Shovels In Spades

"Ah, as I thought, My King," Lyle said as he approached Daz who was seated in the centre of the keep's library with a book in his hand. "I assume you claimed to have retired early so you could escape the boisterous atmosphere of the party?"

Daz nodded as he laid the novel he was reading down onto the table in front of himself. "I could see that Madison was getting bored. She really hates Aila, so I felt it'd be best if we left."

"Most wise, My King," Lyle responded with that respectful smile of his.

Daz leaned back into his chair in a relaxed manner before he gestured with his head for the spindly man to take a seat as well.

Lyle, getting the hint, pulled out a chair at the table opposite of Daz and very elegantly placed himself in it. "My King, you wished to discuss something with me, yes? I assume it wasn't a standard catch-up of the on-going activities of Fort Skip. No doubt, you would handle such things in the throne room."

Daz nodded. "Right." He began tapping his finger against the desk softly and said, "This meeting is about you, not me or about Fort Skip."

"Regarding me, My King?" Lyle wore a ponderous expression. "Did I overstep my bounds this evening? Perhaps I should have somehow made contact with you sooner to ask for per-"

"Lyle." The former jewellery store owner and drug addict immediately closed his mouth upon hearing his name be called so bluntly by Daz.

"Yes, My King?" he happily asked with a smile on his face.

Daz stared at him with no emotion showing on his young and handsome face as he said three very simple words. "Who are you?"

Lyle's smiled in perplexion. "I don't quite understand, My King."

Daz 'hmmed' in response to that answer before he peeled his eyes away from Lyle and looked up at a random bookshelf. "You've been very helpful to me over the past few weeks. In fact, ever since you kicked in your drug addiction, you've been nothing but useful."

"I'm thankful for such prais-"

"That's the problem, Lyle. I'm not praising you, I'm questioning you," Daz stated. "Who are you? From my understanding, Lyle Middletown was a wealthy man with a tragic past. Parents who never loved him nor took proper care of him. A crippling drug addiction. Signs of a split-personality, even. You know, that's what I thought this was. Schizophrenia at first, but split-personality disorder later."

Lyle was silent as he listened to Daz. Gradually, the man's expression was becoming more and more amused and equally relaxed.

Returning his gaze to the spindly man sitting across from himself, Daz said, "But lately, a new theory has taken a hold of my thoughts. You are not Lyle Middletown, are you? You're one of the two champions of the higher gods under my rule that I'm unaware of, and for some reason, you want to get close to me."

Daz smiled and added, "I want to be wrong, but every part of my being is telling me to be wary of you whenever I see you. Explain yourself, please, Lyle. If you don't, I'm going to have to remove you from your position as my personal advisor. I can't trust such an uncertainty to be whispering into my ear all of the time."

Lyle smiled. "Miss Rose is far more intelligent than I initially gave her credit for."

"I'm sure you're not wrong, but I figured this out on my own," Daz replied.

Lyle ran his fingers through his hair and nodded. "I see... Well, what would you think if I told you that I am Lyle Middletown, but I'm also not?"

Daz shrugged. "I'd believe you. Well, unless you have a power that can make your lies become truths or something similar."

Lyle laughed. "Please, I have no need for lies." A grin covered his lips before he asked, "Well, My King, how would you react were I tell you that while I am Lyle Middletown, I am also a god?"

Daz's eyes opened wide. "You're... a god? What? You, what, inhabited Lyle's body?"

"I really can't tell you much. I'm currently hiding this conversation of ours from the system. I will tell you two things though before I have to end this. Lyle is the man that so loyally follows you, of that, there is no doubt. Even I don't know why he's so loyal. Perhaps he's grateful that you forced him to stop doing drugs which led to him falling in love. Love is a powerful thing, My King. Very powerful indeed. Some might even say that it was powerful enough to incite a civil war amongst the gods, hmm?" Lyle teased.

He stood up and stretched his back before saying. "As for the second thing I shall tell you, I am your greatest ally, Darenzo Hamilio. Ah, I know, you like 'Daz' more, however, I much prefer calling beings by their true names. It makes it so entertaining when I bring up old memories that would rather be forgotten. If you don't wish to trust me, so be it. End Lyle's life. I'll simply find another host to inhabit. I've waited so long already for my plans to come to fruition, what's another trillion years or so?"

After saying that, the grin on Lyle's face evaporated and was quickly replaced by a confused look.

Daz, on the other hand, experienced a violent headache.