"Do you think he told the truth?" James asked his grandfather. The older man was washing his hands. The blood filled basin was quickly picked up and disposed by the servant who formerly stood at the side. Another handed the Emperor a white towel so he could wipe his hands of the remnants of water that remained.
"The blood of one tainted with the aura of darkness. It smells as filthy as ever." The Emperor didn't answer his grandson right away. He wiped his hands with rigor as though it had been stained with acid. He had a disgusted look on his face.
"No one asked you to kill him so gruesomely, did they?" James' eyelids twitched as he replied. His grandfather could have easily killed the assassin- sorry, the deceased assassin- yet he chose to slowly torture the man. They had spent hours in the cell. The first few minutes served as a question and answer session. The minutes and hours that followed were filled with the screams of an anguished man. His heart wrenching screams would have terrified all who heard them. Thankfully, the dungeon was deep underground, away from civilization. Added to its soundproof walls, the inhabitants of the castle had their gods to thank for not being witnesses to what transpired in that cell.
Not James though. The young man was already exhausted before the interrogation. Added to the carnage his eyes and ears had just witnessed, he was at his breaking point. He was eager to get some rest. His guardian however, cared very little for the young man's feelings.
"Listen James. You may be royalty here, but before the Supreme One, you are nothing. Your strength comes from him. Your vitality, you steal from him. Your power is from him. Without him you would have no chance to become a spiritualist. Without his power, you would have died at the hands of the Dark Kingdom before I could even get there. He is your everything. He is your Monarch- as he is mine. When someone goes against your King, you make them pay for their disrespect. Remember that." The Cold Emperor had a stern look as he addressed his grandson. James cowered under his grandfather's authority. He nodded his head vigorously.
As for the servants who were in their midst, the Emperor didn't seem to mind their presence. It was almost as if they weren't there. And weirder still was, James didn't seem to mind either. He slumped onto a chair tiredly. It was unknown what exhausted him more: the entire day's ordeal; or the small scolding he had just been given.
"As for what he told us, hmm, one can never truly believe what an enemy says. Yet one cannot dismiss it either. The former is an act of naivety, the latter, arrogance." The Emperor sat down comfortably after confirming that there really was no blood leftover on his hands. James nodded understandingly at his words, trying his best to stay awake. The meaning in the emperor's words was conveyed to the young man. They were going to take the dead assassin's words seriously. They were going to act on the new information they had been given. But they would be fools to put all their trust in the words of an enemy, captive or free. They were going to follow up on his words, but they would have their guards up against any traps. They would also have to search for other options, whilst confirming the news they had just received.
"You can go now." The Emperor's words were like music to James' ears. He stood up with renewed vigour. As for how he was able to sprint out of the hall in his condition, only he knew. "Thanks old man." He happily chirped as he escaped the hall.
"Hehe." The old man smirked at his last blood relative's antics. "Master, do you think we should start searching for the Supreme One?" One of the three servants who had remained silent till now asked.
The smirk on the Emperor's face was wiped away by his words. His face was stern as he replied, "And then what?"
The servant had no response for his master's words. "At certain times, doing nothing is doing everything. All seek for our king, with only a handful harbouring kind intentions. Even family, isn't truly family when some seek your downfall. Bringing him here will only help our enemies, not him." The inquisitive subordinate was silenced by the emperor's words. He knew that his master was right. It was usually the Eternals that served as guardians until the Supreme One was mature. But there was something unique about the new Supreme. Usually, a Supreme didn't have so many enemies. But this one had everyone coming after him. There was obviously something they feared about the young chaos wielder. Unfortunately, he didn't know what it was. And he doubted the emperor did as well. And even if he did, he wasn't going to tell them.
The bottom line was, they weren't strong enough to protect the Supreme One. Even if they were, the sheer number of enemies would overwhelm them. Eventually, this place would become his grave, and theirs. They had no choice but to do nothing, only hoping that the one who held their destiny in his hands would grow strong enough to lead them- and fast.
"Don't worry. Even if we aren't there to protect him, he would be fine. If he wasn't so dangerous, so many people wouldn't be after him. I worry rather for his enemies. Oh what carnage would be unleashed when the master of chaos itself is fully grown." The emperor had a huge grin on his face as he spoke. It was almost as if he could see their enemies, lying beneath their feet, bloodied and bound. The others around him had similar expressions. A spectator would have mistaken them for four mad men who had successfully escaped the asylum.
"We are Eternals. Our will is eternal. We will rise with the Supreme One. The Universe cannot bind us. For we are its binders." In this strange atmosphere filled with the crazed looks of possibly crazy men, this solemn vow was recited. The emperor looked towards where the illusionary eternal throne stood, with the actual King of Eternal Empire seated on it and said with a kind smile, "Girl, you best remember that."