In dimly lit cell, sat a middle aged man. There was nothing remarkable about him. He was one of those that would gain no attention in a crowd. However, his eyes left quite the impression. They were deep red, almost as though they were filled with blood. He was devoid of any injuries and seemed to be in very good condition. If not for the chains that bound him, there was no way one would have pegged him as the prisoner. His state was a stark contrast to the young man who sat before him. The face that was supposed to be colourful and full of life was haggard and weary. He looked as though he had been shipwrecked and stranded on an unknown island for years, awaiting his rescue. His eyelids fluttered as he struggled to keep awake. The simple task of keeping his eyes open had become a monstrously taxing endeavour. He wasn't alone though. A man bearing many similarities to the young man sat beside him. He had his legs crossed as he carelessly chewed on a chewing stick.
"How has the treatment been so far?" he chirped, finally taking out the chewing stick and throwing it onto the ground. He poked the drowsy boy awake while at it.
"Okay." The bound man replied. The earlier fear from meeting the Cold Emperor had long been extinguished. He was pretty calm now.
"I'm surprised you didn't attempt to escape. Those chains cannot even hold down an above-mortal realm wielder. Yet here you are, so well behaved."
The prisoner smiled at his interrogator's words. He parted his lips and replied in that husky voice of his, "Futile attempt". The originally chatty assassin was brief with his words, but the meaning was conveyed. In such a fortified city, even a peak earth realm expert like himself would have no chance of escape. It wasn't because of the city's defences, or its barrier. The fortification here referred to his apprehender- the Cold Emperor. An earth realm expert like himself could easily get away if he wanted to, barrier or no barrier. Even the high walls were not really a problem. He would just blast himself out. Scaling the walls was also an option. He just required the right tools. If he also wanted to run rampant in the city, he would- as long as the Emperor was absent. Even the Emperor's grandson was a handful, if he was in peak condition that is.
"Smart man" the Cold Emperor praised. "Didn't save me from the hands of an Ascension Realm expert." The man self-mocked. In that brief moment when his neck was grasped by the Ruler of the Eternal City, the old man unleashed his aura. That was the reason why he hadn't attempted to fight back when he was grabbed, because he was certain that the aura belonged to an Ascension Realm expert.
"All this time we had been misled. We all thought you were only at the peak of the Heavenly Realm. We felt we had even placed you highly. After all, how many people have the talent to break into the Heavenly Realm on this lowly planet? To think that we were so wrong. Such a talent you are, breaking into the Ascension Realm at the age of eighty. Such a talent!"
The Emperor smiled at his words. Even in the entire Universe, one would be hard pressed to find an eighty year old Ascender. Even more shocking was the fact that the young looking emperor was actually so old.
"But it had nothing to do with talent now, did it?" the prisoner smiled broadly as he continued. His words did nothing to wipe the smile of the Cold Emperor's face. The assassin wasn't done though, "Your grandson has access to the power of a Supreme, yet he isn't one. And you, are an Ascender. These aren't enough to draw any attention. After all, there are many talented families littered all over the Cosmos. There is one flaw though- the girl, Morgana. Your to-be daughter-in-law is a seer, yet she has been able to cultivate her strength to the peak of the earth realm. There are no such coincidences."
The Cold Emperor's smile switched to a frown, yet the captured assassin showed no signs of ending his analysis. "This is related to a Supreme. If I am not wrong, you are Eternals, beings sworn to protect the Supreme. How did we miss this? Your empire is literally named after you. You are normally weak. But, when a Supreme is born, your talents rise to unprecedented levels. You draw your power from them, once they die, you become useless runts." He continued, still not planning to end his long explanation.
"Your grandson is different. He is able to use the power of a Supreme. He is a False Supreme, beings that are bound to Supremes. Unlike other eternals, he will die if the Supreme dies. Yet this allows him to draw upon the power of a Supreme. From what I saw, he wasn't able to use this power for long. It isn't because his realm is too low, but rather it is the fault of the Supreme. It just means the Supreme One is too young, young enough to pose little threat. Or he isn't even born yet. He must be killed before he grows."
The Emperor smiled lightly at his words, yet James shivered at the sight. Anyone with adequate knowledge of the Emperor would know what this smile meant. There was no way this assassin was going to be alive in the next five minutes.
"He is a threat to the rise of the Dark Kingdom. A threat to the dark sword. He will die." The assassin orated."
"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" the Emperor asked, the smile still present.
"You seem very knowledgeable about the Dark Kingdom. I'm sure you know that the dark sword doesn't only grant us our strength, it connects our thoughts. From the moment I reached this conclusion, the dark sword was informed of it." The red eyed man had a sick smile on his face when he spoke. "They will find him, and kill him!" he screamed, his eyes shining with a crazed look on his face. James' expression changed at his words. He had no idea that the dark sword had such an effect. He looked to his grandfather, hoping that the old man had a solution. He was instantly comforted by what he saw. The Cold Emperor was still calm. He clearly knew all this, so why was he so calm? The calm demeanour of the Emperor forced the laughing assassin to be silent.
"Don't you find it strange?" the Emperor asked. His question caused the assassin to look at him befuddled. "I knew all this yet I didn't kill you immediately." The young looking Emperor stated, picking another chewing stick and placing it in his mouth. His words caused the expression of the assassin to change. His face quickly went pale as he screamed, "What have you done to me! Why can't I feel a connection to the dark sword?!"
"You fool. Did you really think I'd take no precautions against the Dark Kingdom?" the Cold Emperor asked rhetorically. "You've had your fun. Now it's time to answer some of my questions, don't you agree?"
The Cold Emperor smiled broadly as the aura of an Ascender filled the room.