A/N: Spin-off fic to Darkest Night. You may have to read the first one to understand this one.Hope you enjoy!
. . .
The Painting
Chase counted the months after he managed to form an elaborate plan to impress Jack Spicer.
It wasn't an easy feat, but Chase found himself reaping the reward to the fullest as his apprentice. The Warrior now lived with Jack in his citadel, and was given his own room and quarters. It was obvious that he impressed the Heylin Emperor to such an extent that he would be given close to the same treatment as someone of royalty. A worry still present in the back of Chase's mind kept evoking the possibility of him doing something displeasing and being thrown away by the other, but eventually it was quickly defeated as the months went on by.
The move to the citadel was a hasty one, as Jack at the time quite literally threw Wuya and Hannibal out on bare ground with their burned clothes along with whip marks and burned skin as the icing on the cake all over them and in a thunderous voice told them to never dare to try to do something like that to him again, lest he decide to end their miserable, pathetic lives, so therefore Chase did not get all of his necessary items from his former home. He planned to ask the other if he could retrieve them in the near future, especially his prized portrait.
That painting.
One could call it an obsession of they liked, but he loved that portrait of the Emperor. It captured his beauty, his deadly aura, and his dominance. Chase couldn't abandon it after taking care of it all of these years. Sure, it was more than good enough to be in the good graces of Jack, but that portrait was special enough to him as it ignited the power he has now, and his desire to be by his side, all to which has come true. He would have to hide it again, of course. To have something like that when the person depicted in it is living and breathing right in front of your face would be a bit weird, Chase concluded.
When the time came, Jack teleported himself and Chase to his old home, and lounged on the vacant couch. He was told that the items that were needed wasn't very large or hard to carry, so the warrior would get them himself and he could just wait until he did.
"Get what you need, Chase. I'll be here," he confirmed.
Chase nodded, venturing off. Really, all he came here for is that painting, and some of his equipment and the rest of his materials for his robotics, but mainly, that painting. He assembled the equipment and materials in boxes quickly and placed them in the room where Jack was, who in return snapped his fingers nonchalantly and transported the materials back to the citadel in a flash. His magic was so accurate, that the boxes would probably be found in Chase's room when they returned.
Now came the hard part.
Walking to a hidden door, he entered a special code to a nearbv keypad and the door opened slowly. Chase walked inside, and there it was, his treasure. Though it was wrapped and placed in a wooden box, he could visualize every detail of the painting as if it were open right in front of his eyes. He picked it up and went back to the living room, where Jack was lounging.
"I'm ready," Chase said. "However, I would rather carry this one than teleport it, if you don't mind."
Jack sat up and nodded. "That's fine."
He touched Chase's shoulder lightly, and in a flash, they were at the citadel once more.
"Thank you," Chase said to him. It was really all he could say at the moment.
Jack chuckled. "Don't worry about it."
His eyes looked at the rectangular shaped box Chase held in his hands, and eyed it curiously.
"What is in that?" He asked.
He sees Chase avert his eyes, as if he is hiding something.
"It's… nothing of importance," Chase responds.
Jack rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed, and crosses his arms. He has told Chase on occasion that he hates when certing things are hidden from him. His gaze is so intense that the other is forced to look at him directly.
"I'll ask again… what is in it? It must be of importance if you wrapped it up in such a delicate way."
"It is just a painting that ran in the family, that is all," Chase said.
Jack was unconvinced. He put his hand out, thus making the box float from Chase's arms. The warrior gasped, knowing there was nothing he could do. Jack snapped his fingers and the box hiding the so-called painting was removed.
His eyes widened upon seeing the painting. It was of him, depicted as lounging on his throne with his iconic handfan and elegant black robe and red sash. He walked closer to it, and touched it lightly, as if it were fragile and could break with just one touch. He closed his eyes and smiled, chuckling, and thus confusing Chase.
"I remember this one," he said. "It is possibly the only accurate image any historian has of me… and now it belongs to you."
"I don't understand," Chase responded.
"Let me tell you a story," Jack opened his eyes, looking at him.
"During the time I was the former Dragon of Fire, and I reached the age of 22, I was approached by Hannibal. God, I hated the bastard… and I still do, but that is beside the point. He courced me to the Heylin side, and I will not go into detail on that. I gained immortality at the age of 23. You probably knew all of that… it's in those modern books."
He paused to let out a sigh.
"I hate talking about my past. Hm… lets see. When I first became Heylin, I hated it. I wanted to reject it, but I couldn't. Eventually, Dashi and Guan abandoned me because I became a monster and that is why I began in isolation. I didn't think too much of it and began to fight them as if the years I was with them meant nothing. I then trapped Hannibal in the Yin-Yang World for tricking me and let Dashi finish off Wuya, which left only me. I was the only ruling Heylin at the time and my evil was enough to keep the balance, how shameful for those two idiots."
He looked at the painting again.
"But this… this brings back a certain memory. I won't say it was good, or bad. Rather just a neutral memory, up until now. This painting is one I did myself."
"You… you painted yourself?" Chase asked, mostly in shock. "But why?"
"I don't have a particular reason. I just painted it, left my name at the bottom, and left it for someone to find. Eventually, I watched as the world knew of me, but I never knew where the painting itself went. All I have seen are copies and other artists' depictions of me. The one you have is authentic. The one I did myself with my own two hands. To know it still exists… It… makes me…"
He trailed off, turning his face.
"It's okay to say it makes you pleased… happy, even," Chase responded. "I always felt a compelling force in my mind telling me to protect this at all costs—now I know why. It's rightfully yours, so you can have it once more."
"I do not want to take it from you. I just want to hang it above my throne."
"But there's the possibility it could be destroyed or stolen!"
"Ha!" Jack mused. "If anyone dares to do that, you know very well I will kill them. I don't take things like that lightly. This is something I created myself. Do you really think that I would let anyone destroy it?"
Chase nodded. "No. You do have a point. I am glad I protected it all of this time."
"Thank you for doing so," Jack closed his eyes, and smiled softly. The feat was rare at best.
In a flash, the painting appeared just above his throne, and under the protection Chase already had administered to it, and now of his own magic as well.
One day, I want to add a painting of Chase next to mine. One that he would make of himself.
God, what is this man doing to me?
Jack took a deep breath, retaining his original persona.
"Well, come on. It's been a long day. You should rest."
Chase nodded. He did feel tired, coincidentally. He noticed Jack's smile, and wanted to see it again. It was odd that he thought of such a thing in his mind.
Only time would tell what this feeling was that was growing inside of him.
. . .
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the spinoff fic! It won't be the end to the little set of fics I have for this AU.