Chapter 5

With a sky that was consistently accompanied by dark rainy clouds, Dalawa empire was an evergreen land that stretched from the shores of The Great Eunice Sea in the East to the wide and deep Valley of Elisha in the west. It was characterized by sporadic rainfalls that were unpredictable and seasonless.

In the ancient times, Dalawa empire was the only organised realm in the entire piny, (earth as the planet was then known). It was headquartered in Donerien City, a city that was named after the first Emperor, Donerien Dalawa The Great. Donerien was a green city with forests scattered all over with two main rivers, Violet River and the River of Tears passing through it and pouring their waters into the Great Eunice Sea that bayed into the city, almost cutting it into two equal parts.

The Violet River was named so because of its morning violet colour. It was like a beautiful snake that opened its mouths into the sea and tailed it's back on the tallest mountain on the planet, Mount Masira. It snaked through seven kingdoms, kingdoms that were formerly states within Dalawa empire but became kingdoms after the Royal Rebellion which led to the emergence of other realms.

Before reaching Donerien City, the Violet River meandered her way into the Royal City and three other cities within Dalawa empire. It was one of the most loved and popular rivers in the empire. It was treasured most for its healing attributes. Anybody that bathed in the river in the morning, during its violet hours, was healed of any skin infections.

The River of Tears meandered from a small group of hills called the Hills of HONO. It was the second largest river on the planet, bathing through six kingdoms before reaching Dalawa empire through the Prime City on the border between Dalawa empire and Mukuro kingdom. The Hills of Hono had three gigantic human-like stones that had eyes and mouths just like those of humans. One looked female with some breast-like protrusion on its chest while one looked like an old man carrying a stick. The other gigantic stone looked like a child, an infant to the other two. It appeared like a dead man lying on the floor while the rest looked over him, tears rolling down from their eyes and onto the dead's chest before turning into the River of Tears.

The River of Tears was a consoler. Anyone who was bereaved or emotionally disturbed just needed to immerse him/herself into the river and all the pain or sorrow would be soothed away, no matter the course. It was named the river of tears because of its origin but what it did was the direct opposite of its name, it stopped tears.

Unlike Palawa Kingdom, Dalawa empire had normal days and evenings. The sun could be seen at anytime during the day though the sky was mostly clouded. The evening weather was always calm and the sun seemed to stay longer in the West than in the East, giving the empire a green golden look with birds flying in groups in the sky that made it a routine to clear before the sun went to rest. Even if it would rain immediately the sun went down, the evening sky was always clear, cobalt blue.

The Dalawa Palace was beautiful and both Malin and Revina marveled at her splendour. It was built into a tower that stood at almost two hundred metres tall. The first twenty meters was a silvered pyramid that shone brightly even in the darkest of nights. It's edges looked sharp and serrated and it radiated heat that was hot enough to warm the entire palace that stretched into the cold gas that hovered above one hundred and fifty metres into space.

Above the pyramid was an egg shaped building, built mainly of gold, sitting on top of the pyramid like a ball. From a distance, you could think that it was going to crush on to the seemingly sharp pyramid but the pyramid had a flat open top for it was in the pyramid that the Emperor's private chambers were. The gates of the palace were built just above the pyramid with several stairs constructed from fifty metres away, leading onto a flat ground upon which the six gates were constructed. Each gate was made of diamond and dragon skin with the main gate being made of pure gold like the walls of the egg-shaped palace. It was difficult for any stranger in the palace to locate the main gate even in broad daylight. The palace was spectacular.

Sitting on a throne made of stone and glass, the Emperor rested his arms on the wooden handles of the throne that shone bright from beneath. He was a big, tall man, heavily built and looking older than everyone else in the courtroom. A tough looking man with a rough and menacing face, Micaleaon Ochondrion was an Emperor with every inch of his body. He seemed to Malin like a man who ruled with an iron fist. His palms that he rested on his throne's hands were big enough to hide Malin's two in his one.

Sitting next to him to his left was the empress, dressed in her royal blue gown and wearing a golden crown just like the Emperor's but lacking the seal of authority that was inscribed on the Emperor's in the shape of a dragon. Standing a few feet away and to the Emperor's right was the Prime Minister and other members of the royal Court while another group stood facing them on the other side of the room. Revina and Malin were forced to kneel in the middle of the room, facing the Emperor directly while behind them stood Royal palace guards, armed with swords.

The Emperor rose to his feet and ordered the court opened before sitting back to his throne and summoning the Prime Minister to step forward and present his case.

"My Lord," the Prime Minister began, "this morning the forest guards rescued a girl who was being chased by wolves from the sacred Medan Forest. They brought her to me since the girl declined to give them any reasons for her being in the forest. When I questioned the girl myself, she refused to say anything beyond 'I don't remember'. She had no identifications on her and her accent is foreign, not from Dalawa." The Prime Minister proceeded and narrated how Malin had also been arrested and arraigned before him and the similarities of his responses to Revina's.

"That's why I brought them before you sire, to force them to say the truth. I believe they are spies and whoever sent them must have given them strict orders not to reveal any informations." He finished and bowed before stepping back to his former position.

"Prisoners," the Emperor began, "you know it's illegal to enter the sacred Medan Forest yet you were found in it, is that true? And if so, why were you there? Let me remind you, lying to the Emperor is considered an insult and treason to the throne and the punishment is death." He warned menacingly as he finished, directing his gaze at Malin.

The mention of treason and death seemed to have jogged Malin and Revina's memories and they started to remember, though slowly, vividly what had happened.

"I'm sorry sire, we didn't know about the law that outlawed entering the forest," Malin replied and immediately remembered the name of the girl next to him as Revina, the princess of Palawa Kingdom. "Like I told the Prime Minister before, we are from Palawa Kingdom and the girl next to me is the princess of Palawa, Princess Revina and the only daughter of Queen Cindy." Malin explained as more memories began to become clear.

"Where is this Palawa Kingdom?" The Emperor asked indifferently.

"It's still confusing sire but I don't remember leaving the kingdom to anywhere which makes me wonder how we could have ended up here, in Dalawa empire."

"My Lord," the Prime Minister intervened, " there is no kingdom by that name, not even to the furthest kingdoms of the west. I have done my research on my way here and couldn't find anything about the alleged kingdom. It just doesn't exist, my Lord."

"Maybe it doesn't exist in this your dimension," Revina responded, remembering the last few hours before everything went dark. "I'm sorry Emperor for speaking without your permission but I believe we are not from this dimension sire..."

"What nonsense is that!" The Prime Minister interjected rudely.

"What happened is beyond my compression too sire but the truth," Revina responded calmly.

The Emperor looked at Revina fixedly, trying to understand the unfathomable assertion that there could exist more than one dimension. The Prime Minister laughed at the assertion just like the rest of the members of the Royal Court, all except for the Emperor and the Empress. The Empress looked at Malin, tenderness flowing through her gaze, making Malin feel warm and almost comfortable. He had fully regained his composure and courage. He was a soldier, not a coward. Whatever it was that was going to happen here, he was going to fight through it. Revina turned her head and looked at Malin, remembering how he had defended her against his own father, Nicholas. She dragged her knees to move closer to him and whispered, "thank you for saving my life," into his ears. Malin looked at her and nodded welcome to her and continued looking straightforward at the throne.

"What are you saying young girl?" the Emperor finally asked.

"Are you Emperor Micaleaon Ochondrion, sire?" Malin asked politely

"How dare you call the great Emperor by his name you..." The Prime Minister retorted angrily.

"Stop!" The Emperor interrupted him

"I'm sorry sire, I just can't stand the insolence of these fools who..."

"I said stop Makiaus. The question was addressed to me." Turning to Malin, "yes, I am he."

"Then what the princess says is the truth sire," Malin replied, rising to his feet and almost being sliced into two by a guard who was standing behind him had the Emperor not intervened and ordered the guard back.

"Go on." The Emperor ordered

"I am Malin Ocholla, son to Nicholas Ocholla who until last night was a normal human being..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Last night, sire, my father transformed into a monstrous beast I have never seen before and claimed his name was Nicadeaus Ochondrion, the second in line to the royal throne of Dalawa empire, from the lower dimension. He also added that he was a fugitive from his father, Micaleaon Ochondrion, the Emperor of the great Dalawa empire."

The entire courtroom calmed into a quiet and silent noise. Nicadeaus' name was never mentioned in the palace. The Emperor had decreed that anyone who mentioned that name in the palace would be put to death by hanging. Mentioning that name was considered a profanity against the Emperor from that day on and nobody dared to provoke the Emperor that much by mentioning Nicadeaus' name. What dumbfounded them even more was the preposterous claim by Malin that he was the son of Nicadeaus yet for thirty years no woman in Dalawa empire had given birth. All women had been barren, not conceiving. All sorts of magic had been tried to make them fertile but no magic succeeded. The population was fast declining due to numerous wars that had characterized the streets of major towns as a few royal members challenged the Emperor to relinquish power to his younger brother, Prince Mamadu, since he had no heir of his own.

The Emperor rose from his seat and walked towards Malin as the empress followed closely behind. The Emperor's eyes were glaring dangerously with anger, throwing Malin off balance, not knowing what to make of the Emperor's murderous glare. Revina stood up and put her left hand on Malin's back. If the Emperor was going to kill him, he was going to kill them both. The Emperor drew out a sword and aimed at Malin's throat but the empress held his hand back.

"Calm down my Lord, calm down," the empress pleaded with with him. "He is just a boy who is is trying to save his skin my Lord."

"Did you hear what he just said, Regina, did you?" The Emperor questioned the empress angrily.

"Yes my Lord, I heard what he said clearly and it's very unfortunate. However, my Lord, I also noticed that none of what he said is false. I can't ascertain whether what he said is true either."

"Come on empress, for over thirty years no woman has given birth in the entire Dalawa empire so just explain to me how this idiot could be that..that thing's son."

"That would be impossible my Lord. The boy is only twenty five years old my Lord and he can't possibly be Nicadeaus's son. However, he claims they are not from this dimension which I find improbable but if true could explain the possibility of him being Nicadeaus' son."

"So what are you saying my lady, that you believe that nonsense of two dimensions? That's preposterous."

"No sire, I don't believe there are two dimensions but I can't find that assertion from them as false either."

"Oh Regina! Regina! Regina! What has gotten over you, huh?"

"I'm sorry my Lord but I think you need to bring in the Oracle to compel the truth out of them. So far I can't even read their minds sire, despite the numerous attempts I have made."

Regina, the empress consort of Dalawa empire was a powerful mind reader who could predict the exact words one was going to say and in what tone. She could tell when one was lying or telling half truth or concealing an information by just looking at one's eyes and could compel one to tell the truth by looking at one's eyes, causing an earthquake in one's heart that can only be stopped by telling the truth. She also had the power to determine the ages of everything including plants, animals and human being. However, in the case of Malin and Revina, the only thing she could tell for certain was their ages. She could neither read their minds nor compel them to say the truth. The Oracle was, however, more powerful and precise than her. What defeated her could not defeat the Oracle.

The Emperor sat back on to his throne, his anger still clearly visible on his screwed face. If it were up to him, the prisoners could be dead already but he never declined the empress' requests. He respected her so much and for all the years they had been together, he had never rejected her request. He could only reason with her but he couldn't outrightly decline her request. Nobody did. The empress was appealing and her golden voice was music to all Dalawans. The people could fail to hear or listen to the Emperor but not to the empress. To them, she was a goddess.

However, calling the Oracle into the courtroom was not a decision the Emperor could make on his own but only with the permission of the royal Court. Sometimes the decision was unanimously made while sometimes it was made through a vote. The Oracle was only allowed into the palace during exceptional circumstances. The empress was not allowed to participate in such debate except when the vote was split into two equals.

"What do you think Makiaus, should we bring the Oracle into this matter?" The Emperor asked the Prime Minister who, just like any other member of the royal Court, had remained silent throughout the entire conversation between the Emperor and the empress.

Clearing his throat and straightening his neck that had been bowed all along, "I don't think that's necessary sire," the Prime Minister responded. "What the prisoners are saying is a very fat lie that should not be accorded such great importance. In my opinion, they are spies, traitors and people who should be put to death for profanity against the Emperor without much delay sire."

"What about you Ariondola? Should we bring in the Oracle or go by what the Prime Minister is saying?" The Emperor asked a man who was standing next to the Prime Minister.

"My Lord, I believe it will do no harm to bring in the Oracle. The prisoners have made very unique allegations that none of us can claim to have knowledge about. It will be beneficial for our future to Know the truth before condemning anybody to death. That's my humble submission sire."

"I agree with the Prime Minister my Lord," a man standing opposite to the Prime Minister responded. "The claims are mere straws that the prisoners are clutching at. We all know that there are no two dimensions neither does a kingdom called Palawa exist. Maybe they are using such claims to bide their time and allow their bosses easy entry into the empire or the city, if they are already in the empire, now that both the Emperor and the Prime Minister are held here in the courtroom."

The debate raged on and on as people opposed and supported, agreed and disagreed. Eventually, a vote was taken and those whose opinions supported the inclusion of the Oracle won by a margin of two votes. The Emperor ordered the Prime Minister to present the Oracle before the court, a decision that didn't sit well with him. Meanwhile, Malin and Revina were placed in a cell within the courtroom, facing the room from the East as they awaited the arrival of the Oracle.

The cell was a square of ten feet, the roof covered with black ceiling, the floor properly tiled with red tiles. It had only one bench that could carry a maximum of three people, a window that looked over the green Royal Garden of Justice. The front of the cell had nothing but metal bars and a door that opened by rolling upwards using a secret password.

"How are you feeling princess?" Malin asked Revina as they sat on the lonely bench next to each other.

"I don't know Malin. I'm too confused to feel anything. What's really happening to us Malin?" She asked as she buried her face into her palms. Malin pulled her closer to him and made her lean her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry about all this princess, I'm just as confused. I wish there was anything I could do to stop..."

"No Malin, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault," she said as she sat straight, looking at Malin tenderly in the eyes.

"It is Revina. If I had stopped Jeremy and Negro from taking you to my fa...to Nicholas, maybe all this could have been avoided."

"Maybe but you don't know that for sure." Pulling her gaze from Malin, she stared hard at the concrete floor of the cell, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"What is it princess?" Malin asked concernedly.

Wiping her eyes with her left hand, "I was...I am very stupid Malin. I got carried away by..." Tears rolled as she stammered over her words.

"No princess, calm down," Malin consoled her as he held her in his arms, rubbing her back with his hand. "It's ok. It's ok. You didn't know so don't beat yourself about it princess, please."

"But I should have known Malin. I should have been more careful and not get carried away by a total stranger's... I am the princess Malin. And now just look at me, just look at us. Please forgive me for putting you through all this, I'm sorry." She looked at him pleadingly.

"You don't have to apologise to me princess, it was my pleasure to help you." Malin replied as he stood and looked through the metal bars that stood between them and the courtroom, seeing no one but a few Royal guards. "If you were the target of Nicholas then you were bound to be caught one way or another so please, don't think there is anything you could have done to prevent what happened from happening."

Revina walked to him, turned him around and wrapped her arms around him into a tight hug. "I will forever be grateful to you for saving my life. You don't know how much I was scared. Whatever happens here, just know I owe you my life, however short it maybe."

"Please princess, don't talk like that. We are going to fight through this, together. I need you to be strong. I'm not going to let them harm you, ok.?"

"No, Malin, they are too many, you can't fight all of them. Besides, even if you manage to defeat them, where will we go, if this is the lower dimension?"

"Don't think about that now princess, just...."

"Don't call me princess please, call me Revina."

"I'm sorry, I respect you too much to call you by your name."

Pulling away from Malin at an arm's length, "respect me? We just met."

"That may be so but I've known you for quite some time now."

"But I don't remember seeing you before so how do you know me?"

Just at that moment, a guard knocked on the door and pushed it open. "You are required in the courtroom now," he ordered and gestured towards the door, his sword in his right hand. Malin and Revina obeyed and led the way into the courtroom where all the royal members were already standing on their usual positions. The Emperor stood a few yards from the throne, talking to a woman with a bump on her back and who Malin assumed to be the Oracle. The empress was already seated in her position, her face expressionless. The prime Minister looked disturbed as if he was very uncomfortable with the presence of the woman he had himself brought to the palace. The Emperor walked back to his seat and motioned the prime Minister to move forward and explain the case to the Oracle.

"Thank you my Lord," the Prime Minister began, "the great Oracle of Dalawa, before you..."

"Stop," the Oracle interjected. "I know what happened here, let me do my job. I'm sorry my Lord but I'm going to do this my own way." She moved closer to Malin and looked at him directly in the eye for a moment, without blinking or winking. Malin stared back, not blinking or winking until he saw his own reflection in her eyes.

The oracle's eyes started turning darker and darker as they kept looking at each other. Malin got surprised when she started to groan as if in pain and tore his gaze from hers, looking around him to check whether the royal members were disturbed by her groaning. The Oracle fell flat on the floor, her eyes bigger than an apple and darker than midnight.

"Who are these people," she asked, apparently writhing in pain. The empress rushed to her aide, putting one arm on her forehead and the other on her tummy. She closed her eyes and murmured inaudibly for a few seconds then stilled for a moment before rising to her feet. The oracle's eyes regained their normalcy, but she was still too weak to stand on her own. The empress ordered two of the guards to help the Oracle to her feet as the entire court stared, profoundly perplexed.

"Who are you?" The Oracle asked Malin who remembered the darkness in her eyes were similar to those of Nicadeaus. He just stood there, Revina in his arms, and said nothing. "Magicians! They are are magicians! They have dark magic." The Oracle screamed.

"Seize them," ordered the Emperor. Magic was never allowed in the palace and using them within the presence of the Emperor was even a bigger crime. Guards surrounded Malin and Revina, swords in their hands. Revina held onto Malin as if her life depended on him, so far it had. The emperor rose to his feet and pronounced his judgement. All the members of the royal Court bowed as the Oracle was led away through the hind door of the Court. The empress stood next to her seat, her eyes locked on Malin and Revina who were already surrounded.

"I have had enough of this," the Emperor began. "Since the prisoners have exhibited no understanding and respect to the throne and the entire empire, disregarding every rule and law of the empire, I hereby pronounce my judgement as follows; one, for illegally entering the forbidden Medan Forest and failing to present any identifications or giving their reasons for committing such treason, they have been sentenced to death by hanging; two, for possessing magic and using it against the great Oracle, draining her powers and for profanity against the Emperor and against a decree that outlawed such act, they have been sentenced to death by hanging. Finally, considering the immense magical powers they just exhibited, they have to be executed today before twilight in the Garden of Justice. Case closed, take them away from my sight."

The Emperor sat back to his throne, stretching his left arm to touch the empress' but she pulled her hand away, clearly disappointed with the Emperor's decision. Everybody bowed and hailed praises on the emperor, applauding him, but the empress just sat there, feigning happinesses and faking a smile.