Chapter 56 - Helios (Part 5)

  -2 and a half years ter; In Helios' Study-

  Helios sat in his study, surrounded by a sea of political dots. The room was quiet, save for the rustling of papers and the occasional sigh from the prince. Suddenly, a misty form materialized, swirling around the room with dramatic fir. "Haaaaaaaaah.........it's s. Your life is soo boooo!" Xerxes excimed, his ethereal voice eg off the walls. Without looking up from his work, Helios quipped, "Damn, my life must be really iing if you're this obsessed with it." Xerxes responded with an exaggerated groan that seemed to stret forever. *Knoobsp;Just as the ghostly wail reached its cresdo, a sharp knock at the door cut through the noise. "e in," Helios called out, and Xerxes vanished into thin air. The door opeo reveal Talon Bruhe Emperor's advisor. His presenatentioe his subservient posture. "His Majesty, the Emperor ands your presen his study," he announced with practiced formality. Helios rose from his chair, his face a mask of calm indifference. "Uood," he replied, moving towards the door. As he passed, Talon bowed low, a gesture of respect that seemed almost exaggerated. Helios paused for a moment, his eyes catg something unusual. With a hint of curiosity in his voice, he remarked, "Your hair.......really are turning bck, huh?" The ent hung in the air as Helios tinued down the corridor, leaving Talon thten up and resume his stoic demeanor. The advisor's eyes followed the prince's retreating form, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his face.-In the Emperor's Study- The Emperor's study was a chamber of shadows as, where the weight of history hung heavy in the air. Sunlight filtered through the long window, casting elongated shadows across the polished marble floor. The Emperor stood silently, his silhouette a dark monolith against the brilliant backdrop of the world beyond. His hands were csped behind his back, fingers iwined like the threads of fate that had spared him from death twelve years prior. The room was thick with unspoken truths. The very walls seemed to whisper of the brutal attempted murder, a memory now erased from the minds of both the Emperor and Hades by Xerxes' are powers. In its pce, a fabricated tale of the Empress's treachery had taken root, leading to her unjust execution.Behind the Emperor loomed his study table, a massive sb of a oak that had boro tless decisions that shaped the empire. Its surface was a ndscape of parts and sealed dots, eae a potential decree or death sentence. Further back, Hades stood at attention, his posture mirr that of his father, a living echo of authority. The door creaked open, admitting Helios into this tableau of power. "Your Imperial Majesty," he intoned formally, his voice cutting through the silence as he bowed deeply. The floorboards whispered beh his feet as he moved to stand beside his brother, their identical faces a study in trast – one open, one guarded. The Emperor pivoted, his movement deliberate and measured, turning just enough tard his sons with a single, pierg eye. The light caught the silver threads in his beard, a testament to the years that had etched themselves into his very being. "I trust you are both izant of the immi military e," the Emperor's voice rumbled, each word falling like a stoo a still pond. "Indeed, Your Majesty," Hades responded with military precision.Helios offered a measured nod of aowledgment. "It has beeermihat one of you shall represent Domino's is in this flict," the Emperor decred.A moment of tension crystallized in the room. Hades' posure fractured, while Helios remained outwardly impassive. "Your Imperial Majesty," Hades implored, "I beseech you to sider sending Helios in my stead. My impending nuptials with Princess Roxana are of paramount significe." Helios began to ter, "Imperial Father, if I may be so bold, my brother has already entered into matrimonial arras with five noble dies-" The Emperor's raised hand silenced both sons. He then decred with regal authority, "Helios, you shall depart for the war under Hades' name. You will serve for half a year, during which time we shall expeditiously solemnize Hades' wedding to Princess Roxana. Subsequently, Hades will assume your position in the flict, thereby facilitating your return. Do you both find this proposition agreeable?" "Your will shall be our and, Imperial Father," Hades procimed, his enthusiasm barely tained. Helios stood momentarily transfixed, a fleeting vulnerability crossing his typically impassive features. Swiftly, he restructed his stoic demeanor, a nearly imperceptible bow of acquiesbsp;As Helios withdrew from the chamber, his departure was a mastercss in trolled movement – each step a sileament to his plex inner ndscape. The door closed with a soft, definitive click, leaving behind a ronant with the weight of imperial decisions and altered destinies.-Helios' Bedroom- The heavy oak door creaked shut behind Helios as he entered his private sanctuary. With a swift motion, he ehe lock, ensuring his solitude. Or so it would seem to any mortal observer. "Xerxes," Helios called out, his voice a mixture of exhaustion and resignation. The air shimmered, coalesg into a writhing mass of inky darkness. Xerxes' disembodied voice emanated from the void, tinged with irritation. "What?" Helios moved towards his ornate four-poster bed, his shoulders sagging under an invisible weight. "Father has decreed that I am to join the war, masquerading as Hades." The bck mist swirled violently, Xerxes' shock palpable in the air. "Are you fug kidding me? And you just rolled over and took it? What happeo all that talk of vengeance, huh?" Helios reed on the bed, his eyes closing as if to shut out the world. "Vengeahat's a child's fantasy, Xerxes. I harbor no such delusions." "Bullshit!" Xerxes spat, his form roiling with anger. "We had a deal, remember? All those nights spent purging the empire of its filth, razing those godforsaken au houses and bck markets to the ground. Was that all for nothing?" Helios' eyes snapped open, a hint of steel entering his voice. "I never desired to be cast as either vilin or hero, Xerxes. My as... they were all to ensure a safer empire. For the child." "Child? What fug child?" Xerxes' form expanded, filling the room with his incredule. "You mean to tell me you've been using me, making me plicit in your little ing crusade, all for some hypothetical brat?" Helios sat up, his face a mask of calm belying the storm within. "Yes," he stated simply, his gaze unfling. "My goal was singur - to elimihe Empress and secure my future. Look around you, Xerxes. I've built an empire within an empire. Three iional branches, tless properties, a sterliation. That's the vengeance I sought." "Fuck me sideways," Xerxes growled, his form densing into a tight, angry ball. "All this time, I've been itg to possess the body of a man who doesn't have the balls to embrace true power? You're pathetic, Helios. Just like that weak bitch who birthed you." The temperature in the room seemed to plummet as Helios' eyes fshed dangerously. His voice, when he spoke, could have frozen fme. "You will not speak of my mother in such a manner, Xerxes. Ever." "Ugh, whatever," Xerxes snarled, his form dissipating like smoke in the wind. Left alone, Helios fell bato the bed, his hands c his face. A deep sigh escaped him, den with the weight of secrets and unspoken truths.-Outside Roxana's Room, in the Corridor, Late afternoon- The corridor outside Roxana's room buzzed with an eerie silence, broken only by the sudden crash of a door flying open. Lady Vespera, the most ret wife of Hades, stumbled out, her appearance a stark trast to her usual regal demeanor. "UGHH!" she excimed, her voice eg off the stone walls. Her once-pristine hair now resembled a bird's , as if invisible cws had raked through it mercilessly. Her elegant dress hung in tatters, the bottom hem frayed and torn, while the bodice gaped open at the top. She cast a venomous gre bato the room before fleeing down the corridor, her footsteps fading into the distanbsp;At the far end of the hallway, Helios stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock. Curiosity overcame his initial hesitation, and he found himself drawn towards Roxana's room. As he approached, he noticed the door left ajar in Vespera's wake. Peering inside, Helios saw Roxana standihe window, one arm crossed over her chest while the other hand was raised, her eyes focused ily on her fingernails. The te afternoon sun cast a golden glow across her features, highlighting the subtle curve of her lips. *Knoobsp;He knocked on the open door. Helios rapped his knuckles against the open door, the sound seeming to startle Roxana from her reverie. She raised her eyes slowly, looking up at him from beh long shes. "You are permitted to enter," Roxana said, her voice a low, melodious purr. Helios slipped inside, his movements fluid yet cautious. He gnced back over his shoulder, ensuring they were alone before swiftly shutting the door with a soft clibsp;As he turned back to face Roxana, Helios noticed her gaze fixed oter in his hand. He extended his arm, holding the missive halfway between them, silently invitio close the distanbsp;Roxana glided forward, her movements graceful and deliberate. She plucked the letter from his fingers, her touch feather-light. With deft movements, she unfolded the part, her eyes sing the tents:Roxana, do the echoes of yhtered kin not whisper vengean your veins? The Azones demand your presence. Your weakness bleeds our power. e to Ossa now, or I will ensure what remains of your fractured lineage bees nothing more than a whispered curse. Your siblings' survival depends on your submission. Arrive, or be erased. Your Aunt"HMMM," Roxana murmured, her left hand l the letter to rest against her right elbow. Her right hand rose to her lips, fiips brushing against them as she turo face the firepce perpendicur to her ornate bed. Helios tilted his head, curiosity evident in his voice. "What's wrong?" Roxana remained silent, her eyes transfixed by the dang fmes. The fire cast flickering shadows across her face, atuating the sharp angles of her cheekbones. "A child. Strong enough to bear that," she said suddenly, her left hand still clutg the letter as she poiowards the r fire. " such a child be born?" Her tone was ominous, her fa impassive mask. Helios turo follow her gaze, his brow furrowing slightly. "You mean a child who bear the Fmes of the Dragon?" A smirk pyed at the ers of Roxana's lips, her eyes never leaving the hypnotice of the fmes. "Exactly." "You don't mean what I think you mean, right?" Helios questioned, a frown deepening on his face as he too became mesmerized by the fire. "I mealy what you think," she replied, turning back to face Helios with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Roxana's eyes narrowed as she studied Helios, her firag the edges of the letter. "You oold me you'd do anything for me," she said, her voice low and measured. "Did you mean it?" Helios stiffened, his red eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. "Roxana, you know I—" "Because I need you now," she interrupted, taking a step closer. "Not for some frivolous wish or fleeting desire. This is about survival." He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "What exactly are you asking of me?" Roxana held up the letter, her knuckles white against the part. "Ossa. On the western coast of Kior. We o go there, and we o go now." "Ossa?" Helios's brow furrowed. "That's an abandoned nd. Not to mention, all the cursed stories which revolve around this region, Roxana. You 't seriously be sidering—" "I'm not sidering anything," she snapped. "I'm going. With or without you." A tense silence fell between them. Helios paced the room, his movements agitated. "This is madness. You're walking into a trap." Roxana's ugh was bitter. "Perhaps. But it's a trap I 't avoid. My family, Helios. My siblings. Their lives hang in the bance." He stopped, turning to face her. His expression softened slightly. "And what of your life? Does that not matter?""Of course it does," she whispered. "That's why I'm asking you to e with me." Helios closed his eyes, flict evident on his face. When he opehem again, there was a resigned determination in his gaze. "Very well. But we do this my way. No unnecessary risks." Relief flooded Roxana's features. She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Thank you." "Don't tha," Helios muttered. He raised his hands, bck mist beginning to swirl around them. "This won't be pleasant." The air crackled with energy. Roxa a pulliion in her gut, the world blurring around her. Whehing came bato focus, they were standing in a dark, misty forest. The st of salt and decay hung heavy in the air. Bck cloaks materialized around them, prote against the chill and cealing their identities. Roxana pulled her hood low, sing their surroundings."Wele to Ossa," Roxana announced with a theatrical flourish, spinning on her heel and spreading her arms wide. Her voice carried an odd mix of excitement and caution, lilting with a sing-song quality. "Isn't it delightfully dreary?" Helios tensed beside her, his muscles coiling like springs. His eyes, sharp and alert, sed the misty, seemingly deserted ndscape. He shifted his weight, ready to move at a moment's notice. "It's..." he paused, his voice low and gravelly, "...exactly as abandoned as I thought." "Oh, don't be so quick to judge," Roxana chided pyfully, her lips curving into an impish grin. She pirouetted gracefully, closing the distaween them in a heartbeat. With a delicate finger, she tapped his he best hosts are the ones you 't see." Helios's hand instinctively moved to a cealed on, his fingers curling around the hilt. His jaw ched, eyes narrowing. "Roxana, what aren't you telling me?" His tone was taut with suspi.To be tinued...