5- His Royal Decree of Heartache
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Curled up on his bed, Aeternitheos stared at the palm of his small hand, holding his large red ruby, its vibrant hue mirroring the intense shade of his jewel-red eyes. The room, adorned in shades of obsidian and muted greys, seemed to absorb the quiet contemplation that enveloped the two-year-old prince. After what felt like hours, he delicately tucked the precious gem away into the confines of his pocket, a secret treasure hidden from prying eyes.
With the grace of a dancer, Aeternitheos descended from the bed, his small frame landing soundlessly on socked feet. His gaze, ever observant, flitted towards the doors of his bedroom, sensing the nearby presence of Felix, the unwavering knight.
Drawing in a deep breath, the young prince closed his eyes, centring his focus on the wellspring of mana within him. In his white pyjamas, a stark contrast against the dark ambience of the Obsidian Palace, he disappeared into the night, wanting some time away from this madness.
With a gentle hum of magic, he transported himself to the familiar surroundings of the fountain, seeking solace in the quietude that enveloped the imperial grounds.
The soft murmur of water from the fountain soothed his tired senses, and he closed his eyes, letting the calming sounds wash over him. The young prince keenly felt the absence of fairies he used to see every day, as he now frequented by the assassins instead.
Amid his silent reflection, the air around him seemed to shimmer, and the familiar glimmers of ethereal light danced before his eyes. The faeries, his elusive companions, reappeared in a burst of radiant energy. Their delicate wings sparkled with iridescent hues, casting a soft glow in the moonlit night.
Aeternitheos couldn't suppress the small but genuine smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. Despite his exhaustion, the presence of the faeries brought a comforting warmth to his weary heart.
The faerie, with wings reminiscent of glistening petals, fluttered closer to Aeternitheos. Though they didn't speak, their silent communication was profound. She sent the child an understanding look, pressing herself to his cheek for a comforting hug to which he silently replied with a gentle rub of her head with his fingers.
Without waiting any longer, all the faeries extended their delicate hands, offering shimmering treasures— golden trinkets, silver baubles, and jewels that sparkled like the stars.
The tired prince accepted the gifts with a grateful nod.
The faeries then began a silent dance, their movements like a spell woven into the air. They beckoned Aeternitheos to join, their ethereal forms floating gracefully around him.
Initially hesitant, Aeternitheos soon found himself succumbing to the magic of the faeries' dance. Now with more practised grace, his small feet followed their intricate steps, guided by an unseen rhythm that resonated with the essence of the imperial grounds.
As they twirled and whirled, the heaviness in Aeternitheos's heart began to lift. The faeries, with their timeless grace, brought a moment of reprieve from the harsh reality he faced. Amid the enchanted dance, surrounded by the ethereal glow of his fairy friends, the two-year-old prince found solace and a fleeting escape from the burdens of his imperial destiny.
Unbeknownst to the two-year-old prince, unseen eyes observed his every move. Concealed within the shadows, a silent presence lingered, its gaze fixated on Aeternitheos as he engaged in the enchanting dance with the faeries.
Aeternitheos, wrapped in the whimsical embrace of the faeries, twirled and danced with an ethereal grace. His little form moved with a surprising fluidity, every motion carrying an elegance that seemed to echo the timeless dance of the fae.
The radiance of his dimpled smile, though subtle, cast a warm glow that illuminated the moonlit night. It was a smile that transcended the exhaustion and weariness that had shadowed his young features. Amid the dance, Aeternitheos's joy became a beacon, radiating a purity that touched the very essence of those watching.
The faeries, with eyes that sparkled like the stars, gazed at him with fawn expressions as the prince danced with them, decorating his golden hair with shines of little treasures. Their wings fluttered in harmony with Aeternitheos's movements, weaving an invisible tapestry of magic around them.
The moon above bathed the scene in a soft silver glow, casting an otherworldly ambience over the imperial grounds. It was a moment frozen in time, where Aeternitheos's aura blended seamlessly with the enchantment of the fae. His every step, every gesture, was being scrutinized by jewel-blue eyes that remained shrouded in the veils of secrecy. The night held its secrets close, and as the prince danced in the moonlit glow, the watcher continued to observe, entranced.
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Aeternitheos jolted upright from his plush bed, a sudden intrusion shattering the tranquillity of the Obsidian Palace. The weight of his jewel-red gaze bore into the dimly lit room as an instinctual alarm rang through his small form.
Before he could even think of doing anything, the unexpected assailants, cloaked in shadows and dressed in black, crashed through the tall windows, shattering the delicate quietude. The shards of glass tinkled to the floor like crystalline rain, the ominous sound punctuating the abrupt intrusion.
Jewel-red eyes narrowed to slits of determination, observed the uninvited guests with a mixture of caution and resolve.
Their dark-clad figures silently crept around the space, their presence filling the air with tension and unease. The dim moonlight, now competing with the artificial gleam of a shattered lamp, painted an eerie tableau of uncertainty.
With a slow and cautious movement, he slipped out of the bed and stood up, his bare feet sinking into the soft carpet. His jewel-red eyes met theirs with an intense, otherworldly glow, sending shivers down the spines of the assassins. Despite their imposing presence, the young man's resolute and determined demeanour seemed to unnerve them, making them hesitate momentarily before making any further moves.
"Take one more step and off with your heads," would be Aeternitheos' warning if someone else hadn't already given the exact same threat.
Doors to Aeternitheos's room swung open with a resolute force, revealing Claude's imposing figure flanked by the unyielding presence of Felix. The atmosphere shifted as the emperor's penetrating gaze assessed the room, swiftly identifying the remnants of shattered glass and the intruders.
Felix swung a lifeless body of another man clad in black into the room, right towards the intruders. The ominous thud as it landed served as a chilling warning, a stark proclamation of the peril that sought to breach the sanctity of the Obsidian Palace.
"Touch the prince and there will be dire consequences," Felix warned with bloodlust, pointing his bloody sword towards them.
Claude's gaze narrowed as he took in the scene, his expression a delicate balance between cold indifference and latent fury.
Standing amidst the remnants of chaos, Aeternitheos faced the emperor and the stalwart knight with unwavering composure. His jewel-red eyes, reflecting the muted light filtering through the damaged window, met Claude's steely gaze.
Amidst the charged exchange of glances between Claude and Aeternitheos, a cunning assassin decided to seize the opportune moment to exploit the temporary distraction. A predatory gleam flickered in the intruder's eyes as he swiftly closed the gap, charging with lethal intent towards the young prince.
Sensing the danger, Aeternitheos gracefully stepped back to evade the threat.
Felix, stationed beside Claude, reacted with swift precision.
With practised ease and lightning-fast reflexes, he intercepted the charging assassin with a swift and well-timed movement. Felix positioned himself in front of the prince, shielding him from harm and prepared to face the attacker.
A clash of steel echoed through the room, a discordant melody of anger and defiance.
The assassin, taken aback by Felix's speed and skill, hesitated for a moment. But, Felix did not waste a second and pressed his advantage, forcing the attacker back with his quick and powerful strikes.
It heralded the onset of chaos within the chamber of the Obsidian Palace, as all of the assassins charged towards Felix, who fought to keep the dressed men in black from reaching the prince behind him.
The scent of danger hung thick in the air as the shadows themselves seemed to conspire against the delicate peace that had once defined the room. The moonlight, filtered through the fragmented window, cast fractured beams across the unfolding skirmish. Each flicker of steel, every darting movement, painted a macabre tableau of conflict within the opulent chamber.
Felix deftly engaged the charging assassin with a blend of finesse and deadly precision. The clash of blades resonated through the room, an audible testament to the ensuing struggle.
Despite his formidable skills, the knight suddenly felt an unfamiliar surge of strength coursing through him, his instincts guiding him with uncanny accuracy, overpowered them immediately. Closing his eyes, Aeternitheos weaved invisible threads of magic, subtly enhancing Felix's movements as he relied on his bare senses to focus on the imperial knight's figure.
Each swing of the knight's sword gained an otherworldly swiftness, and the air around him seemed to ripple with a faint, enchanted energy. It was a clandestine intervention, a harmonious blend of martial prowess and arcane influence.
Watching on the sidelines for a bit, Claude regarded Aeternitheos before he stepped forward with an eerie calmness. His eyes, typically cold and distant, now burned with ferocity as he unsheathed a sword that had seen battles beyond the memory of many. The blade gleamed ominously in the moonlight, a silent promise of the carnage it was poised to unleash.
Hearing the unsheathed sword, Aeternitheos's jewel-red eyes fell on Claude, figuring his magic wasn't needed any longer since the end of this battle was already decided.
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"How did you even survive this long?" Claude mused with disgusted and disdainful eyes staring down the young prince. The emperor's jewel-blue eyes bore into jewel-red ones, who merely stared back.
The prince's gaze was unwavering and inscrutable.
As the restrained assailants groaned subduedly in the Obsidian Palace, Aeternitheos remained silent. Jewel-red eyes looked away from the emperor to watch the clad men in black grunting in pain as they were getting restrained by Felix, their struggles and discomfort creating an unsettling symphony that reverberated through the stone walls of the palace.
Felix efficiently bound the men in black, his movements precise and practised. The air in the chamber crackled with tension, a testament to the recent clash of forces.
Perhaps he needed to learn better control of his magic because while most of them sustained severe injuries, there were one or two still capable of interrogation. Throughout the week, the men he encountered ended up either very close to death or too injured to speak. Occasionally, he would get one capable of speaking but the mere sight of his dead comrades must have steeled his resolve to not speak.
Aeternitheos approached Felix with measured steps. The young prince's expression retained its characteristic calm. As he neared Felix, the knight immediately glanced towards the prince, giving him a gentle smile from the corner of his eye.
Facing the tied-up assassins, the prince allowed a rare expression of fatigue to flicker across his face. His usually stoic expression gave way to a frown as he peered at them with tired eyes, shedding the mask of impassivity that often adorned his youthful face.
"Why are you here to kill me?"
The prince opted for a more direct approach, leveraging the innocence of his childlike appearance. It was a slim bet, but perhaps appealing to their humanity might yield unexpected results.
After all, unlike the other groups he faced, they knew nothing of him: a mere forgotten, helpless prince left alone in the seemingly forsaken palace.
"Your Highness," Felix whispered, a note of sadness tainting his words that spoke volumes. The loyal knight understood there was a heavy weight on Aeternitheos's small shoulders and wished he didn't have to bear it alone.
The tension in the room thickened as one of the restrained assassins broke the uneasy silence with a chuckle that cut through the air like a knife, leaving an almost tangible heaviness behind.
"You really do look like Princess Diana with that crestfallen look," he taunted, the dark amusement evident in his tone. The mention of her name cast a shadow over the room, invoking memories of a figure long gone. "Always such a sad child she was."
The weight of his words hung in the air like a thick fog, freezing the atmosphere around them. The room, once echoing with subdued groans and the shuffling of restrained bodies, now seemed suspended in an eerie stillness.
His jewel-red eyes widened in astonishment, feeling as if a bolt of lightning struck him at this revelation. "Mother... was a princess."
The newfound knowledge seemed to unlock a hidden chamber of his memories, unravelling a piece of his mysterious past that had long been concealed.
Flashes of a young Aeternitheos overthrowing a kingdom in the name of his mother.
Beside him, Felix stood frozen, his features etched with wide eyes at the unexpected revelation. The weight of the truth hung heavily in the air, creating a charged atmosphere within the chamber.
Aeternitheos turned his gaze toward Claude, who seemed indifferent to this but he could see the subtle tellings. Despite Claude's stoic expression, there was a flicker of discomfort passing through jewel-blue eyes. The revelation had momentarily disrupted the emperor's composed demeanour, revealing a layer of vulnerability beneath the mask of authority.
The room remained suspended in a tense silence, each occupant grappling with the implications of the newfound knowledge.
"The bastard didn't even tell you?" the assassin sneered, his words cutting through the charged atmosphere. He directed a pointed stare past Aeternitheos, fixing his gaze on Claude. "Guess the rumours were true. He really did leave you to die."
Aeternitheos found himself caught in a whirlwind of emotions. His jewel-red eyes reflected a mix of astonishment, curiosity, and a hint of vulnerability that betrayed the childlike innocence beneath his usual composed demeanour.
Unable to resist the pull of curiosity, Aeternitheos took small steps closer to the restrained assassin. "You knew my mother?" he inquired, his voice carrying a soft yet inquisitive tone.
The assassin's gaze softened, a flicker of nostalgia colouring his features. "Once upon a time, when we were kids," he confessed, his memories intertwining with the present. "But I'm happy the last thing I'll ever see is you, my little prince, the rightful heir of the Siodonna Dominion."
Aeternitheos, perceptive as ever, didn't let the shock of that statement linger and sensed the ominous tension thickening in the air as the assassins braced themselves for an impending move.
In response, Felix, with a warrior's instinct, acted swiftly to protect the young prince. The Imperial Knight instantly pulled Aeternitheos into his arms, pulling him away from the tightly bound assailants.
While Aeternitheos could have moved himself to safety, the feeling of Felix's arms around him was instant and was the first time Aeternitheos had ever felt human warmth. Not that he had enough time to fully enjoy the moment.
As the small distance was covered by Felix, the surge of magical energy crackled through the air, an invisible force building up like a storm on the horizon. The bound assassins rendered helpless and defenceless, unwittingly became the epicentre of this magical tempest. In the next moment, an explosive release of mana erupted, transforming the room into a chaotic spectacle.
The concussive force echoed through the chamber, leaving behind a sombre aftermath. Lifeless bodies of the attackers were now strewn across the stone floor, their twisted mission concluding in a fiery and cataclysmic end. The air hung heavy with the aftermath of a power that wielded both protection and destruction in its wake.
"Your Majesty!" Felix's urgent cry pierced through the charged air, the Imperial Knight exasperated as he shielded Aeternitheos with his protective embrace.
The room appeared to constrict and shake with strain, every heartbeat reverberating through the stone walls, leaving Aeternitheos with only dull eyes to watch the remaining charge flicker over the lifeless bodies.
Unfazed by the pandemonium surrounding him, Claude focused his attention on the young prince. His eyes, jewel-blue and brimming with a potent blend of rage and resolve, fixed on Aeternitheos, whose jewel-red eyes returned his gaze as expected.
The Emperor's voice, a commanding force that cut through the magical aftermath, carried both a challenge and a declaration. It reverberated through the room, filling the air with an unmistakable aura of authority. "Let us see how well you raised yourself then," Claude declared with a smirk, the glow of his eyes intensifying to cast an ethereal hue in the tense atmosphere.
Despite his glare, Aeternitheos found himself locked in a disheartening stare at Claude. The man before him, the Emperor, seemed like a madman, fueled by centuries-old grudges and power struggles that threatened to spill over into the present.
"This is a declaration of war from the Siodonna Dominion, who dares attempt to disrespect the Obelian Empire within Imperial grounds," Claude proclaimed with a voice that resonated with the weight of history. The air hung heavy with tension as the Emperor asserted his authority. "Aeternitheos de Alger Obelia, as the prince of the Obelian Empire, you are to be sent to war in the name and honour of this empire."
The young prince's eyes darkened in disappointment, a storm of conflicting emotions swirling within the depths of his gaze. The scene unfolding before him promised a turbulent future, and yet, there was no surprise in those jewel-red eyes.
Images of a small crying child in a field of death with bloody-stained trembling hands, who should have not been there, burned in his mind.
"Your Majesty!" Felix screamed out in desperation, his voice a plea in the chaos as his hold around the prince tightened. "Please... Please reconsider. His Highness is only two years old. He hasn't wielded a sword, he can't defend himself in such a harsh environment, and he's too young to experience anything close to war for his age. He'll die out there."
Claude's sinister laughter cut through the desperate plea, an unsettling sound that mingled with the tension in the air. "Indeed. It would be a shame if the emperor's son died in a merely simple war," he chuckled, the words carrying a chilling nonchalance. "But that would prove that he has no place here."
At that, Aeternitheos straightened his small frame with surprising boldness, standing upright as he detached himself from Felix's arms. Jewel-red eyes, a flicker of defiance and anger, met Claude's steely gaze as he walked towards the emperor without a hint of fear.
"If you insist on sending me to war, I won't cower," Aeternitheos declared sharply, his voice surprisingly steady for someone about to be sent to war. "But remember, an emperor who sends a two-year-old to war is no true ruler, Your Majesty. You may claim to be the Obelian Emperor, but I only have one parent— my mother, the princess of the Siodonna Dominion, and she would be ashamed to see her son used as a pawn in your power games."
The room fell silent as Aeternitheos's words lingered, a courageous stand from a child caught in the machinations of powerful men.
"So, if I die... I will die as Princess Diana's son. Never as yours."
Claude's stoic demeanour cracked for a moment, a subtle flicker of surprise crossing his face as if Aeternitheos slapped him across the face.