"What a laughable sight!"
Pride hissed out a jet of scorching steam, her eyes toward Qiyana filled with disdain and mockery. Jinx, meanwhile, patted her beloved Pow-Pow.
"Wow, looks like someone's imperial dignity just went down the drain!"
Jinx winked mischievously at Qiyana as she patted her weapon, but Qiyana's willow-like brows shot up.
"Enough!"
She rose from her seat, snatching up her chakram, and roared at Duke without the slightest hint of elegance.
"Outlander, I have already shown you more mercy than you deserve!"
"Oh?"
Duke took several strides toward Qiyana. With his height advantage, he looked down upon her from above.
"Can't handle losing?"
"You, the so-called Empress of Elements, can't han~dle losing?"
"With an outsider like you, I have no need to speak of honor or virtue!"
Raising her ringblade, Qiyana glared fiercely at Duke.
"Now, I will drive you all out!"
"You truly have none of the magnanimity a ruler should possess."
Duke shook his head, then pointed to the gathered villagers of Ticolás.
"Your people are all watching, you know. They're witnesses to this match's outcome. And now you plan to go back on your word?"
"Ridiculous!"
Qiyana pressed the edge of her chakram against Duke's neck.
"I am the ruler here. Win or lose is mine to decide! No one can sway my will!"
Faced with the blade at his throat, Duke calmly lifted one finger and tapped her forehead.
"So you do plan to break your word."
"This wager was nothing but a farce. I refuse to acknowledge it!"
"Childish. Pathetic."
With a flick of his finger, he rapped her forehead, a sharp crack.
"Even a three-year-old knows what shame is. Why don't you?"
"Don't compare me to brats!"
Qiyana took a step forward, but Duke stared at her indifferently, showing no concern for the blade at his throat.
"Looks like you need to suffer a little to learn humility and honesty."
"Your life is in my hands now, outlander!"
But as she spoke, Duke gave a soft whistle. Qiyana blinked, suddenly, her weapon felt weightless, giving her no feedback at all.
Crack… crack… crack…
Like brittle biscuits snapping, the sound echoed. In disbelief, Qiyana watched her most trusted, most reliable weapon break neatly into three pieces.
"Don't move, Your Majesty."
There was heavy mockery in Duke's tone. Only then did Qiyana notice, a golden cicada hovered right before her eyes, its wings fluttering.
"Or your head will be sliced off, just like your weapon. It'll drop straight down. Of course, it won't hurt too much, you'll simply notice your perspective change, you're rolling, and then you see your own headless body spraying blood like a fountain."
"You've seen a fountain before, right?"
His words stabbed at her mind as he stepped closer, their distance now so small she could hear the steady, powerful beat of his heart.
"Guards! Protect me, now!"
Qiyana stumbled back two steps and fell to the ground, while Duke bent down and plucked the crown from her head. The golden cicada still clung to her vision, the threat of death following her every blink.
"Honestly," Duke toyed with the crown in his hand, "your isolation amazes me. When the rest of the world turns dreams of flight into reality, you cling stubbornly to your unchanging traditions."
"Your vision is no wider than this tiny patch of land."
"Relishing the laughable glory of the past."
He swept his gaze around, voice deep and resonant.
"But now, let me tell you, your glory is buried in history. Your proud traditions are nothing more than decoration on your ancestors' gravestones. Your so-called strength?"
Duke tossed the crown back to her.
"Worthless."
Looking down at her, his voice dropped low.
"Stand up and fulfill our agreement, if you still have any shred of dignity left."
"No, you can't!"
"I am Yun'alai, Princess of Ixtal! I was born above all others! You cannot command me!"
Trembling, she shouted again.
"Guards! I am Yun'alai! I cannot die here, not without dignity!"
"Pathetic."
Duke beckoned, and Pride strode forward one heavy step at a time. She grabbed Qiyana in one hand and hauled her upright. On her shoulder, Neeko curiously reached out to touch the frightened woman's head, not to absorb her spark, but simply to sense her emotions.
Duke had told her not to reveal her abilities in public.
Meanwhile, Pride casually plucked the crown and set it atop Jinx's head.
"Here, troublemaker, have fun."
"Yah-hoo!"
Jinx skipped in circles around Qiyana, making faces with the crown on her head.
"No, that's my crown!"
"You can't, !"
Her cry was lonely, helpless. Duke only shook his head. Years of pampered living had stripped her of any resilience, she could handle calm seas, but never storms.
Still, for the sake of diplomatic ties with Ixtal, he wouldn't take her life.
"Well then, Princess, tell me, how do we get to Ouken's High Seat?"
Tears brimming, Qiyana shook her head.
"I will never tell you."
"Oh, you will."
Duke pressed a hand to her chest, channeling his magic into her, only to realize the placement was… less than proper. He quickly pulled his hand back, glaring at Pride. If she hadn't held Qiyana so high, this wouldn't have happened.
Pride shrugged innocently. Your mistake, not mine.
Sensing her mind, Duke found her heart quivering in absolute fear. He had no choice but to stabilize her emotions before telling Pride to set her down.
"Now, keep your word."
Bending down, he smiled as he took the crown from Jinx's head and placed it back on Qiyana's.
Qiyana's eyes were filled with fear, yet her face was wooden as she nodded.
"Yes, I will keep my promise."
Turning to the villagers, she announced,
"My people, I will take these envoys to the High Seat. Do not panic. I alone will bear what comes next. Now, return to your lives."
She walked ahead, leading the way, though within her mind, her spirit howled.
"No! Stop! I cannot take them to the High Seat, my father will never forgive me!"
But her body obeyed Duke's will, not her own.
Soon, the tall, handsome outsider was inviting her onto his flying craft.
"Accept it, Princess. Since you cannot resist, you might as well try."
"I will not mistreat you, in all aspects."
"You're a devil!"
"No. I am a scientist, a scientist who can create anything."
And so, while her mind screamed, the outsiders followed her path toward Ixtal's sacred heart, Ouken's High Seat.
After some time, they flew over a mountain range, and an immense city revealed itself without warning.
Contrary to rumor, Ixtal was no uninhabited wilderness. Ouken's ecological architecture lay hidden deep in the rainforest, far from greedy eyes. With elemental control, its people kept it even more concealed.
From above, the survey team gazed over the canopy at the city in its entirety. Vast lands stretched to the horizon, the tallest towers piercing above the treetops, gleaming and intricate.
At the center, one building drew Duke's eye.
"Such beauty, geometry in its purest form."
The main structure alternated between diamonds and squares, white as ivory, inlaid with perfect golden lines. Four symmetrical sides, a testament to geometric perfection, manifestations of Ixtal's original axioms.
At its heart rose a chimney-like spire, crowned by a perfectly cut ruby suspended in air. Four floating white stone watchtowers slowly orbited around it, completing a rotation with each day.
"Mathematics and geometry, taken to their absolute limit."
As they descended, Duke's heart, the heart of a man of science, was utterly captivated by the city's beauty.
(End of chapter)
We're still in the early chapters fam! and to everyone who's joined the Patreon, thank you so much! 🙏Your support truly means the world. You're the reason this story keeps growing, chapter by chapter, world by world. I promise to give it my all! more content, more depth, more epic moments, to make sure your support is always worth it. You're part of the foundation that keeps this universe alive.
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer