Igniting A Flame {Kingdoms #1}

Twenty-Two

Lukas turned, throwing his face out a window and projecting his stomach contents outwards. The bile shimmering upwards, caught on the water. He held his breath, refusing to unload more by the mere sight. He absolutely, undeniably loathed the ocean. He hates the way his body sways with the ripple of the sea. He hates the way his feet stay chained to the ground as if he were an anchor. He hated it all. Now he had to spend five days in this watery prison.

Lukas's ankle throbbed, the sharp marks of the sea creature's bite still red and fresh. After Yevvi had lugged him away from the vicious beast, he carried him down into the depths until they spotted a glistening light. A kingdom atop a giant coral plate, floating in the middle of the sea. Lukas had kept his head down as they walked through the streets, refusing to believe he was underwater. Once they reached a small hut, Lukas strode straight to the nearest bedroom and slept. Now he suffers the inevitable recognition of pure blue surrounding him, encasing his lungs.

He lifted his sickly body off the window ledge and headed towards the common room. A long sofa lounged peacefully in the centre, the cushions a light mint whilst the rest a deep green. Scraps of material tore and fluttered upwards, hitting the roof. Lukas staggered to a small chair and plopped onto it, immediately grimacing at the slimy texture.

Arvin—whom he had briefly exchanged introduction to the day before—sprawled himself across the sofa, his light oak hair slicked back. Lukas tensed in his presence. His face always remained stern and brutal, scars scattered across his cheek and dull green eyes spoke of fierce and unfathomable battles. His build robust and powerful, making Lukas pity the fools who would even dare oppose a man like Arvin.

"I'm glad we are all together." Yevvi bobbled into the room, that jubilant grin slathered across him as usual. Something seemed forced about that grin, as if he constantly chocked back the feeling to burst into tears. Lukas knew hidden pain; he lived that torturous cycle of forcing a smile as if his heart weren't shattered.

"So, what's the plan?" Arvin stated blandly, a gruff tone lined with years of commanding. He lifted his body up and straightened his back, alert. Lukas coughed nervously. Arvin's face was unreadable, blank. He knew of this prophecy yet showed no surprise or rejoice. Wouldn't someone who patiently awaited the mighty son of his king to rise be rather euphoric? Lukas was a new hope for a fallen kingdom after all.

Yevvi shot his eyes to Lukas, weary of his tense posture. He cleared his throat, ignoring Arvin's inquiry and turned to Lukas. "Can you listen to me this time?" Lukas shifted, suddenly uncomfortable with the plush cushion. He promised to be open minded. He couldn't let his bias judgment cloud the truth.

"I will," he stammered, his voice shaking. Why was he so nervous? Arvin stared unblinking at Lukas with that empty expression. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, thinking. Observing Lukas, questioning his attitude.

"Everyone, besides surviving Maragnians, remembers Maragnus to be dastardly and treacherous. A kingdom partial to destruction. I grew up in that place, Lukas. It was never like that. It was bustling with passion and harmony. In fact, it became quite the tourist location," Yevvi paused, gathering his thoughts, "In the beginnings of the war, Daris forced Naedeen and you to stay in Sora. To be safe. She promised to make your origins known and to speak of the father who risked his life for his kingdom. She promised to shape you into that warrior foretold to be mighty."

It is true; the prophecy stated his greatness to Maragnus. But he couldn't clear those empty pages from his mind, that unfinished section. The scripture only speaks drivel of Maragnian pride and of Lukas's power. Why is he so important?

"Why am I needed for this? Couldn't you just restore Maragnus on your own?" Yevvi sighed, glancing at Arvin before replying.

"The prophecy foretold other things. It spoke of your doing in rebuilding Maragnus and a fierce power that is to grow. Those sections were taken."

"By who?"

"I don't know," he frowned, irritated, "But those lost sections gave us the hope we desperately needed. To seek the truth and to avenge those claimed by Andel's flame." Yevvi lowered his head. Lukas twisted, sorrow waving over his body like a thick cacoon, constricting.

"After the war, the flame king disappeared," Arvin chimed in, breaking his intense gaze, "People, everywhere, never thought of Maragnus the same. It's strange, don't you think? Even more so as the war was not provoked. Sora and Maragnus had a fond alliance for some time."

"Do you think," Lukas gulped, his head spiralling, "That the king had to be behind something dark?"

He had heard of wicked magic used to manipulate and destroy. Potions that turned a woman's first born into a beastly creature, openings that lead into the below realm where the goddess of torture, Elasta, resided, so forth. Lukas's body halted, the very blood stifled. He shivered, the air suddenly cold and menacing. Oh, gods.

"So, what do we do?" Lukas questioned, his voice almost a whisper.

"We gather supplies here in Heht, retrieve Cesca from Donveil and start looking for information on Krest Andel." Arvin spoke smooth as if the words were carefully planned, no doubt a fierce commander.

Lukas weakly nodded before stumbling off the seat and returning to that window. He slumped on the edge yet again and let his stomach empty. So long he spent rejecting the theory of his greatness, of his potential. He refused to let his simple world be shifted. Now, everything changed. Lukas would slowly come to terms with his origins. He still held so much hate for his supposed father and the kingdom burnt to the ground. His memories forced that hatred. But his own mind is now deceiving him.

His mother had a connection to the king of Sora; he saw it in his dreams. The way he threatened his father's silhouette in the night and the way he held his mother. It angered him to know so little. Whether he helped find this truth for his father in Maragnus or for his mother in Sora, he did not know. All he wants is to find some truth. The rest will come later.