Re:Creation Book 1: Allegiance

Nine

A couple of days prior, Phaeus had succeeded in gaining audience with the new, self-proclaimed king of Myral - a man by the name of Ilaven. A few guards attempted to halt his approach, but most of them were placated when Phaeus flashed them the glowing mark on his hand. Upon realizing that he was related to Terrera in some way, most guards let him pass. There were a few, however, that refused to allow him to continue on, and such unfortunate souls met the same petrified fate as the guards at the front gate.

After Phaeus displayed the power he now wielded to Ilaven, the king was quick to unofficially name Phaeus the new priest under his rule, promising to make an official declaration in a matter of days. The decision was suspiciously sudden, though Phaeus knew better than to question a gifted opportunity. He was even given Prince Lev's old quarters in the royal chambers, and promptly staggered by the sheer size of the prince's living space. Not only was Lev's bedroom almost the size of Phaeus's entire home, but the prince also had his own private study, bath, and training hall. Truthfully, Phaeus couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he took it all in. Whereas his baths were few and far in between and taken in a basin or river, Lev lived like this. While poverty relentlessly gripped Enli, royalty lived like this. He could only imagine what the previous king and queen's quarters looked like.

Phaeus wandered through the halls of Castle Tyveren familiarizing himself with their maze like structure. His fox companion trotted along by his side step for step, but still remained wary of anyone else that passed by. Phaeus himself was having trouble finding comfort in such a drastic change of scene from his home, but he refused to show it. It had only taken those two days for news to spread of the commoner graced by Terrera arriving in the castle. All eyes were on him, and not all of them friendly; the last thing he wanted was to give anyone power over him by showing his unease. Phaeus was there to prove himself - to the mother that abandoned him, to the father that thought him useless, to the world that decided one's birth determined their worth, and to himself. He'd always known he could be great if given the chance, and now that he had that chance, he wasn't going to let the stares of a few fat-bellied nobles with soft hands deter him.

As Phaeus guessed, much of Castle Tyveren had been damaged by the fire, yet reconstruction seemed to be progressing quickly. However, there was something in particular that struck him as odd. From the rumors he'd heard and the damage he'd seen, Phaeus expected all of Castle Tyveren to be in a heavily damaged or even irreparable state. As he wandered around, however, he slowly learned that such a scenario wasn't the case. Some areas, including the corridor he was currently in, were practically untouched, almost as if the fire was prevented from reaching it. Even the delicate blue drapes and sparkling decorations that lined the wall retained their color and ornate flair with no sign that the fire even happened. Such pristine areas were few in number, yet for the most part were all connected, leading from the royal chambers towards the eastern wing. What was this path and where did it lead? Why were these specific hallways untarnished by the flames that ravaged both the castle and Tamras? He had to know. And so he'd followed this path of no destruction and find out.

At the end of this particularly long corridor, Phaeus was greeted with two immense wooden doors painted the same shades of blue as the drapes. Above the doors hung a portrait of the Myralian royal family in a pinkish-orange frame. It was clear that the painting wasn't recent because Prince Lev looked much younger than when Phaeus ran into him in Ferolan. This also was the first time that he could absolutely confirm that the person he'd come across in Ferolan was indeed Prince Lev.

"Interesting, isn't it?" A familiar voice sounded from behind Phaeus. He turned to see none other than King Ilaven walking towards him. "This corridor, I mean. The rest of the building looks as though Solgeara herself, ran through it, yet this portion looks freshly made."