Tyrant of the Ruined Sun-Chapter 185: Differences in Decorum and Divinity

As per the agreement made with her father earlier today, the eastern princess was meant to enter the hall with us tonight, to both put all the rumours to rest of the nature of the relationship between her and my eldest brother; as well as to send a crystal clear message to all who still doubted it and wished to twist the coming events in their favour, whether they be here, in these halls frivolously masquerading pristine flags of peace, while bloodless wars are waged beneath it’s purposefully averted eyes; or elsewhere, be they in far away opulent offices, drinking wine the cost of other, lesser, more honest men’s entire yearly salaries, or in some dingy street taverns and brothels, exchanging whispers behind the revolting veil of cheap liquor, the flickering light of a putrid smelling wax candles, and the simple, but enviable merrymaking of common folk.

And that short message was a terrifyingly brazen one at that. For it was little more than a blatant challenge, not directed just against the Luminous Empire, but at the whole world, proudly proclaiming that the east and south are now bound through blood; and a strike against one could mean a strike against both.

A fool’s proposition if any had ever heard of it.

That is, at least, until it is no longer convenient to do so, but that is a matter for another time.

As currently I was amusedly staring at the rapidly changing features of my brother, as he recalled the duties and promises he’d almost abandoned in a foolish fumble, due to a brief lapse in memory.

And so without even bothering to say anything, he rushed to the door as though every click, of the now unnaturally loud clock’s swinging pendulum, was akin to a cracking whip, striking the ground a hair’s breadth behind his ankles, before my own voice paused his racing footsteps, a second before he could open the door, saying in a humorous tone "Wait a second brother."

He stopped and turned to look at me, half in confusion and half in impatience, for he was already on the cusp of running late to the appointed time, as I simply called out "Isaac. Horus."

The two men needed no more words to understand my meaning, as they coolly moved to stand behind my brother, both as an escort for him, as well as a show of sincerity to our newly appointed sister in law, which earned me a thankful nod from Nizam, as he finished his rapid exit from the hall.

Yet as he made his way to his destination, he felt an unprecedented weight upon him, as though two anchors had suddenly attached themselves to his shoulders, instinctually making him twist his head behind him to ascertain the cause of this discomfort only to then realize a chilling truth.

Nizam was not unacquainted with the notion of armed guards and retainers following him, in fact he would often find himself feeling out of place whenever he was alone, since for as long as he could remember, he has had at least one guard by his side at all times, watching over him with near fanatical diligence; and yet he felt a prickling sensation all over across his back, and it was only when his caught the eyes of the two individuals that rarely stayed with him in such momentous times.

Nizam had long understood that people were complicated things.

As they were beings that possessed the ability to seamlessly swap between a myriad of different masks, both to hide their true selves from others, while also not completely lying about who they truly are.

Sometimes they only have a handful of these masks, like his beloved uncle or annoying little brother, who only ever showcased about three or four of them, while others, like his quasi-mentor Darius or his older brother, mastered and maintained a great many, perfecting them for different purposes, to be worn in differing times, all in the service of achieving their goals.

And this too held true for the two men behind him now, the frightening Isaac and the enigmatic Horus, who ordinarily acted around him with gentile expressions and calm, peaceful words, as though they were family, with Isaac being a sort of wise grandfather, and Horus being a form of affectionate older brother, yet now the two stood behind him in rigid stances, that were only equalled with the sternness of their expressions, and he understood that he was no longer in the company of Isaac and Horus, the two he’s known and interacted with countless times since his childhood.

No, he was now before the Shade Corps Commander and Grand Chamberlin of the empire; as well the Wraith of the South, the personal guard of the Ruinous Dragon since he was a but a boy, and one the most talented Palace Guard members in centuries.

And the sheer weight and tension from walking ahead of these men, as though you were their leader, their master, with them following your every move; even if only for a time, even if only for a clear and simple task at hand, felt crushing; with every step you take weighed down with the fear of error, with the terror of indecision, with the poison of imperfection.

Yet then it donned on him, as he again turned his head to continue on his path and felt the return of that uncomfortable feeling, that his brother routinely stands where he now does, with these same fearsome figures with the addition of those few, who both equalled and surpassed them, such as the likes of Hamilcar, Darius, Adam Sekhmet and his own teacher, Hekan Heka, and he was left both in speechless awe and heart pounding horror at the mere thought of it, now that it was coupled with experience.

Meanwhile, as Nizam was experiencing this sudden revelation on his way to escort his betrothed, and Cyrus was becoming more and more engrossed in his long awaited conversation with Eve, Darius subtly prompted me to the side for a moment, gravely saying "My emperor, I believe we have overlooked an important matter that we must immediately discuss before it further overdue." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"What matter Darius?" I asked with furrowing brows.

"The issue of the Admiral Khairuddin’s current covert operations in the east." Darius answered.

I was momentarily taken aback by the reminder, having utterly forgotten the eastern admiral’s actions, that he has been implementing in accordance with our plot we formed three years ago, after the end of my uncle’s rebellion, and that has already begun to generate some excellent results for the past years now.

"The admiral’s objectives remain unchanged for now." I commanded, to which Darius nodded without hesitation, clearly having already come to the same conclusion as me before hand.

Then at that moment, Darius and I quickly swivelled our gazes back to the no longer lightly chatting duo, as Cyrus was nearly screaming in excitement now, as he beheld Eve’s masterful display of divine power, by ordering the shadows around her to form a few crude shapes, that infinitely fascinated him, as he excitedly uttered in unabashed wonder, much to Eve joy as well "This is so amazing! Can you make look like a lion!"

"Of course." Eve replied, indulging him, which only brought more astonishment to his features.

But then he suddenly turned to her, and depressingly said as he poutingly glanced at me "Brother is so mean! Every time I asked him to show me his divine abilities, he would always refuse."

It was blatantly clear what this little rascals intentions were, and Eve to find enjoyment in it’s prospects too, as she teasingly asked, as she ever so slightly turned to me with a playful little grin "Is that so?"

"Yes! He’s so mean!" Cyrus continued on with his brat like behaviour, even stomping his foot like an upset toddler, though the genuine smile on his lips showcased his own enjoyment of the scenario that was all clearly being played out in jest, but I was still able to discern a hint of actual desire for me to manifest my abilities from my little brother, who’s curiosity for the divine had suddenly been lit by Eve’s own hands.

Decide to both join their little game, I flashed a cunning smile towards Cyrus and said "Very well, I’ll show you..." I paused for a moment, allowing his ecstatic emotions to inflate within him, and just when he was on the brink of erupting in a triumphant cheer, I cruelly finished "but only if you are able to emerge victorious in the game of chess you were just having with Nizam."

Cyrus’ prior happiness was instantly blown asunder, like a nearly completed house of cards before the disruption of a light breeze’s annoying passage, which caused me to burst out in laughter at his defeated expression.

An action he clearly seemed to not appreciate, as evident by his narrowing eyes, and his gradually lowering posture, like a young cub ready to pounce on me, yet just before he could, Eve’s voice sounded out from behind him, saying as she gestured at the rook piece on the board "You don’t need to despair so soon. If you mobilize that rook you have there you can easily save your queen and escape your brother’s trap."

"How?!" Cyrus excitedly asked, his earlier dissatisfaction now all but gone, when he suddenly paused, his eyes wide as he stared at her for a second and asked "Wait, sister how can you...?" Cyrus didn’t finish his words, fearing that they would unintentionally hurt her.

Yet contrary to his worries, she didn’t take anything to heart nor did she deem it an insult, as she kindly smiled at him and then both completed his sentence and answered it, by saying "How can I tell the pieces on the board even though I’m blind? Simple. By utilizing the gifts my ancestor offered me in exchange for my sight. The shadows."

Simply uttering the word caused the surrounding shade to momentarily pulse in agitation, as though they were loyal soldiers ready to heed their mistress’ call, meanwhile it further stoked Cyrus’ fascination with the mystical subject, as he curiously asked "You can see through the Shadows?"

"Not exactly." She explained. "I can only tell vague shapes through them, but not always accurately, and it does it take a certain degree of effort from me, though with the advancement of my gates, I could gain more control over them, with a few extra abilities here and there." She said with a mysterious edge to her voice, though I caught the sly little glance she did my way.

"Brother will you gain similar abilities later?" He turned to me and asked.

"No, the domain of shadows is an authority only bestowed upon Eve and those of her lineage, and our bloodline in comparison have no similar powers, not now or in the future." I confidently said, already knowing most of what lay in store for me later on, as I had unlocked all but the last gate in my past life.

"But I’ve heard some say that when you used your powers, rooms would grow pitch black." Cyrus then commented, tilting his head in confusion, prompting me to answer.

"Yes, but there is a great deal of difference between darkness and shadow little brother."

"Like what?" He questioned, finding my statement utterly illogical, for how can darkness and shadow be unalike.

"Darkness in the blackness that manifests in the absence of light, while shadow is it’s presence in defiance of light’s presence." It was Eve who calmly uttered the answer then, as she slowly, almost regally sat on one of the chair’s overlooking the chessboard.