The King’s Wrath & the Council’s Game

  The throne room of Aurarios was silent.

  Flames guttered low in their braziers. Dust hung still in the light. Nothing dared move.

  The messenger entered without fanfare—cloak torn, face pale from days on the road. He knelt.

  “Your Majesty… the summons was delivered.”

  **King Olymion** didn’t speak. Not yet.

  “Princess Elysia refused. She said she would return *when she’s ready*.”

  The silence that followed was sharp. Not dramatic—just final.

  “And the boy?”

  “He didn’t speak. Watched me. That was all.”

  Olymion’s jaw shifted. He didn’t look away, but his eyes dimmed—like a fire fed too long without air.

  She hadn’t just refused.

  She had chosen *someone else*.

  The King’s hand closed around the arm of his throne.

  “She thinks she’s doing good. That walking beside him gives her purpose.”

  His voice lowered, calm but heavy.

  “But she doesn’t understand what follows rising gods.”

  Behind the golden lattice, the council stirred.

  One voice, cool and certain:

  “The people already see her as part of his circle.”

  Another, quieter still:

  “And once that image takes root… it’s hard to separate the crown from the storm.”

  A third voice—older, uncertain:

  “If we place soldiers beside them, the people may see it as an endorsement.”

  **Councilor Damarus** stepped forward, tone even:

  “Or a warning. Either way, they’ll remember who let them walk.”

  Olymion stood, slow and sure.

  “Then we’ll shape the image ourselves.”

  He looked to Damarus, already calculating.

  “Send a group. **Soldiers.** Their task will be to protect the Princess.”

  A pause.

  “But their purpose… is to watch the boy.”

  A longer silence followed.

  One of the senior councilors leaned forward.

  “Whom will you send?”

  The King didn’t hesitate.

  “From the Fourth Cohort. The **Ash Sentinels**.”

  Gasps rippled through the chamber.

  Even Damarus' expression shifted—just slightly.

  “They’ve not been deployed in years.”

  “They were trained for situations like this,” Olymion said. “Elite, disciplined, faceless in loyalty. Each one hand-picked. No ties to the court, no whispers in the taverns.”

  “Their file says they served under Commander Laerin during the war,” someone whispered. “And disappeared afterward.”

  “They didn’t disappear,” the King said. “They were shelved.”

  A pause. A breath of fire before the blade.

  “Now, they serve again.”

  He stepped down from the dais, voice steady.

  “Where Hiro and Elysia go, the Ash Sentinels will follow.”

  “Our insignia will follow. And our eyes.”

  A final glance to the flickering banners overhead.

  “Let the people believe we’re safeguarding her.”

  “But make no mistake—this isn’t a gesture of trust.”

  “It’s a leash. With a blade on the end.”

  Sparks in the Silence

  Elysia woke slowly, drifting up through layers of exhausted darkness into the quiet embrace of candlelit shadows.

  The first sensation was pain—dull and insistent, pulsing gently behind her temples. Her eyes opened slowly, blurred edges sharpening into a simple, unfamiliar ceiling of rough timber.

  She moved slightly, groaning softly at the ache that flooded her limbs. Memory returned sharply—the poisoned villagers, the desperate rush of power, her world tipping sideways as darkness claimed her.

  “Careful,” a voice warned quietly. Not gentle, but calm and steadying. Athena stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes watchful yet unreadable. “You nearly drained yourself completely.”

  Elysia blinked, swallowing dryly. “Did it… Did I help them?”

  Athena inclined her head slightly—approval, but reserved. “Enough, for now. But pushing yourself blindly won’t help anyone, least of all you.”

  Elysia flinched, the sting of Athena’s words sharper than the physical ache. She’d meant well—but Athena was right, and that truth felt heavy.

  A shuffle from the corner drew her gaze—Hiro, leaning quietly against the wall, arms folded. His golden-ember eyes caught the flicker of candlelight, shadowed yet alert. Phinx stood at his side, quiet but attentive, feathers shimmering softly in the dimness.

  “You scared everyone,” Hiro said finally, voice flat yet layered with concern he didn’t fully mask. “Me included.”

  Elysia felt her cheeks flush slightly, embarrassment mixing with gratitude. “I just… I saw them suffering. I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”

  Hiro pushed off from the wall, stepping closer. “Nobody expects you to. But next time, don’t carry it alone.”

  Athena’s eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful. “Power without restraint only destroys the wielder. Remember this. It won’t get easier.”

  The words hung in the air, their gravity clear.

  Elysia drew a deep, slow breath, accepting the weight of Athena’s caution. “I understand.”

  Athena nodded once—acknowledgment without praise—and turned quietly toward the door. “Rest. Both of you.”

  As the door clicked shut behind Athena, Elysia let out a slow breath, the tension easing slightly.

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  Hiro remained, watching her with quiet intensity. “You don’t have to do it all alone.”

  She met his gaze, feeling warmth beneath his quiet certainty. “Neither do you.”

  A faint smile pulled at Hiro’s lips. He nodded once, solemn but softening. “Then let’s keep it that way.”

  Phinx trilled gently, as if in agreement.

  Elysia turned toward him, and without hesitation, ran her fingers along his plumage.

  “You’ve gotten bigger,” she murmured, her voice quiet with affection.

  Phinx leaned into her touch, feathers radiating warmth. She closed her eyes, letting the moment settle.

  She didn’t need to say anything else.

  She knew now—she wasn’t alone.

  Whispers from the Next Town Over

  The scent of fresh bread and rain-soaked stone lingered in the air as morning light spilled over the village rooftops. Children laughed somewhere in the distance, their voices sharp and clear, untouched by the weight that had settled over the inn.

  Elysia rested still, recovering. Athena had slipped out earlier to speak with the village elder, her absence quiet but deliberate.

  Hiro sat near the hearth, Phinx curled beside him, both watching the flicker of flames with similar intensity. The warmth was steady, but Hiro couldn’t shake the strange stillness in his chest. Something felt… off.

  The inn door creaked open.

  A hunched man stepped in, his cloak heavy with road-dust, one hand cradling a weather-worn satchel. He paused, glanced around, then spotted the innkeeper and made his way toward the counter.

  Hiro watched as the man whispered something across the wood. The innkeeper's face tensed.

  Something shifted in Hiro's posture—subtle, instinctual.

  The man turned just as Hiro stood.

  “Trouble on the road?” Hiro asked, voice low.

  The traveler looked up. His eyes were tired, voice brittle.

  “Not the road, lad. The town to the east—Velanthis. The well’s gone dry. No water for days. And the priests who used to bless it…” He paused, uneasy. “Gone. Vanished. No one’s seen ‘em in over a week.”

  Hiro’s jaw tensed. “Any sign of sickness?”

  The man shook his head. “Not sickness. Just silence. The kind that creeps. Animals don’t go near the shrine anymore. The ground’s gone soft. Wrong.”

  Phinx stirred, feathers rustling with low warning.

  Hiro exchanged a glance with him, then nodded slowly. “Which way?”

  The man gestured east. “Follow the creek till it thins. Then up the hill. You’ll see what’s left of the temple from there.”

  Hiro turned to the stairs.

  “Get ready,” he said, not looking back. “We’re heading out.”

  Athena descended a moment later, already gathering her cloak. Elysia followed slowly, her strength still returning but her will unshaken.

  Before they left, Hiro approached the village elder who stood near the door, silent, watching them with tired eyes.

  “We’ll head east,” Hiro said. “If what that man said is true, this isn’t just about one well anymore.”

  The elder nodded solemnly. “We feared as much. When the land grows quiet, something worse is listening.”

  Athena stepped forward, then paused—eyes flicking to Phinx.

  Without a word, she reached out.

  The phoenix stilled as if understanding. Athena plucked a single glowing feather from his wing. The flame at its tip dimmed, not extinguished—settling into a quiet, pulsing ember.

  She turned to Hiro next. “Hold out your arm.”

  Hiro hesitated, but obeyed.

  Athena drew the feather across his skin with a single, precise motion. A thin line of blood welled up, not deep, but bright and radiant—tinged faintly with gold. She dipped the tip of the feather into it, then pressed it to a small scroll of ivory hide.

  Her writing was fluid and strange—runes that shimmered faintly with divine heat.

  When she finished, she handed it to the village elder, who took it with both hands, reverently.

  “Place it near the well,” Athena said. “Offer prayer and flame. Small gifts of bread, fruit, or clean water. Keep it watched. As long as your faith feeds it, the rot will not breach your walls.”

  The elder’s hands trembled. “What is it?”

  “A tether,” she replied. “To him.”

  She nodded toward Hiro.

  “It won’t cleanse the corruption. But it will keep it away. For now.”

  The elder bowed deeply. “Then we will protect it with our lives.”

  Elysia smiled, steady despite the weight still in her limbs. “And we’ll return. When we do, we won’t just protect you—we’ll end it.”

  Hiro met the elder’s gaze, firm and silent. Phinx stepped beside him, and the three turned eastward together—toward a temple choked in silence and something darker.

  The Dimming Path

  The road east wound through hills of tall grass and shadowed brush, narrowing as it cut deeper into forgotten land. The sky above was soft with cloud, pale light filtering through in slow, watchful beams.

  They rode in silence.

  Hiro led, astride a dark mare with a silver blaze, his eyes sharp beneath the flick of Phinx’s wings overhead. Elysia followed close, wrapped in a travel cloak, hands light on the reins but posture alert. Athena brought up the rear, ever watchful.

  The land began to change.

  What had been green turned gray—subtle at first, then sharp. Grass dulled, leaves lost their luster. Even the breeze grew quieter, as though the world itself were holding its breath.

  A sluggish stream ran beside the road, its water thick with rot and shadow. No birds. No insects. No sound.

  They dismounted when the path grew too tight, leading the horses the final stretch toward a spring nestled in a shallow ravine.

  There, the water gurgled up from beneath ancient stone—but its color was wrong. Tinged. Tired. Sick.

  Phinx let out a soft growl.

  Hiro stepped toward the spring, eyes narrowing at the dark water swirling beneath the cracked stone rim.

  Elysia moved beside him. “Wait… are you going to purify it?”

  He nodded, slowly. “I’m going to try.”

  She hesitated. “Have you ever done that before? With lightning?”

  Hiro didn’t look at her right away. His fingers hovered over the water.

  “No. But lightning isn’t just for destruction. Not anymore.”

  He knelt by the spring, pressing his hand to the stone rim. Sparks leapt from his fingers, dancing along the edge. Then he reached deeper—into the storm within.

  Lightning flared—

  —only to sputter, and vanish.

  The water rejected it. Pushed back.

  Hiro staggered slightly, eyes narrowing. “It won’t let me in.”

  “I’ll try,” Elysia said quickly, already moving beside him. Her hands hovered over the water, glowing faintly.

  A soft light poured from her palms—

  —but the water swallowed it.

  Not absorbed.

  **Smothered.**

  She gasped. “It’s like… it doesn’t want to be healed.”

  Hiro didn’t move away. His eyes darkened with focus. “Then maybe lightning isn’t enough.”

  He shifted his stance, inhaled slowly—and drew on something deeper. The storm within, yes, but also the flame that had *reborn* him.

  A faint heat gathered around his palm.

  Not rage. Not chaos.

  **Will.**

  He pressed his hand to the water again.

  A thin wisp of steam rose—

  —and for a moment, the oily darkness recoiled.

  Just a moment.

  Then the surface twisted back, boiling against itself, and swallowed the heat whole.

  Hiro drew his hand away, frustrated but composed. “It worked… a little.”

  Athena stepped forward at last, gaze hard. She didn’t speak for a long moment.

  Then, quietly:

  “Something ancient is clinging beneath this spring.

  Not just rot. Not just corruption.

  This was touched long ago—marked. Twisted.”

  Elysia looked up. “By what?”

  Athena’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll find out.”

  Phinx stepped closer, tail flicking. The phoenix’s flame dimmed subtly, as if the air itself resisted it.

  The group fell silent.

  Even the spring seemed to listen.

  The Edge of Velanthis

  They crested the final hill by midday, hooves muffled by earth too soft beneath the grass.

  Velanthis lay below them—a cluster of pale stone homes wrapped around a sunken temple at its heart. From this distance, the town looked almost untouched. Peaceful, even.

  But no one moved.

  No market stalls. No smoke from the chimneys. No voices.

  “Something’s wrong,” Elysia whispered, tightening her grip on the reins.

  Athena said nothing.

  As they descended, the silence thickened. The birds didn’t return. The wind didn’t move.

  They reached the outer homes first—empty, but not abandoned. Pots still hung above cold hearths. Baskets of withered fruit sat near open doorways. A child’s sandal lay in the dirt beside a small doll, both untouched by rot or dust.

  “It’s like everyone just vanished,” Hiro murmured, dismounting.

  Phinx remained airborne now, circling silently above the temple.

  The closer they drew to the center, the more it became clear: the corruption hadn’t simply destroyed this town.

  It had **emptied** it.

  Athena finally spoke, her voice quiet and measured. “There are no signs of struggle. No blood. No bodies. Whatever came through here… did not kill with force.”

  Elysia looked toward the temple. “Then what did it do?”

  Athena’s eyes narrowed. “It consumed their faith.”

  They reached the temple gates—its once-sacred pillars crumbled, ivy clinging like veins. Hiro stepped forward first, brushing past the hanging roots of an old tree grown through the stone.

  Inside, the chamber was colder.

  Water pooled in a recessed spring at the far end—stagnant and black. Faint whispers brushed the edge of hearing, like prayers trapped beneath the surface.

  But it was what lay beneath the moss-stained altar that stopped them.

  An old stone slab, half-buried beneath collapsed flooring, marked with symbols so ancient even Athena hesitated.

  Hiro knelt, brushing the dust aside.

  **Glyphs. Carved deep.**

  “It’s a seal,” Athena said, stepping close. “And not a local one. This predates the temple above it.”

  Elysia frowned. “A seal for what?”

  Athena stared longer, her voice low and cold. “Something meant to stay buried.”

  Hiro stood slowly. “So this wasn’t a curse.”

  Athena’s gaze sharpened. “No. This was *awakened*. Or worse—*released*.”

  A shiver passed through the air—subtle but real.

  Phinx landed just outside the chamber, feathers slightly ruffled, eyes narrowed toward the spring.

  The group fell silent again, as if the old stones themselves were listening.

  ---

  They stepped outside the temple into the gray stillness, the wind returning just enough to rustle the grass.

  The village behind them remained silent.

  The seal, untouched beneath the altar, still pulsed faintly—unseen but felt.

  Hiro stood apart from the others, staring into the horizon. Phinx perched nearby, wings flicking, as if agitated by something far beyond the village.

  Athena approached, slow and quiet.

  “Your lightning failed,” she said—not as accusation, but as fact.

  Hiro didn’t look at her. “I know.”

  “And your flame fought… but still fell short.”

  He nodded once.

  “Do you know why?”

  He turned now, meeting her eyes. “Because I’m still using them separately.”

  Athena’s gaze sharpened. “Lightning destroys. Fire transforms. Together, they cleanse.”

  She glanced at Phinx. “He is not your weapon, Hiro. He is your *other half*.”

  Hiro looked toward the phoenix, who met his gaze with something fierce and unspoken.

  “Flame first,” Athena said softly. “Then storm.”

  “Only together will you touch the deeper roots of this corruption.”

  Phinx spread his wings slightly, a low shimmer of heat trailing behind him.

  And Hiro understood.

  Not fully. Not yet.

  But the path had opened.