Aldrich walked through the palace corridors. Blood dripped from his hands. Each drop hit the white marble floor with a soft tap. The sound echoed in the silence hall.
He reached the throne room. Two massive doors stood before him. Golden. Carved with the history of the Aurelius bloodline. Kings. Wars and Victories.He grabbed the handle with his bloodstained hand. The blood smeared across the gold. He pushed and the doors swung open.
Inside, the throne room stretched out before him. High ceilings. Tall windows letting in afternoon light. Pillars lined both sides. And at the far end, elevated on a platform, sat the throne.King Augustus sat upon it. Relaxed. One leg crossed over the other. A wine glass in his hand. His crimson cape draped over the armrests. His golden earrings caught the light.
He was smiling.Aldrich walked forward. His footsteps sounded through it was Slow and Deliberate. Each step left a faint red print on the floor.He stopped a few steps before the throne platform. He looked up at Augustus. His face was cold.
"Why would you betray me twice, Augustus?" Aldrich's voice was low. Controlled. "And conspire to kill me once again?"
King Augustus took a slow sip of wine. He savored it. Then swallowed. "Oh, brother. Why would you accuse me a king of such atrocities? Do you realize such accusations are punishable by death?"
He tilted his head slightly. "And why would you say I betrayed you? I've done nothing but welcome you home."
Aldrich chuckled. It was a dark sound. Humorless. "Of all the women in the Royal Kingdom, Alice is who you decided to lay with? How dare you?"
King Augustus laughed. Loud. Genuine. The sound filled the throne room. "Oh, that's the anger, is it? I see now."
He leaned back in his throne. "Well, you were long gone, brother. Dead, as far as anyone knew. And you don't expect her needs to be left untouched, do you? I had to step in. Put her urges to rest. You should be grateful for my assistance."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Besides, I am king. I can do whatever the hell I want. Can't I, little brother?"
Aldrich's jaw tightened. His hands clenched into fists. Blood squeezed between his fingers. "Your arrogance is what pisses me off. That you cannot understand the difference between wrong and right."
King Augustus stood from his throne. Slowly. He took one step down from the platform. His boots echoed. "Are you threatening your king?"
His smile faded slightly. His voice grew colder. "It seems you've forgotten the traditions of the Royal Kingdom. Despite being my brother, you are bound to lay your life down and give your total respect to whoever sits on this throne."
His eyes drifted downward. To Aldrich's hands. To the blood still dripping from them. His expression darkened. His voice turned sharp and Angry. "What the hell have you done to my child, you little piece of shit?"
Aldrich met his gaze. His voice was flat. Matter of fact. "I killed them both.i don't accept betrayal Augustus "
The words hung in the air.Augustus's face twisted. Rage replaced the amusement. Pure, undiluted fury he had . "You….."
"You never cared for Alice," Aldrich continued. His voice was cold. "You only bred with her. You disgusting piece of garbage."
King Augustus took another step forward. His voice was a low growl. "Today, I shall send you to your grave once more. And this time, you will never see sunlight again."
He took one more step.And then his essence energy erupted.The aura was intense. Overwhelming. It radiated outward like a physical force. The pressure was suffocating. The walls of the throne room began to crack. Lines spider webbed across the stone. The pillars groaned. Chunks of marble fell from the ceiling.
Inside Aldrich's mind, Solomon spoke. His voice was calm.And Determined. "I will do the fighting today. My brother must pay for all of his sins. And here, you shall learn how to use your powers the right way. By learning from me."
Aldrich felt the shift. Solomon taking full control. No resistance this time. They were in agreement.And then Aldrich released his own essence energy.
The two auras collided.
The impact was catastrophic. Pillars cracked in half. The floor beneath them shattered. Windows exploded outward. Glass rained down. The very air seemed to vibrate with power.
They stood there. Only a few meters apart. But the energy radiating from them was immense. Violent and Destructive.
This wasn't the power of lower ranked Gifters. This was the power of royalty. The power of those who stood at the peak.Royal. Lorde. Some of The highest ranks.
Aldrich's system activated immediately.
[SYSTEM ALERT: THREAT DETECTED]
[ANALYZING TARGET]
[TARGET IDENTIFIED: KING AUGUSTUS AURELIUS]
[LIBRARY DETECTED: LIBRARY OF FORESIGHT]
[ABILITY TYPE: PRECOGNITION AND FUTURE SIGHT]
[RANK: LORDE CLASS]
[ESSENCE RANK: S RANK]
[WARNING: TARGET IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS]
[CAUTION ADVISED]
-----
[SYSTEM ALERT: PERSONALITY INTEGRATION ACTIVE]
[SOLOMON AURELIUS PERSONALITY: DOMINANT]
[UPDATING HOST STATUS]
[RANK CLASSIFICATION: LORDE CLASS]
[ESSENCE RANK: S CLASS]
[ACCESSING INHERITED LIBRARIES]
[LIBRARY OF THE BOOKKEEPER: ACTIVE]
[LIBRARY OF SUMMONING THE JOKER: ACTIVE]
[LIBRARY OF THREAD MANIPULATION: ACTIVE]
[ADDITIONAL LIBRARIES UNLOCKED]
[LIBRARY OF THE MALEVOLENT SPIRIT: UNLOCKED]
[LIBRARY OF LIGHT MAGIC: UNLOCKED]
TOTAL ACTIVE LIBRARIES: FIVE]
[HOST COMBAT CAPABILITY: SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED]
[PREPARE FOR ENGAGEMENT]
The notifications flashed across Aldrich's vision. Information flooded his mind. Power surged through his body.Five libraries. All active. All accessible.
He understood now. This was a mini fraction of Solomon's true strength. This was what it meant to be a prince of the Aurelius bloodline.
Across the Royal Kingdom, in four separate districts, the Royal Heads felt it. That massive collision of essence. That overwhelming pressure.Lucian Makaveli stood in his laboratory. He looked up. His eyes narrowed. "Lorde class essence. Two sources. The palace."
He grabbed his white coat and ran and told Kai to sit back and keep practicing his abilities.
Liam Cross was in his study. He felt the aura and smiled. Blood began to swirl around him. "Finally. Something interesting." He vanished in a burst of red light.
Liora Slothwell was training a new recruit who was Kira . She stopped mid strike. Dropped her cigarette. "Damn it. Those idiots are going to destroy the capital." She sprinted toward the palace.
Silas Heartveil was meditating in his dojo alongside sunny . His eyes opened. Cold and Calculating. "They're going to kill each other. And take half the kingdom with them." He moved. Faster than sight heading towards the royal palace .
All four Royal Heads converged. Racing toward the palace. Racing toward the throne room.Racing toward the two brothers who were about to tear the kingdom apart.