Dark chanted a spell and an outburst of magic energy with black formless life forms erupted from the magic circle mingled with groans of the dead.
The stench made Zero cover his nose as he stared at dark bewildered,the sight made his legs weak and his senses dull,he suddenly felt like throwing up.
"What is this?...what in the manner of sorcery!... no this is forbidden dark sorcery".he muttered to himself.
"Aren't you a bit overboard?"he called out.
"Return to the dead!..be devoured and live no more!"the sorceror commanded and zero in awe watched the life forms swell as the groanings intensified.
The wind picked up suddenly,tearing the house apart to expose the sky above.
"Cancel and Reverse,remain the living which you are" a chorused command resounded,several men dressed in black robes with their faces covered had just appeared encircling the magic circle with their index and middle finger placed on their chest.
Dark mouth hung agape,his eyes bulging as he watched his spell vanish into thin air.
"Who would have thought there were sorcerors and they know a cancellation spell, combining their powers would be just as much to dispell any unlearned forbidden dark magic"Zero muttered with an outstretched arm and the earth below them began to quiver.
The assassins moved swiftly,Teleporting just in time to evade the sharp edge of the swords emerging from beneath the ground but multiple magic circles appeared at each location they stood sending hundreds of swords at them.
A sword launched at Tyran and managed to slit the piece of clothing over his face but he quickly bent over, concealing his face with his arm while the other assassins encircled him.
But the Emperor's Knight had caught a quick glimpse of his perculiar build,he was the assassin he had fought earlier on.
"That one over there,he must be their leader"Zero muttered.
"There's only one way to find out"Dark said before teleporting in their midst with a ghast of air as he tried to grab Tyran in attempt to teleport him away from the lot but the room was suddenly empty,and the assassins vanished into thin air.
*********************************
"Your Imperial majesty we don't deserve to live!"The assassin's chorused crouching,with their heads bowed low against an arm atop a flexed knee.
Tyran watched the hunting dogs his father had reered for a while,semonios who lived to serve the imperial family in the shadows,an association known only and passed down to the imperial blood line,He could see why the previous Emperor had recruited mostly child sorcerers back then.
His mind recollected the groans of the dead he heard,the same groanings he had heard at the underworld.
He was shut in an earthened ball but could not mistake the weight of the atmosphere sickened from ancient dark forgotten magic,spells even he knew nothing about.
Had they not arrived just in time he would have been sent directly to the underworld.
Had Hades given him some sort of blessing?the god who never gives anything freely.
"No...get up!.. you arrived just in time"he sighed."Apparently dark has gotten much stronger and even more dangerous"
He backed them and stared down the hill top taking in the scenery below as the wind battered against his face.
"Your report!"he muttered and the lead assassin stepped forward before lowering his head.
"It's clear the your knight bears a grudge against the rest of them...he met with dark to ask about the incidence at the mana center,Dark was present back then...it is now known his imperial highness is ranked above a commander tier".
Tyran turned and watched him walk back to his position.
"You're dismissed, continue to keep watch on him and the chief Knight and who ever they meet report to me even the slightest bit of details".
Tyran teleported to his bed chamber and quickly changed out of the outfit into a royal robe,a silk cloak with embroidered dragons to expose his well built chest.
He poured himself a tea while he established a telepathic link
"Get me the present which I ordered at once"
He severed the link to establish another, thankfully the general hadn't blocked his.
"Bring the imperial prince to my chambers".
He heard a knock shortly on his door as he sipped from his tea cup.
"You may enter"
A male Semonio entered carrying a small white furred pup,bowed slightly before assuming a position at a corner of his bed chamber.
***********************************
Ramses tried on a couple of dresses which both the semonio and Carolene rejected.
His brows twitched at every dress she neared him with on a face contoured with a frown while she undressed him.
He was more uncomfortable than impatient.
"Stop!"He let out a palm to stop the semonio approaching him with another outfit as he pointed at a midnight blue silk traditional outfit in-between the numerous rows of dresses which matched the color of his eyes.
"That one".
Her face and Carolene's lit up as the semonio pulled out the dress,she quickly tried it on him and they both nodded in satisfaction,their faces beaming with excitement.
Ramses watched the general wordlessly approach him from the corner he stood to grab his arm and he found himself the next second before his father.
Ren let go of his arm to assume his usual secluded position while Ramses ran to greet his father.
Tyran got to his feet then spread out both arms which Ramses ran into.
He rubbed on his son's hair as he giggled before playfully pulling on his cheek.
"Oooowww!!"Ramses cried out and Tyran chuckled.
"I have an early birthday present for you"he said and turned towards the semonio who held the pup.
He put Ramses down as the semonio approached him with the pup which he placed at his feet.
Tyran watched Ramses face lit up as he rubbed against it's furrs while he giggled.
"Thank you father".he yelled gleefully"I love him".
For a while his eyes remained on his son playing with the dog,as much as he would love to keep his smile on forever,his destiny which will cause him to thread on thorns was bound to be one of pain and sacrifice.
And he hated the most to be the flame that would ignite it.