Royal Pain (Rewritten)

Chapter 53 (Embracing Pain)

The Kings, princes and any man of royal birth gathered at the known sacred temple. It was a temple protected by a moat with walls adorned by monumental carvings within its stone. They were large carving and statues of every divine being in their world from lycans, beasts, vampires, to witches. The temple complex included wide towers, entryways, courtyards, ceremonial spaces, shrines, and a maze of vaulted corridors.

It was the place of their birth and considered the most important location in history.

"Is everyone here?" King Derick counted the men excluding the security and military team.

"My son is running a bit late." Raphael apologized with a wrinkled gesture.

"Of course." Max fiddled with a gadget he hadn't yet explained.

Max although of noble birth, cousin to King Darius, preferred to host the games rather than join.

"How about I go over a few of the details? It's always been tradition to gather and battle to award the fittest man. With help from technology I've now harnessed Lucian's ability to teleport each competitor to different checkmarks. You'll have to reach and touch these." He raised a glowing blue block as big as a beach ball. "In order to enter the levels. The locations are in various parts of the world. The last, winning checkmark is on top of the Egyptian pyramid."

"And remember no one is allowed to use their abilities." King Derick felt the need to add.

"I'd like to enter Vinnicus, my trusted bodyguard, in my place. He's a lycan which I believe will make the competition a little more interesting." Darius patted Vinnicus on the back to show the rest of the royal party how comfortable he was with his decision.

Vinnicus was a large body builder, made entirely of muscle. His skin was brown and golden. His eyes were vibrantly green like the color of moss on a rainy day.

"I agree. I'd like to know once and for all which species is the fittest." Alexander was cocky and extremely confident.

Darius remembered being just as naive as Alexander was. He thought the dominating race was vampire because they were already running the world but in recent years his theory was completely shattered. Vinnicus had joined his army and proved him wrong. Lycans were never to be underestimated.

Darius was starting to believe his father not only massacred the lycans based on revenge for his mother but also because they had the potential to steal power.

"What did I miss?" Sebastian strolled into the conversation.

"The rules." Max raised a cynical brow to convey his annoyance.

King Raphael pulled Sebastian, his son, aside to explain the new updated version of the game.

Darius gripped Vinnicus by the neck and rubbed his shoulders for luck. "Don't let your King down."

Vinnicus had a twinkle in his eyes. He considered Darius more of a best friend than sovereign; although he did respect Darius as a King as much as he would an Alpha. The lycans had Adamarius as an Alpha but he had been absent for years. Many of the lycans had turned to the hybrid Queen and her King.

Vinnicus believed it was the greatest decision of his life.

"Will there be a punishment if I do?"

"Yes." Darius grinned. "You'll have drill duty early in the morning for the rest of the week."

No one liked waking up at the butt crack of dawn. It was definitely a good form of motivation.