Chương 10: Arising Conflicts
Helios had assumed it was a rumor.
He wasn't a man to question his brothers; after all, he trusted them with his life. They had overcome the worst the world had to throw at them together and taken up seats to prevent the calamity that had transpired from happening again. That was why he was amused when he heard the news. He couldn't believe it.
Standing from his bed, he walked over to his window and pulled the red drapes aside, unfazed as the sun burst through, filling his room with light. He looked down, taking in the scenery as he always did. He had worked hard enough to earn himself the privilege of being able to look through the windows of his very own castle. His room overlooked a large garden he attended to, filled with flowers of extreme rarity. He may have been a conqueror, but now he was a mere king, tasked with battling the day-to-day issues in his kingdom.
Helios turned away from the window and headed to the mini-bath house in the room next to his. As expected, the water had been warmed to his preference by his servants. They had left a towel for him, folded neatly on a stool that sat away from the pool of water. Taking off his clothes, Helios sighed in relief as he descended into the water.
Reclining in the steaming water, he let his mind wander off to the events that occurred as he woke from his slumber. He had received the news barely ten minutes ago. One of his messengers had demanded Helios' audience, claiming it was urgent news that couldn't wait. He had been tempted to turn the messenger away, but it was one of his most trusted subjects, a short, pudgy elf who went by the name Elias.
Elias had apologized for waking him up and handing him over a scroll he said was 'confidential.' Helios took it and sent Elias out with his guard before unfurling the scroll to study its contents.
Reading the scroll left Helios dumbfounded and puzzled. He was slightly amused but decided he would meet with the people involved in order to confirm if the news was true or not.
He hoped it was a joke.
The scroll had informed him of an anomaly the people of the Crow Kingdom had uncovered. It was a rip in space, a portal of sorts that led to a whole other world.
This was the first Helios had ever heard of such. He was sure they weren't the ones who created the portal. They had no means of doing so. Helios was excited, he was eager to make contact with whoever had decided to reach out to them. But the rest of the letter killed his mood completely.
The Crow's elite guard had entered the portal and slaughtered the people on the other side. Helios had no idea if they had attacked first, but he didn't want to believe that was the case. The Crow King was one of the most ruthless people Helios had ever met. He was confident that the Crow had instructed his guards to clear anything they saw, armed or unarmed.
Helios was all about war. The thrill of a battle always resonated with something deep inside him. But he knew when to kill and when to hold off. Clearly, the Crow King did not.
Troubled, Helios felt the temperature of the water rise as steam flared out from his body. Whenever he was lost in thought, his powers tended to act on their own, usually making everyone close by feel heat similar to the burning sun on a hot afternoon. Of course he had no reaction to the scorching heat, but if he wasn't careful, he could burn his castle down by simply daydreaming.
Breathing slowly, Helios did his best to calm himself down. He would have to let that damned Crow know he was coming ahead of time. As stupid as it was, they had made a rule stating they would have to announce their visit at least two days before they arrived. The Crow had suggested it under the guise of them being able to prepare adequately for the arrival of a king, but Helios knew it was because he didn't want them showing up unannounced and catching him doing something most of them frowned upon.
He stepped out of the bath, wary of the time he had spent soaking in his thoughts. As much as he would have loved to spend more time in the burning hot water, he had a lot to do.
Helios had his suspicions, but he was slightly worried another king would side with the Crow. It wasn't that much of a concern since he was positive the others would never condone his actions.
Grabbing his towel from the stool, Helios dried himself thoroughly before wrapping the towel around his waist. He shuffled noiselessly back into his room, heading straight to his wardrobe as soon as he shut his door.
Helios picked out a simple red shirt and a pair of black pants. He slipped them on quickly before adding his favorite golden cape to complete his look. Smiling to himself as he draped on the cloak, he fitted his feet into a pair of black shoes, standing away from his other shoes. Combing his hand through his golden brown hair, Helios hoped he looked presentable enough. Satisfied with himself, he headed out.
"Good morning, sire," the guard stationed down the hallway saluted, standing upright as he slammed his spear into the ground.
"Good morning to you, Adrian," Helios replied, bowing his head slightly.
Adrian said nothing, but Helios could see the small smile the man was trying to hide. Breezing past him, Helios headed down. His room was at the highest point of the castle, where no one could reach him. If there was an attack, he was also the only one who could escape from the top, unharmed. He hoped nothing of the sort would ever happen, but one can never know.
He got to the next floor, where his servants living quarters were, as well as his ever-expanding library, amongst other things. He was greeted by a couple more servants who had just begun going about their daily activities. He descended down yet another long set of spiralling steps till he finally got to the bottom floor of his castle.
Normally, he would have headed straight for his throne room and waited till his subjects started flooding in, sharing their problems with him as well as begging for a solution. But he had no time for that.
Helios had to find out the truth.
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