Alessandro had no idea that his return to Ars Pheria would pull him into a tangled web of the Sumer Queens. As soon as he arrived, he found himself seated in the Emperor’s personal chambers, sipping his first Ars Pherian coffee, while listening to a series of unfolding events involving another civilization, the Sumer. The Emperor finally concluded his restless pacing around the room, punctuating his words with the revelation that a Sumer Queen in exile was en route to Ars Pheria aboard a nuclear-powered spaceship.

  Alessandro tried his best to push thoughts of Ava aside, focusing on the Emperor's urgent words. He decided to hold off on bringing up his own story for now. The Emperor, as always, was completely absorbed in the future of the Ars Pherian people, and Alessandro knew it wasn’t the time to distract him with personal matters. It was difficult, even for an Ars Pherian, to fully grasp the events unfolding on both Earth and Ars Pheria in such a short span of time. Yet, Alessandro’s confusion was not merely a result of the rapid pace of change; it was a reflection of the immense emotional and rational transformation he was going through.

  A couple of hours later, Perla and Aurelia joined Alessandro and the emperor in the emperor’s chambers. Alessandro felt a slight sense of relief with his mother and sister present. He shared the details of their journey from California to Cappadocia, but he kept Ava and his illness to himself. For now, all attention was on the exiled Sumer Queen.

  “I don’t think the Queen in exile, what was her name again? Queen Nammu, has any immediate intention to be hostile toward Ars Pheria,” Alessandro said, after gathering his thoughts. “Her main goal will likely be to reclaim her throne. For that, she’ll probably seek Ars Pheria’s support. What she doesn’t realize, though, is that we have no military force to offer. Once she finds out we can't provide any help in that regard, her strategy could shift. She might resort to using her nuclear power as leverage, attempting to force her way to the throne of Ars Pheria, or she may choose to settle here, biding her time until she comes up with another plan to reclaim her crown.”

  The analysis Alessandro presented was essentially a summary of what Sephianos and the five senators had been discussing for days. The Emperor felt a surge of pride and satisfaction, knowing that the crown prince was aligned with his thinking.

  "I agree with Alessandro," he finally said, a note of hope creeping into his voice. The assurance from his son affirmed the soundness of his reasoning. What greater pride could the Ars Pherian Emperor ask for in a time of crisis? He continued, his words still heavy with the reality of their dire situation, but the pride in his tone remained unmistakable. "But unfortunately, I have no solution for how we might navigate this situation without military power to counter the Sumer."

  “The new Queen of Sumer will eventually follow the exiled Queen to either reclaim the spaceship or ensure her termination,” Alessandro said, his voice steady. “We could reach out to them and suggest that it’s their responsibility to either reclaim or eliminate their exiled queen. Politically, we may choose not to harm any queen of a friendly civilization, regardless of her status, whether in exile or not. Ultimately, this is their matter to resolve, not ours.”

  “So, all we need to do is cooperate with Queen An and her priestesses, and persuade them to come and retrieve their exiled queen,” the Emperor said thoughtfully. “In the meantime, we must convince the queen in exile that we need time to assist her in reclaiming her crown. It shouldn't be too difficult, as long as we understand how the queen in exile feels about what we offer her.”

  Perla felt uneasy about the plan, despite her rational mind agreeing that it was the best strategy for Ars Pheria, to buy time.

  “Remember, the new Queen is a hostage of the Ziggurat priestesses, and the queen in exile is her beloved mother,” Perla said. “I understand that Alessandro’s strategy is a good short-term solution. But in the long run, I believe the best path for Ars Pheria is to help the queen in exile eliminate the Ziggurat priestesses. We need to focus on that as well.”

  “I agree,” said Alessandro. “We must keep working on alternative plans. When shall we make this information public?”

  “I will address the Senate in three days,” Sephianos replied. “Alessandro, I need you by my side during the assembly, and you’ll need to deliver part of the speech yourself. You were summoned here for a reason, hopefully, one more important than your business on Earth.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Alessandro’s cheeks flushed with a sudden wave of emotions at his father’s words. Who could truly know what was more important and what was less, until the events had fully unfolded and history was written? How could anyone, Ars Pherian or not, determine the weight of a moment when the future remained unseen, its outcome unknown?

  “I apologize for the inconvenience of my absence,” Alessandro said, his voice soft with sincerity. “I wish I had known sooner.”

  “Let’s move on to what we need to do,” the Emperor said, his tone heavy with the gravity of the situation. “This is the worst crisis Ars Pheria has ever faced.”

  When the meeting finally concluded, Perla and Aurelia quietly asked Alessandro to meet them in Perla’s library. He agreed without hesitation, eager to speak with them about Ava before facing the Emperor again. He knew this conversation was long overdue.

  Perla’s library was located on the upper floor of her house, not far from the palace. Over the years, her personal fascination with books had led her to amass a substantial collection. More than half of the books in her library were written in Ars Pherian, reflecting her deep connection to her culture. The rest were Earth books, titles she had either brought with her or ordered from Earth itself. In fact, the main library of the University of Ars Pheria held fewer Earth books than Perla’s personal collection, a testament to her dedication to preserving and exploring both worlds.

  While waiting for Alessandro, Perla opened the translation of the document she had received from the Ottoman archives. She then retrieved her summary of the meeting with Queen An, where she had explained the details about the Ghull and Queen Inanna. She meticulously mapped every piece of information she could gather, feeling as if she were navigating without a compass, uncertain of which direction was north and which was south.

  When Aurelia and Alessandro arrived, Perla served them coffee, cookies, and rose syrup. None of her maids were allowed to be present in her library. She was ready to share her latest research on the Ghull when Alessandro spoke up first, saying he would like to tell them about his discovery on Earth before anything else.

  “I assumed there must have been a reason that kept you from returning to Ars Pheria with Carla,” Perla said, deliberately not hiding her approval of the Emperor’s disappointment over Alessandro’s prolonged visits to Earth.

  Alessandro’s face darkened when he heard Carla’s name. He couldn’t help but glance at his arms and palms, searching for any trace of dark fumes. Aurelia, alarmed by his reaction, observed him more closely. Although she had mostly listened in the recent meetings, she had been paying close attention. She couldn’t quite name it yet, but it was clear that Alessandro had changed. His worried gaze on his palms and arms sent a chill of concern through Aurelia’s heart. Constantly checking his palms and arms was one of the first instincts of someone suffering from dark fumes. Alessandro finally looked up and saw Aurelia’s wide-eyed concern. He raised his arms, turning his palms up to show his mother and sister.

  “Look at my palms,” he said quietly. “Please, look at my palms.”

  “Why are you showing your palms?” asked Aurelia after a brief silence, her curiosity growing as much as her concern.

  “Because I saw my palms fuming with dark smoke just a week ago,” Alessandro replied his palms still open. “My sickness was advancing quickly.”

  Aurelia stared at him in disbelief. “How?” she asked, her voice tinged with both confusion and worry.

  Having gained the full attention of everyone in the room, Alessandro was ready to reveal his side of the story.

  “I met someone, an Earthian,” he said. “She has a healing power, one she channels through a light source. She cleansed the fumes from my body. Let me tell you everything from the beginning.”

  Aurelia and Perla listened to Alessandro in stunned silence, both of them jumping to their feet when he spoke the final sentence.

  “She mentioned the Ghull,” Alessandro said. “That the Ghull is the source of the dark fume, and she has a connection with it.”

  “The Ghull?” Perla asked with disbelief. “She said the Ghull?”

  “It seems you already know something about it,” Alessandro said, his tone more questioning than answering.

  “We do,” Perla replied. “Through the ancient Sumerian myth, and also from a document we uncovered in the Ottoman archives.”

  She then shared with Alessandro the myth of Sumerian Queen Inanna, as well as the letter from an Ottoman-era doctor who had treated patients with mental illnesses.

  “I have to find Ava again,” Alessandro said, his voice filled with desperation. “She knows more than we do. I didn’t have the chance to learn anything further because Marcus dragged me back to Ars Pheria.”

  “You must speak with the Emperor before the Senate learns about this,” Aurelia said firmly. “You can’t return to Earth under these circumstances. Besides, you’re not sick anymore. The mystery of the Ghull can wait until we have the Sumer threat under control.”

  “The weapon we need to face the Sumer threat might be hidden in the Ghull,” Alessandro replied. “What if the Ghull is actually trying to help us?”