chapter 75
In the dim light of the waning moon, Ermis moved with the stealth of a shadow, his every step calculated to avoid detection. The castle walls loomed overhead, imposing and unyielding, yet Ermis pressed on, driven by a gnawing curiosity that threatened to consume him despite the danger. He knew for sure that the wrong turn, the wrong move even in the slightest and he was going to be killed by the magic that surrounded the
castle.
His mission was twofold: to gauge the mood of King Helios and to discern whether the time was ripe for action. With every whispered rumor of discontent echoing through the kingdom, Ermis knew that the delicate balance of power teetered on a knife’s edge. And if there was one thing he excelled at, it was exploiting weakness when it presented itself.
As he slipped through the labyrinthine corridors of the castle, Ermis’s mind raced with possibilities. Would King Helios still seethe with anger, his wounded pride a barrier to reason? Or had the passage of time softened his resolve, leaving him vulnerable to
manipulation?
Ermis paused at a familiar junction, his keen senses alert for any sign of movement. It was then that he caught sight of a figure approaching–a silhouette wreathed in darkness, yet unmistakably feminine.
“Emily,” he breathed, recognizing his sister’s form even in the dim light. What was she doing here, skulking about the castle at such a late hour?
Before he could ponder the question further, Emily spoke, her voice tinged with annoyance. “Ermis, what are you doing here?.”
Ermis regarded his sister with a mixture of surprise and irritation. He did not know where her loyalty lay but it was obvious that she knowing his plan was detrimental.
“I could ask you the same question,” Ermis replied, his voice low with caution. “What brings you to the heart of the lion’s den?”
Emily’s gaze hardened, her resolve unyielding. “I came to speak with King Helios,” she
confessed, her words heavy with meaning.
Ermis arched an eyebrow in surprise. “in the dead of the night” he looked at her,
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searching her eyes to see if she was hiding anything, something he could use to blackm
her.
“well yes, but you, you he also there, are you not?” she looked at him, crossing her handi across her chest im a defensive way.
“Very well,” Ermis mummured, his mind already spinning with possibilities of his sitter finding out. “Let us praed, but with caution. We don’t want to unnecessarily allent the
guards
With a silent mot of agreement, Emily fell into step beside her brother, their footsteps echoing down the diesented corridors. Ahead, the throne room beckoned–abrasion of power and authority, yet also a battlefield where alliances were forged and broken with
every passing moment.
As they reached the threshold of the throne room, Ermis and Emily exchanged a knowi glance. Their brother on the other side, both with different intentionss
As Emily and Ermis pushed open the massive doors to the throne room, they were met with a scene both unexpected and unsettling. King Helios sat upom his throne, his form bated in the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the high windows. But there wa sometining different about him, something that sent a shiver down Emily’s spine and se
Ermis con edge.
The usually majestic figure of the king seemed diminished, his shoulders slumped and gave distant, as if lost in the depths of his own despair. Emily exchanged a worried glan with her brother, sensing the heavy weight that bore down upon Helios’s spirit.
Ermis, Emily,” Helios murmured, his voice barely above at whisper. “What brings you to
the throne room at this late hour?”
Emily stepped forward, her concern for the king ovenwoning any trepidation she felt. “W came to speak with you, Your Majesty,” she repifted,, her wilde steady despite the turmoil roiling within her. “To address the concerns that weigh heavily upon our hearts.”
Ermis nodded in agreement, his eyes never leaving idios’s haggard form. “We have
moticed a tension within the kingdom, a disconduit threatens to unravel the peace you
have fought so hard to maintain,” he added, his wonds a cautious probing for the truth
chapter 75
hidden beneath Helios’s stoic facade.
But to their dismay, Helios remained silent, his gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the confines of the throne room. It was as if he were trapped in a prison of his own making, his thoughts a tempest raging against the confines of his mind.
As Emily attempted to engage him in conversation, they found themselves met with only silence–a void that seemed to swallow their words whole, leaving them adrift in a sea of uncertainty.
Unbeknownst to them, Helios was battling a foe far greater than any they could imagine. Deep within the recesses of his being, a darkness lurked, a malevolent force that
threatened to consume him whole.
With every passing moment, Helios could feel his magic waning, its once–potent energies slipping through his grasp like grains of sand. The very essence of his being was being drained away, leaving him hollow and powerless in its wake.
Try as he might to hide his suffering from those around him, Helios knew that his time was running out. And as he sat upon his throne, alone and adrift in a sea of shadows, he could only pray that salvation would come before it was too late.
With his powers gone, it was impossible for him to protect himself, let alone his mate or his kingdom.
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