1180 Giant Garden
Veritas received billions of re-watches on their interview with the anonymous kidnapper. Their boldness to broadcast such a thing was admired by many, but most knew that it would not come without consequences.
And as expected, the Yalen King condemned the channel, calling for its ban and the arrest of its members for promoting terrorism and misinformation. Furthermore, legal and military action would be taken against the channel after the execution is seen through.
Public opinion swayed between supporters of the channel and the union. Some said that the channel was looking for their fifteen minutes of fame, while others praised them for showing both sides of this incident.
No one could deny the great impact this interview had on the world and the fate of Yalen. The façade of peace was torn apart by the words of a single enigma who appeared out of nowhere, taking the world by storm.
In a single night, he became the most wanted criminal in the Yalveran Union. The search for the missing prince became the obsession of every knight in the union, turning it upside down.
As for the culprit responsible, he was cooking while listening to some music. The prince disturbed his peace every now and then with his screams, but Oriole did not care and continued crafting his favorite dish, a cassoulet.
The aroma spread with his singing hums, elevating his mood further. Oriole spent several hours preparing it and several more waiting. During his wait, he opened his laptop and monitored the situation in Yalen.
As he suspected, the entire kingdom was in an uproar after the interview. News about the runic army being deployed to look for the prince flooded throughout the web. Oriole was not concerned about being caught, though.
His small cabinet was far from Yalen, situated right between Halin and Janea. There used to be a city here that disappeared in a mana explosion under mysterious causes. The mana-rich environment made plants overgrow, creating a giant garden.
In this chaotic and bizarre place, Oriole was confident that he would not be found. However, he knew that there is no real escape from the eyes of seers, so he took extra measures including illusion arrays, spatial separations, and mana negation.
After he was done eating, Oriole walked to Prince Caleb, who was done struggling. He removed the clothes that prevented him from speaking, and the prince just stared at him with a blank gaze. Oriole was intrigued.
"You look calm, Caleb."
"Because I saw the future."
"Am I fighting against an omniscient god?" muttered Oriole as he looked at the scenery outside his cabinet.
A forest covered with fog, with plants as big as skyscrapers. These plants should have been just one foot tall, at most, but they have grown to monstrous sizes because of the infinite mana in this place.
The mana explosion that wiped out the city turned this place into a huge crater, before plants and life bloomed inside, turning it into a valley. Oriole looked at the vast expanse of green but refused to be fooled by the peaceful scenery.
Monsters lurked in this place, far more powerful than any other place in the world. Because of the rich mana, these monsters evolved into terrifying creatures. However, their numbers dwindled as one consumed the other, until there were only three monsters inside this Giant Garden.
Giant Garden was the name given to this place because the plants you find here were those that grow in small gardens but with absurd sizes. Oriole came across this place in his search for temporal fissures, which was the reason that he left his safe haven.
"I think that... my time is up," said Oriole as he pulled his coat tighter. "I must send the signal to everyone in Alka. Arthur will not only fight a god but the six families behind its summoning."
The cabinet was situated atop a giant leaf, which was several meters thick. Oriole built his cabinet knowing that he would be safe in this place, even if it was atop a giant leaf. As he walked toward the stem of the giant flower, his mind raced with thoughts.
Giant Garden was a place of wonders but also great dangers. The reason that Oriole placed his cabinet here, atop this leaf, was the temporal fissure that appeared in this place after the explosion. It appeared right beneath this flower at the center of the valley.
Oriole chose this temporal fissure because it was the only stable one on Earth. The others might close at any moment, making traversing them almost impossible, let alone creating hidden relics in Alka to create an army of supporters.
Earth was against Arthur because of the seven families. There is too much politics in this world for Arthur to affect it, but Alka was different. Oriole knew more about Alka than Earth, making his existence in this world feel like a mismatch.
A metallic plate was situated at the end of the leaf, which Oriole boarded. After activating the runes engraved on the plate, it hovered and began descending to the ground. This was another one of his creations to facilitate this moment.
The temporal fissure was a giant gap in space, with whirling mana inside that created the link between the two worlds. Oriole could feel its threatening force as the plate landed tens of meters away from the fissure.
No life could grow close to this fissure, which used to be the center of the mana explosion. The reason that it appeared was that explosion itself. That catastrophe killed an entire city, but it became the greatest asset for the alchemist.
"I did things without consulting you, Arthur, because I know that you would refuse," said Oriole as he looked at the fissure. "I, however, had to use the temporal fissures to create a prophecy for a better world. You would hate me, right?"