To Drown in Power(And Re-Emerge Heartless)

If I Start To Sink

Caeles provide for him.

I sentence Astus Infis to death by hanging.

Ilnum protect him.

I have seen the empty silos. I have seen the vacant pens. I have seen the empty reserves.

Xien guide him.

A full military campaign then. Spare none.

Gods help him.

The king who murdered the person who was trying to help them.

Is it wrong to want to live?

You made this mess.

It was his fault.

So be it.

He bolted up from where he knelt at the altar.

He had to go.

Praying should have helped.

He had to get out.

He barely registered the acolytes dodging him as he staggered down the aisle.

"Your majesty, you seem flustered," Sepati noted, trying to pull him aside, "Is there any way I can be of assistance?"

"Doing just great," he blurted out as he pushed past. Sepati and his indigo ink.

Sepati might have shouted after him, but he was too far away to hear, already sliding open the hidden door to the servant passages. Thank Ilnum for these passages to keep him away from the eyes of his prying court right now. If they saw him now he'd be done for.

Done for. Just like his dad was. A failure.

Servants stumbled out his way as he sprinted through the passages, and up the winding stairs to his study. They looked scared. Was it because of him? Was it the messes he created? Was it his failures? His fault.

He practically flung himself into the door atop the last flight of stairs. He needed out. He needed to get away from everyone. The passageways were too cramped, and the corridors were too open.

There was a flash of steel as one of the people he cut off in his mad dash to the study door drew a concealed dagger. Surely he hadn't messed up enough that they wanted him dead? Even his dad hadn't been that bad. He couldn't be worse than his dad could he?

He hurled himself into the room, the door shrieking as he slammed and locked it closed behind him. He didn't ever oil those hinges did he?