Meeting With a King

*I hated this chapter and rewrote it a lot but in the end I still didn't really like the final one. I really like the concept of show, don't tell when it comes to writing and I felt like I was overexplaining to much here. I will probably rewrite this someday. *

"Mom, who do you think that person is?"

"I don't know son. Don't talk to loud. He doesn't look to great. Let him rest a bit."

"But he's been asleep for a day now. Are we sure he isn't just dead?"

I finally woke up after what seemed to be a long rest. I could hear the voice of a younger child and a woman. As I open my eyes, I'm in near complete darkness with the only light source being a small window in my cell.

I reach out to feel around me and feel bars. Based off of what I feel and see as well as what the wolf demi-human did to me, he must have had me locked up. But that doesn't make sense, he said he was going to help me talk to the royale family.

"Look mom, he's already awake! You! Peasant! What is going on out there?!"

I look in the direction of the annoying voice. For what I could make out, it was a boy about 14. He had scruffy blonde medium length hair with lion ears. He was wearing some torn up noble clothes and had a collar around his neck.

"Stop doing that Marcus. What did I tell you. You will be no better than Saul if you keep doing this."

"What does it matter mom!? He already won! We at least need to know what's going on out there!"

I look at the voice of the lady in that same cell. She was a mature lady. Long blonde hair flowing down her back. She also had lion ears. She was wearing a sort of night gown that didn't do much to hide her well-shaped body.

Wait, did she say for the kid to not be like his brother Saul?

So that means that these two are most likely the Queen and the last prince.

They both stopped arguing and looked over at me.

"So, peasant? What's happening out there?"

I ignore the kid again. He's rather impatient.

I tried to release my mana but realized it wasn't moving at all.

The Queen calls out to me.

"It's no use trying. The collar around our necks keeps us from releasing our mana and elements."

So that's the problem. Collars that bring you back to being a regular being. To bad I'm not one.

'Ceto, could I ask you and the rest to lend me your mana. You're constantly taking it in, right? These shouldn't be able to stop you guys, right?'

'Oh sir!!! You finally remember us! Of course, we can lend it to you. These human contraptions won't stop our own mana. Just tell us which spells you want to use and we will do what is needed for you to activate it.'

'Great! Could you take the steps needed to activate shadow merger.'

'Consider it done already! Alright guys, let's get to work!'

I stand there in silence as the mom and son duo looks at me. It looks like getting ignored a second time bothered the young prince.

"You peasant, ignoring me again huh? I might not be able to use my mana now but I'm still stronger than you, I will rip you apart for ignoring me!"

I roll my eyes.

'It's ready sir. Just focus and you should be able to activate it.'

I activate shadow merger and feel my body sink into my shadow. I move pass my cell and reemerge myself slowly in front of the cell that the mom and son were locked in.

"Has the Beast Kingdom fallen this far? Not only are the guards threatening and extorting their citizens but even the prince is as well. It makes sense that your brother didn't kill you now,"

I destroy the collar with Ceto's mana. After that I look right at the third prince. Letting this kid know that I wasn't scared to say it to him.

"You're weak. You can yell at a nobody like me but you're to scared to face your own brother, no?"

Both mom and son quickly backed away. Frightened by the being that suddenly appeared before them. Not only did Atlas show no fear while scolding the third prince, he escaped his cell even with the slave collar that was meant to stop him from using magic.

The Queen was the first to speak.

"Sir, please excuse my son. He just wants information about the outside and staying here for a month has made him impatient."

As much as the kid annoys me, I should at least still respect the Queen of this kingdom. Even if she was currently locked behind bars.

"No worries my Queen. I also didn't feel well waking up and hearing someone insult me and belittle me."

I notice the prince wanting to rebuttal but I immediately unleash my Death's Aura and focus it entirely on him.

"Be quiet. I'm not hear to talk with you. You aren't allowed to talk."

After I forcefully keep the prince from speaking, I return to my conversation with the Queen.

"Sorry for being forceful. I'm in a hurry. I wanted to talk to the King but it seems like he isn't with you guys. Could you please tell me where he is?"

The Queen was hesitant. Rightfully so. Everyone has betrayed her along with her own child. One of her sons is dead, the princess was under constant watch and her only other son was locked with her.

"How can I trust you? I've lost so much… I can't lose anyone again."

The Queen looks down. I'm sure she is younger than she looks but all this stress must have aged her.

"You can't. Unfortunately, you can't. If it makes you feel any better, I am only here because Abe asked me to save his wife and daughter. He also wanted me to help restore the Beast Kingdom in any way possible."

"Abe?? General Abe? How would you know him? You're young so there's no way you had none him personally."

"Do you know about the project that Abe, General Killian and the King worked on for nearly a decade?"

The Queen is once again surprised. She didn't even know about it till recently. The King had told her about it and how it was supposed to stop the First Prince. He told her right before the King was poisoned. She couldn't understand how someone would know unless?...

"You were a part of it weren't you?"

After I nod, she looks at me with teary eyes.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you! If only I was a better mom to Saul. If only I talked to him when I noticed he changed! If only I was more observant, you wouldn't have to be a part of the project."

"Don't worry, it's been nearly ten years. It's to late to feel bad about anything. I need to talk to the King now. I hope this is enough proof that you can trust me."

"Yes, this is more than enough. The King's chambers are on the third floor. No one is allowed on the third floor except for the guards and doctors treating him."

After a brief pause, she says to me.

"Please help save my family! I will do anything to have my family back together!"

I look at her. A lady that was once at the top of the world, reduced to begging a science experiment for help.

"Don't worry. I promise I will do whatever it takes to help you."

I look at the third prince, who has felt my Death's Aura this entire time, and say to him,

"You better think before you speak from now on. I would have killed you along with your brother. Don't cause more hardship for your mother."

I then release my hold on him and disappear into my shadow. I shouldn't say more than that. I will be the one to bring more hardship to her. I am going to have to kill her son to restore her entire family to the throne. I head towards the King's chambers.

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After I reach the third floor of the palace, I search the floor for anyone around. Weirdly though, there wasn't anyone on the third floor. I don't even feel extra mana.

After double checking to make sure no one was actually here, I began opening each room to find the King. Maybe he also had a slave collar on and it blocked his mana.

Before I could really begin, I sense someone behind me.

I turn around to find an older man, seeing his lion ears I could instantly guess who he is.

"My King I presume?"

The King looks me up and down. He then nods.

"Follow me."

He turns around and walks in the direction of the stairs that go down. I follow close behind. We come to a stop right by the stairs. Without turning around, he speaks to me.

"Abe and Killian must have sent you right? The powerful boy that they thought could become the next Dragon God Kai?"

"Abe had asked me to come here. He wanted me to save his wife and daughter as well as restore the Beast Kingdom. But I wanted to meet you. I wanted an explanation on why I was locked away for nearly a decade."

"I will. Could you stay where you are and listen to this old man speak?"

"Of course, please explain away."

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The king began telling his story. Nine years ago, a few days before my birthday, the guards came to meet the king and reported that the first prince was missing. The prince may have been 20 years old; he was still a prince. He must have a guard with him at all times. There was a city-wide search for him. He was found late at night walking through the palace gates. When the king asked him where he was, he deflected and changed the subject.

The following days, the prince became more secretive. He began moving outside the palace without guards and he also wouldn't allow anyone to enter his room.

It became worse from there. He began to distance himself from everyone. His siblings were ignored by him. His mother who he loved dearly was ignored and his father, who cared deeply for him was pushed aside. This was when the king decided to put his own secret guards on

After following him for nearly a month, he hadn't left the palace to meet with whoever he was meeting before. Until one day one of the soldiers came back. He was dying from a fatal wound. He told the king that the prince had met with some mysterious robed figures. Leaning in closer to listen, the only thing heard was that the robed figures were from the Eastern Continent. Before they could get more information, a man standing at over 6 ft (182 cm) attacked the guards. The secret guards had four members following the prince that night. Only one came back and even he only lived long enough to inform the king.

With this information, the king concluded that the first prince was planning some sort of future coup. The fact that one man could take out his secret soldiers meant that the first prince was now backed by strong people.

He had General Killian make a deal with the God of Gluttony years prior. The king had him do this to create stronger soldiers that would join his secret army. But now he was afraid that, even with the blessing, Killian's soldiers wouldn't be able to stop the first prince and his strong supporters.

So, he called Killian back and had him try to find someone with no combat skills and recreate them from the ground up. The King wanted raw manpower that could one day match his son's strong supporters. This was why Killian began buying slaves and also why Atlas was trained. They were meant to be super soldiers that were even stronger than the King's personal guards. The story of them being trained to take out the first prince was just a cover story incase the facility was ever discovered by outsiders.

Before any of this was fully prepared. The First Prince had used a powerful poison that put the King into a deep sleep. With the King out of the picture, the prince used the opportunity to take everyone out. He took out the King's two trusted generals, Abe and Killian. His supporters even found out about the facility and used it as an excuse to take out the second prince, who was beloved by the citizens. He portrayed the second prince as leader of the facility and said it was treason to create assassins meant to hurt the first prince. With the King and his major opponent for the throne gone, he quickly spread his influence and took the throne under the "absence" of the King.

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"That's all I can really remember. It seems being in that the deep sleep has made my memories fuzzy."

The king had ended his explanation. From what I could see, the prince had no reason to do all of this. It seemed as if he was well cared for by everyone and he was most likely going to be the future king anyways.

"I see, it's okay my King. I understand everything. The people at the facility were meant to take out the prince's supporters so no harm would fall onto your people, correct? You never mentioned the prince as a threat, you only mentioned the supporters as threats."

"You are right. I never dealt with the boy because I knew he was no match for me. But I couldn't hope to fight him if he was aided by those supporters. For some reason, when I heard the stories of the dragon slayer, I thought I could recreate him in our time. Thinking back on it nothing was ever right. We should of just confronted one another…"

The king suddenly became incoherent. What was wrong with him? The king then turned around to me. This was the first time he had looked right at me.

"I hope you can save my kingdom. Now I must find my wife and the rest of the kids."

I nod and let him leave.

His face was pale. He looked tired and lost. The one thing that stood out to me though was his eyes.

They were soulless. Soulless just like Abe's when he was dead. I guess I must grant the wish of this dead soul as well.

The wish to save the kingdom he once ruled over.