บท 15: XV: Shadows of Loyalty
In the grandeur of Queen Hundred's palace, Kaizer perched upon her regal throne, a guest in her cold embrace. Her lips grazed his ear as she spoke the dreaded words.
"Kaizer... Thalia and Justice, your friends, are no more. I regret to inform you."
In that chilling moment, Kaizer's heart plummeted, sinking to depths unknown, his entire being paralyzed. He didn't dare twitch a muscle or utter a sound, his body stiffer than stone.
Silent tears flowed freely down Kaizer's cheeks, carving pathways of despair. Queen Hundred, however, shifted her attention as if this news were but a trifle to be swept aside.
"Now, tell me, what business led you to Elephasia, of all places?"
Kaizer's voice quivered, a mere whisper escaping his trembling lips, his eyes staring into the silence of the throne room as he buried himself deeper in Queen Hundred's embrace. Memories flashed of the series of events that led him to the Subterranean Bazaar, then the Forgotten Maze, then Emma, and more tears welled up in his eyes as he reminisced over the faces of Thalia and Justice. A ghastly feeling of anguish stabbed his chest brutally as he realized that he would never see their faces or hear their voices again.
"I... I got lost."
Queen Hundred fell into an eerie silence, her piercing gaze never leaving him. Then, in a hushed tone, she probed further.
"You're keeping something from me, Kaizer. Surely you haven't forgotten our bond. I know you better than anyone. You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"
Kaizer's breath caught in his throat, but he managed to croak out, "No, Queen Hundred, I'd never dream of it. My loyalty to you is unwavering. Lying to you would only hinder my path to power. You only want what's best for me."
From here, the air grew heavy with unspoken truths and a darkness that threatened to consume them both.
Queen Hundred's eyes bore into Kaizer's soul, searching for the hidden corners of his heart. The chamber seemed to shrink around them, as if the very walls leaned in to hear his confession.
The silence stretched, a taut string on the brink of snapping. Kaizer struggled to meet her gaze, his eyes finally rising to lock onto her piercing crimson irises. It was as though he could feel her dissecting his thoughts, peeling back the layers of his truth.
"I... I got lost, Queen Hundred," he repeated, his voice still a trembling thread. "But I promise, I remain devoted to you, to our purpose. I would never betray you. I belong to you completely. Any secrets I keep are only to ensure my journey towards greater power."
Queen Hundred's expression remained inscrutable, her fingers tracing an imaginary line along the armrest of her throne.
"Kaizer," she murmured, her voice a frosty melody that filled the space, "trust is the most fragile gem in our world. We shall see if you can mend what has been fractured."
With that cryptic statement, she released her grip, allowing Kaizer to rise from the throne. His legs trembled as he stood, the weight of his unspoken truths threatening to crush him.
Queen Hundred's keen eyes fixated on the leather tote that Kaizer had clung to so fervently. She raised an elegant eyebrow, curiosity lacing her voice. "What do you carry in that bag, Kaizer? You've been inseparable from it."
Kaizer's mind raced, desperately searching for an excuse. He replied with an air of casual nonchalance, "Oh, this? Just some personal belongings, Queen Hundred, nothing of importance."
But Queen Hundred was not easily swayed, her instincts sensing deception. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Bring it to me."
Frozen in place, Kaizer hesitated. He knew he couldn't defy her, but he also couldn't let her discover the bag's true contents. His voice quivered as he made up another lie, "I... I can't, Queen Hundred. It's... it's a surprise for you, a gift I've been working on in secret."
A thin smile tugged at the corners of Queen Hundred's lips as she reached out, a shadowy tendril snaking forth to snatch the bag. With a fluid motion, she retrieved it from him, her curiosity piqued. Kaizer's heart pounded in his chest as he watched his secrets being exposed.
Without a moment to lose, he turned and bolted from the throne room, his footsteps echoing through the palace's dimly lit corridors. Fear and anticipation coursed through him as he sprinted toward the exit gates, the sweat pouring from his brow.
Outside, beneath the vast, ominous expanse of Sanguine's rocky ceiling, Kaizer's breaths came in ragged gasps. His feet pounded the earthy ground, every step a desperate plea for escape. The world blurred around him, a maelstrom of fear and adrenaline.
But Queen Hundred was not far behind. She soared overhead, her dark silhouette looming. With a fierce determination, she dived like a raptor, striking Kaizer with a single devastating punch. His body became a lifeless projectile, hurtling through the air, a grotesque display of agony.
He crashed against jagged rock formations as he went, and skipped across stalagmites like a pebble, leaving a trail of blood and flesh in his wake. Finally, his broken body collided with a massive boulder, his limbs contorted, his face a gruesome mask of pain. Blood poured from his eyes, mouth and ears, his once perfect smile now marred by missing teeth. In his agony, he could only gasp for breath, unable to even muster the strength to scream. Yet even in through all of it, he was still conscious, the adrenaline pumping through his veins refusing to let him miss this experience.
In the eerie silence that followed the brutal impact, Kaizer's consciousness teetered on the precipice of oblivion. The world around him swayed in and out of focus, pain throbbing in every fiber of his broken body.
Queen Hundred descended gracefully from the sky, her snowy wings fluttering slightly. She approached Kaizer's mangled form with an almost clinical detachment. Her presence remained unscathed, a stark contrast to the devastation she had wrought.
Kaizer's vision blurred as he managed to lift his battered head, his voice reduced to a guttural rasp. "Why… I... I was loyal..."
Her laughter was a chilling echo against the backdrop of his suffering. "Loyalty, Kaizer, is a blade that cuts both ways. Your secrets have cost you dearly."
She knelt beside him, her fingers tracing the contours of his battered face, almost tenderly. The touch sent electric jolts of pain through his broken form. "You should have trusted me, Kaizer. But now, it's too late."
With that, Queen Hundred rose, her gaze unwavering as she surveyed her fallen pawn. The once-loyal servant was now a shattered vessel.
As darkness swallowed Kaizer's agonized consciousness, he couldn't help but wonder if his pursuit of secrets had been worth the ultimate price he had paid. Queen Hundred's shadow loomed over him, a haunting reminder of the cost of betrayal in a world where trust was as fragile as glass.
Kaizer's body lay motionless on the blood-soaked ground. A chilling draft swept through the underground chamber, carrying with it a faint, ghostly scent. His eyelids fluttered, and for a fleeting moment, he felt weightless, as if his broken form were being lifted by unseen hands.
Through half-lidded eyes, Kaizer glimpsed the inky abyss above, framed by the cavernous walls of the subterranean world. He was being carried away, borne aloft by the very entity who had condemned him to this fate.
Queen Hundred's white wings unfurled, casting a protective shroud over Kaizer's broken form. Her expression remained inscrutable, her gaze unwavering as she carried him through the stygian world that had once been his prison.
As the world blurred around him, Kaizer couldn't help but wonder about her intentions. Had her mercy spared him, or was there a deeper purpose to her actions in this shadowy realm? In his fragmented thoughts, he clung to the image of her wings, symbols of both beauty and power, as they carried him away from the bloody mess he left.
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