Hours later, when the moons started to hiss beneath the horizon, Solqulo finished preparations for the rituals. The cyan Thawed sat comfortably on a cushion.
Nestres and Ventelu watched as Solqulo's facial expressions shifted between a controlled pain and an agonizing grin - the result of one's brain overworking.
Eventually, Solqulo reached a medium between numbness and pain. Allowing him to get a better view of Koroth through the eyes of other Variants.
Solqulo used his arms to direct what he wanted to see. His vision shifted through the empty streets, across shops, even out towards the wild.
Once he felt comfortable, he moved onto the next step. Using his Third Rule, Solqulo thought of another ritual, which was instantly executed.
With this ritual, he was able to see where Ether and Hylo were. Except he couldn't. They weren't in Koroth anymore.
"Couldn't be..." Solqulo mumbled. "Its impossible to drop between realities by being a standard Variant. He can't be in the Above, he'd die up there."
The 'Above' referring to space.
Nestres felt uneasy by the moment, especially with the look of concern his pre-Noble was giving off. Something was seriously wrong, he could tell.
"Solqulo, what do you see? Is he dead? Where is Ether?" Nestres lost control of himself.
Ventelu placed a hand on his shoulder, bringing Nestres back to level head. The two men shared a worrisome look, but Ventelu knew more.
"No, sir. I can't find Ether. Like, he isn't on Koroth. Otherwise, I'd see him. This means some paranormal creation took him away from us," Solqulo replied.
While the three Variants worried, Hitirus' posse gathered outside the chambers. Strange coffins rested within the walls, with eerie tentacles growing down from the top.
Every coffin shared the smell of burned meat, appropriately so especially with the charred black color and texture. Even the building itself looked bizarre.
Like an abstract thought, this building made no logical sense. It didn't cast any shadows from the permanently setting sun, it looked bigger than it truly was, and the outside brick-red walls didn't reflect the inner walls.
Hitirus noted every detail, piecing together possible questions to ask the butler. Even now, he still doubted this creation was doing anything out of good-will.
"Well, look at us now!" Befehlnadir caught Hitirus' attention with his booming voice. "Once divided, an opposition, threats to each other. But now? We stand together, Tirus."
"I know this is some sort of death trap meant to kill me for good, Nadir," Hitirus replied. His tone was more sober and grounded.
Befehlnadir shook his head. "You've got it wrong. Even I, with my ambush tactics and hit-and-run techniques, know it isn't honorable to end a man's mission over a vendetta."
"How strange, you seem to have popped your head out of the dirt. What changed?" Hitirus pressed on.
"My approach. Killing you won't change jack. Only delay your ascension to King-hood, and your eventually collapse by my hands. What is it that you say? 'It is cruel to prolong an animal's suffering?'"
Hitirus nodded, turning around to lock eyes with his rival. "Yeah, I said that before. We're both animals - everything is an animal. We're destined to die as such."
Befehlnadir chuckled, nodding approvingly. "Very well - very well. Once you die, you'll rest peacefully. I'll take up your burden and -"
"Suicide leads to guilt and shame. Despite your cowardly tactics, I wouldn't want you harassed in hell," Hitirus interrupted.
"Don't worry, I wont. My plan is to venture back to Uvurim. If I die - I die. It'll come for us all," Befehlnadir concluded.
The Iron Butler loomed beside Hitirus, keeping its sleek metal face pointed at him. "Sir, as the soon-to-be Heir, you need to train your Will Power the most. Step inside a chamber."
Hitirus felt uneasy, yet kept up the facade of a collected leader. He nodded, then turned to look at the nearest chamber.
Once again, the mysterious coffin unnerved him. It didn't seem right, to train inside one. But he remembered what his Ferals told him.
By now, there was no choice. Only action.
So Hitirus climbed inside, his hands brushing against the rough interior. The smell of burned meat became more sickening, causing him to feel dizzy.
Yet he couldn't turn back now, he wasn't sure what would happen if he did. So he pressed on. Befehlnadir watched him turn around and keep a straight gaze.
"Don't know how you can hide that clear look of fear in your face," Befehlnadir whspered.
The Iron Butler reached to both sides of the chamber, then he pulled. Shutting the walls and encasing Hitirus in a claustrophobic space.
Six tentacles merged into a larger, more paranormal one. They reached down for Hitirus' crown, making no noise.
Instantly after making contact, Hitirus saw a different world. In this world, Hitirus was still young. He could tell this was just days after he got his name.
He looked around, trying to get a better view of the prison-like room. Little amounts of sunlight crept through the bars that sat high above him.
Chains restricted his movement, not letting him move any limbs, let alone neck. Upon feeling the heavy metals and rusted knots, he began to panic.
This was a period of his life - the only period of his life - that felt like a person's idea of hell. He couldn't escape, only cry and weep.
Unbeknownst to Hitirus, this was how the chamber would train his Will Power. Through forcing him to face his nightmares and haunting past.
After crying for what felt like hours, the only door in the room began to open. The second the knob twitched, Hitirus stopped.
He felt frozen by fear, wanting to ignore what was about to happen when the door opened. But it was evident to who was on the other side.
The disciplinary teacher, the same one that turned him into an unforgiving brawler, was just outside. Hitirus tried to bury his head into his chest.
"All right, let's see if you remembered what I taught you about hiding your pain..."
It began - the torture began again.