The councilmen addressed him in the form of holograms.
“Ryuma, second son of Harfiz, the last king and ruler of Proxima. It is time. The council has deemed you old enough to take over the country and to fulfill your father’s destiny.”
“I am most grateful.” Ryuma rose to his feet. His hair was long and silky, and his face bore a scar on its right side, even through the eye. Although he was only nineteen, Ryuma looked older than anyone in the room, and taller too.
“Lord Ryuma, I take it that you want to continue what was left of your father’s work seven years ago?” One of the councilmen asked.
“I have already begun. We shall wipe Cassian off the map.” Ryuma declared.
“Very well. Your father will be proud. Good luck.” The transmission cut off, leaving behind Ryuma standing alone in his lightless room in his spacecraft.
He walked across the room, to his table, where a picture of his family was framed and placed.
“I am finally close, father. I will keep my promise, just you see…” He said, holding the picture. The scar on his face burned with fury.
There was a knock on his door. He placed the picture back on the table and answered. “Come in.”
The door opened and revealed a tall and lean man, who was holding a scythe in his hands. His hood covered most of his face, except for his sharp jaw.
“You called for me?” The man asked, stepping inside the room.
“Cal Harn, my cousin, I am finally the ruler.” Ryuma said to him.
“My lord,” Cal bowed down, still holding his scythe to the ground.
“Do you remember my brother? Do you remember the day that they took everything from us? Our family? Our home?” Ryuma asked, lifting Cal to the ground.
“How can I not? I make myself remember it every passing second, so that I never forget our duty.” Cal said to him. His voice was emotionless, as usual.
“Well, you won’t have to wait much longer. We finally have our chance. As lord ruler, I will make Cassian pay. Pay for everything that they did.” Ryuma held Cal’s shoulder.
“I will offer you my life, my lord, for I am your hand, the reaper of the king.” Cal said.
“I know Cal, you are the only one who understands my pain. I will make sure that we will both be able to see it. The sight of Cassian burning.”
A small device in Cal’s hand started beeping. He checked it, and said, “You will have to excuse me, my lord. There is an emergency.”
Ryuma nodded.
Later, Ryuma got out of his room and walked to a room on the other end of the floor. He was greeted by every one of his subjects. He opened the door and barged in to find more than a dozen men wearing lab coats, working around a large circular machine.
“Lord Ryuma” The leader of the group, a short and plump bald man with a thick mustache, addressed him.
“Is the annihilator ready?” Ryuma asked.
“We are close, my lord.” The guy answered.
“How close? I want an exact date.”
“Two days at best. We are almost done.”
“Good. Will it work as promised?” Ryuma asked. He moved closer to examine the machine. It was overloaded with wires and metal parts. He touched the rim of the machine. “Can it really destroy an entire nation with a single hit?”
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“Of course, my lord. It is more than capable of wiping off an entire continent. A small state like Cassian will be a child’s play for this beast.”
“It better be. Your head is on the line.” Ryuma said firmly. The man gulped and nodded nervously. “I have waited for years. This better not disappoint me. Next week, we shall have our much awaited revenge.”
“If I may, my lord, I think you should not rush this. Give us another week and we will have it ready.” one of the other scientists said.
“Step forward.” Ryuma ordered. The gentleman came forward, with his head held high.
Ryuma took out his blaster and shot him in the head. His body dropped to the floor. The whole room was filled with shocking silence. He kicked the dead body mockingly.
“I do not have that kind of patience.” Ryuma said. “Remember, If it’s not done in two days, every single one of you in this room will meet the same fate.”
With that, Ryuma walked out of the room, proud of his actions.
“Get rid of the body.” The scientist behind him told one of the guards outside the room.
He stopped and stared at the glass window of the spacecraft. They were currently flying undetected over one of Cassian’s borderlands. He tried to imagine it, the sight of Cassian burning, with screaming children, and crying citizens. He couldn’t wait. Years ago, the Cassians invaded Proxima and killed every one of the royal family, everyone except him and his cousin, Cal. Nothing was the same ever since then, his only purpose in life was to experience the taste of revenge, to pay them back for what they did.
“Lord Ryuma,” Cal Harn, the second in command and reaper of the king, appeared before him once again.
“What is it?”
“There is something you should see.” Cal stamped his scythe and led him to the third floor. They walked through many different rooms and finally arrived.
Cal nodded to the guard and he opened the door.
The room was dim and silent, except for the slow-moving noise of an exhaust fan. Inside was a man, his hands used to hang him from the ceiling by chains. He was dripping with blood, and his body was brutally tortured. His arms looked as if they were about to tear apart at any moment.
“This is where we keep prisoners and traitors.” Ryuma noted.
“Yes, my lord. This is a Valor we encountered outside the ship’s vicinity. A few of our scouts were ambushed by him and his friend.” Cal said, using his scythe to further inflict more damage on the man’s body. “We found his companion’s name but he has refused to give us any useful information..”
Ryuma looked at Cal in dismay. He knew he had to act quickly to move on with his plans.
“This is bad.” Ryuma said. “We will have to make amends to the plans quickly.”
“I agree. We awaiting your decision my lord,”
Ryuma mindlessly wandered around, frequently staring at the ceiling, and at the prisoner. He fiddled with his blaster and finally came to a stop.
“Move the ship immediately. Somewhere safer. Launch an attack on Tefot. Use both ghouls and men. Keep the Valors occupied for two days. Don’t hesitate to kill civilians to draw them out. Tell the employees that they need to get the annihilator working before tomorrow.” He ordered.
“Yes, my lord.” Cal did not question his decisions. He always trusted his brilliant tactics.
“And,” Ryuma said before Cal left the room. “What’s the name of his companion?” he asked.
“Hor Arwt. Cal answered. “I believe he is the mayor’s son.”
“The attack on Tefot must draw him out. Killing him is our first priority, is that understood?” Ryuma said strongly.
“I do, my lord.” Cal exited the room and left to implement his decisions.
“It’s- It’s already too late.” The prisoner managed to say. “You won’t have your way.”
“Is that so?” Ryuma asked him, sitting on the floor. “You are a Valor, aren’t you?”
He asked. “There is nothing more than Valors that I hate in this world. Truly hypocritic creatures. I shall make sure that you suffer very well before you are relieved of your life.” Ryuma promised.
“Do whatever you want to me, you will still fail miserably.” He spat him on his face. His saliva was all bloody. Ryuma stood up without any particular emotion, not even disgust. He just smiled and wiped his face. “A fool’s arrogance, very well.”
He said and walked out.
“Boil him alive.” Ryuma ordered the guard outside the cell.
How did they find us? the question burned in his mind. It was not something he could ignore. The possibility of a traitor among them was now high. It could have been by mistake but he couldn’t ignore the idea of someone working against him in his own ship.
The control room was not far, so he decided to put his suspicions to ease. He stepped into the room, it was busy with soldiers working on computers, and with employees handing each other intel.
“How can we help you, my lord?” One of the officers asked.
“I want you to pull up every communication detail made last week. Every single employee. Even me. Leave no crumbs.” He ordered. “Inform me If you find anything suspicious.”