Chapter 1 S2

Under a sky of ashes, a huge crowd had gathered at the foot of the cliffs that lined the plateau behind the town. All eyes were riveted on the half-height mound overlooking the assembly. A platform had been set up on this outcrop of flat ground amidst the vertiginous rockfalls that plunged into the ground on either side. A huge wooden pole was planted in the middle of the platform. 

The glowing sun made the scene seem like the end of the world. A gust of wind blew away a few tufts of dry grass that stuck to the rock walls. The crowd murmured, impatient to witness the highlight of the show they had come for. 

They didn't have long to wait. Appearing on the narrow path that had been carved out of the rock to reach the natural platform, a procession appeared to the clamour of the cheering crowd. At its head was a bearer of a yellow and red standard with a dragon symbol on it. Behind him followed a richly dressed woman, followed by two children dressed in the same high-quality fabric. They made their way to the dais where they were seated ceremoniously on the thrones provided for them. The maids who followed them trotted up to stand behind them, their heads bowed so that their faces could not be seen. 

The crowd applauded vigorously before coming to a halt when the noblewoman raised her hand. Silence fell immediately. A few seconds passed before a group of guards appeared, flanking a woman dressed in a torn and dirty dress, her hands clasped in irons that she could barely wear. Suddenly, the crowd began to boo. Stones fell on the path and the woman tripped over one of them. With a violent blow to the chain that linked him to the prisoner's irons, he propelled her onto the platform. The young woman fell and scraped her knee, unable to resist the force of the blow. 

The crowd rejoiced. Lifted by force, she was dragged to the wooden stake to which she was firmly tied, her hands behind her back. No sooner had the guards moved to the side of the platform than a scream ripped through the air, which was too thick for the early afternoon. All heads turned towards the creature that had done it. A huge dragon with grey-green scales flew through the air and landed at the other end of the platform. There it let out another shriek so powerful that the ears of everyone in the audience twitched. 

The woman smiled a cruel smile that showed how much she was enjoying the spectacle. The dragon sniffed at the woman tied to the post before growling loudly. The prisoner did not flinch. It was then that the noblewoman rose and approached the front of the platform, passing between the dragon and the prisoner. 

She calmed the jubilant crowd who were demanding games and blood. Raising her hands to her shoulders, she spoke in a loud voice to be heard by all. 

-Today is the day we punish the sinner! She has committed the intolerable, she has touched the royal family! This woman must be punished!"

The crowd cheered her words like an unleashed monster. 

-You will all be witnesses to her judgement! After falling from grace, her life will be taken from my hand as it should be for daring to mislead my husband, the late king! And to conceal her actions, she took his life with her own hands! This traitor must die for the atrocity she has committed!"

Again, as if magically activated by the speaker's words, the crowd howled their agreement and hatred as one man.

-Our family does not tolerate lies and murder! The serious crimes of which she has been duly found guilty by our court must be paid for with the maximum sentence. She lived in perversion, she will die in shame! I offer her death to you, who have called for her death to be made public! It is here and now that the life of Lycanthe d'Ensra comes to an end, and to complete the punishment, death will be given by the dragon of the fallen dragoness, Feyïrs!

The crowd was now unmanageable. After screaming their lungs out at the end of the Queen's speech, they began to chant her name, which echoed against the cliff as black as soot. Suddenly recalcitrant, the dragon began to shake his head as the queen passed him on her way to her throne. From her full height, she looked down at him as he rumbled past. She turned her eyes towards the condemned woman, who already looked dead on her wooden stake. Her black hair, messy and dirty from a long incarceration, contrasted with the blonde curls perfectly arranged in a complicated hairstyle, held in place by brooches adorned with precious stones and metals. 

Without further ado, the Queen resumed her walk to her throne before sitting down with a victorious look on her face. She was about to open her mouth when she was startled by a jerky laugh that took her some time to realise was coming from the chest of the woman tied in front of her. 

The prisoner seemed to spasm for a moment, sending a wave of fear through the crowd, which suddenly fell silent, and then her laughter suddenly ricocheted like a curse from heaven, raining down like a storm on all present. The sound chilled the blood of those who heard it. 

-I'll curse you and yours for generations! I will come back to haunt you until your lineage perishes! You will die in shame and destitution after living a life of decay, Irene of Mezara! My spirit will never leave you, and the injustice you have inflicted on me will follow you to the grave! 

The voice carried thanks to the voice amplification that the prisoner had projected with her last remaining strength. The prisoner turned pale. She thought she had broken her with the weeks of repeated torture. She was convinced that she had driven her mind too mad to think clearly. How on earth could this woman still speak? 

The crowd was divided between murmurs of astonishment and cries for death. The queen waited no longer. She had to intervene. Her eyes lit up red and she looked the dragon in the eye. 

-Burn her," she ordered in a low voice. 

The dragon shook its head and growled. Its eyes oscillated between their natural brown and a fiery colour that made them seem to blaze with passion. He seemed to be struggling. 

-YOU CAN'T KILL ME! YOUR GUILT WILL EAT AWAY AT YOU AND THE DRAGONRIDERS WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR YOUR AFFRONT! YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTH!" said the prisoner, a glint of mad vengeance in her eyes. 

The queen shuddered. 

-BURN HER!" she finally murmured, rising to her feet. 

She stared into the dragon's eyes as he continued to fight furiously. Slowly, she moved towards it, step by step, a sneer of rage on her lips. How dare this lizard defy her, the all-powerful queen? 

-I WILL NEVER DIE, DO YOU HEAR ME IRENE? NEVER! I WILL HAUNT YOU FOREVER! 

Finally, the dragon's eyes lit up with a murderous spark, and with a final cry of despair, the beast lost its battle. Less than a second later, a crackling sound erupted from its mouth and poured down on the woman who had long been its team-mate, making her last sentence its last words. 

The violent outpouring of fire destroyed everything. Only the burning pole crackled, the sole survivor of the life of a woman who had turned to dust. For a moment, silence fell like a sheet of lead, making the situation seem as serious as it had been. But before long, the crowd erupted, cheering the long-awaited chaos. The Queen resumed normal breathing and raised her head in triumph. 

Niris woke with a start. With shortness of breath and trembling hands, he sat up on his bed. In his panic, he fell to the floor, tearing out the needles that were keeping him alive. The nurses present for observation rushed over, but he was too disorientated to let them do anything, and he struggled mightily. 

-A sedative! Go and get a sedative!" ordered one of the nurses to another, who rushed to the cupboard full of remedies. 

While the other five tried to hold him in place, he hurriedly grabbed a syringe after throwing half the contents of the shelf on the floor. 

-I've got it! I've got it! Hold him tight, I'm going to prick him!"

Completely lost, Niris fought like hell but he was too weak. His body was failing him. Little by little, he felt the liquid coursing through his veins, numbing him as it went. His muscles stopped responding and his mind gradually calmed down. He caught his breath. 

All around him, people were stirring. He saw one of the nurses run off as the others lifted him back into bed and connected him to his drips. He turned his head and recognised the palace recovery room. He was back in Egea, in the Imperial Palace of Sophianopolis to be precise. 

The nurses surrounding him were those from the palace; he recognised them. The strange feeling of unease that had invaded him when he woke up gradually left him and he found his bearings again. He knew where he was, he knew who he was. The fear and anxiety that had jolted him awake gradually left him. As the sedative took effect, he lay still in bed, waiting for things to calm down. 

He tried to sort through his memories, but everything was still hazy. He remembered Yerpena, his fight against Eviris, then his collaboration with Niyarii. After that, nothing. A black hole. It was as if he'd gone from his fight to this bed in the recovery room of the Sophianopolis palace. 

A few minutes passed and he stopped forcing his mind. He felt far too weak. Once he had regained his composure, he allowed himself to be taken without protest. The nurses worked around him with the doctors who had rushed in, taking readings and measurements of all kinds. Then one of them, Mirre, leaned over to speak to him. 

-Your Highness, blink if you've recovered your senses," indicated the man with the greying beard. 

Forcing his eyelids to obey, Niris blinked slowly with both eyes at the same time, bringing a smile to the lips of the palace's chief physician. 

-Welcome back, Your Highness," he said with unabashed delight. "We are all happy to see you back safe and sound. 

Niris blinked again to thank him. The smiles of relief and joy on the faces of the nursing staff around him warmed his heart. He was home at last. 

-His Majesty has been informed that you have woken up, and he should be here shortly. In the meantime, we'll send you back to your room after taking some blood samples. You'll be more comfortable in your flat. The sedative will wear off in fifteen or twenty minutes."

The Prince blinked again. As the doctor had said, they took several blood samples before taking him to his bed in his flats. Niris complied without protest. He felt so tired that he was grateful to be taken care of so meticulously. 

Meanwhile, the doctor explained that he had been unconscious for six weeks and advised him not to put any strain on his body. He needed rest and energy to recover. On his last words, the nurses left, leaving him alone with Mirre who was giving him the final instructions for his recovery when his father burst into the room. 

The doctor cut short his speech and greeted the emperor before leaving, closing the door behind him. 

-Father..." said Niris, who could feel his senses returning. 

The Emperor stepped forward and sat down on the edge of his bed very carefully, pulling his long pale pink robe over his legs to make himself more comfortable. Still a little stunned, Niris slowly moved his hand to place it on his father's hand. His father grasped it tenderly. 

-Save your strength, you're going to need it to recover," said Aroslan with a smile. 

-I'm so happy to see you again... I've got lots of questions to ask you..."

The man whose face seemed frozen in his thirties interrupted him by putting his index finger to his lips. 

-Later, Niris, I'll answer all your questions once you're back on your feet. For now, concentrate on your recovery. You had almost no natural energy left in you when you came back here, we had to infuse you with it continuously for six weeks but your reserve was so low that your body couldn't hold it in any longer. You came closer to death than you think."

His long, slender fingers stroked his son's hair tenderly. Niris gave in to the gentleness of the caress. He had missed his father's affection, and every time he found it he felt blessed with an immeasurable love. Maybe he hadn't grown up enough, maybe he wasn't mature enough, but he felt unable to live without the love his father had cradled him in since childhood. He closed his eyes for a moment and savoured the tenderness he could never get enough of. 

Finally, he opened his eyes. The sedative had worn off and he had regained complete control of his senses. Now the questions were racing through his mind. One in particular he couldn't hold back any longer. 

-Father, where is Seiran?" he said, his voice still hoarse from not being used for too long. 

The emperor's smile faded. He ran his hand down his son's cheek before sighing in resignation. There was no point in hiding the truth from Niris. The later he found out, the more he would resent him for not telling him. And it went against his philosophy to hide anything from his child, supposedly to protect him. He swallowed, then began. 

-Seiran stayed in Yerpena. Zorkiel prevented him from crossing the portal with you. But he's safe and sound, don't worry!" he added as the prince's eyes widened in amazement. "Zorkiel can't rule without him now that his mother's gone. He has made him the acting crown prince and... announced his engagement to Yousmaïl Namar." 

Niris remained silent. He was digesting the information. To help him understand the situation better, Aroslan showed him the video that had been broadcast by Arpe, the official intergalactic media. The angel watched attentively, without saying a word. When the broadcast was over, his father turned off the window. He watched for a moment, unsure of the effect the announcement would have on his son. The angel seemed strangely impassive. 

-I know these may be useless words to ease your pain, but I can assure you that he is in good health and that his life is not in danger," he tried to comfort him. 

-I'm fine, Father. I had envisaged a similar situation. I had prepared for it in advance," he replied with a coldness that surprised the Emperor. 

Suddenly, he struggled to sit up on his pillow. His father helped him by supporting him as best he could, repeating over and over again that he needed to lie still to recover. But the angel didn't listen. His eyes stared straight ahead, as if lost in a world only he could see. 

-Tell me what happened out there. All I remember is defeating Eviris and then collapsing from exhaustion," he asked him in an authoritative voice. 

-You know you can worry about all that later..."

-A potential madman has seized power in Ornikarn and may put the peace of the intergalaxy at risk, so I don't have time to lie down and regain my strength. We're racing against time!" 

The angel was surprised at how aggressive he was towards his own father. Seeing the surprised look on his father's face, he pulled himself together and cleared his throat. 

-I feel like I'm missing pieces of the jigsaw and it's not a very pleasant feeling," he admitted guiltily. "The man I love finds himself engaged to someone else and captive to a madman who seems powerless to stop anything. I just want to be able to see the whole picture so I can calmly think of a way to resolve it."

The emperor sighed again. His son was stubborn, and he knew where he got it from! He smiled fondly. This little angel was the spitting image of his mother. 

-All right, I'll tell you everything in detail, but you have to promise me to rest properly afterwards. Mirre has prescribed three months' rest for you, and I intend to make sure you take every last one of them!

The prince smiled at her. He couldn't resist his father, he knew he would have to give in anyway. He nodded, reassuring his father's anxiety. The emperor told him everything in detail. His face darkened as he heard the account of what he had missed during his period of unconsciousness. When he had finished, he was about to stand up when his father forced him to sit down again. 

-Niris, you promised to be quiet", he reminded him. 

-But we absolutely must get the Niyarii fragments back before that madman Zorkiel gets his hands on them!" protested the angel, struggling feebly. 

-Azure has already gone to get them!" replied the Emperor firmly.

-Azur?" repeated Niris. 

-Yes, with Inja and Meica. They left a month ago to recover all the fragments. You're in danger everywhere else in the intergalaxy, so you're staying here until they recover all the fragments and we implant them in you!

-Father, I can't stand by and do nothing when we're on the brink of war and Seiran is being held hostage by that madman! I want to take part too and help stop things from getting out of hand!" rebelled the angel, who was fuming inside at the idea of doing nothing while everyone was putting themselves in danger. 

-If you die, we have no backup plan! The future of all of us depends on your survival, Niris! You can't just go wandering around when you're a potential weapon of mass destruction for intergalactic populations!" 

The angel froze in place. His father's words hit him hard. He saw fear in his eyes for the first time. The great Aroslan, who had defeated enemies that everyone else had given up on, was afraid. This man he had thought infallible was fallible before him for the first time, and this fact knotted his insides with a force he could not control. 

-Exactly. And that's why you're going to undergo drastic training with me," said a voice that made them turn around in surprise. 

Neither of the angels had heard the newcomer enter. 

-Who are you?" asked Niris naively, just as his father was about to protest vehemently.

-I am Lou, the last Master of the Blades," replied the angel whose long silver hair tied back in a ponytail swayed between her hips to the rhythm of her steps as she walked towards his bed with a confident smile. "And from today, you are my apprentice."