A moment of silence lingered in the air.
"…Your Highness," Sage Sayfeel whispered. "You think…I want him to die?"
His gaze bored into Rui's eyes.
"…You think I don't want him to live?"
His voice quivered ever so slightly.
"You think his ailment…his fate pleases me?"
He shook his head.
"You are wrong."
He turned to Rui, meeting his gaze.
"It was his will that you ascend the throne."
Rui narrowed his eyes. "I rejected his will."
Sage Sayfeel closed his eyes. "And what will you do when you fail?"
Rui stared at him.
The man opened his eyes. His powerful gaze bored into Rui's.
"…If you fail, will you ascend the throne?"
A moment of silence lingered.
It was deafening.
The two Martial Artists stared at each other.
The air seemed to boil.
It boiled, wrung taut with the weight of the escalating tension.
"…If I agree, will you help me?" Rui's tone was as clear as fresh water. "Can you help me?"
He stared at the Sage with hopeful eyes.
He didn't know what the Martial Sage was capable of.
In truth, he didn't know what Martial Sages, in general, were capable of. He wasn't entirely aware of the extent of the Master Realm's power and certainly knew no firsthand information.
Sage Sayfeel closed his eyes. "Not even the power of the Sage Realm can accomplish what you seek to accomplish within the time limit you seek to."
Resignation overtook Rui.
Yet the Martial Sage wasn't done.
"…The power of the Sage Realm might not be enough, but…" Sage Sayfeel's voice took an upturn. "Power rivaling the Transcendent Realm can delay the Emperor's fate."
Rui's eyes widened with shock. "…What?!"
The air tingled.
It prickled at the skin.
"What do you mean?" Rui whispered.
"The Emperor had refused this option whilst he was conscious, for he deemed it unworthy to use such a powerful resource to merely delay the inevitable, not prevent it," The Sage's voice grew severe. "The Topaz of Time is a Transcendent esoteric substance that possesses the power to manipulate the flow of time."
"What?!" Rui shook where he stood. "Such a thing exists?!"
"It does," Sage Sayfeel affirmed. "It is one of the national treasures of the Kandrian Empire. With its power, the Emperor's fate can be delayed from half a year to five years."
His eyes narrowed. "However, it is not a renewable resource. Once used, it will crumble to dust. Once used, the Kandrian Empire will be deprived of this treasure."
Rui's expression grew grave.
He met Sage Sayfeel's powerful gaze. "…Do you possess the power to deploy this Transcendent resource?"
"…Yes."
"…Is the Emperor more precious to you than this resource?"
"Infinitely."
Not a hint of hesitation could be found in his voice.
"Then…" Rui's voice trailed off as he met the Martial Sage's powerful gaze.
His message was clear.
"You haven't answered my question yet," Sage Sayfeel narrowed his eyes. "What will you do if you fail?"
"I said I'd figure something ou-"
"No." Sage Sayfeel's eyes widened with intensity.
The very air seemed to boil.
Rui felt chills crawl up his skin at the mere gesture.
"Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria."
The Sage's tone grew more intense.
"If you fail…you will do but one thing."
His eyes narrowed.
"You will ascend the throne."
His words weighed down on Rui.
"You will bear the crown."
They weighed down on his body.
"You will become the Emperor of Kandria."
They weighed down on his soul.
Rui's expression grew grave. "…And if I refuse?"
"Then I will not deploy the Topaz of Time to delay His Majesty's fate," The Sage's tone was unshakable. "You will have to watch Kandria burn with the flames of a war that you could have prevented!"
A moment of silence lingered.
The Sage had made his choice clear.
His eyes bore holes into Rui's. "So, Your Highness, what will it be?"
Rui stared at him.
What if he refused the offer?
That would mean he was back to square one, back to where he was before he was when he was struggling to find a suitable candidate for the throne. Looking for a way to ensure that the throne war ended and that whoever sat atop the throne was not an extremist who would throw the Empire that the throne war ended and that whoever sat atop the throne was not an extremist who would throw the Empire into disarray and civil war.
It was a dead-end.
He had tried every option. None of the seven royals possessed the harmony needed to ascend the throne, and none of the other royals possessed the competence to be Emperor or Empress.
He had made his choice, and he was not to ascend the throne.
There was no path forward.
The Kandrian Empire would simply meet inevitable doom.
However, if he accepted the offer and succeeded, then he would be able to undo this mess entirely.
The Emperor of Harmony would be cured by the Divine Doctor.
And everything would return to just as it was.
However.
"…If I fail…" he whispered.
"If you fail, you will become Emperor," Sage Sayfeel stared at him. "That is the cost of my cooperation."
Rui closed his eyes.
Silence lingered in the air.
Sage Sayfeel stared at the Final Prince intently.
It wasn't until Rui opened his eyes, meeting his gaze with determination, that a single word escaped his mouth.
"Deal."
He made his decision.
Should he succeed, he would be able to fix every single problem in his life.
His father would return.
War would be quelled.
His family's peace would not be disturbed.
However, if he failed…
"If I fail…" Rui's voice intensified. "I, Rui Quarrier Kandria, solemnly swear an oath to ascend the throne as the third Emperor of Kandria if I fail to save Emperor Rael's life despite its prolonging with the Topaz of Time."
His voice was clear and honest.
A deep sincerity and earnestness lingered at its core.
Sage Sayfeel could sense that. His Sage-level senses were incredibly powerful, possessing the power to accurately discern Rui's intent.
The truth was evident.
He closed his eyes.
"So be it."
