Chapter -91: The Means to a Heart
Two weeks passed between the declared intent between Borealis and Solomon to meet and the day of the meeting.
Both sides were preparing to handle the other's company and if worse came to worse, to go to blows with one another.
Solomon summoned the Vizier back to his palace, the witch of laughter too exhausted to let out their usual cackle.
"Have you found what I have been looking for?" He demanded while seated atop his throne.
"M-Maybe...?" The Vizier said, squirming her hands together before herchest with a pre-emptive flinch.
Solomon narrowed his gaze upon her and said, "Well?"
The Vizier shook her head and commented, "I found a teleportation spell that could get you out in an instant, and-"
"I would find it hard to believe he wouldn't be considering that. What else?" Solomon attested with confidence.
The Vizier bit her lower lip and let out a shrewd whisper of, "There...there is nothing else, my lord."
As Solomon's gaze was set to burn her cold, the Vizier threw her hands out and shouted, "B-Be reasonable! We're dealing with an Alchemist! There's not simply just one way he can ensnare you!"
Solomon eased up, admitting with a bit of praise sprinkled in, "...You may have a point. Perhaps I've been looking at this the wrong way."
The Vizier hid a sigh of relief and then looked up into her lord's eyes as he tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne and muttered aloud, "It may be more prudent to look into finding a way to disrupt his means of Alchemy."
"Isn't today the day of the meeting though, my lord?" The Vizier pointed out.
"It is," Solomon replied, "But there is still time for you to observe Borealis through the shadows."
"L-Last time I tried that I nearly had a heart attack!" The Vizier scrambled out hastily to beg her lord to think twice.
"..." Solomon slanted his brows and said, "Then you will observe him through my shadow."
"Y-Your shadow...?" The Vizier bit her lower lip and trembled, "There...there is no way someone of my status deserves to be in your-"
"I have given the order, Vizier," Solomon's eyes glowed, "Or...I can reduce your status back to that of a commoner."
The Vizier shivered at the knees at the sheer magnitude of his authority, "Yes...my lord."
She left the palace following a courteous bow of fealty. Solomon then leaned back into his throne, where the whispers of the parasitic darkness drilled into his ear, "It's fun to exert your power on the weak, isn't it?
Solomon gave him a brief glance and then turned aside towards the napping Xiark. The Titan raised their head and remarked in their nonchalant tone, "So, today's the day. How long do you think this will take?"
"Does it matter?" Solomon barked back coldly.
"Only so I can set my alarm for when it's time to come pick up your corpse." Xiark then sat back down, Solomon letting out a peeved, but quiet groan.
He then rose from his throne and made his way out of the palace.
"D." chuckled and then rolled his flask towards the throne, pointing his smile across the way at Xiark, "So, you have no faith in him?"
Xiark poked his eyes at him and murmured, "I wouldn't care either way."
"You're too young to be so tired, riftwalker." "D." said mockingly.
This led to Xiark sitting up a little and remarking, "Young? What a bold attitude... for a parasite trapped in a flask."
"You think you're older than me?"
"I feel older than I look sometimes." Xiark said with a groan.
"I have lived since a time when age wasn't even a concept!"
"So how do you know if you are younger or older than me, mmm?" Xiark hummed in a mocking manner.
"Ghhh," "D." snarled a little and then with a catty smile remarked, "Let's make a wager, you grotesque blob. If that boy makes it back here today, you'll give me a little more room to wiggle around in."
"Hmmm. And if he doesn't, I'll crush you down to the size of a pea," Xiark's eyes let off a brief, otherworld glow that spread to the flask, "Very well, the contract is sealed."
Meanwhile, Solomon went towards the ghostly woods, the shadows keeping his onyx sheen free from dust.
It would be the first day since birth that he'd leave this place behind.
And the prospect of venturing into the great unknown gave him no excitement. He simply wandered out into the barren brown lands, and with no consideration towards his surroundings he pressed onward to the city of Sancturia.
The Rot Walkers were having their fill of some fool from another Tribe who had wandered out this far. And when they were done they started to turn their attention onto him.
His restrained form still gave off plenty of elemental energy to lure them in, but alas, they soon suffered under the pressure of his raw, natural power for daring to waste his time.
If his presence wasn't expected, the many craters he left in his wake would've put the guards manning the towers on edge.
But he arrived uneventfully to the barrier surrounding the city. He looked it over, noticing how it towered higher than most landmarks on the planet.
"A monument to arrogance." He thought to himself.
His mother's vestige walked past him and laid her hand against the barrier, pulling back with a look of surprise. Her parasol then appeared in her hand and she gave him a smile.
"Sancturia. I've never been here," She looked at him and asked, "Don't you feel proud right now?"
He narrowed his gaze forward and as the barrier began to split, the vestige vanished into mist.
Standing behind the gap were two figures with a very sharp disparity in their heights. There was a balding, heavily fortified man with an emerald shield on his back and a plainly subdued demeanor. He stood a few inches taller than even Solomon, and wore his caution on his sleeve.
The other was a deformed woman with black and red hair and a diminutive height. What size she lacked was ignored thanks to her towering presence and ferocious sneer face. Her aggression was unmatched through the one eye that she had left to see with.
They were two other Sages of whom Solomon hadn't bothered to recall their names.
And they would serve as his escorts as he made his way to the palace.
"So you're that 'Dark King' of Obscura..." The woman said, thirsty for conflict. She scanned him like a predator does her prey, and then scoffed bluntly, "Psss. What a waste. Finally drag your kind out and I don't get to throw down!"
The taller man closed his eyes and remarked, "Be kind, Vermilion. He is a guest."
"Whatever," Vermilion rolled her eye and turned around, sliding her deadly hands into her sleeves while grumbling under her breath, "Dumb old man reducing me to guard duty..."
"I heard that." The towering man said.
"Good! Snitch on me, like I give a shit!" Vermilion shouted back without a care in the world.
She wandered off a little ahead of the other two, while the man stuck behind and peered into Solomon's eyes through the helmet.
The two were dead silent, with the man's crag-like brows protruding further as he slanted them down into a meaty glare.
Solomon widened his eyes and muttered coldly, "What?"
The man's eyes closed as he responded politely, "Please mind your manners."
Solomon groaned and then remarked in a forceful manner, "Where shall I be meeting with Borealis?"
"At our palace," The man remarked, a long pause separating his sentences, "Here, you will call him 'Lord Borealis'."
"Hurry it up!" Vermilion shrieked, "I can't stand all this standing!"
They started moving through the city.
Solomon spent his initial moments observing the Sages more than taking in the unimportant sights.
"I sense great power coming from these two...and a formidable killing intent from the smaller one," Yet despite the caution she gave off, his attention was drawn more towards the walking fortress, "But you...You're the dangerous one."
The man was subtly peering over his shoulder every few seconds. He was armed with acute sensitivity and if Solomon projected any intent to disrupt the order of this guarded city, he would act immediately.
They were barely strong enough to take him if they worked together though, but it set the standard of just what he needed to be wary of around the Ten Sages.
It was around the time they started to round the pyramid that he noticed there were people living here.
They were empty-eyed and sorely lacking in presence. It might have even been insulting to call them people, for all that they lacked.
This was Borealis' society. For a land so empty in expression, it was a miracle that must have given birth to a beauty as divine as his daughter's.
Solomon was tensing up with anticipation as they went around the last corner of the pyramid and approached the golden palace.
His guides were little more than figureheads to show the strength the Aurians had at their disposal. The woman spent most of the journey griping and groaning while the man tried in vain to defuse her.
He learned nothing about the situation here or what the Aurians were capable of, but this was to be expected.
The real meat of this venture was to get within range of Borealis and then work his way into the daughter's presence. Every other action was superfluous to this end.
When he made it to the palace, the end to this little farce was signaled with the woman hanging her shoulders and groaning, "Can I go now?"
The man nodded and the woman wasted no time in letting her sprint off, leaving a trail of fire to scorch the tile in her wake.
The man then turned to Solomon, looking towards a man with odd looking green skin standing beside the door to the palace.
"Gabriel. Watch the entrance." He said.
Gabriel looked at Solomon and narrowed his eyes. The hairs on his arms were rising and it seemed being in his presence was a point of contention. Yet the guardsman remained silent, subtly putting his hand closer to the hilt of his sword.
Solomon and the man then entered the palace, where the lighting dimmed and the atmosphere embraced the mystical side of this city.
At the end of the room, there too lay a throne, which grabbed Solomon's attention more than the stained glass or crystallic sights.
His gaze stayed locked on it as he was guided to the back doors, leading to him craning his head back, leering at its presence with a subdued sigh.
The man took him towards a door that stood on it's on own with a fine wood finish and an artistic flourish consisting of various jewels and stained glass.
The man's presence stopped here, as he stepped to the side of the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms and blending into the wall like a statue.
"Lord Borealis awaits." He said.
Solomon had almost become dull from the long, unnecessary wait, but now, this moment would define whether or not he would be trapped in a perpetual state of stiff boredom...or learn to enjoy something.
He gripped that door knob with more force than he should have and opened the way into the Atelier.
Inside he was surprised at how spacious the room was. It was bigger than the foyer/throne room and housed thousands of spell books and alchemic research logs within the shelves. There were shelves poking out, and books floating around the room.
A large circular table had been erected in the center of the room and a man with an astute presence stood with his back turned to it and in turn, to his guest.
His hands were clad in gold and silver and beneath his teal cloak was a weary and aging body. But he stood firmer than any mountain, shone brighter than any sun, and his shadow alone could eclipse the moon.
Solomon's body felt cold. He was standing in the presence of greatness, and he was developing a sense of caution with every moment he remained locked in this room with him.
The man turned around, his wrinkled face imposing a biting glare from across the room.
Solomon froze, hesitant to take the next step forward.
But in one gesture, the man managed to pull a chair from the table on the other side and said "Welcome. Please, take a seat" to which Solomon then felt compelled to move against his will.
He slowly made his way to the chair and the two sat down at the same time, which was the only moment that they diverted their attention from one another's eyes.
The table was sturdy, made of the finest wood in all the lands. There was a porcelain cup for each of them, and a dish to put it down when they were done.
Borealis put his golden gauntlet up and snapped his fingers. Both cups were filled with a hot, steamy light-brown liquid.
Then, followed by a great silence, their desire to speak hampered by the tension in their eyes.
Borealis narrowed his gaze first and muttered, "May I see your face?"
Solomon narrowed back and said coldly, "This IS my face."
Borealis slanted his brows, a true sign of discontent, and a bad omen for the way this conversation would go.
Solomon subtly began to extend his shadow to the left while reaching for the cup, and taking a look at the odd liquid inside.
It had a smoky scent with exquisite qualities. But it stood to reason that this could be a trap...
So he took the tiniest sip he could. It singed the tongue but fell down comfortably, giving his chest the warmth it craved for a fleeting moment.
Borealis then took a drink, diverting his gaze for now. When he arose with a mellow sigh, he addressed his company with a straightforward remark of, "So, I presume you've had plenty of time to consider my question?"
"He is wasting no time." And waste it, he would not.
"Yes, I have." Solomon said firmly.
Borealis went still as Solomon clasped his hands together atop the table and addressed him with a tone that could be described as sincere.
"This feeling I have for your daughter is more than an urge. It could be the answer that defines my very existence in this world."
"You appear to be a man who seeks answers to every question. So gaze upon me as I ask you this...'Why was I born?'"
"I struggled through life being led to believe that my destiny was to take hold of the darkness that gave my mother life, and reign over our lands in her absence."
"But that was HER belief," He said with a firm narrowing of his eyes, "I see the world differently. Or rather, I don't see this world at all."
"But your daughter is MY world. Her existence is the missing piece to my self," Solomon then clutched his hands together tighter and slanted his brows, "And for even the slightest chance to be closer to her and learn what life truly means, I am willing to undo over a million years of balance between the Tribes."
"...What do you mean by that?" Borealis said with a wince of his brow.
"I will give you all of Obscura."
Borealis widened his eyes briefly as he said, "All of it...?"
"Every acre of forest, every house, and every person will be put under your authority." Was the declaration Solomon made then and now.
Borealis rubbed his bearded chin and looked up, transitioning into a gesture of said hand as he asked, "Even the Darkness Wellspring?"
Solomon' eyes narrowed intensely as he murmured, "That will remain mine."
Borealis put his hand back on his chin and muttered a simple "I see" before remaining deep in thought for some time.
He went away from his chair and paced around the room. Solomon kept his eye on him and pulled his shadow back to his side.
Eventually, Borealis made his way to the door and glanced over his shoulder, "I shall return."
When he was gone, his mother's vestige sat on the back of his chair and whispered, "He is not satisfied."
"Hmmm..." Solomon narrowed his eyes, and sat down like an obedient puppy.
Borealis closed the door and turned to his comrade standing guard. The man's eyes opened like a widening fissure, and he looked upon the weary old man with interest.
"How has he fared?" He asked.
"I am...troubled, my friend." Borealis said, furrowing his brows and choosing to take a glacial stroll through the hallways with his friend at his side.
"I hear his voice, and his words..." Borealis reached his hand towards the ceiling and moved his fingers in a sophisticated, sagely manner, "They're sincere...eloquent, almost."
"But they are lacking a heart." Stonestein remarked.
Borealis closed his fist and dropped it down by his side, his head hung as he let out a melancholic sigh of, "Yes."
"His voice is colder than the depths of space. Yet inside that twisted, empty shell, lies a soul that craves answers and sees value through love."
Borealis tucked his hands behind his back and wondered aloud, "Do I deny his sincerity just because he is a monster?"
"It isn't an act?" Stonestein pressed him on.
"...I don't think he has it in him to fake what he feels," Borealis turned aside and looked at him with a worrying gleam in his eyes, "But there is something that...bothered me."
Stonestein firmed his brows and listened intently.
"He became...guarded, when I asked him to relinquish his Wellspring." Borealis explained.
"I may have an explanation for that, Lord Borealis."
In walked Lilith, her arms laid at her hips and her lips raised in a smile, "My brother and I have done research into Obscura in our spare time. The old texts mention a ritual of succession, wherein the Titan passes on its power through a chalice filled with the blood of the last user."
"And it includes the memories and knowledge of prior owners."
Stonestein commented in turn, "You suggest the remnants of his mother..."
Borealis' rubbed his chin between two fingers and muttered, "Sentimentality?"
"Even a woodland beast cries and yelps when their parent dies in front of them." Lilith said, a little cold but with just the right amount of bluntness to make Borealis second guess himself.
"Could it be possible?" He whispered.
Stonestein closed his eyes and remarked, "Can you substantiate this claim, Lilith?"
"Why don't you go read those precious books you love so much to find out?" Lilith said with a crease in her smile.
"Hrmmm..." Stonestein furrowed his brows.
"Enough." Borealis gestured his hand at Lilith and she eased up with a wider smile. He then turned to Stonestein and he crossed his arms.
"What do we have to lose from letting this beast explore his feelings a little?" Lilith remarked, "He has proven that he's strong of will and has shown you respect by coming here alone. You may hate to hear this, but I feel you'll never find a better suitor for your daughter than the man waiting in that room."
Someone was whistling nearby as Borealis hung his head to give this some thought.
"What about that Sarajin kid?" The whistling man turned out to be Nimus, inconspicuously inserting himself into this conversation.
Borealis raised his head with a pronounced glare.
"He's spent plenty of time with our princess and they seem to like each other so..."
Borealis wrinkled his brow and then talked his hands behind his back to say bluntly in a quiet tone, "This is an improper time for your jokes, my friend."
"I'm just saying." Nimus shrugged, smirked, and went on his merry whistling way.
After a bit of silence Lilith remarked, "Ultimately the decision lies on your shoulders, Lord Borealis."
"But please, consider your daughter's feelings." Stonestein remarked.
"Hmm..." Borealis closed his eyes partway.
Some time later, he returned to his Atelier. Solomon hadn't budged his chair an inch, but his cup was empty.
The two's eyes met, and Borealis let out a hesitating sigh while making his way to his chair. Once he took a seat, he put his hands together and laid them down across the table.
He then furrowed his brow, dragging his words from his brain to his tongue until finally, he uttered what could not be taken back, "Just...how far do you plan on taking these feelings?"
Solomon rested his hands on the arms of his chair and grumbled under his breath. He then tilted his head and responded with astounding clarity to his words, "This feeling means everything to me. If you need any further proof of this, I am willing to pledge a blood pact with your daughter."
"You mean y-you'll...marry her?" Borealis said, his composure breaking into stunned silence.
"Yes." Solomon said without hesitation.
Borealis shivered, nipping the wood with the fingertips of his gauntlets. He then rolled his fingers into his palm and pulled them back onto his lap.
He then heaved a great sigh that shook the foundation of his atelier.
Leaning his head into his hand, he said quietly across the room, "As a Sage, no, as a father, I can only hope that my actions will bring my daughter happiness."
"I still have my doubts about you, Dark King of Obscura. But you're not the savage I expected you to be," Borealis then stood tall with his fists clutched at his side, "However. If you are to take my daughter's hand in marriage, you must be the one to get her to accept."
Solomon took a stand and said to him, "If that is what must be done, I will."
"..." Borealis took a deep breath, calmly clutching his stone pendant as he closed his eyes and found the resolve to say, "Ok. I shall show you to her room then."
The two left the room and Solomon felt movement in the ground, like it was changing in his absence. The two then crossed down the hall to the second down from the northwestern door.
Borealis rattled it with a few knocks and silently tucked his hand back as it opened up.
And finally, after all these months of planning and communication, Solomon had achieved his goals.
She stood before his eyes the commanding presence he remembered her as. Though there were two noticeable changes in her eyes and hair, it did nothing to dilute his feelings.
His heart began to stir with a steady rhythm as their eyes met. Her body shivered, her fingers curling inward as her arms laid crossed beneath her chest.
"Father? What is going on?" She said, her voice as smooth as silk, hiding the bite of her claws.
Borealis let out a subdued moan and then took a couple steps to the side, allowing Solomon to take his place as the focus of her attention.
"I have longed for this meeting, daughter of Aura," Once Solomon's stature was imposed into her bright, sparkling eyes, he gestured towards her slowly and said, "May I come in?"
The woman turned her gaze upon her father and he turned his back on her in silence. The woman's glare intensified, making Solomon quake at the knees.
She then scrunched her face up and made a stiff turnaround, squeezing her elbows as she muttered, "Fine."
They entered and Solomon was given permission to close the door behind him. Borealis' overbearing presence reached in from the outside, but he was of no threat to either of them here in the solitude of her room.
And it was not the room he would have come to expect from one of her stature. There were on trophies of beasts conquered, no closets lined with armor or weapons. It was but a simple, ordinary room fit for her liking.
She turned around, still armed with a guarded stance and furrowed brows. There was no sense of delight in her expression, but to him that was what he expected and enjoyed. It showed her warrior's grit, and the caution she inherited from her father.
"Solomon, right?"
"Yes," Solomon extended his hand towards her, "Unfortunately, I have not had the honor of learning your name."
"It is Auris." She said in a somewhat detached tone.
She then leaned her head back and made sure the similarities between father and daughter were not lost on him, as she was quick to get to the point, "So. Father let a 'savage' in. The world must be coming to an end."
And was not lacking in bluntness.
Still, these were all traits that continued to make his heart stir, confirming everything he had ever presumed.
She was putting off an unapproachable demeanor, one he took one step towards with his hand raised and his tone attempting to sound respectful, "You are exemplary."
Her eyes tensed up and she dug her fingers into the cloth of her robe, absorbing his praise against her will.
"Somehow, you are more fantastic up close than you are in the heat of battle. Your heavenly strength ripples out of every pore of your being. Even I, at the peak of my power, barely manage to compare."
Auris took a couple steps away and pulled her head back with a sneer, "And?"
"I could say more, but there are not enough words to express the way I'm feeling."
"Well," She closed her eyes and fiddled her fingers atop her sleeves, "Fortunately, my response is not very wordy."
She then glared through him with a burning white hot sensation overwhelming the feeling inside of him, "NO."
His heartbeat stopped, his hands stiffening into fists as he muttered in response, "What do you mean...'No?'"
She smirked, tensing her arms back up underneath her chest as she laid into him without mercy, "I knew you were coming. How you...somehow, managed to convince father to bring you in closer to me."
"How did she know?" His mind started racing with a toxic blend of paranoia and curiosity.
Was this pure instinct? Did Borealis deceive him? Or is she lying?
Her body did not give away any answers. His desperation brought him to the peak of aggression in seconds, as he planted one foot forward and cried out, "If you saw this coming, then you would know how important this is to me!"
"You're attracted to me? And THAT will cure the emptiness inside of you?" Auris beat him back with words alone and a sharpened tongue, "That is NOT love, it's self-serving ambition."
Solomon's eyes began to glow, but this was not a fire of hate. His passion only grew as she fought to the tooth and nail to deny his presence.
"Your upbringing has no doubt led you to believe that I am a deplorable monster," Solomon squeezed his hand and darkness was flexed out, leading to him presenting it to Auris like a black flame, "But this cage holds a mighty strength, one worthy to stand by your side! For if not me, then who? Who else could you possibly find worthy of your heavenly power, Auris?"
Auris trembled, standing taut in a sideways stance as her gaze mustered up a scornful air about it, "..."
Solomon curtailed his presence and leaned back, his eyes pointing at her with a poignant whisper of, "It's him, isn't it?"
Her silence spoke volumes.
"Him...Him...Him! Must I find my every thought and action plagued by his presence? He should not define my existence! We are incompatible with one another!"
He tensed up his fist until the steel bent against his palm, leading to a swell of tension in the room that put Auris on the defensive.
"Why him?" He uttered coldly.
"I-I didn't say it was him..." She replied.
"You lie," He said, devoid of mercy, "Why does a goddess like you need to cower and deceive for a man like him?"
"He lacks the strength to make you happy," Solomon uttered, "I dared to tear down the walls standing in my way. I did not hesitate...to tell you how I feel."
"Has HE stood before you, with the conviction to venerate your magnificence?"
Auris was silent, as he commanded the conversation with no signs of backing down, "He hasn't...has he?"
Auris widened her eyes then they sank lower than ever before, with her putting herself forward and telling him with a gravelly, brutal tone of voice, "NO."
"Have you ever considered doing the same to him?" One sentence. This one sentence formed an arrow that put a hole through Auris' heart, one that was not easily healed.
She curled her hand up against her chest and looked away. Solomon eased up, widening his eyes before muttering in a curious tone, "Why would YOU hesitate?"
"...The Anti-Genesis Theorem." This sudden realization of his caused Auris to wince and turn back around with a painful glare in her eyes.
But now, Solomon had dialed back his intensity, and found the beat of his heart growing stronger as though he had suddenly found solace in what most would find worth despising.
"We are more alike than you know."
"I am nothing like you, monster!" She declared through gritted teeth.
"We are cursed with great power. Cursed to be more than any other human can ever hope to achieve. But I do not fear yours as any lesser man would. Sarajin does. He knows that he can never compare, so he holds back his feelings, while you do the same to not hurt him."
"...But you do not deserve to drag yourself down to his level."
"...You do not understand him in the slightest." Auris said quietly.
"Then TELL ME, make me understand." But in the face of his overwhelming demand, Auris fell silent once more, shivering with her arms wrapped under her chest.
Solomon leaned his head back and murmured, "I admire your conviction...But you must face reality for what it truly is, Auris."
"We are close to his deadline and he has shown no signs of returning. Will you stand here and wait for him, destroying yourself until your body and soul become brittle like dust? Or will you face the future standing in front of you, and embrace it?"
Auris dared to look him in the eyes once more. His words, though blunt, were laced with his sincerity and a truth that she was slowly finding harder to ignore.
"I have already chosen my answer. It is time you made yours," He then widened his eyes and said in full confidence, "In the meantime, I shall speak with your father to arrange our marriage."
Auris grimaced as the man turned around and marched out of the room. Borealis stood close by, remarking with a bit of cautionary assurance to his voice, "What did she say?"
Solomon glared at him from out of the corner of his eyes and remarked, "She has accepted."
"I-I see." Borealis murmured, partially relieved but partially...
As the two figures of authority looked at one another, they would find the presence of the one called Justek far beneath their notice.
He was cautiously eyeing the scene from further down the hall, his eyes narrowed with a worrying hum slipping from his lips...
Next Time: Those Who He Affected