Originally uploaded Oct 17, 2023

Demeptah POV

My feet touched the cold stone floor as I dropped to the floor. My mind felt numb as I tried to process what had just transpired. Several figures reached out to catch my falling body, but I paid them no mind.

I tried to recall my conversation with the Emperor, with my father. But it felt faint, like a long forgotten memory or a hazy dream. I forced my eyes shut as they threatened to pop out of their sockets. The only thing I truly remembered was a command. An order that was didn't feel like my own or even the Emperor's. Like a thought that was forcefully implanted into the deepest parts of my waking mind.

A hooded face entered my vision. His cold grey skin with half of his face covered by a metal plating with a glowing red eye.

"General?" He sounded as if he was underwater. Muffled and barely audible.

Another figure dropped to his knees as he stared at my face. A cold stern face of a warrior, who has done unspeakable things for his cause.

He lightly slapped my face with his large hands. "Demeptah, speak to me." My Highlord commanded and I tried complied. Taking a couple seconds to find the words I was searching for. My whole entire body felt foreign, as if it wasn't mine.

The inside of my mouth didn't feel real, it felt all wrong. As if my perception of reality was turned upside down.

"He is fine." A older voice cut clean through the muffling rumbling I could make out. Both the mechanical abomination and my Highlord turned to the source of the voice.

Lord chronomancer Vago walked towards us, using his staff of dilation as a walking cane. He seemed so physically frail. A strong gust of wind would have been enough. But runes of aevum burned brightly all over his body. His usual green eyes glowed with a mixture of gold and amethyst.

By his side two custodians, each towering over all of us stood. They didn't do anything but their power was unmistakable, it said that they were given a portion of the Emperor's might and brilliance when they were first created. And they indeed share a similar air.

Varactor drew closer, I could hear mechanical whines and gears turning as his synthetic eye glowed an ominous red.

"He has physically aged, yet his core." His whispered in awe.

"I must say I am envious general. You are the first being to have personally spoken to his imperial majesty in thousands of years." As Vago uttered those words the entire room grew silent. Even the robed people of Varactor's realm halted their actions as they turned their heads to our direction.

I slowly began to regain my bearing. Pushing myself off of the cold stone floor, I unconsciously felt for my core. It was still growing a blinding white. But something had changed within it. Around the corona of light that gleamed around my core a misty aura of purple and gold hung. Glowing in tangent with my own organ. As I reached for it with my mind my mind's hand reeled back.

As if I was afraid of it. I could not draw any closer, my own touch was repelled. Vago now stood in front of me. He was much shorter than me, a fact only further enhanced by his crouched stature.

"Now tell me, general. What is your next course of action as the only living heir." Vago said as a creepy smile grew on his old and wrinkled face. And at the mention of my relation to the Emperor the already silent room seemed to halt. As if the river of time had been stopped itself.

Varactor took a step back as he stared back at me with bewilderment. Oliurk stood frozen, his stone cold mask slipped for only a moment as he learned of my true identity. He recovered the quickest as he began to question both of us.

"What! How? The Emper-"

"The Emperor holds many secrets he does not wish to share with us all." Vago silenced my Highlord.

"But why reveal this piece of information now?" Varactor questioned. He was always overly logical and calculating. It made normal casual conversation quiet a challenge with him. And he seems to have already processes the fact of my lineage.

Vago's eyes only seems to brighten as runes glowed warm on his skin as glyphs and arrays of aether patterns floated around him and the floor. He stared back at the two other Highlords, in a way that conveyed he deemed them beneath him.

"You are to do your duties. Nothing more nothing less." His voice carried authority as it echoed around the large cavernous palace chamber.

While I would imagine that at least Oliurk wanted to protest he knew better than to challenge Vago in his own realm. He was already weakened enough as it is, even at full strength I doubt he could have taken on two of the Emperor's elite guardians and a master chronomancer. Not to the mention the continent worth of firepower the throneworld no doubt possessed.

My eyes drifted away to the small glowing sealing tesseract Varacter still held in his cold metal hands. For some reason unknown to me I was drawn towards it as my mind replayed what little I could recall from my meeting with my father.

He had given an order. Planting it deep into my psyche with a purpose I was compelled to follow. Like some animalistic instinct that I couldn't hope to suppress.

In motions that didn't feel like my own I drew my lance from my dimensional storage. Its spearhead ignited into purple lightning as I brought it down on the abomination of a Highlord. Cleaving cleanly through his metal arm before he could react I caught the dimensional prison in my hands.

The two custodians instantly jumped into action. Their spears sparked and glowed with icy blue lightning as they moved to engage me. Oliurk's glaive roared to life as he also pointed his weapons towards me. Varactor took a fearful step backwards, he was a brilliant mind but he was no fighter and he knew that fact very well.

The only one that seemed to be perfectly calm was Vago. A slight smile was plastered on his old face as runes of aevum burned bright on his skin and robes.

"What is the meaning of this?" Highlord Oliurk bellowed, trying to make his currently weakened state not so apparent.

Vago appeared in between me and warriors that were poised to take my head. While I was more than proficient in a fight and perhaps could have dealt with a weakened Oliurk and two custodians there was no way I was getting out of this realm alive.

"Worry not, old friend." Vago reassured them. As he turned slightly to face both of us. Even being near him now I could feel time act strangely. I could feel time accelerate and decelerate rapidly in a disorienting fashion. I saw slivers of visions, of both past and future. With most of them ending in my death.

"Vago, explain yourself!" Oliurk commanded but he shut his mouth when Vago turned his attention towards the Highlord. I could feel it, the power. The weight of a mountain came baring down on all of us. A feeling most Highlords weren't very used to or have forgotten since the time of the scouring.

"Know your place Oliurk." Vago warned as he turned fully to face me. With a small flick of his wrist a small portal ripped space and time open as it appeared behind me.

I turned back to see the portal. Its gaping maw of aether and mana swirling in a cyclone. Ready to transport any who stepped into its mouth.

"Go ahead. General, fulfill your duty and I will play my part." Vago said with a sense of aloofness.

Perhaps he had predicted all of this. Maybe this was the command that was now ingrained into my mind. But I didn't truly care. My father was no longer the man that had led all of us. I still couldn't fully recall all the detail but I felt a cold sense of detachment from his rotting corpse.

Our race under his rule would only end in our death. He had even abandoned us when we didn't live up to his dreams. Only returning when he had no choice.

'No.' I thought in my head as I tightly clutched at the sealing tesseract in my palm.

'I shall not repeat the same mistakes that had placed our race in such a state. No, I shall be the one to lead us into salvation and to reclaim what was rightfully ours.'

I looked back at the old chronomancer one last time. His eyes glowing fully gold now he gave a small nod as he spoke quietly in a reassuring tone that only I could hear.

"The phoenixes of Hearth shall serve their purpose."

And with that I stepped into the portal as it transported me away from the throneworld.

Mordain POV

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

My footsteps echoed in the dark stairways under the Indrath clan castle. Small lumes of blue light showed me the way as I continued deeper down. The usual elaborate decorations and tapestries of the castle were absent here.

Carved directly from the body of Geolus the earth type mana hung heavy in the air like a dense fog. This place was not for receiving any visitors. Guards sculpted from the earth stood at each side of the long hallway I came to. As I drew closer and closer to my destination the air grew heavier.

It felt as if I was wading through water. The only reason why I was even allowed here was due to my close connection to Kezess. Any intruder, high ranking asura or not would have been dealt with if they came uninvited.

My footsteps slowed as I came to the end of the hallway. A dead end, a brick wall sat in front of me. Without hesitation I stepped into the illusion as I could feel my body being pulled away and transported elsewhere.

I landed in a small room. Surrounded by a cascade of falling water that gave off the feeling of being completely underwater a small table made of white marble sat in the center. And with the table were a pair of matching chairs. Unadorned by any mark of status or power, they didn't need it.

And in one of the chairs sat my old friend. He took on the appearance of a young man in his physical prime. Snow white hair hung loosely from his head as he sat with his eyes closed.

His aura was almost undetectable. It blended flawlessly to the ambient mana that I would have doubted his existence if I weren't staring directly at him.

Kezess Indrath. The king of Ephetous, the one who forged the great eight and brought an end to the time of war. He was the current and longest reigning leader in asura history, so much so that it seemed difficult trying to imagine Ephetous without him on the throne.

He was an presence that oversaw all that transpired within our borders and was a being that was present for many of our lives. It was only happenstance that I had fostered a friendship with him. Despite our race's blatant animosity towards each other we were perhaps the bridge that kept it together.

He was the one that approached me when I was still young. Perhaps he saw some potential in me, or maybe he just wanted to bring the Asclepius clan in line and thought befriending the future leader of the clan was the best way to go about things.

Nevertheless ever since that first meeting we have spoken true to each other. Each being the other's eyes to things we were previously blind to. And the reason why I had requested a meeting with him today.

We have many times discussed things that we were both ashamed of. Of things that were to go unspoken for all of eternity. Of the atrocities that were conducted during the age of war. We were truthful and sought one another's counseling.

I began walking towards the lord of dragons and his eyes fluttered open. Revealing his eyes that almost changed its hue. It started out as a bright purple, bordering on pink. Thank shifted darker into that of the deep sea.

He stood in a singular graceful motion. His simple white robes rustled. They were plain with only a gold lining on the cuffs and collars. He didn't need any fancy clothes or armor to look like a king.

"Greetings, Mordain." As he spoke he moved his hands and clasped them behind his back.

I bowed as a sign of respect. Despite our closeness he was still the ruler of Ephetous and all asuras.

"You have things you wish to speak with me about." He said, more as a statement of fact than a question. His gaze was sharp and hard as obsidian. A soft smile grew on his face but his eyes told a different story.

He gestured for my to take a seat. I slowly approached the other chair and sat down only when he did so first as a sign of respect.

"I do Kezess." I said in a low tone. I was perhaps one of the few living asuras that could refer to Lord Indrath by his birth name. While I would refrain from doing so in more public setting this was a personal conversation.

Kezess simply nodded slightly, telling me to speak. Staring directly into the lord of dragon's eyes I could see his eyes shifting ever so slightly in color. Like the clouds of a turbulent storm.

I smoothed over my long red hair as I began to speak in measured tones. Trying to gauge Kezess' reaction to each word. While his face never truly faltered I have grown used to reading his emotions through the minute changes in the aura he emitted. While it was greatly difficult it wasn't impossible, at least for me who had spent a great deal of time with him.

"During one of our clan's expeditions to Dicathen my clan members had made a discovery." I placed an small orb on the table. Its smooth milky white surface was marked by small gold writing. Not being a dragon meant I couldn't sense and utilize the building block of reality but it was difficult not noticing the abnormal amounts of aether being produced from this small orb.

Kezess' gaze shifted to the orb for a split second then turned back to me. He clearly knew more than he was letting on but he allowed me to continue. He was always like this, he played the role of an aloof king that was impartial to everything. When in truth in he eyes and ears in every corner of Ephetous. He was an intelligent man playing the fool to win the long game.

And he must have an inkling that I wasn't fully telling the truth even now. In truth when he had ordered for the extermination of the Djinn race I was greatly opposed to his ruling. We asuras have always acted at mere spectators of the outside world of lessers. Only stepping in subtle ways to help aid them from their own destruction.

But after discovery the djinn Kezess' mode of dealing with them was far different. Actually leaving Ephetous to personally have meeting with them in their capital city. Afterwards he ordered only his most trusted and royal forces to burn their civilization to the ground and erase them from all know records. He practically had deleted them from history.

While total extermination wasn't completely unheard of it was not meant to be used for a entire race that stretch two continents. Such methods were only reserved for the most treacherous clans or families who atrocities were better forgotten.

While lord Indrath had torched the djinn many of them retreated into their life's work as they called it. While my clan had aided some of them in small strongholds within Dicathen and Alacrya. And the true reason why I was here to question Kezess' choices. The lie about finding this djinn artifact was only a excuse to see him. I knew the dangers, but I wanted, no I needed to know why he did such a thing.

Us asuras always distanced ourselves from the problems of the lessers. Holding each other to a noblesse oblige. I wanted to fully understand the reasoning, I just wanted to hear it from the man I once called a friend.

Kezess stared silently at me. His eyes shifting to a darker hue as he waited for me to continue. I could picture him, the blood of millions on his hands. The blood of lessers that we agreed to never intervene with.

"If I recall correctly this type of writing and inscription are the working of the djinn." As I mentioned the forbidden race Kezess' aura shifted. Before it was like the ocean, powerful but still calm. Now I could feel the waves growing turbulent.

Indrath's hands reached out as he gently touched the ancient artifact. The gold writing reacted by changing color to that of rich purple at his touch.

"Mordain." He started speaking in measured tones. He seemed indifferent on the outside but I knew better than to assume.

"The only reason why I have allowed you an audience so far was because you are a good friend. But I must warn you to spare any words of that race." He warned as the removed his hand from the orb as the aether that surrounded the artifact subsided.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, almost desperately. Asking for the reason why he had given the order. And why did he bury the truth for all the rest of Ephetous.

"They posed a threat and their knowledge was dangerous." Kezess said as if he was stating the obvious. But we both knew he was absolutely full of it.

"They were peaceful. They sought nothing but knowledge and the betterment of all." I refuted the ancient dragon, as I spoke I could feel flames creeping up on my body in reaction to my heightened emotions.

"They have deceived you young phoenix." He retorted as he waved his hand. The surrounding area changed. We were in a tall tower, out the window I could see a thick covering of clouds and the bright blue sky, indicating we were now high up in the air. Without moving Kezess now was standing. His eyes now dark like violent amethyst lightning.

"You come to my castle to point fingers and accusations. Your closeness to me was the only thing protecting your clan for now and I insist you thread lightly." He warned. He never raised his voice. He had no need to. He aura was a tempest of power and fury. Now stirring like a rising storm.

"You know more than you are letting now." I whispered just loud enough for him to hear as I took a small step back. The Indrath clan has been the one who rose above the chaos and death that were the warring periods. They stood above all other clans and step up the social structure that are still followed to this day. Uniting all of the clans and races of Ephetous for the first time in recorded history. They didn't achieve this through happenstance or mere luck.

The dragons were a special race. Being the only race with the natural gift of aether. They spread their influence and furthered their power with their raw strength. And Kezess was their race's pinnacle.

Kezess turned his back to me as he face the window. As he did so the sky changed, time was fast forwarded as the sunset burned the sky a deep amber before turning into a deep abyssal blue of the darkest depths of the ocean.

I could tell from the air around him that he wasn't happy. But I never could get a clear read on his inner thoughts. In comparison to him I was still only a child, he has lived through many more things than I could imagine. And playing the uncaring and detached king was what he did best.

Suddenly without warning Kezess' king forces exploded out. It claws reached out for me as my body was frozen solid from the sheer pressure. The stone walls and floor cracked as I lashed out with my fire. Bright orange flames erupted out from my body as I struggled to fight against the dragon's power.

I could feel sweat running down my back as I was driven to my knees, desperately trying not to be crushed like an insect by the intent of my old friend. He slowly turned back to face me. His eyes now a deep purple, almost black. A stern and unchanging face stared back at me.

In a last ditch attempt at survival I activated the artifact that rested in my pocket as I could feel the motes of aether attach themselves onto my body. Pulling me away and carry me away from the dragon's grasps. Yet I still saw Kezess face, completely unfazed with a slight smile. As if he was hoping for me to do so.

It was nearly instant, the teleportation artifact the djinn had gifted me when I had informed them of my meeting with the lord of dragons. I had originally thought that he would have noticed, and perhaps he did. I landed in one of the private chambers of one of the underground strongholds my race had aided the djinn construct.

Originally being a dungeon that was deep within the Alacryan forests, we had fashioned it into a underground sanctuary for the djinn the dwell within. Quickly regaining my footing I headed out of the room. Swinging open the door I was met by a wide open cavern.

Plants and vegetation grew from the farms the djinn had fashioned as people were coming to and fro, going about with their daily lives.

And with that a overwhelming sense of dread filled me. I clutched the artifact that brought me here that was still in my pocket tightly, as it threatened to shatter. I dreaded the fact that Kezess might be able to trace where I was through this artifact. I couldn't comprehend how but the dragons knew their way around aether far better than I.

I would be serving all these djinn survivors lives to him on a silver platter. Rushing through the crowd of people that began to gather around me. They tried to console me or ask about my well being. In a blind panic I pushed them aside as I jumped into the air. Wings of fire carried me deeper into the dungeon as I headed for their chief's housing.

As I rushed through the air I could still see the slight smirk that Kezess gave me as I teleported away from his grasps. An all knowing type of look that predicted my move. Perhaps he knew all along, what the Asclepius clan had done. The treason we had committed. He only wanted me spark the flames for what he wanted to do all along.

I didn't want to imagine what he would do to my innocent clan members back on Ephetous. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have his forces lying in wait for this moment. We may as well be forced to flee from the land of asuras and scatter and hide in Dicathen and Alacrya. We may be on our way to join the djinn.

I just hoped that history won't repeat itself.