Chapter 3

‘Man, I need some wine. I’ve been sitting on this stupid throne all day, with nothing but water to fill my stomach. How stupid is that? Sure, I didn’t ask for it, but my loyal subjects should know by now when I want my wine.’

I looked at the red carpet on the floor below me, and I tried to feel anything special from it, any sort of resonance, anything. Nope, just a normal red carpet.

‘I’ll ask my adviser later to change it to blue. Maybe that will make a difference.’

“Your Majesty, the guest has arrived.” My advisor said.

“Bring him in.”

The large iron gates to my throne room were slowly opened, and from beyond them, a man walked through.

If there was any singular word that could describe this man, it would be ‘elegant’.

Every hair on his head was positioned perfectly, his skin was immaculately unblemished and fair, and his every step was placed flawlessly upon the floor so as to achieve a balanced rhythm of movement.

And his eyes, oh his eyes, how they shined.

‘His eyes are blue, just like I want my carpet to be.’ I thought.

The man reached three-quarters of the distance towards the throne before bowing deeply, as was tradition.

“Your Majesty, my name is Silas Quintan, and I am honored to meet you for the first time. Your glamour is far greater than I could have possibly imagined, and your presence is so great I feel I may have to cry. Truly, you are the epitome of magnificence.”

‘He sure knows his way with words, even though everything he just stated is completely true.’

“Do not fret, your Majesty, as I have not arrived here empty-handed. If you may observe, here, held within my hands, is the most elegant and aromatic wine in the world, sold at the price of twenty thousand kora. I would hope this small gift would perhaps ease your nerves after such a long day of work.”

And indeed, within the man’s hands was held a bottle of shining emerald and gold.

‘Yes! Just what I needed! This man has great taste!’

“Thank you, Silas, for such a prestigious gift. Why don't you come over here and pour me this fine wine?”

“Why, of course, your Majesty, with pleasure.”

The adviser behind me handed me my golden goblet, and I waited as the man known as Silas carefully and meticulously walked up the steps to my throne.

When he reached me, he smiled, and uncorked the bottle with his hands, before carefully pouring the wine into my goblet.

“Please, drink, and feel at ease your Majesty.”

I grunted, and raised the goblet to my lips, giving the wine a slight taste using the tip of my tongue.

‘Wonderful.’

“This wine tastes extraordinary and extravagant. I must thank you for this gift once more.” I said, before taking a small sip.

‘Truly, this is the best wine I have ever tasted. It’s heavenly.’

“I am glad you like it, your Majesty. Originally, I had felt nervous and believed perhaps you would have found my gift too strange or unforthcoming. I see now that I was wrong.”

“Indeed, this is a great gift. Now, state your business.”

Silas smiled once more.

“Of course, your Majesty. You see, my organization is quite small and lacks funds. We were hoping you could lend us some aid.”

“And what will you give me in return?” I asked, taking another sip of the spectacular wine.

“We can aid you in many ways, your Majesty. We have high-ranking mages who can help in the war, intel on the rebels, and, most importantly, knowledge on attaining immortality.”

I perked up at his words.

“Immortality?”

“Yes indeed, your Majesty, immortality. It is a well-kept secret that the greatest thing your heart desires is eternal life, but we have ears everywhere, and we heard some interesting things.”

‘They know of my wish for longevity?’

“And what exactly do you know about immortality, my dear friend?”

The man’s smile widened, and he raised his hands toward my face.

Held between his fingers was a pitch-black orb, that seemed to emanate a deep darkness that felt ghastly and sick.

The orb was so dark that it seemed to draw in the light around it, and I felt my brain twist for a moment trying to understand it.

“Is that… a celestial artifact?” I asked in wonder.

“It is indeed, your Majesty. It is also the secret to unlocking immortality. All we need is funds and the help of your greatest minds, so that we can unlock it.”

‘This… This is it! All I have been waiting for, sitting in this man’s hands, waiting for me to devour. I want it! I want it to be mine!’

I smiled and reached out my hand to touch the orb. The man yanked it away from reach.

“Ah, ah, ah, you cannot have it until we unlock it, your Majesty. An object of such power is extremely volatile and could explode if used incorrectly. You need to be patient, but if you give us funds, it won’t be long until you have your greatest wish come true.”

‘Ugh, damnit, I want it now. Wait, I don’t get it, what does he gain from this?’

“What will you get from giving me this artifact? You can’t merely want funds if you deal with such powerful things.”

The man’s smile grew even wider, almost unnaturally so.

“Why, you see your Majesty, I want to use the artifact as well. Of course, I will let you use it first, but as my project, it will be mine to use in the end. I’m just lending it to you, to see if it works.”

‘Hmm… this is suspicious. Is that truly how celestial artifacts work? Can you truly use it many times over?’

“And to sweeten the deal further, I also have some information on the most recent plans of the rebels, and perhaps with your help we can squash them once and for all.”

I pondered that for a moment, twirling my beard with my thumb.

“Fine, that works. You tell me the plans of the rebels, and after we destroy them completely, I give you funds, you finish working on the artifact and then let me use it first. Then I give it back to you, and you use it. Is that the full deal?”

“Yes, it is, your Majesty.”

‘Hmph, good. This little prick doesn’t know that I won’t be returning the artifact once he fixes it. Once it’s held within my grasp, it will never be taken.’

The man’s smile widened even further, and by now it looked like his face could rip apart from the strain.

“Now, tell me the plans of the rebels. Getting rid of them will make this war much easier.”