Chapter 8 S2

Ornikarn - royal palace of Yerpena

Sitting at his desk, Seiran was writing. He annotated, he signed, and he crossed out. The pages passed before him at a speed that was usually unknown to him. But now, working was the only thing that mattered to him and the only thing he could hold on to. So he dove into it whenever he could.

It had now been more than a month since Zorkiel had taken control of Ornikarn without the demons flinching even a little. The ease with which he had manipulated the nobility into believing the Queen took a leave from her governmental functions and left to her hidden place to rest, delegating everything to him and her son had shocked Seiran at first. But he quickly understood that his accession to the throne was not by chance. He had long worked in the shadows to weaken the empress. There were far more traitors than he thought in his mother's close circle, and they were working hard to undo her hold on power. He had realized it in that short time, but since the moment she had let Zorkiel into the government, she had lost control and had become nothing more than a common paper doll who had tried too late to rebel against his puppeteer.

The fight against slavery which was crowned with resounding success did not even weaken it in the least. He conveyed through Seiran the image of an empire that was renewing itself with a new young and empathetic leader who actively condemned slavery and participated in the condemnation of his peers who had indulged in it. This image was welcomed by the entire intergalactic community who rejoiced at such a change. In the middle of all this, Zorkiel took advantage of this purge to carry out a veritable witch hunt in which all of his mother's supporters who had refused corruption were targeted. An incredible number of nobles were pushed to court and then to the dungeon after a ridiculous mock trial when others were not killed in questionable accidents.

Some had decided to flee and had taken refuge on allied planets, hiding their identity, or even asking for protection from the organization. The situation was catastrophic. Seiran was completely isolated, and he only had distant contact with his few supporters in exile. He had found himself completely unable to do anything to save those who had been thrown into prison given that the imposter was using his mother as a threat.

Seiran was on the verge of despair. Every day he felt his determination fading and he had to force himself to continue moving forward. He felt caught between his deep desire to flee to join Niris in Aegea and his feeling of responsibility for his people who risked paying the high price of Zorkiel's tyrannical domination. To avoid attracting Zorkiel's attention, he had to keep a low profile by agreeing to give in to his threats and carry out his demands. He had to until he found out where his mother was. Until he knew where she was, he couldn't do anything.

Lost in his dark thoughts, he had stopped writing for a moment and was pulled from his reverie by a few brief knocks on his door.

-Come in, he said after pulling himself together.

Eviris entered the room, a bundle of papers in her hand.

-His Excellency demands that everything be signed by tomorrow, said the demon, dropping the pile of paper on the desk without any precaution for the prince's work in progress.

From the height of six feet, he looked down at the prince who did not react to his ostensible contempt. He rewarded him with a smile that looked more like a grimace as it exuded hatred as the one who wore it towards the one who received it. But Seiran remained dignified. He didn't bat an eyelash, and without losing his calm, he grabbed the papers that he organized before putting them back in a corner of his office.

Without waiting for a response from him, Eviris turned around and slammed the door behind him. Seiran put his head in his hands and sighed. For a few seconds, despair invaded him. He had to fight not to give in. He thought of Niris. He had to hold on. One day he would come out of this and he would see him again. He knew it.

From the inside pocket of his jacket, he took out a small seed that looked like a large bean. He looked at her with a sort of tenderness mixed with hope. This bean was everything he had. His only way out, his only possibility of seeing the person he loved again... A wave of warmth spread through him as he thought of the angel. Instinctively, he squeezed the bean between his fingers.

"He hasn't awakened yet, Niris must not have received the second one yet," he said to himself.

This bean wasn't just any type of bean. On the outside, it looked like any ordinary, edible bean, but an expert eye would see that the natural energy it contained was anything but ordinary. Indeed, this bean was actually a Gojiak. It was a kind of magic bean that grew in pairs. The two pairs were linked together by the natural energy that had nourished them throughout their growth, but they were asleep. They only awoke when they were in the hands of two beings who harbored feelings of tenderness for each other. They were called the seeds of love.

Once awakened, they began to germinate and develop until they became a magnificent tree that looked exactly like a leafy bean and was visually indistinguishable from them. Their uniqueness lay in the energy that connected them. As they shared the same natural energy since their conception, they remain connected to each other whatever the distance. The beings who possess them and cause them to awaken and then grow to nourish them with natural energy which causes their growth. As a result, an extraordinary phenomenon then occurs. The two people in possession of the twin beans can then communicate with each other via the beans.

At first, it is only an exchange of emotions, then words, and finally, when the bean has finished growing, they can project an image of themselves through it. These extraordinary beans were of unspeakable rarity and few knew how to recognize them. But the angels had retained this knowledge and had meticulously preserved wild areas to encourage their growth.

It was from an angel that Seiran got this famous Gojiak. Shortly after Zorkiel's silent coup, an angel named Jabiru managed to sneak into the palace and reach him. Their exchange had been extremely short, but Seiran had obtained two crucial pieces of information. The first was that Emperor Aroslan was going to do everything possible to get him out of there and to do this he was going to start by finding his mother since he was convinced that she was not being held hostage by Zorkiel. The second was that Niris was going to receive his twin beans so that they could communicate during his captivity.

His interview with the traveling angel, as angels like Jabiru were called, specialists in infiltration and secret missions, had only lasted a few minutes but it had given him the courage he needed to live each day without having to want to throw himself from the top of the palace towers. The angel had also sent him one of his subordinates, a transformed demon named Tomil who would present himself as a faithful follower of Zorkiel after taking the latter's appearance once he had killed him. This demon would serve as his interface with the Aegean government in establishing his secret mission.

Seiran was infinitely grateful for what the Aegean Emperor had done for him. Not only did he give him his total support in a situation in which he was tied hand and foot, but he also gave him an accomplice when he no longer had anyone to rely on in this snake's nest since the betrayal of 'Eviris.

With a glance outside, Seiran noticed that night had fallen a while ago. He closed his pen and stood up. He would finish what he had to do tomorrow morning, at six o'clock. The constant anxiety had made him insomniac and he rarely slept more than a few hours a night.

Tired of his day, he rubbed his neck as he headed towards his chambers. He was only waiting for one thing, to be able to collapse on his bed after a good hot shower, and to let fatigue take over his worries and take him into the arms of Morpheus. He only lived for that. So that the night would relieve him of his weariness before he could leave for a day in hell.

But his torments had not yet come to an end. When he pushed open the door to his chambers, he was surprised to find it open. On cue, he entered the living room without making any noise. The place had been strangely lit so that only a dim light illuminated the walls. He crept closer to his room and tried to peek through the crack, but he saw nothing.

Ready for anything, he then pushed the door sharply to face the intruder he hoped was still there. He retched when he saw the spectacle that awaited him. Naked, stretched out on the silk covers of her bed, Yousmaïl was waiting for her. A smirk appeared on her lips when she saw the prince enter.

-Good evening Seiran, you are coming home late this evening, she said in her honeyed voice.

The demon swallowed and looked away. At the last moment, he held back the odors which rose into his mouth.

-What are you doing there Yousmaïl? You are not authorized to enter my chambers, Seiran replied in a blank voice.

His lips trembled with anger. He restrained himself from letting himself be overwhelmed by it by clenching his fists as hard as he could. How did she dare to defile with her presence the only place he had been able to preserve from Zorkiel's permanent intrusion into this place which was the cradle of his childhood? Of the only place in which he could cherish his sweet memories of the time spent with Niris?

-Come on, we are engaged, we will be destined to share many things, you and I, in the very near future.

The vampire stood up and approached the demon with a gait that she knew was captivating. But Seiran didn't notice anything. He wasn't looking. Preoccupied with fighting the rage that was gradually overtaking him, he did not even notice the game of seduction that the vampire was undertaking. Annoyed by his lack of interest in her body which she knew was attractive, the vampire advanced towards him at superhuman speed, abandoning all efforts to sexually attract the demon who did not give her a bit of attention. Once in front of him, she grabbed his jaw and forced him to look into her eyes.

-You're so boring! Accept the situation you are in and stop closing yourself off like that! You will never see your angel again, he abandoned you! She then got angry, exasperated by the prince's obstinacy.

Seiran was shaking with rage. The vampire's grip was so strong that it prevented her from moving. He wanted to send her away but her whole body was paralyzed by her vampiric aura.

-I've had enough of your antics, she continued impatiently. It's time you get used to the situation you're in because it won't change. You have no choice but to marry me and do as you are told. Forget your angel, and make up your mind! Take advantage of the situation, you are a prince filled with riches and adored by everyone, so why don't you take advantage of it? Not to mention that you have one of the sexiest women in the intergalaxy as your future wife, enough to make more than one person jealous!

Seiran managed to muster the strength necessary to grab her hand and make her release his grip before articulating a hateful grin:

-I will never sleep with you, I will never let you touch even an inch of my skin!

A dark veil passed over the eyes of the vampire who regained control of her hand and slapped the demon. Stunned by the violence of the blow, Seiran fell to the ground. His head was spinning and he couldn't resist when she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and threw him onto the bed with the same violence.

Straddling him, she placed a hand on his neck, suffocating the demon who struggled to breathe.

-You will quickly lose your haughty air, believe me! When you understand that your life depends only on my will and that I can do what I want with you, you will quickly resign yourself. I'll have everything I want, including you, whether you like it or not. If I have to take you by force, I won't hesitate to do it, so you better be willing or it might be a rather painful experience!

Her curled lips gave her the appearance of a ferocious beast ready to cut up its prey to devour it. Her boundless greed brooked no resistance, and the ego of such a monster could not tolerate being denied. Also, the rebellious attitude of the demon while he was literally in the palm of her hand put her beside herself. Those who live on the destruction of others must ensure that they have complete control over their victim in order to satisfy their hubris. This typical mechanism of toxicity hardly affected Seiran who already knew that the vampire was the most dangerous of all narcissistic perverts.

As she leaned down to capture his lips, Seiran drew a long knife with an artistically chiseled blade and pointed it at the vampire's neck. She opened her eyes in surprise before bursting out laughing. But she quickly stopped laughing when she felt the blade sink into her flesh like butter. The deadly bite that cut into her skin gave her an intense cold sensation that made her shiver.

Instinctively, she sat up and placed her hands on his neck. Her frightened eyes fell on the demon which she observed with perplexity. The latter looked at her with a fierce look, the knife with its shiny blade in his hand. He had succeeded in leading the vampire into her trap.

-What...How... Yousmaïl tried to say, distraught at having been so easily fooled.

-It's an oozing silver knife, Seiran began breathlessly.

He was catching his breath from the strangulation of the vampire which had almost made him lose consciousness. He said after regaining more regular breathing.

-I got it the day I found out we were going to be hired. I've always disapproved of this commitment because I know you're completely crazy, and there's no way I'm marrying a crazy person like you.

He paused. He wanted to be firm but hiding his fear was difficult. His stomach was in knots and the blood was pounding in his temples. He had to show her that he wouldn't give in and that she had lost, which she had.

-If you want the antidote, you have to promise to never come near me again, he threatened her. I will never give you what you want, whether it's my body or my title. I will never marry you, must I die to do so! But if I die, know that you die with me!

Yousmaïl scratched his throat. The poison was spreading. On his pale skin, long black streaks were spreading. Where the tip of the knife had pierced, a black dot had appeared and radiated in countless streaks that slowly spread across the vampire's neck. The moment they waited for her heart, she would be dead.

The vampire's eyes flashed with hatred at the demon who met her gaze without flinching.

-You...how dare you...

-Promise me or I'll let you die like the scum you are! the demon insulted him one last time.

The vampire struggled, trying to absorb the evil with her powers but the poison was too strong. She couldn't defeat him. Suddenly, the fear of dying seized her. She knew Seiran couldn't kill her. If he did so, he would commit a crime for which he would be judged and would anger Zorkiel who would lash out at the people of Ornikarn in repression.

She knew it. So why was she afraid? Now that she felt death taking hold of her, she no longer had any certainty. All she wanted to do was fight to live. Even though she knew he couldn't let her die, the hatred and determination she saw in his eyes made her doubt. As she agonized before him, she fought the desperate urge to reach out her hand and say "I promise." But she didn't struggle for long. In a broken voice, she said the words she held violently in her mouth.

After a moment of hesitation, Seiran took out a bottle which he gave to the vampire. Feverish, she uncapped it with difficulty and almost spilled its contents onto the sheets. Then once the bottle was opened, she emptied the contents into her mouth. A second later, she spasmed and a whitish liquid began to flow from her lips. Her breathing became difficult and she coughed to spit out what was blocking her bronchi.

Frozen in place by the vision of the vampire fighting for her life, the demon observed the scene in amazement. He knew that tempered silver was a powerful poison for vampires, but he did not know that it would be so effective on the princess. After a moment, the vampire seemed to come to her senses. Without waiting for her to recover from her emotions, he threw her to the ground forcefully. Drained of all her energy, the vampire sank to the wooden floor.

-Get the hell away and never set foot in my apartments again! If you want me to give you the antidote again, never try to approach me like that again, and make sure you stick to the bare minimum when we appear in public, is that clear?

In a hesitant movement, the vampire nodded, then picked up her clothes which she put on hastily and quickly went out. Once the door closed behind her, Seiran collapsed onto his bed. He was exhausted. The experience had been more than trying for him. He knew it was going to happen one day or another, but he hadn't expected it to be this violent.

Since Tomil had given him this dagger, he had developed this plan knowing that Yousmaïl would try to have an intimate relationship with him. Her need to appropriate everything she wanted even if it was not necessary for her objective made her someone easily manipulated once you understood how she worked. And if Yousmaïl wanted anything, it was to possess in the most fundamental way what everyone coveted. Seiran was more than an object of desire for nobles and common mortals alike. It was like a trophy that anyone who possessed would be a winner in this great enterprise of conquering appearances.

The demon closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He had to regain his calm and therefore his breath. He was slowly recovering from his emotions when he felt a familiar presence next to him. He opened his eyes and sat up.

-Tomil, I...sorry, I needed to regain my composure, he apologized, rubbing his eyes.

-Please your Highness you have just experienced a difficult episode, replied the Transformer, kneeling on the ground.

-...did you see everything? Seiran asked in a weak voice.

-Only the end. I snuck inside when I felt Yousmaïl's aura in your room, he replied.

-Aaah... sighed Seiran.

He felt helpless. Without the help of Tomil, Jabiru, and Emperor Aroslan, he would have been completely unable to do anything in this situation.

-You have done well your Highness, the demoness will leave you alone from now on. There is no permanent antidote to silver oozing, she will have to take it every week for the rest of her life if she wants to stay alive.

-I hope so...he answered, out of energy. It won't last long though, as soon as she finds a way to get the antidote by herself she won't be under my threat anymore. Also, I told her I got the dagger when I knew I'd be engaged to her so you should be safe.

The transform demon nodded without insisting. He saw that his attempts at comfort weren't working but he didn't know how to do better. No doubt because he didn't know what sort of despair the young prince was in.

-Do you have any news to pass on to me? asked Seiran who wanted to rest, alone.

-I have several things to tell you, yes, continued the transform demon. First of all, you will find in the documents that Zorkiel sent you an authorization to colonize the planet Firl. It is an uninhabited planet that Zorkiel wants to exploit for its resources. You must sign this authorization without trying to negotiate it with him, it will allow the organization to install agents among the workers on site. This way we will be able to better observe his activity and discover his plan.

Seiran thought vaguely before nodding.

-Understood, he said without further discussion. Any news from my mother?

-Jabiru obtained authorization to travel to Livibère, the mother planet of the sangrins. He's going there tomorrow. We hope to find Hyolmir there in the days to come, and if not to know where she has gone. We hope to find answers regarding your mother fairly quickly.

-Really? It's awesome! Will you tell me as soon as you find something? Seiran got excited at the announcement of the transformation.

-Of course, you will be the first to know if we obtain information on your mother, Tomil confirmed.

Seiran gave him a grateful smile. It was the first good news in several weeks.

-And Niris? Have you heard from Niris? he then asked her, won over by the excitement of the announcement.

-His Highness Niris is well, the mortal seal inlay was successful and he woke up in good health. The blademaster saw her left arm damaged but she is fine. They are leaving tomorrow for Sélanpe.

Seiran's expression softened. Tomil regularly gave her news of her lover. Even when they weren't very good, the demon had been very reassuring each time, and he now knew he could trust the angel to stay alive. The courage shown by his dear one gave him a little strength.

-By the way, Jabiru should give him the twin beans shortly, Tomil continued as if he suddenly remembered something.

-Ah...I can't wait, admitted the prince.

The transform smiled softly.

-Keep hope, Your Highness, there will be an end to all this, I guarantee it, he said then in a tone that he wanted to be comforting. Be strong and don't feel too guilty, your people will forgive you. You are the prisoner of a tyrant, no one will blame you for not being able to do better.

Seiran smiled back. His words were salve on a gaping wound but they were better than nothing.

-Thank you Tomil, without you and Jabiru I wouldn't have been able to do anything.

The demon bowed its head in humility. Then he took his leave. He could not stay too long with the prince at the risk of being unmasked. Seiran rested his head on his arm supported by his knees drawn up against his chest. He couldn't take it anymore. This day had exhausted him. But he was moving forward. Soon, the spies of the organization and of Egea would be able to get him out of there if they failed to put an end to Zorkiel's abuses.

He grabbed the Gojiak from his jacket and squeezed it gently between his fingers. Above all, what he hoped most in the world was to find Niris. As selfishly as it was, nothing could fill the void that invaded her than the presence of the man of his life.