Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty-two: Call me your king.
Cassian walked through the door with a new aura around him. His form was greatly changed. So much so that he was almost unrecognizable. He had a long black coat that stood firmly on his bulky frame with a black shirt and pants under it. His eyes were no longer their original color and was now replaced by a striking orange hue, like he had mutated.
Cassian walked towards the two who sat on the floor with a devilish smile on his face.
"C-c-crown prince..." Xypherion managed to utter. "Wh-what is the meaning of this?!"
Cassian, who was now in front of them, shifted his gaze back to the one who spoke and in a spine chilling tone, started to cackle.
His loud laughter shot fear right through them even the dying king on the bed.
After he finished laughing, he turned his gaze to the bed where the king laid.
"Looks like our dear king is going faster than we expect huh." Cassian said, licking his lips at the rather irritating sight. He reached out and placed a hand on his chest that was covered in red bumps and recoiled his hand. "...truly a disgusting sight."
Without another word, he pulled out his sword and thrust it right in the heart of the king.
"You should have treated me better."
A deadly stare emerged on his face as the king’s blood splattered on those around him. Isolde, who had been shivering in the corner, screamed at the sight.
"What have you done!?" she yelled hysterically, rushing to the king’s side.
"I took care of the trash. I saved our precious kingdom from the possibility of being attacked. I should be praised shouldn’t I?"
The king coughed and coughed, gasping for air and thrashing about before going still. Completely still.
"No!" Xypherion shouted in horror. "Do you know the horror you have done!? We are all doomed!"
Cassian shot him a fierce scowl. "We are all doomed? We were doomed the moment I was rejected." He then turned back to where the king laid lifeless and dragged the hair on his head out hard till a fistful of it was removed.
"From now on this kingdom will have a new king." he said in one breath.
"You cannot be king! The gods rejected you!" Isolde cried from the corner.
Cassian’s face hardened at her. In a blink of an eye, he was beside her. He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up from the ground. Isolde tried to pry open his large palms from herself but he only tightened his grip.
His large palms sank into the soft flesh of the skin, drawing out blood.
"C—Cas... stop...pl-" Isolde begged, running her hands feebly over his palms. Xypherion just sat there in wordless shock, unable to do or say anything.
"I can and should kill you right now..." he drawled with a menacing smile as he tightened his hold on her neck the more "...but who knows? You might actually be useful one day."
With that, he loosened his hand on her neck and flung her aside like a ragdoll. Isolde skidded across the floor, landing on the floor beside the window with a heavy thud.
He then turned to the physician who hadn’t said a word since he dealt with Isolde. "And you... will be useful as well so I will spare your life."
"Y..you don’t k-kn-know the con... consequences of-of what you just did..." Xy stammered out, avoiding his gaze at all cost. Cassian stared at him for a while before scoffing. He lowered himself slowly to meet the old man on the floor. "Listen you dried up wasteland. You’re not my only option. I can replace you whenever I want so don’t you dare esteem your self." he said with a chilling, soulless look.
He slapped him three times across the cheek before rising to. "Now." he said as he towered over him. "Get rid of this body." he ordered the old man.
"Your highness. We have to perform the burial rites before we lower him to the ground. We can’t ju—"
"You will do as I say because I’m the king now!" Cassian yelled in boiling anger. He looked much worse than the devil that Xypherion staggered backwards at the intensity of his look and voice.
"...unless you want to end up like him." he concluded in the same ruthless voice. Xy bowed his head in submission to his command. He knew better than to go against him especially when he wasn’t in his right mind. "Both of you." he called out to Isolde and the physician. "...take me to the secret chamber where the relic is kept."
The two people still remained rooted to the floor, exchanging hesitant looks between each other. Cassian glared at them. That’s how they wanted to play it huh? He pulled out a small dagger and flung it at the queen. It struck the wall beside her, narrowly missing her left eye by an extremely close amount. "Now!" he ordered again. Xy scuttled to his feet without another thought, dashing out of the room in a hurry.
Cassian followed him not even caring about the one he had almost blinded. When they were gone, Isolde staggered to her feet with wobbly legs and gripped the window sill to steady herself. She took deep breaths, placing her hand on her chest to calm its raging.
Her eyes traced its way back to where the king laid in a pool of his own dried blood on the bed. She whimpered at the sight, fell to her feet again and crawled towards him.
Once she reached him, she threw herself on his body, not minding getting stained.
"I’m sorry." Isolde whispered in tears to him. "I’m sorry to had to go like this."
More tears fell from her eyes and she didn’t bother to stop them. Sorrow, grieve and anguish crashed like waves within her, sending her shaking all over. The pain was just too unbearable.
...........
"Move faster you old slump!" Cassian hurried him on, kicking the old man’s leg from behind for the hundredth time. Xypherion wobbled at the force exerted on him and even fell a couple of times but still kept on moving. Right now, he knew he had no other choice. They came out of the king’s chambers and walked down the hallways that led to the throne room. As they passed by the floor to ceiling windows, Xypherion saw the dead bodies of the workers scattered all over the yard.
The sight made him tremble and quake all over. They were so many, how had he managed to get rid of the palace guards and the hundreds of maids in the palace? Or did they all not die?
They finally walked past the windows and arrived at the throne room. It was cold and the windows were shut, blocking any ventilation from coming in. Xypherion hurried to where the throne was and was about to proceed when he suddenly stopped.
Cassian’s frown returned in a flash.
"What are you doing?" he questioned with annoyance in his tone.
"I...I..." the physician stammered out. He couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t. He knew that once that ancient relic fell into his hands, it was over. The relic’s bearer would have immense power and might that no one could contend with. Except a god...and for that to happen, he must be one hell of a god.
"Get me the relic while I’m still sane, Xypherion." Cassian called out to him without any mercy in his voice.
"The...to open the secret chamber, we need some properties of the late king."
"Like what?" he asked in irritation.
"Well...it should..."
In that same second, Cassian appeared before him. He grabbed the old physician by his shirt and pulled him closer to himself with force.
"Are you stalling?" he asked without a hint of warmness in his voice. His voice struck the old man so hard, he began to cough violently. Cassian shoved him aside in disgust as the old man rolled on the floor, seized by the reins of uncontrollable cough.
"I’ve had enough of your nonsenses. If you don’t open that chamber this instant, I will burn you and every other living thing in this kingdom alive!" he snapped, cold and merciless.
Xypherion rushed to his feet and to where the throne sat. Cassian walked towards him impatiently and shoved the hair he hand ripped from the king’s head back. He had just done it to exert dominance not knowing he would need it.
The physician took a strand of the hair and approached the back of the throne where a curtain was hung. He pushed the curtain aside and started to mutter some words. In the same moment, the ground beneath them trembled mildly as if he had summoned a great being.
Suddenly, a blue light shot out of the wall and a cryptic, maze like image floated before them. With shaky hands, Xypherion placed the hair on the image. The sound of a lock echoed in the silent throne room and a black, grand door appeared beside the image. As long as that image was still there, the chamber remained open, whether the person was inside or outside.
Cassian pushed the man towards the door abruptly as they walked through it. After a few steps, they came to a large opening in the center of the thin hallway. Right there on a small, stand covered in strange markings and symbols sat the ancient relic.
"At long last." Cassian muttered absentmindedly as he approached the stand with his arms outstretched. He stood before the relic, eyes glittering under its soft light. He reached out to it, not wanting to waste any more time when suddenly...