It had been ages since the last change of power over Somnus. Lady Meshka of House Krul had held the seat for a few centuries, but finally, she made the announcement...she would ascend to Vileria and leave the throne to her next-in-line, her recluse of a son, who had done nothing but prepare to take the office; Darius Krul.
Darius, like any other god, was very powerful, but his pride surpassed that of any other of his race. Gods were proud, believing themselves above all others, but Darius took pride to a new level. The god-heir to the throne of Somnus spoke very little and to very few. He trained. He studied. That was about it. He was seldom found outside the walls of the Blue Palace which his family called home and never had he left the Holy City of Umvensa, the seat of power over all of Somnus.
There was one with whom Darius would converse once in a while; once in a long while though; his brother and only acquaintance or friend, Lumen Krul. The brothers had found a way to be of great use to each other. Darius would seat on the throne, fight the wars and hold the powers. Lumen would do the politicking, meeting with envoys, going through decrees and documents, visiting nations, brokering deals and other such things. The bond and trust between the brothers was more solid than diamond, but Lumen wished his brother was less of a recluse.
As for Lady Meshka, Empress of Somnus, Ruler of the floating continent, Guardian of the Spirit Wells, Protector of the divine ways, Master of the skies and wind, Controller of Umvesa, Keeper of the Holy City and mother of the god-heir, her boys working together soothed her soul. They would be better together.
The floating continent of Somnus had been stable under Lady Meshka all through her reign and she would be missed, but her essence had begun to surpass her flesh vessel and the time drew near when she would have to join those before her in Vileria.
****
Darius Krul stood at one of the high ceilinged windows in his study. He had dimmed his energy bulb as the sun came up. The study was something of a mess. Books stood in stacks along the wall or in small piles in the middle of the room. The early morning sunlight streaked through the open windows, bathing the massive study in its natural warm glow.
Darius stared out the window from where he had a good view of the bailey below. The Blue Garrison, the order of knights tasked with guarding the palace, were doing their early morning drills and he liked observing this. It had become a ritual for the loner-god. Standing at 6ft 3", Darius was an imposing figure, silent and sturdy as a statue and devilishly handsome with his golden corneas. He looked thirty years old, but was much more advanced in years. His jet black hair was cut short and his blank stare almost never changed.
"They improve slightly," he spoke.
A ship passed over the Blue Palace and Darius looked up at it. Three smaller vessels accompanied it. All bore the gold and purple color of House Krul. The central vessel flew the golden dragon flag and that of the Purple Eagle, signifying the presence of the ruler of Somnus onboard.
"Mother, returns."
Darius turned around and walked toward the exit. He stretched his hand towards his desk and the coat of leather and metal draped on the back of the high-back chair behind the desk flew to him. He snatched the coat from the air and threw it on, just as the study doors swung open under his will, he didn't need to touch them.
My Lord.
Lord Darius.
God-heir
Everyone hailed the god as he walked along the hallway. He gave no response to most and a nod was all he gave to others.
Darius emerged from the castle's front doors and walked to one of the cars parked under the vehicle-shade by the entrance. The guards at the door saluted the god-heir, but got no response from him.
The beauty of the compound did not matter to this god. He had lived here for so long and hardly ever left the palace grounds so it was safe to say nothing here truly thrilled him anymore.
He climbed into a sleek, golden two-seater hover car and as the engine hummed to life under his touch, the vehicle lifted two feet off the ground and just before he could step on the pedal, someone pulled open the passenger door.
"Hello, brother," said the intruder. It was Lumen, second son of Lady Meshka and dear brother of Lord Darius.
Darius gave his brother a stern look then turned his eyes to the windscreen once more. Lumen wore a big smile as he got in next to his brother. He shut the door and Darius zoomed off.
A full network of roads connected the entire massive property.
Lumen observed his brother as he gripped the rectangular steering device of the vehicle.
Darius could sense Lumen assessing him and it left him a little irritated.
"Speak your mind, Lumen," he said coldly.
"You look good, brother. For one who doesn't indulge in outings and ceremonies, you sure do dress impeccably."
Darius scoffed. He knew Lumen was making small talk. Each knew what the other looked like. Lumen was 6ft 7" with long straight blonde hair. He had golden corneas as well and looked in his mid-twenties. He dressed much better than Darius; he had reason to.
The rest of the drive was silent. The Blue Palace sat on 7,000 hectares. There was the castle proper, the housing district where staff lived, the hangar where the family's personal ships were kept and maintained and the research complex. The castle itself was massive as it held the second largest armory in all of the floating continent, it was larger than the housing district, and the research complex, but the hangar was the largest section of the Blue Palace.
When the brothers finally got to the hangar receiving bay. There was a motorcade of four big black vans waiting outside the front doors of solid glass. About thirty Blue Garrison troops waited by the vans. The front and rear cars flew the golden dragon and purple eagle flags, but the flags were down now because the ruler of Somnus was yet to enter the motorcade.
"Mother is still inside the hangar," said Lumen as he got out of the vehicle.
Darius got down as well. The guards saluted the princes by striking the left side of their chests with their right fists. Lumen returned the salute, but Darius just walked into the receiving bay, a five story glass structure supported by a metal skeleton on the inside.
Once inside, Darius sensed the building until he pinged his mother. He never stopped walking, moving towards exactly where she was. They walked through wide corridors with fluorescent bulbs running down the middle of the ceiling. The walls were covered with a plastic polymer, smooth and clean.
Lady Meshka was coming down the hallway with two knights behind her and her assistant, Celina Brimbor at her side. The empress stood at 6ft and though she looked no older than thirty-five, she was very old. Her blonde hair was adorned with a huge silver brooch and the multiple rings on her fingers signified wealth and authority.
"Mother," said Lumen, going to hug their mother.
"Empress," hailed his brother, bowing.
"Will he ever change, Lumen?" the empress asked her second son with a grin.
"Darius will be Darius, mother," he replied and they both laughed.
Darius rose from bowing and they walked out of the hangar together.