Elias stopped the moment they walked out of the dungeons, his posture stiff with unspoken turmoil. "Will you come with me?" he asked, his voice low, as he looked at Caelum.
Caelum offered a gentle smile and a quiet nod of affirmation.
Elias, his movements swift and desperate, pulled Caelum into a tight, grounding hug. With a flicker of magic, they instantly teleported to the vast, empty expanse of the training ground. "It's empty," Elias murmured, the sound echoing slightly in the vast space.
"Do you want to fight? To let it all out?" Caelum asked, his arms still wrapped securely around Elias, offering silent support.
"Fight," Elias confirmed, the single word a raw exhale of his pent up emotion.
Caelum nodded, his expression understanding, and gently pulled away, maintaining eye contact.
Both of them took several steps back, the distance necessary for a mock battle.
"Ice Blade," Elias commanded, a shimmering blade of solid, advanced ice magic materializing in his hand, ready for the fray.
"Holy Saber," Caelum replied, summoning his own luminous, equally advanced weapon of pure, sacred light.
Caelum, however, was not attacking. He was simply defending himself, his movements fluid and precise, warding off every relentless strike from Elias.
"Attack me, Caelum," Elias shouted, his voice laced with frustration and a plea for release.
Caelum shook his head firmly, the expression on his face unwavering. "I won't," he said, his voice ringing with conviction. "I will never point a real, dangerous sword at you," he declared as he expertly parried a lightning quick strike aimed dangerously close to his neck.
Elias, well aware of Caelum's steadfast refusal to harm him, pressed his attack, his movements becoming more frantic and forceful, trying repeatedly to land a clean strike on Caelum.
Matheas and Alexander arrived, appearing on the edge of the training ground a few minutes after the mock fight had begun, their faces etched with concern.
"Is Elias planning on killing Caelum?" Alexander asked, his voice strained with rising panic as he turned to Matheas, his gaze fixed on the intensity of the fight.
Matheas calmly shook his head. "If he was, Caelum wouldn't be trying to just defend himself," he explained, his tone reassuring.
"Actually, if he was truly trying to kill me, I'd drop my weapon and let myself be killed," Caelum interjected, his eyes momentarily flicking to Matheas as he defended yet another vicious strike aimed at his neck.
"Focus on me, damn it," Elias cursed, his voice a low growl of exasperation.
"Sorry," Caelum quickly apologized, immediately directing his attention back to Elias and the swirling dance of their weapons.
The mock fight, a visceral release for Elias, continued relentlessly for a solid three hours.
"Are you okay?" Caelum asked gently, extending his hand toward Elias, who was now sitting on the ground, his chest heaving as he desperately struggled to catch his breath.
Elias shook his head, a genuine smile finally gracing his exhausted face. "I'm beat," he admitted, leaning back on his hands.
"Emotionally, how do you feel?" Caelum inquired, his tone softened with deep empathy.
"I'm not okay, not entirely, but I can manage the grief and the anger swirling inside me," Elias said, his smile now soft and genuine.
"That is fine," Caelum assured him, his own soft smile radiating warmth. "As long as you are honest with me about how you truly feel, it's always fine," he said, settling down gracefully beside Elias. "Are you ready to talk to your father now?" he asked, his voice filled with encouragement.
Elias looked across the expanse of the training ground at Alexander, who was intently staring at him, and gave a slow, measured nod. "I guess I am," he conceded. "But please, stay with me," he urged, his eyes fixed on Caelum as he saw Matheas and Alexander begin walking purposefully towards them. "I feel like I could lash out at anyone at any time."
Caelum nodded his head in immediate agreement, a comforting smile on his face. "I will stay right here," he promised.
"Should we go to the office?" Alexander asked, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness, his gaze anxious.
Elias simply nodded. He took hold of Caelum's arm, the contact a source of strength, teleported them instantly to Alexander's richly furnished office, and gently pulled Caelum down to sit close beside him on the luxurious couch.
Alexander and Matheas shimmered into existence a few seconds later, taking their places on the opposite couch, their postures expectant.
"Will you allow Caelum to carve the rune?" Elias asked, getting straight to the point.
Alexander nodded once, his agreement firm.
"I want Aurelius and the Ravenlofts arrested immediately," Elias stated, his voice firm and unwavering. "It is alright if you choose not to punish Aurelius in public, but I absolutely want the Ravenlofts to fully understand what happens if they dare to mess with the royal family, and do not forget your main consort, the one who aided this entire plot," he added with a frustrated huff.
Caelum gently placed his hand over Elias's, a silent, soothing gesture urging him to maintain his composure and calm down.
Elias took a slow, deep breath and watched as Alexander, his face serious, gave another nod.
"What exactly will happen to Aurelius?" Elias asked, the question laced with a renewed, almost murderous intensity.
"He will be stripped of his royal title and imprisoned within the deep confines of the imperial prison until his death," Alexander announced, his tone heavy with the weight of the decree.
Elias nodded slowly, his expression settling. "That's fine," he said, the words a low acceptance.
"Fine?" Alexander repeated, a hint of surprise in his voice.
Elias looked at him, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "Did you honestly think I would demand that he be publicly beheaded for causing me such immense pain and systematically draining my life force and magic for five agonizing years?" he asked, his confusion clear.
Alexander flinched visibly but gave a silent nod of acknowledgment.
"I wouldn't do that," Elias said with a profound sigh of resignation. "I can understand why you would hesitate to take any action against your own family, but at the very same time, I cannot possibly forgive him for causing all of us so much pain, both physically and mentally."
"So you chose the next best option for retribution?" Matheas asked softly, gently taking Alexander's hand into his own for comfort.
Elias nodded again. "I honestly do not care as long as that idiot is kept somewhere I will never have to see his face again," he explained. "I know that the royals kept in the imperial prison are never allowed to see daylight again, so I am perfectly fine with him being locked in there for eternity."
"Are you absolutely sure about this decision?" Alexander pressed, his voice still tinged with uncertainty.
Elias nodded firmly. "What else should I possibly ask for?" he questioned, turning to look at Caelum, who also appeared slightly confused by the question.
"Perhaps a title for Caelum?" Matheas tentatively suggested, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
Elias let out a spontaneous burst of laughter. "He'd kill me if I dared to ask for that," he chuckled heartily. "Hot," Elias complained suddenly, pulling his hand away when Caelum subtly increased the temperature of his touch in mock warning.
"I would never kill you over something so incredibly petty," Caelum said with a small, theatrical huff of feigned annoyance.
"So, can I go ahead and ask for a title for you then?" Elias asked, his lips curving into a devious, playful grin directed at Caelum.
"I certainly won't be killing you, no, but I can absolutely make you practice your magic intensely with me, all day long, for the entire summer break," Caelum countered with a mischievous grin of his own, a challenge that caused a genuine shiver of mock terror to run down Elias' spine.
Elias shook his head vehemently. "No, thank you, absolutely not," he refused immediately. "See," he said, looking at Alexander and Matheas with a playful exasperation. "This is precisely what I meant when I said he'd kill me," he complained good-naturedly.
Alexander and Matheas burst into genuine laughter, and soon, both Caelum and Elias joined them, the shared laughter easing the tension that still lingered in the air.
"Now, go and tell your mother that she will be named my main consort," Alexander instructed gently after a moment, his voice returning to a serious tone.
Elias nodded, stood up with renewed energy, and stretched his arm out, waiting for Caelum to take his hand.
He teleported them instantly to the Emerald Palace and walked with purpose into his mother's private study.
"Elias? What a surprise," Isolde called out, a look of surprise and confusion on her face as she looked up from her work.
"I have some important news," Elias announced, his voice carrying the weight of the subject.
"Good news or bad news?" Isolde asked cautiously, setting her quill down neatly on the desk.
"That honestly depends entirely on how you decide to take it," Elias replied with a neutral shrug. "For me, it's all the same outcome."
"Well, what is it then, tell me?" Isolde pressed, leaning forward expectantly.
"You will be named main consort in a few days, following the trials and the execution of the Ravenlofts who were involved in the plot against me," Elias revealed the news, his gaze steady.
"What about Aurelius?" Isolde asked, her voice immediately filling with deep maternal concern. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Mother," Elias gently chided, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, his grip a silent demand for her attention. "You need to prepare and strengthen your heart for what I am about to tell you," he warned.
Isolde shook her head slowly, a denial already forming on her lips. "No," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "That boy, he is not so evil at his core," she muttered, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I am truly sorry, Madam Consort, but Prince Aurelius was fully aware of what was happening. He knew he was being manipulated, but he consented to it. The potion did not actually work on him as planned," Caelum interjected softly, stepping forward to speak. "He acted completely according to his own calculated plan."
Isolde let out a heartbreaking sob and pulled Elias into a desperate hug, openly weeping for the devastating loss of a child due to the cruel schemes inherent in the royal family and the vicious plots from the ambitious ducal houses. "I truly wish I had taken him under my wing, I wish I had intervened when I first noticed him being discarded and neglected by his own mother," Isolde cried out, her voice wracked with pain.
Caelum immediately joined the comforting hug, and both he and Elias reassured her, telling her repeatedly that it was absolutely not her fault and that no one could have possibly known the dark turmoil and plans going on inside Aurelius' head.
When Isolde finally fainted from the overwhelming exhaustion of crying and the immense mental shock, Elias gently lifted her frail body into his strong arms and carried her, laying her down tenderly upon her large, soft bed.