Chapter -92: A Web of Ambition

Obscura.

It is a land cloaked in darkness, and shrouded in mystery. The fear of the unknown casts a veil over the land so impenetrable only the truly brave or the truly depraved are allowed entry.

So that begged the question...

What defined the man named Atrax?

Solomon watched. The man stood with a mask hiding his intent. A tribute to their culture, or mocking it?

He was not born of this land. And yet...darkness blanketed his mythical garb. That was undeniable.

Before a word could be uttered, an eye blinked, this strange man found himself trapped in a multi-layered cage of a dozen seals, with four hexes raised in the air, pointed at his position.

The Vizier waved their arms around, hands coated in a strange purple fog, and grit their teeth with fury.

"HOW did you get here?!" She blurted out.

Atrax spun his head around slowly and poked the cage with his finger, his tone like a man drifting off into his subconscious, "An omnidirectional entrapment hex. Interesting. I suppose leaving the way I came in is out of the question now?"

He humored the magic with an air of calmness and the Vizier snapped their fingers, arming the floating hexes with pulsating violet magic, "Answer the question. Or become a smear of ash on the floor."

Atrax turned and his smile could be felt growing behind his cover, "Isn't that redundant, you know how I got in already. Obviously I wasn't going to walk in and let myself get trapped before I proved my capabilities to you in your hour of need."

The Vizier was unnerved. Solomon then took greater notice of the man than he had before.

"He came prepared." He narrowed his gaze and hummed in a gravelly tone.

Then, without warning, Xiark sprung onto the foyer a feet away from the caged man with parts of his body splitting open. He cautiously paced around the cage, the two's eyes meeting as a growing tension filled the room.

"We shall not accept the help of or barter with your kind, Aurian."

Solomon paused for a bit and then widened his eyes to utter a cold and shaking, "What?"

Atrax's eyes were on Xiark but his words were only for the king, "That's right, I am an Aurian. One of Sancturia's Ten Sages. In fact, let me amend my introduction."

Atrax broke off and took a lesser bow towards Solomon, "I am Atrax, the Web-Weaver of Shadow. It's an honor to be meeting you on a less...hectic note, Lord Solomon."

"..." Solomon stared long and hard at the man and soon enough Atrax perked up and remarked, "Do you...not remember me? I was there when our fair princess got-"

Solomon's continued silence caused Atrax to settle down with an eerie murmur of "Interesting" before he quickly chuckled and brushed his hand out, "My face must not be too memorable then."

One of Xiark's otherworldly, teeth-filled tongues lashed out against the cage and then snapped into the crevices of his flesh when the man faced him, "My hunger is infinite. But traitorous filth like you will make a filling meal."

Atrax chuckled again, sounding a little more detached from fear or care, "IF...that is the will of the king, then gnaw me down to the bone."

He then faced Solomon and remarked, "But I am just a humble messenger. I cannot and do not wish harm upon you."

"And I do not tell a lie," Atrax put a finger to the lips of his mask and whispered, "Even to save my own life."

All eyes were on the king to act in accordance with the man's intrusion. But Solomon was not upholden to these ill-defined laws. Today, he guided his hand out towards this mysterious man and uttered firmly, "We shall hear him out. Then...I shall decide his fate."

Atrax bowed and remarked, "Thank you, Lord Solomom."

The tone was equal parts subdued and slimy, but the Vizier and Xiark had no choice but to stand guard and act on any of their guest's slip ups.

Atrax then tucked one arm into his robe and gestured the other one out, "As I've already explained, I am one of the Ten Sages of Sancturia. My command over the darkness allows me to reach into the shadows and move wherever there is solid ground."

"Oh," Atrax put his hand on his chin, "Pardon me for my rudeness, Lord Solomon, but just how much do you know about the Ten Sages?"

"...Too little." He responded firmly.

"Heh, then allow me to elucidate," Atrax brushed his hand back out, "There's a Sage for every element, and our leader, Borealis, is the strongest out of all of us and a master of Aura. Each Sage is tasked with observing the Tribe connected to their element and reporting back to Borealis. Our ultimate goal...? To bring peace back to this world."

"Ha!" Xiark guffawed stoically as he dug the sharp filled ridges of his paws into the ground in front of the man and hunched down into a hostile, glaring stance, "It didn't take you long to lie."

"I am telling the truth." Atrax remarked.

"I have seen your people's 'truth'," Xiark growled in a gravelly tone, "And it has burned in our eyes for over a million years."

Atrax responded calmly with, "...But that has nothing to do with me, now does it?"

"Hrmmm...!" Xiark growled.

"Oooh heh heh!" "D." chuckled, "Our little riftwalker's on edge, is he?"

Xiark split open his back and an appendage lashed out to slam the demon's flask against the wall, but they continued to laugh regardless.

Solomon groaned and then extended his hand towards the man, "From my understanding, your lord seeks the Wellsprings."

"That is correct." Atrax swiftly replied.

"And yet, you expect me to believe you came here for MY benefit?"

"Why, you need not look deeper than my willing captivity at your hand." Atrax said, brushing his hands out against the sides of the cage.

"Hmph," Solomon brought his hand back down by his side and then slowly pulled himself up from the throne. He then dared to step forward, putting himself within reach of one of the man's wicked spider limbs as they continued their conversation, his tone bludgeoning him with curiosity, "What DO you want, Aurian?"

"We all work towards the same goal. But there are some who disagree with Borealis' methods," Atrax raised a finger and gently laid it upon his chest, "I am one such person."

He then pointed up, "He strongly believes the way to peace is to shepherd humanity to his side and then free them from the violent, depraved nature present in their souls."

"But one look at his own citizens shows you the fatal flaw in his ideals...Without the ability to suffer consequences, reflect upon one's flaws, a human soul becomes sterile, unchanging. Peace is obtained, but at the cost of individuality."

"And I'm sure you, leader of Obscura, would understand how treasured that is."

"..." Solomon narrowed his eyes and remarked sternly, "I don't."

"Mmm, that's sad to hear." Atrax said, perhaps the most sincere statement given so far, which Solomon hated more than he cared to admit.

The Vizier then encroached this conversation with blunt words of their own, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Mmm?" Atrax cocked his head back her way.

"How your 'Lord' plans to kill the Titans to help subjugate the Tribes?!" The Vizier.

"Oh, see now that's interesting," Atrax wagged his finger her way, "That's knowledge only a Sage should know about."

The Vizier froze up in shivers.

Atrax could be felt cracking his widest smile yet, "Now who could've told you that?"

The Vizier was made silent and Xiark stepped in to say, "We're well aware of this...Borealis' goals."

He eyed Atrax with a deep glare and said, "His means walked our very lands just months ago."

"Oh, so you've seen the Anti-Genesis Theorem firsthand?" Atrax said, sounding rather shocked.

"Is NOTHING sacred for you Aurians?" Xiark remarked with a snarly undertone.

"Again, what does that have to do with me?" Atrax said while rubbing his chin.

"Or ME," Solomon interjected, "Get to the point, spider."

"Ahem...!" Atrax chuckled, "I was trying to, to be fair."

"Borealis wants peace. That cannot be argued. But I've had an idea brewing in my head for a while..." Atrax raised his pointer finger, "He wants the Titans dead because he believes they propagate violence in the human heart. But if someone approached him with a desire to broker peace, then perhaps, well..."

He unfurled his fingers and turned them around in an enticing gesture, "It would convince the other Tribes to surrender willingly."

"Hrrmmm..." Solomon groaned, pacing a few steps in front of the cage.

His mother's vestige walked behind him with her dainty smile, "It's not foolproof, but...It operates on a similar method to what I did. Think, my son, why would this man approach our Tribe for this task?"

Solomon narrowed his eyes at the man and deduced immediately, "We are the strongest and most mysterious after Sancturia. A sudden alliance between us would worry the other Tribes."

"And in turn, it would make them curious about what Sancturia has to offer..." Her smile rose, "Though mostly out of fear."

"I could care less about any of this," Solomon stopped and glared with a burning cold in his eyes towards the man, whom he felt smiling patiently behind his mask, "What I seek is..."

His mother laid her hand atop his shoulder and disappeared into the ether.

Solomon raised his hand with authority towards the man and told him, "Do not mistake my intentions, spider. I do not seek the end of this war."

"Then what do you desire, Lord Solomon?" Atrax bowed with his arm before his chest and chuckled, "Borealis can give you anything you want with the power of Alchemy. He may even be able to bring back that monster you called 'mother'."

Solomon's chest felt as though it fumed with hot air, but his eyes remained cold and resolute, with him addressing the man with his voice raised, "I want his daughter."

"Our beloved princess?" Atrax poked his eyes up and his chuckle slowly got deeper, "Oooooh, I see now. Yes, yes. Love. The all-conquering emotion..."

Solomon's eyes slanted and Atrax waddled a few steps back with his head still in a bow.

"If that is what you want, you'll be facing a very uphill battle. For Borealis guards his daughter more than anything else in his heart."

Solomon's gaze stood strong. Atrax was pleased, "But, if that's what you want, fine."

"I do not trust you, spider," Solomon stated firmly, "But if you live up to your word and act as a messenger for me to Sancturia, then I will spare you the fate of becoming a stain upon the floor."

"Fear is a great motivator," Atrax chuckled, going straight into saying softly, "I shall not let you down, Lord Solomon."

"Good," Solomon lowered his hand and squeezed it into a fist, "Then let your lord know I desire an alliance. I shall have a lengthier message for him later."

He then nudged his head towards the Vizier and remarked, "Lower the cage."

She responded with a bemused, "B-But my lord, he's within your-"

"Lower it." He stated with his eyes burning bright.

The Vizier released the tension in their arms with a disdainful gasp and watched as the Sage stretched their limber arms free.

"That was a fun experience. I look forward to having more conversations like this in the future, Lord Solomon."

The shadows at his feet thickened and he began to sink down like it was mud, immune to the glares cast off from Xiark and the Vizier's eyes.

Solomon then turned around and made his way back to his throne. The Vizier staggered towards him and proclaimed in bewilderment, "You can't be serious, my lord! That man cannot be trusted!"

Once Solomon sat down, Xiark pounced back by his side and flipped the position of his outer skin to comfortably lay down on his paws once more.

But his gaze remained stern, pointed at Solomon with some mild anger in his tone, "You better have a plan."

"I was unable to sense him moving through the shadows," Solomon said, stating his weakness with confidence in himself, "He could have taken the Wellspring beneath my notice. That tells me he can be trusted to some extent."

"But what about this Borealis figure?" The Vizier said, fidgeting around with an outward display of fear and concern, "My lord with all due respect he is...c-c-completely beneath your notice! You're wasting your time...!"

"This is the path I have chosen," Solomon gestured his hand out towards her and she felt as though she was being crushed, "You can follow in my shadow, Vizier, or not."

"I-I..." The Vizier bit their lower lip as their knees trembled together, "I want nothing more than to serve your great power, my lord."

"Then know that I fear no one," Solomon uttered, his position as firm as a rock against the tide, "That spider speaks of his lord as though he is a God. But Gods are unseeable, unreasonable."

His eyes began to glow, "I shall prove both are untrue."

"This tough guy act will get you killed," Xiark remarked, "And make it a major pain in my keister to retrieve the Wellspring from your corpse."

Xiark tapped his paws on the ground and sighed, "Think this over. Seriously."

Solomon let out a long groan and delved deep into his thoughts, "Sancturia is heavily fortified. Even when I get in via invitation, they may have measures in place to keep me from escaping through the shadows."

"Then there are the Sages. One Sage is not an issue, but I may struggle against all ten."

"And I have to consider their secret weapons. Borealis' daughter wields the Anti-Genesis Theorem. That shall prove no trouble once I get to meet her in person. But who is the other wielder? One of the Sages? An as of now unknown third party?"

It was obvious that it wouldn't just be a simple matter of bartering for the right to see the daughter again. Solomon would have to be subtle, and figure out how to prevent any situation that leaves him vulnerable.

"..." Solomon narrowed his gaze and leaned his armored knuckles against the side of his face, imagining the appearance of Borealis through the few hints the Vizier gave, "And then there is you. A man with ambition powerful enough to affect this whole world. I don't expect you to surrender a chance to obtain my Wellspring if negotiations go sour."

He then eyed the Vizier and rose back upright in his seat, with his mother vestige whispering in his ear, "Maybe we can work with that."

"Hrmm..." He growled, her vestige fading, "Vizier."

The Vizier jolted upright then made a hasty bow, "Y-Yes, my lord?"

"Review every spell you've ever learned. And learn every spell you haven't. I do not care if you only master them at an amateur level, I want you to figure out a way to unravel a cage capable of binding a Titan."

"A-A spell like that cannot possibly exist!" She declared.

"Then bring it into existence," Solomon gestured his hand out firmly, "That is the expectation I set for you, if you wish to remain at my side, Vizier."

"Of...of course, my lord." The Vizier smiled faintly and then following a bow of her head, she turned and left the palace.

Solomon then gripped the arms of his chair and submitted somewhat to his growing tiredness. His mind began to wander, and in the absence of consciousness, the whispers of a parasite began to worm their way in.

"This sounds like such a bore," "D." spoke with his toothy grin, "Playing politics...like a human."

His whispers began to scratch at Solomon's mind like nails on a chalkboard, "We both know what you really want to do. So you should skip past this obvious distraction and get to the fun part already!"

Solomon narrowed his gaze at the black flask, his hands rattling atop the arms of his throne. He then squeezed down hard, remarking in a firm, authoritative tone, "The answers I seek I shall find with that daughter, not in your whispers, foul parasite."

"Then you are the most stubborn fool I have ever laid eyes upon." "D." said with a slow, sinister chuckle.

Solomon growled quietly, and could only be patient as he awaited the return of the messenger.

Meanwhile, at the center of the world, Atrax has kept to his word. But the resulting message left Borealis in a state of stunned silence.

"Is this true?" Borealis uttered, his arms clasped behind his back.

"Have I ever told a lie, Lord Borealis?" Atrax whispered, a hand tucked into his robe.

"No," Borealis slanted his brows apologetically, then stiffened them in disbelief, "But it's very hard to believe that the hellspawn of that monster would ever take a diplomatic approach."

Borealis turned and began to walk away, head hung deep in thought.

Atrax followed with a cautious approach as he noted, "He appears smarter than his mother. Or rather, more cautious."

Borealis then peered over his shoulder and wondered aloud, "And that makes him more dangerous."

"That monster spent her final years preparing this greater threat to take her place," Atrax deduced, "Which just makes it all the more interesting that he wants to speak to us like a human."

"Do you know what he wants?" Borealis said in a cautious tone.

"You'll never believe it," Atrax laughed merrily, "He wants to meet your daughter face-to-"

Borealis' eyes widened intensely and the Atelier trembled, knocking a few books off the shelves.

Atrax shivered and took a couple steps back, whispering to him calmly, "My lord, calm yourself."

Borealis turned around and put all his intensity upon Atrax's entire body, "Return to him, and tell him that Borealis Aurora does not yield to monsters."

"I-I could do that, my lord..." Atrax raised his finger and remarked, "But to do so would be to expose your weakness."

Borealis' expression trembled with a bit of mournful sorrow, despite how resolute his glare held down.

"He knows of your familial ties. Strong though she may be..." Atrax approached with a cool, raspy whisper, "Could you bear to hear her scream in pain, Lord Borealis?"

Borealis hung his head ever so slightly and a sigh fled his nostrils. He then raised his head with a tear trickling down his cheek and muttered, "Then my only solution is to drag myself down to the level of this...this cold-hearted spawn of beastly burden?"

"He's presenting us with an opportunity to lure him in and leave his Wellspring exposed," Atrax then quickly said, "Ooor, alternatively, we manage to find a shred of reasoning in this unreasonable monster, and exploit it to bring all of Obscura under our dominion."

"Either way, the balance of power will shift in our favor, and news of this will travel to the other Tribes and lower their resolve. Thus..." Atrax laid his arm before his chest and bowed, "You shall be one step closer to complete, global, unification...My lord."

Borealis turned aside and tucked his hands behind his back, his demeanor weighed heavily with hesitation, "And yet...this plan may require me to use my own daughter as a lure."

"We the Ten Sages will always be here at your service. Nothing shall happen to your daughter on our watch," Atrax then whispered, "You have the whole world to consider, my lord."

Borealis then raised his head up high little by little until murmuring "Yes...you're right" with steeled resolve. In his eye, a reflection of his daughter's face, cradled as a baby in the arms of his beautiful wife, long gone, trickled down his cheek on a tear.

He then turned towards Atrax with a firm presence and remarked, "Atrax. Relay this message to the king of Obscura…"

Over the span of a few days time, Solomon began work on a letter. His words, painted on parchment with ink as black as his soul.

The knowledge of those before him made the swipes of his feather pen feel natural, and every letter had weight.

By the time Atrax made his return, the letter had been finalized and bound in a violet ribbon, awaiting its delivery.

Atrax bowed his head once more but without the Vizier to restrain him, he dared to get closer to the throne as he addressed the man seated upon it, "A message from Borealis. He says: 'I shall await your first message, Dark King of Obscura.'"

"He answered," Solomon thought with a tad bit of surprise, "But it had taken him time. He is a careful man…"

Solomon looked towards Xiark with a nudge of his fingers aimed at Atrax. The Titan rose from his nap with the rolled up letter on his back and then handed it to him with one of his quick, outstretched appendages.

When the letter had been passed off Solomon stated firmly, "Tell him that from now on, I shall be expecting letters to continue our conversation. This topic is for our eyes only."

Atrax returned to Sancturia and passed these words off to Borealis as he handed the letter over, "That is what he said, my lord."

Borealis stared the curled up letter twice and muttered, "He is capable of writing?"

"Surprisingly." Atrax chuckled.

Borealis glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and said, "Leave me."

Atrax bowed and exited through the door. Borealis then pulled off the ribbon and made his way deeper into his Atelier. He used his gauntlets to effortlessly pull a wide desk, chair, and a stack of paper to him all at once.

He then sat down and raised a dim, blue-ish ember to illuminate the blackened text.

"Borealis of Sancturia,

I am writing this letter to negotiate the possibility of entering your city. And so, this conversation shall be kept between us.

I have not told a single soul what will be written in this letter, and I expect you to extend me the same courtesy.

My unique circumstances have driven me to take a growing interest in your people and your way of life.

We do not know each other, but I sense much animosity and caution in your actions so far.

I am not like my mother. I do not seek to spill blood or blanket this world in fear.

But if my word alone is not proof enough, then we can meet face-to-face, and you can prove the weight of my words."

Borealis narrowed his gaze scornfully and flattened the paper atop the table, "He is very particular about his choice of words. He knows I know what he wants."

He tapped his fingers along the rim of the desk and then reached out for his feather pen while replacing the letter with a fresh piece of paper for him to write on.

"He's testing me," Borealis muttered, "The beast is smarter than he lets on."

He wrote his letter over the course of a few days time, putting every single word under scrutiny to keep any flaws from poking through.

Atrax delivered this letter, and Solomon went to his room to read it over in solitude.

The anticipation put him on edge as he unfurled the clean scented letter and put it before his face. The letters were inked on eloquently, a work of art in their own right.

"You extend your written words for negotiation and yet cannot be mannered to give your name?

The blood spilled by your forebearer runs deep, yet your words are shallow.

If you wish to have even an iota of my trust, then you must show me more than an empty paper full of stains.

I want to know just what it is you're after, Dark King of Obscura."

Solomon glared bitterly at the letter as he murmured aloud, "He demands full transparency."

His eyes glowed as he widened them with determination, "I will not play this game your way, Borealis."

The next letter to arrive in the Sage's possession came a week later...

"Borealis of Sancturia,

I am Solomon. And what I am after is something I'm sure a knowledgeable man such as yourself can relate to: Answers.

Sancturia has been for the longest time of great unknown to the people of this planet. Many are frightened by you. Some spewing words of scathing hate in your name...

But I am...drawn in by the unknown, and the beauty that lies within.

Sitting on this stiffened throne is the death of curiosity and excitement, and I shall not be it's next victim.

You see me as a monster, an inhuman wretch spewed from the womb of the one who came before me.

But I do not seek to be your enemy or your friend. We sit on similar peaks of power, yet stand too far a distance from one another.

We can never bridge this gap, but that does not mean we cannot trust one another.

But this extends both ways. And I need proof that you can be trusted not to steal away my Wellspring, before I tell you exactly what it is I desire."

Borealis hummed, and then wrote up a quick, short response to be delivered immediately.

Solomon kept to the throne room where Atrax stood and waited for him to read the letter over. There was only one sentence, containing a pertinent and most personal statement: "I know who you are after."

Solomon glared at Atrax and forced him to stay for the few minutes it would take him to write a response, which Borealis received post-haste.

There was a feeling of pride in Solomon's demeanor as it felt the Great Sage of Aura was the first to wane in their little game of messages.

When Borealis received this next message, however, it would change the course of this conversation henceforth. For what was written on it was as follows: "Then you already understand how much this means to me."

Borealis' hands quivered for quite some time before he could bring himself to write the next letter.

When it arrived in Solomon's grasp, the letters were far from a work of art, but still plenty legible.

If words had a voice, Solomon would find these cold, striking hard with indignation and a righteous fury...

"What would a creature like you possibly understand about love?"

"..." Solomon hung the letter by his side then crumpled it up, throwing it to the ground before he retreated to his room, where he laid silent for a few weeks on end.

Borealis waited in his Atelier, a silence broken only by the arrival of his trusted confidant Lilith.

"No further word from that black-hearted beast?" She murmured softly.

"I do not know what he expected," Borealis said firmly, "But delusion that great can only be broken by an even greater truth."

"You must have been very tough on him, my lord," Lilith brushed the back of her hand up below her mouth and chuckled, "You should have played a little longer. The princess' well-being is a worthy sacrifice to acquire-"

Borealis did not move but she felt as though his glare was going right through her.

She quivered her teeth together and then whispered, "I spoke out of line. Forgive me."

Seconds later, Atrax entered the room, "Am I interrupting your fun time, sister?"

"Atrax," She replied with a modicum of disdain, "What do you need?"

He pulled a letter from his robe and remarked, "I think...Our little monster still has one last say in the matter."

Borealis turned around step-by-step and raised his brows in curiosity. Atrax leaned out and extended the letter towards him. It was drawn over to his hand by his magic, upon which he firmly grasped it and laid it before his face.

He stared at it for a while, then faced his Sages and said, "Leave me."

They bowed their heads and then departed together, leaving their lord to make his way to his desk with no expectations beyond to unfurl a paper stained with a beastial hate.

He laid it to rest on his desk and began to read.

"I do not understand love.

I do not understand a great many things. Every day I live with this emptiness, inescapable like a black hole.

But when I saw your daughter for the first time, something inside of me stirred.

The way she carried herself was perfection. How one moment she could paint the sky with her blade, and the next strike a pose of confidence that no artist would be capable of capturing.

And when I gaze upon her great, indescribable power, I feel as though I've found meaning to this empty existence.

If this is love, or something else, I want to know more. For she is radiant...Radiance great enough to bring light to even the fiercest of black holes.

If we stand at the pinnacle of the world, she has long soared past us, rising to the starry heavens as a true Goddess.

So, I ask that you reconsider, Borealis of Sancturia…"

A few fair tears dribbled onto the paper and smeared the ink. Borealis pulled himself away from the desk and stumbled over to his bookshelves in a daze.

He laid his hand at the edge of a shelf and it slid off until his fingertips hooked the edge. He craned his head back, taking a deep breath through his nose.

He then wiped his eyes dry upon his sleeve and sighed deep into the empty chamber.

His fingers unhooked, the hand falling limp at his side.

His surroundings blended into a dark fog, where he stared up at the starry sky with a frailer woman at his side.

She was his wife: Small, with striking pink-hair, and these precious, dimpled rosy cheeks.

They would cuddle together out in the wasteland and gaze up at the stars, two young souls seeking beauty in the darkness...

She would poke his cheeks and make him smile. He would wrap her under his cloak and keep her warm. They wasted the moonlight away making up stories about imaginary ideas and people...

Their daughter was the product of his strength...But had been cursed with her mother's beauty.

For it was beauty that would forever be coveted by those with tainted souls. And now, the darkness desires to take it all for themselves...

It gripped his heart in a complicated vice. He put his daughter's face at the forefront of every thought.

Every smile, laugh and frown was a reminder of what he had lost...And could not bear to lose again.

He turned away for just one moment, and his little baby girl had grown into a beautiful woman.

And then came the screams, the screams he had forced upon her.

His heart ached, and his voice was loose with pain, "The more I try to protect her, the further I push her away…"

"And yet," He stood up straight, putting his hands behind his back as he faced the letter, "This monster tests me, forcing me to decide the difference between inviting his savage nature into her heart, or upon her flesh...?"

He reached for the prismatic stone at his neck and clutched it warmly against his chin, his eyes squeezed tight, as though he was on the verge of tears.

"Oh Silvis…" He whispered, "You would know what to do…"

A month of silence passed on Solomon's end as he sat on his throne and went about his daily routine, keeping Borealis at the forefront of his mind.

It was fair to expect that the man was refusing through his silence, and the parasite had plenty of taunts to spew in that regard.

But Solomon was nothing if not a patient man. And he would carry this with him to death if he must. For the daughter's strength of body and power was something that refused to leave.

And in time...Atrax returned, delivering a letter with what was a clear and wide smile hidden behind his mask, "I hope we didn't keep you waiting, Lord Solomon."

Solomon snatched the paper up in his hand and then glared the man down with a demand of, "You will wait right here."

He secured the paper against his chest and kept it in his line of sight alone.

"Love is more than just an urge scratching at your chest.

It is an all-consuming feeling that strangles your heart with warmth and shows you that there is still good in the darkest of times.

Many a man claim to understand love, only to cower in the face of adversity.

You challenge me with impossible odds stacked against you, in the hopes of earning a place at my daughter's side.

For my daughter, I would be willing to make an enemy of the entire world, set fire to the moon, and drag all the stars down from the sky.

Can the strength of your feelings compare to even a fraction of my own?

No more letters. It's time we meet face-to-face, so that I may properly judge the sincerity of your answer."

"Hrrmmm…" Solomon slipped the letter away into his armor and then swung sideways, brandishing his arm towards Atrax, "Make arrangements with your lord, messenger. For he has chosen to invite me into your home."

"THAT is his answer?" Atrax rubbed his spider leg against his chin and chuckled, "Very well. I will be right back, Lord Solomon."

When the messenger departed, Solomon brought his fist down by his side and narrowed his gaze with confidence.

"Finally...I am one step closer to the answers I seek."

Next Time: A Distant Heart