"That was such a good thing you did, my Lord. You made that boy so very happy."
"Perhaps it was, and I'm glad I did, but I can't say it was completely selfless. I want him to learn about the world, both its beauty and its horror. I've kept him sheltered from negative outside influences all this time, but I've come to see that I can't shield him forever. He needs to learn that you can't trust anyone in this cruel world—not even your own parents. He's already turned away from his father, but he still looks upon his mother fondly. If he knew that she left again not for an important mission of unity among the clans, but rather because I sent her away as punishment for attempting to divide them, he'd lose faith in the value of parents altogether."
"To have a father who believes so strongly in peace with humans that he'd abandon his own nation to wander endlessly within the human nation, in hopes of securing diplomatic ties between them. And to have a mother who hates humans so much, she'd break apart her own nation just to destroy theirs and proclaim the superiority of the Junsui. Both are misguided children looking for something they've yet to find, but they seem to have forgotten that they have something precious right here. But if they are going to follow such foolish ideals, then neither has a place with him and so shall not be welcomed back through these gates again." His words are absolute. "It's time for him to form his own beliefs and carry them forward."
"Well said, Father, so then you won't mind if I help that along, will you?" Lord Cain is approached by a seductive woman, her long ebony hair and deep lavender eyes enough to drive any simple man wild. She is accompanied by two of her most loyal servants: one, a pale, bald man with icy blue eyes, and the other, a girl with pink eyes, pigtails, and lightly pigmented skin.
Lord Cain frowns sharply and sneers, "Remy…why are you here? I banished you."
"Aw, don't be so harsh, Pops. I've always had so much respect for you, even more than my real father who left me. If only you'd have listened to me, things wouldn't have had to come to this."
"I'm afraid I don't follow. Things are as they should be. You are banished and no longer a danger to that boy. To think his own mother wanted to use him for her own evil agenda. He was born as a special boy, one of legend, a prodigal god, yet you saw him merely as a weapon."
"But he is, Father—the greatest of weapons. Unlike us typical Junsui, only gifted with one of the four main elemental energies, he's acquired all four, plus their sub-energies. That must have been a gift from the Bakemon God himself, giving us the one who will lead us to total rule, even over the worthless humans. You're stuck in the past, old man, thinking that we can live in peace as long as humans agree to diplomatic treaties. They may have accepted one hundred years ago, but that was back when they had no choice. If you hadn't given them mercy 14 years ago, despite their foolish declaration of war, they'd have lost easily. However, with this newest treaty, our kingdom has become complacent, thinking we have nothing more to concern ourselves with and that we could continue feasting on them without consequence. Even if they are criminals and the common human scourge, they are still human. Deep down, that dreadful species will be angered by the thought of us eating their own. While we've been enjoying a century and beyond of peace, the humans have been building up their army and developing ways to exterminate us over time."
"What foolish ideas are you spouting now? The humans wouldn't dare attack us, and even if they did, they could never beat us. With our military strength here in the kingdom, we'd lay them to waste. The humans are at peace within their nation as well, so it's not likely they'd want to sacrifice their soldiers for a non-advantageous cause. We may not be able to live in unity, but we can certainly share this vast earth. It's your inability to understand this simple concept that led me to banishing you as well. But protecting Silas was my first and foremost concern."
"You're the fool, Father. There is so much you don't know, but I won't bother explaining, as you're too stubborn to listen. But do hear this: if you choose to send away your only reliable means of protection, you will regret it. So, let me have him, and together with my servants, we'll go annihilate those who will pose even the slightest threat to us. It's your last chance to agree."
"You'll not threaten me, little girl! Now, begone and never return, or I'll kill you myself!" He lights a nearby bush with his flame to show he means what he says and then turns away. Henley follows just behind him, but not before scowling at Remy, whom he's never liked.
Remy simply smirks and manipulates a flame of her own. However, unlike the bright red flame characteristic of a Fire Elemental Junsui like Lord Cain, it's a dark flame that not only scorches the bush but the surrounding plants and ground around it. This is the power of a Dark Elemental Junsui. "Very well, old man, then you will burn along with the rest of your stubborn nation. Kamu, Lux, let us take our leave. I'd rather not see the collapse of this once great nation."
"Yes, Lady Remy!" they say in unison as they follow her into a dark void, which she's just called forth. Just as quickly as it opened, it closes, and they are gone, condemning them all.
~
"You all set? Are you sure you don't need anything more? I can arrange transport."
"Grandfather, please don't fret so much. I'm going to be okay. I'll miss you too, though."
"Fret? Me? I'd never do such a thing. It's just unwise to be underprepared." He attempts to smile strongly, but his face betrays him as his lip begins to quiver. Finally, after some sniffling, he allows the tears that had begun forming in his eyes to release and slide down his cheek slowly. "Okay, I'll admit, I'm going to miss you, boy. It's hard to accept you've come of age."
"I know, but I have to grow up sometime. I can't be a child forever. But, I'll always be your boy, and you'll always be my Pop Pop. You were the father I needed but didn't have. So, let me just say now, thank you for everything—for raising me, making me strong through training, and instilling in me your righteous and fair values. I'll take your lessons with me always."
Silas reaches out to embrace his grandfather, burying his face in his chest so his tears will be hidden. However, Lord Cain can feel them and wishes he could hide his own, which now come down more steadily. He holds him close for a long minute and then finally pushes him away and steels himself. "Okay, that's enough. You need to be on your way."
Silas is slightly surprised by his sudden bluntness, but he understands that it's all to make the parting easier. He stands upright and, with a strong voice, says, "I'm off then. Be well." He turns and begins to walk down the stone path leading to the town and the gates. He doesn't turn back again, as he fears if he does, he will not be able to continue.
Lord Cain watches as the boy walks away, becoming more of a man with each step. Fourteen years passed in a flash, and now he's got to let him go for half as long. He forces himself to turn away and not look back, as he knows if he does, he will call him back and never let him go again. It isn't in their way to say such words often, but as they walk away from each other, the words "I love you" radiate from the very core of their hearts.
If only they'd known the cruelty of fate…perhaps they could've avoided such a cursed destiny…
~
Silas awakens from his sleep to dead silence. Almost as if he could feel their agony, he turns his gaze toward his precious hometown far in the distance. His beloved kingdom is engulfed in flames, and he can feel the souls of his people drifting away. He's traveled far over the last several days and could never make it back now in the hopes of saving anyone. Lord Cain's rule has come to an end, and he fears he has no legacy to return to now.
So he resigns himself to its demise. He falls to his knees and begins to scream endlessly until his voice fades to nothing, along with his childish innocence. Once he's fallen silent again and can only stare at the ground with empty eyes, someone approaches him slowly from behind.
"Oh, you poor dear. You're all alone now, aren't you?"
Though he's hurt, he feels joy at the sound of the voice. He weakly gets to his feet. "Mother?"
Remy smiles at him and opens her arms, playing the role of loving mother to her son. "That's right, dear, I'm here. I've come to bring you home. The home where you belong, with me."
"The kingdom…Grandpa…it's all gone," he sobs.
"Yes, I know. It was terrible. The humans, they came in the dark of the night and slaughtered the village. They stormed the castle and slayed all the guards and servants. Finally, they beheaded your poor grandfather while their army looked on and sneered. They were ruthless. Yet, they call us the monsters." She lies smoothly through her teeth as easily as she breathes her wicked breath.
"Humans? Humans did this? How? I thought they were weak. They bested our massive army?"
"They used to be, but they've grown stronger. They have special forces that are trained solely for the purpose of killing us. They wield powers as we do but are not true Junsui like us that can transform. They are humans with Junsui abilities, making them very dangerous."
"How's it possible? Grandfather never mentioned this. He'd have known of this if they existed!"
"Your Grandfather was a fool stuck in the past. I tried to warn him years ago, but he refused to listen. So, I had to leave to try and do what I could. I left to prevent this terrible tragedy, but sadly I couldn't stop it. I feel such regret for failing our kingdom." She manages a single tear.
"Mother...don't cry." He walks over and hugs her. "It's not your fault. It's not Grandpa's fault either. He just had pride in our people and the Junsui. But I think he was wrong about humans. Not only should we not be friends with them, but I don't think peace is an option anymore. To avoid extinction, we should kill them all. Then they'll never be able to hurt our people again."
Remy has to struggle to contain herself, to not let the smirk show on her face. "Oh, how wise you are Silas! I agree. We mustn't allow the Junsui people to suffer anymore. We will rid this world of the humans, and you shall be the one to lead us to a new world!"
"A new world...? Yes...that's my destiny. I can feel it calling to me. I feel him...calling me. My other half. My...brother. I feel his pain and his suffering, like mine. I must destroy him fully."
"Yes, you are destined to be the Supreme Ruler of the new world Silas, and I will lead you to victory. Come along with me now. We have much to do." She guides him, opening a void portal.
With a final glance back at his burning kingdom, he whispers, "I'll avenge you all, and ensure the Junsui will rule forevermore." Something has shifted in him, and he'll never be the same again.
They enter a portal which soon vanishes, swallowed by darkness like an omen of things to come.