亚洲综合中美

“Master, is something the matter?” éclair approached the solemnly stood Igna, no answer turned, no emotions in the eyes or physical stimulus from his voice, ‘-the aura has changed,’ he thought, keeping a close eye.

‘Igna’s presence has changed,’ thought Julius, the chatter of married ladies swarmed the personal space, he kept a smile and laughed along, ‘-darker and more sinister...’

“Brother, how did you like my performance.”

“Celina,” he broke out the trance and watched the beautifully dressed lady, “-it was splendid. The notes were emotive, they relayed the hard work and passion thee had,” he said, “-I’m proud to say, Celina Haggard, you’re truly independent.”

A sharp stabbing pain choked her words, her nose reddened, “-thank you,” she lowered her gaze to his chest.

“Come now,” he held her chin, “-you worked hard, I can see it in your eyes,” took her fretting arm, “-your hands don’t lie, the culmination of the effort and dedication. I couldn’t have asked for a greater gift on this new year.”

.....

“Stop it,” she shuffled closer and rested her forehead on his chest, “-it’s embarrassing.”

“I have to say it,” he patted her shoulder. Those watching the outside scene felt warm and joyful, the wholesome exchange brightened the atmosphere, smiles boarded, fake grins swapped for genuine joy.

“Way to make me jealous,” said Julius in jest.

“Brother Julius,” she leaped.

“Don’t fret,” he laughed, “-your friends are inside,” he threw his thumb backward, “-go on.” A reluctant gaze went from Julius and then Igna, “-go,” nodded Igna, “-don’t worry about us, your journey has yet to start. Look at them,” she turned to where he watched, a crowd of talented musicians waited with open arms, the maestro and pianist gave acknowledging nods to Igna, who returned the favor.

“If ever things get rough, reach out,” said Julius, “-we’re family, and family helps one another.”

“I will,” she grinned, her face glimmered in pure bliss, “-thank you so much for everything,” her heels clopped for the dancehall where waited a warm party of friends.

“The satisfaction of hard work being rewarded,” added Igna, “-she’s grown into a strong woman. I forcibly took her father’s life and tormented her mother, in a way, I felt responsible to take her in as my own. There are those deserving of a chance, and others, unworthy of the thought, I’m glad she falls in the former category.”

The prince listened attentively, the balcony cleared to have only the duo under night lit sky, retainers of the royal family guided the guests to the dining hall. It’s rude to make good food wait, thus the seamless transfer from one place to another, “-cousin,” interjected Julius, “-the aura around you feels calmer and peaceful. Are you well?”

“Yes, I had the courage to accept who I am and what I stand for. It sounds childish and very obvious, accepting who you are is a matter very close to one’s heart. To accept oneself means to accept the reality of one’s flaws and embracing said imperfections.”

“Igna...”

“No need to add any further. Julius,” he faced the prince squarely, “-Apexi and the bad press with the company, what have thee decided?”

“I don’t know...”

“How about joining hands with Amsey?”

“The one from Lumian O’dla, wasn’t he ousted from the entertainment world on accusations?”

“Correct, technically, he stepped away from his position until matters blew over. In turn, the influence he held over the entertainment district in Alphia was conquered by opportunistic agencies. Our current predicament bears a lot of similarities to his situation.”

“And?”

“And he says. Sacrifices have to be made. If only my plans were heard from the start, the media wouldn’t have been on our trails like they’ve been.”

“What did the plan entail anyway?”

“To go down and bring everyone with, a forceful restart of the entertainment industry. The nature of a problem occurs when someone takes issue with a particular instance. Imagine every agency being blamed and accused of similar if not, worse slander, they’d do everything to save face, and in doing so, crash and burn, Apexi would have had a chance to say, they treated their idols better than the other agencies, therefore, the under-table agreement would have been acceptable. There you thought I’d have fired the employees and ruined their lives, no, I’d have ruined everyone’s life... in a way, the field would have been fair and equal. Nothing can be done, part of the workers under Apexi will shift to work under Amsey. Ask Yui to schedule a meeting, I’m sure the man impatiently waits for his time to strike back, the remainder will be moved to my newly acquired racing team, ‘twould be a great opportunity to flex Phantom’s intellectual staff’s imagination on the track,” a worried éclair stormed outside, Yui followed close behind.

“Master, Rotherham’s under attack.”

“I know, missiles from the Empire.”

“How?”

“I had a vision.”

“A vision?”

“Yes,” he looked at the sky, “-there’s a nuke making its way to the capital.”

“How can thee be so calm?”

“Can Rotherham survive the attack?”

“Depends on the AFR,” he glanced at Yui, the lass shook her head, “-there’s the answer,” shrugged éclair.

“Tell me, éclair, what kind of person doth thee think I am?”

“Pardon me?”

“Forget it,” the shoulders slumped. A dark mist manifested at his feet, the hair hovered, outlines of wings, horns, and a tail spawned, “-when there are two options, the wises choice is the third option,” he held an open palm to the sky, *-the hand of the cursed king, manifest for thy monarch demands so.*

*Warning: Incoming Projectile,* cried the alarm, “-cousin,” shuddered Julius, “-how did you know?”

“I told you,” he smirked, “-I had a vision,” *Hand of the Lamented, I bring upon the earth the powers of the shunned child, watch me, the heavens and cower for I, Alfred, have reawakened,* an inverted pentagram burnt in white – a bodiless palm expanded over the entire castle, “-die,” he clenched, the giant mass buckled in a massive explosion.

“The AFR can’t handle the incoming waves,” cried Yui, “-Rotherham’s going to be destroyed.”

“Not on my watch,” he faced the town, the same pentagram burnt inside the retina, ‘-I see it clearly,’ the palms thrust again, warning of projectiles disappeared.

“Cousin?”

“Relay this to her majesty, the Empire’s launched a direct attack on the capital. War is the only remedy,” the words cut heavy, “-I have to retire for the night,” the semi-material wings flapped.

“éclair, the projectiles were wiped by an unseen force, some scouts say an unseen hand swatted the attack.”

He remained still and without answers, “-give me a moment,” he breathed, ‘-what power has he used?’

“The hand of the lamented,” said Julius, “-I heard of it in tales passed by my master,” the hands shook, “-there’s only a single entity able to utilized such a cursed power, Patriarch Alfred himself,” a chilling jolt went up the butler’s shoulder, “-are you saying?” they exchanged meaningful glances.

“I had my doubts,” the prince fell a nearby chair, “-it explains everything, a soul of a human would never be able to contain the wills of gods and demons alike, the pressure alone would shatter the being into nothingness.”

“The tale of Alfred the cursed is real?” fired éclair.

“You’re a demon, you should know the origin is based on truth.”

“I know, but I-I-I...”

“Hold on a moment, what’s the Alfred business about?”

“Pardon us, Yui, this is beyond our station. I fear, our master finally reawakened his true self.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No, it can spell disaster if the anger is allowed to roam free...”