Shackled Lion
In the royal palace's halls.
A'saal and Haider walked together to attend the royal court. The time came for the trial to crown the new king.
The contenders for the crown were two: the son of the late king, dubbed as his heir, and another royal.
"I hope you have put aside your grudge, Haider. Once the new king is crowned, you must fulfill Kurigalzu's will," A'saal said.
Haider sighed, then said, "I've sworn to amend for my mistakes. I'll personally see that Tanaz gets her wish."
A'saal looked at Haider and said, "Haider―If you have any contempt against her, then place someone else in your stead."
"No, I never break my promises, and I will never break my promise to my brother," Haider said.
They stepped into the royal court, filled with high-ranking members of the royal family. Haider and A'saal stood side by side where the late king stood and announced the start of the trial.
The contenders for the crown stepped forward and sat at a low table.
A'saal looked at them and said, "Princes of Mesopotamia, the responsibility you seek after is greater than everything you've ever handled. Are you ready for it?"
"Yes," The princes replied.
"The trial you're about to experience is one. Drink the blood that'll be placed before you," A'saal said.
The princes nodded.
Two blue Jinns manifested before the princes and placed two bowls filled with black blood on the table.
"Be warned! You will die painfully if you cannot handle the blood. With that in mind, are you ready to ascend and claim the throne of Mesopotamia?" A'saal said.
"Yes," The princes replied.
A'saal crossed her arms behind her back and said, "Then drink, and let us see who's worthy."
The princes grabbed the bowls.
The other royal was reluctant to drink, as the blood boiled at a cold temperature in a slime-like manner.
The late king's son, who dreamt of becoming a man like his father, took a deep breath and chugged the blood like water.
The other royal looked at him in awe and placed the bowl down to see what would happen to him.
The king's son drank it all, placed the bowl down and gasped.
The attending royals whispered around, and Haider gestured for them to be quiet. He knew the trial was not over yet.
The king's son looked around and groaned, "Who are those creatures!?"
He stood, retreated, looked around frantically and began to cough. He fell on his knees, and his breath shortened.
Haider looked at A'saal. She nodded, gesturing to Haider to let effects take their course.
The king's son whined, squealed in torment and began to choke. His body bloated, and his skin deteriorated, forming flesh bubbles.
His body inflated three times its original size, and he looked like a freak more than a royal. His hair fell, and his skin was almost at its breaking point while its color shifted from fair to pinkish red.
In the end, the king's son screamed in agony and exploded. His remains soiled the hall and flew at everyone in his surroundings.
The royals gasped and screamed; their panicked chatter roamed.
Haider managed to shield himself from the filth, but A'saal stood there with a casual look.
She looked at the second contender with torn flesh and blackened blood on her face and said, "Do you want to proceed?"
The other contender, soiled with filth and blood, shook his head and fled from the hall.
A scared royal came to A'saal and said, "Do we have to abide by these sickening traditions!? At this pace, we won't have a king!"
"The law is sacred. Try to remove it, and I'll execute you myself," A'saal threatened.
Haider stepped forward and shouted, "Calm down!!"
The panicked royals became silent.
Haider looked around and said, "The throne remains empty. Who dares to take it?"
The royals kept their heads down; none spoke.
"Is this what Kurigalzu fought for? To have this family filled with cowards who love life!" Haider growled.
A loud banging was heard behind the iron door. It increased with every second.
Haider looked at the door and pulled out his sword.
The door was busted open by a man covered entirely by steel and shackled by thick chains. The man stepped forward, groaned loudly and dragged the iron weights connected to his chains. It was supposed to hinder him from walking, but the anonymous man proved unstoppable.
"I demand the throne!!" The man shouted.
Haider sheathed his sword, then contemptuously said, "You were supposed to rot in prison."
The man tilted his head like a bird, then said, "I have the right to claim it! If you know anything about the ancient law, you'll let me take the trial."
Haider looked at A'saal and said, "What do you say, A'saal?"
The man approached and said, "A'saal? The lioness is alive!?"
A'saal sighed, then said, "He has the right to take the trial. Unshackle him, Haider."
Haider looked at him and used his flames to melt the locks and hinges of his shackles and steel clothing.
Once they melted, the man shook off his moving cage and started tearing everything together.
Till finally, he was revealed.
The man had long, braided black hair and a thick, long beard with locks of gold. His skin tone was fair, and his body was muscular. His wide eyes were colored rich brown, and his eyebrows were thick.
His complexion was aesthetically pleasing, and his stare was sharp, not to be expected from a prisoner like him. Even his fair skin had no signs of filth or dirt. If anything, he seemed to come out from the heavens more than the earth.
He stood before the other royals naked. He looked at A'saal and said, "Your nephew requires clothing."
A blue Jinn manifested before him and handed him a white robe. He took it and wore it.
A'saal looked at him and said, "Step forward, nephew. Drink what your peers couldn't."
He smiled, nodded and said, "Of course."
He approached the last remaining bowl and said, "One hundred and fifty years I've waited for this moment." He sat before the bowl and said, "And now, the throne is mine!"
He grabbed the bowl and chugged it like wine. After he finished it, he sat and waited. But he didn't show any signs of change.
He stood, looked at the bowl in confusion, then looked at the remains of the king's son and said, "He died from drinking this liquid shit?"
The crowd whispered around. They wondered why there was no effect on him.
He grabbed a Jinn from thin air, displayed him to the crowd and shouted, "These are the creatures that drove kings mad!?"
The crowd gasped.
He threw away the Jinn and shouted, "Weak!"
One of the royals stepped forward and shouted, "No human is absolved from the torments of the trial! What are you!?"
He looked at him, gripped his throat and snarled, "I am your new king!" he broke his neck, dropped him, looked around and shouted authoritatively, "Kneel before me!" He pointed at A'saal and said casually, "Except you, Auntie. You're my favorite."
They all knelt in fear.
A'saal approached him and said, "What will be your first command, King Nimrod?"
Nimrod looked at A'saal, smiled and said, "Now, Auntie. I will usher a new age for this great kingdom!"
The End