Chương 45: The Emperor’s Challenge

"Now…" Valor stepped closer.

"I trust you two will keep this a secret, right?" He placed one hand on Noah's shoulder. Then the other on Ava's. Neither of them dared to move. The dead king's head lay in the dirt behind them, crown still resting crookedly against his black hair. Valor smiled as if they were simply having a pleasant conversation.

"A chance for true world peace may arise now." His fingers tightened slightly against Noah's shoulder.

"There is no need for the world to know I beheaded their king." Ava's face went pale. Noah forced himself to look up.

"What are you planning?" Valor's orange eyes lowered to him. For a moment, the Emperor's smile did not change.

"Nothing much." His voice was soft.

"Only a chance at a better world." Noah's stomach twisted. Valor released Ava's shoulder and brushed a speck of dust from his crimson fur coat.

"I hear the crown prince of Helheim is no older than Isaac." His smile turned pitying.

"Such a shame, really." He looked toward the crushed crystal fragments on the ground.

"Someone that young can be so easily guided." Noah understood. Guided. Manipulated. Controlled. Valor turned back to him.

"Now, I have a proposal for you, Noah." His gaze shifted briefly toward Ava.

"One that benefits you as well, Ava." Noah's hands curled into fists.

"What is it you want?" Valor's smile faded. The air changed instantly. The pressure around them sharpened until it felt like a blade against Noah's tongue.

"What confidence in your voice." Valor leaned closer.

"Do be warned." His voice became cold.

"The only reason you still have a tongue is because we are family." A chill ran down Noah's spine. Ava's hand trembled at her side. Then Valor's smile returned, bright and false.

"Now." He stepped away as if nothing had happened.

"As you may have noticed, of the four rulers of Álfheimr, only the Starbell family remains." His eyes drifted toward the open land where the barrier had vanished.

"And that simply will not do." Noah said nothing. Valor continued.

"But completely burning the board would be a waste of opportunity." He raised one finger.

"My eldest daughter, Maria, will take the Eldenwood territory." Noah's eyes widened slightly. Valor pointed at him next.

"And you will rebuild the Fafnir territory." The words should have felt like mercy. They did not. They felt like chains. Maria Crest. The Emperor's second child. His eldest daughter. Long ago, all seven of Valor's original wives and children had died, killed by the Sixth Apocalypse, Aria Crest, his youngest daughter, and only Noah Crest had survived the Sixth Era. In recent years, however, Valor had taken seven more wives. Each had given him a child.

His eldest child, Fraser, had abandoned his title and vanished from the line of succession. That left Maria as the most likely heir to the throne. And because Valor had fathered these children after ascending to godhood, each of them had been born as something beyond human. Demigods. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Maria Crest. Demigod of Surrender. Noah had heard the name before. Everyone had. A daughter of the Emperor.

A princess who could end battles before they began. A woman whose very presence made armies lower their weapons. Valor smiled down at Noah.

"Now, I expect you to turn Gram into the prosperous city it once was." His gaze drifted toward Ava.

"I am sure the Starbell family will help you dearly." Ava's blood ran cold. Valor's smile widened.

"If you fail, they will burn too." The words struck harder than any blade. Noah felt Ava stiffen beside him. For a moment, all he could hear was the wind moving through the empty Black Witch territory behind them. Then Noah forced himself to stand straighter.

"I was going to rebuild my home anyway." His voice shook at first. Then steadied.

"I'll make it even greater than it was before." Valor's eyes gleamed with amusement. Noah met his gaze.

"I swear it." For a moment, Valor simply stared at him. Then his smile turned almost delighted.

"Such beautiful eyes." Noah froze.

"If only I could pluck them out and keep them as a trophy." Ava's hand twitched toward her bow. Valor laughed.

"Well, I could." His orange eyes remained fixed on Noah.

"But then you would lose your value." Noah said nothing. He could not afford to. Valor turned slightly, looking toward the open sky.

"I will give you two years to make the city into something worthwhile." Then he glanced back.

"Although, I imagine your next…" He tapped one finger against his chin.

"Let's say six months may be too busy for you to do anything proper." Noah's heart tightened. A memory replayed in his mind. The Doctor's voice. Keep the brat out of our way. Make sure the recovery time is at least six months. Ava remembered too. Her eyes widened.

"Sir…" Valor looked toward her. Ava swallowed, forcing herself to speak carefully.

"Is there anything important happening in Lævateinn in the next six months?" Valor's smile sharpened.

"Smart girl." Ava went still.

"Maybe my next descendant will be as promising as Noah is." Noah's stomach twisted. Valor chuckled softly.

"Why, yes." He turned his gaze toward the distant horizon.

"The lord of that city, Ars Behemah, is a glutton for all things entertainment." His tone carried open disgust.

"They call Lævateinn the City of Festivals. That fatass throws a party practically every week." Valor's smile returned.

"But six months from now, there will be a tournament." Noah listened carefully.

"The prize is quite valuable." Valor's orange eyes slid back toward him.

"I imagine The Crows will be quite enticed by it as well." Ava forced herself to speak.

"What's the prize?" Valor smiled.

"The Frost Flame Blade, Everfall." Noah's eyes narrowed.

"The weapon forged for Anastasia Everfallen," Valor continued, "the Second Hero who later became the world's Third Apocalypse." His tone remained casual, as if he were discussing a household item.

"A weapon said to rival the gifts granted to us by the stars." A Regalia-level weapon. Noah's grip tightened.

"If you manage to stop The Crows from obtaining it," Valor said, "I will extend your deadline by an extra year." He chuckled.

"And to make things more fun, I will even send a letter of invitation to the generals of Helheim." Ava's expression tightened.

"To promote our good relationship, of course." Another piece clicked into place in Noah's mind. Reverie had wanted to know where Alaric Sanguine was. The man whose parents had been murdered by the Emperor. The man The Doctor had conveniently claimed would be found in Lævateinn. The tournament. The weapon. The Crows. Helheim. The Emperor. Noah's stomach twisted. How much of this had The Crows manipulated? How much of it had the Emperor manipulated?

And how much of it had already been decided before Noah even took his first step? It felt like he was dancing in both of their palms. Valor watched his expression and smiled.

"Well, I do wish you good luck." His eyes moved over Noah and Ava's injuries.

"Since those wounds look quite severe, I will give you two a gift." Noah stiffened. Valor reached into his long blonde hair and plucked out two of the crimson ornaments braided there. They gleamed like gems. Or crystallized blood.

"It would be a shame if you were too broken to act." He held one ornament in each hand.

"A personal creation of mine." His smile widened.

"I call them the Philosopher's Stones." Before Noah or Ava could move, Valor broke the stones over their heads. Red liquid poured down over them. It looked like blood. Warm. Thick. Alive. Noah's body reacted instantly. His wounds closed. The pain in his ribs vanished. The burns, cuts, bruises, and broken bones all repaired themselves in seconds. Even the negative energy still festering inside his body disappeared, washed away as if it had never existed. Beside him, Ava gasped as her own injuries vanished.

Noah stared at his hands. He felt whole. That terrified him more than the pain had. Valor smiled at their shock.

"Even if I were to die," he said, "these beautiful creations of mine would save me." Noah looked up at him. Valor turned away.

"Well, that is all." His crimson fur coat shifted behind him as he began to walk.

"Good luck, you two." He glanced back once, orange eyes bright with cruel amusement.

"Do not disappoint me." Then the Emperor walked away, leaving Noah and Ava standing in silence beside the severed head of Helheim's king. The Black Witch was dead. The barrier was gone. Gram had been returned to Noah. And six months from now, the next battlefield would be Lævateinn.