Chapter 76: Enemies turned allies

ARTORIUS' POV

His body lay motionless on the floor. Taking slow but shallow breaths with each second passing. The emotionless face and dark highlights in his eyes told me how he's been treated.

An unpleasant odor reeked from his body, slowly making its way to my nose. I pinched my nose and grunted.

"Get him cleaned up once we are done," I told Felix.

He stood behind Zenith after bringing him in. We stood around for a minute so far, waiting for him to wake up.

"The boy must've not showered in a while," Felix sighs. "I pity him,"

My eyes darted around his body, trying to find clues about his lifestyle. He was older than me and yet he was shorter. Zenith looked much skinnier and shorter than an adult, similar to an adolescent child.

Not much is known about him. All we know is he's strong, very strong. The short duel I had with him also proved it. His speed was incredible, even to my standards.

To both of our surprise, Zenith twitched his fingers. His eyes shook and squinted as he slowly came back to his consciousness.

He tilted his head up and made eye contact. His eyes spoke a thousand words. But the one word that spoke the loudest was 'broken'.

Slowly, he gets to his knees and looks around. He looked back and saw Felix staring down at him. They both stared into each other's eyes before Zenith turned back around.

"I've… come…" He muttered slowly.

"Good. I was waiting," I said as I walked closer to him.

His head followed me as I walked up to him. Slowly growing closer and closer. A sorrowful look was on his face as if he accepted defeat.

"Bring him some water," I looked at Felix. "He must be exhausted from dehydration and lack of food,"

Felix does as he was told, leaving me and Zenith alone in the room.

I fell to eye level with him. He was on his knees while I was on one. He looked at me with weary eyes. Lack of sleep and rest.

"When did you last sleep?" I asked him in a mellow voice. "What was your last meal?"

"I can't remember… It's been a while," He answered before swallowing. "The last meal I had was a day-old bun. That was yesterday,"

"Do you want food?" I asked him with a smile.

He nodded in response. "Can I have something better than my last meal?" He asked me with puppy eyes.

"Of course!" I chuckled. "I will be your host. You are my guest,"

I stood up and put my hand forward. He looked at my hand before looking up at me.

"I will give you everything that you desire. Unlike Alaric, I treat the men that work under me the way they should be treated. With respect and their desires,"

His jaws slowly opened. "What do you want from me?"

"Work with me. I need a man like you. Just like you," A smirk broke from my lips.

Zenith tried to take my hand but I pulled away. A confused expression fell on his face as he looked back up at me.

"Let me be clear. You have to reach expectations to get what you want. I won't give unless I am satisfied,"

"I will do anything," He nodded. "I will prove that I am worthy of any work you give me,"

His voice suddenly became more hopeful. He sounded much more determined and energized. For the first time, I saw the resolve in him.

"Welcome home," I told him before slapping him across the face.

Zenith falls to his right and lands on his face. He was too tired to handle a slap. A simple slap. Even though he had the strength to take it, his exhaustion limited him.

"That is so you remember your oath," I told him while giving him a stern look. "Make sure you never falter in sight of your enemies. Never let fear overwhelm you. When you stand back up, I want you to put your past aside and start a new future,"

He picked himself up and looked at me as I spoke. Zenith listened to all I said before taking my hand.

I picked him up to his feet and realised how short he was. He was barely over Kathlyn's height.

As I was finished with him, Felix entered the room without knocking. He came in with a glass of water which Zenith took without hesitation.

"So, what of him?" Felix asked as he turned to me.

"Make a uniform for him," I ordered. "But first, get him a bath,"

Zenith chugged down every drop of water before handing the glass back to Felix. He sighed a deep breath before turning to me.

"What will my first job be?"

My eyebrows shot up seeing how eager he is to work. "Talking about work already?" I chuckled. "Get yourself fixed up and come back when you are ready,"

Felix put his arms around Zenith's shoulders and smiled at me. "Don't worry about him!" He exclaimed with joy. "I will get this kid fixed in two hours!"

"Make sure he gets ready before Kathlyn leaves," I added before looking at Zenith. "I already have work for you but you need to be ready,"

He nodded in response. "Understood," He muttered.

Felix lets go of him and walk away with him.

"She's leaving soon. Get ready to say goodbye," Felix told me before walking out and closing the door.

Did he mean something by this?

I shook my head and sighed an exasperated breath.

"She's leaving in three hours," Amelia suddenly chimed in through telepathy.

"Thanks for the information,"

Amelia was still with Kathlyn in the backyard. She was still speaking to me through telepathy, keeping me company and helping me finish the project.

I sit back down, taking my pencil back in hand and my mind to work. There was only one thing left.

Due to the influence of magic, there was no reason to create cannons that would weigh us down. This easily saves me the hassle of creating ammunition and the cannons themselves.

An idea popped into my mind that I needed to test.

Because of magic, I could use mages as artillery. It would be easy to have the entire crew be mages.

"Don't you think that will be a hassle?" Amelia spoke out. "Hiring mages that also have incredible strength to man a ship?"

"That's where the elite force comes to play," I smirked. "They will have both aspects of power and magic,"

"Smart," Amelia said with an arrogant tone.

I finished the final sketch, the sketch of the Man o' war. I place it on top of the pile and stretch my limbs.

"Mmm~ That's it for this~" I yawned. "I'm tired…"

"Come meet us at the garden then," Amelia suggested. "You can relax and spend time with mama,"

"Thanks for the invitation. But…" I said before picking up my pen and a blank piece of paper.

"But what?" Amelia questioned.

"I still have work to do,"

There was still a summary of my entire work that I had to write. It's a detailed explanation of the work that needs to be done for these ships. This will take a lot of time to write.

Though Amelia's suggestion isn't bad…

ALARIC'S POV

"Are you feeling any better?" Amadeus asked me as he took a seat.

Since last night, my health has become worse and worse. There is no hope for me. This is the end.

"Not really," I answered truthfully. "How are you holding up?" I asked Amadeus while turning my gaze to him.

He looked at me with a sorrowful frown. Tears formed in his eyes as his eyes sparkled in the water.

"I'm… managing it," He answered reluctantly. "It's quite stressful. A lot of things have to be done,"

"Haha! You will get used to it," I laughed. "You will be used to it soon enough,"

His frown slowly turned into a smile. "I hope so," He said with a smile, hiding away his worries.

I take a deep breath and sigh. "Is Zenith gone?" I asked as my smile slowly faded.

"Yes, he left this morning," Amadeus answered. "He took a horse and left in a hurry,"

He leaned forward on his chair and tangled his hands, fidgeting with his thumbs. Our eyes were locked on one another as we spoke. Even though I knew my time was coming, I couldn't reveal it. The only thing that it would do is make Amadeus feel worse.

"Have you ever wondered what's beyond the sea?"

"Huh…?" Amadeus looked at me with curious eyes.

"Remember when we went to the end of the Luxanor empire? The edge of the continent."

"Ten years ago?"

"Mhm," I slowly sat upright. "That many years ago,"

Amadeus got up from his seat and helped me sit down. I laid my back on the bed's frame and looked at Amadeus as he kneeled beside my bed.

"You remember seeing the ocean, right?" I asked him. "The endless ocean that no one has yet to cross,"

"I do," He answered while reminiscing. "Only small longboats were out in the middle. No one dared go further out into the sea. No one had the capabilities either,"

"That shouldn't stop us," I said with determination. "There's no reason to not break our limitations and strive for something better,"

"They say a monster lies deep within," Amadeus looked at me with a condescending smile. "No one would dare go out with a monster living dormant,"

"That's our biggest sin as human beings,"

"How so?" His eyes widened.

"As humans, we grew from testing and blindly throwing ourselves into danger. How else do you think we know what plants to eat and not eat?"

He scratched his chin. "Hmm, but no one would want to fight a monster. No one has the heart to go out into the sea,"

"Find one," I leaned forward and held his shoulder. "Find someone brave. Someone bold. If I'm being honest… find someone with bravery that you mistake for stupidity,"

"Heh… I'll try," He breaks into a soft chuckle.

"You will make for a great emperor. I want to watch you grow into my shoes and fit them perfectly, as if woven for your feet."

'I will try my best," Amadeus held my hand. "Just watch me,"

Both of us shared a chuckle while keeping eye contact. My heart raced as I lied to Amadeus. Even though I wished to watch him grow, I knew it won't be a reality.

He held onto my hands as I took a deep breath. I looked to the ceiling and stared. No thoughts, empty brain.

"Go, you need to work first," I told Amadeus while pulling my hand away.

He stood up to his feet and smiled. "As you say,"

Amadeus left without a sound. Leaving me alone as a gentle breeze starts flowing into the room from the window, making the curtains float. A calm sensation fills me up as I slowly sink down, placing my head on my pillow.

"How unfortunate," Mori's voice mocked. "Such a close father and son relationship. Oh~ I envy,"

Mori never left my side. He's always watching over me as I slowly pass due to illness. An illness that he placed upon me himself.

"Maybe I could bond more," I said to him in my mind.

"Not at all,"

"Why not?" I asked him.

"Your time has come. There is no turning back. You've given up your soul to me,"

"Ah, of course," I smiled. "Perhaps I can still watch over him in the afterlife,"

I felt a skeletal hand cover my face. Though it didn't block my vision, it only was a sensation. It must be Mori's hand.

"Rest easy, emperor," Mori said with a sinister tone. "There's only a few hours left. You're bed bound and have no escape. Accept it now or regret it as time goes on,"

"I'd rather live a few hours longer…" I replied softly. "There is no need to rush,"

"My patience is running out, you know?" Mori said angrily. "I cannot mop around all day. I have my own deity works to do,"

A soft giggle escaped my lips. "Deity work? What kind of work is that?"

"The details are better left untold,"

ZENITH'S POV

I followed Felix as he walked down the hallways of the estate. He was in a happy mood. Humming and having a resting smile on his face. He told me he will be taking me somewhere special.

We walked into a common room and downstairs into the basement. The staircase was dimly lit with wall-mounted lights. They barely lit up the path.

Our footsteps echoed throughout the rather thin hallway. It made me stay alert as we slowly made our way downstairs.

"No need to be on edge," Felix spoke out. "We're just going to test something,"

"Where are we going?" I asked him with a rough voice. "This seems unsafe,"

"It will be if you keep asking questions," Felix answered back with power.

I stayed my tongue to avoid further conflict. It took us a few minutes but we finally made it to the end. Bright lights shone from the end of the staircase. An uncommon sight for a basement to have such bright lights.

We walked into the light and were greeted with a vast sandy arena. It spread across for at least a mile. It was a massive underground arena, something I had never seen before.

"This, my friend, is our training ground," Felix turned to me and said enthusiastically. "We're here to test something,"

In the middle of the arena, a man dressed in a white shirt and beige cape stood with his arms crossed. A wide grin rested on his face as we made eye contact. Dashing red hair and condescending red eyes.

"Finally, you both arrive," Artorius waved at us. "I was getting quite tired of waiting,"

Felix vaulted over the half wall and motioned me to follow him. I followed without question and walked alongside him as he walked up to Artorius.

"Shall we begin?" Felix asked with a smirk.

"Yes, go and be on standby," Artorius responds.

Felix leaves me with Artorius in the middle of the arena. He watched Felix as he left before focusing on me again.

"Looking nice in a proper uniform," Artorius complimented. "Was the uniform you wore at the party your first time in formalwear?"

"N-no…" I looked away and answered. "I've worn similar clothes before,"

"No need to be shy," He laughed. "Doesn't matter if it was your first or your hundredth. Let's get started,"

The crimson fox that stood firmly on his shoulder jumped off. He began to move away and made a significant distance between me and the fox.

The fox stared at me with innocent eyes. It seemed tame and docile, sitting with its behind planted on the sand, wagging its tail gently.

"Let's see how good you are when something shocking happens!" Artorius shouted from across the arena.

Suddenly the fox began to glow. A white silhouette that began growing larger and larger. It overtook me in height but kept growing. The silhouette shifted and became something unrecognizable. A creature that was never seen before.

Dark scales, colossal wings with olive leather skin. A neck that reached the roof. The once innocent and adorable fox had shapeshifted into something unknown. A beast, dark and sinister with glowing yellow eyes, striking me down with fear.

My heart began pounding as its eyes looked down upon me. It looked at me with a condescending gaze.

"What do you think!?" Artorius shouted from behind the creature. "It's a dragon. Isn't it pretty wild!?"

No words came out of my mouth. I was too afraid to speak. I began stammering nonsense. Half words that cried for help.

A dragon. Creatures that were told to be extinct. Fairytale creatures that are lost in time. But one stood before me. In flesh and scale. It was staring down at me with its very own eyes.

Artorius swaggered out from behind the dragon. His hands in his pocket and his shoulders relaxed. He gave me an arrogant smile and laughed.

"Be not afraid," He teased. "This one here is nice. It won't kill you… yet,"

"W-what do you mean y-yet…?" I asked, stumbling on my words.

"If you treat her nicely, she will give you kindness. If you hurt someone close to her… I cannot guarantee survival,"

His sinister words made me tremble in fear. Never once was I so afraid of a single man in my life. Alaric had all the right to be scared of such a powerful man.

"Seems like you need to get used to her," Artorius continued to walk towards me. "Let's do this another day then, shall we?"

He placed his hands on my shoulder and walked past. The dragon began glowing once again, turning into a white silhouette and shrinking. The same process, but in reverse.

Soon enough it became the same adorable fox. It looked at me and shrieked a high-pitched noise before walking past me as well, tailing behind Artorius.

"I'm sending you to the capital of the kingdom," Artorius stopped and turned around. "Stay at the castle and talk with Leo, a general stationed at the barracks,"

I mustered up enough courage to turn around and walk to him. "I understand," I answered. "But can I ask why?"

"Leo has some work that you may be fit for. I have a secret project that Leo has been working on since I left the capital,"

"What project is it?"

A wide smirk came out. "Have you heard of the elite force?" He asked while putting his arm forward.

"No… Not at all," I answered, clueless about what he was talking about.

He caught the fox in his hand and let her climb back on his shoulders. It stood firmly and looked back at me with bubbly eyes.

"Then you're in for a treat," Artorius said arrogantly.