "It's a fucking myth. You start a thirty-year war for fairytales and forgotten magic?"

Piers leaned forward with a dark smile. "I would have burned the continent down for my wish."

"What could be worth the lives of so many?" Oliver asked quietly.

"Power... Power to suppress dragons. Power harnessed from the ancient world to subjugate everyone. All kingdoms will fall to their knees in front of me.  I will be the land's sun and moon, and all will worship my divinity." Piers' deranged smile widened.

"Pathetic." Oliver hissed.

Piers slapped him across the cheek. "You could never see my ambitions. You still couldn't see what I yearned for when I broke it off with you. You were only seeking my affection and filled your head with naive thoughts of ruling kindly."

Ewen snickered. "Piers doesn't want your affection, nor does he want kindness. He wants domination. I saw him for what he was and loved him for it. When all bow to him, I will be at his side basking in his glorious light."

"You're both pitifully insane," Oliver said with a shaking voice.

"The Anima Wish is real, Oli." Piers said, his lips sweetly calling out his nickname. "The Belelot's piece sat as the main jewel of the King's crown. Tuah's piece was hidden in the Fae Fields. The Commodus' was in their archaic relics. The Lyrell's in the Cenotaphs." Piers explained. "They never knew what was missing because of the war. You were useful enough to keep them distracted as you struggled against their three armies. While you fought against their armies, we searched for the missing piece... but the Kardos family hid it well."

Piers reached out and grabbed the silver necklace around Oliver's neck and ripped it off. A light flashed for a moment, and the white stone released a strange power that hit him like the wind. He had never touched magic before, but his blood and bones knew it was magic. 

The Anima Wish... it was real?

Oliver trembled when he realized the truth about the necklace... He had the piece with him all along, gifted by his mother when heading off to war. He never knew they trusted him with such a heavy burden, and now he had failed them.

His family is dead. His sacrifices were wasted. His honor was stripped. His ancestral mission, though unknown, had failed.

Gallio was right; believing a sacrifice could be noble was a fallacy.  He was now going to die a pointless death. What was worse was all this time, he thought he was facing his enemies, but his true foes were always behind him.

Oliver laughed miserably. "How terrible... should I be grateful that I will be dead before this dark hell touches the world?"

Piers huffed a little and placed the necklace in a white jade box. "It matters not. This will be the last you see of us before your execution. However, you will suffer before that fateful day."

Piers and Ewen left him without ever looking back.

The days and nights blurred together, and Oliver remained chained to the wall. He had long lost strength in his legs and had collapsed to his knees.  His arms were pulled by the chains, the metal cutting into his skin until the blood ran down his arms.

He cursed the ending of his Kardos family and lamented the oncoming storm the kingdoms would have to face. How much suffering will the civilians endure because of a monster like Piers?

Why did he start searching for the Anima Wish? Was power really worth this price?

At the same time, he admonished himself for his complacency over these years.  He was a fool to trust Ewen.  His desire to protect his little brother was just the foundation for a trap. 

His cell's silent days and nights forced him to relive his past. He truly realized how blind he was and chided himself when imagining what life would have been like if he had done things differently. 

He should have been grateful for the annulment of his engagement with Piers.

He should have gone home to Wynter right away.

He should have trained to be a better soldier and stepped into his uncle's shoes sooner.

He should have...

...He should have...

A chilling cold laugh broke him from his thoughts, and he jerked his head up, glaring at the shadows.

"Who the hell are you?" He growled.

"An observer... and an associate to others." The man's voice was metallic and bone-chilling.

Oliver turned his head towards the sound, and his violet eye narrowed as a hooded figure walked out of the shadows.

"You've endured longer than I ever expected, Son of Kardos."

"What do you want?" Oliver said darkly as he struggled to his feet.

The man laughed again and held up a hand, slowly closing it into a fast. "Everything I want is already in my grasp."

Oliver's face darkened as he noticed a tattoo on the man's hand—a bear's head with a crown, just like the sigil on those soldiers from before.

"Anima's Wish will be made, and the sealed magic will be unleashed to the world." The man continued, ignoring the anger flashing on Oliver's face. The man cocked his head a little. "You must hate that your life will be forfeited due to your ex-fiance's lust for power."

"I was engaged to him when we were children. I have no lingering attachments to him." He sighed. "And it's not my life I'm concerned about."

Another laugh from the man as he came close to Oliver.  However, his hood was still low.  He grabbed Oliver's shoulder.

"Magic, dragons, and wishes all exist in this world. This also includes the Oracles' prophecies."

Oliver sighed. "I have heard enough nonsense in this prison. I don't need to listen to it anymore."

"Your ex-fiance mentioned the oracle who foretold where the final piece of the Anima Wish.  The same oracle passed on a prophecy to my ancestors... The crowned bear will only rise if the Sword of Moonlight and Dragons fall."

He rubbed the tattoo on his hand. "As you can imagine, this was a difficult feat for my small clan. But now, the dragons are extinguished, and the Kardos clan will meet its end... soon, I will be able to rise."

Oliver shook. If the Kardoses were the Swords of Moonlight, then the dragons were obviously the Lyrells.  Did this mean that Draco was not a Lyrell... or was he dead? He felt a terrible ache in his chest as he imagined Draco's cold and bloodied body lying lifeless on the battlefield.  Draco was never supposed to die—Oliver's death should have shielded him.

Oliver closed his eyes, masking his pain, and took a deep breath to control his emotions.

"The Lyrells and Kardoses will always overshadow you. Even if we are all dead, you will only be a shell of what we were."

"Oliver Kardos. No—Ghost. I want to be clear; I fucking hate men like you. I have endured you for decades, watching your every move. I am relieved to be rid of you." The man's dug his fingernails into Oliver's shoulder, making him bite back a groan.

"Why keep me alive then?" Oliver asked through gritted teeth.

"Personal reasons."

Oliver gave a tight laugh. "I think you're actually frightened of me."

"Yes, I am.  So you must die so I can enter this new era with ease."

Oliver shook his head. "You're too late. Piers has all the pieces and has probably already made his wish."

The man laughed and held out a white stone sitting around his neck. "He thinks he has all the pieces. Taking the remaining four in his possession is a simple matter."

Oliver didn't know if he should be relieved that Piers didn't have all pieces or worry about this new threat. 

"So... you will betray Piers and steal the dragon heart pieces. When I die, and you have your magic, what then? What about the other kingdoms?"

"When all obstacles are cleared, I will take over the Bierze kingdom, and my people will be able to live on the surface again."

"Then realize your dream sooner rather than later.  Kill me now and make you cursed wish."

"So eager to die? I want to relish the ending of the last Kardos remnant." He laughed again. "Die in the manner I wish, and I will support a peaceful era on the continent."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Even if you are skeptical, I will hold up my end of the bargain nonetheless. If you die in a way I do not approve of, I promise to turn this continent upside down.  I will rip it apart at the seams.  The first place I will destroy is the north—I will ravage the lands and people of Wynter first and then the pathetic scraps of Rucrea.  No one will escape."

Oliver remained quiet.  He didn't believe this man would uphold his promise of peace, but he would most definitely create more suffering.

The man's shoulders trembled with laughter. "So this is how you tame a ghost?" 

He patted Oliver on the face, and Oliver jerked away. "Fuck you."

The man stepped back and started to leave the cell. "Die well, Ghost."