Tyrant of the Ruined Sun

Leonid's mind has been a raging maelstrom of chaotic thoughts, as doubts constantly whispered in his ears, serving only to further fuel his fears and anguish, ever since he read the golden scroll delivered to him by Sodarus at the end of the battle.

Originally he didn't care about it, believing that it was a message from the new Eclipse emperor, offering him women, land, power, riches and a high position in his court if he defected to his side, like all the other nobles he met, but he couldn't have been more wrong!

The scroll held only a single cryptic phrase that managed to shake his entire perception of the world, as he read "The object of your desire is not where you believe it is."

Hearing this sentence would make most men laugh mockingly at it, since it sounds like the talk only a conman would spout to convince you to buy into a beautiful, yet impossible dream.

But to Leonid it was the exact opposite, as the adorable face of his little sister emerged into the forefront of his mind, which instantly convinced him to meet with the new Eclipse emperor.

But he couldn't exactly walk through the front door of the enemy camp as if it was his own home. And even if he somehow did, he would be instantly branded as a traitor by the Luminous Empire, and that would result in his head decorating the end of Georgios's sword!

So he decided to wait till nightfall before doing anything, and those few hours he had to weather were the most excruciatingly long moments of his entire life, as he felt the sun taunt him by moving slower and slower in the sky, while his clock constantly mocked him with it's incessant ticking.

Thankfully, his trial of patience eventually came to a close, as he cloaked himself in black from head to toe, and vanished into the swaying shadows of the Luminous camp, before making his way out of it, and fading away behind the curtain like mist.

***Scene Change***

After the departure of Marius, and the Luminous prisoners from the camp, the proclamation of victory, as well as the terms signed in the peace agreement were heard all across the camp, which made it erupt in a deafening cheer!

Although many were dissatisfied with the fact that they only won gold and no territory after such a fierce and brutal war, it didn't last for very long, as they soon were infected with the jovial atmosphere of the camp, and joined the rest of the celebrating men, since they felt that this war was only the opening chapter that they would help their young emperor carve with the edge of their blades upon the gruesome pages of human history.

But while the soldiers were reveling in the sweet ambrosia of victory, the higher ranking officers, and especially Hamilcar, Sodarus, and Hasdrubal took it upon themselves to manage, and prepare for tomorrow's march back home, as well as plan for any unforeseen incident that might arise during it, so that I could finally rest my weakened body and mind, which I greatly appreciated, as I dove into the soft and addictive covers of my bed, for a well earned repose.

But sadly all things must come to an end, and so did my short lived peace and quiet, as I heard a guard loudly say from outside the tent "A letter has arrived for you, my liege."

I frown in displeasure at the disruption of my rest, as I say in an annoyed tone "I'll deal with it later."

The guard appears to hesitate for a second before once again saying "... But my liege, the letter is marked as urgent, and it's from lord Isaac."

As soon as I hear this, I sit up straight, hoping that it's the report I've been waiting for, for nearly a month, as I order "Come in."

The guard enters, and bows while offering me the letter, which I enthusiastically rip open, and behold two papers within, one of which was a masterful drawing of a woman with gorgeous bluish grey eyes, beautiful golden hair, and an extremely sensual body that seemed to be solely made to evoke the lustful desires of men, and the envy of women.

It was only a shame that her face was horribly scarred and burned, leaving behind a horrifically disfigured face!

After looking at the picture for a few more seconds I put it aside, and then began reading the letter, which detailed not only her current location, but also the life she'd lived until this point, as well as the names of several spies who have already been ordered to shadow her.

Seeing such a detailed report, impeccable execution of orders, and meticulous follow up, I couldn't help but think to myself 'As expected of Isaac.'

As I finished reading the report, I heard the unexpected voice of Sodarus from outside saying "May I enter, my liege?"

I give the reports to Horus, who carefully stored them, and replied "Of course, general."

Sodarus immediately enters, and bows in greeting, before saying "Your guest has arrived, sire."

Hearing this I couldn't help but wonder at the coincidence, before replying "Then let him in." Sodarus nods and beckons the guards to allow him in.

Shortly after, a tall man clad in pitch black robes enters, and politely bows his head in greeting, to which I reply in kind, and say "I welcome you general Leonid Koschei. Have a seat."

He nods in appreciation, before sitting in front of me, and saying in his unpleasant, nails on chalkboard voice, as he showed me the golden scroll "What did you mean by this?"

'Straight to the point it seems.' I thought as I smile in amusement, and reply to him "Exactly what you think it means... Your sister isn't in the hands of Marquise Kraw."

Leonid almost looses control of his power as he heard the name of the man who ruined his life, but he manages to keep his composure as he asks once again "Then where is she?"

"In Solis Luxuria, the capital of the Luminous Empire." I say calmly.

"Impossible!" Leonid shouts in disbelief as he abruptly stands from his chair, which alerted all the men in the room, instantly readying themselves to strike him down if he showed even the slightest hint of trying to harm their emperor, which he noticed as well, as he sat back down, and apologized for his sudden outburst.

"It's the truth, Leonid." I say, without bothering to comment on the earlier commotion.

He stays quiet for a few seconds before once again saying "...With all due respect your majesty, that can't be.

I've been many times to the capital, and every time I was there, I never once heard, or saw anyone who looks like my sister, even when I spent a fortune on searching for her in every Luminous city.

Besides my sister was only thirteen years old that day, and she couldn't have possibly survived the brutal conditions of the northern winter all alone."

Horus frowns upon hearing this, as he says incredulously "Why would you assume that you would definitely hear of her in a city the size of Solis Luxuria? She would only be one of millions inhabiting that city. It's like searching for a specific grain of sand on a beach!"

I smile as I say knowingly "It's because he knows that his sister has inherited her mother's ravishing beauty. A beauty so great that it drove Marquise Kraw, a man who was always surrounded by the Boreas Empire's finest enchantresses into a mad hunt for her, that lasted years."

Leonid felt a chill run up his spine, as he thought 'How does he know so much?!' But before he could dwell too long on his thoughts, I say "Horus. Give him the drawing I just received from Isaac."

Horus swiftly brings it, much to the confusion of Leonid, but the instant he saw it, he understood! Although his eyes didn't know who this woman is, his heart, blood and soul all seemed to recognize her!

He knew that this was his beloved sister, and for the first time since his parents' death, tears pooled in his eyes, as his entire body shook, giving his body the impression of a mighty dam struggling to hold back the weight of his turbulent emotions.

It took him a few minutes before he could reign in his raging heart, and ask in a tone that fully displayed his wrath "What happened to her?" He was obviously asking why not only her once gorgeous face, that could charm rocks, even when they were small children became like this, but also about everything else that happened to her.

I stare into his heterochronic eyes, that seemed to want to engulf the world in fire and blood for a few seconds, before beginning to seriously narrate the story, by saying "After she escaped from the massacre that day, she roamed aimlessly for days, lost in the wilderness, nearly dying of hunger, and exhaustion.

It was honestly a miracle that she didn't die to the cold, or some wild predator."

Leonid's eyes kept getting colder and colder as he heard my words, but I didn't stop "She was eventually found and saved by a passing merchant caravan going south from the Boreas Empire.

Recognizing her value as a young virgin who would bloom into a true beauty, they decided to sell her to the famous brothels of the Luminous capital." Noy only Leonid, but all those who were present clenched their fists upon hearing this.

I continue "Your sister wasn't a fool, and knew the consequences if she tried to escape, and she also knew what fate awaited her if she did nothing, so she chose a third option, and grabbed a pair of scissors, and mutilated her own face so that no man would ever want to lay with her."

Leonid could barely hold on to his flaring temper at this point, but I wasn't done "Although disfiguring her face had spared her the ugly fate of prostitution, it led her to a far more difficult path.

After all, there is nothing more hated than an ugly woman in a whore house." Leonid's aura began to run wildly as he began to breathe heavily, like a starved, and ferocious beast.

"Thankfully, your sister was very bright, and had a talent for accounting, so she became one of the many bookkeepers of the establishment, and that's where she still remains to this day." I finished, and remained quiet after, which descended the tent to absolute silence, except for Leonid's rough breathing, that slowly began to subside along with his blazing wrath, that made way to a far more terrifying coldness!

Leonid suddenly stood up, and bowed deeply before me, then immediately stood back up again to leave. Seeing this I seriously ask "Where are you going?"

"To go get my sister." Leonid curtly replies, with absolute confidence.

Hearing this a sly smile emerges upon my lips, as a cunning gleam rests in my eyes, and I say in a tone similar to a devil's whisper "And what makes you think that Emperor Octavian would let you?"