Meanwhile, the day before:
After the Dark Prince was outed from the Dragorn,
the Dark Brothers sat together on the right side of the throne room, while the Dark Queen, their mother, sat on the left.
The oldest brother stretched, both arms crossed above his head. His dark black eyes—iris and oval pupils—softened, returning to their original relaxed shape. A subtle sigh escaped his nose, and a bead of sweat shimmered faintly along his temple.
"I hope everything works well for that boy."
The second and third brothers exchanged glances, their relaxed, oval-shaped dark pupils tracking slightly before shifting to their older brother.
The second brother raised his right arm slightly in front of him, curiosity written on his face and brows lightly raised.
"Both of us didn't expect that."
"Yeah, dropping him midair while there's a pretty huge event is crazy, not gonna lie dude," the third brother added, both of them sounding slightly unconvinced.
"And—especially after hanging us both outside earlier… for hours," the third brother said quietly, almost whispering.
The oldest brother's head turned slightly, his pupils narrowing into slits.
"What?!" he asked, his tone mildly firm.
"Eh—what, what? Nothing! What? Whoa, the wind here sounds different than our homeland, eh?! Haha… haha…" the third brother stammered, his voice uneven.
His eyes darted briefly before he forced a laugh, clearly trying to brush it off. His pupils shrank into constricted ovals, a faint nervous tension flickering across his expression.
"Big brother, are you really sure we can let that young dude travel alone though?"
The second brother tilted his head slightly, one brow raised while both arms rested comfortably on his lap.
At the skeptical tone, The oldest brother closed his eyes and crossed his arms, his expression tightening slightly. Silence followed briefly.
Then, suddenly, he opened his eyes again.
"Well, it's just a last-minute plan we planned like, what? Yesterday or something?"
His eyes drifted upward and his brows lifted slightly as if trying to recall the rushed decision.
Suddenly, the Dark Queen—who had been silently listening with her eyes closed—entered the conversation.
"Don't worry much. Your little brother ain't a kid anymore."
The second and third brothers turned toward her voice.
She continued, her tone composed and subtle.
"He's athletic himself. Though he acts immature and unreliable, at the very least, he's able to be reliable to himself. Luckily, we have the gliding tools thingy, and Mom also packed the necessaries for him."
The second brother furrowed his brows briefly, while the third brother looked slightly confused, their mouths twitching faintly.
"Uhh, heh… haha…"
"Pfftt, only able to be reliable to himself is diabolical lol," said the second brother, glancing at the third.
The Dark Queen cracked her right eye open, peeking at them with a serious gaze, then shifted into a smirk.
"Yeah, luckily the 10-year-old smart kid back then was generous enough to lend us his creation."
The brothers gave small, synchronized nods.
"Hmm hmm," they hummed in agreement.
"What a talent," said the oldest brother.
"Couldn't believe for such a young one," said the third brother.
"If only our little bro locked in when he was at that age, he probably could've joined the kid," said the second brother.
Then, realization struck them. Their eyes, which had been momentarily closed, suddenly shot open. Their pupils contracted into sharp slits in sync.
"Wait… 10 years ol— Mom, WHAT?"
Their voices rang out in unison, eyes wide in shock.
The Queen, nonplussed, looked at all three of them with rounded pupils and a calm face.
"What…?"
_________
Back in the Dark Royalty home island, the Dark Acolyte stood in a dimly lit room resembling an ancient library. He was intently analyzing the cryptic script of a spell, eyes focused—his pupils rounded and dilated to let in more light as he read carefully.
Before him was the same spell used on the fourth brother, the last son of the Dark Royalty family—the Last Dark Prince—to disguise his physical appearance into a girl-like form.
His eyes, like all Dark Humans, were completely black with shifting pupils. But unlike the others, the ring around his pupils shimmered a distinct bright green.
(Acolyte's thought)
The language of the rest of this spell, including the description, the effect and its information are really hard to read— Is it ancient language? How ancient are we talking here?
The Acolyte turned back toward the pile of scrolls, searching through them until one caught his attention—a different spell.
(Acolyte's thought)
Hmm. It actually is different than the rest of the spell.
Wait, is this another similar spell? This one… it's readable, and wait, this is actually kinda the same as what the Youngest Dark Prince needed?
Yeah, this is it! Disguising to another form as intended… Huh, but this one is not as complicated and complex looking compared to the one that was casted on the Dark Prince.
Yep, this one can be read by a kid. But this one? Not even I can comprehend its complexity properly…
Sighed.
How did I not know this… Hmm, does Gramps perhaps understand this?
Suddenly, a blank book with unmarked covers on the Acolyte's desk began to glow intermittently, almost like a call.
(Acolyte's thought)
Oh, what a timing.
Noticing the flickering light, the Acolyte moved closer and opened the book.
Out of nowhere, black-and-white sketches of an elderly man's face rapidly formed on the page—his eyes closed, the lines of his expression calm. A voice accompanied the image, slightly muffled but still audible.
The sketched face began as relaxed, then subtly redrew into a soft smile.
"Hey, how are you there? It's been a while, hasn't it?"
As the words appeared on the opposite page, the Acolyte's face shifted—slightly surprised at first, then softened, his pupils relaxing into their natural oval form.
"Hail, Grandfather. I am well—naught but a bit of extra toil this day, as is oft the case for one of the few Acolytes who serveth our Royalty."
(Hey grandpa, I'm fine. Just a little extra work today like usual as one of the only Acolytes of our Royalty.)
The sketched eyes of the elder opened gently, the expression redrawn as the previous words dissolved.
"Come on… No need to be such formality."
The Acolyte shifted his gaze to the cluttered desk, beginning to tidy the area—moving tools, stacking books, and clearing the workspace.
All the while, a soft smile lingered on his face.
"Hmmm?… What shall I do, Gramps? That's just the rule for the Acolytes of the Royalty."
"I'm sure you acknowledge this too, right? It's not like it wasn't you who taught me all of these…"
The drawing morphed again—this time into a smirking, amused version of the old man, chuckling quietly. The previous words dissolved away.
"Well, you awaken a really long memory, haha! It's been a really long time, huh."
While still managing the final bits of the mess, the Acolyte took a quick glance at the book, his gaze mildly mischievous. His pupils, relaxed and slit-shaped, gleamed with a playful glint.
"Ohh… Did I reinforce those dusty old memories, Gramps? Kidding…"
The grandpa's face redrew into a more intense expression—old in appearance, yet brimming with youthful conviction.
"Of course not! I never said anything about forgetting. I still remember them! You just made it more clear."
Now packing his things in the back of the room without facing the book, the Acolyte replied, his tone casual.
"Yeah, Gramps! Surely you didn't forget them… SURE I believe you."
The grandpa chuckled faintly in the background as the Acolyte wrapped up.
"Oh, by the way Gramps, guess what? I'll be coming home today," said the Acolyte, walking back toward the book.
"OHH REALLY?! TODAY? NOW?!" the old man's voice erupted with excitement, the sketch showing wide, rounded pupils.
"Uh— not NOW, but today, yeah—" the Acolyte replied softly, his eyes resting gently on the glowing sketch of his excited grandfather.
"BABY! MASSIVE NEWS!" shouted the grandpa.
A new additional sketch appeared—this time the grandpa turning his head back, and behind him, a surprised old woman, the grandma, entered the frame. Her pupils were oval and constricted, her expression shocked.
"B–Baby? Oh my, Grandpa what are you on? It's been ages since you called this old woman that," said the grandma, her face redrawing with a faint blush. She placed her left hand gently against her cheek, eyes relaxing before closing with a soft smile.
"OUR LITTLE BOY WILL BE RETURNING. TODAY," the grandpa declared joyfully.
"Ha? Really?! I'll be cooking his favorite foods then!" said the grandma, her pupils dilating with happiness as she laughed softly.
The Acolyte's oval pupils dilated as well, his cheeks coloring with slight embarrassment.
"Eh?!— Gramps, I'm in my early thirties, I'm not a little boy anymore."
The grandpa paused, then turned back toward the Acolyte. His expression redrew once more—calm, with relaxed eyes.
"Yeah boy, SURE, you're not a little boy anymore! We surely believe you."
The Acolyte looked down at the page, his expression shifting into a mild deadpan. His pupils slightly constricted.
"Uhhh… Oh bye Gramps, meet you later, the book's energy power is low ta-ta, bye bye."
He closed the book, ending their call, followed by a quiet sigh.
He then turned toward the spell scroll—the one with the Dark Prince's enchantment—and carefully picked it up. He slid it into his bag, extinguished the light source, closed the door behind him, and locked it.
With one last glance back to the door, the Acolyte walked away from the it to return home.