Exposed!?

The joyful air that previously filled the land of the Nereid was overcome with a demoralizing bleakness and the reason, was something even the most naïve of children was aware off.

It was because of the stupidity of the monarch. The ocean king Pontus had gone mad with rage and had attempted to poion the toxin immortal emissary to death.

The keen senses of the emissary had naturally saved his life and warned him of the danger, as well as Pontus's treachery.

In his rage the emissary had his men kill all of the useless king's sons.

Initially the house of Oceanus could have become the in laws of the toxin immortal's and gained great power from this relationship.

Unfortunately there was no longer any hope for that bright future, all thinks to the inept King.

No one knew just how many of his citzens cursed him every day for ruining their country.

Surprisingly there had been no more words or actions from the emissary. After leaving the banquet he returned to his designated palace and and began making preparations to leave.

But at this point his presence no longer mattered. Under the threat of war with the toxin immortals the House of Oceanus fell into complete chaos.

Many who felt that their house was about to meet its ubrupt end began to steal, kill, loot and rape as they allowed themselves to be controlled by the worst of their impulses.

Of course Canaan had been aware of this result from the beginning.

***

Within the throne room of the toxin immortals, a messenger bowed as he gave his report to the mermaid queen.

Pontus's throne had been empty since 'that' day. Under the horrible retribution he had managed to bring upon himself with his own stupidity and narrow-mindedness, his will, mind and soul had completely collapsed.

Now he locked himself in the deepest darkest part of the palace and reveled in his fear, leaving the burden of ruling solely to Corissa.

But only Corissa knew that this was actually preferable to ruling with him. For once she did not have to clean after his messes.

Unfortunately as she listened to her messengers report dark lines appeared on her forehead, lines that deepened with each passing minute.

"The eastern lands have fallen into complete chaos. Several tens of millions of Nereids have fallen in the violence. In the south the barbarians of the trench have risen to wage war against us, raiding and pillaging whatever settlements they come across.

And finally….." The messenger continued as he looked at the queen with some reluctance. "One of the auxiliary reserves of our house has been completely plundered and ransacked. So we are no longer able to maintain even a thousand man strong army in several of our lands."

Even he was disturbed by the news he was diilivering as he awaited the queens the answer.

She was after all, the only one who was barely preventing the house from falling into complete chaos.

"Go to the Elder Oka'al and ask him to support the defensive line with the main reserves. Tell him also to make use of even the newest recruits and leave all the territories that cannot be saved.

Individual lives no longer matter, only the continued survival of our house does.

Also send a message to the emissary. Tell him that I am ready to hear his terms." Corissa finished.

With a respectful bow, the messanger turned his gazer towards the east, before propelling himself in that direction.

After the messenger had left, an ancient old man that had submissively sat at the foot of the queen's throne rose and made strange gesture with both his palms.

It was how a servant requested to voice his opinion when in the presence of his monarch.

This particular elder was the grand advisor of the the ocean King. He was as old as the dynasty itself and had been the one to teach Pontus everything he knew.

He had also been the one to witness Corissa's capabilities as a ruler the most. It was only with his ancient wisdom and her own deep intelligence that they had managed to prevent the house of oceanus from reverting into a hell.

But now he asked: "What does my queen intend to gain by asking the emissary such a strange question."

The emissary was clearly a very dangerous and cruel person and he had advised the queen several times to stay far away from him, and yet now she actively sought him out.

Corissa replied him in a gentle and respectful voice. "There is a reason his has not left yet despite having no reason to stay.

I see now, he has been waiting for me to realize it all this while." She said bitterly.

"Realize what, my queen?" The elder said as he words put him into a confused haze.

"From the very beginning they were too aggressive and confrontational. They know of my husband's rash and foolish temperament so if they truly came to us peacefully they definitely would not have made a show of force as extreme as crippling a prince!!

"Their intention was to provoke him to a rash decision from the very beginning. They wanted Pontus to give them a reason. Their later amiability and apology was simply to make the rest of us lower our guard." Corissa stated gravely.

"Then this was all planned. Why would they…what do they have to gain." The elder stuttered as his form shivered in fright.

Never in his eight million years of existence had he ever come across a situation so frightening.

Corissa didn't answer the elder's question, and her reason was that she herself did not know the answer.

She had come up with two scenarios. The first was that the toxin immortals coveted a unique treasure of theirs that even she did not know of or…..

That there was something wrong with the emissary….

Hours passed…

The waters surrounding the palace sang a darker tune as as night descended. Despite the eternal darkness of their world, the ocean had a night of its own.

Corissa still sat dignified on her throne.

For reasons only she knew, she had already sent away all of her subjects in the vicinity.

Her heart palpitated as each second seemed harder to endure than the last.

'Am I wrong?' She thought with a bit of doubt.

However it was at this moment that the great doors opened and a single person stepped through the gate.

Once again she was eyes with the same cold dark green eyes and overbearing aura that had visited her several times in her dreams.

From his mere presence she got the feeling that he was something far greater than an emissary of the toxin immortals.

As his eyes found hers she found none of the disdain he had shown everyone else.

There was only interest.

"You are quite the interesting creature!" She said languidly as Canaan walked through the gates.

"At first I couldn't understand why you did the things you did..." She continued.

Canaan felt his interest grow as he spotted an eerie smile.

"Then it dawned on me. Your utter disregard for our dignity and our lives. The callousness with which you would throw our entire world in to disarray and sentence millions to death.."

Canaans smile widened as he heard her words. "Go on." He encouraged.

His voice was no longer that of the emissary but an irresistible chorus of tunes.

A soothing melody that entranced the soul.

Corissa reigned in her surprise; She had guessed right after all!

"You are one who holds no other desire than our destruction and no different from a vengeful wraith. To successfully pressure my foolish husband into attacking you first, it was best to assume the toxin immortal emissary's identify.

From the power you displayed you can easily defeat us in an honest confrontation, but you chose to destroy my husband in both mind and body as well as kill all his children.

From this its evident that you do not hold a simple grudge towards us, but a grave enmity that demands that you must see us destroyed-"

* Clap* Clap* *Clap*

Canaan interrupted her tirade with an impressed round of applause.

"Such impressive observation skills, such decisiveness and intelligence, and you even have the boldness to face me, an unknown, alone in a throneroom.

I must say that you Corissa have truly aroused my interest.

You almost made me reconsider burying this filthy land in a sea of death several times. Canaan praised with a genuine expression before continuing.

"You asking for my presence now must be to ask me why, right?" Canaan laughed.

"Yes indeed, I wish to know why you are visiting your wrath on us " Corissa said simply without any fluctuations in her voice.

"But even before that I must know....what are you?" She asked as her expression became hazy.

Now it no longer seemed as if she questioned a foe, rather she looked like she was asking for an answer she wished to know from the bottom of her heart.

"Hahahaha" Canaan laughed brashly as a crimson flame suddenly erupted around him.

Corissa was started but she did nothing patronizing..

The emissary's body suddenly combusted and burnt away within the dazzling pure crimson flame, then suddenly a flawless chocolate colored arm extended from it.

Before her stunned eyes, a being so wretchedly beautiful that the heavens ought to smite him arose from the flame. His perfect dark brown skin glowed like molten gold, and his features were perfect beyond the most beautiful fantasy. In his presence the clouds stilled, the wind sang, and the world brightened.

Perhaps no one would have believed that features of ones face could so easily exceed everything under the heavens in beauty. His perfection should have been appalling and unnatural, and yet it was softened by an attractive warmth rippling across his form.

His most attractive feature? His deep pitch black eyes. Not a seren blue, nor a viridian green, but an abyssal pitch black. And perhaps because of the mysterious sense of danger they radiated, they so naturally drew one to their depths.

His silky black hair was tied in an elegant knot few loose strands tickling his forehead.

He was beautiful enough to induce a feeling of tenderness in the stoniest of hearts and attractive enough to push any sexually awakened girl into an abyss of lust.

But even his celestial appearance was overpowered the immense inexhaustible rage radiating from him.

His expression, though still impossibly beautiful was blackened with the intent to the kill. And as if in fear of him the world faintly trembled.

"Now you see my true face." Canaan sighed as his expression calmed.

"A beautiful monster indeed" Corissa replied with a calm smile, however inwardly her heart rate had already been thrown into disarray.

She could feel her body heating up with a lustful fire.

With her powerful will, she sealed of her shameful desires as she asked in apparent calm. "You still didn't answer?"

"Hm." Canaan hummed softly.

Then he turned his interested gaze towards Corissa once more. "How about I show you. Then you can decide how likely it is that I will seek something other than your annihilation."

With a thought Canaan had appeared less than a foot away from Corissa as he touched his finger to her forehead.

It was smooth and quick motion that had left her powerless to resist.

Before the shock and fear could rise in her heart, a flood of memories had already made its way to her.

When Canaan's finger landed in the middle of Corissa's forehead, a large portion of his memories regarding lothal were transferred to Corissa's mind.

At first she saw the rare bond the had both had cultivated; they were brothers of a life time.

Then she lived his crisis from Canaan's perspective, witnessed the inexhaustible hatred and evil that had been birthed in his heart when he saw his brothers entrails spread across the sacrificial Altar.

Then she knelt with him that night and watched as he made his oath to destroy every man,every plant, and every beast that had played the slightest role in Lothal's murder.

Then she returned to the throne room.

There he was still facing her with his strangely warm gaze, except she knew now, what that gaze hid.

The devilsh beast that thrashed within ljghtess eyes that faced her.

Her chest heaved up and down as she struggled to regain her calm.

He waited, wearing his strangely warm expression.

After several minutes had passed and she had gained a semblance of calm she finally asked the question that had held her since the crisis had began.

"What is it that you want?"