Cool Down, Rewind

A tall shadow hovered over the injured shadow creature, who, despite the fatal injuries, remained conscious enough to bark out a string of ancient curses towards the figure.

 "You are a coward, Lexian!" It spat out in pain as it held onto its side that continued to bleed profusely, a consequence of going against Lex's powers. "Have you no shame as ruler of our realm?"

"I was hoping to be merciful since you were the last of that pitiful bunch... but it seems like you have other plans. I didn't know shadows could be masochists too."

Lex kicked the injured creature, sending it flying off into the distance.

"Hah, I thought I lived long enough to know everything, but here I am. Still learning new things about the world every single day."

The creature tried to make a run for it through the vast woodlands, but the kick left it far too injured to do so, leaving it utterly hopeless.

"I must say, you're much livelier than the rest of your peers." Lex smiled gleefully as he spoke, sending shivers down the creature's spine. "What made you think a mere shadow like you was going to leave this place unscathed after daring to say my name out loud?"

Lex waited patiently for an answer, but nothing came. 

"You know, ever since Mother died, I was forced to waste my entire life tending to the progression of the shadow realm." Lex's voice was devoid of any emotions as he spoke. "I despised your kind, but unfortunately, I had to get involved because you were her creations. Creations that she cherished so, so deeply."

"I sacrificed so much so that weaklings like you could have an ounce of dignity in the real world, and yet this is how I'm repaid? By having a rebellion planned against me?"

Lex crouched to meet the creature's gaze, but it was too frightened to look directly at the formidable being before it.

His emerald eyes gleamed with a guttural sense of malice under the bright moonlit night, and his smile only seemed to intensify the tension in the air around him.

"Surely, you had a death wish." Lex said before erupting into a violent laughing fit, taking the creature by surprise. "Why else would you even consider doing such an idiotic thing, am I right?"

Taking Lex's laughter as a positive sign, the creature finally decided to speak up in an attempt to explain itself, but Lex had already made up his mind.

With a single snap of Lex's fingers, the shadow was torn into a thousand pieces, staining the cold cemented floor with an inky black substance.

"... Finally." Lex sighed with relief while he brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead during the ordeal. "I can't believe it took this long just to get rid of these pathetic creatures."

His eyes glowed with satisfaction as he stared at the gruesome sight for a while longer, ensuring that the creature was indeed truly dead.

Without saying another word, Lex disappeared into a portal he manifested beforehand, leading him back to Stygia, his newfound home above the surface.

=================

"Welcome back, Your Majesty." Nox's monotonous voice echoed through the dark corridors of the Stygian palace just as Lex swiftly stepped out of the portal. 

The long corridor immediately filled up with shadows of all shapes and sizes, welcoming their master back home as a sign of respect.

 "I wish I could say I'm glad to be back." Lex deadpanned as he walked past the long line of shadows, his footsteps producing a crisp echo with each of his heavy strides. "If only there was a spell that could free me from my endless duties, but that's only seems possible in my dreams."

A lot had changed since Zeya's abrupt departure seven years ago.

For starters, the palace was now operated completely under Nox and some of Lex's more intellectual henchmen, all of which he had brought over from the shadow realm after he was officially appointed emperor of Stygia.

The former members that Zeya had appointed were pleasant to work with, however, Lex found it bothersome and time-consuming to constantly hold consultations just to talk about the most trivial of things.

Instead, they were given work that Lex despised handling, such as foreign interactions with neighboring nations.

Fortunately, Tvar's unprecedented attacks had also completely seized in both nations ever since it's last violent tantrum back in Toyah.

Lex could only assume that the creature had chased after Zeya after all, never to be seen again just like the Roseabelle.

Despite the obvious good news, Lex was still wary of the monster's existence since he remained unsure if Zeya had successfully managed to get rid of it yet. 

It was as if she completely vanished from the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again.

It never ceased to amazed Lex how Zeya could disappear without a trace with such ease.

Even with his proficient abilities, Lex would always hit a dead end whenever he thought he finally had a lead on where she had headed.

It would be an understatement to claim that the incident didn't affect the rest of the crew as severely as it did.

Lex, on the other hand, remained somewhat optimistic despite the constant dead ends he came across each time he attempted to locate his sister.

However, the one most effected by her disappearance was none other than the emperor himself. 

Ever since that day, multiple Valors has been dispatched to search for her under Varen's direct orders; however, all efforts were in vain as even the best search teams returned empty-handed.

Despite his own royal council pressuring him to stop, the emperor remained unyielding and continued to search for her, leaving no stone unturned.

In fact, Varen had rarely appeared in public since then, likely because he was dedicating his time to locating Zeya's whereabouts.

According to Nox's observations, he had apparently given the human princess, Kaari, temporary power as she acted as a replacement figure for the time being while he remained preoccupied with Zeya.

Lex was almost certain that the blood contract was largely to blame, even a mage like him was starting to feel its effects after years of endurance.

These punishments went both ways however, and Lex could only hope that Zeya was dealing with it far better than the emperor was.

 "... How is the princess?" Lex managed a mischievous smile despite being exhausted beyond belief. "Is she faring well with her newfound responsibilities?"

"She appears to be well, Master." Nox replied as it followed Lex's footsteps into the royal chambers. "The human has been appearing in a lot of the social gatherings, with her most recent one being the royal ball held by Sir Fredrick for his fiftieth birthday."

"Fredick... you must mean that bald bastard from the Fire Academy." Lex asked with an amused expression. "I thought he hated Kaari because of her affiliation with me. I wonder what prompted his change of heart?"

Before he knew it, Lex had already returned to his office, where a substantial stack of paperwork awaited his undivided attention.

One of Lex's preferred ways to unwind after a busy day was to listen to whatever news Nox had collected while Lex was away.

He poured himself a fresh glass of deer's blood before he walked over to his desk, determined to get as much work done before he was to head out once more.

Lex attentively listened as Nox detailed every event that transpired during the weeks he was away, making mental notes on information that might be useful to him in the future.

 "This may be a trivial matter however, Princess Kaari had written to you in hopes of meeting you sometime soon." Nox placed an elegantly letter on top of the document Lex was revising, immediately securing his attention. "She states that there is something she needs your help with."

"Before you come to a conclusion, I must remind you, Your Majesty. You have a meeting with the Circle this evening, and it cannot be rescheduled." Nox warned, fully aware of what its master was scheming in his head while he read the letter. "Therefore, meeting the human princess must unfortunately wait until the meeting concludes."

"Ugh, what a bother." Lex scoffed, his excitement instantly evaporating. "Just when I thought I could finally get a breath of fresh air."

"... Let's do it this way then." He smirked slyly, having thought of a genius idea. "You finally may be of use to me, Nox. Come on, it'll be rude to have the rest waiting for us, wouldn't it?"