Zenith's entire body shuddered as the words escaped his throat. Words that he couldn't believe he was saying.
Emperor Astraeon of Miria. Was this the liege worthy of his service?
All this time, Zenith had given very little thought to Prince Darian's father. Yes, she spoke of defeating him and taking his throne in order to improve life for all Tielans, but that was a distant goal indeed. One that had never seemed quite real to Zenith, not compared to their everyday struggles against the Infernal Legion.
Still...did this not make Emperor Astraeon the enemy? How could Zenith swear allegiance to him now, after he had rejected Prince Darian over her willingness to work with the Infernal Legion?
But it was different, wasn't it? Because Astraeon was a seraphim....
None of this made sense. His head ached, and it wasn't just from the pressure of Astraeon's Levia. In some horrible place deep inside, he found himself longing for Theo. Theo would know what to do, what the right decision would be.
Shame twisted his insides into knots. What was wrong with him? Hadn't he given up on Theo precisely because he didn't understand the right thing? Zenith no longer needed him nor Darian. He was capable of making his own decisions.
So he faced Astraeon head-on, trying not to wilt beneath his overwhelming Levia.
The seraphim gazed back, completely emotionless. So unlike Cyrias, who seemed on some level like a person he could have a conversation with.
"I see." When Astraeon spoke, the pressure in the air finally relaxed somewhat. Whether it was a good or bad thing, Zenith could not say. "'Prince Darian'...I suppose that is what the child calls herself. And yes, you would know me primarily as her father."
Was he insulted? Zenith couldn't tell. In spite of himself, his legs began to tremble. More than ever, he became painfully, exquisitely aware that he was still standing while Cyrias knelt.
But he didn't want to kneel to Astraeon – not yet. Not until he understood more.
"If you know that much," Astraeon said, "what else do you know? What stories has that child fed you?"
"Do...do you...know about her?" It took all of Zenith's effort to push the words past his tight throat. Every inch of his skin prickled with icy sweat. "She believed...seraphim did not care...about the wasteland."
But she had been wrong about so many things. Why not this as well?
"An impudent nephilim runs around claiming to be my heir, and that she intends to depose me. Why would I not take notice?"
Whether he was annoyed, or even amused, Zenith could not say. All he felt was the Levia shuddering in the air, making him sick to the core of his being.
"Do you not...believe her...to be your heir?" Though he didn't need to breathe, he found himself gulping for air anyway. Somehow, he felt only seconds away from passing out.
"That child possesses seraphim blood, I cannot deny it. And she may very well be my issue. I did indeed couple with the singer Colunna around the time the child claims to have been born. Pregnancies are almost unheard of among seraphim, immortal as we are. But if it is the case, the story lines up. Colunna did disappear. I always assumed she became too weak to remain in Miria. Instead, she descended and attempted to turn her child against me."
Despite discussing such personal affairs, he almost sounded bored. It made Zenith shudder deep inside. He knew little about these things, but did Astraeon truly possess so little feeling for the woman he had once been intimate with?
'I love you,' Theo's voice whispered in his mind. Another voice cut in, low and mocking: 'To love someone is to hold them in the highest regard above all others.'
Zenith shuddered harder. By now, he had lost almost all sensation in his muscles.
Yet he forced himself to speak, even if his voice came out weak and raspy. Right now, it was the only thing tethering him to sanity. "Did it...not matter to you? That she...she was going to...challenge you?"
Deep inside, he knew he should not address such a powerful seraphim in so defiant a manner. But if he was going to pledge his loyalty to this man, he needed to know the truth.
And Astraeon seemed unbothered. Stoic as ever, he said, "That child has acquired but a single skycraft and a crew of less than twenty. She is no threat whatsoever. You are the only one of her followers who might pose any potential danger."
The words jolted down Zenith's spine, electrifying every nerve. So Emperor Astraeon, the most powerful seraphim in Tielos, considered him that highly?
Still, Zenith refused to lose his head over a simple compliment. That was not enough reason for him to follow a liege. Cyrias claimed Astraeon was worthy, but Zenith needed to find out for himself.
"Do you know why Prince Darian opposes you?" he demanded. To his relief, the question came out clear, even if his voice still sounded strained beyond belief.
"She claims I am an unworthy ruler." Once again, Astraeon sounded disinterested.
"Yes." Despite himself, a quaver crept into Zenith's voice. "Because...because she believes you are corrupt. That you do not care for the Tielans on the ground."
He was only repeating the things Darian always said, but he shuddered from his daring anyhow. Would even she have the nerve to speak such words to Astraeon's face?
For a moment, he thought Astraeon's Levia darkened – and he certainly didn't imagine the brief, almost startled look Cyrias threw him. Though his stomach twisted into knots, he never tore his gaze from Astraeon.
And as expected, Astraeon easily shook off the accusations. "So those are the lies Colunna fed her. I am the Emperor of Miria, strongest of the Fortresses. My responsibility lies with all of Tielos."
"The – the – the Infernal Legion," Zenith stammered. "If – if you knew, then – "
This time, he found himself parroting Darian's accusations to Cyrias. Cyrias might have answered those, but it would mean something else entirely coming from her own father.
Astraeon sighed, long and deep, and his Levia quivered. What it meant, Zenith didn't know, and he kept a razor focus on the seraphim as he began to speak.
"It is not in the creed of seraphim to interfere with the ground. The Levia of the Fortresses is limited. As Emperor, I must decide how to use it to better the lives of my own people, to say nothing of all Tielans. Already, the people on the ground have made tremendous strides. Our gates are always open for those who come into their power, and they in turn bolster our strength. Someday, we will accumulate enough Levia to restore all of Tielos.
"That child, in her youthful naivete, believes the Fortresses have enough power as they are now. But if she were to force Miria to give all its Levia to the wasteland, it would still not restore Tielos to its state before the Rending. And Miria would only suffer as well. All of our hard work over the centuries would be undone.
"I have watched the ground dwellers battle the Infernal Legion with all their might. You have made great strides and won tremendous victories. I have nothing but faith in your ability to defeat them."
He tilted his head back, though his gaze never left Zenith's face. "Nonetheless, you may have a point. Never had I imagined the demons would become so brazen they would attempt to enslave a nature spirit. Though you may have thwarted them, I would fail in my duty to Tielos if I allow further such actions on their part."
Levia sparked in Zenith's core – this time unmistakably his own, stark as crystal. "Do – do you mean – "
"Yes." The stars in Astraeon's eyes flashed like lightning. "I cannot save all of Tielos. But I can put an end to the Infernal Legion. Will you aid me in this, Sir Zenith?"
There it was. Such simple words, yet entirely beyond Prince Darian or Theo. Not when they cared more about their selfish desires than duty.
He drew in a shuddering breath, feeling a thousand possibilities dance through his being. Dim memories swirled in his mind – Theo sobbing his name, Darian screaming in fury – but they faded to nothing beneath Astraeon's stern conviction. As the Levia deepened in the air, he let his eyes fall shut and recalled a time when a power so much like this one had first reached out for his own.
Those days were so long ago, but now...now they felt closer than ever.
So he viciously pushed aside his remaining doubts, drew his sword, and sank to one knee. "I, Sir Zenith, swear my sword, shield, and eternal loyalty to Emperor Astraeon of Miria."
It was the same vow he had sworn to Darian. Now, like then, the light in his core burned like fire. More than words, more than a vow, this was the very essence of a knight's soul.
He heard a flutter of feathers, the click of footsteps. Alarm surged through him when the sword jerked in his hand and slid out of his grip. His eyes flew open, only to see the same sword land in Astraeon's outstretched hand as if it had always belonged.
Astraeon raised the sword, and Zenith eagerly lowered his head. When the flat of the blade touched his shoulder, a wave of star-studded Levia poured through his body and swept away everything else. Doubt. Thought. Feeling.
With the Levia came a voice, echoing with conviction.
"I accept your loyalty. From now on, you are Sir Zenith of Miria in truth."