The gates began to widen as if worked mechanically, or rather, even sensing the powerful presence of their power. Kristina was clearly in awe, mouth agape with Alex the same beside her, Ben staring right ahead, emotionless and void of any sounds exiting his throat. August had been the one to lead them all, seeing as how his father had been in no shape to do so, the Requiem Reaper took command to move forward. Now, allow the narrator to give you a close look into the architecture of this place, which was made inspired by the Requiem Empire.
The castle of the Hawk King remained at the center, with wings embedded on each side of the tip scraping the cloudscape- mirroring the old kingdoms of the past, that structure was planted right in the middle of a body of water. Bridges leading across from the platform of metal over the castle over the running liquid to the grass field surrounding the outskirts of the Capital. Paths leading to multiple exits to escape the circular enclosure to lead to the bustling outside, where construction workers designed new buildings for businesses, teens playing basketball in parks, their eyes glowing for just a second. About to block who one of the teens was playing against, he dunked right over the top of his head either way... it all seemed to be one part, and it truly did seem fair.
They all watched in amazement, some teenagers passing them right then, talking amongst themselves- Ben couldn't help but stare longingly at them, for the memories of when he was but a boy resurfaced in the forms of those scholars. They vanished into the crowd, never to be seen again, and that envious look was filled with surprise, turning his head to be greeted by one of the guards. A metal feather, white as the Hawk's armor, was situated in the shoulder of the guard's uniform. With a strap leading down from the upper right to the belt where he held a pouch for something, the collar spreading to make room for his neck, and the helmet's nostril layer leading to think to make it seem like a beak,
"Welcome. We heard the tale of adventurers traveling across the deserted field- wait," The man stopped right in his tracks, having bowed as a sign of respect to the man he was speaking to once he stood up straight, he examined every part of him,
"Your hair... your eyes. You must be the Requiem Reaper, August Rivera. We are honored to have you in our presence, Sir King Griffith will be wanting to make your acquaintance, come with me, you three," The guard's tone was surprisingly inviting considering that the last location they'd been to had been ridden with demons the second they got there. Vocal cords ridden with soft words, the smile through the open mouth-portion of his helmet had sent Kristina and Alex to look at one another with the excitement of what was to come next,
"Yeah, I'm not the one leading us- my father is..." August clarified, and right then and there, the guard's face had turned... with the most horrifying disgusting angry face you could ever see on a person. Nostrils flared, eyes blacked out by darkness, and teeth clenching together creating unnatural gritting audio, the remaining trio jumped out of the way as the guard had spun their spear out from their cloak.
The tip pointed right at the throat of the Lost Requiem, Ben looked down at the man with absolute pity, yet beyond that, there was something more. The protector of the King had managed to examine everything from his outfit to the peak of his tied-back hair, everything seemed normal for someone like him, except the scar on the left side of his neck... it hadn't healed overnight. No time passed between this, abruptly, the scar had been covered by the suit's collar as time had magically grounded itself to a sudden halt. The guard's eyes widened... in astonishment for what he'd put together, there was no way that someone had been able to make an actual dent onto the Emperor of Longing, He who was destined to bring Happiness to the Multiverse. Unless-
Relinquishing the edge from against his throat, the momentary wound that the weapon had made healed at a breakneck speed. Rivera kept his hands in his pockets the entire time, pushed back the guard, knowing he'd move out of the way and lead the Emperor of Time to their intended destination... the Hawk's Domain.
"Is his name really King Griffith?" Alex asked quizzically, walking behind the guard leading the Emperor at the forefront replacing his son,
"Yes. Is that a problem?" The guard questioned without even turning back to the Judge, continuing the signature royal march down the street,
"No... does he have a servant named Nosferatu Zodd?" As if there were imaginary sparkles in his eyes, he asked this question so willingly and curiously; leading Kristina to laugh but using her fist to cover it up. But the guard stopped right in his tracks to turn toward the young man, that soft smile over his lips; chuckling gently, and politely stating,
"Of course not, but I love that series," What a surprise, and after that, Ben subconsciously following the guard that was leading them to the promised land; he could hear their whispers. The damned all behind him in the form of those he'd love and those he didn't even know, sacrificed for nothing but for the one who promised them the freedom to be hated through all eternity. That part of him lingered, splitting off as he wanted.. one last time, just to see them again. He missed them, though the friend group had split over the years, that was okay; because he loved them. And everyone knew that. He wondered how he kept moving, how he kept living when all he wanted was to die a painful death, to punish himself for ever believing that what he did was just and righteous.
The end was near, the gates to the Capital opened, and they were led right up, to the Throne Room of the Hawk King. All of them glancing at different parts, rooms they passed by, eyes peering into empty chambers. Alex catching a glimpse of one with food, Kristina spotting one with an indoor pool, and August witnessing two swordsmen practicing a duel together as their katanas clashed against one another. The golden lining of these rooms seemed to shine against the leaking-in rays of the sun, wings against the edges of the walls... Ben couldn't help but proudly smile at this wondrous design. Each new step as the right hand of the Hawk began to guide them further, knees bending to stop at the first step to the staircase swirling them beginning to reach the top.
The Throne Room was lined with pillars across the left and right as they entered, two orbs forming a helix around it, a Hawk in flight right at the peak. All of them like staffs for the acolytes in robes with hoods shadowing their features standing beside their religious offerings to the Hawk... there he stood, one of his knees bent on the steps leading up to the throne. Then another leg stretched out to the bottom push in against the ground, the Hawk of Hope turned after sending away the woman with white hair that served as his left hand. August widening his eyes, the Reaper spotted her running past, both of them locking eyes for just a split second in time. Tires screeching across the street, gradually halting so he could make a glance at her eyes; she seemed identical to the girl he'd lost that day,
"Augustus Rivera, Alexander Amara, Benjamin Rivera, Kristina... please kneel to the Hawk King of Hope. Sir Hanniel Griffith, the Ruler of the Mage Kingdom. You should be honored in the presence of someone so wonderful as him," The Right Hand of the Hawk bowed, introducing his superior to the party of men along with the one female. All of them saw it fit that they should get on their knees, bending it and stretching out their legs then bowing their heads. The only one who didn't- was The Emperor of the Requiem Empire, Ben Rivera, hands casually in his pockets staring at his rival void of care.
Facing downward, August's eyes examined his father, smirking at the sight of his standing-tall dad... as if integrated with what'd happen next. The Hawk's foot had guided him closer to the lower level of the chamber, Griffith's wrist resting against the holstered weapon, a royal sword slim. Stepping past the respectable trio bowing to his feet, the Hawk King made contact- gazing right ahead at the face of his Royal rival. Their eyes, the Ruler who represented the Hawk, and the Ruler who represented the Emperor-
They radiated out with their unique colors, Ben with his signature dark blue, and Griffith with the natural shade of brown for his own. Both of them sliding back, The Right Hand of the Hawk snapped his fingers so the guards holding spears would escort the other three closer to the throne away from the action.
Throwing off his jacket over his chest and limbs, Ben rolled up his sleeves, to reveal his muscular arms with veins visible across his limbs visible in his wrists. Just as normal, he shoved his hands into his pouches across his pants, the Emperor casually stood there, ready as ever for the coming duel between the Rulers. Yet at the same time, it seemed that the fated battle was nothing but an insignificant speck to him- well, if you looked at his face, you could tell that immediately but I have to fill this space with something, ya know?
I digress. Next, the Hawk had bent the knee so it'd hit the ground, metal armor shining against the sun leaking in through the plentiful amount of windows. The flash had almost made it invisible, his followers obeying his silent command as they lifted off the cloak attached to the layer of protection over his lower body. Following that, the engraving sight of the Hawk that symbolized his entire meaning in the form of the chest plate was lifted off with careful expertise. Staying in nothing but a shirtless turtleneck that was tight against his skin revealing some of his abs, his long hair went down to his back... before tying it back to match the same style as Ben's.
Using his teeth to rip off the gloves to show the back of his hand, the transmutation circle engraved into his skin began to glow, the tips of his fingers with miniature circles. Each of the different shades of the rainbow, Griffith's gentle whisper in another language had sent shivers down the spines of the Time Emperor's allies. It went as follows, the glare in his eyes wielding nothing but malicious and murderous intent for nobody else but his rival Ruler. And as he spoke, it reverberated throughout the widened Throne Room,
"Away with you,"
Flicking out each one of his extremities, the circles of his fingers, along with the transmutation circle on the back of his hand; began to illuminate. This wave of lava, superheated molten rocks embedded into the flaming liquid, began to manifest; heading right at the Emperor of Time... it was almost as though the tide of lava had overtaken the Lost Requiem. Burning every part of him to a crisp and singing him to the smallest fiber of existence so he'd remain only as a blackened charred skeleton, yet to his amazement and August's expectations- there wasn't even a stain on the floor. Ben had simply vanished out of thin air, and just as expected, he'd reappeared right behind the Hawk King- to chop him right at his neck.
THUMP! Collapsing easily, he fell against the floor and made a very audible loudness against the ground as his beefy body hit the floor. One of his hands in his pockets and another rubbing his beard curiously, Ben looked down as the acolytes ran to their superior to help him back into consciousness. Rubbing his nape, the Right Hand's widened eyes returned to normal, even Kristina had her mouth opened wide as ever- he just teleported but without the flashiness of teleportation.
"Hey, Dad! Why don't you do that with everyone we fight?!" August requested to know, hands over his mouth, fingers bent just a bit to make a slight circular shape as if shouting into a speaker...
And yet Ben had no response for his son, all he did was just slide his sleeves right down on his limbs, and put his cuffs back into place buttoning them back in order. The jacket coming to his hand so he could slide himself into it, he turned slightly to the Hawk's Right Hand, who immediately nodded in response, taking off his helmet to show his true face. The same blackened shade of hair the same as the Ruler's, yet tied up into a ponytail, he kneeled in the presence, palm flat over his heart,
"Righteous Emperor of Time, my name is Julian, I represent the Phoenix of Life. I am at your service. And since you have bested our King, you have proven yourself worthy. Worthy to sleep here, to eat here, and stay here for the time being. Though, truthfully, I never had a shadow of a doubt, Lord Rivera. I will now show you to your quarters, please follow me," The Phoenix announced to them all, and just like that, leaving the King on the ground as his servants began to wake him up; the Emperor led his allies, following Julian.
Opening the door to the spacious chamber, there sat everything, Kristie and Al acting like children together, reminding August of Rose and Al... they seemed such like children. Surely, she missed him, and he did her, maybe that's why he was trying to act the way he was. But that was beside the point now, August turned toward the couch, the TV- it all reminding him of the Vatican. How they staked out in Vegas for Kuno, and though he'd been framed by someone he named his brother, the times back then; they were better. Filled with hope for a better tomorrow until the fateful end and demise of his soul, he inhaled sharply with a content smile over his lips- watching as his father had casually pushed past him toward one of the rooms. Yet an issue so obvious at this, he'd never been this quiet before, he didn't have a single line of dialogue this chapter.
Right when he was about to enter through the opened entrance of one of these singled-out chambers, August had used a lot of his strength to stop his father right in his place. He was the younger ones, and yet the most powerful, so he had the right to say this, with his old man's best interests at heart,
"Come with me, I know you need it... please,"
Ben nodded, agreeing silently to the proposal, leading his son into the room he'd quietly assigned for himself- he took a seat at the singular bed. Taking out the tie in his hair so it could all poof out, August had followed his dad out, back against the wooden door, he turned the lock easily, back against the entrance with his hands in the pockets of the suit,
"Why've you been so quiet? What happened last night when you disappeared... how'd you get that scar?" All of these questions had led to an unresponsive Ben, his eyes still on the ground void of anything resembling life; the same as they were when he was in Heaven. Not to mention the way his hair was lengthy, messy, none of them had showered in days, maybe that added to it. Maybe it didn't. He didn't know, his father was such a closed book, not even his siblings knew what he thought about when he was awake... He remained quiet.
Rubbing his nape once again, the Reaper decided to say something of his own, eyes staring somewhere else- visibly withholding something. And just then, he exhaled, admitting to something he'd never told anyone, no one except the one person he trusted the most in this world who would understand the feeling,
"What I'm about to tell you; I've only told Azazel, and I didn't even know him then so I told him when I got back from the Temple. So... here goes.
After Celine died, after her funeral and everyone attended, Beau, Matt, Mei, Genny, Emma... you, Mom, Jason, Madi... you all came to me. And yet, despite everything, I felt so alone in everything, I felt like nobody understood me. I felt like the only person who did was gone forever, I saw a future with her the second I'd turned on the light when she broke into our kitchen. And to see it all begin to fade away when she left my arms, I had no hope for this world or any other one potentially beyond it. So I... wanted to die, I even tried it. Just as you did last night," August's confession had made Ben expand his pupils to a larger circular shape than they previously were, dead and staring against the carpeted floor now filled with worry and life. All he could muster out was a simple,
"What..?"
"The point is-" August tried to go on as if nothing had ever happened, as if he didn't confess to his very own father about his personal attempt at killing himself. But things don't work like that, they don't magically go away, and no parent would react happily to their news, it's a known fact.
SLAP! Aug's face had barely turned, but blood had been drawn for but a second as it launched out, a few droplets, from the interior of his throat. Ben's nostrils flaring with anger, he angrily grabbed at his son's chest plate, gazing at him with tears at the edges of his eyes- he didn't even have the strength to yell anymore...
"Don't you have any idea how much I want to die after hearing such a thing? My son..."
Falling onto his knees, it was apparent he'd lost the will to stand up straight, he couldn't, especially not after what he'd just heard- he held his face. From 2036 to 2052, he didn't have a son, because he was gone, for all he knew, August Rivera was, without a shadow of a doubt, dead. Flinching at his father's fell, he didn't move any further seeing him plant himself there against his joints, it was as if they were the stepping stones of a heartfelt confession. So the Reaper stood still, bending the knee so he could meet the eye-line of his father, the sympathetic look in his eyes was all the older man needed before he looked away.
Searching for the right words to say, Ben let out a dejected breath from his mouth and nostrils into the air, August reaching over to comfort his dad with a single hand on his shoulder. It was as if it were the mirrored version of how'd things would've been, things would've been if the son had informed his father sooner... so without any further ado, Ben let out everything he'd been feeling; ever since the Ambush on Heaven,
"I tried so hard. Before it came to be, before the Invasion, before you returned- I knew what'd come next, I saw the future. I saw Ella- not only her, but Henry die as well. Maybe Ella wasn't my fault but Henry was right in front of me, but he decided to be a hero and protect us! I knew what he was going to do, I knew he was gonna try to save us but I didn't do anything to prevent him from doing it. I vowed to make some sort of action to prevent it, but nothing ever worked, and when the time came, I was just the same kid staring at the Empress holding his mother. Like a deer in headlights, I had nowhere to run to, and nowhere else to go but forward. Everything I tried, every little action I took- it was foretold by my future memories. I couldn't change anything, and I killed... I hurt... There were so many people whose lives are destroyed because of me. So many children who died in their parents' arms, and so many souls that are being tortured, raped- and it's all because of me! Because I couldn't... because I couldn't act! If I'd saved my mother...! None of this would have happened and everything would have worked out for the better because I would've been happy with her, and only her. B-but I... I was destined to be the cause of her demise so the future would turn out the way it would. I was the cause of so much pain and agony in the world, the only time I felt happy was whenever..." Ben stopped in just tracks to remember what he felt when e plasma had singed off every remaining piece of his fleshy exterior, skin burning, he remembered the feeling- as it ripped off his bones unnaturally, so something new would emerge. August leaned in closer, victim to the words his father would say next as if he were in a daze-
"Whenever I felt like I was about to die... it felt refreshing, for once. The burning sensation lit ablaze my heart, I was so close to dying then, I wish I did... everything felt so agonizing, the excruciating heat had sent shivers all around me, to the point where I began to scream in happiness when I thought I might finally die," August stood there, puzzled on what to say next, eyes darting lower so he could get lost in the woven structure belonging to the softened carpet they were knelt upon- he quickly realized he wasn't the right person for this.
He was twenty years younger, of course, and he only had less experience with all of this despite being through all of the battles- though he did have something to go off of, there was nothing that could aid with Ben's own experiences. August stood up gently, extending out his hand so it slides down to meet the lower position of his Emperor parent. Just a singular hand stretching out, breaking through the barrier of darkness that enveloped his relative, the arm surrounded by absolute light and whiteness...
He had a son, someone who'd love him regardless of anything because he was the man who raised him. That very person staying here for eternity to care for the man who raises him, Ben stared up at his child, optics devoid of any emotion- before his pupils darted to his palm. Years ago, he stated right at it before deciding to train, harness their gifts to something useful... meaningful. He hung his head in shame, pupils previously shaking as he gazed at the sight of his healthy son- all he could let out was a tired,
"I can't do much else... I'm sorry- son.."
August couldn't say anything as a response, turning away, carefully tilting his head so he could glance at his father on the ground. Grabbing the knob then turning it to the side, he unlocked the door after turning the lock to the side- Rivera stood outside. Who could he talk to? Who knew his dad like the back of their hand? Taking out his phone from his back pocket, he put it to his ear after dialing the number of someones he'd known ever since he was born, whom he trusted with his life,
"Hey. Sorry for calling so suddenly after everything but- I need your help."
To Be Continued.