Tyrant of the Ruined Sun

The tenth day started much like always, with the rising sun and my halberd and sabre in hand, catching the orange glint of the morning rays upon their flashing edge, as I swung them to the side of my tent's entrance, away from the peeping eyes of others in the quiet, serene early hours of the day.

And as has become the norm in the last few weeks, Eve was with me as well, sitting nearby on a wooden chair padded with a thick animal's hide, with Yara standing a step behind with warm refreshments in tow, neither of them training, scheming or doing much of anything perse, as you would very often find the two, but they were instead merely keeping me company under the excuse of a shared time of recess.

They also didn't wish to jeopardize both their covers as the mysterious and enigmatic future empress of the Eclipse Empire and her trusted handmaiden, who appeared out of the blue with not a hint of their history apparent for any to see, leaving only speculation about.

Yet just as my daily practice session was coming to an end, I beheld from the corner of my eye a shifting of Eve's posture, as though reacting to something hidden behind the tent's folds and at the tent's entrance.

Knowing it was not yet time for the rotation of the guards, or anything of the like, I thought that maybe an unexpected visitor was arriving at this unexpected hour, which could only mean trouble, since none would deem it fit to visit another at the crack of dawn.

Yet just as I sighed and rounded the corner of the tent, I beheld none other than my brother Cyrus with Leonid in tow, fully armed and donning their hunting gear.

"And where are the two of you going?" I rhetorically asked with narrowed eyes.

"Brother!" Cyrus yelped out in surprise, either not expecting or previously praying to catching my attention, which would've been true had it not been for Eve's sharp senses, while I was preoccupied with my training.

"My emperor." While Leonid merely turned around and bowed in greeting.

"A bit early to be venturing off into the mountains, don't you think so brother?" I questioned, while eyeing their gear with an accusatory glare, clearly showing my displeasure in their undeclared morning voyage.

Cyrus seemed visibly deflated by my words and insinuating eyes, as he lowered his head in defeat, explaining "Today is the last day of the Banquet so I simply figured to make the most of it before we have to head back to the empire, that's all."

"And is there a reason why you deemed it necessary to conceal this information from me?" I again queried, but this time without the scolding edge to my words and with a slightly lighter tone of voice.

"I just thought to follow uncle's words from the stories he told us; it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission." He uttered with a sheepish scratch of the back of his head, followed by an awkward smile and bashful blush across his face.

"Of all of uncle's teachings, this is what stuck most to you?!" I asked in exasperation.

He let out an embarrassed chuckle in response to my words, while I looked at him for a few more seconds, before I eventually relented, saying with a sigh "Fine, you may go, just make sure to return a few hours before sunset, so that you won't be late for the closing supper of the Banquet. Everyone is meant to be present there, understand?"

"Yes, brother!" He excitedly proclaimed in response, before he began sprinting in the opposite direction, with Leonid close behind after he and I shared a meaningful nod, one that meant little more than keep an eye on him, since after the mostly peaceful last few weeks, neither I nor anyone else thought that any other disturbances would occur, and especially not from our hand.

A light giggle then sounded to my left, making me turn and behold a clearly delighted Eve, with a blatantly provocative grin on her pale features.

"What is it?" I ask half in trepidation and half in amusement.

"You look cute when you're acting like a worried mother hen." She teasingly said before releasing another sly giggle.

"Is that so?" I chucklingly respond, neither falling victim to her words, nor backing away from them, as I went to resume the last of my training regiment, before we then headed into the tent to partake in the already prepared breakfast.

Following our hearty morning meal, I joined Darius as we began discussing a few imperial matters that needed handling, particularly the subject of this year's harvest, which had grown far more plentiful in recent times due to the near complete implementation we began four years ago now, to cut away the empire's harmful agricultural practices, thus revitalizing the Vitar River's once fading blessings.

Afterward, I returned to my own quarters, where I found Eve patiently waiting for me to begin our daily divine training, which we did both at night and throughout the midday, and was fundamentally tethered to my presence, since without my own celestial powers to envelop and obscure the empyrean fluctuations of her own bloodline, we ran the risk of her secret being uncovered.

And that was how the majority of the day passed, in surprisingly enjoyable stillness, while occasionally pausing my practice to indulge my eyes in her beloved and missed visage, all the while never forgetting to continue maintaining my masking divine presence around the tent, lest I disturb her training.

Yet then a sudden commotion broke outside the tent, with many hurried footsteps rushing past our curtained walls in the direction of the western gate, an occurrence that was not uncommon to encounter in the past few days, as people usually coalesced around the gate at this time of day, to welcome back the returned hunting parties, especially when one returned with a sizeable host of boars or with a notable crown to show.

Which was also why I initially thought nothing of it beyond the slight irritation at them breaking my peace and quiet, yet then Horus' voice echoed out from beyond the sheer fabric doors of my tent, claiming that the commotion this time pertained to a returned Leonid and Cyrus, with some even claiming to have seen drawn weapons against the two.

Fallen Nemesis, with it's eerie bone white shaft and halberd's head, was in my grip within an instant, while Dark Majesty, who was always attached to my hip, now swayed ominously with every hurried step I took, as I and my guard raced to the aforementioned location.

Whereupon reaching the epicentre of the racket, I beheld a group of nearly a dozen men, at the head of almost a hundred guards wearing a plethora of standards and coats of arms, standing in opposition and blatant hostility of Cyrus and Leonid, who stood before the group in either stoic readiness or exploding rage.

"I SAID GIVE ME IT, YOU DAMNED BASTARD!" A banshee's howl exploded then from the throat of a lanky looking man in his mid twenties, with deep, dark bags under his eyes, and greasy looking shoulder length black hair.

"Hey... maybe we should stop here, they are the Ruinous Dra..." Another man, whose opal face was sleeked with sweat approached the lanky man from behind, who appeared to be the leader of this ragtag group of soon to be corpses, with a voice ladened to the point of straining with fear and worry, yet like a rabid dog, the lanky man twirled at barked at him too, forcing him back before he again turned to my brother and champion with a frenzied expression demanding whatever it was they had, as he then slid his hunting dagger from it's sheathe.

That was all I needed to see to no longer bother watching anymore of this ridiculous farce, as I blitzed through the crowd, appearing before anyone can react by the side of that rabid man, and swung Fallen Nemesis in one fluid motion.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" A throat tearing scream ripped through the now silent mountain, as his right arm that held his gleaming dagger threatingly towards my younger brother was cleanly cleaved from the shoulder, dove onto the ground in a sickening sound that could only be heard when bloody flesh meets thick mud and soil.

And in a knee jerk reaction, he swung around his now single armed chest, painting my upper torso and lower half of my face in his wretched blood, as his other arm tried in vain to clutch the space where his right shoulder once stood, before he then slipped on his own feet and blood, falling flat on his back with a resounding thud.

"Silence." I apathetically commanded, as I plunged my foot into his heaving chest, cracking his ribs and exorcising his lungs of all their breath, while forcing his pupils to roll to the back of his skull as he lost all consciousness, beneath the heal of my boot, drenched in his own blood, mud and filth.