"A'Kenai? Like that A'Kenai??"
"Only one family in Komen had that name... and the boy clearly is from Albaz."
"But did the Hex King even have any children?"
"We've clearly just seen the boy... but to think he would be living under the roof of the destruction swordsmen..."
"He's a talented one at that from what I hear. I never thought that such a talented line of conjurors would have an affinity in sword arts."
"Well, actually, from what I heard..."
Raizel was seething with anger. The rumors and whispers of the party were already spiralling out of control.
If Solomon wanted everyone in the fucking world to know the secret of his heritage, he probably would have said so. But it wasn't safe. Especially not if the Ostego Kingdom found out.
Raizel felt his blood boil for his brother. And he turned to Uriel, who was still smiling as he read excerpts from the letter.
"SCUM!!"
Aura wrapped itself around Raizel's left hand and hardened into a physical blade.
Uriel did the same, though his blade was noticeably smaller and less stable than his younger, illegitimate brother's.
Everyone at the party took notice of that fact. Whether Uriel wanted them to or not.
Raizel lunged at his brother with murder in his eyes.
With the first clash, the difference in skill was also noticeable between them.
Uriel attempted to execute the first form of the Angel's Twelve wings to keep his brother at bay.
Raizel, even off balance in the air, had no trouble knocking away Uriel's pathetic qi blade and driving his knee into his nose.
Solomon's first punch had already ensured that Uriel's nose would never go back to it's original shape. But Raizel's knee strike might have just put a permanent crater in Uriel's face.
He hit the ground hard, choked gasps escaping his throat as he struggled to breathe.
Raizel placed his foot on his brother's chest. He ground his heel into his brother's sternum with malice.
He was only satisfied when he heard cracking bone. Then he raised his arm over his head to deal the final blow.
As Raizel's arm started to descend, he was grabbed by the wrist.
He hadn't felt anyone approaching him. And that in itself was enough to tell him exactly who had grabbed him.
"I. Said... Enough."
Zadkiel bent back his child's arm at an impossible angle, snapping the bone for all to see and hear.
Raizel would not do his father the courtesy of crying out in indignation. However, the hate in his eyes was palpable. As if a lifetime of rage had been condensed into his pupils.
Zadkiel turned to his men, who were holding an unconscious Solomon by the ballroom doors.
"Seal their cores and take all three into the underground. No one is permitted to..." Zadkiel's eyes narrowed as they fell on Solomon.
There was something glowing just beneath his shirt, like a piece of hot iron pulled from a roaring forge.
Raizel followed his father's gaze and the rage in his eyes melted into horror.
Soon, the temperature in the room began to rise and Raizel knew he was out of time.
-
The sunlight was what woke Solomon up first.
It streamed into his eyes and made staying unconscious next to impossible.
He sat up, slowly rubbing his eyes and realized that his bed didn't feel quite familiar to him.
With his eyes adjusted, he took in the sight of the room he was in.
It was a very lavish space, with precisely cut stone floors designed with gold characters of a language few in the world must have still spoken.
A cool, slightly salty air wafted into the room. Bringing with it the scent of the ocean and a surge of memories.
"The way you look, someone might think you'd never seen a sunrise before. I wish I could freeze this moment forever."
Solomon felt goosebumps run down his back.
He felt movement with him in the bed and a body pressed itself against his own.
No matter how much time passed, he would never mistake that firm softness and that alluring voice. Not for anything in the world.
He was suddenly thrown back onto the bed and a woman straddled him.
When he saw Rena's beautiful, time dedicated body, all of his memories came crashing back into him.
"…Is this a dream?"
"Do you care?" Rena tilted her head.
Solomon did not. Not even a little bit.
He tore away the meager scraps of clothing she wore and embraced her desperately.
Her eroticism was like quicksand to his sanity.
With no jeopardy of being caught, Rena could be as loud as she wanted. Or as loud as Solomon made her.
It was hours later, in between one of their breaks when she finally said something that was not a curse or an exclamation.
"I've never seen Albaz. Its beauty is truly everything they claim."
Solomon said nothing as he held her head against his chest.
His nerves were warmed by the heat of her body. He was keenly aware of the feeling of her chest rising and falling against him.
It all felt so real it was difficult to keep labeling this a dream. And yet, he knew the truth.
Was this a part of being at the cross roads, like his father always spoke of?
If so, Solomon wasn't sure what kind of path he was going to end up going down to follow this woman.
"Did you like the letter?"
Solomon remembered everything that had happened before he woke up. He tightened his grip on Rena's frame as an answer.
"…We should probably get up. As nice as this is, I want to see the place where you grew up. Don't you?" Rena asked.
"I'm not that attached to it anymore. Besides, we don't have-"
An ornate wooden wardrobe appeared in the corner of the room as if it had always been there.
"…Clothes." Solomon finished.
Rena finally broke out of his grasp and placed her feet on the stone floor.
She crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe doors to find an assortment of traditional clothes from his homeland.
Rena looked back at Solomon.
"Any chance you could make me some pants and a trenchcoat…?"
"If I had any kind of control here, you would have never gotten out of bed." Solomon shrugged.
Rena snorted at him. "And I thought you a man of greater self control. Am I just that addicting?"
"You've never sat still that long before. It was a novel experience." Solomon rose out of bed and walked towards her.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her gently on the back of her neck.
"…But yes. You are."
Rena's ears slowly turned bright red.
"…Be honest. You had other girls aside from me while I was gone."
"I'm afraid not. Everyone else in the castle was only interested in Raizel. You know that."
Solomon reached inside of the wardrobe and took out a simple cotton shirt and cargo pants. "Besides, everyone else was a little too soft for my liking."
"Did you just call me rough, you fucking dickhead?"
Solomon ignored her as he fumbled around with his pants. "Do you think my pants will stay up since this is a dream or will I still need a belt..?"
Rena was unamused.
"You think you're soo funny. Keep joking around and you're going to be blowing yourself from now on."
"Ah. Found a belt."
Rena realized that Solomon wasn't paying her any real mind and went back to focusing on picking out clothes for herself.
"…A soft woman might be good for you for a change." She finally said.
"You're talking a lot for someone who wants a tour."
"Fine, ignore me. Keep picking out scarred older women with anger issues. I'm sure your love life will be plenty successful." Rena rolled her eye.
"I wasn't having any problems so far."
Rena fell silent at that. Solomon's words felt like a trap in more ways than one.
She got dressed in silence before she slowly started walking towards the balcony. Solomon followed her with little to no enthusiasm.
Rena was enamored by everything that she saw. Even if she wasn't overly expressive.
She admired the ocean. The rich greenery. The cities that looked like they were made with fine stones and emphasized a harmony with nature.
There were statues and banners of dragons almost everywhere…
The bright blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds and a gorgeous sun. In addition, there were a group of enormous holes in the sky that resembled portals. Rena was shocked to see them.
"You could see the rifts from here? That shouldn't be possible, they're virtually on the other side of the world!"
Solomon shrugged. "Outsiders couldn't see it… our bodies are a little special."
Solomon pointed to his burning orange eyes. The most mysterious thing about him.
Albazians are almost completely indistinguishable from normal humans.
The only difference being, every single child born on the island is gifted with those eyes.
If they should leave before they reach the age of seven, gradually their eyes will turn a more normal color.
No one knows why except the royal family. And Solomon wasn't old enough to start learning the family secrets before he fled.
"I have to say, this place is incredible… I'm sorry you lost it." Rena said sincerely.
Solomon thought that was nice of her to say, but he wasn't necessarily that bothered.
Something she clearly seemed to notice.
"…You don't care?"
Solomon shrugged. "I guess I don't really remember the place quite like this."
"Well, how do you remember it?"
Solomon looked out into the city below. He took one final look at the people, the animals, and the festivities before turning away.
"Burning."
As soon as Solomon turned around, a wave of flame rose up in front of his face.
He took a step back and grabbed Rena to protect her. An act that seemed to fluster her just a bit.
Solomon looked around his former bedroom.
The place from which the bulk of his memories came was destroyed and on fire.
The heat and smoke choked out every molecule of breathable air, making this place near impossible to survive in.
With his bare feet, he could feel tremors shaking the entire castle as bombs of magic rained down from outside.
But none of that shook Solomon like the figure he could see cowering amongst the flames.
A young boy, barely old enough to hold a sword and terrified out of his mind.
There was a break in the flames for a brief second. The child immediately took the opportunity to sprint to the door and escape.
Despite knowing what would happen, Solomon did not hesitate to follow himself.