Chapter 73 - Royal (Part 1)

  *SKEACH*

  A bolt of fire, as bright and terrible as lightnied from Luxana's fiip. It streaked across the room, aimed unerringly at Kyle's heart. The man's eyes widened in terror, his body paralyzed by fear and disbelief.

  In that frozen moment, Helios moved. With inhuman speed, he threw himself in front of Kyle, his body a shield against his daughter's attack. The fire struck him instead, dissipating harmlessly against some unseen barrier.

  "Ene, ene. Aitak beti bezain indartsu jarraitzen du." Luxana hissed, her smile growing impossibly wider. "Niri komeni zait, hako gizona a izatea." The words were ced with displeasure, a child's pout twisted into something monstrous.

  (Transtion: "My, my. Father is still as strong as ever." Luxana hissed, her smile growing impossibly wider."It behooves me, that such a man is my father." The words were ced with displeasure, a child's pout twisted into something monstrous.)

  Helios stood motionless, fusion evident in every line of his body. This blood-soaked creature wearing his daughter's face - what had happened? What had turned his child into this terrifying being?

  "A ze etsipena," Luxana said, her voice suddenly childlike, ingruous with her bloody appearahe sound of it made Helios' heart race, a primal fear taking root in his chest.

  (Transtion: "What a disappoi," Luxana said, her voice suddenly childlike, ingruous with her bloody appearahe sound of it made Helios' heart race, a primal fear taking root in his chest.)

  And then, as suddenly as she had appeared, Luxana was gone. She faded diagonally, her form dissolving into the shadows. The st thing to disappear was her frown, hanging in the air like the grin of the Cheshire Cat before it too vanished into nothingness.

  Iermath of her departure, the room felt colder, the shadows deeper. Helios and Kyle stood frozen, their minds reeling from what they had withe night that had begun with political maations and old grudges had taken a turn into something far darker, far more terrifying.

  -A few mier, the very night in The Shrine of the Hidden Springs Temple-

  -Pope's Dorm-

  The night air hung heavy with tension in The Shrine of the Hidden Springs Temple. Within the Pope's dorm, shadows danced on the walls as flickering dlelight illumiwo figures engaged in hushed versation. The Pope, a man of siderable influence, sat rigidly in his ornate chair, his fingers drumming an anxious rhythm on the polished wood of his desk. Before him stood the Archbishop, his face etched with as they discussed ret events.

  "I find it astonishing that the High Priest met such a tragid," the Archbishop murmured, his hands moving in a gesture of disbelief and sorrow.

  The Pope's face twisted into a sneer, his voice dripping with disdain. "That pompous fool got what was ing to him. It's fortunate for us that Aldritervened, or our losses would have been far greater."

  "Indeed," the Archbishop nodded, his tone measured. "It's fortuhat funerals in Domino are not accorded much significe."

  Suddenly, the Pope's demeanor shifted, his face t with rage. He smmed his fist oable, teeth bared in a snarl. "But that woman is a menace! What drives her to it such atrocities without any disible motive?"

  The Archbishop's eyes narrowed, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. "Princess Luxana, indeed. She is a force to be reed with, devoid of moral pass. Her as are those of a wild animal, driven solely by instinct."

  "Exactly," the Pope agreed vehemently. His tone shifted, being more businesslike. "So, what is the status of our preparations for the impending war?"

  The Archbishop's face fell, his voice tinged with disappoi. "Regrettably, we have made little progress. Most of our allies have deed our call to arms against Monis, though a few remain undecided. They represent our st hope."

  Silence desded upon the room as the Pope turned away, lost in thought. The Archbishop, seizing the moment, added with a hint of satisfa, "It was enlightening to discover that the Lobis had beely aligned with us."

  "Indeed," the Pope murmured, still deep in ption. "Have there been any developments regarding the traitor's execution?"

  "Rumors suggest that the traitor has escaped," the Archbishop replied, his voice low. "Furthermore, the pace has heightes security, making it increasingly difficult to gather any information."

  A smirk pyed across the Pope's lips, his i piqued. "What could be the reason behind this?"

  As the Archbishop opened his mouth to respond, a chilling voice cut through the air like a knife. "Because Lady Vespera is deceased. And her son, Rowan, was sold to a fn nd. But do not worry, he shall return soon."

  The Pope and Archbishop froze, cold sweat breaking out on their brows. Their eyes, previously locked on each other, now darted to the source of the voice. There, bathed in the warm glow of the firepce, stood Luxana. Her reddish-bck dress ttered with what could only be described as Hades' blood, and a regal smile pyed on her lips that sent shivers down their spines.

  The two men began to tremble at the sight of her, their posure crumbling. The Pope, in a desperate attempt to maintain trol, rose from his chair and excimed, "How dare you intrude upon us like this?"

  His words were cut short as Luxana, with lightning speed, hurled a fiery dagger that whizzed past his temples and embedded itself in the wall behind him. Both men turned, eyes wide with shock, to stare at the sm on. With a casual gesture, Luxana recalled the dagger to her palm, her smile never wavering.

  "By the authority vested in me, I and you to show the deference due to my presence," Luxana decred, her voice resonating with the power of a monarch. "Kneel before me."

  The Archbishop's voice trembled as he began to speak, but Luxana's zir blue eyes fshed with terrifying iy, sileng him.

  "Let your kouch the ground, and your heads bow in submission," she ordered once more, her voice eg with regal authority as the fire roared behind her, casting her in an otherworldly light.

  The Pope and Archbishop's bodies seemed to move of their own accord, dropping to their khey trembled violently, their eyes fixed on the marble floor, uo meet Luxana's fierce gaze.

  Luxana's expression twisted into one of disdain as she thought, And you guys thought on taking on the Monis Household? How quaint. How utterly...beh me. With a regal sigh, she prepared to speak once more, her words poised to shatter the fragile illusion of power these men had g to for so long.

  -The Following Day at the Crack of Dawn-

  The first rays of dawn kissed the horizon, but the pace of Domino was already alive with activity. The sound of trumpets pierced the crisp m air, their regal tones reverberating through the grand halls and out into the sprawling courtyards. Eaote was sharp and anding, pyed by imperial knights who stood in perfeation. Their uniforms were a masterpiece of design, a harmonious blend of red, bck, white, and gold. The crimson cloaks draped over their shoulders fluttered slightly as they raised their brass instruments in unison, their polished armor catg the light and glinting like fire. Gold embroidery traced intricate patterns ounics, and their bck boots were polished to a mirror shine.

  As the trumpets reached their cresdo, the massive double doors of the Royal ation Hall creaked open with deliberate grandeur. A flood of people began to enter—nobles in their dazzling finery, oners in simpler yet attire, clergy members in pristine white robes trimmed with gold, and an army of maids and servants moving with practiced efficy. Holy knights ceremonial white armor mingled with imperial guards whose darker uniforms exuded an air of authority.

  The hall they entered was nothing short of magnifit—a testament to turies of craftsmanship aion to the . T ns lihe walls, each carved from pure white marble and adorned with golden filigree that spiraled upward like vines reag for the heavens. Between these ns hung massive banners representing the various houses and regions of Domino. Each banner was a riot of color, embroidered with sigils that told tales of loyalty and valor.

  The ceiling stretched impossibly high, painted with a breathtaking mural depig a celestial battle between gods and mortals. Stars sparkled against a dark blue expanse, while golden rays from an imagined sun illuminated ses of triumph and sacrifice. At its ter hung a delier so vast it seemed almost alive; its tless crystal facets refracted light into a cascade of rainbows that danced across the hall like fleeting spirits.

  The floor was a masterpie itself—a mosaic of bd white marble tiles arranged in intricate geometric patterns that seemed to shift when viewed from different ahese tiles led toward a raised ptform at the far end of the hall. The ptform was draped in crimso embroidered with silver fmes that shimmered as though alive. Behind it loomed ay space where a throne should have stood—a detail that did not go unnoticed by those entering.

  The nobles entered first, their every movement calcuted to dispy their wealth and status. Men wore doublets encrusted with jewels, their capes lined with fur from exotic beasts. Women glided across the marble floor in gowns made of silk a, their necks adorned with strings of pearls or diamonds that caught every flicker of light. Their faces were painted with expressions of polite curiosity, though whispers betrayed their unease.

  As the grand hall filled with people from all walks of life, a buzz of versation grew, each group huddling with their own kind to specute on the reason for this unusual gathering.

  Among the nobles, a cluster of finely dressed men and women stood near a gilded pilr, their jewels glinting in the early m light. A portly nobleman with a ruby-encrusted brooch pio his velvet doublet leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper.

  "I must say, being summo su ungodly hour is most irregur. What could be sent?"

  A tall, willowy noblewoman with a string of pearls casg down her neck replied, her fan fluttering nervously, "Perhaps it's about the u at the borders? I've heard whispers of increased bandit activity."

  "Nonsense," interjected another nobleman, his silver-streaked beard quivering as he spoke. "This is the ation Hall. It must be a matter of succession."

  A younger noble, his face still smooth and unmarked by age, chimed in eagerly, "Could it be about the chaos during the royal hunt? I heard there was quite the otion."

  "Hush," admonished an elderly noblewoman, her wrinkled hands clutg an ornate e. "We mustn't speak of such things. Though I do wonder... is this where they pn to execute the traitor?"

  The group fell silent for a moment, exging meaningful ghen, a nobleman with a scar running down his left cheek spoke up, his voice gruff.

  "Execute a traitor in the ation Hall? Preposterous. Besides, I heard the traitor escaped."

  This revetio a new wave of murmurs through the group, their theories growing wilder by the minute.

  Meanwhile, in a er of the hall, a group of oners huddled together, their clothes but simple pared to the opulence surrounding them. A burly bcksmith, his hands calloused from years of work, scratched his head in fusion.

  "I don't uand. Why call us on folk to such a grand pce? It's not like they need us to witness aion."

  A thin, wiry mert with quick eyes darted gnces around the room as he replied, "Maybe it's about taxes. Gods know they've been squeezing us dry tely."

  "Taxes?" scoffed a weathered farmer, soil still embedded under his nails despite his best efforts to up. "Nah, it's got to be about the harvest. Maybe they're worried about a famine."

  A youress, her fingers bearing the tiny scars of tless needle pricks, shook her head. "You're all wrong. I bet it's about the war."

  "War?" the others excimed in unison, their eyes widening in arm.

  "Think about it," she tinued, l her voice. "Why else gather everyone like this? They must be preparing to announce a call to arms."

  This sparked a heated debate among the oners, each their own theories and s about what a war might mean for their livelihoods.

  he altar, members of the clergy whispered amongst themselves, their white robes a stark trast to the colorful attire of the nobles and the simple garb of the oners.

  An elderly priest, his face lined with years of devotion, murmured to his younger colleague, "In all my years, I've never seen such a gathering in this sacred hall. It must be a matter of great spiritual importance."

  The younger priest nodded solemnly, "Perhaps they're going to announce a new religious ediaybe it's about the rumors of heresy spreading ier provinces?"

  A nun, her habit crisp and immacute, interjected softly, "Whatever it is, we must pray fuidand wisdom for our leaders in these uain times."

  "Amen," the others responded in unison, their heads bowing briefly in prayer.

  In the shadows he walls, servants and maids moved quietly, their ears perked to caty ss of versation that might shed light ouation.

  A young maid, bang a tray of delicate crystal gsses, whispered to her panion, "I overheard one of the nobles saying something about a new heir. Do you think that's why we're here?"

  Her friend, an older servant with graying hair, shook her head. "Impossible. If it were about an heir, why ihe oners? No, this is something bigger."

  A kit boy, his face still round with youth, piped up, "Maybe it's about magic! I heard one of the guards talking about strange lights in the sky st night."

  The older servant cuffed him gently on the ear. "Don't be ridiculous, boy. There's no such thing as magic."

  But even as she said it, her eyes darted around nervously, as if cheg for any sign of the supernatural.

  To be tinued...