"Stabit" James mumbled softly as he raised his hand to shield his cheek. His sword remained in the air, as though he was still holding on to it. A small spark stopped right before his palm, unable to move any further. He turned his eyes to the direction it came from. He couldn't see anyone, but he didn't need his eyes to see what his other senses did. His ears picked up the slight rustling of leaves a few kilometres away. It could very well be an animal, after all there were several creatures in the forest. But no animal was capable of shooting a gun from such a distance. And he'd rather risk killing an innocent creature, than to leave his back wide open for a hidden sniper.
"Reflexionem", he said. The small spark heeded his words. It flew at breath taking speed towards its origin.
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Some few kilometres away, another black clothed figure-
"Come James. Don't tell me you're so exhausted you cannot walk back to the city." James smiled bitterly at his guardian's words. From his tone, he was certain that the punishment that was normally meted out when he erred wasn't going to come. At least, it wasn't the same punishment. The old man was dishing out a new one. And the difficulty was way higher."And make sure you don't drop Morgana." James' eyebrows twitched at the heartless words. The difficulty had been increased still further. It was his pure will that kept him going. Now that his grandfather was here, he was barely able to walk, much less stand. And yet he was supposed to do that while carrying an extra person."You heartless old man! The least you can do is to give me a hand!" he screamed at the figure floating a few metres ahead of him with the unfortunate assassin in his grasp."I could" he replied. "But I won't. Oh and if Morgana wakes up, I will punis
In dimly lit cell, sat a middle aged man. There was nothing remarkable about him. He was one of those that would gain no attention in a crowd. However, his eyes left quite the impression. They were deep red, almost as though they were filled with blood. He was devoid of any injuries and seemed to be in very good condition. If not for the chains that bound him, there was no way one would have pegged him as the prisoner. His state was a stark contrast to the young man who sat before him. The face that was supposed to be colourful and full of life was haggard and weary. He looked as though he had been shipwrecked and stranded on an unknown island for years, awaiting his rescue. His eyelids fluttered as he struggled to keep awake. The simple task of keeping his eyes open had become a monstrously taxing endeavour. He wasn't alone though. A man bearing many similarities to the young man sat beside him. He had his legs crossed as he carelessly chewed on a chewing stick.
"Do you think he told the truth?" James asked his grandfather. The older man was washing his hands. The blood filled basin was quickly picked up and disposed by the servant who formerly stood at the side. Another handed the Emperor a white towel so he could wipe his hands of the remnants of water that remained."The blood of one tainted with the aura of darkness. It smells as filthy as ever." The Emperor didn't answer his grandson right away. He wiped his hands with rigor as though it had been stained with acid. He had a disgusted look on his face."No one asked you to kill him so gruesomely, did they?" James' eyelids twitched as he replied. His grandfather could have easily killed the assassin- sorry, the deceased assassin- yet he chose to slowly torture the man. They had spent hours in the cell. The first few minutes served as a question and answer session. The minutes and hours that followed were filled with the screams of an anguished ma
"Leave" the Emperor commanded. His subordinates didn't voice any complaints at the unexpected order, nor did they question the emperor concerning who he was referring to before. They bowed slightly and disappeared."Don't bother looking for them. They've already left." The Emperor turned to address the one who sat on the eternal throne, his great granddaughter. Her face was filled with shock from the Emperor's previous words. Her shock was compounded when the figures that filled the room all disappeared without a trace."They wouldn't be worthy nobility realm experts if they couldn't escape the senses of an earth realm genius." The Cold Emperor still had a genial smile on his face when he addressed the one he referred to as 'girl'."How did you…?" the king questioned, still in shock over the previous events. First and foremost, when James had bolted out of the room, the eternal throne was meant to follow the young
"You must be thirsting for information. And you won't find them chasing after your father's memories. So I'd just answer them all here, and now." Maia nodded at her predecessor's words. She knew he was right. There was no way she'd get the answers she hoped for so quickly if she followed her father's memories. For starters, who knows how long the memories would continue for till she got a few answers? It could be months, years, or worse, decades. According to Reiki, she would only be able to observe for a month, after which she'd have to wait till he had enough energy for her to revisit the rest. A month in the memory scape was equivalent to a day in the physical realm. She was hoping to ride her luck, and successfully gain a few answers before her time ended. Now that she had a person willing to answer all her questions, she was more than pleased. It seems her luck was better than she thought. Rather, fate was on her side once more."Who are we?" Maia asked. Of
"Still think you're a genius?" Grandpa Winks asked cockily. Maia blushed in embarrassment at his words. Her pride was not so hurt after hearing what her ancestors were capable of."Back to our story. During the years before the Supreme's birth we hid and cultivated our strength. We rarely came out, making our capture difficult. To many high races, we were extinct. Though some blamed themselves for our extinction, others cared very little. For those who did care, it wasn't an issue of kindness, but one of how to achieve eternal life without the perfect guinea pigs. Without the attention of the high races, we were able to thrive. We grew stronger and stronger. Our population increased. Many were ascenders after about fifteen years, and all the children born to the race were exceptional. Yet we didn't get carried away. We waited patiently for the birth of the Supreme. During our years of hiding, we didn't stay idle. We tracked down her planet of origin- the place she would be bo
Maia looked at Grandpa Winks with a concerned look on her face. The man had been laughing nonstop for about thirty seconds straight. She was wondering whether the formerly intelligent man had lost his mind, and his wits."What's happening to the old man Reiki?" she whispered softly to the eternal throne. It seems she had also been affected by the old man's crazy antics, for she chose to whisper whilst she could just communicate with the throne telepathically. Reiki glowed softly in reply, "Hush, he can hear you, you know. Whenever he gets like this that means that something good is coming our way. He's probably about to drop a huge spoiler." Maia had barely registered Reiki's words when the emperor and her great grandfather regained his sanity."There's nothing happening to me, little one. I'm just a bit excited, that's all. Do forgive me." He apologised for his earlier behaviour as he went on to say, "Let me ask you something". Maia gave he
Grandpa Winks still had his trademark smile on his face. He looked outside the window. From his room he could see James taking a stroll in the garden with Morgana's beautiful hand in his. "Hehe. Tired my ass. Immediately he gets the chance to leave he goes straight to her. Should have kept him here longer." He said softly, speaking to no one in particular. "Well, at least his feelings for her are genuine." He smiled, still watching the pair of lovers with affection."Old friend, what is it you want from me? Your new master is gone, so why are you still here?" The eternal throne that remained, even after its partner had disappeared, was covered with a brilliant light. One that shown so brightly that the inhabitants of the castle and all who were in the vicinity, beheld its glory.James looked up. His gaze was fixed firmly on the origin of the blinding light, the light that had caused some servants to start crying out that the 'god of Kelan' h