Alan forced a smile when Victor entered the chamber and initiated a word with him.
"I am good. Thank you," He replied.
Emperor Victor had a menacing aura about him. He wore a thin golden crown with a skull structured at the front. A long vertical scar in the middle of his chest peeked out of the scarlet robe he wore over his bare body. It showed he had an enormous battle experience, and that he treasured his scars. He must have killed hundreds of enemies on the battlefield.
When Alan replied without using an honorific, Gunther looked frightened thinking of Emperor's displeasure.
"Good to hear, young warrior," Victor said with a smile and placed his palm on Gunther's shoulder. "I am happy to see young brave children like you facing evils on our lands. I am convinced our empire's future is bright." He tapped Guther's shoulder to support his words of encouragement.
Gunther had a proud grin on his face after hearing it. Alan and Victor stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Alan asked, "May I know how I got this wound? Was it you who did this to me?"
"You sure are brave enough to ignore my authority and ask questions," Victor mentioned. "There is a difference between fighting a weakling creature and dealing with me. Don't you know what happens to the people I don't like?"
"Of course," Alan said while glaring right into those blood-red eyes. "They are buried under the dirt."
"So you know but still act nonchalant. We saved your life as well," Victor said and licked his lips followed by a mischievous grin. Alan stayed silent but his eyes didn't flinch nor even showed an ounce of nervousness which resulted in the widening of his grin. "We need brave young men like you."
Gunther could sense the tension in the air, but he could do nothing other than hoping the emperor to not get irked by Alan's behavior.
"About what you asked, you got the wound from the sharply compressed gust of wind," Victor said before turning his back to leave. "That creature used it as its last resort before dying." He walked to leave the chamber but stopped at the exit and turned his head to look at Alan again. "I hope you get well soon, and we will get your services in the future for the betterment of our empire." He left after he spoke.
When Victor stood in front of Alan, he felt to just jump out of the bed and carve his heart out of his chest. All the tumults and torments were in front of his eyes. He could see the bloodlust and hunger in those blood-red eyes.
He knew Victor lied about him getting the wound from a gust of wind. He was the one who sliced him, and it irked him. It meant there was a huge gap in power between them.
"Hey, what the hell were you thinking?" Gunther said with a frown. "Didn't you know he is the emperor?"
"Did I do something wrong?" Alan asked with an innocent face as if he was unknown of his mistakes.
"You can't be serious. You don't know how to behave in front of the emperor?" Gunther raised a brow.
Alan stayed silent and acted as if he didn't know what Gunther talked about. Gunther sighed and took his seat beside him.
"We are okay for now. He did not take it seriously," He said and looked at Alan's chest that was wrapped in bandages. "How do you feel?" He asked in a concerned tone.
"I don't know. I can't move because of the wound, and I don't know how long it will take me to heal," Alan answered while he stared at the paintings on the ceiling. "What happened to our seniors who fought the monster with us?"
"The healers of the academy are treating them," Gunther said.
Alan knew they had to travel a good distance to reach the seventh province, where the emperor's palace was located, from the fifth province, where they fought the monster.
"For how long was I unconscious?" He asked.
"Two days."
"Victor didn't want to take the risk of losing me, so he brought me here and treated me under his personal surveillance and care," He thought. He knew he was the last hope for Victor to get his hands on The Blood Moon Core.
Meanwhile, Emperor Victor went to the royal court and sat on his throne. His right-hand man Scarhead stood beside him and could watch the usual scene of him exploiting one of the palace maids.
She wore a two-piece and sat on the emperor's lap. He touched her at all the places he wanted.
"Your majesty," Scarhead said. "You wounded the boy and then treated his wounds under your personal care. Why is that?"
Victor smiled and answered, "Argus took many people who were close to me. I could not kill him by my own hands." Scarhead noticed a bit of furor on the emperor's face while he spoke. "I quench that fire through slicing up his son."
He stood up and pushed the maid aside. He put his arms at the front, one above each other, and closed his fists as if he held an imaginary sword. He enacted a slash of the sword by moving his arm up to down. "When I cut him, I felt an enormous flow of satisfaction into my heart." He turned and looked at Scarhead. "I want to feel it again. Do what you can. I want him to get healed as soon as possible."
Scarhead bowed his head. "Your wish is my command, your majesty."
Victor nodded slowly and took his throne again. He looked at the maid which was a sign for her to serve him. She did not waste time and took her place on his lap.
"Summon Donke," He ordered Scarhead. Scarhead bowed his head and walked away.
Alan could remember what he saw in the dream. His wounds had not healed even after a dozen years. His dreams haunted him at night and his memories at day. The fire of vengeance burned with enough heat to engulf the entire world in it.
Gunther had something else in his mind. "Why did the emperor bring us to his palace, not others," He asked. "Also, there are enough healers in the fifth province."
"Maybe he got impressed by our bravery we showed while facing the monster and decided to take care of us personally. We saved a lot of lives," Alan forged an answer.
Gunther nodded in agreement. "This must be the case."
"You should rest. You were injured too," Alan suggested.
Gunther nodded and stood up. "Okay, rest well. I will check on you later." He left the chamber.
Alan closed his eyes as he knew he had to take proper rest to get healed quickly. He had many tasks pending outside.
Meanwhile, Victor summoned Donke, the head researcher who led the team to create Doomster. He stood on the red carpet in front of Victor with his head bowed down.
"We gave you the task to create an unstoppable weapon to wipe out the Alabusians who are multiplying themselves in our lands. Your incompetency resulted in my own people's deaths," Victor said.
It was clear from his eyes and voice that he was pissed which is why Donke trembled in fear.
"How did it escape from the research facility?" He asked. "Do you have an explanation before dying?"
"Your-your majesty…" Donke stammered in fright. "Doo… Doomster was stronger than we imagined. It was not in our power to control it. But I can recreate it and take care of its weaknesses this time. Grant me the last chance, your majesty."
"You gave it an artificial core. Why not a natural one?" Scarhead asked in curiosity.
"Natural core is impossible to extract out of someone," Donke explained. "It is not a physical substance but a ball of energy. It is what connects the body and the soul. It withers when soul leaves the body and the body dies."
"I don't want you to recreate that useless monster. I want you to give its ability to a person," Victor said. "Don't say you can't do it or you will lose your head."
Donke nodded and agreed to it forcefully even if it was next to impossible. "Who would be this person, your majesty?" He asked.
Emperor Victor grinned at his question and looked at Scarhead who smiled as well.