Solis VI

All these years, the scenery to the palace had not changed.

The same stone walls protected the palace, and the same gates that kept all outsiders away. The same soldiers that stood guard outside.

Home. This was where his home used to be.

While all the children of the Emperor lived in their own manor outside the main palace, the main palace was still the place they considered home.

"Crown Prince, Princess." The guard bowed to the two. "I will announce your entrance."

Tempus nodded as they whisked Solis quickly through.

"Do not question Father. Accept whatever he says."

"Yes."

"Crown Prince and Second Princess have arrived!" They walked through the entrance and immediately, the trio was greeted by a row of bowing knights on either side of them. Aurora Yi'Ung stood at attention besides the emperor, slightly behind the golden throne he was seated on.

"Welcoming Your Highnesses!"

"My children, you have returned."

The two of them bowed, Solis following right after. "Greeting Your Majesty the Emperor. Long live the Emperor!"

"You may rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

He was just as he used to be. Despite the toll of being an emperor took on the body, his father looked exactly the same as he used to be ten years ago.

"So you are the one who protected my daughter."

Solis bowed his head in submission.

Emperor Li gave a loud huff. "I must say, I reviewed your score on the test, and despite your attempt to be a scholar, you simply are not fit. Your score couldn't even reach the previous year's benchmark."

Solis's eyes widened. "I am ashamed that Your Majesty sees such a disappointing score."

"General Yi'Ung told me about how fast your reaction speed was in battle. To be able to move so quickly in such a dire situation, it is indeed very praise-worthy."

"It was because of the danger the Second Princess was in. I believe I must protect her, even at the cost of my body."

The Emperor nodded in approval. "This is remarkable loyalty. I also admire your courage for talking in such a manner. Refer to my daughter as Her Highness in front of me." At the end of his sentence, his threat was almost like a blade, his low tone practically able to cut through Solis's neck.

Solis froze. "I apologize. Please punish your subject for my lack of education."

"No harm." His eyes seemed to shine as he leaned forward. "Tell me, since your score was far too low to be admitted as a scholar, what do you think of joining our military instead?"

"I...would do as Your Majesty commands."

"Judging by General Yi'Ung's comments, you truly are fit to become one of our men. She noted your battle instincts by flipping a table to protect yourself from the scharpel instead of running like all the others. She also mentioned your body stature, almost as if your body was made to be a fearsome Commander."

"I am honored that the General thinks so highly of me."

"I believe it would be best to place you within the Star Knights."

"It will be my honor to serve the General." Solis gritted his teeth in frustration. The very place that he wanted to avoid was being offered to him, but he couldn't refuse the Emperor.

Everything the Emperor said was law, and nobody, not even his children, could argue. In the entire West Clarity, everything ran within the palms of Emperor Li, any display of rebellion would result in nothing but punishment.

"Excellent." The Emperor leaned back into his seat. "I trust that you will start your training as soon as your arm has recovered."

"I will do as you obey."

"Dismissed!" He waved his hand, rising from his seat of gold.

"Long live the Emperor!"

Everyone remained in their bowing position until the ends of the Emperor's robes disappeared behind the palace.

"It's your time to leave Sir Sol. I will see you soon." Terra strolled away while Tempus lagged behind, eyeing Solis. The Crown Prince's expression didn't change as he waved the newest knight away.

Solis walked out alone, his fist clenching in frustration.

Had his score really been so horrible they only found it fit to send him to the army?

Or was it because of Aurora's own suggestion?

"Sir Sol, please wait."

That voice, just as tranquil as it used to be all those years ago. It was deeper, far more mature than the last time he heard it. The traces of femininity it used to possess was gone, taking a similar tone to one fit to lead armies, full of charisma.

All of these characteristics didn't change the fact that the voice belonged to Aurora Yi'Ung, General of West Clarity.

"General."

"It was quite the heavy atmosphere inside the palace. Would you like to take a walk and get some fresh air?"

"As you command."

Solis was able to eye her now that Aurora was next to him. She wore white robes that loosely clung to her form, her cloak flowing behind her as she walked in confident strides.

"What do you think of joining my men?"

"It is an honor to fight under your command."

"A scholar, you really wanted to become a part of this country's academic forces instead of utilizing your physical gifts?"

"I was merely interested in learning literature. Since my score was not up to the country's standard, I wouldn't pursue it any longer."

"Interesting." Aurora's steps slowed. "If you were really interested in learning, your score wouldn't be so low."

"I was never that good at books, especially while I was younger. I never grew out of it."

Aurora turned to look at Solis, who bowed his head in submission. "Do not bow to me like this. We are out of the palace, and I expect someone that I recommended to His Majesty himself to show me that they are more than a dog of the palace."

"Such words place me in a dilemma, General."

"I am now your direct superior. If I demand for you to show that you are a person, I will. If I desire for you to act like a typical mongrel, I will make sure you know." Aurora's eyes made contact with his own. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes, General."

"My name is Aurora Yi'Ung, from the house of Yi'Ung. I am the General that watches over the territory of South Clarity, and I am a Princess of West Clarity. It is a pleasure."

"I am Sol Tenebris. I'm from a lowly family that only wished to become a part of the government in any form. It is truly an honor to serve you." Solis kneeled, bowing his head to her.

Aurora pressed her palm onto his shoulder, pulling him upwards. "I thought I already said this. I do not need another soldier who mindlessly follows me. I want a Star Knight who embodies my values of justice and morality."

"I will do my best."

The Princess nodded slowly. "Come find me at my home once you recover. I will be waiting for your good news. I bid you farewell for now. I look forward to seeing your official Knighthood, Sir Sol Tenebris."

Solis kept himself in the submissive posture, bowing to her.

-----

"It's healing." Solis rubbed his right arm where the arrow wound used to be. "Why is my body regenerating faster?"

Such a wound to his arm should have taken months to heal. The arrowhead had shattered the bone in his arm, as well as potentially piercing an artery, leaving Aurora no choice but to break the arrow shaft and leave the end of the arrow inside his arm to prevent more blood loss.

Yet, such a serious injury was practically fully healed within days. His bones had completely mended, and the skin had healed itself, leaving no traces of a scar.

"How peculiar." Solis wrapped his arm in fresh bandages.

His eyes turned to look at the door, detecting something behind the wood. His eyes narrowed, his fingers curling into a fist in preparation.

"It's me."

Solis blinked in confusion. He quickly opened the door, and ushered his guest in.

"Rafael? Why are you here? I thought you were being watched."

"It's good to see you again, Solis. It's been months." Rafael sat himself where Solis was sitting mere moments ago. The former Prince's eye twitched in annoyance but he seated himself at his desk instead of his bed.

"Why have you come? It's not safe for you to be here. I'm sure both of us are being monitored."

"I simply wanted to check up on you in person rather than a messenger."

Despite the relaxed atmosphere, the tension in the room was high.

"What happened that day? I thought I told you to not attack because Prince Tempus, Princess Terra, and General Yi'Ung were all there."

Rafael sighed. "I don't have a choice. Despite me being the Prince, I still have no control over military matters. They didn't trust my judgement, and forced me to launch an attack."

"You saw for yourself, the might of West Clarity. Those were only two of the six Sacred Artifacts you must face in the future. Each member of the Royal Family possesses this extraordinary power that no human can ever hope to match in their lifetime."

"The power to shake the earth, as well as the power to create something out of nothing. These are truly powers that us humans have no hope of ever attaining." Rafael frowned. "What about yours, Solis? What kind of powers hide within you?"

His eye twitched as he remembered his father's words when he was younger.

'𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴.'

He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes to control his rage upon thinking of what his father had forced him to join a few days ago. "Sacred Artifact, Release."

He kept his hands behind his back. His eyes shined with power as Rafeal's eyes widened. The atmosphere had grown cold in an instant, terror making his spine shiver.

"Would you like to see more?"

What was this eerie feeling? With just three words, Solis had brought about a feeling Rafael had not felt in years.

Fear.

Solis stepped forward, and Rafael had to lean back. No, Rafael wanted to move back, but his body refused to listen to his mind, paralyzed. With every step that Solis took, the dark monstrous aura behind him grew into a solid image.

"This is the power that I possess." His brown eyes glowed so brightly, it turned into a golden color.

His golden eyes dimmed back into their natural brown, the terrifying aura dissipating as if it were made of mist.

Seconds ticked by, which turned into minutes. Rafael continued to sit, almost in a trace.

"That was terrifying." Rafael breathed softly, as if he exhaled too harshly, that thing he saw behind Solis would come back.

"Do you understand now, Prince of East Clarity? I am warning you as Third Prince Solis, you would not be able to stand against them without my help."

The silence was deafening.

"You should leave now. The spies monitoring my place will have felt my presence. Leave through the back."

"The...back?"

Solis reached underneath his desk, pulling a mechanism. The wooden floor creaked as a hole opened up in the floor, a ladder leading downwards. "This leads to an alleyway just outside of here."

"Secret exits are always good to have, but isn't it concerning if someone discovers it and enters your room from the outside?"

Solis smiled lightly. "Don't worry. There is no one else that knows the way to enter and exit besides you and me. The person that designed this place is already dead."

His eyes glowed and Rafael shivered, remembering the terror he felt just minutes ago. "I made sure of it."

-----

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕰𝖓𝖉