Vaid Empire: Conquest
Chapter 100
Author’s Note: After many years, Vaid Empire: Conquest has finally reached its one hundredth chapter. What started as a small passion project has blossomed into a world that I am deeply devoted to and proud to work on.
Since starting this series, I’ve experienced births, deaths, and colossal life changes. I’ve grown alongside this story into an entirely different man, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Countless evenings have been spent writing deep into the night. There were many moments of stress and frustration as I sought to meet deadlines I had committed myself to, and many instances of struggle and doubt as I pondered how best to continue the story. Despite all this, VE: Conquest’s gradual progress has been greatly rewarding, and my dedication to this story remains as strong as it was at the beginning, if not more so, having watched these characters and the world of Ayphieal grow.
To those that were there at the beginning, I am deeply grateful for your support, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this series thus far as much as I have. To new readers, welcome, and thank you for joining us.
Much has changed over the course of one hundred chapters, though it’s time to return to where it all began as Dominax finds refuge in Nitri.
Enjoy!
49th of Silla, 19 AVE.
Kingdom of Vaidrin, Near Nitri.
“It came this way,” Dominax heard the echo of words from long ago whispering from the past as he examined the deep marks in the reddish dirt. The forest breeze ran gently through his silver hair.
He could almost feel Cendra The Elder and Briza creeping through the rainforest at his back. They were little more than imaginary ghosts, for on this hunt he was truly alone.
Emerging from the trees into a circular clearing, he found the prey he sought. As if waiting for him, bright feathers fluttering in the humid wind, the beast’s serpentine body slowly uncoiled to meet its foe. A horrid head rose to regard him, its long beak parting to display the rows of sharp teeth waiting inside. An Avidion.
Their eyes met, two monsters lurking among the trees. No blade stood ready in his empty hands. No armor protected his body. Wearing only his repaired one-suit and cloak, Dominax appeared as little more than a plaything before the beast’s long body, more than twelve feet in length. Yet it lingered in hesitation, as if weary of the fire behind its foe’s gaze.
Dominax took a step. The Avidion made its move. Using its pair of arms to hurl itself through the air, sharp teeth sought to consume Dominax’s flesh.
Fists tight, lips pulling into a savage sneer, Dominax sent the beast’s head whipping to the side with a hard punch. Momentarily stunned, it released a horrid screech before striking swiftly once more, yet he was faster.
Sidestepping, dodging, he avoided the vicious beak like a dashing shadow, toying with his foe. Hand shooting out to snatch a fistful of feathers, he ripped a brightly colored clump free, earning a pained roar.
Electricity danced across his knuckles, erupting into violent bursts of lightning with every brutal punch. The beast’s claws and teeth fought frantically to defend itself from what it could not catch.
The powerful tail whipped forth. Dominax didn’t flinch. Shielded by his power, bracing his muscles, he caught the lower portion of the beast’s body as it sought to slam into his chest. The blow would’ve sent another man flying. His feet merely dug into the dirt.
His hands burst into flames as he gripped the feathers of the thick tail. The Avidion screeched, its head twisting around to meet him. A fist halted the attack, arms wrapping around its long neck.
Roaring, thrashing, the beast rolled to escape, yet he held firm, pulling his prey down atop him as he was forced onto his back. Fighting in the dirt, he snatched the frantic beak, fingers prying it open. With silver eyes glowing with fury, he pulled the beak further and further apart with both hands.
When he felt a sickening pop, the beast’s struggle ceased as its long body fell limp.
There was no one to assist him as Dominax easily shoved the heavy corpse off his chest. Standing, seeing the beast’s hands continuing to twitch, he took the head and drove his thumbs deep into the eyes that had dared to meet his.
All signs of life left the creature as he discarded its head to the dirt. Peering up from his kill, he saw the flicker of a white cloak disappear behind a tree.
Blood stained his hands as he looked down. Though he knew what lurked in the rainforest, he peered up once more. Again he saw a young man step out from behind a tree, silver eyes falling to the Avidion. When Dominax blinked, the vision vanished, and he reached down to finish his hunt.
***
The ruined gates of Nitri stood open before him, laying shattered by time. Hardly was an inch of the old walls visible beneath the overgrowth of vines and vegetation. With the dead Avidion strung across his shoulders, several times larger than his body, Dominax marched through the open wound of his home’s failed defenses.
Hints of what had been continued to linger, yet the rainforest fought to reclaim the land. New trees filled the area, standing where his people once stood, as if rising in their memory. The once lively settlement now echoed only with the distant noises of the rainforest.
His camp stood in solitude near the center of Nitri. Among the hundreds of wooden poles and stones marking the dead, his sleeping mat was rolled out at the base of the short obelisk. He dropped the heavy Avidion beside a crude firepit that sat nearby. Crouching, only a single spark of flame from his fingertips was required to reignite the embers.
Peering up from the building flames, the young man waited, sitting across from him on the opposite side of the firepit.
“I know you,” the vision muttered, silver eyes watching the flames. “I know what you’ve done.”
Dominax ignored him. He had heard it all before.
His black hair and pointed beard matched the shade of his tunic, decorated with a crude chest plate and a Turinis belt. “You buried them both.” The young man nodded towards the obelisk. Its surface was the only stone untouched by vines, for Dominax had torn them away. “You’re here because you buried another.”
Dominax gritted his teeth. He began to pull the feathers from the Avidion. Whatever this was, whatever the source of the vision sitting before him, he didn’t have to listen.
“Of what use is the throne you forged if they continue to fall?” The young man shook his head. “You old fool.”
It was useless to argue with himself, yet as his fingers dug into the Avidion, tearing skin from flesh, he couldn’t help himself. “You know nothing. You were a fool yourself, believing you could save the world without a price.” Bones snapped beneath his strength, blood dripping from his fingers. “You bled, yet I’ve bled more.”
When he looked through the flames again, the young man was gone, and he was once more alone.
***
After preparing a small portion of the meat upon a skewer and roasting it above the flames, he had his fill before discarding the rest.
It was nightfall by the time he laid down upon the sleeping mat. Touching the obelisk near his head, feeling the cool stone against his hand, he knew what lay buried beneath him.
Hardly did his body require sleep anymore, yet as he stared at the black void above through the trees, he forced himself to slip away, seeking to relinquish reality, if only for a while.
The dream was as vivid as the previous nights. He continued to feel the cool stone against his hand until he recognized where he was, feeling warm lips against his neck.
“I love you, you know.”
The voice soothed him, as if hearing his home. Disoriented for a moment, he saw Briza, alive, pressed against his side.
“As do I, my lord.”
The second voice followed quickly, as if competing with the first. The sound of it made him recoil instinctively, yet the young man he was inside merely chuckled. Head turning, he saw Xenia at his other side.
“A memory,” he thought to himself. His surroundings became clear, recognizing the bed inside their tiny hut in Domani. He saw the crude walls, knowing where they were would one day be buried deep inside The Grand Pyramid. His dream was a lost reality now decades gone, an echo of the past. Every touch of their exploring hands had once occurred, caressing their shared mate.
The date came to him, as if written forever in the fabric of time. It was the forty-fifth of Fixuin, five years before the rise of The Empire. Every detail was vivid, as if his mind had been cast back, watching through the eyes of his younger self, feeling his pleasure, his thoughts, his emotions, his ambitions.
Dominax was uncertain how such a vision of the past was possible, yet he clung to the dream, never wanting to leave. He watched his younger self caress the soft skin of his lost women, their bodies bare, their bellies round with their mutual pregnancies.
He knew this day well, the end of the day Lord Kixanil and his allies had sought him out. Hours ago, he had demonstrated his powers, and hours ago they had knelt before him and pledged themselves to his throne. He could almost savor the echo of his victory, near the start of his rise, though it was tainted by the knowledge of the long journey ahead. The young Dominax he was inside of would indeed rise and indeed suffer.
“Cling to them, you fool,” he thought to himself, a warning that couldn’t alter the past. “Hold them until your final breath, else they’ll slip from your grasp.”
His silver hair was now black. His armor had been stripped away, joining his women in their natural state. On his back, he watched Xenia sensually maneuver her way down to his groin, her soft hand gently claiming her prize.
“Look how eager it is,” Xenia said, eyeing his manhood as it rose to attention. A hunger lingered in her gaze, an ambition that had once pleased him. “It knows of its triumph. It knows our bodies belong to it.”
Briza watched as Xenia licked up his shaft in a slow, seductive motion. Blushing, face hardening as she saw Dominax’s interest, the stronger woman joined her female competitor, licking the other side.
He lounged in pleasure, savoring the feeling of the women he had impregnated as they worshipped the cock that had granted them their babies. His groan spoke of his satisfaction, his voice deep, though not quite what it’d become in time.
Every lick echoed from the past to meet him, feeling his true body shift in his sleep. Every act, every deed they committed could not be undone, forever written into the history of reality. The past was as solid as stone, unchanging, yet hints forever remained, whispers that a Vaid could sense if they concentrated. To watch the past in detail as it had occurred, a vivid vision, was a gift that went beyond his understanding. Why now? Why this memory? Whatever the reason, however it was possible, he never wanted to leave.
To see Briza as she had been brought him a soothing peace he didn’t deserve, watching her lick. He felt the thoughts of his younger self as he peered at Xenia, feeling his lust, his attraction, lacking the bitterness of the future.
When she could delay her desire no more, Xenia granted his cock a final lick before moving to mount him. The feeling of her soaking lower lips rubbing lightly against his manhood forced him to groan, remembering her loins well. “Are you ready, my lord? Do you want to greet your child?”
“Vixin,” he thought, feeling the tingle of his loins as he touched her pregnant swell. In mere days his daughters would be born, the first members of House Vaid. At the moment, inside a hut that no longer existed, he was the only Vaid.
“Oh no, you’re not riding him first,” he remembered Briza saying, watching her begin to push Xenia back, cautious of the woman’s pregnancy.
Xenia fought back, giving Briza a playful shove in return. If only he had known the true emotions that sat behind her seductive grin. “You always get him first. Not this time.”
She was no match for the stronger woman’s handling, for Briza forced her way into his lap. “This time too. When you’ve been at his side since birth, you can go first.”
Touching her powerful thighs, he remembered the feeling of her muscles beneath her feminine flesh. The first vagina he had ever claimed prepared to take him once more, and as she slid down to accept his length, the squeezing tightness inside was as familiar and calming as the sound of the moan she uttered.
“Your greed knows no end,” Xenia said, yet as she watched her rival rock her hips, a curious smirk played across her gorgeous lips.
Briza moved carefully, cradling her pregnancy as she began to bounce up and down slowly upon his cock. His manhood slid deep with every movement, sending tingling pleasure through his loins that he could never forget, no matter how many countless women he had experienced in the decades to follow.
His hand reached up to hold her belly. The feeling of her pregnancy made his younger self groan with primal satisfaction, yet Dominax thought of his firstborn with sorrow.
“Cendra,” he thought. Looking into Briza’s pleasured gaze, he wondered if she had already decided to grant their daughter the name of the woman that had raised them together. “You would’ve been awed by the woman she’s become, Briza.”
His flower was inside her womb, ready to come forth, ready to become an imperial princess that would seek glory for their dynasty. She would give birth herself, continuing Briza’s legacy, allowing a piece of her to live on. As his younger self moaned, caressing her pregnancy as his cock slid in and out of her tight vagina, Dominax merely thought of Cliax.
“He lingers in the jungle while you linger in the past. They all do.”
As if to banish thoughts of the future, Xenia’s hands crept around to grasp Briza’s breasts from behind, granting him a show. The stronger woman gasped, moving to swat them away, though she quickly surrendered to her experienced touch as her fingers found her nipples.
He remembered chuckling. No matter how many nights they spent together as a trio, Briza still required a moment to grow accustomed to the touch of another woman each time as if it was her first.
“They’re a little larger now, though not quite enough to match mine,” Xenia teased, toying with her sensitive buds. Biting her lower lip, the pleasure she took in feeling another woman’s breasts was obvious, delighting in the touch of soft female flesh. “They’re swelling to nurture your child, my lord. Of course, if they aren’t enough for her baby, mine are more than adequate to replace hers.”
Briza rolled her eyes in annoyance, only to moan. Enduring the skill of both Dominax and Xenia, she required mere moments before she began to shake in his lap, her body seizing as she orgasmed.
Her vagina tightened around him, as if embracing his cock, knowing their time together was limited. Dominax savored every second of the memory, his cock buried deep inside his first lover, the vagina that had made him a man. When she recovered, slowly lifting at Xenia’s insistence, he felt her slipping away, losing her forever.
“My turn,” he remembered Xenia say as she replaced her rival.
His younger self had different plans, however. Grabbing her hips, he maneuvered her onto her back, careful to avoid harming the child in her womb. She nearly purred in anticipation as he claimed control, rubbing his tip against her wet sex.
“Yes, put it in. Use her juices to slide inside me,” Xenia demanded, moaning as her neglected lower lips contracted with need. “Let my loins taste hers.”
Briza’s lips parted in mock disgust, yet she couldn’t conceal the arousal reddening her cheeks. He remembered meeting her eyes as he pushed his hips forward, seeing the lust she did her best to hide.
His cock slid inside the traitor, the woman that would one day take Briza from him. His younger self released a deep moan that oozed from his smirking lips, feeling his cock slide inch by inch into her soaking tunnel.
“Ooohhh…my lord…” Xenia’s pleasure echoed through the small hut. Outside, Domani was little more than a large camp gathered around the pod, the future Chamber of Deliverance.
The sight of every thrust coaxed Briza’s need until she could no longer endure. Relinquishing her false reluctance, if only a little, she moved to mount Xenia’s head, trapping her pretty face between her strong thighs. Hardly was it the first time she had felt her rival’s tongue, yet as Xenia began to eagerly lap at her lower lips, Briza gasped as if the sensation was new, moaning.
He saw Xenia’s hands exploring Briza’s thighs, clearly delighting in the feminine shape of her legs as her tongue continued its skillful work.
“At least she…ahh…has certain uses,” Briza chuckled, gradually growing accustomed to the sensation until she relaxed.
The two women before him were long dead, yet their pleasure echoed from the past. Dominax’s younger self leaned to meet Briza’s lips, his hands caressing their pregnant bellies as their tongues dueled.
Dominax savored the children growing in their wombs, his seed, his legacy. Both would grow into divine beauties. Both would give him grandchildren. Both would share his bed. Somehow, he suspected that Xenia would approve of their incestuous explorations had she known their daughter would one day spread her legs to accept his cock, falling pregnant from his seed. Feeling Briza’s warm lips against his, however, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of guilt.
“It is her nature, Briza. As is mine.”
None of his children had yet to be born, yet Xenia moaned between Briza’s thighs as she enjoyed the cock that would sire thousands of sons and daughters in time, spreading countless siblings for her unborn daughter across the world.
“I love you,” Briza whispered. The words were a dagger to his heart.
Slowly, Dominax came to understand. He felt the pleasure of his younger self. He saw the women that had once been in his grasp, one his love, and one he craved. His first daughters grew within their wombs, ready to be born.
He had everything.
In this moment, a single memory, he was richer than a God Emperor. Domani was but a tiny shadow of what it would one day become, yet he had allies to protect his people. He didn’t rule all of humanity, yet he held power and influence over the citizens of his High-Chiefdom. The peaceful life Dorian had wished for him would never do, yet the throne he craved was in his grasp, albeit a small one.
He felt Briza’s lips against his. She lived. Xenia moaned, competitive, though not yet murderous.
“Irith,” he thought. He hadn’t yet met her, though to meet her would mean that Briza had already been killed. In this moment, he knew only the sorrow of losing Cendra The Elder, the cause of his rise, his rebirth. Soon, he’d know the agony of Briza’s death, and when Irith took her place, he’d lose her as well.
His younger self moaned. There was no going back. There was no undoing his deeds. Feeling himself growing closer and closer to his finish, he didn’t want to leave.
In this single moment he was whole.
The tension of his loins shattered as he found his finish. Pulling free of Xenia’s tightness, he groaned with every clenching of his testicles, sending thick ropes of potent seed to coat their pregnant bellies, claiming the women he had bred.
A deep euphoria oozed from the past, feeling his utter satisfaction as he savored the sight before him. Two pregnant beauties were his, their bodies swelling with his daughters.
Xenia reached down, requiring only a few skilled caresses to find her own finish after his work. His cock twitched at the sight, watching her squirt heavily, his younger self unaware that their daughter would inherit her tantalizing trait.
Basking in the aftermath of their pleasure, Dominax maneuvered onto his back, pulling them both against his sides.
Utterly at peace, feeling their pregnant bodies against his, oblivious to the horrors of the future, Dominax urged himself not to close his eyes. His strength meant nothing. He was a burning sun of power, yet his willpower could not change the past. As he felt his younger self slipping into sleep, the dream slowly began to fade, and the warm bodies against him grew cold.
Eyes opening, he was alone among ruins.
Staring into the black void above Nitri, the eviscerated corpse of the Avidion still bleeding nearby, he felt an emptiness return, seeping inside to consume him.
50th of Silla, 19 AVE.
Kingdom of Lian, Praith.
Vixin was quite ready to depart the horrid jungle and never return, yet now her freedom looked evermore distant. Enduring the humidity, the endless noises of wildlife, and longing to return to her luxurious baths in The Capital, she remained with Arinax and Zela as they sat outside together.
Knowing the twins couldn’t remain huddled away inside the stronghold forever, she had brought them to the small platform below their false home. They sat upon one of the human-made cushions as the guards remained in a tight ring around them.
Rubbing her tired eyes, Vixin looked over at her siblings. Zela scribbled illustrations upon a wooden slab, while Arinax merely stared at the floor. She sighed. This place had brought their ruin.
She looked up in confusion as the guards swiftly parted and bowed. The reason became clear when Cendra marched onto the platform, dismissing the attention of the legionaries with a stern wave of her hand, the other guiding Cliax at her side. When she turned to Vixin, her gaze softened.
Approaching, she halted once more when she was met with a glare from Zela. The girl discarded her artwork to the ground to wrap Arinax in her arms as if Cendra would strike him again.
“Ah.” A subtle sorrow filled Cendra’s stern expression. Her apologies continued to go unheard, it seemed.
“It’s alright, Zela,” Vixin assured the girl, though her tiny scowl remained. She guided Cendra away to speak, granting the twins space. When she saw the message cylinder in her elder sister’s grip, she felt a flutter in her stomach. “Word from father?”
Cendra shook her head before releasing Cliax’s hand, sending her son away. The boy sauntered over to join the twins, regarding them with a calm smile as he sat beside Arinax, speaking in a hushed tone. For the first time in far too long, the quiet prince smiled.
“Word from the south, actually. Sent by Clin,” Cendra explained. Her grim voice did little to comfort her sister. “He is requesting reinforcements to hold Tempian. Urgently.”
Vixin watched the silent battle playing behind her sister’s carefully controlled expression. Following their conversation in the stronghold’s hallway, Cendra seemed unable to meet her gaze for more than a moment, always looking elsewhere. After all, Vixin had witnessed her tears. “That cylinder should already be tied to a ranidon and flying towards Domani, then. Father needs to know as soon as possible.”
“We should send it, indeed.” Cendra studied the wooden cylinder in her grasp. “Or not.”
Confusion flavored Vixin’s expression. “Clin is your mate. Don’t you wish to assist him?”
Cendra nearly appeared offended. “Of course I do. I only wonder if waiting for father’s approval to march is tactically wise.”
“No one leaves Praith without his command. He made that clear.”
“Yet every moment we waste waiting for a reply risks Clin’s undoing.” Cendra gave a faint shrug. “No one would refuse my command if I led the reinforcements myself. The word of The God Emperor’s firstborn holds weight.”
Suddenly the truth became clear, and Vixin couldn’t help but feel a coy smile creep onto her face. “Ah, I never thought I’d see the day that father’s perfect princess would seek to disobey his orders.”
Indignant, Cendra straightened. “Strictly out of necessity. Clin speaks of constant raids, sabotaged and stolen supplies, legionaries cut down in the streets, and Knights assassinated in their beds. Tempian will soon be lost to us.”
“And if aiding Clin adds to your own personal glory, all the better,” Vixin teased.
Cendra’s serious face eased as her tone lowered. When she finally dared to meet Vixin’s eyes, her sister’s playful expression dropped in return. “I need to do this.”
“And when father discovers you’ve disobeyed him?” Vixin asked softly.
“He’ll savor my victory or visit my grave after my defeat.” She raised the cylinder between them. “This is my final chance. He’ll never trust me again to lead on my own unless I prove myself here and now while he’s away.”
Vixin bit her lip, seeing the urgency in her sister’s eyes. “Is there no way to convince you against this madness?”
Cendra shook her head. “I am doomed if I stay, as is Clin.”
The thought made her uneasy. “You know I cannot go with you. The twins need me. They need us.”
Glancing at Zela, receiving another glare, Cendra sighed. “You were always better in such matters. That’s why I must ask a favor.” She gestured to her son as the boy laughed quietly with Arinax. “In my absence, would you…watch over Cliax? Only until my return. Yet, if Clin and I are both lost…”
She watched Cendra grimace at the thought. Vixin was almost too stunned herself to speak, seeing the trust in her gaze. “Your son…in my care?” She blinked in surprise. “I’d be honored, Cendra.”
“Very well.” Cendra nodded, clasping her hands behind her back, only for her pride to falter as Vixin embraced her. When they separated, she whispered softly. “Thank you.”
“When shall you depart?” Vixin asked, dreading the answer.
“Perhaps a day or two. I must gather all the support I can bring to bear.” Cendra called for Cliax, summoning the boy to her side. “Until then, I trust you’ll send no word to father, correct?”
For the safety of her sister, Vixin hesitated, though she could sense the desperation inside her. If she betrayed her now, even for her own good, she’d fall all the same. She’d simply have to trust Cendra’s capabilities. “He’ll learn nothing from me. I promise.”
With a subtle smile of gratitude, Cendra prepared to depart. Vixin returned her attention to the twins, seeing Arinax fall back into his sulking, as if Cliax’s departure had sucked the life from him once more.
Picking up the discarded wooden slab, Zela’s etchings caught her eye. After studying the strange artwork for a moment, she realized the lines depicted tentacles stretching out over what could only be The Grand Pyramid. “Zela, what is…” she began to ask, though the girl had already long immersed herself into her next illustration. Not wishing to break her intense concentration, Vixin merely put the wooden slab down with a shrug. “Strange…”
1st of Senin, 19 AVE.
Kingdom of Vaidrin, Near Nitri.
In his dreams, Dominax held her.
They were not as vivid as his vision, not an echo of the past, but Irith rested in his arms all the same. When his eyes opened, she was dead once more.
Disoriented, he realized he wasn’t alone, meeting the worried gaze of a familiar green man standing over him.
“D…Dominax? Are you…” Lalian muttered nervously, only to sigh in relief as his friend sat up.
Resting against the obelisk, he didn’t rise. “How did you find me?”
“We sent legionaries in every direction, yet I knew the one place no one dared to think you’d ever return to. Your regency council…Lord Kixanil called my suggestion foolish.” Lalian shook his head, baffled. “C…can you believe that? Me, a fool? Absurd.”
Dominax met him with a hard expression. “You shouldn’t be here. This is not a place for living men.”
“I…I came to bring you back.” Lalian fidgeted with his fingers. “Come with me. Please.”
“She’s in Domani.” Dominax looked down, his silver eyes dim and lifeless. He had stayed long enough to ensure Irith was safe in her tomb before departing.
“She? Ah…well…” Lalian bit his lip nervously. “I can’t leave you to linger here alone. P…please. I brought a lixidion.”
Dominax continued to stare at the dirt, lost in thought.
“I…” Lalian appeared restless, frantically searching for a solution. He attempted to plead with him once more. When his friend continued to ignore him as if he did not exist, he grimaced before slapping Dominax.
Taken off guard, he finally peered up at the green man, eyes beginning to faintly glow.
“F…forgive me…I…” Lalian stammered, utterly shocked at what he had done. Seeing life return to his friend’s gaze, however, he bit back his apologies. “N…no. Snap out of this. You’re The God Emperor. You…you’re the conqueror of humanity! You’re the heart of The Empire, a man that seized the world in his grasp, yet you…you sit here, content with withering away. I…won’t allow it! Stand up! Rise from the dirt!”
With a sneer, Dominax gradually rose to his feet, peering down at Lalian.
Beneath The God Emperor’s gaze, he didn’t flee despite his fear, standing firm for his friend. “You…you survived two decades on the throne! You survived assassins, betrayals, and many loses. Do you believe Irith would want her death to be what finally destroys you? After all you’ve built?”
“I killed her, Lalian.” The statement hung between them, a horrid truth brought forth into reality.
“Ah.” Lalian flinched. The rumors had been silenced, yet Lalian had continued to hold his suspicions. He swallowed, yet didn’t retreat. “You…you’ll be killing the rest of them if you remain here. You know this. The fate of countless beings rests in your grasp, and everyone in Praith is awaiting your return.”
Dominax nodded. He knew what he said was true.
“Besides…” Hesitating, Lalian lowered his tone, stepping closer. “Y…you killed her, yet you’ve given life to me. Don’t forget the blood on your hands, but…but remember those you saved as well.” He dared to place a hand on Dominax’s shoulder. “We don’t need to return to Praith immediately, yet at least return with me to Domani.” He lowered his tone to a whisper. “Please, my friend. You’re not alone.”
Glancing at the Avidion’s rotting corpse, the blood still staining his hands, he reluctantly nodded.
Lalian couldn’t conceal a smile of relief. “T…thank you. Now, the lixidion is waiting just out-”
The green man paused as Dominax turned towards the obelisk. Slowly, he ran a hand over the engraved names of Cendra and Briza. With a long sigh, closing his eyes, he knew he was leaving one tomb for another.
Turning around, the glow of his silver eyes faint but alive, he gestured for Lalian to lead the way.
2nd of Senin, 19 AVE.
Kingdom of Lian, Praith.
The legion gathered into neat lines beneath the city, preparing to depart. Archers studied the sky for signs of danger, and although Truthseekers and her guards alike had practically begged Vixin to remain in the city’s protected center, she descended to the jungle floor below to say her goodbyes.
Cendra shouted commands as Vixin approached, taken off guard from behind. Whirling, Cendra’s fury turned to embarrassment before blossoming into a faint smile. “We’re nearly ready. We’re waiting only for Lord Drivis and his warriors.”
“Lord Drivis?” Vixin asked.
“Ah.” Cendra grew uncomfortable. “His mother passed away in her sleep yesterday. We received word last night.”
“Lady Dunith is dead?” Vixin touched her lips, grimacing. “She was one of father’s first…conquests. As if he needs to learn of more tragedy right now.”
“She was a…ah,” Cendra began, imitating the motion of drinking from a glass. Someone caught her eye, and she immediately clasped her hands behind her back and straightened proudly, presenting the facade of a commander.
Turning to see who approached, Vixin tilted her head in surprise. “Anthara?”
The Lanthian woman strolled to her side. Though it would’ve been far faster to descend from the city using her wings, she no doubt was weary of being shot down by a nervous legionary. “Princess.” The gold of her loincloth brushed her green thighs, proudly wearing the traditional outfit of a Lanthian warrior that Lalian had gifted her. The problem of being mistaken by her allies as an enemy remained, and thus, frustrated, she had decided to simply rip down a Vaid banner and wear it as a cloak.
“You’re accompanying the reinforcements?” Vixin asked, baffled. “What of your son?”
Anthara nodded, stretching her wings with a sigh of relief as if her chains had been broken a second time. “My little Lalian The Younger is well cared for by slaves, and there is no place safer for him in all of the jungle than right here.” She appeared livelier in her outfit than Vixin had ever seen her, a warrior reborn. “I told Lalian I wouldn’t leave this land until our purpose here is done.” She smirked excitedly. “In his absence, he can’t stop me from joining the fight directly.”
Cendra matched her smirk, yet Vixin could only worry. Kissing the green woman’s lips, her breath was warm as she whispered. “Remain safe, then. For Lalian, and your son.”
Despite the eagerness in her expression, Anthara was no fool. Her nod was firm, carrying the heavy weight of her decision.
After saying her goodbyes, Anthara departed at Cendra’s command to assist the legion’s preparations. Vixin waited as High Lords bowed before Cendra, returning to their organized warriors when they received their commands. Vixin hardly understood much of what they said as men and women came forth, discussing the logistics of their march, yet her sister seemed to thrive.
When King Galis The Second approached, Vixin was more surprised than she had been at seeing Anthara volunteer. “You’re leading your men to Tempian, King Galis?” she asked, stunned.
Their half-brother bowed before Cendra, a king submitting to an imperial princess of House Vaid, wrapped nervously in his cloak. “Prince Fonax conquered Hainath. I…I supposed that I should do my part.”
“So you will,” Cendra said, dismissing him with a wave. The young man meekly wandered off to prepare his warriors for departure, keeping his head low and his eyes cast to the floor. “I was as surprised as you when he came to me last night,” she said to Vixin when they were alone. “Who knows? Perhaps I’ll make a man out of him.”
They chuckled together, though their humor was dampened by their inevitable goodbye. Cendra grew somber, though before she could speak, they noticed a lone figure stumbling nearby.
“Ah, Lord Drivis,” Cendra said. “I suppose it’s time, then.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Vixin said when he wandered closer, her voice soft and sincere. “Lady Dunith ruled Omrin with exceptional skill and dedication for many years. The Empire shall mourn her passing, I’m certain.”
“Princesses,” he said with a bow that only just offered enough required respect to avoid Cendra’s wrath. With slurred words, he brushed aside long black strands of messy hair that clung wetly to his face, his other hand clutching the sheathed hilt of The White Teardrop as he eyed them. “Let’s march and be done with this.”
As he departed without her permission, Cendra’s displeasure was clear, though Vixin’s hand on her hip restrained her, guiding her attention back to her.
Moving to embrace her tightly, Vixin closed her eyes to savor her touch, feeling a dampness in her gaze. “Return to us. Promise me you will.”
“I will not fall,” Cendra said, though she knew her sister could sense the doubt behind her firm words. Her voice grew soft. “And Cliax?” She had already said her goodbyes, not permitting him down onto the dangerous jungle floor.
“He’s safe. Yisi and Salduin are watching over him and Jin right now.” She wanted to beg her to stay, yet knew it would only harm her.
“Good. It’s best that they get to know each other before their fates join.” Cendra tried her best to keep her tone firm and steady, yet her hands subtly trembled. “Thank you, Vixin.”
Holding her close, having regained the sister she had always wanted, Vixin couldn’t hold back a deep guilt from slowly flooding her insides, thinking of Cilith. If Cendra concentrated, if she sensed the secret she shared with Clin… “Goodbye, Cendra.” She reluctantly parted from her, the embrace feeling like a lie as the secret lingered between them. “I will see you again soon.”
With a nod of concealed sorrow, Cendra prepared to depart.
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