Dusk

As Spark sleeps, the noise of Jimat dies down, only to be resurrected by the city's nightlife hours later. Shops close down from the day to be replaced by others opening, illuminating the streets of Jimat once more. Highspeed magnetic trains whirr along the city's outskirts, transporting citizens back to their apartments; others to the city center to indulge in what Jimat has to offer at night. A wave of guards spread out across the courtyard of the House of the Emperor, relieving the day guards from their duties; all of them armed to the teeth with the same rifles as the guards who had escorted Spark during the day, along with black armor and bulletproof vests hoisting the nation's emblem on the chest and the back. The guards retreating into the skyscraper are respectively exhausted as they return to their chambers for the night. 

On the higher floors, fewer guards are patrolling the halls at night than during the day. As Spark sleeps, his door creaks open unbeknownst to him allowing a shadowy figure to intrude into his personal space. Once in the room, the figure softly closes the door to Spark's room, blocking them off so no one else can enter the room. The figure slowly skulks over to Spark's bedside, gazing peacefully out the window, seeing a few stars in the natural night sky partially blocked by the clouds before turning back towards Spark. After waiting for around a minute, in one swift motion the figure jabs Spark in his gut with all his might, waking Spark with a sharp pain in his stomach. Spark, springing up on his bed is unable to vocalize his pain as one of the figure's hands covers his mouth while the other hand, feeling more like a blunt metal object, remains on his stomach. Spark muffles in an attempt to speak, but is met with a response from the figure.

 "Good evening, my prince."  Spark's eyes widen at the familiarity of the voice of the speaker. His mind raced to search for possible reasons why Edok would attack him in the middle of the night. Before Spark was able to come to a rational conclusion, he heard a faint pop nearby, followed by the feeling of a sharp pinch in his stomach and a deep burning sensation. He immediately went to hold his stomach, the reality of the situation yet to sink in. Trembling from the pain, Spark eventually managed to squeeze out a sentence, softer than his usual speaking voice as he realized he'd been shot in the gut. 

 "Wha--" he barely manages to say, wincing in pain.

 "What is the meaning of this... Edok?" Edok is no longer facing Spark and returns to looking out the window that lines the wall of Spark's bedroom. Edok has his arms crossed behind his back, still holding his pistol, glowing red around the edges. Upon closer inspection, the barrel of the gun appeared to be slightly longer than usual, piecing together that Edok had attached a suppressor to the muzzle of his pistol. 

Edok peaks over his shoulder towards Spark before returning his gaze to the window, a sly grin appearing on his face, content seeing blood spilling from Spark's gut. When he speaks, he's full of himself, sounding hoarse.

 "Would you like to hear a story? Before you die, that is." Even though Spark understands he got shot, hearing that he would soon perish hit him as hard as he imagined the trains zipping around the edges of the city would. Although he was hopeless in his core, he was still intrigued by Edok's offer. He decided to respond, his voice faltering from his loss of blood and energy.

 "Let me guess... You kill me, then my father. Then take over as Emperor?" Edok cackles at his response, approaching him once more, and grabs Spark by the collar of his nightgown.

 "You naive little boy, your father was right. You are still too foolish." Edok sighs snarkly "It runs so much deeper than that. This nation has the best technology in the world and with it, I'll be able to achieve something I've been longing for my whole life. And the Emperor... let's just say he wouldn't approve."  He releases Sparks collar, tossing him down on his bed in the process.

As Edok continues to explain his plot, he expands a little on his background; after being abused by corrupt guards as a child, he ran off and was taken in by The New Light. Growing up with nothing but hatred for Alduwitz. He proceeded to get an education under the House of the Emperor in politics, graduating at the top of his class and being offered a position under the Emperor; all so he could be in his current position. To exact revenge on the nation he'd always hated. 

 "I exposed those guards for being corrupt back then and got them executed. Everyone praised me for exacting justice and maintaining the image of Alduwitz. But I didn't care about any of that. I relished the joy that came with witnessing the execution of those guards; I can't even tell you how much joy it brings me, knowing that one day I'll bring this nation down to its knees and finish it off myself." 

Spark remembered the conversation he had with his father during breakfast that morning. He remembered how his father shared his tactics with him for dealing with The New Light, but he also remembered how Edok was standing by his side as Austin told Spark not to worry. 

 "New Light forces, they won't stretch, will they? You- you'll have them set an ambush... Won't you?" Spark's voice, rises in volume as he begins to truly grasp the weight of the situation; still, his voice doesn't get too loud, he chokes on blood accumulating in his lungs.

 "Good idea." Edok responds "I planned on handling the military another way, but now that you mention it..." Edok, sounding sarcastic, approaches Spark one final time, pressing his pistol to Spark's forehead as Spark rests against the headboard of his bed. Void of energy, he is unable to do anything to defend himself from his impending death. He tries to spit on Edok, but his spit lands on the ground, not making it to his target. Edok smiles, the last thing Spark will see. "Okay then..." Edok says "Back to sleep, my prince."

Edok pulls the trigger of his pistol, placing a bullet between Spark's eyes, ending his life. He feels as if a hand is violently pulling him backward. His body goes limp lifelessly sliding down to his bed. Feeling satisfied, Edok turns to the door. After unbarring the door, it opens to a guard, who peers into the room, staying silent. Receiving a nod from Edok, he follows him away from the room of the newly deceased, closing the door as they leave to embark on Edok's quest for revenge.