All Arkanis wanted was to live longer… much longer than his father had!
But he knew the curse running through their blood… through these cursed horns. He knew his fate was sealed; he would die soon!
What’s more, his kin would suffer the same fate, dying young and cursed just like him!
Arkanis couldn’t stand that thought!
Even if he himself had to face death, he wouldn’t allow his kin to be tormented in this way!
No father wanted that!
So, he realized he had no choice but to harness this new technology, to create a cure… even if it only delayed the inevitable, it would be worth it!
For his initial test subjects, he took the children of the servants who worked tirelessly for him, testing the new unknown device on them slowly, bit by bit.
Since it was their beloved Dragon Emperor who had asked, the servants didn’t question him; they simply offered their children… and never inquired again, because they never returned.
Those children… ended up as nothing more than meat paste… but he didn’t care!
When he ran out of test subjects, he turned to the orphanages, taking children each month under the pretense of saving them, yet none of those children ever saw the next day.
The situation continued… until eventually, the room was filled with the mutated bodies of countless dead children.
“I started to feel something was wrong… like there was a piece I was missing… as though I was close to a breakthrough, but just out of reach… And then it hit me… What if I used the source… I mean… a woman?” Arkanis let out a slow, wicked grin.
After that realization, he informed his subjects that he would marry as many women as possible, promising that the one who bore him a child would become the next Empress.
Tempted by the offer, women flocked to him, and seizing this opportunity… he took them, inseminated them, and killed them once their eggs were fertilized, then carefully grew the embryos in glass tubes.
Yet,
“Those fertilized eggs shattered as if they couldn’t handle the process,” Arkanis said with a look of regret, then grinned once more. “However, that failure led me to understand… I shouldn’t inseminate them naturally. Instead… I needed to use my pure blood and mix it with other pure bloodlines. So, I forced the nobles to marry off their women—whoever they were—to me. I took their blood and used it to create new life,” Arkanis grinned, pointing towards the mutated children licking their candy with blank eyes.
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“See… these were my subjects. They failed, yes, but… they were the first glimpses of hope!” Arkanis laughed wickedly, his eyes gleaming, before he spread his arms wide. “Finally, I created the perfect kin… a boy born from the blood of ten different mothers…
My precious Leon.
He is my final creation! Unlike me, he will have more life expectancy than any of us—my forefathers included,” Arkanis’s face glowed with pure joy.
“It’s only a matter of time before he’s fully grown and wielding the powers of ten distinct bloodlines. Once he completes his trial and claims the title of sovereign, no one will be able to stand in our way as we conquer every world within reach! Soon, he will rule them all and make them tremble at his feet… ahahahaha!”
But then,
“No, it’s not him… It’s for you, isn’t it?” Victor asked, a dark gleam in his eyes.
Arkanis flinched, “W-What–” he stammered, but before he could finish, Victor hurled a stack of documents at his face. “Do you think I’m an idiot, Arkanis? Tell me the truth… we signed a contract, right? You’re trying to create a shell for yourself… a perfect vessel!”
Arkanis’s face twisted in fury. “And so what if I am? It’s my right, isn’t it?…. I mean, I brought him into this world, and when the time comes… I will claim what’s mine… That’s how it works, Victor… You could never understand the suffering of our family!”
“NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND!
I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO RULE YOU FILTHY LOW—“
The video cut out.
The entire empire fell into a stunned silence.
The true nature of their beloved and prideful Dragon Emperor had been revealed to them all.
To him, they had been nothing more than test subjects… expendable. The truth devastated them, cutting deep into their souls!!
Their once-proud expressions shifted to pure disgust and disbelief… Many people shouted and sobbed, seeing the bodies of innocent children. Fathers and husbands wept uncontrollably as they recognized the mangled bodies of their daughters and wives.
And even worse,
The nobles within the castle trembled, tears streaming down their faces as they saw the image of their daughters floating in glass tubes.
Nobles with pure bloodlines had willingly sent their daughters to Arkanis, hoping to secure power and favour. But they had never imagined that their own greed and carelessness would lead to their beloved daughters’ brutal fates!
“M-My-My… Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!” A nobleman started to break down, his face contorted in horror and regret.
Victor glanced at them, saying nothing. What he had shown was only the edited version… the full version was far more horrifying. He could still hear Arkanis’s twisted laughter in his mind, talking about how he had harvested the hearts of children and ripped wombs from women… and so many more grotesque acts.
He hadn’t spared these people out of mercy; he simply knew that the entire empire was watching—from young hatchlings to the elderly. He didn’t have the heart to reveal everything, though he fully intended to show the unedited version to these noble bastards later.
And most of all, he had concealed one crucial detail… about the Golden Liquid. It was a secret no one else could know, something he would take to his grave… so he erased it.
But then,
“H-Hey, d-don’t tell me… those women…” one of the nobles stammered, pointing at the shadowed figures of women standing nearby.
Victor sighed, “Well, these are the only women I could save,” he shrugged and waved his hand, and soon,
“FATHER!!”
“BROTHER!!!”
The women removed their veils and cried out in tears, and the nobles ran towards them, embracing them tightly as if they would never let go.
Meanwhile,
“L-Ly-Lyrris?” Drakhairs stared blankly at the slender woman before him, his hands trembling as he struggled to stand.
“Father!” The woman rushed to steady Drakhairs as he faltered.
“I-It’s y-you… m-my dear… Lyrris… it’s really you.” Tears streamed down the old man’s face as he reached out, gently touching the cheeks of the frail woman.
Victor simply glanced at them and then looked away…
After five more minutes, Victor noticed the subtle changes on everyone’s faces—a small, hopeful smile. Even the people watching the live feed across the Empire had softened expressions, relieved that at least some had survived this nightmare.
Victor’s grin widened.
Fear was always a powerful tool, especially for people like them… but fear alone wouldn’t be enough to control them fully.
First, he had injected fear into their hearts… the fear that anyone who opposed him would meet a swift death. And then, he offered sentiment… a reunion…. a saviour….. a hero they could worship…. like a god.
Today would forever mark them; they would remember both the fear and the respect, both bound up in one man. Now, they would be too afraid to go against him… and too in awe to refuse him.
‘Quite amusing…’ Victor thought, letting his gaze linger over them before he said aloud, “Is everything fine?”
Everyone nodded almost instinctively, still lost in the strange cocktail of fear and reverence.
Victor smiled—a smile so cold yet magnetic, it sent shivers through the girls…. their hearts racing.
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Victor’s grin deepened with satisfaction. “See, that’s all that’s needed… You’re fine, I’m fine…” he said, spreading his arms wide as if he was blessing them. “Everything is fine… That’s all I want.”
Everyone nodded softly, reassured by his words. He had saved their daughters, exposed the ugly truth they’d all ignored, and torn down their former ruler.
Of course, they would believe in him now.
“Thank you, child.”
“T-Thank you for saving my daughter, Victor!”
As the crowd turned toward him, offering heartfelt thanks for his ‘good deeds,’ Victor merely stared back, cold and silent.
Drakhairs smiled, pulling his daughter close as he offered a deep bow. “Thank you, young man—”
“SIR!!!”
Victor’s voice suddenly thundered across the Empire, echoing like a commandment from the gods themselves.
Everyone in the Empire flinched as their eyes snapped to Victor, who stood with an indifferent expression. Slowly, he picked up the bloodstained butcher’s sword from the table, striding toward Drakhairs.
Drakhairs instinctively pushed his daughter back, standing his ground as he braced himself for whatever might come next.
The other nobles, sensing danger, quickly shielded their daughters, anxiety flickering across their faces.
Victor stopped before Drakhairs, raising the butcher’s sword still dripping with the blood of their former Dragon Emperor.
The blade hovered just an inch from Drakhairs’s neck.
Yet Drakhairs didn’t flinch. He locked eyes with Victor’s blood-splattered mask, staring back unwaveringly.
Those watching on the screens outside the palace held their breath. They remembered, suddenly, that this man before them was the one who had killed their beloved emperor. Fear gripped them as they worried that Drakhairs—their general, beloved by the people—might be the next victim.
Victor leaned in close, his voice low and cold. “Sir…” He wiped the sword’s blood onto Drakhairs’s shoulder, staining the fabric.
“It’s…”
“YES, SIR.”
“NO, SIR.”
Victor’s tone dropped to a deadly whisper, filled with dangerous intent. “Understood?”
Drakhairs held his gaze for a moment, then replied steadily, “Yes… Sir.”
Victor smiled, then turned to the other nobles, his piercing eyes daring them to hesitate. Immediately, they all shouted in unison, “YES, SIR!”
Victor’s satisfaction was obvious as he surveyed the group, then cast his gaze toward the rest of the Empire, watching through the live feed.
“….”
Silence.
Unlike the earlier outcry of ‘Kill him!’ and ‘Tear him!’ this time, the Empire’s people seemed too stunned to react, unable to process the surreal turn of events. They were watching on their screens, not witnessing it firsthand.
Victor frowned, then pointed his butcher sword directly at the screen, as though staring into the eyes of each and every one of them.
Immediately, they understood his message.
“Yes, sir…” someone mumbled, the words rippling through the crowd.
Victor frowned even more, leaning forward and cupping his hand around his ear. “What was that?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft, yet it resonated through the people’s minds like thunder.
The crowd’s murmuring grew louder as fear and respect gripped their hearts. They looked at one another, then nodded, shouting as one,
“YES, SIR!!!”
Victor nodded approvingly, then turned away with a satisfied smile. “La~La~LaLa~La~La~Laaa~aLa~” he hummed with haughty steps as he walked toward the grand black throne.
Everyone knew where he was headed, but no one dared to stop him. Drakhairs had called him ‘Sir,’ signalling that even their revered general had accepted this man.
What about Leon? The rightful owner to the throne…. they weren’t sure about that!
For now, Victor was filled them
Drakhairs watched him, amused at Victor’s tactics. ‘He really is… different,’ he thought, impressed. All the other generals had perished, leaving Drakhairs as the last link to the people. Victor had played his cards perfectly, knowing the people would follow Drakhairs’s lead.
What’s more… this strange human was able to command them just like the Dragon Emperor!!
But then,
“La—” Victor stopped humming, halting at the base of the stairs leading up to the throne.
The crowd frowned, unsure why he had paused.
His crystal-blue eyes scanned the crowd with a dangerous gleam, flickering with a purple energy that felt almost otherworldly.
They understood instantly.
“L-hah-La~La~LaLa~La…Haha… Come on!” a noble stammered in fear, nervously picking up the tune.
“La~La~LaLa Come on everyone!!” another noble joined in, his tone tinged with forced respect.
Soon,
“La~La~LaLa~La~La~LaLaLa~”
The crowd joined the melody.
Victor smiled, finally stepping up the stairs as he ascended toward the throne.
BOOM!
Someone launched fireworks, filling the night sky with vibrant colours as Victor continued his ascent.
“La~La~LaLa~La~La~LaLaLa~”
Step
BOOM!
Step
BOOM!
“La~La~LaLa~La~La~LaLaLa~”
BOOM!
Step
BOOM!
Step
BOOM!
“La~La~LaLa~La~La~LaLaLa~”
BOOM!
Finally, Victor reached the throne, sitting down with a graceful, almost regal poise as he looked out over the clapping, singing masses, illuminated by the mesmerizing display of fireworks.
“Hehe…” Victor chuckled softly, closing his eyes as he murmured, “Yeah… It still feels strange…” He leaned back on the black stone throne, settling in.
BOOM!
In the darkness, his crystal-blue eyes opened slowly, but then his eyes flickered with purple sparks and… A blazing purple lightning that shot skyward, bathing the entire Empire in a surreal purple glow.