The Emperor's Offspring

Footsteps and voices could be heard. Figures began to appear in the openings behind each one of the twelve seats. 

The first individual to appear through one of the openings was a man who wore silver and black armor. The dominant color was silver but there was a black trim around the edge of his armor. The man also had silver hair and wore a silver mask that covered up his entire face. The silver mask had a black trim around the edge just like the rest of his armor. He had no weapons strapped to himself. 

The man with the silver and black armor stood to the left side of a seat on the lowest level of the four levels. He stood to the left side of the seat that was to the farthest left. It was the seat that had two diagonal, two vertical, and two horizontal swords by the bottom left side of the cracked mask that was engraved into the back of the seat. 

The man with silver and black armor looked up at the man with silver armor and said while smiling. "Menelaos, you're already here?" He laughed and said. "How surprising. Usually Demosthenis and I are here first." 

The man with silver armor, Menelaos, looked at the man with silver and black armor and said. "Since I'm the Host I had to be here first. If you wanted to be here first then you should have requested to be the Host, Krios." 

The man with silver and black armor, Krios, laughed and said. "You're always so serious." He stopped laughing and smiled as he said. "But that is what I like about you, Brother. Out of all of our siblings you are definitely my second favorite." 

Menelaos sighed and said. "I'm only your second favorite? Demosthenis is still ahead of me?" 

Krios chuckled and scratched the back of his head with his left hand as he said. "Well yeah. He is just too likeable of a guy." 

Menelaos looked around Krios and said. "Where is Demosthenis? Wasn't he supposed to come here today?" 

Krios chuckled again and scratched his head as he said. "Yeah... about that..." 

More individuals began to appear through the openings. The next individual to appear through an opening was a woman who wore silver and red armor. The dominant color was silver but there was a red trim around the edge of the armor. The woman had blonde hair and wore a silver mask that covered up her entire face. The silver mask had a red trim around the edge just like the rest of her armor. She had a crossbow strapped to her back that leaned to her left as well as bolts strapped to her right side. Strapped to her left side was three throwing knifes. 

After the woman with silver and red armor appeared, another woman appeared. The woman wore silver and black armor. The dominant color was silver but there was a black trim around the edge of the armor. The woman had light silver hair and wore a silver mask that covered her entire face. The silver mask had a black trim around the edge just like the rest of her armor. She had a halberd strapped to her back that leaned to her left. 

The woman with silver and red armor stood to the left of the seat that was to the right of Krios's. It was the seat that had two diagonal, one vertical, and two horizontal swords by the bottom left of the cracked mask engraved into the back of the seat. 

The woman with silver and black armor stood to the left side of the seat that was to the right of the woman with silver and red armor's seat. It was the seat that had two diagonal, one vertical, and one horizontal sword by the bottom left of the cracked mask engraved into the back of the seat. 

The woman with silver and red armor looked over at Krios who was standing to the left side of his seat. She then looked over at Meneloas who was sitting in his seat. 

Menelaos said to the woman with silver and red armor. "You can sit, Klymene." 

The woman with silver and red armor, known as Klymene, said while flustered and annoyed. "What are you talking about?! I wasn't wondering if I could sit or not! Mind your own business, Menelaos!" 

Menelaos sighed and said while annoyed. "How annoying. This is why I don't travel to your kingdom."

Klymene scoffed and crossed her arms as she said. "I'd never let you in even if you did come! I'd tell my guards to attack on sight!" 

Krios scratched the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly as he said. "Alright. Alright. We don't need any national disputes." He looked over at Menelaos and Klymene then finally looked over at the woman with silver and black armor. He said awkwardly to the woman with silver and black armor. "Anyways how has life been for you, Chara. Haven't seen you since the last ceremony." 

The woman with silver and black armor, known as Chara, looked at Krios. She turned her head to the left side and said in a monotonous voice. "'How has life been?' What do you mean, Brother? Life is a constant cycle of living and dying. We live, we die, and then we come back as someone else. Life is unchanging until we..." 

Krios chuckled awkwardly and said. "You know that isn't what I meant. I meant has anything new happened recently." 

Chara said in her monotonous voice. "'Has anything new happened recently?' By recently how recently do you mean, Brother? A few hours, a few days, a few months, or a few years?" 

Krios scratched the back of his head and said. "You know what nevermind." 

Chara said in her monotonous voice. "Nevermind what, Brother? Are you dismissing your previous statement? Or the statement before your previous statement? I'm afraid I don't understand what you are saying, Brother."

Krios sighed and mumbled to himself. "What did I do?" 

Laughter could be heard from one of the openings. A man's voice could be heard as he walked out of one of the openings on the lowest level. 

A man walked out of the opening with another man right behind him. Both of the two men had dark blue hair and wore silver armor with a blue trim around the edge. They also both wore a silver mask with a blue trim around the edge. 

The man with dark blue hair that walked out of the opening first had a much bigger build than the man he was in front of. Strapped to his back was a huge spiked club that leaned to his left. 

The man with dark blue hair that stood behind the other man with dark blue hair had a much smaller build than the man who stood in front of him. Strapped to his back was a bow and a quiver full of blue tipped arrows. The bow was on his right side and the arrows were on his left side. 

The first man with dark blue hair stood to the left of the seat that was to the right of Chara's seat. It was the seat that had a cracked mask engraved into the back of it with two diagonal and one vertical sword by the bottom left of the cracked mask. 

The first man with dark blue hair looked over at Chara and began walked toward her as he said with a mischievous voice. "No fair. You will talk to Krios but you won't talk to me." As soon as he was close enough he stopped walking and he reached out his left hand toward Chara's throat.

Chara instinctively smacked the man's hand away with her right hand. She then grabbed the handle of her halberd with her left hand. She glared at the man with dark blue hair angrily. 

The man with dark blue hair that stood next to Chara said angrily. "You dare lay a hand on me?! A war against me is a war against the West! We will destroy you along with the rest of the pathetic South!" 

Krios laughed loudly and said. "You honestly expect anyone to believe the West could ever take on the South, Kapaneus. The West doesn't even have one of Father's Guardians. They stand no chance!" He continued laughing loudly as he said. "The West can't beat any region. They can't even beat the East." 

A voice spoke out from one of the openings as it said with annoyance. "What do you mean 'can't even beat the East', Krios?" 

A figure walked out of one of the openings on the lowest level. The figure was a man with dirty blonde hair. He wore silver armor with a red trim around the edge. He also wore a silver mask with a red trim around the edge that covered his face. Strapped to his right side was a katana. 

The man with dark blue hair who stood next to Chara, known as Kapaneus, looked at the man with silver and red armor and said with annoyance. "Of course you're here, Kambyses. You always follow me everywhere I go." 

The man with silver and red armor, known as Kambyses, said to Kapaneus as he began to walk toward Kapaneus. "If you would quit running away then I wouldn't have to follow you, Kapaneus." 

Kapaneus began walking toward Kambyses as he said with annoyance. "You think I'd ever run from you, you Eastern Bastard!" 

He continued to walk toward Kapaneus as he said. "Does this mean you'll finally accept my challenge?" He stopped walking and grabbed the hilt of his katana with his left hand. 

Kapaneus stopped walking and grabbed the hilt of his spiked club with his left hand. He glared at Kambyses angrily and said. "I'll show everybody the strength of the West!" 

A man's voice said. "The strength of the West, huh?" The man's voice chuckled and said. "You better not disappoint me, Brother." 

A man walked out of the opening behind the middle seat on the second lowest level. He walked out of the opening behind the seat that had a mask engraved into the back of it with two diagonal swords by the bottom left of the mask. 

The man that appeared out of the opening had light blue hair and wore silver armor with a dark blue trim around the edge. He wore a silver mask that also had a dark blue trim around the edge that covered his face. Strapped to his back was a double tipped spear that leaned to his left. The tip of the spear was on both sides of the spear and the handle was in the middle.

Menelaos sighed and said. "Hypatos..." 

The man with silver and dark blue armor, known as Hypatos, glared at Menelaos and said. "Mene..." 

Menelaos glared at Hypatos and said. "Hyp..." 

Hypatos grabbed his double tipped spear with his left hand as he said angrily. "You wanna die, Mene?! I'm no filthy right hander!" 

Menelaos grabbed the hilt of his greatsword, which was stabbed into the ground in front of his seat, with his only hand, his left hand. He said to Hypatos. "Neither am I!" 

A woman's voice could be heard as it said. "You two are at it again. It doesn't matter how old we get you two never change. You're like fire and water." 

Meneloas and Hypatos both looked toward the source of the voice which was the opening behind the last seat on the second lowest level. The seat that was to the farthest right and had a mask engraved into the back of it with one vertical sword by the bottom left of the mask. 

A woman with black hair that wore silver armor with a dark black trim around the edge appeared out of the opening. She also wore a silver mask with a dark black trim around the edge that covered her face. Strapped to her back was a giant black scythe that leaned to her left. 

As she walked toward her seat she looked at Menelaos and Hypatos and then looked at everybody on the lower level. She stopped walking and said. "Oh my. Oh my. It seems I'm the last one here." 

Hypatos shook his head and said. "No you're not." He looked over at the empty seat on the second highest level. The seat with the mask engraved into the back of it that had two diagonal, one vertical, and one horizontal sword by the bottom left of the mask. He said with annoyance as he looked at the seat. "Demosthenis, still isn't here yet." 

Menelaos said. "He isn't coming." 

Hypatos said angrily. "What do you mean he isn't coming?!" He grabbed Menelaos's shoulders tightly and yelled angrily. "Father has been on his death bed for the past seven years and when he is finally healthy enough to see all of us that bastard didn't even come to see him! I traveled all the way from across the nation just to be able to see Father one last time and I live farther away from this place than any of us! And yet this bastard who is supposed to be Father's successor didn't even come to see Father one last time before he becomes our next leader!" 

Menelaos glared at Hypatos angrily as he said. "Get your hands off me." He shoved Hypatos away from him. He then stood up and grabbed the hilt of his greatsword with his only hand and ripped the greatsword out of the ground. He said to Hypatos with annoyance and irritation. "Don't touch me, you Western bastard! If you're going to be angry then be angry at Krios. He is the reason why Demosthenis isn't here."

Hypatos pulled the double tipped spear off his back and quickly turned and looked at Krios angrily. A frightening aura came off his body as he said with pure rage. "Krios! What did you do, you bastard?!" 

Before Krios could respond the voice of a man cut him off. The voice said harshly. "Quiet down, you barbarians!" 

Everybody on the lowest level and everybody on the second lowest level looked up at the source of the voice. 

A man stood on the highest level of the four levels. The man stood in front of the two seats and looked down at everybody on the bottom two levels. He had white hair and he wore armor that was both white and crimson. The left half was white and the right half was crimson. The two sides were divided diagonally. His mask was the exact same design as his armor. The left side of the mask was white and the right side was crimson and it was divided diagonally. Strapped to his back was a white greatsword that leaned to his left. On the left side of his waist was a white shortsword and on the right side of his waist was a white katana. 

Hypatos said while surprised. "Wait aren't you...!" 

Menelaos muttered. "...Father's Fifth Guardian..." 

Krios mumbled. "...Aineas Scarion..."