17-year-old Avera Ibori is a girl who has always longed for a life of adventure, but when her father mysteriously vanishes, she gets more of it than she can stand. Thrown into a hidden world of magic, intrigue, corruption, and kings, Avera must choo...
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Benjamin entered the grand throne room with his sword in his hand as his heart beat heavily in his chest. He had run through the castle walls to the place which Adrien had described for him - a large room devoid of light and fashioned out of darkness itself.
There was on the throne a man who sat on the throne in a reclined position, seeming to float in the darkness above him, and relatively unbothered by the disturbance of his guest. This man Benjamin recognized as the reclusive king whom he had seen before attending Eliezer's trial. This was Almast, the glorious king on whom the kingdom in its current form relied.
He looked up at the man as he walked slowly into the heart of the throne room and stood there at the center before him.
'Ramus...'
His heart filled with a flood of emotions.
"Caliphus," came the snide voice of the devil from the floating chair as he pulled himself casually to his feet, "you came."
"Almast," Benjamin replied coldly.
"I've waited an awfully long time for this," the king declared as he made his way down from his ebony throne dressed in his illustrious garments. "For years I searched to no avail. My men could never find you - too well hidden, too well blessed. I had almost lost hope that I would ever have the chance to put an end to you, but here you are to die for me."
Benjamin swallowed nervously as he felt the cold bite of death which accompanied Zephyr's words.
'My life... is to this moment. I pray, as you have called me, be with me now, O King.'
He looked at Zephyr with a fresh fire in his eyes and conviction in his heart. "This isn't for you," he said, emboldened. "The kingdom's mine; you've been dethroned."
Zephyr laughed, his chilling voice a harsh rebuke of candor. "You think you've beat me? You couldn't beat me. Look at this!" the king commanded, stretching out his arms to the darkness all around them. "All the world is mine! And what do you have? Some small remnant who still thinks you're a prince!" he scoffed.
Benjamin felt a fire burning in his heart as the mocking of the jealous king brought on a newness of zeal within him and his anger built as he considered his sinister reign.
"You will die here for what you've done!" he ardently declared as the ruler descended with the cold clack of his boots on the marble stairs of black and glowing purple.
Zephyr smirked and laughed at him. "Do you really think you can stop me with that?" he asked, pointing his blackened saber at the glistening sword held in Benjamin's hand. "They must have told you I'm a rather remarkable swordsman. So remarkable, in fact, that no one has ever beaten me... not even your father. Though, the once we did fight it ended in a draw, and that's the closest any man has ever come to my record."
Benjamin remained silent, studying the ruler's step. His stride was confident and smooth, not hesitating for a moment, but Benjamin had known it at the start that he was proud, and so there would be no reason for him to pause or tremble.
