Rise Of Pandora

Rise Of Pandora: VIII. A Different Age

"All gold comes in red."

-Pandora

I. Sundarians, Within the Opal Castle of Brynhilld

The main entrance doors of the Opal castle were pushed ajar. Damp shafts of light feebly snuck into the wide corridors within the emperor's home. Two men with flowing white hair, accompanied by the emperor's personal guards, stepped from under the eerie weather and walked inside.

Their outfits, which were a kind of padded golden leather armor, dripped with water on the glistening mosaic tiles of the castle. They walked through the corridor and up a long flight of steps where the emperor was on the other side of. The two young men continued walking forward, their shoes mushing against the soft surface of Alareiks' purple carpet that covered the bottom to the top of the steps. Alareiks reared his head, curious as to who just entered his castle, whilst walking over to his throne.

He then lifted his sword, Leviathan, the famed sword which was passed down the Menhara lineage, from off the manchette of his personal opal encrusted throne. He held onto it as he claimed his place on the opal spackled chair. The emperor moved his gaze back at the men, and his once stern expression changed into that of something warm and spirited. He smiled pleasantly while observing the pair walk down the aisle of his home which dazzled with a beautiful warm glow all throughout.

"And the brothers return," He spoke gleefully, a smile materializing thinly from the vast gathering of deeply sunken wrinkles and old spots on his face. "And you both look handsome as ever."

Alareiks worked himself into a chortle but quickly began coughing in between his joyous laughter. He applauded them and gradually rose from his seat, placing his sword against the side of his throne. The two men approaching Alareiks gave a strengthless smile in return. The white-haired pair completed their ascension up the stairs and approached the emperor who had awaited them readily.

"If we could speak in private, Emperor," Gelasius, the taller and older of the two brothers said aloud.

Alareiks's toothy smile slowly faded away as he noticed the solemn appearances of the two brothers. He looked at the boys and examined their soaked faces. He walked around the seat and walked up to another smaller flight of steps. A set of double doors that stood just ahead of the steps. Alareiks then looked back to the brothers who lingered not too far behind. One of the brothers, the shorter one and the younger of the two, launched ahead and quickly opened one of the large doors for Alareiks and his solemn sibling.

The opening of the door exposed a spacious corridor that contained another set of double doors at the end of a very long hallway. The hallway was lined with lit torches hanging on one side and the other was a succession of open windows which invited in a cold breeze. This time, the elder brother, Gelasius, rushed ahead of Alareiks to open the door for the two, Alareiks quickly filling the light-deprived room with his presence. Only his voice could be heard, for his body was buried inside the blackness of the room.

"Leave the door open!" Alareiks' voice sounded tired as if by extending that forced happy greeting towards the brothers earlier expelled all the life he had left for the day.

There was; however, the few visible shafts of sun rays which brought a dim texture of lighting into the dusky room. The two siblings walked just beyond the entrance and then observed what they could before settling inside into the abundant gloom of the room.

"Come and sit down. You are blocking the light," Alareiks said with a stern tone.

Gelasius walked inside of the room and found a chair near a roundtable in the center of the room. His brother Dinos, followed behind his brother. Alareiks cautiously ambulated through the dark room. Relying on the scarce glimmers of light which scattered past the open door. Alareiks took a fire steel and struck in many times in old tinderbox. Striking it until a small ember was produced upon the rod, he gently carried over the small object and began lighting several lamps and candles around the room. Gelasius seemed concerned because never had he seen this room nor had he been this far into Alareiks Menhara's castle. Moreover, Gelasius was taken off guard by this gloomy windowless room, it seemed to drain his confidence and replace it with a harsh sense of gloom. Still, he retained his composure and hid that foreboding feeling behind a calm face. Finding his seat alongside his brother, Dinos scrutinized the inky room, trying to discern the attributes of the room to the best of his prowess as his brother had been doing as well.