Sword of Truth

Hyacinth found Helibor sitting silently on the couch in a distant corner of the house. She sat beside him, quiet for a long time. Then, in a soft tone, she spoke:

"I never expected to see you cry... nor to remain silent for so long."

But Helibor didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on an empty space, unable to express the pain he was experiencing. Hyacinth knew there was nothing to say, so instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and fell asleep in silence.

There's a saying, "Not everyone who laughs a lot is happy." Helibor would laugh in every situation, whether happy or sad, or even if hurt by words. Between those laughs, he hid a deep sorrow he didn't want to show. However, he was under his mother's control, never finding an opportunity to be himself. His mother's dominance and his father's cruelty, who never understood him, turned Helibor into the young man who frequented bars and spent his time with girls.

Helibor, who had been in a long silence, gently removed his coat and covered Hyacinth with it, then left her to sleep peacefully. He exited the room, softly closing the door behind him.

Helibor's footsteps echoed through the palace corridors, each step announcing an approaching storm about to engulf everything in its path. His long golden hair fell wildly across his face, his golden eyes blazing with rage, speaking of the injustice that ravaged his heart. In that moment, it seemed as if all of life's experiences had converged in this situation, as if all the wounds he had received from his own actions were nothing compared to the sight of his mother acting as if human lives meant nothing in her eyes.

He strode towards Imifra, his steps heavy on the ground, as if following the rhythm of his torment. He stopped abruptly in front of her, raising his voice with utter harshness, pouring out all his suppressed emotions:

"Where are you going? Is this the limit you've reached? Do you think all of this is just a game? Do you know how many souls you've extinguished with your hands? Do you realize the truth of what you're doing?"

He paused for a moment, as if the words themselves were choking him. His pain-filled gaze drowned in her eyes, as if trying to find anything in them to justify her actions.

"Until now, I've tried to compose myself, to control my temper, but you've made me face the impossible... Mother!"

The last words were like the sound of a storm in his heart, carrying the bitterness of pain and loss. All he felt now was a contradiction of emotions tearing him apart: love and pain, anger and fear. A sense of alienation in the embrace of his mother, who had turned him into that cruel force, indifferent to life.

Imifra's calm tone seeped into the palace's atmosphere like a cold dagger, contrasting with the storm raging around her. She said calmly, as if playing on the strings of Helibor's heart:

"Is that all you have? Are you doing all this for Adonis, the son of that traitor?"

The words struck like lightning, striking Helibor's heart, but there was nothing to make him back down. He sat on the couch, his hands clenched in front of him, his head bowed, as if a specter of darkness enveloped him. The entire atmosphere of the palace emanated from this dark moment. He whispered in a choked voice, barely audible from the intensity of the pain:

"When you put me in the forefront, it was for... for you. Did I ever ask you for this? Did I want the throne? Did I want to be king?"

Then he added, his eyes covered with deep sadness:

"I did what you wanted all along. Didn't I? Hyacinth once said that I left the thinking to you. Her words are true. I am your toy, Mother, your toy to control everything. What about them? Is betrayal a game too? Are you sure betrayal is a game?"

Then suddenly, Imifra exploded with a sharp voice, as if the words themselves were shattering:

"I knew Hyacinth, that damned snake! She made you a toy in her hands. She changed you! She turned my son against me!"

Suddenly, Helibor stood up, his face stern, his steps heavy towards Imifra, until he stood close to her and whispered in a nearly frozen voice:

"You're joking, right? Hyacinth didn't change me. I'm not a table to be overturned or a toy in anyone's hand. Come on, you've shown the part you suppressed, and now, more importantly... where is Izolda? I think she's the only one who can make the herb. I want the antidote."

Amidst the tension, a knock on the door added new dimensions to the strained moment.

Imifra, trying to maintain her composure, said firmly:

"Enter."

The maid replied in a weak voice, but with some caution:

"Lady Izolda wishes to enter."

Imifra, her eyes wide like circles of ice, said:

"I'm busy, tell her..."

But Helibor, his tone suddenly shifting to a firm one, ordered:

"Let her in."

He smiled faintly, almost sarcastically, and said in a serious voice:

"Let's see what I'll do about this."

Then Izolda entered, bearing the weight of her decision in her eyes.

"Empress. I have carried out your orders."

Imifra clenched her hands into fists, wishing her words could tear her apart:

"Leave."

Then, suddenly, Helibor began to clap, as if standing on a stage, commenting:

"Well done, you've mastered your work, Aunt."

But in a fleeting moment, his face changed, and seriousness appeared in his eyes, surrounding her with a sharp gaze, as if he had made an irreversible decision:

"Now, I want the antidote."

Imifra approached him cautiously, trying to cling to the power of the throne, and said coldly:

"That's not true, you won't."

But Helibor was merciless, and said in an even more decisive voice:

"I want it now, Izolda, or else I will execute you. The Empress can't do anything. I'll do this now, at this very moment. Then everything will end, and you will disappear. And I'm not joking."

The final sound in his sentence, seeping into the depths of the palace, signaled the beginning of the end...

Izolda looked at the Empress, then at Helibor, her eyes full of confidence. There was not the slightest doubt in her voice when she said, as if ensuring that every word she uttered would remain immortal:

"I am under the Empress's immunity, and she knows that every document she signed is not just a game. This game is over, Helibor. Adonis will—"

But she didn't finish her sentence. In one moment, the air swirled like a storm, and suddenly, Helibor's sword touched her neck with frightening sharpness, cutting off the words in her throat. The sword swung in the air, its blade gleaming, like fate pursuing her.

"Immunity? What immunity?" Helibor said in a low voice, but in his words there was an explosive rage like thunder.

"I wasn't joking. Izolda, at this point, I'm not joking."

Izolda's eyes widened in shock, but despite the shock, there was a glimmer of defiance in her eyes. The sword was close to her neck, but she didn't flinch. She tried to keep her facial features steady, but her heart pounded violently. Helibor saw her in that moment, breathing deeply, composed, but there was something strange in that look, as if she was preparing for a fatal blow.

Imifra, the Empress, turned quickly to Helibor, trying to calm the situation. Her eyes were filled with anger, but there was something else in her eyes too: fear.

"But you won't do that. You can't, Helibor," she said in a powerful tone, but she concealed the worry deep within her.

Here Helibor tilted his head, his gaze igniting the void between him and Imifra. He let out a cold smile, tinged with a hint of madness. Helibor's eyes were glowing, not hiding the absolute determination he carried. He took a step forward, as if every word flying through the air carried a sharp, insurmountable sword.

"Do you want to try, Mother?" he said in a dry voice, laden with suppressed violence. "I've thought about this repeatedly. You just think I can't. But I can. Just as you did when you reached the throne, I can do anything."

Then he added, moving closer to Izolda:

"Your blood runs in my veins. And I am your son. If anything happens to Adonis, that will be your end too. That will be the end, and I won't let you escape this time."

His sword gleamed in the dim light, and time passed slowly, as if moving in a closed circle of death and life. His hands on the sword were steady, and his voice in every word pierced the silence around them. His eyes blazed with anger, and the intensity in his facial features was clear.

Everything stopped for a moment, breaths were heavy in the air. Everyone was anticipating that moment, as if everything would explode in an instant. Helibor stood in the middle, his sword in the air, while Izolda was under his threat, but her eyes were also full of threat.

With full defiance, Helibor added in a sharp tone, carrying no mercy:

"If Adonis's end is the end you want, so be it. But don't forget that I am your son. I can achieve that, and more."

And in that moment, the room was boiling with every tense and intense moment, and as the sound of the sword continued to cut through the silence of the room, everyone awaited the fateful decision. Everything would be decided now.

Imifra shrieked with suppressed rage, to the point that the hall walls shook with the echo of her voice:

"Helibor! Fine, stop! I'll give you this damned antidote! Save him, alright? Save Adonis!"

Her words dripped with anger, but in her eyes, there was a glimmer of surrender, something that couldn't be ignored. Helibor's sword was still pointed at Izolda, but at that moment, it stopped moving.

But Izolda, swallowing the lump in her throat, looked at Imifra cautiously, and said in a voice filled with worry:

"But, my lady, everything we've done will be in vain, all this game and scheming... Do you know what this means?"

Imifra froze in place, her eyes burning with indignation, but at the same time, she suppressed her emotions. She replied in a decisive tone:

"Do you have the antidote now?"

Izolda did not hesitate to reply, although her eyes were full of worry and suspicion:

"Yes, I ordered it to be brought to you."

Imifra took a deep breath, as if preparing to make a pivotal decision. Then she said, without showing any doubt:

"Give it to Helibor now, immediately."

Suddenly, Helibor returned to a state of calm, as if the storm that had raged around them had subsided. He withdrew his sword from the air and carefully returned it to its sheath, but the smile that spread across his face was full of mystery and triumph.

"Well done, Mother, a wise decision," he said, staring at Imifra, with a look tinged with sarcasm. "It seems you love Aunt more than you used to say, don't you?"

Then he took a step towards Izolda and smiled a grim smile, not without a clear threat. He added, turning to Imifra with a cold smile:

"Now, I must go... But don't forget, plan something even more horrible. For the devil cannot be stopped easily."

He looked at Imifra with a cold gaze, his eyes not devoid of mystery and unseen pain. "You are the devil yourselves... Good luck, Mother."

Then he left, giving Imifra a chance to complete the rest of their dark plans. And with those words, Helibor exited the room with confident strides, as if everything that had happened was merely a part of a farcical play.

Imifra sat on the ground, her face distorted by a mixture of shock and anger. Her eyes gleamed with unwarranted malice, as if the whole world had conspired against her. In that moment, she looked like another woman, not the one who ruled the palace and displayed her power, but a weak woman facing a harsh threat to her secrets.

Izolda approached her cautiously, her eyes full of concern, then extended her hand to help her up, but Imifra recoiled for a moment, as if unable to move her body due to the turmoil within her.

Izolda said in a low voice, full of emotion:

"His gaze was inexplicable, he was devouring you with his eyes, as if a part of him was disappearing into the darkness... What happened to him?"

Imifra raised her head, her eyes blurred, as if all thoughts were crowding her mind and she couldn't reach a clear conclusion. She whispered in a low voice, as if talking to herself:

"It appeared... that part that I had always suppressed within me. A part I never wanted to show. The part that was waiting for the right moment to emerge."