Valerian, The Legendary

292 The Tyrant.

The words echoed in the void, and the people on the ground fell silent. The guards looked at the corpse on the ground and then at the black palace behind them. The guards could not help but shiver.

Inside the palace, a man with a stalwart figure was sitting on top of a Throne, and after a flight of stairs stood four people. The words echoed in the void when the man let out a gentle hum. This man was dressed in red armor. The armor gave off a repelling pressure. Normal humans dared not set sight upon it.

On the head of the person rested a metal helmet. His face was completely covered in it, except for his eyes. The man had deep crimson eyes. Even the four people standing in the court below the Throne did not dare to look him back in the eye. It was said that if someone looked him in the eyes, they would lose their soul.

After the echoing stopped, the man asked, “Do I need to go out and check what the dragons have left here?”

A man in blue armor bowed and said, “I will go Your excellency.”

The man on the Throne did not react but kept looking at the void. Finally, the man in blue armor rushed out of the palace and quickly approached the gate. His speed was quick, like a gust blowing down the mountain.

The guards saw this man and knelt on the ground as they said, “Long Live Commander Aries.”

The man asked, “What is it?”

The guards pointed at a figure not far from them, and Aries walked over to see what was happening. He stepped closer, and his knees almost gave in when he looked at the figure’s face. He shivered as he picked up the corpse and said, “You saw nothing. Understood?”

.....

The guards nodded and replied, “Yes, sir.”

They were bottomfeeders. How dare they say anything to the general. Was it going to make any difference? Everyone in the capital must have heard that the Emperor was called out by name. What was their silence going to cover up? However, to live, they all agreed.

Aries held the corpse gently as if carrying a delicate piece of jade, and slight exertion of force could crack it. Leana was the person he loved for a long time. He always followed her and became stronger. However, Leana always loved Divinus, and Aries hated Divinus and had a significant role in the latter’s death.

He carried the corpse to the throne room with a heavy heart and slow steps. Immortuous Tyrant did not have a court like the standard rulers did. He had delegated all the work to his cronies and only waited on the Throne, ruling it with fear inside the hearts of millions of citizens. The people knew that as long as the Tyrant lived, they would have no right to dream or desire to live.

The iron hand methods and laws introduced by this man were convenient. They made the regions flourish. However, the Emperor grew complacent, and the people in power began to misuse the authority. The citizens tried to complain, but nothing worked. The Tyrant ignored all the cries for mercy and help. His answer to all these questions was, “Grow Strong.”

It meant he would only listen to the ones who were strong. Aries walked inside the Throne room and came to stand before the Throne with his head locked down. The Tyrant asked, “What is it?”

This person was so conceited that he did not lower his gaze to look at the four people. Aries could not hold it in and said, “Your Excellency, it is Her Highness. She is no longer alive.”

For the first time in ages, the Tyrant’s eyes flickered. He lowered his gaze and found Aries standing with a corpse in his hands. He hooked his finger and beckoned the man over. Aries shivered and walked upstairs to stand before the Tyrant. He did not look him in the eyes. He could not. The first time he looked at the man, he almost died of fright.

Tyrant looked at the corpse’s face and raised his hands. Aries knew what he meant and handed the princess’s body to the Emperor. The Emperor said, “Leave.”

The four people exchanged glances, and they could not help but leave the throne room. Aries was the last to exit, but another man in light armor waited for him outside. Aries shivered and almost fell. His heart was broken before, but today his spirit has shattered. He looked up at the man who supported him, and with a bitter smile, he said, “Juan, what do I do now?”

Juan was an assassin. He dealt with the shadows and was only loyal to the Emperor. However, he considered all those who loyally served the Tyrant to be his comrades and treated them fairly. This was the first time he saw Aries so broke.

He held the man by his shoulders and said, “We need to find out who did this to Her Highness. Then we need to erase his existence.”

Aries shivered, his eyes turned red, and a tear formed in his left eye, but he did not let it fall. He spoke through a clenched jaw, “I will kill the dragons. They did this to her.”

That said, he stood up again and then walked away. Juan did not stop him but shook his head. The barrier could not be broken from the inside. They have tried many methods. However, it will help the angry war general to vent his emotions.

...

Inside the throne room, Tyrant sat on his Throne, holding the corpse of his dead sister. His eyes were fluctuating evidently. He was sad. He raised his elbow to take a clear look at her face. Then, using his empty hand, he brushed away her hair. Then he saw the message.

It was as if the time had come to a stop for him. His sister was gorgeous, and she loved him a lot. He also loved her and pampered her to no end. One time a flower with thorns pricked her finger. The Tyrant had all those flowers removed from the palace and the city.

One day, the dragons captured her when she tried to attack the barrier, leaving him with a feeling of helplessness. However, today they returned her dead. They dared to etch a message on her forehead as if that was not enough.

Tyrant looked at the font and read it out loud, “She said you loved her the most. I wonder if your crimson eyes shed tears of blood. I hope you do not die from grief. Regards, son of Flos Divinus.”

The last few words were akin to rubbing salt in his wounds. It stung him, and the pain from this humiliation made his rage increase. He looked at his sister and began to laugh slowly. The laughter became louder as tears poured out of his eyes.

He did not know how to express this. The sensation of crying was something new to him. Not only crying, but even the feeling of humiliation was rising. Finally, he stood up while laughing through tears. His mind was expressing his rage and grief together.

He closed his eyes to stop crying and roared to the ceiling, “Divinus, I will kill your son. Just like I killed you and that bitch. Arghhhh!”

Juan was listening to all this outside, and his body shivered. He wanted to run in to help him when a slender hand appeared on his shoulder. Juan looked at the person and said, “Why are you stopping me, Infiny?”

The lady behind him was wearing a tunic, the uniform of the mages. She said, “His excellency is enraged if you appear before him. You will die.”

Juan looked at her and sighed, “Then what shall we do? He has never been so angry before.”

Infiny said, “What else can we do besides prepare for the funeral? A war is coming. We cannot lose our calm now. While His Excellency is in trouble, we should ease his burden.”

That said, Infiny dragged Juan away from the throne room. They will come to check after the Tyrant has vented enough. While walking from the throne room, Infiny asked, “His Excellency called out for his son.”

Juan nodded and said, “That is not all. His son can make a Dragon do him a favor and come here to drop the corpse. That is what I am worried about. We are in the open when the enemy is in the dark. We have no details or information regarding this person. How will he find him? As if the barrier was not enough for us.”

Infiny nodded and said, “Whatever may come, His Excellency will be able to deal with it. He will not lose. He is Immortuous Tyrant.”

Juan also nodded with a firm belief in his eyes.

...

Valerian had rested enough on the throne mountain and was standing before Sophos with a look of anticipation on his face. He was going to find some answers about his past. He could not help but look forward to it.