Emperor Act [2]

Sebastian sat slouched in his oversized chair, eyes fixed on the fireplace. The flickering flames reflected in his golden eyes, frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior. "This is getting ridiculous," he muttered, drumming his fingers against the armrest. "Playing emperor in this snoozefest of a realm... what a joke."

He stood up, stretching lazily like someone who'd just woken up from a long nap. "I swear, I've been suppressing my power for so long, I'm starting to forget how strong I actually am." He glanced at his emperor robes with a sigh. "How much longer do I have to dress like this? These mortals wouldn't know true power if it slapped them in the face."

Walking over to the balcony, he flicked a hand dismissively, maintaining his guise as Emperor Lezandros. "Seriously, I need a hobby."

The empire's capital stretched out below him, quiet and neat too neat. People were bustling about in the marketplace, living their peaceful little lives like they had no clue they were in the presence of someone who could wipe them out with a sneeze.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Not even a decent cultivator in sight. What is this, the realm of retirement?"

He floated into the sky, his silver robes catching the light of the twin moons. His flight was smooth, effortless, but he kept himself hidden, blending with the gentle night breeze.

"They wouldn't appreciate my true form anyway," he mumbled, glancing down at the sleepy streets below.

Lanterns flickered warmly along the cobblestone roads, the whole town looking like something out of a bedtime story. It was so peaceful, it almost hurt. "Ugh," Sebastian groaned. "How do people live like this? No wars, no drama, just... peace."

He stared at the scene below, expression twisting into a mix of disgust and disbelief. "I might actually die of boredom before I find Draven or Zarek."

Then, he smirked, as if an idea struck him. "You know what? Maybe I'll stir up a little fun. Nothing big, just a little chaos... something to make these mortals remember the Emperor Lezandros."

As he floated over the town, hidden in the shadows of the sky, he chuckled to himself. "Let's see what kind of trouble I can stir up without getting caught."

With a final glance at the tranquil scene below, Sebastian's golden eyes gleamed mischievously. "Time to turn this snooze-fest into something interesting."

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Sebastian hovered above the town, his smirk widening as he raised a finger. "Just a little spark to stir the pot."

A flicker of golden light danced at his fingertip. With a casual wave, he sent the light down toward the city. Boooom!! A shockwave rippled through the streets as a small section of the marketplace exploded into chaos nothing major, but enough to send the townspeople into a frenzy.

"Oops," he muttered, though the grin never left his face. He watched as the people screamed and scrambled, guards rushing toward the scene.

"This is more like it," he said, folding his arms and floating lazily in the air.

His appearance shifted slightly, silver robes shimmering as his long, dark sliver hair flowed behind him, and his eyes glowed with the same golden hue as the sparks he'd unleashed. His aura remained hidden, still playing the role of Emperor Lezandros, but just barely

"Maybe I'll make a game out of this," he mused. "How long will it take them to realize their so-called emperor's the one causing all the trouble?"

He vanished from sight, reappearing in the core of the chaos, casually strolling through the crowd with his hands behind his back. His voice, filled with amusement, cut through the noise like a whisper only he could hear.

"Mortals really are so fragile… how amusing."

One guard spotted him. "Your Majesty, please get to safety!"

Sebastian's lips curled into a sly smile.(¬‿¬) "Oh, don't worry. I'm quite capable of handling myself."

The guard nodded frantically, clearly not knowing the truth. As the guard ran off, Sebastian glanced at the panic with a satisfied look.

"Let's see how long I can keep this up going,"

....

Other side of capital...

Sebastian floated through the quiet night, still bored and grumbling to himself, when something hit him out of nowhere. A smell. A delicious smell.

"What's this?" His eyes narrowed, and he sniffed the air again, his curiosity piqued. He slowly descended toward the marketplace, where a small, humble stall stood under a flickering lamp. The stallkeeper was grilling something over an open flame, and the mouthwatering scent of sizzling meat filled the air.

Sebastian paused mid-air, a wry smile forming on his lips. "It's been forever since I've eaten anything... Not that I need to," he muttered, floating down and landing softly in front of the stall.

His disguise as Emperor Lezandros was still perfect, as if he was just casually stopping by.

The stallkeeper, a short, chubby man with a big, friendly grin, immediately noticed him. "Ah! My lord! It's an honor to have you here!" The man bowed deeply and held out a stick of grilled meat. "Please, try one of my finest skewers!"

Sebastian eyed the skewer with mild interest, his face still calm but his thoughts racing. Food from a place like this? he thought, taking the skewer between his fingers. This can't be anything special.

Still, out of sheer boredom, he raised it to his lips and took a bite.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. "What...?" The flavor exploded in his mouth. Savory juices, perfect spices, and the smoky aroma hit him all at once. The meat was tender and melted on his tongue. For a moment, Sebastian was frozen, completely stunned.

How... how is food from such a lowly realm this good?! he thought, his mind reeling as he took another bite without even realizing it. The stallkeeper watched with pride, totally unaware of the internal chaos in Sebastian's head.

"Would you like more, my lord?" the stallkeeper asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Sebastian quickly coughed, regaining his composure. "No, this... this will do." He placed a gold coin on the counter—far more than the skewer was worth—and turned around, trying to look cool despite the fact he was still thinking about how amazing that skewer was.

As he walked away, he glanced back at the stall out of the corner of his eye. That was... actually incredible. His lips twitched slightly. "Maybe this realm isn't so bad after all."

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As Sebastian walked away, still mentally wrestling with the ridiculous fact that mortal food had impressed him, something in the crowd suddenly caught his attention. He froze.

There, among the ordinary townsfolk, was a girl young, with long blue-silver hair flowing down her back like a waterfall of moonlight. But it wasn't her appearance that stopped him in his tracks. No, it was something else. Something impossible.

"What...?" Sebastian whispered, his sharp eyes narrowing as they locked onto her. For the first time in what felt like centuries, his heart skipped a beat. Not from fear, but sheer disbelief.

There was spiritual qi inside her.

It was faint, barely detectable, but it was there flowing beneath the surface, hidden like an ancient river that no one had disturbed in ages. In this realm, that shouldn't be possible.

This place was a barren wasteland when it came to energy, a desert of spiritual power. Even the strongest cultivators would struggle to gather qi here. Yet... she possessed it.

Sebastian's mind raced as he watched her move gracefully through the crowd, completely unaware of the storm she had just unleashed in him. "How can child like her in this dead realm have spiritual qi?" he muttered under his breath. His eyes flickered with a mix of suspicion and intrigue. "This place barely has enough energy to light a candle, and she's walking around with it like it's nothing."

He stepped closer, hiding his presence as always, observing her every movement. She seemed normal enough, blending in with the mortals around her. But Sebastian wasn't fooled.

"Could she be one of them?" He shook his head, dismissing the thought. No, she wasn't like the ones he'd seen before. There was something else. Something different. Something dangerous.

His eyes narrowed as he muttered under his breath, the words slipping out almost involuntarily. "She has... Cosmi—

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing what he had just said. The moment that half of the name left his lips, a chill ran down his spine. He hadn't spoken that name in centuries. The full name refused to come to him, as if the very air didn't want to reveal the truth.

But just hearing it, even part of it, was enough to send a surge of excitement through him. This girl wasn't ordinary. She was a mystery a dangerous, tantalizing mystery.

He stepped forward, moving silently through the shadows, curiosity burning in his chest. He had no idea who she was or where she came from, "But one thing was certain: this girl could be the one connected to that person.".

His thoughts raced, imagining all the possibilities. "I wonder... just how much you're hiding." His lips curled into a wicked grin as he followed her, the night just beginning to unfold.

For the first time in a long while, Sebastian felt something stir inside him something called excitement....