The Crown's Entrapment



At Helion Castle, the Kingdom of Helion

"Sire, your medicine…" Casimir, his royal physician, approached Amon in his bedchamber. 

Gingerly, the man handed him a cup filled with the bitter liquid. Taking the offered cup, he let out a long deep sigh before drinking it in one gulp. 

Casimir smiled and said, "Sire, you're the only one not complaining about the bitter taste of my medicine."

Amon chuckled, "It's not that bad, Casimir. I like bitter drinks…"

Casimir gave him a small smile. "Right, I asked General Rendon to get you this bitter drink that's getting popular in Cordon," he remarked. "You might like it."

"That's thoughtful of you, Casimir," Amon nodded in gratitude. "You can leave now." 

At his instruction, the older man bowed slightly before leaving his bedchamber. As soon as his servant left, Amon let out another deep sigh before laying down on his bed and staring blankly at the ceiling. 

His body was honestly worn-out with all of the work he had to do in their kingdom. And that wasn't to mention how his body was still adjusting to the mixed blood currently running through his veins. It had been months already since these dormant energies in his body got activated. He was glad that his body had managed to adjust to it so well, but he must continue drinking his medicine if only so that the dark energies within him wouldn't overcome his light energy.

Amon was a hybrid with mixed blood. His father was a demon, while his mother was a mermaid. He bore the mark of the glowing serpent on his nape, a sign that he should be the next ruler after his father Azarel. However, his half-brother Devon was against such an arrangement. 

Devon was the firstborn son to a fairy who their father had assaulted. His half-brother's mother died when he was born, and as he grew, his greed for power and control dominated him. In the end, Devon killed their father for the throne. 

Amon was still a baby when Devon revolted. His mother had a wizard block the demon and merman's energies inside his body, resulting in him remaining a simple human to save him from Devon's clutches before sending him far away… And the rest was history…

Once again, Amon let out a deep sigh. It had been two months already since his inauguration as the new king. He couldn't help but recall how his mother, Mona, hid and trained him hard in secret for months for him to be able to fight his half-brother Devon. Yet, luck seemed to be on his side. Somehow, even before he could face Devon in battle, his half-brother had already been killed by the King of Ebodia.

And now, he was the new King of Helion… The kingdom's new hope.

Amon opened his eyes and sat up on his bed. Adjusting his position, he closed his eyes and fell into a state to meditate. With a focused mind, he felt deep into his body. He could feel the strong energies engulfing his whole body till it all crawled onto his nape. He moved to slightly touch the glowing serpent tattoo on his nape. Unlike before, the burning sensation was bearable now. He truly had complete control of his dark energy now.

He was still meditating when he suddenly heard a knock, causing him to open his eyes. 

"Son, it's me…" 

"Come inside, Mother," Amon stated as he stood up from his bed. Seeing his mother enter, he asked with a smile, "What is it?"

His mother, whose youthful beauty remained despite her hundred years of age, smiled back at him lovingly. She signaled for the servants behind her, and they promptly brought a tray of treats and tea into the room and to the outside on his balcony.

From the sight alone, Amon knew what it meant… He and his mother would have quite a serious conversation it would seem.

"Come here, Son…"

She gestured for him to follow him to his balcony. Nodding, he followed, sitting right in front of her on the available chair there.

"Did I disturb you?" she started, pouring some warm tea into his cup as she addressed him.

"Not at all, Mother," he casually answered as he accepted the cup she handed him. "It's pleasant, even." 

She hummed at his response. "That's good. It feels nice seeing the positive changes happening throughout our kingdom," she smiled as she looked out the balcony. "You're doing good, Son. I'm proud of you."

"There's still a lot of things to fix, however," he murmured with a heavy sigh. "Devon made such a mess of things." 

They were far from done removing all the monsters in the southern part of their kingdom. They were the monsters Devon utilized to conquer the other kingdoms. They were manipulated using the dark magic of his late brother's sorcerers. And despite addressing that issue, there was still more to be addressed. There were just so many things that needed fixing still. 

Also, the hunt was still not finished. They must hunt down all Devon's followers, especially those Dark Sorcerers And Devon's right-hand man, Bulun.

Mona let out a heavy breath and said, "I honestly feel bad for Devon. The man chose to be a demon like your father, and he eventually became worse than the man himself."

Their father… He was a fallen angel, but fallen angels had two types; Repenters who remained in the world trying their best to live a good life, and Demons who committed all kinds of sin causing destruction in the world. 

"What if…" 

Amon weakly trailed off, unable to continue what he was about to say. He was honestly scared for himself. After all, he had that same blood running through his veins… His demonic heritage.

Seeing his distress, his mother held his hands and gently squeezed them. With her gentle smile, she stated, "You are nothing like them, Amon. It's true that you share the same blood as them, but it will always be your choice on how you want to live your life, Son." She reassured him, "Live a good life today and tomorrow… Always choose good over evil… That is the only thing that matters."

For what felt like the hundredth time, Amon let out another sigh before he finally allowed a faint smile to appear on his lips. That was what he wanted. That was why he was trying his best to control and take hold of the dark energy inside of him.

"Thank you for always guiding and supporting me, Mother," he answered her with determination. "I won't let you down." 

He would give his best in becoming a good ruler, and he would never follow the same path that almost caused the destruction not only to Helion but the other Kingdoms as well. His half-brother had destroyed enough. Now was the time to rebuild.