As soon as Prince Arterius composed himself, Stolas brought the piles of parchments lying on the desk where he slept over to his master's bed.

"Grab that table and small chair." Prince Arterius pointed at the corner of the room, while he leaned on the headboard. "Also, can you put pillows over this damned leg?" He commanded.

Stolas nodded and began to drag the heavy wooden table from the corner of the room and then the chair. He placed it at the side of the bed facing the prince. After he was done with that, he then took some pillows and placed it under the prince's swollen leg gently.

Arterius winced as Stolas lifted his leg sending an uneasy feeling travelling down his spine. "Damn it!" He muttered.

"You should've taken the doctor's advice and got it casted." Stolas murmured sounding condescending to him.

This sort of attitude could get any servant executed immediately, but Stolas was an exception. He was fond of him. He's his confidant, friend and treated him like family more than he treated his real brother.

"I would've, but I don't trust Master Aescilus on this." Prince Arterius spat.

He had always looked down on that physician for several reasons, one being was the death of his mother. It was Aescilus who tended to his sickly mother by his father's orders. He gave her medications and alternative treatments often radical or never been heard of.

Prince Arterius remembered how he begged for his father to get another physician, but instead, he was slapped and beaten by the Imperatur for questioning his decisions. The medications continued until her body gave in, during the spring festival some 10 years ago.

His mother, Lady Orienne of House Horcula died, malnourished and bed-ridden after those failed treatments.

Prince Arterius vividly remembered how Master Aescilus patted his shoulder and said, "The gods had taken her from us, my Prince. Be happy for her end was peaceful."

Just the thought of it, made the prince's blood boil. He knew how incompetent that physician was, masking his mistakes over his inability to use proper tools and medication.

Stolas handed him the notes, interrupting his thoughts. On the first parchment, were several sketches of the cannon and its matching cannonball. Prince Arterius examined the designs once more. Tracing his fingers over the sketches while calculating in his mind the validity of the design concept.

The cannon which he designed during the incident, was 12 footlings long, with the cylindrical muzzle of 2 and a half footlings around it. At the opposite end of the cannon was ring reinforcements. It had the same design as a regular cannon with the placements of reinforcement rings at the muzzle, the segmented chase and at the breach. However, that's where all the similarities end.

The cannon had 3 vents, different from a regular one that only had one. The one of the vents was located on top while the other two were located on each side of the cannon.

This cannon did not have a vent opening for niter to be use as catalyst, instead he made it available for the breach open, so they could place aetherite and red mercury receptacles inside of it. Inside of the breach he designed fire runes for quick and easy activation of the cannon.

In theory, the compressed space where both the aetherite and red mercury are place should create enough pressure to propel a cannon ball when it reacts with the fire rune. In Prince Arterius' design, he wrote that the powerful the exousia output provided on the cannon should equal the propulsion and velocity of the cannonball—again, in theory.

Prince Arterius still had his doubts if it would ever work on the real setting. It would certainly help if they have run some tests to see if it really works, but with the time constraint and pressure from his father, it's proven impossible.

He never wanted the throne. Prince Arterius never wanted the responsibility of taking care of a nation, let alone be in cohorts with officials that are so hell-bent in dethroning you the moment your resolve waned.

Prince Arterius considered himself a man of knowledge—a man of progress. He wanted his entire life to be dedicated into research. He wanted to help his people through researching technological advancements and discoveries to better their lives. His brainchild, A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S was just his first step towards that goal, but with its impending closure, his dreams might not come into fruition.

But he won't let that happen. Prince Arterius knew he was up to something world-changing, and he's up to the task to get it done. Getting another parchment, Arterius picked up the quill soaked in the inkwell and began to write again.

He started with designing a glass sturdy enough to withstand the blasting force of the aetherite and red mercury catalyst, but brittle enough to explode upon impact. He listed some of the possible metals and stones that can be used on this new projectile.

"Stolas." He called as he continued to sketch the new weapon. "How is cannon going?" He glanced at Stolas who had a worried look on his face.

"Uhm…" Stolas hesitated to answer the question.

Prince Arterius sighed. He already knew what that meant, but he still wanted Stolas to provide the details of this setback.

"Speak up, Stolas. Let me hear it." He commanded.

Prince Arterius' heartbeat raced as he wished that the setback wouldn't be as catastrophic as his ward's face would have illustrated.

"They sidelined our project under your father's request." Stolas blurted. "They only made the half end of the breach but the rest of the body was—"

"WHY HAVE YOU NOT TOLD ME YESTERDAY?!" Prince Arterius' anger was palpable. In his frustration, he threw the inkwell into the floor, scattering the pitch-black ink on the floor.

"I wasn't able to Arterius." Stolas sighed, "You were already asleep when I returned."

Prince Arterius massaged his temple and laid his back into the headboard. He stared emptily into the wall. His heart sank. He's only hope ruined by his father's suffocating grasp. He knew he was finished. He glanced at Stolas walked away and started cleaning the ink flooding the floor.

His body trembled at the despair he will face in the next two days. At this point all he can do was wait for the moment of his demise. His demise as the son of the Imperatur. His demise as the brother of the Mighty Virtus and the end of his dream.

Prince Arterius' eyes began to water. Tears welled his eyes as he slowly descended into his impasse. His emotions overcame the prince and soon, his tears started to fall like raindrops. He was truly a worthless person as what his father would tell him.

A failure of a prince, a failure of a man, and a failure of a son. His father's words flooded his mind as his tears rolled into his cheeks. He looked down at his designed with a blurry vision, as he slowly crumpled the parchment.

It was just then that some thing caught his eye. At the back of the parchment was quote he usually wrote on his research in a language that only he and his mother knew—the language they made out of fun.

"Believe in your Strength and become the Magic to change the world."

Suddenly, it brought him back to the deepest of his memories about his mother. Her glowing smile, her warm comforting hug, her tender touch as she messed his hair. The memories flooded back to him. His mother, who had always been his staunch defender, who he lost at such an early age.

He remembered it all, her memory and her eyes. The eyes that never lose the glimmer of hope even in her darkest hour. His mother fought death to the very end, and left her hope rested in his heart.

"Son," his mother said in her deathbed. "I could no longer be with…you. So, take care of yourself and your brother…never lose hope… Ald indiira Mieron, et Magicus ter Pangea."

"Believe in your Strength and become the magic to change the world." He muttered back.

Prince Arterius wiped out the tears in his eyes and cleared his throat. His mother's memory had given him the strength to fight back. No matter how hopeless his situation was, he knew he had to try his earnest.

"Stolas." He called. "Prepare the carriage we are going to the Smithy."

"But Arterius, your condition would make it—" Stolas protested.

"Impossible?" Prince Arterius interjected. "This is nothing. This injury is nothing! My father's words are nothing! If I am to change this world, I would have to do the impossible!" He looked at his ward's face filled with confusion and bewilderment at the same time.

"Are you sure, you want to pull this off?" Stolas asked.

Arterius looked at him in the eyes and nodded.

Stolas understood his master's conviction. Knowing Prince Arterius of so long, he knew that he had always been the fighter, no matter what others said about him.

"I was worried you'd give up so easily." Stolas smiled. "I shall be with you until the very end. I will prepare the carriage now."