The more numerous Serpent Guard began to slaughter the Cleric Knights. Men and women alike screamed and tried to flee the hall. Serpent Guard tried to rush Benedict and the Arch-Cardinal, with only a small line of Cleric Knights holding them. Sir Terrance looked around, confused. Jacquez tried to rush Queen Cecila to safety while Francisco used his spear to cut down the oncoming Cleric Knights. Although the Crown Prince preferred to spend his days drinking and partying, he was still a formidable fighter trained by some of the best knights in the kingdom. The Serpent Guard standing guard outside the Great Hall rushed in as they heard the sound of conflict. Benedict could no longer see his mother, but he saw Jacquez wielding the axe of a fallen knight to great effect. His strikes were brutal and quick, splitting through muscle and bone.

The Arch-Cardinal's eyes had gone wide. This was not supposed to have happened. She was escorted to safety by two Cleric Knights. Benedict picked up the bastard sword of a fallen Cleric Knight and faced the oncoming Serpent Guard. The knights were reluctant to hurt him, for he had bonded with many of them in training grounds of Navitium, but they knew their oaths. Benedict evaded the thrust of a partisan, grabbed the shaft of the polearm and jerked the knight, a man named Corbin, forward before stabbing him in the back of the knee. At unnatural speeds, Benedict spun and half-sworded to block a high thrust from a longsword. He twisted and threw the blade to the side before thrusting his sword into the knight's groin. Flemming's groin. The knight collapsed to the ground, screaming and holding his bleeding crotch. Benedict felt bile building in the back of his throat. He tried to look for Angelica or the Duchess Lilliana but could not find them.

The floor was littered with bodies.

Blood made the steps leading up to the platform slick. Rivers of blood flowed through the hall with dozens of tributaries. Benedict spotted the Lord Constable rallying with a group of Serpent Guard, cutting a bloody swath through the remaining Cleric Knights. He noticed Francisco and Jacquez make a gory path to Benedict, leaving so many bodies in their wake.

They were losing.

"Stop," Benedict whispered. "Stop. Stop!" Louder. "Stop!" Not loud enough. "STOP!" His voice amplified tenfold by... something.

Yet still, he was ignored.

Then, Francisco reached him.

The Crown Prince was in a bloody craze. The spear he wielded was covered in blood, from blade to shaft. "MY CROWN!" he raged. And he charged.

Benedict held his sword at the ready. He deflected three rapid thrust of the spear before trying to grab the shaft on the fourth thrust. But Francisco was quick, he threw the blade of the spear to the ground and tried to swipe at Benedict's feet. Benedict jumped at the last moment, evading the swipe. He landed and twisted to block an overhead cut from the axe of Jacquez.

His blade shattered under the cut.

The shards of steel left a nasty cut running down his cheek. Momentarily blinded, he could do nothing except try to dodge the thrust he sensed from Francisco. He managed to avoid a fatal thrust and instead received a spear to the thigh. Benedict cried out in pain.

Where was he guardian angel now?

Here, she said in the back of his mind. I'm always here. Reach out, Benedict. Reach out.

He tried to reach out. How feeble he must've looked.

"You tried to steal my crown, brother," Francisco spat. "Well, these are the ramifications. Look."

Benedict looked.

Count Jovan was barely fending off the Serpent Guard. The Cleric Knights had been overwhelmed and were lying dead on the floor. The blood of nobles filled in the gaps on the floor where there were no bodies. Men and women alike had not been spared. There, Benedict spotted the Duchess Florjes and Angelica. They were bent over a body. A corpse. He squinted to see better.

He wished he hadn't done that.

It was the corpse of Myeria.

The Serpent Guard came to drag them away.

Reach, Benedict. Reach!

How? he cried. How do I reach?

Reach.

"You will not steal my crown. My kingdom," his brother continued. "The whole kingdom will hear of how Francisco Navíste, King of Sersalvon, Duke of Lusitania, and Lord of Lux Aestius, fended off his greedy brother's coup. My reign shall be marked by glory!"

"You'll let the kingdom fracture," Benedict coughed. "Just like father."

Francisco spat in his face. "And now you speak badly of our late father. Just after you accused our uncle of sleeping with our mother. Just after you tried to claim my throne. How low can you go, Benedict?"

"You'll let the kingdom fracture. I couldn't let that happen."

"Perhaps because you wanted to break it with your own hands?" Jacquez said mockingly. "Enough. Finish him."

Francisco called to one of the Serpent Guard and ordered him to kill Benedict. It was Sir Terrance. The old knight stepped over Benedict. He hesitated, but then gave Benedict an apologetic look and raised Steelheart to finish him off.

And Benedict reached.

He reached with his body, his mind, and his soul. He reached for his kingdom, a unified kingdom. He reached for the Sersalvon of his dreams. A shining Light of the Caraíbes Isles. He reached for Heaven. He reached for the only thing he had truly wanted his entire life.

And a poleaxe appeared in his hands.

As soon as his hand touched the shaft, everyone in the Great Hall was blasted back, thrown off their feet by an invisible wave of energy. Blue, mystical flowed up and down the poleaxe. Angelic runes grafted into the shaft were filled with that faint blue light. The blade of the poleaxe was as light as a feather. It was almost like a breath of air.

It was Juliana's poleaxe.

Benedict looked down at himself and saw that his entire body was glowing. And he was floating. Above him, the Rune of Mikkael gave off an Angelic light.

"What is this," he whispered to himself.

"It's the Aether." It was Juliana! The Angel of Leadership floated next to Benedict in all her glory. He wondered if the other's could see her. The expression on the angel's face was one of awe, pride, and fear mixed together in one. "It's back. And you are its conduit. You are the Chosen of Mikkael"

Benedict looked at everyone in the Great Hall. They were all groggy from the blast, but when they looked up and saw Benedict and the angel... their jaws all dropped. Reverence was evident in their eyes. The Cleric Knights immediately went to one knee and began to weep. Francisco stammered as he stared at Benedict and Juliana. Jacquez wore an expression of shock and awe.

Benedict felt his feet touch the ground and he held the poleaxe gingerly in his hands. And with newfound confidence, he announced, "I am Benedict Navíste, Prince of Navitium and Heir to the Serpent Throne. Protégé of Juliana, Angel of Leadership, and the Chosen of Mikkael! I will unify this kingdom. I will forge it anew!"

Sir Terrance looked as if he was not sure if he should kneel in reverence or scream in terror. That sentiment seemed to be present in the entire room.

"Lies! Devilry! Tricks!" Jacquez screamed. "Sir Terrance, remember your oath and slay this daemon for the good of your Crown Prince."

All that was evident in Sir Terrance's eyes was fear. "I-I..."

"Be decisive, Terrance," Benedict said to him.

Tears formed in Terrance's eyes. "I... uh..." Before he could make a movement, his head was relieved from his body by the axe of Jacquez. Benedict had no time to think as the body of his childhood mentor fell to the floor with a wet thud!

"Fine. I'll do it myself," said Jacquez scathingly. He gave a mighty swing.

Benedict promptly sliced his axe in two, leaving Jacquez with only half a shaft.

"Angelic steel," was all he said before he felt himself move.

It was as if Benedict touched the Aether that surrounded him. He felt his body revitalize and the wound in his thigh closed. Something inside him tugged and he raised his arm and blasted Jacquez away. He stared at his hand, trembling.

What have I become?

An Aetherwielder, Juliana answered.

The Lord Constable rushed over to the groaning Jacquez and ordered his men to pick him up. The Lord Constable stared at Benedict, doubt laced in his irises. Francisco hurried over to the Constable, not wishing to confront Benedict after what he had just witnessed.

"Retreat!" the Lord Constable ordered. A good portion of the Serpent Guard hesitated and some did not even budge. The remaining loyal few pushed their way out and into the palace halls.

"After them!" The Duchess of Mercenaries commanded. "We cannot let them escape!"

"It... it's too late," Benedict countered. "The blood of many noble families has been spilled today. We have made enemies of many." He looked around. "W-where is the Arch-Cardinal."

"That's not important right now." Angelica stood up, her bloody face was laced with the paths of tears. "We have to go... there was a knight who said there was a Florjes army outside." How could she do that? The corpse of her sister lay but a foot away from her, still cooling.

The knight who delivered the news stepped forward. He was one of the Serpent Guard who had decided not to follow the Constable. "Yes. I estimate five-thousand Veroñan soldiers and knights wait outside across the two-thousand royal troops."

Benedict glared at Lilliana. She knew. She knew what would happen today. She planned it.

What's in it for her? he asked himself.

"My son, Inejgo, is leading the vanguard, which is what you saw. My husband, Martyn, leads an extra fifteen thousand men, along with siege equipment. Carlos, my eldest, leads a fleet of fifteen galleons, thirty frigates, and over fifty galleys. He will sail to the Bay of Pythons and will blockade Navitium," the Duchess of Mercenaries announced.

Thirty-five thousand men in total.

"W-where..." Benedict stammered.

The Duchess gave a smile with no mirth. "I'm the Duchess of Mercenaries, remember. Men from all over the Caraíbes and beyond are indebted to me."

The Florjes had come to make war.

Count Jovan fell into a bout of laughter. "It seems that while the rest of us were busy gobbling each other up, Veroña was building a kingdom." Jovan snorted. "Well, I was going to say that I have three-and-a-half thousand men mobilized and ready to move. But I see the Duchess of Mercenaries has that covered."

"Your troops will be a helpful addition," said Lilliana.

"We could sweep the kingdom," Benedict said quietly.

"What was that, Your Majesty?" Jovan asked.

Benedict looked at Angelica who was staring at her mother. The Thorn of Florjes had hurt in her eyes when she looked at her mother. And Benedict understood her. The Duchess knew all along. She had planned everything. And it had cost Angelica her sister. Yet still, Lilliana continued forward, showing little to no weakness.

"I said that we should discuss this outside," he answered, raising his voice.

Jovan frowned. "But, Your Majesty―"

Benedict raised a hand to cut him off. "I'm sorry, but I'm not a king yet. And look around you; dozens of bodies lay drenched in blood. First, we must take care of the dead and go to Florjes host." He looked out a window. "There does not seem to be a battle, but we shall find out for ourselves. We will discuss this later." He ended with a note of finality and swiftly left the bloody Great Hall.

As soon as Benedict stepped foot outside the Great Hall, he stumbled and fell to the ground, exhausted. Juliana appeared beside him and went down to a knee. "Are you okay, my prince?" It was but a formality, the angel knew what he felt.

"No," he answered. "No, not at all."