hydra | svt

.:glixrkfip:.

Inknown

"the first token has been used, wise one."

my advisor knelt on the frigid cobble, his robes swathing his feet like mist. he refused to meet my eye and kept his gaze trained at the foot of the throne i sat haughtily upon.

"good," i let my head drop slightly, similarly to that of a fleeting nod. "no doubt it won't be the first we'll have to use one. the mage trained them with the brute force of their fists and even i'll admit that they have an abundance. but it was risky for him to separate them, even with the promise of power a hundred times greater than before; their puny bodies will not be able to handle the pure energy that will course through their veins. they'd go insane and melt into madness before we'd get a chance to kill them ourselves."

i smiled wickedly and i was sure my eyes glinted in the torchlight.

"rise, sir. we shall watch over our ophidian friend as it puts an end to a journey that's barely just begun."

the man kneeling before me rose to his full height; he was older than time itself as he hobbled towards me and bowed. i smiled sinfully before sweeping out of the throne room and into a smaller side chamber, clearly not meant to be seen. it was only me, my advisor and my most trusted guard present in the room.

the room was dark and dank, and the familiar stench of death hung in the air limply. there were no windows or torches to illuminate the closet-like space and the only source of light was a glowing glass orb that hovered above a podium made of solid marble; it was tarnished and vines crept up the side, closing in on the intricate carvings that had once been displayed proudly in the setting sun. the orb itself was made of the most delicate glass and at the moment, a misty blue cloud spun inside it. with a simple wave of my hand, the flame turned scarlet red and hissing filled the room immediately.

i couldn't help but smile gleefully at the scene that was unfolding before me: it left a sweet taste in my mouth, like that of the fluffiest cake in the world that had been served slightly warm and straight from the oven, with a light dusting of icing sugar and a strawberry on the side. i savoured it slowly.