Red's trip back was about the length of a month. Merin's due date was approaching, and Red had timed his return so he could be there.

His worries propelled him, his feet pounding the uneven cobbled streets. The stones threatened to trip him, but his innate balance saved him from a fall. The earth beneath his feet trembled, and he grit his teeth as he stuffed his worries away.

The safe home he had Merin stashed was secure for her. It was safer to hide in the capital than stow away anywhere else. Only the insane hide from the Habrin royal family right outside their palace. Which is why it should work in theory.

It felt like an eternity as he dodged the crumbling ground and made his way to Merin.

The safe house was untouched by the constant tremors. If Merin was in the middle of labor, then the conclusion to draw was that she was the cause of the earthquakes.

The safe house was empty by the time he reached it. The only hint that Merin had been there was the faint scent of jasmine.

A long gold cord wrapped in silver and copper hung from the ceiling. Red let out an unidentifiable noise as he ripped it.

He unraveled the cords and saw the things within it that told the whole story. Merin was back in the palace. This form of messaging writing was something his father was infamous for doing. He used to teach his sons how to read it by enacting punishments for improper decoding.

Red didn't bother sneaking in or being covert as he approached the gates. The guards let him in wordlessly, and Red noted how they avoided his eyesight.

He had no idea what he looked like, but he could tell how fast their hearts beat. He could see how every pulse carried blood and how those pulses of life could be ripped.

It was with a tremendous amount of concentration that he walked past them.

The closer his steps brought him to the royal chambers, the louder Merin's heart beat. She was alive. Red could also sense the pull of blood of only one of his brothers and his father.

And another that he had yearned for the moment he sensed it. His child. It wasn't with Merin but with his father. He'd only felt the brand new blood tie through Merin's belly. It was still going strong, and he needed to be faster.

No one stopped him on his way, which was just as well because Red was ready to kill the man who tried. Red's feet picked up the pace until he finally stood before his father's chambers.

The door was unguarded and swung open before Red could smash the wood in his way.

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A red string retreated from the door frame to return to the only other man in the room. Red's eyes took a moment to adjust to the lighting as he gathered himself for the confrontation.

The darkened room held only one torch that illuminated that man who sat on his throne. The man's vibrant robes of crimson, black, gold, and silver were a sight Red had dreamed of staining.

What Red did not want was for his father to hold his child when he took the other man's life. The pale white blanket in the Emperor's arms started to wiggle. Red's child had Elan blood, so there was a high chance the baby was sensing him and reacting.

"Aram, you finally became worthy of life." The Emperor said as he soothed the baby by rocking it. The Emperor looked up to meet Red's eyes. The other man's eyes were glowing a bright red.

"You can't claim credit for this," Red said as he stepped further into the room. He was finally face to face with the one man he'd wanted dead almost his whole life. It burned at Red that he was finally strong enough to attack but couldn't take the risk. That same man was holding his child, and the newborn couldn't withstand a fight.

"If your mother hadn't given up her own flesh for you, then you wouldn't be here." The Emperor said. His deep voice was casual as he stated something Red had heard countless times. "Elan blood creates the most tender blood. Her sacrifice allowed you to live and create this. She said you could father more children than she could carry, and your worth would only increase. She was right."

The Emperor's words were said with something close to a fervor that nearly stopped Red's breath. Red took a few more steps and controlled his face to hide his palpable fear. His father had no control over his appetite, and Red needed to be very careful with his next move.

Acuzio was on his head and had so far been silent, but the dragon was slowly vibrating with rage.

"Roseus Alev, my new granddaughter."

Red's feet stilled at those words, and he clenched his fists as his mouth turned dry.

As if the Emperor didn't care that Red was now a foot away, he said, "She will be granted rights and power befitting a Roseus. She will be the beacon that shows the world Habrin can never be stopped."

The Emperor looked up, and Red could feel his stomach plummet as he looked at him. His father had been healed. The scars that had torn apart his once handsome appearance were gone. His father's high cheekbones were restored with fresh skin. The holeless pupils that glowed with his magic and allowed him to see were restored once more. The amber-glowing orbs showed hunger that needed to be satiated.

"This miracle needs a father that's not a nameless bastard." The Emperor said. "We'll have your naming ceremony when she has hers and is shown to the capital." The Emperor stood up, and Red squared his shoulders as the other man approached him.

"Don't leave the palace until I say you can." His father handed the baby to Red. "I placed my magic over this baby, so if you take her with you, her heart will stop."

The Emperor turned his back to Red as he walked away. "I'm finally proud of one of my sons." The Emperor chuckled as he strode away.

Red wanted to attack, and as he readied himself to take the opening his father had given him, Aczuio bit his scalp. Red blinked the rage red haze from his eyes and saw what Acuzio had.

His father tied a string from his daughter's heart to his own. If he took his father's life, his daughter would die as well.

His father was banking that he wouldn't take the baby away to kill them both.

Red couldn't be as heartless as his seed donor. The baby was sound asleep, unaware of how close she was to death with each breath.

Merin's emotions ran rampant through their bond, and Red knew he needed to get to her. Her magic was similar to his father's, and she might have a solution for how to snip it.

The Emperor of Habrin might have escaped death for now, but Red was still going to kill the cocky man.