Chapter 4
“Before The Storm”
When a storm came in the colorful world of Endle, the world above witnessed it in every corner of the land. The wind always shifted to hot and cold, and the clouds raged gray and green. Pressure and anxiety filled the hearts of all who witnessed the lightning that streaked across the skies violently. Many cowered in their homes or underground when they felt the intensity of Guardian’s wrath upon the land. All but the human citizens of Destillion who kept their hearts and passion in the hands of Guardian feared the storm.
The Maius desert where the city of Destillion rested was vast and flat with the occasional rolling dune of white and yellow sand. The sand was as old as the world’s birth and was littered with remains of animals and warriors long since forgotten. Winds were near constant and carved peaks into the sand dunes that gave the illusion of rocky mountains. The lower dips of the dunes waved in various patterns like rivers and streams. Snakes danced across the hot sand sideways to reach shade wherever they could find it – even if it was inside a skull.
The heat was intense as sunlight reflected off the brighter shades of sand like a mirror. The glare was almost unbearable to unprotected eyes and deceived thirsty travelers with mirages in the distance. Despite the lack of flora, the rain came often enough to cause pockets of quicksand and mud at the feet of many dunes. These pockets of mud and wet sand were deadly to travelers who strayed off the established roads. There was only one river – the Great Avacanev River - that passed through the desert, and it stemmed from the mountains of Faemira all the way to the northern ocean. The water was crystal clear – having melted from snow and glaciers in the higher altitudes of the Faemirian mountains.
The river branched off in small streams where lower populated villages and slave camps resided. There wasn’t much vegetation around most of the streams, but the people managed to farm what they could in the fine sand and clay. Most of the population was centered around a bend in the river. The city of Destillion rested in the center of the bend where the land was the most fertile. The grand desert city spanned nearly ten miles in each direction from its center point – entirely surrounded by temples, neighborhoods, and markets. Farmland was lined along the opposite side of the river and grew an abundance of fruits, grains, and vegetables. It was vast enough to feed most of the Destillion population.
Ships and canoes crossed the river frequently to bring in daily harvests and slaves of many exotic races ready to work the fields. Cattle and sheep also rode in the ships from flat pastures outside the farmland. People carried heavy and massive jars of water atop their heads towards the city while others hauled large sacks of grain over their shoulders – sweating in the desert heat as they worked. Music could be heard as people played strings and drums along the work roads to pace the people in their daily routines. Many sought relief from the sun and heat on the river bank by bathing themselves in the fresh cool water.
The city of Destillion was wide and golden like the sands of the desert that surrounded it. Rolling dunes of golden sand piled along the towering, bleached sandstone walls that cradled the city and stood proud with vibrant green paint along its walkways. The houses within the walls were far shorter to protect their luxurious paint and plaster from scorching winds that often passed by during frequent dust storms. The white cobbled streets were bustling with merchants and bargainers with various goods in an almost deafening flurry of shouts and calls. Smokestacks spewed the day’s freshly burnt coal from rooves and filled the wind with warm delicious scents of smoked meats and bread.
Street performers offered shows of cobras and exotic dancing with music and pipes. Old men spat fire from their mouths while women moved their hands to the beat of drums like a serpent. Some children sat on their home porches with exotic snakes coiled around their arms and necks. Butchers offered their chicken flock for sale and had stacked crates of hens, quail, and doves. The streets were alive and flowing with anything a person would desire to purchase for the right coin.
The people wore long shawls, cloaks, dresses, and robes to shield their clay-tanned skin from the sun that would otherwise be smoldering during the day. Many women wore veils to cover their dark hair while men wore woven wool hats of white or brown. Most people walked barefoot and had grown accustomed to the heat of the ground beneath them. Gold body jewelry – even in small amounts such as piercings – was common among most people in the city. Heavy golden jewelry with gems twisted into golden pythons wrapped around the necks, arms, ankles, and wrists of the wealthy – worshipping the snake as their queen did.
Snakes and serpents were carved into nearly every pillar and wall of the city often in the shape of an infinity symbol. Flags and banners displayed pythons proudly to represent their beloved city. The culture adored all snakes and viewed them as majestic and immortal. They believed that snakes were sacred and brought good fortune and prosperity to the land just as their queen did. In fact, it was widely believed that all snakes were an extension of their queen who was rumored to be a goddess in human flesh. To kill a snake in the city of Destillion was considered a crime punishable by removing the hands that killed it or beheading the criminal – for he who commits acts of violence to the serpent commits violence to the queen.
Queen Nacre ruled Destillion and had done so for as long as the people could remember. Her statues painted in white and green were dispersed around the city to be worshipped by her people. Flowers and coins were laid at her feet as offerings of good fortune and blessings – which were often collected by decorated soldiers in copper snake-scale armor and escorted to the palace that rested in the center of the city. The palace was the tallest and largest structure in the city with impossibly high pillars of white and rounded golden rooves topped with sharp spires. Atop each spire was an everlasting floating flame of bright green like the eyes of a snake, watching over the city endlessly in all directions.
The palace was as elaborate and luxurious as the green gardens that surrounded it; Adorned with many glistening blue pools and clear ponds for a variety of exotic birds to flock to. Flowers and sculped bushes decorated the gardens with tall trees of white bark and deep green waxy leaves. Statues of sandstone snakes lined pathways and fountains and they were embedded with a variety of precious stones. Braziers held flames that stretched with the wind coming from the approaching storm and released a plethora of embers while the clouds above began to blacken. The heat of the sun was lessening the more the clouds gathered over the city.
Inside the palace stood a tall and curvaceous woman holding the green curtains that lined a large oval balcony carved of pure sandstone and marble. Her straight black hair feathered with the wind as it swept through; It was long enough to gently touch the back of her knees and shimmered with sweetly scented oils. Her glistening tan skin reflected the orange glow of candles mounted on the sconces on the walls. Sheer golden satin only moderately covered her body and exaggerated her most feminine features painted with strips of gold and green. Golden chains and finely cut green jewels decorated her from her serpent crown to her ankles to express her lavishing regality. A large necklace of long precious beads covered her chest and glowed with powerful magic.
Her dark brown lips were full and luscious, her eyes were an unnatural bright yellow-green framed in black liner and long lashes, her face was as beautiful as a statue chiseled by only the most skilled of artisans, and her body was the perfect desire of any man who looked upon her. Her beauty could not be matched by any other in Destillion, but neither could her cruelty. There was an emptiness in her eyes as she peered at the darkening skies above with an emotionless gaze. Queen Nacre had grown accustomed to Guardian’s impact upon the land when the weather bowed to his will and cast a shadow over all living things in Endle. Her reflection on the polished floor was terrifyingly black and the shadow she cast stretched further behind her like a winding snake. Coldness invaded the air as it trespassed through the open balcony, yet Nacre was unbothered – for she was just as cold-blooded as the snakes that slithered freely across her palace floors.
Nacre jerked the curtains inwards to close them and turned to walk further into the open room. The walls were tall and veiled with drapes and a chandelier of dark candles hung from the ceiling in the center. Walls that did not have drapes covering them were painted in elaborate murals of magic, historic battles, rare animals, mermaids, dragons, and angelic-like beings that wore halos. If a wall was not decorated with murals, it was a perfectly polished mirror. In the center of the room was a pool of murky gray water that seemed to steam at the surface. It could be mistaken for a hot bathing pool but there were no other pieces of furniture to be seen in the room. It resembled a cauldron that rested beneath the floor level and was lined with tarnished metallic tiles.
Nacre circled the small pool with a wicked sway to her hips and an ominous tensity to her shoulders. Bare feet walked one in front of the other next to the tiles while focused glowing eyes peered into the misty waters. Her hand motioned above the pool with long fingers decorated in layered metal claws pointed sharp. The mist began to spiral clear to reveal the water beneath.
“Waters of Visus, in my greatest desires you see deep into me, show me the sorcerer who serves me.” She commanded the Waters. Her eyes gazed upon the water’s surface and saw the image of a raining forest canopy, and through the canopy revealed two hooded figures walking side by side along a muddied path. A smirk crawled upon her glossy lips in delight to see that Entity and Quartz were heading north to Sheirun Hau. Being so close to the hidden city of bloody bamboo, Nacre had no doubt the two would be there by midnight. It couldn’t be more perfect.
“Excellent work, Quartz. Always on schedule.” She complimented quietly as her eyes lit up with wicked delight. Her grin grew wider when she saw Quartz and Entity extend their own set of wings – one of white and one of black.
The Waters was a rare substance in Endle that followed the command of a user to show them whatever they desired in the world. Although it looked like any ordinary gray murky water, it was highly potent in magic and impossible to recreate. Some sorcerers once carried small vials of it but never enough to show a fully clear image of what they needed. Only Nacre held so much in her possession that she could see anything in Endle at any time – giving her an advantage in a world of thrones and power. No one knew how she came across such a large amount, but rumors across Endle spread that she either scoured the land for every bottle of Waters, stole them for herself until none remained available to anyone else, or simply created it herself as a living goddess.
“Ensanguined are unpredictable, Nacre.” Spoke a deep duel-toned voice from behind Nacre. The power of it echoed in the large empty room despite Guardian speaking calmly. Nacre turned to Guardian and swatted her hand over the misty pool to wash away the vision of Entity and Quartz within. He had emerged from what seemed like thin air with webs of electricity wrapping around his boots and licking the polished floor. His eyes were piercing white and steaming with his teal cape falling to cover his left arm.
“They are – at the least – always on time. You could learn from them, you know.” Nacre half-lidded her alluring eyes and put a hand to her hip. It was remarkable how unphased and unintimidated she was in his presence. She had known him for far too long to be caught off-guard by his abrupt – albeit mysterious – appearances. She had come to expect it or somehow sensed it.
“Forgive me, I was delayed in that festering cesspool of ungulate vermin.” He growled as he took it upon himself to approach the serpent queen, swaying in his stride. His heavy boots caused the floor to rumble beneath Nacre’s bare feet.
“Judging from your lack of enthusiasm, I assume she declined your proposal. I believe I told you she would once before.” Nacre chuckled, finding it amusing that she had been right.
“She forbade me to enter the fortress and humiliated me in front of everyone in Lovelacia! She refused to speak to me and hid in that bloody garden of hers,” Guardian spat with rage and clenched his fist until white-hot electricity snaked from between his fingers, “I should’ve taken her, I should’ve–” Guardian began before feeling Nacre’s hand on his shoulder with clawed tips tickling at his flesh.
“Shhh, hush now my poor Preasidion.” Nacre urged with a smile as she moved behind him with her hand in tow. Her palm gently swept over the back of his neck to his other shoulder, causing the demi-god to close his eyes and inhale deeply to calm himself. “We both know you would’ve failed if you tried. She is far too stubborn and too powerful. There are other ways of taking her.” Nacre soothed as she walked back to the small misty pool and couched down to it.
“You have yet to tell me these ‘other ways’, Nacre. I do not believe in blind faith.” Guardian argued as he stepped closer to the pool’s edge.
“Blind faith is what I thrive on, my sweet thing. Blind faith is what keeps people in line. Precious little humans, all of them running about with their eyes closed and hoping to stumble into a better life and our good grace.” Nacre reached her hand over the Waters and outstretched her fingers.
“I am no human hoping to stumble upon a better life. I am a god and I have every right to take whatever I please if it suits me.” Guardian snarled and caught Nacre turning her head to smile at him as if he had said exactly what had been on her mind.
“That kind of thinking will rob you of opportunity. Waters, show me the Queen, for I desire to see her misery and contentment.” Nacre commanded and flexed her fingers to swirl the mist away from the water. Beneath the surface showed a dark room with a single fireplace encased in brick. Queen Cariphae sat in a chair facing the fireplace holding a veil in her hand and had been staring at it for long hours. Guardian looked down into the waters and spotted the veil and tilted his head curiously. A part of him recalled seeing such a veil a very long time ago, it was familiar to him but not enough to trigger any specific memory of it.
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“Look at her, Guardian,” Nacre began, “empty, loathing. Sitting alone day after day. How long do you think she can continue this little reign of hers? Two hundred years of careful choices and planning takes its toll on one person. She’s been worn down from war and duty to where she can barely remember who she really is anymore. Don’t you think she desires to have such blind faith for once? She is doubting herself and now her people will too. You know what the Valaah desire and she has displayed a disregard for their need in favor of her own interests. Of course, there is no interest she has for you but that can be remedied.” Nacre explained with a giggle and watched Guardian slowly kneel to the pool’s edge next to her. He was listening intently and placed his knuckles on the cold stone of the water’s edge to keep himself steady in his crouch.
“She won’t give up her crown and throne. Cariphae is an immovable object and her grip on the Valaah army is unshakeable. Even if they disagree with her choice, they will remain loyal. Our allegiance is for the best interest of the commoners but not a necessity as it once was.” Guardian acknowledged.
“Which is why she will change her mind in due time. She just needs a little persuasion.” Nacre countered with a lift of her shoulder.
“Even if I convinced her people to protest, she would find a way to justify her reason. She is rather persuasive in her own manner.” Guardian leaned in closer to the water to try and see the detail of the veil in Cariphae’s hand, but the water rippled far too much for him to see it clearly.
“That isn’t the type of persuasion I had in mind.” Nacre stood and waved away the image of Cariphae in the Waters. Guardian scowled as his view was abruptly interrupted but concluded that there was nothing more to see in the end. So, he stood up and watched the queen lead herself to the exit. A large archway with curtains that touched the floor served as the door to a corridor leading to the inner rooms of the palace which were as regal and exotic as the room that held the Waters. Guardian followed in her stead.
“Explain this to me. You are always full of schemes and so far, none have worked in my favor as promised.” Guardian requested skeptically as he looked around his surroundings.
“I have always had your best interests in mind, Guardian. Why, you have most of the human populace on their knees – kissing the ground you walk on. Don’t say my schemes haven’t resulted in your favor.”
Tall walls of plaster and pillars painted with complex embellishments and scripts in ancient tongues reached high into impressively tall ceilings. He could read them clearly – understanding the histories and accomplishments of Nacre’s rule that the symbols described. Rivers, forests, snakes, and stars ornamented most of the murals while others displayed detailed portraits of Nacre. Mirrors topped the ceilings and created an infinite reflection on the polished floors – causing a slight discomfort to Guardian as he looked down at his own reflection. He couldn’t explain the discomfort, only that it felt unnatural and disorienting. He chose to keep his view forward and follow his ally to a large ornate room that smelled of burning incense and palm oil.
There was a large pile of blue satin pillows with a sheer canopy draped overhead and decorated with golden tassels on the ends. Ornate tables, chairs, a desk, and many bookshelves furnished the room with lively colors and rare ivory. There was also a large circular bowl as large as a tub yet lower than a person’s knee in the corner of the room that steamed with hot water with various flowers and herbs floating along the surface. He felt uncomfortable as he furthered himself into the room despite the fact he had seen it a handful of times. It was Nacre’s personal bed chamber.
“Where to start, where to start…” Nacre sighed as she walked towards one of the many bookshelves lining the walls and carried her finger from one binding of a book to another. She pulled out a worn black leather book from her collection and turned to Guardian as she flipped it open. Leaning against the bookshelf, she placed her finger against the pages. “Ah, black magic. Necromancy. Shadow manipulation. Unnatural sources of dark energy otherwise poisonous to human beings yet beneficial to creatures and races of exotic blood.” Nacre smiled with a tilt of her head.
“Yes, I know it well. I’ve gone to great lengths to eradicate it from the land, yet it still endures among commoners.” Guardian crossed his arms.
“Then you understand that it is what infects Cariphae. It powers her and yet it doesn't evolve as it does in say, Entity. It is his magic that’s entangled her.” Nacre stated.
“We have discussed this many times before, Nacre. She was never human to begin with, she is of my blood, and the black magic within her works only to suppress her memories. It keeps her from revolting against me, nothing more. What’s changed?” He asked.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Nacre closed the book hard with one hand and placed it back on the shelf with a smile, “Entity’s magic is powerful, as it flows through his determined heart. I would not have given him such power if he were weak, and despite his astounding abilities, his power weighs like a feather in comparison to my own.”
“Go on.”
“Consider this, my precious thing. I replace his magic within Cariphae with my own, where I may then have a direct constriction of her.” Nacre suggested and watched as Guardian’s eyebrow raised higher in captured curiosity.
“And what would you do with such a grip around her?”
“Well, isn’t it clear? I will make her weak, unable to run, unable to lift a sword, unable to fight. I will rip the very breath from her as I see fit and suppress her fire until it is but a mere ember. Still alive, heart still beating but slow and weary with the force of the Faemirian mountains on her chest.” Nacre chuckled as she pushed off the bookshelf and moseyed towards the steaming bath and began to remove her earrings and necklace – placing them in a bowl on a small table. “Using my own magic, years of experience, and endless assets at my disposal, I have created yet another little hex more powerful than my Black Silk. In fact, it will be the greatest hex ever concocted by my hands. Even you will stand impressed.” She explained as she removed most of the jewelry on her body.
Guardian didn’t advert his eyes from what she was about to do. It wasn’t lust that kept his attention, but rather the impossible idea that she had pitched. Watching Nacre undress herself to climb into the bath, Guardian kept his spot near the entrance of the room respectfully. Despite Nacre’s enchanting beauty, he wasn’t driven by any lust most men would feel in her presence. Instead, he felt an innate desire to complete a task he had spent the entirety of three centuries working towards. If not for the fragility of the circumstances he faced with Cariphae, his impatience would’ve forced him to choke Nacre’s idea out of her in that instant.
“You are not a goddess nor of my blood, Nacre. You are dabbling in more power than I am comfortable in allowing, and I have allowed you more grace than any other in Endle’s history.”
Nacre chuckled softly.
“Only a fool would give up an opportunity to quite literally have his prize on her knees. Are you that fool, Guardian? Are you a fool for forgetting who created the perfect city of mankind for you? I had quite a lot of beheadings and burnings of many creatures done in your name. I even collected their blood and ash to mix into the bricks of this palace.” She asked while lifting her leg from the water. Guardian almost winced at her statement.
“How do you intend to do this anyway? She is untouchable while she resides in that fortress. I couldn’t do it, she is the only one who can inflict an unhealable wound upon me, and you are forbidden to set foot in Arithmetia altogether.” Guardian questioned.
“You leave that to me. All I need you to do is to remain on Endle’s surface and open a little doorway to Arithmetia for me.” Nacre smiled.
“For how long? What do you intend to do?” Guardian asked with a hint of concern in his voice when he turned to look at the bathing Queen.
“Well, I’m not going to kill her if that’s what you’re concerned about.” She reassured as she leaned further into the steaming water.
“But I know you too well. You are involving that wretched sorcerer who possesses nothing but botched spells and barely cognitive thought processes. It’s a miracle he can even walk straight. This seems like another scheme and less like a real plan.”
Guardian indeed knew Nacre all too well and knew how she schemed. As useful as her ability to scheme was, it almost always led to bloodshed and discourse and in one case – war. Nacre was a cruel woman who would be worthy to meet his blade in any other circumstance. She was also cunning and creative despite her questionable methods. He held the hearts and loyalty of all humankind because of Nacre and for that, he was in her debt. He trusted her even though his best judgment told him otherwise.
Nacre always provided miracles at a price, but no price was too great for a demi-god like himself. He desired to be loved and worshipped, he desired loyalty and devotion – things that could not be obtained by force – things he could not feel on his own. With Nacre’s alliance, he was given all that he asked for and more in exchange for pardons and reasonable favors. A mutual partnership was needed for the two to thrive in whatever way they saw fit. Even then, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the demigod.
“That sorcerer still has his usefulness; I need him to break his connection to Cariphae considering his magic flows through her veins in order to install my own. Honestly, your lack of faith dulls my good mood.” Nacre rolled her eyes at Guardian’s skepticism.
“Blind faith.” He scoffed.
“Blind faith.” She echoed with a smirk.
“I do not trust him. He is a menace and unpredictable. He lacks any reliability and loyalty. We are risking war that could undo everything we have worked for. Hundreds of years of work, Nacre!” He argued as he took a few steps closer to the bath with his fist thrown to his side.
“War is what caused the necessity for an alliance between you and Cariphae. I said I need him. He will do exactly as he is instructed; I assure you.” Nacre leaned her head back to drape her long hair over the edge.
“If you need him so badly, why didn’t you ask me to deliver him? I travel much faster than any Ensanguined maggot ever could.” Guardian put his hand to his chest plate and caused a small ripple of electricity to bloom across the metal.
“He would rather lose his hand than allow you to touch him just to spite you. Remember what you took from him? Besides, I need you here.” Nacre turned to him and sat up enough to where her chest left the water’s shroud. She crossed her legs and rested her arms along the edge of the bath.
Guardian felt another twinge of discomfort as he stood before her. Nacre had little to no modesty and proudly displayed her body often, something Guardian had little interest in. It was easy to ignore it many times considering how familiar he was with the female body. However, there was always the natural temptation that came with her sultry behavior. At that moment, Guardian felt his eyes glance at her bare features.
“Not for company, of course. I know our days of fun ended long ago.” Nacre added as she lifted a wagging finger.
“What do you need of me?” Guardian asked.
“Gather me three hundred Ensanguined warriors. No more, no less. Arm them, dress them in Destillion’s colors,” she spoke, “I want them ready for battle by the time Entity arrives. It should be within two days so I would hurry along. Alana has many men waiting in Faemira at your disposal.”
Guardian shifted in his place and scowled ever so slightly. There was caution and doubt swirling in his eyes knowing that in the hands of Nacre, plans of an attack were never as straightforward as they seemed. He knew that if Nacre needed Ensanguined soldiers, it was for the purpose of attacking rivals far stronger than humans such as Valaah. Destillion was a city of humans with human warriors and would face absolute defeat against a mere handful of Valaah soldiers. A single Valaah soldier was twice as large as a human and nearly thrice as strong with a ferocity only matched by a raging bull that pain could not subdue.
“What are you going to do, Nacre?” He asked carefully.
Nacre simpered in amusement at Guardian’s cautious reaction and understood his concern. Yet there was calmness and an enlivened aura to her that kept his attention. If there was one thing that Guardian could respect was her ability to trust herself and her depraved ideas that always seemed to work out in her favor. Her shoulders danced as she slid deeper into the tub and uncrossed her legs.
“Treat yourself to a storm, Guardian. Leave me to the rest.” She said candidly with such arrogance in her voice as she avoided his question; It was almost impossible to ignore it. He could do nothing about it except trust her word as he always had. Everything in his mind warned him that whatever she had planned was going to result in consequences he was not fully ready for, but he bit back the urge to speak and turned away from Nacre. His throat swelled with a rebuttal, his chest burned with frustration, his hands curled into fists tight enough to stretch the leather gloves and yet not a single word came out to question the woman behind him. He wanted Cariphae so badly that he would do anything to have her, even if it meant betraying his own instinct.
Down the halls, he ambled, through long corridors and passed countless luxurious rooms, and all the while, Guardian felt more and more uneased. The mirrors distracted him and grabbed his focus every other second. It was disorienting and unnatural to him to have his endless reflections on the floor and ceiling staring back at him. A thousand white eyes just as cold as his own glared down on him like hateful gods. He wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to hide from the reflections in this palace.
It felt like the longer he stared at his reflections, the more he could hear whispers of the past haunting him as if the palace was weighted with the thick aroma of evil. He didn’t consider himself evil by any means and found the aroma unsettling yet also welcoming – like he earned his place within the walls. He hated visiting Nacre’s palace because it was filled to the brim with distraction and temptation. Servant girls dressed in only a shenti and golden snake necklaces passed by him with a sway to their hips which sometimes caught his eye. He never stared and always kept a steady pace forward for he only had eyes for one woman with a crown of fire.
There was no other as alluring to him as the Queen of Arithmetia; A woman so strong and so fierce that no other man dared ask for her hand in marriage. A woman as beastly as a bull and just as headstrong outshined all others to him. Her majesty and grace outperformed even Nacre’s seduction without question or effort. He had to have her, no matter the cost.
That cost was expensive for Guardian, for the sacrifices he had to make to gain her trust and alliance weighed heavily on his shoulders. His destiny was almost overshadowed by his lust for the flame she possessed, and he often found himself having to refocus on the tasks at hand. Daydreaming of having the Queen in his bedchambers was a frequent reminder that even he – a god among men – fell victim to desires powerful enough to bring him to his knees. Every flame he saw in the candles along the walls, he saw Cariphae dancing within them. They tormented him, but he couldn’t look away for he would only be met with his own reflection and the frustration that came with it.
Soft strings were plucked in haunting tunes down the halls and echoed through his head. They pulled him from his mind and ahead was the entrance to the palace where he would make his exit. Wide open doors with the incoming storm’s breeze swept past him and lifted his cape into the air. Electricity slithered down his legs with every step and his eyes intensified as he looked at the darkening clouds when he met the doorway. With a deep breath, he took in the world around him to truly see Destillion.
A city that accepted and worshipped him was simply not enough for the demi-god. He knew the world was not perfect – not quite yet at least. To rule a world as a true king, he would need a powerful queen at his side and at his mercy. Two elemental god-like beings could cleanse every city, every village down to the last campsite of anyone and anything that was not human. Once the world is cleansed, he would proceed to use his perfect queen to fill it with his own offspring and rule a pure race of gods and men.
Thunder clapped above the palace and Guardian leaped to the skies, swallowed whole by an intense blinding flash of lightning. The skies flickered brightly as it accepted Guardian into its domain and sent forth a shower of sharp cold rain. Gusts of wind were ripped upwards and tore leaves off the trees with it. Thunder shook the very foundations of Destillion in that instant and a shockwave of energy rippled into the sands and silenced the clamor of the citizens. The clouds above the palace swirled inwards like a funnel for all to witness, and all who witnessed such a force of nature fell on their knees and prayed to Nacre.
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