All around him was darkness. As he ran through the woods, the cold carved bone deep along with the icy lashing of the wind. He wasn't sure exactly why he was running but he knew that he needed to get there as soon as possible or he'd regret it. His feet made crackling sounds as they landed on the dried leaves and twigs littering the forest. The high pitched sound of cicadas rattled his ears while he could hear the scurrying of animals as they moved as far away from him as they could.
Faster and faster, he ran until the wind felt like it was beating him. He could hear his heartbeat echoing in his ears. As he leapt over a fallen trunk, he sped up again. He could smell the blood in the air. As he ran, he could see the recently trampled branches and twigs, which made it seem as though someone had run through here not too long ago. From the footprints, he could tell that there were quite a few people in pursuit, although in pursuit of what exactly, he couldn't tell.
Fortunately, the clear sky was in his favor. The wind blew in his direction and from it he could tell that there were five men in front of him. All of them were that kind. His eyebrows furrowed with confusion but for whatever reason he was aware of, his heart started beating faster and he felt panicked. He pushed himself to go even faster all the while finding himself more and more confused by the circumstances and his body's reaction. As he broke through the trees and was about to step into the clearing, "DING, DONG!!!"
He was startled awake, confused. The bright sunlight pierced through the windows, illuminating a massive, elegant bedroom. Outside his door, there was a faint sound of footsteps and the buzzing of muttered conversations.
He heard that sound again. Sighing to himself, he made his way off his bed, wrapping himself in a robe which he pulled off the chaise. As expected, at the door was his advisor, Leander Michail. The only person brave enough to wake him up in the morning would, of course, be Leander. In fact, he wouldn't doubt that if he refused to wake up, he'd personally come get him without an ounce of courtesy.
Leander bowed and said, "Good morning, your Majesty." Lykofos rolled his eyes. The action and the tone were perfectly polite, but there was an underlying hint of sarcasm. "You never disappoint with the backhanded, surface-only politeness you show," he replied.
"Ah, my apologies, sire. I shall adjust myself accordingly so my sarcasm doesn't show again."
Lykofos rubbed the bridge of his nose in despair. This guy! Shouldn't he be saying he'd correct his sarcasm? Instead, he wants to hide it better. "Why do I put up with you again? Please remind me. I'm in desperate need of that reminder right now, "he sighed. Leander smirked, knowingly, and didn't even deign to respond to the question since the answer was obvious.
He put up with him because they were best friends and had been since childhood. There was no one who knew Lykofos better than Leander, and no one he trusted more than him. Anything he said differently was simply lip service, and Leander knew that very well. In fact, the Michails had been serving the Ilios for centuries. In fact, ever since the Sun God, Aether, and the Moon Goddess, Selene, blessed their familial line in particular to become the rulers of the hybrid clans, the two families have intertwined.
Their family offered the Michails their own place to rule over with complete autonomy for the service rendered towards them for almost five thousand years, but they had rejected it several times. Perhaps it was because they weren't made to feel as though they were servants. In fact, they were the highest-ranked family in the Ilios Empire, ahead of the Eliades, the Drakos, and the Terises. There were people who spread rumors about the Michails wanting to take over the empire, but it was based more on jealousy.
Contrary to what others believe, back when their race was first blessed, Dion Michail made a binding oath that specified that none of his blood would covet the throne nor would they betray their king so long as they existed out of gratitude to the fact that Dimitri Ilios personally bestowed upon them a portion of the power he received from the Gods. It wasn't just that they didn't want to; it was also that they couldn't. The reason they were trusted so much wasn't just that oath, however. It's the fact that the family itself isn't aware of the oath (as part of the original agreement) and yet they were genuinely loyal. In a world where power and bloodlines are the only things that matter, that is truly rare.
"Did you have that dream again, Lyk?" Leander asked.
"Was it that obvious or can you read me now?"
He chuckled. "A bit of both, to be honest." His face darkened. "I'm truly worried about this now. This plays out like a prophetic dream, but there aren't any real clues. I'm worried that if you happen to miss this, something will change in your life that shouldn't. "
Lykofos laughed. "Aren't you being a bit of an alarmist? If I miss it, then I miss it. It may not necessarily be something good for me. Maybe it's a warning for me to stay away. Lee, you worry too much. "
"And you don't worry enough! Fate is a funny thing. Moreover, my wolf's intuition is telling me that it's important. Lyk, I think you should take this seriously. "
His intuition, huh. Then perhaps I should indeed take it seriously. Leander is generally never wrong when it comes to things like this. "Alright, I'll do my best to look into it," he answered.
He noticed Leander sighing in relief. Leander was always more worried about him than he was about himself, not that he didn't understand. He worried more about Leander than Leander did himself, particularly since he lost his mate a few years ago. He shook himself. Now was not the time to end up drowned in memories. Now it was time to get down to business. "Lee, is everything in order so far?"
"Yes, they aren't even aware of it."
"Then shall we go to court then? Let's see how they entertain us today. Shall we?"
"Sigh. Must you be so dramatic? If you weren't King you would definitely have a future in drama."