Zion was getting angry. "What do you mean you can't fight? Shirone would still win, wouldn't he?"
A man named Arius pushed his glasses up his nose. He spoke in a calm, smart voice. "This isn't about winning or losing. I am a doctor for the mind, not a fighter. Can you really see someone like me using a sword to hurt an eighteen-year-old boy?"
Zion growled, "Then what? You want me to kill him myself?"
Arius smiled a thin, cold smile. "If you are able to do it, that would be best for me."
Zion was very frustrated, but he couldn't make Arius do it. He let out a sharp breath. "Fine. I'll take care of it."
Arius clapped his hands slowly, like he was making fun of Zion. "How brave and princely of you."
Zion had an idea. "But I won't get my own hands dirty. We will use a specialist. An assassin named Zenogger."
Zion looked at the empty air behind Arius. Suddenly, Arius felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if ghostly fingers were touching him. He forced a nervous laugh. "How creepy. I'm almost too scared to look behind me."
Just then, a man dropped down from the ceiling, hanging upside-down right in front of Arius! He was very skinny, with a sharp nose and lips as thin as paper cuts. But the scariest part was his eyes—they were perfectly round and looked very, very unnatural.
The hanging man spoke in a flat, boring voice. "You called for me, Your Highness."
Zion gestured. "This is my personal guard, Zenogger. Zenogger, this is Arius."
Zenogger, still hanging upside-down, turned his head to look at Arius. "We have met before. I have been watching you often. But this is our first proper introduction."
Arius's smile became weak. He realized Zenogger had probably been hiding in the shadows, watching him for a long time. "That's amazing stealth! Where were you hiding?"
Zenogger answered, "Hiding? I have been standing right behind you this whole time."
Arius's eyes narrowed. He was starting to believe it. Then, something even stranger happened. The skin on Zenogger's temples bulged, and six new eyes popped out! Now he had eight eyes in a cluster, looking in every direction. He was a shapeshifter, a person who could change his body to be more like a spider!
Zion rubbed his hands together. "Let's make our plan. Zenogger, you will be the one to… take care of Shirone. Once it is done, Arius, you will take the special power he holds, the one called Ataraxia."
Arius nodded. "That will work. But we must be secret. No one else can know."
Zenogger's many eyes seemed to stare through them. "It does not matter. I always work alone. If there are witnesses… I eliminate them all."
Arius held up his hands. "We trust your skills. But there are two girls who are friends with Shirone. One is busy, but the other, Amy, is always near him. She is from the powerful Carmis family, and she could cause problems for our plan."
Zenogger's form seemed to blur. "I will not fail."
Zion put his chin in his hand. "I will take care of Amy. How long do you need to finish the job? An hour should be enough, right?"
Arius raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you have that kind of interest in her?"
Zion just shrugged. "She's pretty. Keeping her busy for a night might be fun."
Arius frowned at the prince's rude words. But he was too excited about stealing the archangel's power to care. "Then we will decide exactly where and when to do it."
The Grand Party
Later that evening, the palace was buzzing with a huge, fancy party. Ministers and nobles were all there to celebrate Crown Prince Candidate Shirone.
A very big man with a loud, booming laugh pushed through the crowd. "Shirone! Sorry I'm late—the lamb stew was too good to leave! I am Ritney Walker, Head of Royal Security!"
His face was old, but his body was strong like a giant's. When he shook Shirone's hand, a bright, powerful light exploded in Shirone's mind! It was a mental attack meant to knock him out. But Shirone's mind was strong, and he shook it off.
Walker looked impressed. "Remarkable! You resisted my Clear technique! I was just testing you for brainwashing. As security chief, it's my job. This palace is a complicated place. Always, always watch your back."
As Walker walked away, Shirone touched his lips. The man's friendly warning reminded him of his friend, Rian.
A Mean Trick
Shirone's friend Amy came over to him. She had special Scarlet Eyes that noticed everything. "I've been watching people," she whispered. "I saw something strange. One group of people never once looked at you."
She pointed her chin toward some officials from the magic ministry. Their leader, a middle-aged man named Aimath Borsun, turned and stared right at Shirone. His gaze felt like ice picks scraping Shirone's skull.
"He is a very powerful, 4th-class mage," Amy warned.
Borsun walked over, carrying a plate of dessert. He smirked. "Greetings. I'm Aimath Borsun. You have the Archangel's power. You will become a great asset to our kingdom." He held out the plate. "Care to try one?"
Shirone's face went pale. He recognized the dessert—chocolate-dusted fresh truffles. They were exactly the same as the poisoned ones that had been served at his family's last meal together!
Rage bubbled inside him. Was this man trying to kill him? No, it was worse. He was just being mean, trying to make Shirone angry and ruin the party.
Shirone's fists clenched. He wanted to punch Borsun right in the jaw. But Amy grabbed his wrist. It's a trap, her eyes said.
Shirone took a deep breath and calmed down. "N-no thank you," he managed to say.
Seeing that his mean trick had failed, Borsun lost interest and walked away with a nasty smirk.
The Plan Goes Wrong
As the night went on, people started dancing. Shirone was dancing with his friend Reina, and they were the most dazzling pair in the whole room.
Nearby, Amy was watching them when Prince Zion approached.
Zion bowed. "May I have this dance?"
Amy didn't want to, but she couldn't say no to a prince. "The honor is mine," she said.
They began to dance. Zion pulled her a little closer. "Relax," he said with a smirk. "No one would dare be rude to you while you're with me."
Suddenly, Amy missed a step. She tried to pull away. "I'm tired. Thank you for the dance."
But Zion's grip tightened on her arm. He leaned in and whispered a terrible threat. "We have captured Vincent and Olina." These were Shirone's parents! "If you don't want them hurt, you will come with me quietly. Don't alert anyone."
Amy's mind raced. Was he telling the truth? She had to play along to keep Shirone's parents safe. She let Zion lead her out of the ballroom, hoping her friend Reina would notice she was gone.
A Friend in Trouble
On the dance floor, Shirone suddenly froze. "Amy just left with Zion..." he said.
Reina looked around. They were gone. She knew something was wrong. Amy would never go with Zion willingly.
Seeing the worry on Shirone's face, Reina made a quick decision. "Go after her," she told him. "I'll handle things here."
"Really?" Shirone asked.
"She's your friend. Hurry!" Reina said.
As Shirone rushed out of the ballroom to save Amy, Reina caught her breath. A scary thought hit her: The only reason Amy would go with Zion is if he threatened someone she cares about.
Realizing the danger, Reina stopped worrying about party rules and started running toward the guest quarters to get help.