The Aeterna Empire

Interlude - The Long Night

"Jyesthra."

She stopped reading and looked up to see Adam, no, the Aeterna Emperor, in the doorway.

"Master!" She quickly slapped the Soran book shut and put it on the table She jumped up and grabbed her helmet from besides the lit candle to put it on, but his word stopped her.

"No need for that." The Emperor said.

She gulped. She knew something was odd as soon as he appeared. He rarely went to her himself, but sent a servant while he tasked himself with another matter, and waited for her to come. 'Inefficient' he called it. A servant's time was better suited to messages than his own.

"If this is about the Kes prince..." She whispered.

"Your punishment was enough." He stopped her. He stepped into the room, leaving the door open. He put his hands together behind him and circled around her, walking about the room looking at it. He paid close attention to her belongings and stopped at the shelf to see her reading material. "On one hand, you disobeyed me when I had commanded you many times to leave it alone. On the other hand, I really should have named you 'One Who Seeks Freedom' instead of your namesake."

He stopped and turned to her. "You lost the fight due to your impatience, and lived only because your target had Izthark there. You have descended a rank in the guild due to your foolishness. That will be enough unless you repeat it."

She bowed her head humbly. "I am sorry. I dishonored you."

"You disrespected Adam. Adam is dead. See to it that you do not dishonor Aeterna. He cannot be as understanding as him."

"I will not."

"Good." He gave a glance back towards the shelf of books. "The collection seems larger since Nel'Andra left it to you."

"Yes, I have been buying them from the Soran. I read them often as I can and the word-smiths there show me how to preserve the pages."

"I am glad to see you are enjoying them." The Aeterna Emperor smiled, and Jyesthra brightened, seeing she had managed to bring it out of him. It lasted a moment before he stepped towards the doorway again and motioned to her. "Come, walk with me. No helmet is necessary."

Jyesthra raised an eyebrow, but immediately obeyed, following him. Her power was to travel to anywhere she wished within the limited universe that was Dyson. Normally he desired for her to use that power. It was 'efficient', after all.

She stepped up beside him and he directed their path up the stairs of the tower. The tower was tall, too tall for any mortal to ascend normally. It was here, at the peak of the top ten-or-so floors where Aeterna, Izthark, and herself lived with a few select servants she coordinated with to move up and doen as necessary. Right now they were only Soran-Blood but Aeterna had mentioned in passing to change that.

"Mistakes aside, you have been in Adam's service for many years." The Emperor started. "Though he wished to, there never was a reward he could find suitable to you."

"The life you have given me and family I have gained, is more than enough, Master."

"No need to be modest. This is a rare occasion I do not forsee coming again."

"The books-"

"Were from Nel'Andra." The Emperor chuckled. "Please, just allow me this."

Jyesthra stopped protesting and enjoyed the ride. They walked in peace to the top floor of the tower. All she saw was darkness. The world was covered in Night-Blood and the sun had been asleep a full week now.

She had never been to the top floor before, mostly from fear of the sun and being so close, and because it was Aeterna's place.

There were no walls nor ceiling. The floor was smooth and shined even by candle light.

The Aeterna stepped into the middle of the floor and looked up with his palm up as well, outreaching. Jyesthra looked up, but saw only darkness. Then out of the darkness an orb descended about the size of a melon. It came down into Aeterna's palm and hovered just above.

Her eyes widened. Equal parts awe and fear gripped her, and kept her rooted in place. The Aeterna, with the sleeping sun in the air above his palm, but no less contained in his grip, walked towards her. 

"Take off your gauntlets." He said gently.

"M-master but it-!" She leaned back as he neared. If it opened its eye for even a second she was dead. Even wearing armor and veils to hide in, she couldn't hope to escape its lethal sight from here!

"Hush." He whispered. "It is asleep. It will not harm you while I am here. Now, take off your gauntlets. Trust me." He added.

Jyesthra gulped, breathed, struggled to not hyperventilate even though she was quite sure she had jumped away into hell and was spinning out of control with her personal death looking her in the face. Yet, his voice cut through the beating her heart in her ears, and she took hold of her gauntlets, and removed them.

The Aeterna extended the orb towards her, and dropped it into her naked hands.

The orb did not touch her, but invisible hands took her own and held itself up between her palms. Her hands tingled as thousands of tiny fingers, each as gentle as a newborn poked at her skin and gripped her outstretched fingers. The orb itself was like any rock, but darker than anything she had seen and was perfectly round and smooth beyond anything any craftsman could ever hope to achieve. And the way it glowed gently of its own, and the heat it gave off. It was almost... loving, gentle.

"How is it to hold the death of your blood in your hands, Jyesthra?" The Aeterna asked.

"Warm." Was all she could say. She was beyond words. All she could do was gaze longingly at it as tears fell.