Chapter 95

ZENITH'S POV

The winds begin to pick up as night falls. All the soldiers camped inside their tents after an eventful day.

Most of the day was spent on taking bodies out and sending them to the capital. But, after a while, the effort came to fruition.

All the bodies have been cleared and sent to the capital. What to do with them? That is not our job, Emperor Amadeus will deal with it.

My tent began to shake furiously as I sat and wrote in my diary. I was told to keep a diary with the day's logs in it. Artorius must know everything I've done.

As the tent shakes, the muffled sound of rain began.

Luckily, my tent could be closed up. I was safe inside as long as the wind didn't pick up.

A calming thunder came from the distance. I close my diary and stare at the ceiling. With such weather, I couldn't continue to write any recount.

The thunders continued to roar, but they never grew louder or closer. It kept its distance as the rain continued to pour.

It was a sudden shift in the weather for sure. No one expected rain to come, especially at this hour.

I lay in bed and ponder on what to do next. The next few days will be bland and boring. We've finished the main task. All we have to do now is be on guard duty.

The soldiers have to be trained daily. They are like weapons, they may grow dull as time goes on.

It also goes true if they are overworked. A sword's sharpness doesn't last if it's constantly being used.

Everything is already laid out and planned for me. I just have to continue walking this path.

My eyes slowly felt heavier and heavier. The crackles of the lamp were deafened by the thunder and rain.

Maybe I deserve a rest for now.

AMADEUS' POV

"Huh… the weather has turned quite sour,"

I looked outside my window as the storm continued to get harsher. After sunset, I like to relax and ease up on the work.

Even after taking over as the emperor, I do not want to forsake my books and my hobby of reading. It is one thing that I can never give up on.

The book I had started reading was gifted to me by Artorius. At first, I felt skeptical about it. It seemed old and the cover was tattered. But it had lots of interesting stories.

It was an accurate recount of what dragons were like in the past. If I remember correctly, the first topic we both talked about was during dinner. It was about dragons and their return.

He has quite an interest in dragons.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" Sylas suddenly asked me.

"Yes, why?"

"I didn't hear an answer when I knocked,"

I hadn't heard him knock beforehand. I must've been lost in my thought.

"Why are you here anyways?"

"Do you still wish to go to the camp?" He asked with an unsure expression.

"Why yes?" I replied. "The storm will pass by tomorrow."

There was unease in his eyes. Yet, he did not protest. He bowed before leaving the room in a hurry.

My only guess would be to meet Zenith. He left us on unfavourable terms. No one in the castle has been able to trust him since.

Rumour has it that he had fled after poisoning Father. But knowing Zenith, I doubt he would do such treason.

Especially to leave my side and deflect to another king. It would be a poor choice.

The storm slowly calmed down but continued as a light shower. I breathe out deeply before leaving my room.

Since Father's passing, no one in the castle has been able to smile. I've tried my best to keep the spirits up. At one point, I had to pull aside staff to give them a pep talk.

The lights are dimmer than usual. I can't tell if it's just my eyes or if they have been purposefully dimmed.

A gloomy atmosphere filled the once lively castle. All frowns and no smiles. It was as if Father was a beacon of happiness.

I walked past my mother's room–it used to be both of their rooms till my father passed away. Now, she solely owns it. She barely comes out as well, leaving me alone at the dinner table.

I knocked on the door, hoping to get an answer. To my dismay, it went unanswered.

The lights were turned off. I knocked once more, hoping she would answer.

"Who is it?" Her muffled and familiar voice finally spoke out.

"It's me, Mother," I replied.

She stopped speaking after that.

"May I come in?"

She didn't answer once again.

I felt frustrated. She has barely communicated with me since the funeral. I have been trying my best to be patient and have her heal naturally.

Yet, all she does is sulk in her room all day. It's been two months and she has yet to feel better

I burst through the door as my patience reaches its limits. I enter the room and realise the horror.

She's curled up in her bed in a fetal position. A blanket covered her and the lights were turned off. The balcony was left wide open as the rain poured in.

"Mother?" I mutter in shock.

I turn the lights on and close the door behind me. She didn't move or make a sound. I could see her breathing from inside the blanket.

I walked over to the balcony to close it. The rain had been pouring inside and turned the carpet into a pool of water.

Her head popped out of the blanket like a turtle inside its shell. She looked at me as I came closer.

"The balcony is left wide open," I said as I fought to close the doors.

In the process of closing it, the rain showered me as I closed it. I became drenched to my shoulders.

"Thank you…" She whispered. Her voice barely reached my ears.

I wiped the water off my face and walked to her. "How are you feeling now?" I smiled.

She finally spoke to me for once.

"Fine," She replied.

"You don't look fine,"

I took a seat at the edge of her bed and looked at her. Her eyes sunk in and her hair was a mess. Tear marks were left on her cheeks and her pillow was wet. She must've cried a lot not too long ago.

"When was the last time you ate?" I asked her.

"I ate lunch,"

Perhaps it was the lighting, but her hair had become much lighter. It used to be blonde but has slowly become grey over the years.

It always saddened me to see her hair become grey over the years. Her beauty was unmatched when she was young. Yet, with time, she has grown older. The stress on her body has made her weak and ghostly.

"Can we… talk for a minute?" I asked her, hoping she would be willing to talk to me.

"Yes, we can," She answered back.

She slowly got up from her fetal position and curled her legs to her chest. She looked as gloomy as ever. Her hair covered her face as she looked down at the blanket.

"It's been really difficult for you, hasn't it?"

"You know that very well," Her voice began to crack and break. "It's been the worst for both of us."

"And yet, you're the only one who hasn't recovered from it," My smile turns to a frown.

"Because I'm still in denial!" She looked at me for once.

"How long do you plan to stay huddled up like this?!" I raised my voice.

She fell silent once again. Before I could say anything, she began to sob once again.

"I just can't take it anymore…" She sobbed while hiding her face.

I hopped closer to her and comforted her. She fell into my arms as I wrapped mine around her.

"He was healthy just a day before… How did this happen…" Her voice muffled out in my arms.

"It's been two months, Mother," I pat her on the back and comfort her. "We just have to accept and move on."

"But how!?" She cried. "How can I move on so easily!"

"Death is part of life. No matter what we do, we cannot escape it. Every second we move closer to death. There's no stopping this cycle. Soon, we all will meet an end. The end we meet can be sudden and uncalled for."

A tear rolled down my eye as I spoke. I couldn't help but tear up as well. Seeing her cry broke my heart more than anything. It was difficult for everyone to accept. Yet, I'm the only one who's shaken hands and accepted the fact.

This also means I'm a step ahead of all. If everyone is still stuck on an event that took place in the past, I can move forward and strive. I can become the brightest star.

FELIX'S POV

The weather was changing at a rapid pace. It was fine till an hour ago when it became windy. It slowly picked up more speed as time passed.

Now the windows began to rattle and shake. Sooner or later, rain should follow.

Vincent and I have spent the entire day training with each other. Though it was more of me training him than me learning anything.

We both finished up not too long ago. He went to take a bath, hoping to relax his muscles and feel at ease.

Though, he's taking quite a while to finish.

It's been over thirty minutes. We planned on relaxing in the drawing room, except he's gone missing.

"Where is this guy?" I muttered to myself, feeling cross.

I became fed up and stood up from the sofa, stomping out of the drawing room in search of Vincent.

Suddenly, rain began to pour as I reached the foyer, about to go up the marble stairs.

Though I felt as though I was overreacting, I felt irritated because we had a lot to talk about, especially Vincent. He wished to share many stories and was a keen listener to tell them too.

I stopped right in front of his family's room, hoping to find him and drag him out.

Before entering, I knocked thrice just to let him know. The lights were on but I couldn't hear an answer or any sounds.

I slowly opened the double doors and peeked inside. Though I was invading his family's privacy, I hoped it would be fine this one time. Even though it was for a selfish reason.

I didn't expect to see such a sight as I peeked in. I was taken aback.

Vincent had fallen asleep in bed. But it was not only him, it was his entire family who was sleeping with him.

His two children, Killian Wikes and Kiara Wikes hugged him on opposite sides. His wife was sleeping next to him, though she couldn't hold onto her dear husband as her two children had already occupied him.

Seeing him asleep, I decided to let him rest. I turned the lights off in his room and gently closed the doors, leaving without making a noise.

A small smile broke from my face as I was leaving. Seeing him asleep with his entire family next to him was… adorable. It seemed comfortable too. Being hugged by your two kids while your wife is sleeping next to you in bed.

Though an inexplicable feeling of melancholy grew in me. As I walked away, I felt lonely, cold and other feelings that I couldn't explain, even if I tried.

It's as if I hadn't felt these feelings in a long time. I couldn't explain the feeling.

Though there are many things I have yet to experience… I think in the thirty years I've lived, I haven't felt certain emotions and feelings. The older I become, the bleaker these feelings become.