Vaid Empire: Conquest
Chapter 52
30th of Fixuin, 12 AVE.
Shai Domain, City of Shai.
A snowflake fell into Varse‘s open hand, melting away instantly. From atop The Citadel he peered down upon the city, watching the distant beings going about their day.
“They won’t disappear if you look away.” The voice came from behind as the entrance to the roof squeaked open.
Varse released a breath of annoyance as he refused to turn around. “State your purpose and depart, Sinshi.”
Nearly waddling, the representative joined him at the edge to lean against the railing. “Purpose? I had merely hoped to find fresh air. The confines of the council chamber can make a man yearn for freedom, especially after a meeting as…unpleasant as today’s.”
Varse scowled, knowing his words held truth. They had bickered all day, some attempting to downplay the consequences of Kinia’s fall while others ensured the blame fell squarely upon The Potentate’s shoulders. “Your cabal seems to thrive in unpleasantness. Had you all voted to enact my Lanthian invasion proposal, we’d be standing here now in victory.”
“Cabal? My Potentate, I merely vote for what I believe is best for The Domain. If others choose to follow my lead, they are well within their right.”
Expression hardening, Varse folded his arms as he studied the many Dril below them, breaking a short silence a moment later. “We stood in this very spot years ago, Sinshi, just before I accepted my oath. I had looked down upon our people, wishing to improve their lives and ensure their safety. By now I had hoped to transform this city and all others for the better, to ensure our way of life was all but protected. Yet as I peer out now, all I see are the same weathered rooftops I saw that day.”
“Perhaps you’ll find that most prefer life as it is,” Sinshi replied with a half-smile. “Rarely do others find comfort in the meddling of upstarts. Your predecessor knew that well and enjoyed a long and happy reign. Until the end, of course.”
Varse’s brow raised. “I don’t take your meaning.”
“Ah. In that case, allow me to tell you a short story, my Potentate.” Sinshi feigned discomfort, twisting one of the many golden rings decorating his plump fingers. “Potentate Ysil was a man of stability, always ensuring we stayed the course. Crises arose, as is inevitable, yet he was more than content to follow the collective wisdom of The Council in times of peace. He seemed to become sentimental in his later years, however, and eventually proposed the construction of a grand library within The Capital, a landmark to stamp his legacy upon. When we attempted to convince him that such an unnecessary project would only serve to siphon The Domain’s resources from other vital areas, the old man grew bitter. He initiated the formation of a special committee to assess the spending of The Domain’s taxes, hoping to determine exactly where and to whom they were flowing, seeking to cut excess spending that may be used for his project.”
“He sought to narrow corruption? No doubt you had much to say about that,” he replied dryly.
Sinshi ignored his accusation and pressed forth. “Many were irritated at his incessant digging, insulted by his false suspicions. The very unity of The Council crumbled,” he explained before his expression eased. “There are many of us that hope to avoid a repeat of the past, to ensure that the relationship between The Council and The Potentate remains as solid as an Izanil stem. There’s been little love lost between us these years, as you’re well aware, yet there’s wisdom in cooperation. It’s not too late to-“
“What became of Ysil’s findings?” Varse interrupted.
The older Dril’s red eyes narrowed. “Nothing at all. Fortunately for The Domain’s unity, he passed away before the special committee could upend our lives further. Apparently, the old man’s heart gave out during one of his routine walks. A shame, for he saw fit to tarnish his legacy before the gods claimed him.”
“I see,” Varse replied coldly before finally turning to face him. “I’ve failed to hold my tongue when silence may have served me best, and so I shall again now. Never did I think events would proceed as they have when I accepted the oath of Potentate, believing others would hold to the sacred ideals of our people. I was wrong. The dream of our ancestors was dashed against the self-serving interests of The Council long ago.”
“Your words harm me, my Potentate,” he said as he placed his hand theatrically upon his own chest. “We’ve all sought to serve our people to the best of our abilities. Even now I offer the possibility of unity, a hand you only need to reach out and accept.”
“Corruption, greed, you’ve all latched upon the power we’ve been granted, sucking away at The Domain as if it were the breasts of a whore. If you believe I’ll sit idle and allow you all to continue undermining the very ideals Shai was founded upon, even as you place my silence under the guise of cooperation and unity, you’ll find me as dead as Ysil before I do.”
Sinshi frowned. “How unfortunate. One would hope you’d seek a long and stable reign, though I can hardly be blamed if you squander your final opportunity for cooperation. You and Representative Ensik continue to disrupt the cohesion of The Council with your proposals, all while claiming to hold a monopoly on morals.”
“Disrupt? Our enemies gather to the west, Sinshi. Each solution I propose to combat their threat is voted down and mishandled, all to preserve whatever wealth you’ve taken for yourselves. Yet…” Varse began, easing his harsh expression. “The unity you offer may be achievable through a secondary avenue. Suppose for a moment that I placed my faith in The Council once more, believing our sacred ideals weren’t entirely lost to us. Suppose I granted you the same offer you bring me now, to benefit together in mutual understanding. The Vaid Empire will march upon us sooner or later, and you’ll find that your wealth and luxury shall do nothing to blunt their blades. Should you support my proposals and assist me in dismantling our enemy before they may reach our icy shores, you’ll protect both The Domain and your own assets.”
“You speak as if their invasion is all but assured, even as history holds examples to the contrary. The Taziks, The Lanthians, even The Arkos. Civilizations grow, spread, and, if they’re lucky to avoid collapse, stagnate. Believe me when I say I sincerely doubt these humans will be the exception to the rule.”
Varse’s face hardened with conviction. “They rise, yes, but over how many decades? Centuries? Generations? Never have we encountered a being such as this God Emperor. As of now they’re vulnerable, manageable, yet we near the day that our hidden efforts shall be unable to stop the spread of his empire. I can do nothing without the vote of The Council. We can do nothing but wait to be conquered. Support my proposals, and we may yet escape what awaits us.”
“Such as?”
Taking a breath, Varse prepared for Sinshi’s inevitable reaction. “Such as an expansion to The Domain’s official military. What little we have may protect us against Lish raiders, though they’ll hardly withstand the force of an empire. Such an act will require the contribution of both men and resources from each clan, including Clan Irsi. You speak of unity…and here the opportunity arises to prove your desire.”
“My Potentate, that is hardly an appropriate reaction to human aggression fifteen hundred miles from our borders. As with your Lanthian proposal, you’d see us squander much in the hope it may one day be useful. Such is precisely the reason I’ve asked you to simply listen to The Council’s wisdom and refrain from such ludicrous ideas.”
Somber in disappointment despite already knowing the outcome, Varse once more turned towards the city. “Then we are truly in the waning days of The Domain. I depart for Ishtai in three days, yet before I do, I’ll bring my proposal before The Council. Vote it down. I’ll rest easier knowing I held to my convictions.”
“I take it you refuse my offer?”
Varse made no move to reply.
Sinshi frowned, his eyes appearing to finalize decisions. “A shame. Very few beings enjoy the dictates of traditionalists, and it appears you and Ensik are of a dying breed. I suppose repeating Ysil’s mistake cannot be avoided, though I did offer.”
As grim as ever, Varse refused to react as Sinshi patted his arm before moving to depart.
“Enjoy your time in Ishtai, my Potentate.”
36th of Fixuin, 12 AVE.
Domani, Capital of The Vaid Empire.
“The next shall step forward!” Cendra commanded as she stood beside her father’s throne, hand resting upon a pregnancy that was just beginning to show.
Of the dozens of onlookers crowding the throne room, all of which either sought to speak before The God Emperor or merely observe his rulings, a pair stepped forwards from the rabble.
Dominax’s silver eyes squinted with curiosity as he assessed them from atop his perch. The male was of no consequence, as plain a face as any that filled the chamber, yet the female was a spectacle to behold. Orange skin entirely on display without an inch of clothing, dark, blade-like horns swept back from the top of her forehead, she could only be a member of the Tazik species. Four dark eyes stared back at him, two of which lay inside her cheeks, while her digitigrade legs granted her a swift and exotic appearance that peaked his interest.
She followed her companion’s lead as he knelt before the throne, bowing his head.
“Speak,” the princess ordered as Dominax merely studied the woman, leaning forward. The quiet murmuring of the chamber ceased immediately.
“Your holiness, I come before you today with a request that may benefit us both,” the man began to explain. A human just surpassing middle-age, little of his clothing nor his relatively thin frame appeared to stand out from the common masses, aside from a wealth hinted at by the gold ring decorating his finger. “I bring before you Layra, a Tazik native to the desert sands of The Amirid Empire.”
Dominax granted her a sinister smile. “And this bargain of yours?”
The man opened his hands. “You must understand, your holiness. I am merely a humble merchant. When first I purchased Layra from the slavers of Binadi, I had only intended for her to assist during my travels. Yet the more she spoke of her homeland and people, the more I came to understand the opportunity lying before me. Layra is a true Tazik, such is true, though there exists a hybrid species that live amongst her people.”
To Dominax’s other side, the only other being to accompany him for the day, as even Felza was recovering from her birth, Lalian leaned in to speak. “I believe he speaks of the Hid-Tazik, the descents of a group of humans that were misled into crossing the desert. Half human and half Tazik, they’re supposedly extremely beautiful.”
“Beautiful and highly sought after,” the man added. “The vast majority are used as pleasure slaves, or so I’ve gathered. If the tales are true, your holiness, I’d like to breed Layra with a human in the hope that she’ll produce a Hid-Tazik. Such an offspring could prove to be quite profitable, and further, would be capable of birthing or siring additional slaves.”
“Yet you’ve refrained from breeding her yourself,” Cendra interjected. “Are you…incapable?”
Though the man briefly lowered his head as the crowd began to chuckle, he politely clasped his hands when they finally settled. “Princess, though I’d complete the deed myself, I see a far more beneficial candidate before me. Your holiness, if you’d grant me the honor, it would be my desire that you grant her a child of your divine blood. The exotic beauty of a Hid-Tazik is certain to attract attention, though if such a being was also of your holy blood? There would be no end to the individuals willing to pay lavishly for the privilege of a single night.”
Dominax stroked his short beard, smirking down at Layra. How refreshing it was for beings to openly speak of such matters rather than dance around them as many had in Kinia. “And if the resulting child is male?”
“It makes little difference. Even male Hid-Tazik are said to be nearly as feminine and beautiful as the females. Further, a male could sire further generations at a quicker rate,” the man said with a shrug. “Though regardless, of course, such a child would be well taken care of. He, or she, will be raised in luxury, for the blood of The God Emperor should never live in less.”
Ignoring the man’s attempt at flattery, Dominax considered the proposal with interest. He thought of Wronax, the son of Wros, remembering the satisfaction he had felt upon seeing his Arkos hybrid in the guise of Kixanil’s son. “An intriguing offer, yet you spoke of this deal as beneficial for us both. I assume you weren’t merely speaking of satisfying an urge.”
The man eyed the women of The God Emperor’s harem lounging about the chamber, shaking his head. “No, your holiness, I see you don’t lack for warm bodies. Should you grant me this honor, I pledge to share a portion of my earnings with the throne. A small stream into an ocean that is The Empire, yet a stream nonetheless.”
Dominax nodded. “Very well. The precise details of our arrangement can be solidified with Lord Lalian at a later date, though for now, you have permission to send her to my personal quarters.”
The man once again knelt, beckoning Layra to obey. “Thank you, my lord!”
Leaning over to Cendra, he began to whisper. “Have the guards inspect her thoroughly before she’s allowed anywhere near the royal level. I won’t have another catastrophe,” he commanded, thinking of the four Arkos slaves as the scars they had granted him nearly tingled. “Female guards, Cendra. I won’t have her spoiled.“
***
Night had fallen when Dominax finally found his way to his apartments, pushing open the doors. Inside, he was surprised to find Irith waiting, seated in a chair as his Tazik prize sat at the edge of the lounge’s shallow pool. He had evidently interrupted their conversation, for they both looked to him with pleasant expressions.
Layra quickly rose to her feet, her digitigrade legs lifting her swiftly before she bowed low. “Your holiness, it is an honor to serve you this night.” Heavily accented, his language sounded unnatural in her mouth, as if speaking with an inhuman tone.
Irith stood and moved to kiss him before pressing her lips to his ear in a whisper. “I’ll return with the children when you’re finished. Treat this one gently; she’s a bright girl.”
Dominax nodded as she departed, leaving them alone. “Did your master teach you to speak our tongue?”
“No, my lord, he is but the latest man to call me slave,” she said, her tone lacking bitterness. Hints of embarrassment crossed her exotic features as water from the pool continued to drip onto the stone floor from her legs, creating a small puddle. “Apologies, your holiness, for rarely has water been a luxury to me rather than sustenance.”
“By all means,” he said with a gesture to the small pool. She eagerly accepted his offer, stepping down into it fully as he began to undress. “It was my understanding that most Tazik cities lay upon the coasts.”
“I come from Soheila, my lord, near the mountains. We weren’t so lucky,” she said, nearly quivering at the thought. “A pleasure slave to a human master is a blessing when you’re a slave to The Amirid Empire. My father didn’t hesitate to spare me from the mines when the slavers came looking for children.”
Intrigued, and joining her in nudity, he stepped down to meet her in the pool, watching as her four dark eyes glanced at his hanging manhood. “Then surely you must know your former homeland falls under many aims. Their cruelty will be minimized beneath my rule.”
She merely shrugged. “We were merely the bottom class. Such was our fate to be exploited. Had we been higher, we’d have done the same to lesser beings.”
Entirely fascinated, Dominax moved closer until he was seated beside her half-submerged body, moving his arm to wrap around her shoulders. Her orange skin wasn’t nearly as soft or flexible as a human’s, possessing an odd yet still pleasant texture beneath his touch. “Then you have no qualms with how you were treated?”
“Of course not. My family’s horns were shorter; thus, we were moved to a mining city. Such is life,” she said casually. “It is natural for superior beings to rule and others to obey.”
“You are…partially correct, though the length of horns is hardly a measure of worthy beings,” Dominax replied with a frown of disappointment.
She began to lightly caress his arm with one hand and placed her other on his thigh. “Individuals have a right to attempt to climb the social ladder, as I was granted an opportunity to when I was sold away. I suppose you’d be doing the same should you conquer my people.”
Reacting to her touch, he allowed his hand around her shoulder to lightly caress her breast. “Perhaps you’ll live to see that day.”
With a vicious smile she pressed her lips to his, allowing him to take in her strange yet appealing scent. As her hand found his manhood beneath the water, he heard a gasp of desire escape her lips, hand wrapping around his girth.
Evidently no stranger to the touch of a man, she began to stroke him, making no resistance as he fully grasped her breast to begin teasing her sensitive nipple.
“Are we here to speak of my homeland, or to conceive?” her accented words asked, all four eyes granting him a look of lust. “I’m at your mercy, your holiness.”
“Very well.” He grinned, pulling her closer. She eagerly moved to straddle his lap as she faced him, a dark orange blushing her face with evident arousal.
Her nude body began to seductively grind against him, feeling his hardened manhood between her thighs. She felt his hand gliding up her leg, appreciating the unique shape.
Fascinated by her body, his hand found her rump, granting her a firm squeeze as he forced her closer. Primed to breed, he felt her lower lips against his shaft, requiring only a nod from him before she began to raise her hips.
Lining him up, she released a powerful groan as she sunk down upon his length, taking him fully. “Ooohhh…you’re…big. Larger than…ah…most.”
The lust within her dark eyes proved her words, for as she began to rock her hips, pleasure seized her gaze.
Dominax held her hips firmly, appreciating the sensation. His cock had conquered humans, Arkos, and now a Tazik could be added to his ever-growing list. Such was inevitable, for how could he expect to seize Magnius without first experiencing its native species?
Her vagina felt similar to an Arkos though with greater internal muscle control, a trait that nearly reminded him of his daughters as he slid in and out. It was no wonder why they were favored as pleasure slaves. “Tell me…ahh…how is it that your master is so certain you’ll birth a Hid-Tazik?”
“He knows my lineage…ahh…your holiness…” she explained, hips rocking with evident experience. “My grandmother was a Hid-Tazik…and hers before her. The outcome remains uncertain…though we have a far greater chance…”
“Then I shall grant you your hybrid…” Dominax said with satisfaction, moving his own hips to match hers. He thought to their future offspring, caring little if it was a half breed or a full Tazik, as either outcome greatly intrigued him. Once more he remembered Wronax, his own features mixed with an Arkos. The thought forced his pace to quicken, guiding her hips.
Layra was more than experienced, as was expected, yet she couldn’t be considered loose. Retaining most of its snug grip, her pussy caressed his shaft as she attempted to milk what she required from him.
“Breed me…your holiness…for our child will know nothing but pleasure and luxury…” she nearly begged, riding him with a deep passion. The water seemed to move with her, creating small waves that toppled over the pool’s edge to coat the stone floor.
“Tell me…of a Hid-Tazik’s beauty…” he commanded, eager for any details he could gain about a subspecies that was new to him.
She moaned, wrapping her arms around him to hold him close. “They’re a perfect blend…master. The orange skin of my people…ahh…and the features of a human.”
Curious at her words, he made a mental note to himself to delve further into experimenting with hybrids. Lalian could have been a prime candidate, mixing Lanthian seed with various beings, yet such was impossible.
“Grant me a daughter of exotic beauty…or a son capable of siring others…” she said, gently nibbling at his neck.
His primal urge to fill her flared as he stood from the pool, holding her tightly with his strong arms. She nearly giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist as he remained firmly pressed inside of her.
Carefully he carried her over to one of the cushioned benches decorating the lounge, lowering her onto her back as if placing a prize upon a shelf. Atop her he resumed his thrusts, seizing control.
She moaned beneath him, their wet bodies held together as they drenched the fabric. It mattered little, for he cared only for the sensation of her cunny.
“Y…yes…breed me…your holiness!” she cried out, utterly dominated as he claimed her.
Cock beginning to pound her deepest depths, his hips moved with a steady rhythm, hard yet swift. His hands explored her body, caressing the lean curves of her athletic form.
His hand traveled up to her horns, feeling their sharp edges. To know that his cock was inside a female of another species drove his lust, hoping to mix their blood into something new and unique.
Her four eyes simultaneously rolled upwards before she released a strained groan, finding her orgasm from the skilled sensation of his cock. She subtly quivered beneath him, taking ragged breaths when it finally passed.
Reaching down he grabbed her legs as he rose to straighten up, forcing them upwards until her knees were pressed against her chest, holding her firmly even as he avoided harming her. The position allowed him to look down and watch his cock sliding in and out of her orange vagina, enjoying every detail.
He grinned, seeing her stretch each time he hilted her. The satisfaction at knowing his cock was buried into her fertile pussy coaxed his climax closer, yet he maintained his rhythm. “Do you truly…ahh…share your master’s desire? To see…your belly swell with my child?”
Any answer would do little to stop him, yet she granted him the truth. “Yes…your holiness…I’ve heard of your virility…of the beauty of your…ahh…daughters. Please…I need your seed…the sperm of a worthy mate!”
Pleased, he quickened his pace with an agility that ordinary humans would find difficult to maintain after several seconds. He never slowed, however, and she soon found herself clenching down in climax once more.
Feeling her pleasure as her vaginal muscles squeezed his cock, a thought of his hybrid suckling from her modest breasts proved to be all he required, for he pushed his hips forward to sink entirely into her as his body quivered. He released a deep groan, spurting his potent seed as deeply as possible.
She cried out, muttering in her foreign tongue with clear reverence. Again her eyes rolled back, basking in the sensation of conception.
Over and over his testicles seized, pumping what nearly felt to be an endless stream of thick cum into her needy vagina. Painful pleasure continued to tear through his loins, forcing a breath of utter satisfaction when it finally subsided.
Slowly, as if careful to avoid undoing his handiwork, he pulled his cock free. Sperm oozed heavily from her well used womanhood as his tip left her lower lips, and he merely paused to take in the sight of his potent seed pouring from her pussy with each quivering contraction of her pleasured loins.
Once more his seed had conquered another species, spreading beyond his own.
“There…there’s so much…” she said, her body limp as she recovered. “I’ll be with child…without any doubt…”
***
“Wherever your ambitions take you…I shall be by your side. I promise.”
“What…did you say?” Dominax asked, peering up from the fire in the center of their hut. Across from him sat Briza, the light flickering over her as a thick haze of smoke rose from the firepit to escape through a hole in the ceiling, roasting a slab of meat skewered just above the flames.
“I said you should congratulate Cendra. It was her arrow that felled the sloatis,” Briza said, slapping their daughter’s back as she sat beside her.
Dazed, he peered at her, every bit his Cendra, yet wearing nothing more than a loincloth. Gone were the fine apparel and sword of an imperial princess, as even her long silky black hair appeared less kempt than usual.
“You’ve raised a fine hunter.” The voice came from Briza’s other side, whereupon he found their daughter’s namesake. The elder Cendra appeared just as he had remembered her, save for an occasional graying strand of hair.
Peering around, every detail of the hut had been preserved, from the small cots they had spent their nights inside to the wooden figurines Cendra had carved for them as children. Through the window he could see Nitri, taking in the sight as men and women passed by. An overwhelming sense of home overtook him, and he allowed his muscles to ease with a deep relaxation.
“Father, grandmother said she’d take us deeper into the rainforest next moon, though only if you accompany us,” the younger Cendra said in a joyful tone, a striking contrast to her usual arrogance.
“Where you go, I shall follow,” he replied, feeling bare without his armor as only his old black tunic covered him.
The elder Cendra finished refilling her quiver with arrows before pointing behind him. “Hand me my bow, child.”
Caring little at being granted an order, he stood and turned around, only to freeze as his eyes fell upon the crude shelf. There, placed next to Cendra’s bow, sat his crown.
“Dominax?” she questioned, waiting as he stood still.
His eyes traveled over its white and gold surface, the imperial helm of a true ruler. He stepped forwards, reaching out, though not quite daring to touch it.
“Father?”
The bow nearly appeared to fade away, his attention fully upon the crown.
“He made his choice long ago, child,” Briza’s voice echoed around him.
Fingertips touching the white surface, Dominax lifted the crown from the shelf, only to hear screams of terror as the hut around him fell away. Suddenly he was in the center of Nitri, watching the settlement burn. Whirling around, the crown slipped from his grasp as he saw his family, limp and bloodied, their corpses lying cold.
Rushing to their side, he grasped at them, attempting to rouse them as he peered at their wounds. Water poured from Briza’s throat, her body carved by daggers. Her mother bled heavily from her abdomen and neck, a sword driven through and an arrow pierced. Blood coated the younger Cendra’s fingernails, her expression twisted in panic.
Tears poured from his eyes as he pulled them closer, weeping with all his might, never having allowed himself such a release.
His sorrow was only interrupted when dozens of men rushed forward to rip him from their side. Dressed in Zilrinian colors and banners, they began to drag the three bodies away as they pulled him back. He roared, attempting to fight them off, his body moving slowly and sluggishly. Raising his hands, he prepared to loose a wave of power intended to burn the flesh from their bones and reduce them to ash, only to find that his fingers merely crackled before fizzling.
Powerless, he was forced back as he watched their bodies disappear before Chief Manith descended from the sky to land before him. The large Lanthian chief of Zilrin readied his spear, his skin still smoking from his execution.
Yet as Dominax thrashed to escape, he realized that Vixin was standing before him, unmoving as the spear pierced her midriff. Truly helpless for the first time, he watched her sink to the ground before toppling over, her silver eyes fading as death claimed her.
An agony of grief struck him, yet he was granted little time before Vixin vanished, replaced with Nafalya. Once more he watched the spear thrust, bringing her down.
Zela was the next, held by the neck as she dangled over him. Her delicate neck was easily snapped before she was discarded to the muddy ground.
Finally, as Manith became a shifting cacophony of men and women, rulers he had defeated or had yet to conquer, Arinax was lifted from the ground. Unable to move, his limbs refusing to obey, Dominax watched as a dagger was driven into his son’s side. The boy cried out, only to be tossed aside into a small patch of flowers.
His voice ragged from screaming with fury, Dominax felt his power growing, only to see a large gash open upon his own chest, as if created by an invisible sword.
His silver eyes flung open, taking frantic breaths as he was brought back to reality. Returned to the darkness of his bedchambers, he fought to calm himself as his eyes traced the room.
Irith was beside him, fast asleep as the twins quietly breathed within their beds against the far wall.
Slowly regaining control over himself, he peered up at The Sword of Order as it remained mounted against the wall, held in two hands carved from wood reaching from the wall. The orb within its crossguard lightly glowed for several lingering moments before fading into darkness.
Relieved that his nightmare hadn’t awoken his mate, Dominax quietly slipped from the sheets and strode to cross the chamber until he found his desk. Yanking open a drawer, he removed the false bottom and found the very dagger that had been used during Arinax’s ceremony. The common people had begun to refer to it as ‘The Dagger of The Heir’, though he cared little about their titles as he clutched it tightly.
Moving swiftly yet silently, he found Arinax’s bed and gently shook him awake, seeing his tired silver eyes creep open. The boy opened his mouth with a question, though froze as his gaze found the dagger. As if seeing a maddened ghost, Arinax remained wordless as he watched his father place the sheathed blade onto his chest, unresisting as he was forced to take the hilt within his own grip.
Dominax leaned down, his glowing eyes appearing as if they could rip Arinax’s soul from his small frame. “Many will seek our deaths. You must be strong enough to survive, my son…”
Arinax felt the weapon within his grasp, his heart quickening.
“Fear…will destroy you, destroy us. Purge it from your bones,” Dominax said, his voice just louder than a whisper. He released a breath of tension, placing his hand upon his son’s chest. “You’ll despise me, my boy, though in time you’ll come to appreciate what I’ll do to forge you into a survivor. I shall endure no further losses.“
Silence lingered through the dark room before Arinax watched his father move to return to bed, leaving him alone with the dagger. He looked over to his sister’s bed, seeing his twin sleeping with a peace that couldn’t possibly return to him now. Instead, he looked down at the weapon, wondering just what awaited him.
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