The garden remained a whirlwind of chaotic family energy. As Yui led the four
pregnant sisters into the palace—likely to a meeting that would decide Jee-shahn's
fate—the men were left to their own devices. Snowman and little Shin, completely
unfazed by the arrival of an entire new empire, scampered off together to play in the
sun-drenched gardens. The High Priest of Aurex, enchanted by the sight of the two
"Azure-Blooded" children, decided to follow them, wanting to observe the beauty of
the capital while keeping an eye on the youngest heirs.
Leo, seeing that the situation had shifted from a diplomatic crisis to a babysitting
mission, excused himself to handle palace afairs. This left only Sora, Ryuki, and the
still-struggling Sparta.
Sparta was pinned to the grass, his three younger brothers climbing over him like
hyperactive lizard-pups. Sora and Ryuki watched the spectacle with bored
expressions, leaning their backs against the cold iron of the prisoner carriage.
"Is this ever going to end?" Ryuki asked, yawning so wide his jaw cracked. "This
'reunion' is ruining my appetite."
Sora sighed, crossing his arms. "It's a family of Lizardmen and Mermaids, Ryuki. This
could take all day. You want to go find some snacks while we wait?"
"Now you're talking!" Ryuki cheered. He pushed off the carriage, ready to bolt toward
the kitchen, but Sora suddenly froze.
"Wait... did you hear that?" Sora whispered.
Ryuki paused, his long ears twitching. "Nothing but the sound of Sparta being bullied
by toddlers. Let's go."
They took two steps before a voice echoed again. This time, it was clear—raspy,
exhausted, and dripping with pure, concentrated venom. It was the sound of someone
who had lost all hope and all their strength.
"...More...ons... over... here..."
The air turned freezing. Sora, Ryuki, and even Sparta (who managed to kick his
brothers off in shock) turned their heads toward the small, iron-barred window of the
prisoner carriage. Curiosity overcame their fear. The three of them stood in a row,
peering into the gloom of the magic-dampened interior.
"Hey," Sora asked Sparta's brothers, "what's actually in here?"
The younger Lizardman brothers gave a weird, unsettling smile. "Nothing! Just a gift!"
Ryuki, being the shortest, shoved his way to the front and looked into the dark. A
second later, the color drained from the goblin's face. His eyes bugged out so far it
looked like they might pop out of his skull. He froze, his mouth hanging open in a
silent scream.
Confused, Sora and Sparta pushed him aside and looked in together. They
immediately turned into statues of terror.
Five minutes passed. No one moved. No one breathed.
"Hey... morons... are you just going to stand there... or are you going to help my
Master?" the voice croaked again.
Ryuki was the first to find his voice, though it was three octaves higher than usual.
"W-w-why does the Master look like a terrifying skeleton?! His eyes... the dark
circles... it looks like he hasn't slept or eaten since the beginning of time!"
"And what is that?!" Sora pointed a shaking finger. "Why is his left palm... smiling at
us? Why does his hand have teeth? And why is the hand talking?!"Inside the carriage, the "Monster" was a shadow of his former 7-foot glory. Jee-shahn
looked terrifyingly slim, his skin stretched so tight over his frame that his bones
seemed to shine through. Beside him, the Azure Lizard—usually a plump, snarky
crown—was also paper-thin, looking like a piece of blue leather that hadn't seen wine
in months.
Jee-shahn's eyes, normally lazy and powerful, were sunken and bloodshot. He looked
like a man who had been hunted through fourteen skies without a single nap.
Jee-shahn slowly, painfully, turned his head toward his three students. He struggled
to draw breath, his voice a deadly, low-octave whisper that promised a thousand
years of pain.
"If you... don't get me... out of here... right now..." Jee-shahn rasped, his sunken eyes
flashing with a spark of his old cosmic brutality, "I will make sure... every one of you...
is dead before sunset."
Sora, Sparta, and Ryuki didn't wait for a second warning. They began to tremble
violently, nodding their heads in a frantic blur of motion. The vacation was oficially
over, and it looked like the Master had barely survived it.