Uploaded: 13/02/2016

Okay! So here it is: the first chapter of the last installment of The Emperor's Trilogy!

And this chapter should also alleviate many of my readers' fears of Kuroko's fate at the end of The Emperor's Shadow.

Be sure to review and let me know what you think :D

The Emperor's Trilogy
The Emperor's Phantom
Chapter 1

He was still reeling from the burning pain that had consumed him just moments after Takeo had recovered. It was as though he could feel flames licking at his stone like flesh not dissimilar to the burn of the change from mortal to vampire he had endured just months ago…

So he was still reeling even after the burning stopped.

And then there were hands upon him.

He did not realise at first what was happening, thinking that Aomine had saved him as his light always did when he got in over his head.

But these hands were not gentle. Fingers threaded through his hair almost lovingly but for the tangles they ignored and when the grip tightened he found himself lifted by his locks, a pained grunt the only noise that escaped his lips.

"Got him."

A grinning blonde face and a scream.

Suddenly everything was back in focus.

Kuroko was being manhandled toward Caius, the blonde, and a female voice was screaming somewhere to his right. Fingers of his capture were so tightly woven into his hair he could not turn to identify the voice of the pained wails.

Until he reached Caius' side and was viciously turned and wrapped in a restraining embrace. Jane keened, the last of his targets, the one that got away. She was clutching at her left eye and Aomine was standing over her but looking his way, a look of pure horror etched on his face for but a second before his features twisted into a snarl and he made to come to his aid…

"Not another step, or else your shadow is toast."

Kuroko could feel the heat of the pyre. Something about the dancing flames and heat radiating from them sent an instinctive shiver of fear down his spine.

And Kuroko was suddenly aware of just how cold his vampire flesh was: How unnatural the warmth of fire was.

His captor and Caius laughed as Aomine froze and Jane scurried over, one eye gone with a gauge through the socket were it had once rested.

"AKASHI!" There was fear in Aomine's voice. Kuroko doubted any could hear it but he and the others of the coven it was so well hidden. But that he could hear it left his face slack of his usual impassive mask. It seemed there was no getting out of this. He had become a burden to his coven; to Akashi.

"Daiki-?" Like the thought of him had conjured the old Emperor before his, Kuroko was almost startled by how fast the redhead had moved.

"So much as open your mouth and your precious shadow shall burn."

Akashi would save him. And Kuroko hated himself for being such a burden.

He was shaken, viciously so, he near bit right through his tongue.

"Show yourself." The order of his captor. He had not even realised he had hidden himself from view. He had unknowingly done so: so natural was it for him to slip between the shadows of existence itself that it seemed only he could see.

He considered it for a moment but, with a soft breath of far too hot air, he pulled himself back from the shadows.

"You've lost. Give us our shadow and we will let you leave." A reasonable bargain for Midorima to give, Kuroko thought, but…

"What guarantee do we have? What is stopping you coming for us after we let you precious emperor's heart go?"

How did they know that? How did they know that he and Akashi were… halves? Was there a traitor? No, Kuroko realised, Marco had the ability to read bonds. He wondered what theirs had looked like…

"You have the Emperor's word. The word of an emperor is binding."

"We have his word though he does not speak." One your orders. Kuroko thought.

"He does not speak just as your terms have stated. This is just as much a statement of his credibility."

"Nevertheless he cannot give his word without speaking and consequently us throwing your shadow to the flames."

Kuroko felt as though sweat was beading on his brow. He knew vampires did not do something as menial as perspire but human instincts still kicked in every now and then as young as he was. The heat was also starting to get to him.

His eyes were on Akashi and Akashi's on him. They held each other's gaze and it terrified Kuroko to see his mate was scared.

"What are you doing?!" Their eye contact broke as both of their attentions were grabbed by another two ancients that had invited themselves to Akashi's rebellion.

"Finish them!"

Akashi looked worried. He was certain he was not the only one to see it now. Midorima looked uneasy with the knowledge. The redhead tried to stop them.

"Still pathetically pursuing the land we took from you?" Caius sneered. Kuroko wanted to hit him.

And Stephan and Vladimir made their move.

The arms around him tightened.

His and Akashi's eyes met once more, both wide and fearful.

And he was flying through the air.

Hot.

Hit the ground.

Burn.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The very air he took to scream burned his lungs. It was mindless. The pain had not fully hit him yet but his body knew, just knew, already how to express the burning, melting, bubbling agony before it even hit.

His eyes were clenched shut and he did not see what was happening to him but he could feel. And knew what burns looked like on human flesh. Why should a vampire's be any different? And it felt like his skin was blistering and melting and dripping from his person.

He gasped; breathed in flames.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

It was like only one thing he had felt before.

The change had burned like this. And he had thought Jane's torture was like burning, but her illusion was pathetic to the reality. The change had been like this but still paled in comparison. His human mind had not been capable of comprehending just how much agony he had been in. Now, his immortal mind was far too eager to interpret ever lick of the flames, every superheated rock beneath him and every second it continued.

He just wanted to…

"AHHHHHHHHHH-"

…disappear.

And so he did.