Ethereal - Through Rose Colored Glasses

Chapter 6

A cold sweat gripped Krados. Or rather it had never let him go since his sword plunged into the coachman's chest some three hours ago.

He didn't mean to. He was sure something had possessed him. Taken over his body and made him do it. Deep down though, he knew it was a lie. He wanted to do it.

The man had spouted such heinous rubbish, stomping on his fears and insecurities, somehow entering his mind. Krados had wanted him to stop, and he chose the quickest and cruelest way possible that had entered his mind.

Crush him.

Break his bones.

Slit his throat.

Burn him.

MAKE HIM SUFFER.

Krados obliged their wishes, eyes red and mad, and drove his sword into the man. For a horrid moment, he smiled when the man's obnoxious smirk turned to shock and a trickle of blood came out the corner of his lips. Krados stepped closer, running him through more, wondering what kind of expression he would make. 

Then the red cleared and the man stopped breathing. Dead. Dead. DEAD. And Krados had killed him. 

The hands that were once steady with rage now quivered as he stepped back and body fell from his sword. 

It might have appeared absurd. A trained soldier shaking at killing a threat to the empire. But for the past five hundred years; maybe even more, Danica had experienced a single war, battle or revolt. The only exception was the unending cold war with Hesper which had never amounted to an actual battle. And as such, Krados had never actually killed anyone. 

But the emperor did. Hundreds of people, their bodies buried in mass graves. No one talked about it - The Year of Blood. Using violence to bring peace. And the emperor did absolutely anything to keep that bloody peace.

He had tried so hard to maintain an indifferent expression when Adela found the coachman. He had used her appearance to flip the situation, making it seem like he had discovered her at the scene of a murder.

His emotions were all over the place, shifting from resentment at the fear she gave off. And then moving to fear as she squatted over the body, proving her innocence and digging out facts that could lead to him. 

She's going to be a problem.

And the gas enhanced that feeling. A picture of her lying dead on the ground. His hands curled around the sword and the voices started whispering again.

She's threatening the peace.

She'll ruin you.

She'll discover your secret.

He wanted to scream at her to run far away from him. To get away from this cursed utopia before she ended up dead. He was looking at her, half hidden in the shadows. Praying he didn't see the monster he was turning into. 

I don't want to become a monster. 

And now that she had stumbled out, he was alone with the body. His eyes met the dead man and his stomach twisted. He launched himself towards the bag and vomited inside, retching and retching until nothing more could come out. 

The body along with the plant was fast decaying, and he needed to get rid of it. Even if he didn't murder the man he still needed to make sure civilians thought that nothing was wrong. 

He removed the communication crystal and pressed on the gem until it glowed and Anil's face appeared. 

"The tourism area. The inn has a round roof and carriage outside. Bring a stallion and a body bag." Krados paused before completing his sentence. "Please tell Lord Zenon and Lady Erix to meet me in the dungeons."