“Lijah, good to see you up this morning. I was worried that your late night training would take up all your energy as per usual, but I see that my concerns were unfounded. You seem seem to be in a good mood today, anything good we need to know about?” Said a sweet trill voice that Elijah could only identify as his mother speaking to him. He decidedly turned his attention from his brothers and offered her a quick bow in response to her words.
“Yes mother, I was actually quite lucky and happened to fall upon an enlightenment late last night and it helped me in my gathering immensely. I'm actually quite close to advancing and should be able to do so by the end of the week. Provided everything goes well.” His announcement was met with silence. Pin. Drop. Silence.
Elijah's smirk somehow even wider as he roamed his eyes around the table as he gauged the reaction of everyone in the room. His brothers’ little smirks had suddenly frozen on their faces as they stared at him in shock, as if in disbelief at what they were hearing. Their mother mirrored a similar expression on her face but beneath her eyes was an underlying sense of admiration and… was that a bit of envy in her eyes. He shook his head as he dismissed that thought from his head, what did she have to envy him for. Absolutely nothing that's what.
Their faces each reset to their neutral states but their eyes still betrayed their hidden emotions. Smiles surrounded the table but he saw through the lies. He had rattled them. They were weary of him. As they should. He was their better and they should know it. The Crown was his and neither of them would take it away from them. He made his way to sit next to his mother, his two brothers directly opposite him on the other side of the table.
“Correct me if I'm wrong brother, but aren't you studying the way of the black flame?” A sombre baritone voice spoke as he had just finished sitting down. A voice he immediately knew as his brother Cayden. Cayden was the most mellow of the three brothers, where Elijah was forceful and valued strength, Cayden was more studious and perceived knowledge as the greatest asset one could have, although his power disagreed wholeheartedly with that assessment. And because Elijah knew his brother's temperament, he inevitably knew where this conversation was heading and because he knew where it was headed, he released an exasperated sigh in his mind before speaking up.
“Yes Cayden, I'm studying the way of the black flame, is there a reason you're asking a question you know the answer to?”
“It's just… the path of the black flame… it's dangerous. None of your predecessors who had inherited the black flame have ever been able to manifest it to adequate levels. The annuls of history have shown time and time and time again that the black flame is not something to be harnessed or practised, And yet here you are jumping past levels like a smooth rock skipping upon a lake. What you're doing is dangerous Elijah. You have got to slow down before this flame consumes whatever energy you have left.” Cayden said his voice progressively rising until he was on the verge of shouting. Elijah felt something in him snap, the flames of his black hot anger couldn't be contained anymore, they demanded to be released and he gave them free rein of his lips.
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“You would like that wouldn't you. You would like it if I just fell and dropped dead from what you'd consider careless gathering.” He said as his eyes effectively bored into Cayden's skull. “Don't come here and give me your fake sympathy and concern about my wellbeing. I know what you're like Cayden, I know your ways and I won't be fooled. I know my technique better than everyone, I simply took a risk in trying to advance it last night. That's all it was, a risk that paid off. So back off.”
When he looked into Cayden's eyes again, he wasn't sure what he hoped to see but stubbornness was so far down on his list that he hadn't even considered it an option and from the looks of it Cayden was far from done.
“What exactly do you mean you know my ways? Do you really think I would stoop so low as to want you to die in order for me to be king. Really Elijah?.” His chair scraped on the marble flow as he rose to his feet to face Elijah, his eyes now containing golden sparks of tiny lightning jumping in between his irises.
“Oh don't give me that, I know all about your little secret meetings with the Dukes of the Eastern and Southern Fanus. The secret deals you've made with them in order to secure their support for your claim. You've always been better than me at diplomacy, so can you honestly blame me for taking care of one of the two things I excel at? You judging me for advancing my black flame is both hypocritical and disingenuous. We both know if I had an accident you'd be the one to benefit the most from my passing, so don't act as if you're worried about me. It honestly disgusts me.” He too stood to face his brother fearlessly activating his power in retaliation as well. Where Cayden's eyes held golden lightning, his shifted colour and lightless flames covered his eyes and the temperature in the room began to rise.
“You know Elijah, two things can be true at the same time.” A third voice suddenly inserted itself into the conversation. His second brother David, finally decided to make himself known. The free spirit of the trio. Loved by all in the kingdom. And currently pissing him off as well with supposed amicable smile. A sneer found it's place on Elijah's face at a frightening pace and he couldn't help but engage.
“Oh, I don't seem to remember checking for the validity of Cayden’s concerns from you Weather boy.” Elijah knew it was a cheap jab but he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy watching the smile fade away from David's face. It gave him such vindication.
“Oh, so we're throwing insults now. How mature. Honestly Elijah, is it so wrong for our brother to worry about you and want to compete for the throne, as well. Who said becoming king would require you to forfeit your own life. Stop acting like this is a life or death battle for once in your life and just appreciate a sibling being worried for his brother, gods you can be so difficult.” He looked away in frustration. Intentionally or unintentionally, David, during had started exerting his power in the room and there seemed to be a visible shaking of the castle and space it was on, but he seemed to grasp a hold of the situation because as soon as he noticed the anomaly, he immediately stopped and tried to calm himself down.
Elijah, still fearless in the face of his twins displays, was about to retort but before he could the doors to the dining room opened and an aura so unfathomably potent hit all three of them and they each dropped to the floor.