Revelations: Icarus

I suppose the sight of yesterday wasn't exactly expected, no shame in admitting that. Although, I do not wish to occupy your time. Perhaps the tale will eventually make you ask some questions, perhaps even to the lady who is telling you about it right now in the first place? Oh well.

Two children huddled on a rug woven with faded, unfamiliar beasts. Outside the narrow, arched window, the desert stretched like a vast, tawny hide under a sky bleached pale by the relentless sun. But inside, the air was perpetually cool, smelling faintly of dust, old incense, and something else… something metallic and dry, like stacks of coins. Icarus, who had just waken up, started crawling on the floor towards his brother Mateo.

"Brother... Where.. Where are we?"

Mateo looked to his right, he was now finally able to see his brother. Who was just as confused as him, where were they? Well, you and I know where. But they have no idea, and they are about to find out.

"Mateo! Where is mom? Where is dad? Where are we.. Oh god, I am scared."

Mateo simply put his hands on his shoulders to try and reassure him as he took a deep breath and told his twin the following:

"Hey! Calm down, we can't panic at a time like this. I am sure that they are going to pick us up from here at any second now, just hold down."

Icarus took a deep breath as he also chose to calm down, and he heard the sounds of footsteps coming towards the door of the room that they were in. And let me just give you a description of the room, it had two mattresses on the floor and a window with coloured panes of glass. There were lots of runic symbols on the walls, and a lot of them started to glow when Icarus started looking at them. The door opens suddenly, it was the king who was now wearing a helmet.

It wasn't ceremonial or ornate in a comforting way. It was forged from a metal so dark it seemed to absorb the sickly green rune-light, leaving only deeper shadows. It encased his entire head, smooth and seamless, featureless save for two narrow, horizontal slits for eyes. No glint of eyes shone from within; only an abyssal darkness peered out. The helmet swept back, sharp and angular, like the head of some predatory insect sculpted from frozen void. Frost seemed to cling to its edges, a faint, unnatural rime that didn't melt in the castle's air.

"Hello, Children. I am unfortunate to be the one to bare the bad news, your parents have been murdered.. by none other than each other. They fell into a madness from the sheer heat of yesterday, that they lost their minds and started getting aggressive over resources. I will however take you two in as my children, you can call me father. Congratulations, princes."

The King took a single step inside. The temperature plummeted further. Mateo could feel the cold seeping through his clothes, biting into his skin, reaching for his non-existent bones. The metallic smell was overwhelming now, mixed with a new scent – ozone and stone dust, this was a surreal experience.

"I am sorry for your loss, but I vow to make sure your living conditions are in absolutely premium.."

In the sudden, suffocating darkness, only the faint, malevolent glow of the runes remained, pulsing like a diseased heart. The metallic scent was overwhelming now, mixed with the salt of Icarus's tears and the dust of centuries. Mateo's hands, still on his brother's shoulders, trembled violently.

"D-dad? And M-momm... No.. No no, this is a nightmare.. this is a nightmare and dad will wake us up from them as always, right M-mateo.. please, tell me Mateooooo!"

Icarus said in between sniffling and crying, his tears just pouring down his childish face. The poor children have lost their parents, the most important things to any kid. Just immediately snatched away from them, like being eternally grounded. The intimidating Monarch stared down at them, as he crossed his arm.

"I shall bring you two, clothes and food. Such attire and room is not fitting for princes, the only reason you woke up in a room was because the sudden tragedy was unexpected. Your rooms are currently behind made as we speak, all you have to do is wait. Your queen shall be your mother and I, your king, shall be your father. Remember that, you are no longer the peasants that you were. Now, I shall leave for a moment to discuss your existence with the entirety of my Kingdom."

Outside, in the corridor, the unnatural cold lessened only slightly. He had preparations to make. Specimens to house. A kingdom to inform. And, most importantly, variables to study. The weeping behind the door faded into the castle's ambient hum. A negligible sound. For now. He walked over to the throne room first, to discuss things with himself and the Queen.

"...I have to talk with Karliah."

The unnatural cold clinging to the King like a second skin lessened only fractionally as he strode down the obsidian corridor. The air still crackled with the dry, metallic tang of his presence. Towering guards, each a monument of sculpted muscle beneath dark plate that seemed to absorb the sparse rune-light, snapped to rigid attention as he passed. Their impassive faces, hewn like cliff faces, showed no flicker of thought – only obedience bred deep into marrow and sinew. Size was the baseline here; raw, imposing physicality was the currency of existence. The King moved with the silent, lethal grace of a glacier calving, his own immense height and powerful frame radiating an aura that bent the very light around him towards darkness.

And yep, there she was. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful and utterly inhuman. High cheekbones like honed blades fram, holding depths as cold and unknowable as a neutron star (Science mention!). Full lips were set in a line of perfect, dispassionate stillness. Long hair, white as the heart of a blizzard, fell in intricate, crystalline braids over one shoulder, stark against the dark metal gorget at her throat. A simple circlet of dark silver rested upon her brow, despite all of her breathtaking parts. She was still DEFINITIVELY LETHAL. Her form was a masterwork of dense, corded muscle flowing beneath skin like polished alabaster. Not bulky, but lethally honed, every contour speaking of strength that could shatter stone or crush steel with casual indifference. She wore armor of articulated, dark silver scales that flowed over her like mercury over marble, leaving her powerful arms, shoulders, and midriff of muscles that could definitely grind meat against. She was definitely the only girl in the world that could match his energy, nonetheless.

"My beloved Karliah, the two boys are here. The next step of the plan is about to commence, how are the arrangements coming along?"

The queen simply looked at the opposite direction of him, looking at one of the guards. Pointing at her throat, seems she was parched. When the guard gave her the glass of water, she took a sip of it before pouring it all over the head of the guard. As the water froze, his skull being engulfed in a huge cube ice. As the man clutched at the ice cube, the queen stood up and looked at her king.

"They are going excellently, let's inform the kingdom together in the morning."

The king nodded his head as he went to the royal chambers, the queen was about to go after him but then she looked at the guard that was still with the frozen head. The queen rolled her eyes, as she pushed one of her finger nails into the nice. The ice cube, and including what was within it. And yes, I mean the head. Shattered, and just fell to the ground. The other guard who was here in the room, looked at his decapitated comrade.

"This better be clean by tomorrow, your queen demands it."

The lady slapped him in the face, before walking towards the direction of the chambers.