Great Journey: Whims of Fate

In the sewers beneath Aurenthal, groups of Acolytes moved like shadows, carving ritual circles into the filth-caked stone.

Bound in chains, homeless men, women, and children were dragged to the center of each circle, their eyes wide with terror, their mouths gagged to silence their screams.

"This should be the last one," one Acolyte said, wiping blood from his hands as he stepped back.

"Is this really enough?" another muttered, casting a glance at the bound sacrifices. "With the space stabilizers active, we'll be lucky to summon ten demons per circle."

A third Acolyte raised a purple crystal that pulsed with occasional distortions.

"That's what this catalyst is for," he said grimly. "It'll disrupt the stabilizers just long enough to flood the city with hundreds of demons per circle. Plenty to keep the guards scrambling while the priests complete their objective."

"Enough talk," their leader snapped. His voice was low and cold. "Our orders are clear. Complete the circles, secure the sacrifices, and be gone before the summoning begins."

He knelt beside one of the captives, whispering a twisted prayer.

"For the Great One," he murmured.

The others joined him, their voices echoing in the darkness:

"For the Great One."

-----

Meanwhile, at the banquet, a different kind of trouble was brewing with the arrival of the prince.

"As Crown Prince and your future king, I vow to uphold justice and right the wrongs that plague our kingdom. Starting with the absurd tributes we are forced to pay to the central empire. No longer shall we be farmers to feed their coffers!"

The prince finished his speech to resounding applause before descending from the podium to mingle with the guests. 

"What do you think?" Damian asked, unimpressed with the speech.

"Sounds like a war will be in our future," Cyrus said seriously.

"I highly doubt it," Bastion commented.

"You don't think his rebellious ideas will lead to war?" Cyrus pressed.

"I think he's about as informed about the central empire as we are," Bastion said. "Meaning, he knows nothing. Do you honestly believe our parents would continue to enslave themselves if they had even the slightest chance to resist?"

He leaned forward, lowering his voice.

"I'm sure we'll be in for a rude awakening once we attain our rightful positions. Some significant piece of information is being hidden, not just from us heirs, but from the entire population."

"Just look at the ranks. Rank 3s and 4s exist, yet none are known in the kingdom, even among the high nobility. What does that tell you?"

"Rank 3s leave the kingdom for some reason," Damian answered.

"Or they need to leave this kingdom to become Rank 3," Cyrus added.

"Correct on both," Bastion said. "We are weak as a kingdom, and we will continue to be weak so long as we can't retain Rank 3s and 4s under our command. In fact, reaching those ranks seems nearly impossible within our borders, despite the surrounding threats and the dungeons available to us. Otherwise, with their extended lifespans, we should be drowning in high-ranked individuals by now."

"Face it, we're frogs stuck at the bottom of a well, staring up at the same patch of sky. Until we get a peek outside the well, anything we assume is just an illusion."

"So the little lion is full of hot air?" Damian asked with a smirk.

"No, it's worse." Bastion replied. "He believes in every word he says, and he will likely follow through, if he remains uninformed."

"Once he finds out what the world is truly like," Cyrus said darkly, "he'll either fall in line like everyone else... or be physically replaced by those who truly hold power in this kingdom."

"Exactly," Bastion confirmed.

The prince, having finished shaking hands with his friends, made his way over to the dukes' heirs' corner of the banquet.

The dukes held exactly ninety percent of all land in the kingdom, while the remaining ten percent belonged to the royal family. They delegated the management of their territories, such that all the royal family needed to do was collect taxes from these three houses, along with a handful of minor nobles in the center of the kingdom.

Thus, any change in law required the support of at least two of the dukes; otherwise, rebellion, and replacement of the monarch, was a very real threat. This had never happened before, largely because the royal family had never produced a ruler as extreme as the current crown prince. 

Typically, kings grew passive once they ascended the throne, likely due to the information revealed to them afterward.

Julius approached with an easy, confident smile. The three young heirs straightened, offering shallow bows.

"Bastion, Cyrus, Damian," the prince greeted. "It's good to see the future of our kingdom gathered in one place."

Bastion offered a polite smile. "It is an honor to be addressed by our future king, Your Highness."

Cyrus dipped his head slightly. "Your words stir the heart, my prince."

Damian snorted, arms loosely crossed over his chest. "What these two said."

Julius chuckled, taking the lack of formality in stride. "I expect no less from the Dukes of Steelhart."

"What did you think of my opening speech? Will you follow me and support my ambition?" Julius asked suddenly, his gaze sharpening.

The three future dukes exchanged a brief side glance before replying in turn.

Bastion inclined his head, his tone smooth. "You have but to ask, Your Highness."

Cyrus added with a small smile, "We'll be ready."

Damian just grunted and cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp and eager. "Long as the fight's real," he said. "None of us will run."

Julius's grin widened. "Good. We'll forge a new future together, then."

As he turned to leave, his eyes caught sight of someone standing slightly behind Cyrus. His smile shifted into something more interested.

"And who is this lovely lady?" the prince asked, stepping forward and taking Seraphina's hand, pressing a light kiss to her knuckles.

"That would be my sister, Seraphina, Your Highness," Cyrus replied.

"I don't suppose you are already betrothed?"

"I do not plan to marry, Your Highness," she replied, her voice silky and composed.

"A pity."

Julius released her hand reluctantly and straightened. "Well, I must see to the other guests. Enjoy yourselves," he said, departing with a glint in his eyes.

"He's even worse than the rumors," Damian said, arms still crossed.

"I'm sure he'll grow out of it," Bastion added.

"We can only hope so," Cyrus said, before turning to Seraphina with a teasing smile. "What about you, Seraphina? Interested in becoming the future queen?"

"As I said before, I have no interest in marrying anyone. I will forge my own path," she replied firmly.

"Pity," all three said in unison, then laughed together, causing Seraphina to blush deeply.

"And what about this other lovely lady? Is she already spoken for?" Damian asked, glancing at Elyra behind Bastion.

"She is my shadow, as you very well know, so yes, she's already spoken for," Bastion replied, his tone sharp.

"Shame. I have a thing for exotic beauties, you see," Damian said.

"Don't they have some lovely dwarves in your territory? They're quite exotic." Bastion quipped.

"Don't even joke about that, especially in front of a female dwarf. If their chests weren't so big, you wouldn't be able to tell their gender. They have beards too, you know," Damian said with a grimace.

"Fascinating," Cyrus interjected. "We have lizardmen who usually end up marrying our soldiers, and the duke often marries one as well to strengthen the bonds between species. I myself have a lovely personal guard."

"Oh? Do tell," Damian said, prompting Cyrus for more details while Bastion focused back on Seraphina.

"Since you're not planning on marrying after graduation, what plans do you have? My own siblings plan on becoming adventurers, merchants, or marrying into a noble house," Bastion asked Seraphina.

"I plan on being an alchemist," she replied in a lower voice.

"Interesting. You know," Bastion said with a small smile, "I have a project I plan to work on after graduation. I would very much like the help of a budding alchemist. Would you be interested in working for me?"

"What sort of project?" she asked, genuine interest and a rare, genuine smile appearing on her face.

"Something that involves explosives. I'm sure you'd be very familiar with it, considering how much stock of Flame Crystals you bought," Bastion said in a low voice so that Cyrus couldn't hear.

Seraphina stiffened at the mention of Flame Crystals, narrowing her eyes slightly before replying in a cool voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so? I find it strange that you would recognize my voice and run away at the first sign. Perhaps it was someone else..." Bastion said teasingly, offering her a way out.

"It most certainly was," she said quickly, looking away.

Bastion gave up on pressing any further. He had plenty of time to get to know her at the academy.

As the music picked up after Julius's speech, he turned to Elyra, offering a gentle smile before asking her for a dance.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" Bastion asked, holding out his hand.

"You may," she replied with a warm smile, taking his hand and following his lead to the dance floor.

Damian also invited Seraphina to dance, but she firmly refused. Instead, she chose to dance with Cyrus. Since she had insisted on accompanying him to the banquet despite Cyrus already having his personal guard, just like Bastion had Elyra, it was the least she could do.

As they danced the night away, chaos had already begun to erupt throughout the city around them.

-----

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