For Complete Annhilation
"Is that so?" Izekiel asked.
Nesrin quickly nodded.
She had explained to him about how Malcolm was not a threat and would instead prove to be very helpful. He can not betray them for he had sworn fealty to Nesrin.
Izekiel noticed how worried Nesrin looked for Malcolm, and something inside of him itched to break Malcolm's arm completely.
"Please, your majesty..." Nesrin pleaded.
Malcolm winced as the pain flared further across his arm.
He had tried to stay still, but now he struggled beneath Izekiel. The way he let out a painful cry was tempting Izekiel to make him suffer even further.
"Nesrin," Izekiel said indifferently, "He had the same aura as the man who offended you earlier..."
It was dark, perhaps Nesrin had not seen his face or perhaps he was wearing a mask that made it hard for Nesrin to understand...
Nesrin didn't seem to be surprised at his revelation.
She knew, Izekiel realized and released Malcolm's arm with a bitter smile.
He wondered why she was so relieved to see her offender safe, this man deserved to be stoned to death for the sin of harming an imperial family member and yet she cared for him.
"We are leaving next morning," Izekiel stated, then glanced at Malcolm, "This man better give me reason to keep him alive,"
Malcolm watched him with narrowed eyes as he clutched his arm but stayed silent.
Nesrin sighed and dragged a chair near Malcolm's desk, she picked a parchment and a quill.
"I will write all the necessary herbs and medicines Lady Hanbel needs, tell us what his majesty needs to know," she said, "right now."
Malcolm's eyes twitched as he saw Nesrin use his stationary and Izekiel look through his compilations and notes.
"Why is the council not doing anything?" Izekiel asked his first question.
"They have been working," Malcolm replied, "All the recent riots, the unrest and every conflict in the empire is somehow related to council."
Izekiel paused while flipping through the sheets, as his eyes caught something amusing. He let out a small chuckle.
"Impressive," he said, "All this data is awfully wrong, how can you think about overthrowing the emperor like this?"
Malcolm's face was plastered with a scorn.
He had the real data sent to the council last week, the sheets Izekiel had seen were simply a mistake.
"I know there is much more to their silence," Izekiel's voice turned slightly cold, "Who is this mysterious man with lost magic?"
Malcolm stiffened and Izekiel noticed the change in him, he smiled.
"I am not a man of patience,"
"No one really knows..." Malcolm answered to the previous question reluctantly, "But his lost magic is probably time, he had made predictions that always turned true. The head priest of the council trusts him and so do we,"
"Is the council doing all this under that man's lead?" Izekiel asked, Malcolm's silence gave him the answer, "Why would they listen to an unknown man?"
Malcolm averted his gaze from Izekiel to Nesrin. He hated her for uncountable things, but at the same time...for some reason, he knew that she was not lying when she said she could protect his mother.
"He had proven himself," Malcolm said without explaining much.
"This wizard," Izekiel tossed the sheets on the desk, "he only arrived a few months ago and somehow one of the greatest councils began to blindly trust him. How strange..."
"It seems like his majesty already has the answers," Malcolm muttered.
"Kindly don't hide anything or I would be forced to break the deal," Nesrin warned, her hand working a little too quickly on the paper as she didn't move her eyes from it.
"The wizard claimed his majesty uses dark magic-" Malcolm started.
"That reason is enough for a death sentence to anyone," Izekiel raised an eyebrow, "How come the council stayed silent because of that?"
"Lord Wizard asked us to prepare for many things, and to gather many more evidences against his majesty before making a move,"
Nesrin froze and glanced at Izekiel.
The reason Izekiel had won in the civil war of novel was because he had a lot of support from northern part of the empire, and he still had a reputation of a just and fair ruler.
Izekiel smirked coldly, something dangerous flickered in his eyes but his voice was calm as he asked his next question,
"And do you think that is enough to bring me down?"
"I don't think that is enough," Malcolm held Izekiel's cold gaze firmly, "I assure his majesty, that even if you know everything now, it's too late now. The council will send the sinners to hell..."
"Will they?" Izekiel's smile remained, "It seems like the messengers of gods are thinking of themselves as gods,"
Nesrin fought a shiver and quickly averted her gaze from him, and then her eyes noticed a certain sheet of paper.
It peeked out of a leather bound cover, and something about it made her forget the tension in the air and her curiosity made her take the cover.
"Your highness-" Malcolm tried to stop but Izekiel stopped him with one glance.
"It's filled with information about you," Izekiel remarked as Nesrin flipped through the pages.
They had a lot of things about her, her life, her spending, her schedule, portraits and whatnot.
"I suppose that wizard also suggested killing Princess Johanna?" Izekiel asked,
"He knows the future," Malcolm narrowed his eyes.
"Sounds like he is just an oracle-"
"He knows everything, and everything he said had been nothing but truth," Malcolm quickly retorted, "Oracles are unpredictable and seldom accurate."
Nesrin paused when she finally reached the picture she had seen earlier. It showed two earths, overlapping each other.
Something about it reminded her of her relation to two different worlds.
There were writings on the page that she could not understand.
"What does this represent...?" she asked, tracing the picture slowly.
When no reply came, Nesrin turned to look at Malcolm.
He hesitated.
She gave him a warning glare, the man's eyes turned scornful at that and for a moment Nesrin wondered what made his hate increase so much for her. He had not been this hateful even when he tried to kill her.
"....it represents the transcendental element; the element of spirit,"
Nesrin was confused.
Her eyes met with Izekiel, there was something inexplicable in them as he looked at her for a moment too long.
Then he looked away.
"Nesrin, Lady Hanbel had called you urgently," he stated, Nesrin opened her mouth to say something but Izekiel cut her off even before that and glanced at Malcolm, "You are to report in the palace every week,"
Nesrin folded the sheets of medicines and stood up from the chair.
"You should get all of them, I have written the recipe of a few potions, make sure to follow them accurately,"
She looked at Izekiel once then left the room without saying anything much.
"Do not speak about this with Princess Johanna" Izekiel warned.
A small smile appeared on Malcolm's lips. His eyes dared Izekiel to threaten him because with few words, he had revealed something that will not let Izekiel harm him.
"I have sworn fealty to her highness," he said.
Izekiel scoffed and walked across the room.
"Don't forget, I can crush you without harming a single hair on you," he seethed, "I will destroy everyone you hold dear,"
"That's expected," Malcolm murmured, "Does his majesty want to know why Lord Wizard asked us to kill her highness? and why did we agree to harm the beloved princess?"
Izekiel paused and glanced at Malcolm.
"As you may know now, her highness can protect you..." Malcolm continued, "The reason for us to agree killing is because her future already holds early death,"
"What are you-"
"She will die painfully," Malcolm's voice turned low, "and it will be his majesty that takes her life...it's written in her destiny, to love the wrong person dearly, to have her heart shattered...to die a miserable death."
Izekiel looked at him darkly.
"Say one more word and-"
"You might be able to save her highness from the council, from everyone," Malcolm asked, "but how will you save her from yourself?"