"Your Majesty, you are here?" Caleum immediately addressed his younger brother, King Reagan, as he entered the throne room, a look of displeasure etched on his face. He promptly lowered the sword that had been aimed at the Vedan Queen Sylara's throat, and they all bowed respectfully to their king.
Sylara still wore a look of confusion as she and Reagan locked eyes for a moment, his gaze cold and inscrutable, making it difficult to discern his thoughts. Within seconds, he broke the contact and turned his attention to his brother Caleum, who had been causing a commotion just before his arrival.
"I asked a question," he said, and Caleum swallowed hard, his fists clenched as he finally spoke.
"The two Vedans here claim they have come to punish my sons for violating a rule. I was just about to dismiss them," Caleum explained, while Reagan remained silent, making his way to his throne and taking his seat. The aura of authority surrounding him was obvious, and despite Sylara's confusion, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration in that moment.
Yashira cleared her throat before speaking, "You must be the Dragon King, Reagan. I've heard so much about you, and I must say, it's quite an honor to be in the presence of the very man who rules this kingdom."
"The Dragon King?" Sylara muttered under her breath, surprised. "This lunatic is the Dragon King they've been speaking of?"
"It's not as much of an honor as it is to be in the presence of two gods: Yashira, the Queen of Azure, and the very Empyrean Vedans herself," he turned towards Sylara as he spoke, "Sylara."
A look of surprise crossed Sylara's features at the mention of her name from his mouth. She couldn't help but be in disbelief. He knew who she was that very day, and he was still blatantly rude. She couldn't help but wonder if he was the same guy she saw under that tree, or if she was mixing up faces.
She shook her head, clearing all doubts from her mind. He wasn't someone you could mistake for someone else, especially considering his distinctive looks. Such features weren't common in ordinary humans, especially among males. To her, he was a sight to behold, and the air of authority he exuded only added to his attractiveness.
"One of your subjects disobeyed the law my sister and I imposed" Yahsira spoke"The Moon Kiss fishes have long been used to appease the River so water can flow through your lands. However, your subjects discovered what the scales were made of and started hunting them for gold and riches," she took a deep breath before continuing, "My sister enacted a law that anyone who hunts the Moon Kiss fishes should be punished. Did I not send one of my Vedans to deliver this message?"
Reagan nodded in affirmation before speaking, "And I ensured this was known to all my subjects," he paused before continuing, "Who then dares to violate the law?"
"Your very own brother's sons," Sylara finally spoke, "and your brother here has the audacity to wield his sword at me," she said, casting a menacing look at Caleum, who simply glared back at her, showing no signs of fear.
"All we ask is that we punish the two boys and set examples," Yashira said. "I am not going to let them go just because they are royalty," she added.
"Why not punish the pauper who failed to look after them as he was supposed to?" Caleum shot back. "What makes you think I will allow my sons to undergo such punishment? It is barbaric and uncalled for."
"You have two options, General Caleum: submit your boys for punishment by the Vedans or cease to be the Grand General of this kingdom," the King spoke, shocking Caleum and his mother, the queen consort.
"What?" Caleum asked as if he didn't hear correctly
But the king refused to repeat his words; instead, his gaze was fixed on the Empyrean Queen, random thoughts racing through his mind at that very moment.
Sylara's gaze, on the other hand, remained fixed on Caleum as she patiently waited for him to make a decision. It was times like these that she wished she had the ultimate power to do as she pleased, especially to humans like him who thought they could escape consequences as long as they held titles and powers.
"What is it going to be, brother?" Reagan asked again, patiently awaiting an answer while Caleum struggled to control the anger brewing deep within his soul.
"Um, Reagan, I mean, King Reagan," the Queen Consort spoke, hoping to diffuse the situation. "I don't think it's a good idea to..."
Reagan interrupted her, saying, "Why are you speaking to me and not to your son? I gave him a choice. Normally, I would order him, but I am being kind enough to give him a choice here. Let's see which he loves more: his son or his position."
Caleum's fists clenched as his anger surged by the second. He was more than tempted to strike Reagan hard across the face and make him beg for mercy.
Underneath his countless torments, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Caleum to control the anger burning at the core of his soul, directed towards none other than his brother, Reagan.
"If you cannot make a decision, brother, then I will make it for you. From now on, Caleum has ceased to be..."
"Punish them," he said to the Vedans, stunning everyone. A small smirk graced Reagan's face. He had known his brother was too selfish to give up his position for his two sons, but at that moment, he was giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Reagan had wanted nothing more than to remove Caleum as the head of his army. Removing him seemed easy, considering he was the king, but it was more complicated than it appeared. He had made a promise he couldn't break.
"What did you say?" Reagan asked again, while Caleum clenched his fist and lowered his head before replying, "Let the Vedans punish them."
"Father, no!" his sons cried out, while Reagan inhaled deeply and said, "It seems he has made his decision. Go ahead and punish them."
He said while Yashira wanted to step forward, but Sylara stopped her and said, "Let me handle this, sister," she said, while Yashira nodded and stepped backward. Sylara walked towards the kids as she said, "Your punishment wasn't supposed to be this hard, but someone has to teach you a lesson since your father isn't man enough to do that." She looked at Caleum, flashing him a haunting smile before turning back to the boys.
Her eyes glowed red as she immediately commanded, "Kneel."
Without thinking twice, the boys fell to their knees as if they no longer had minds of their own, already being controlled by the Empyrean Queen herself.
She stretched her hands forth as she spoke, "By the ancient laws and powers, for the sin you've committed, I cast upon you the curse of endless nightmares. You will be trapped in sleep for two days, haunted by your worst fears. Every dream will be a relentless torment, forcing you to confront your deepest terrors. You'll wander in regret, seeking forgiveness from the depths of your being."
"The Nightmare Curse," the Queen Consort said as everyone gasped. It was one of the harshest curses, and although the boys would not die from it, they would wish they were dead.
Caleum's fists tightened even further as the boys immediately fell to the floor, fast asleep.
"Let this be known to your people, Dragon King. I have no interest in punishing humans as a guardian, but I will not stand by and watch humans do things that go against the simple laws of the Vedans. Be warned that the next punishment invoked on a human will be even worse than this," Caleum couldn't control his anger as he tried his best to refrain himself from confronting the Empyrean Queen.
He couldn't control his thoughts as he muttered in his head, "How can such a creature, who isn't even powerful enough to take a life, do this to me? Don't think this is over, Vedan. I will make sure to have your head for what you've done."
"You all are dismissed," the King said, and they all immediately left except the Vedans.
Sylara turned her attention towards the Dragon King as she said, "As for you, Dragon King, you and I need to have a word..."
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Caleum stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him. His wife, who had been locked up in the room by him all day, rushed towards him and said, "Why did you keep me locked up in here? What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?" Before she could finish her sentence, he delivered a hard slap to her delicate face, causing her to fall to the ground.
She held her cheeks, tears filling her eyes as she stared at him in disbelief, wondering what she could have done this time to warrant such assault from him.
He stormed towards her, grabbing a fistful of her hair and forcing her to stand on her feet. "Go out there and see what your lover did to our son. Wasn't he always the better man to you? Wasn't he the man you wished you had married instead of me? Why don't you go out there and see what he allowed the Vedans to do to our sons?" he said, hitting her again, causing her to fall once more.
He took his anger out on various objects, including his wife, sending them flying across the room. He ran his hands through his hair angrily, through gritted teeth saying, "Reagan, I will be your downfall. All the power and control you think you have will soon be mine."
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