‭Epilogue‬

‭The Adviser‬
‭&‬
‭The Revolutionist‬
 ‭Epilogue‬

‭For the People.‬

‭ or the Country‬
F
‭For the Revolutionair‬

‭ hose were the three lines that were etched into the dirt-stained wall. A youth lay under the cover of‬
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‭the night, painting the shape of a flower under those phrases. Unfortunately, the darkness could have done‬
‭little to protect him from the lamp’s light that belonged to one of the patrolling guards.‬
‭In a second, the youth was suddenly exposed under the soft golden light of the lamp. He turned‬
‭around, only to be met with the guard, on his high horse and steel sword.‬
‭Without thinking, he grabbed the buck of paint nearby and flung it towards the guard’s head. The‬
‭hurling object startled the horse, causing it to buck and turn in fright and the guard desperately tried to‬
‭stay on. Seizing the moment, the boy ran.‬

‭ eeing the running figure, the guard hollered; “HALT! Right this instant!” and reining in his horse for‬
S
‭control, the guard chased after him.‬
‭Even with the haunting thundering of horse hooves echoing through the still and silent night, the‬
‭youth was confident in his escape. He had run into the clamped alleyways of the street, sprinting swiftly‬
‭across corners, blindly running through the twisting and turning streets that would have proved too much‬
‭of a hiatus for the beast.‬
‭He ran until his legs burned from the strain, his breaths getting heavier and heavier until it was the‬
‭only sound he could have heard if his ears weren’t clogged from the sheer heat running across his body.‬
‭Beads of sweat slowly formed and his heart couldn’t help but beat faster and faster from his run and from‬
‭the sound of the monstrous beast that was about to claim his life.‬
‭The youth didn’t turn around, not even as the sound of the thundering hooves had quietened down. He‬
‭knew that he wouldn’t be safe until he reached his home and hid away like a bear in a cave, but, even‬
‭there, it wouldn’t be safe. He wondered how the guard knew. Which bastard had given up on him? In the‬
‭land of Midas, it was never safe, anything could lead you to your ultimate demise, even if it was a simple‬
‭graffiti.‬

‭ ut he knew it wasn’t a simple graffiti. He knew. That was why he had run, his only wish for living‬
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‭had taken over him and he acted out of sheer impulse. But it was the impulse that let him survive until‬
‭now, if not he would have been dead, long before.‬

‭Finally, he ran until his heart felt like it could have burst into nothing but a distorted flesh of blood‬
a‭ nd gore but he still carried on. He turned around the corner, the end of the twisting alleys, and where a‬
‭large road lay. He only needed to take this road, he had left the chasing guard behind him, long gone.‬
‭Now only he needed was to disappear. Then he would be home, to hide, to rest, and to plan and strike‬
‭again.‬

‭So, of course, you can imagine his surprise when he found a sword to his neck when he came out.‬
 ‭Chapter 1:‬
‭An Introduction To The Adviser‬

‭The bare room shined under the lightened chandeliers,‬‭and in the vast crystal hall stood the Minister‬
‭and Adviser for the Empire of Levos; Alias Nower, and the Ambassador of Mageia; Louris Levangion.‬
‭Louis was a middle-aged man, with brunette hair and glasses that hung from his neck. He wore the‬
‭traditional clothing for the Children of Light, silky fabric with beads of glowing light sewn lightly onto‬
‭the fabric. As the Ambassador for the Kingdom of Light; Mageia, Louris had come down from the far‬
‭south to negotiate a recently broken trade deal with Alias and His Majesty, King Midas.‬
‭It was nightfall and the ghastly white light of the moon pierced through the towering windows. With‬
‭the colorless light, Louris’s already paled face turned even more grim with his thinly stretched smile and‬
‭clouded eyes that sagged like lead in their sockets.‬

“‭ I’m terribly sorry that your stay had gotten this long Ambassador,” Alias apologized. She looked‬
‭apologetically at the middle-aged man beside her with his slipping glasses. She smiled at Ambassador‬
‭Levangoin, to bring back the light in his eyes.‬
‭Louris smiled, but his clouded eyes remained.‬
‭“No, No, it’s alright,” he replied. “I’m just relieved that both sides managed to come to a conclusive‬
‭end.”‬
‭“Yes, indeed. I would like to thank you, Sir Levangion, for your patience,” she said, giving a bow.‬
‭Louris sighed and shook his head.‬
‭“Ah…It’s no big deal Adviser Nower, I was just trying to satisfy both sides, it’s a part of my job after‬
‭all.”‬

“‭ Yes, but I’m still–” Metal boots. It was barely audible, but it was enough for her to hear. Alias‬
‭glanced in front of her. Like she had expected, there was a figure in the distance, running towards them.‬

‭“Excuse me for a second Sir Levangion.”‬

“‭ Adviser! Adviser Nower!” The man yelled, sprinting towards them until the loud clanging of his‬
‭metal boots could be heard. Louris flinched in surprise with widened eyes, he glanced at Alias to see her‬
‭reaction.‬
‭“What is it?” Alias asked. Her voice was stern but neutral, and the smile on her face had been reduced‬
‭to a firm line. The guard glimpsed at Louris but said in a lowered voice;‬

‭“The Black Willow, Adviser.”‬

‭ lias’s face hardened. A small ravine of curves had formed between her eyes and the firm line‬
A
‭deepened. But when Alias turned to Louris, she was smiling.‬
‭“I’m awfully sorry Sir Levangion, it seems that I would have to let you leave unattended. I do‬
‭apologize,” Alias said.‬
‭“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” Louis replied, “You’re busy I naturally understand,”‬
 “‭ Yes, many thanks to you once again Ambassador Levangion,” Alias bowed again in apology and the‬
‭two shook hands as a formal parting.‬

‭ ouris Levangion stood where he was as he watched Alias, the Adviser of Levous depart with the‬
L
‭guard. He watched Alias walk with large strides in her heels, her fiery pink hair swaying back and fro,‬
‭behind her. Even with the gentle manner, Alias had carefully presented to Louris, he could still sense the‬
‭aggression in the walk, the way the heels forcibly clacked against the marble tiles, how her face had‬
‭tightened, and how the sheer distaste that had radiated from her amber eyes. It was brief but it was enough‬
‭to tell Louris more than he needed to know.‬

‭Alias was a woman, yes, but she became Midas’s Adviser for a reason.‬

‭3‬
 ‭Chapter 2:‬
‭In The Night, Lays a Youth‬

‭Those three words were enough for the guards‬‭to bring Alias Nower to the furthermost part of the‬
c‭ apital. Her coming was kept silent. She had ridden a horse instead of the usual carriage that she would‬
‭have taken on a normal occasion. Alias had only worn a cloak to cover her vibrant pink hair of hers.‬
‭Before long, she and the guard had ridden their horses long into the night.‬
‭It wasn’t long before they ended up in the district office. A two-story building that was tucked, not so‬
‭quietly, into the corner of the darkened street. Notably, the street lamps were all off, causing the building‬
‭to be blanketed by a sheet of black that kept it hidden.‬
‭But the light still showed from the moon, so the building was still luminous but barely, and it lay with‬
‭a hint of eeriness. There were no other houses or buildings near the office, a safety precaution that had‬
‭been added recently.‬

‭Alias entered the room with the guard behind her. The door opened and as she entered she was‬
‭unceremoniously greeted by the clustered group of men gathering around the entrance.‬
‭A tall lanky man came in front of Alias and saluted in greeting.‬
‭“Adviser Nower,” he called “A pleasure to meet you.” Alias nodded.‬
‭“And you are?” she asked.‬
‭“Officer Uvack, Adviser.”‬

“‭ You say the person you caught was a part of The Black Willow?” Alias started‬
‭“Yes,” he replied. “I’m sure you’re aware of the recent graffiti that has appeared in the capital‬
‭recently.” He opened his palm, and a scattering of light burst in front of them. Slowly, they gathered and‬
‭formed a vivid image in black and white. Uvack flicked his finger and the image shifted into a white and‬
‭flat surface with only three phrases and a flower, drawn in black, laid on the wall.‬

‭For the Country‬

‭For the People‬
‭ or the Revolutionair‬
F

“‭ They pop out on walls of taverns, pubs, brothels, and some houses in the lower east district,” Officer‬
‭Uvack remarked. He swiped his fingers and the image disoriented and fragmented before slowly forming‬
‭into another. The same message, the same flower, again, on a wall, but now, the picture was taken from a‬
‭different angle, this time from the left side instead of the front.‬
‭“Recently there’s been an increase in the number of graffiti, some had started appearing in more‬
‭public areas, like the market.”‬

“‭ And you’ve caught the culprit?” Alias questioned.‬

‭“Yes” Uvack answered. Alias stared at the image in front of her. Those phrases that were etched into‬
‭the wall had become a common motto The Black Willow had coined to the public. It wasn't long before it‬
‭spread across the Empire until it became treason to even utter the sentence. Alias hadn’t expected The‬

‭4‬
‭ lack Willow to infiltrate the capital so soon. Especially with their forces only located in the far north, the‬
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‭lower-class districts.‬

“‭ Are you sure he’s affiliated with The Black Willow?” Alias asked, looking at the officer. Uvack‬
‭stayed silent, his eyes remain fixated on the image but they had narrowed into small slits.‬
‭“What made you think they aren’t?” U‬

‭5‬