Alister had ordered the king to gather everyone within the castle's staff to attend the ceremony. This led to the throne room being filled with servants and contractors who all assumed they were to be witnesses to the blessing of the king.

  Owen expected Alister to lead the endeavour as always but this time Osmir was the one to approach while holding a sealed wooden box in his hands that was varnished to a shine. A single red strip of fabric wrapped around the top and bottom that ended by the lock on the front. The lock itself resembled that of Psychopomps clinging to the chains that held it shut.

  “On behalf of the spire and Psychopomps I am here to offer the blessing of the spire to acknowledge the new king of the third kingdom, Rosemary”. Getting down on one knee the box was raised above Osmirs head to allow Raul to accept his new title.

  The rite itself was important so it was safe to assume they would be going through with it as planned first. The king placed his hand atop the box and stated “I, Raul, of the northern giants clan accept the title and burden of King of Rosemary.”

  Clunk.

  The chain of the box hit the ground with a thud loud enough to be heard throughout the room and the dragon that was once coiled around it rushed to the top of the box and atop Rauls hand.

  “Do prepare yourself, sir.” Osmir stated in turn before the tiny golden visage of the dragon sunk its fangs into Raul’s hand however he did not flinch. Not even a sign of discomfort on his face as the magic of the golden creature sank into the wound it created, soon returning to being inanimate. “You may remove the vessel.”

  Raul’s giant fingers came up to grip the small statue and pulled it to remove its fangs from his hand before he placed it back atop the box where it became animate once more to take its place atop the fabric, posing in a coiled shape.

  This allowed the king to grip each side of the box and open it, revealing only to himself what was inside the box. “Rise.” He commanded Osmir once he closed the box and took it into his hands.

  “As you wish” Osmir responded, rising and meeting the king’s gaze.

  “The spire was willing to grant someone such as myself the throne?” The king asked. Returning to his throne with the box in hand, placing it atop his lap once he took a seat on the structure that was far too small for him.

  Osmir remained where he stood and maintained eye contact as he explained “The circumstances of how one becomes ruler is irrelevant to the spire. Psychopomps does not meddle in the affairs of man.”

  Owen knew this to be somewhat of a lie. While Psychopomps may not meddle, they certainly did and they acted on behalf of the spire, however it seemed good enough to sate the king’s curiosity and he gave a stoic nod. “You may return to your friends.”

  “Of course, sir,” Osmir responded. Turning on his heel he maintained a regal posture as he walked down the steps to stand with the rest of the group.

  As the king was about to address his subjects Alister raised his hand and boomed “One moment, your highness. We are not finished yet.”

  The eyes of the crowd would wander back to Alister but the king raised a hand and stated “Your allotted time has been met, immortal. If you wish to have another audience you may speak with my advisers.”

  Alister approached the bottom of the staircase that led to the throne, not only sharing the king’s gaze but seemingly challenging it from the sudden furrowed brow upon Raul’s face. Reaching into his jacket pocket he removed the gold trimmed box from his jacket.

  Again, the king tried to shoo him away when Alister attempted to speak so he placed his hand atop the box. “You asked for this.” He stated.

  “This is the only way.” Owen thought. Or perhaps it was merely the most convenient. It felt cruel but a job of this scale needed to be done swiftly. Scanning the crowd there were surprisingly many children here so it wasn’t as simple as just find the child they talked about, and Raul most likely would deny any claims making it far more hassle than it needed to be.

  He steeled himself.

  The sound of a click echoed through the halls before hell unleashed.

  In an instant Owen felt the weight of the world pressing down on him, as if the very air was being pulled out from his lungs and any desperate attempt to grasp at air was met with feeling like he was taking water into his lungs. All he could see in the moment was the reflection of the glass he was encased in when he became immortal. Struggling to breathe and desperately flailing… And the sickening smile of his former employer watching him survive the pain of the acid vat. Owen flailed in the moment before his sense drew him back to the task at hand.

  The pressure continued to rise, almost causing him to buckle to his knees. The servants not being trained as they were all fell to their knees or lay on the floor while gasping for air. Some of the orc servants managed to stay on their feet but clearly they were in just as bad a position.

  One by one the servants fell until only a few remained standing. One of which was a young corvid boy, the humanoid crow in the same vein to the ratlings seemed to be completely unphased, his gaze fixed upon the box.

  Given his clothing consisted of silken fabrics and fur trimmings around the sleeves and neck it was clear this boy was of noble stature and not one of the servants. In essence his trimmings looked quite similar to the king's outfit, however shrunken for the regular sized child.

  The king’s face was for a singular moment overtaken by a horrid fear that soon turned into a raging anger, a man who had faced death countless times still struggled in his throne but unlike his servants he maintained his stoic pose. His advisers on the other hand struggled even more so than the servants.

  Trying to take a step towards Alister to stop this ‘test’ only proved how powerful the magic was. As the others stood still and calm, Owen wobbled with each step feeling like he was carrying the weight of the world. His heart rate rose drastically to the point of what he assumed was going to be a heart attack and the stench… the stench of death and decay enough to churn his stomach for months over.

  Suddenly his vision flickered once more and he had to hold a hand to his mouth to prevent his lunch from making a swift escape, remembering the pile of bodies that Alister and Swiss left before burning the labs to the ground.

  It was all so distant in his experiences but it was only a few months ago in real time.

  As cruel as it was, forcing those to experience the pain of death and decay it did its job. Through the sounds of decay and agony, gasps for air and cries for help the pitter patter of small footsteps rang out.

  The corvid had begun to move towards Alister with his gaze fixed on the box and his expression being that of pure wonder, perhaps curiosity. He was so entranced by the box he almost tripped over a servant which slowed his advance to that of a regular walk.

  Alister remained still when he approached, allowing the boy to get close to the box. Leaning in he attempted to look inside, soon noticing those around him struggling when he finally pulled his eyes free. Turning and seeing the servants begging for it to stop, the corvid's face twisted from curiosity to worry and he turned back to Alister, staring at him and placing a feathered hand atop the box.

  Alister simply nodded at the boy who then quickly shut the box, cutting off the essence of death and returning the room to a normal state. Atop the box was a small token that resembled a metal feather. The boy seemed drawn to it and took it in his hands, watching Alister for any form of reaction but he allowed the crow to take it.

  As fast as the feeling began it suddenly ended and the collective gasp for fresh air filled the throne room and the anger of the king was apparent. “What do you think you are doing?” The king asked bluntly, his tone holding back the ferocity of a sun.

  “A test.” Alister replied as blunt. His attention had been focused on the young boy who had closed the box. When he finally pulled his attention away from the boy and back to the king the gaze the two were locked in could be considered a battlefield in itself.

  The servants had been in a panic and began to flee en masse out of the throne room once they regained their motor functions with the guards pouring in through the door when called by the terrified workers.

  Owen expected this to happen but now they were surrounded by guards brandishing their weapons and the boy seemed quite scared by the sudden commotion. He fled through the guards and up the steps to stand beside the king.

  Alister surprisingly let him go. He tossed the box back to Swiss who held an arm out and allowed it to slip back within her nexus space. “You come into my kingdom, enter my throne room, and terrorise my staff. Explain what this test is before I lose my patients, immortal.” The king spoke through gritted teeth.

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  The weapons and threat of violence did little to deter a group of immortals. They stayed where they were out of desire to prevent the continued escalation of the event. “I attempted to ask you about the boy. You simply refused to take any more questions. You asked for this.” Alister bluntly stated.

  One by one the advisers began to pick themselves from the ground and voices rang out in anger, demanding various responses. They were of no concern to the group due to the spire having its own vassals that dealt with these kinds of debates that were left among the crowd. Osmir made a swift motion with his finger in the air, seemingly drawing a rune. A short-lived glow called upon those nearby to aid, causing more vassals to appear from the halls, citing authority of the spire to force their way past.

  The boy was afraid, cowering even behind the left arm of the throne. The king hardly had time to react before the eruption of chaos. The voices of the vassals were drowned out by the voices of the king's advisors attempting to get any word in edgeways. “You dare think this is acceptable?” The king asked.

  “I am unsure if you are related to him in any way but I do once remember a specific saying from one Richter of the Kitar clan up north…” Alister stated which clearly got under the king's skin as his eyes widened, allowing Alister to continue “That you should respect your elders decisions, even should you not understand them as they have much more time to think it through, and I would say I am your elder many times over.”

  The king slowly stood from the tiny throne and towered above the room “If you truly knew the elder Richter you would also know that if a disagreement comes within the clan it is settled in the pit with bare fists.”

  It was the most animated Alister seemed as a little glint came to his eyes at the notion of a fist fight. It was clearly a plea of emotion as anyone would know challenging an immortal to a fist fight was akin to attempting to lift a mountain bare handed. Of course, he knew this would be a pointless battle and made it known. “I would love nothing more than to go fist to fist with you but we both understand that it would be a fruitless battle.”

  The king remained enraged at the provocation, attempting to find the right words to deal with such an outrage without resorting to unsavoury language and physical assaults. The portly bearded advisor who had led the group to the castle stepped forward from the crowd of Spire vassals and kingdom advisors mid argument to say “Raul, my friend.”

  In that moment the king froze and his anger almost subsided. The king’s eyes grew calm and he returned to his seat, still shielding the young corvid who stayed hidden behind his massive frame. “My apologies,” Raul stated. “However, what you have done would be considered an act of aggression were it anyone else.”

  “As what you have done,” Osmir interjected.

  The king interjected by raising a hand and stated “This is a conversation best held privately. All of you bar the immortals, out.”

  The young boy hiding behind him crept into view once the guards approached from the door. Listening closely to Alister's signal, Owen attempted to probe the situation. His mana stretched up the staircase and at first he attempted to latch onto the child to see what they were thinking.

  Oddly he found the child impossible to connect to. Any attempt felt like bashing his head up against a brick wall until he finally decided to stop and move on to the guard to get some information.

  “If you would be so kind, please escort Corax to his room. Along the way stop at the kitchen and have some apple pie sent to his room.” Raul commanded the officer.

  With a salute and a motion to the child the two exited through the main doors. Alister still seemed quite confident as the rest of the soldiers, advisors, and vassals were ushered out of the room. The vassals only moved at the command of Osmir, to the annoyance of the king and his right hand advisor.

  Soon only the group of immortals, the king and his most trusted advisor stood within the confines of the audience chamber. Both groups took time to examine each other. Considering the best course of action to move forward.

  Owen attempted to break into the mind of the king and witness just what was going on but it appeared he was a man of strong will and an equally strong passive magical barrier. The advisor on the other hand seemed to be a mage which meant he would not be able to penetrate either of their defences without alerting them to his presence.

  The conversation continued as he attempted to probe their minds. The king being the first to say “What you have done in my castle is unforgivable. No questions were asked, you simply acted under an assumption tha-”

  The king was cut off by Alister, who wished to skip the aggression and accusation slinging portion of the conversation. “We know that you harbour a young Death in that Corvid boy. How you came to do this we do not know. What we do know is you are committing treason against the spire by doing so.”

  Anger spread across the king's face that could only be quelled by his advisor. Once more uttering the king’s name calmed him, the advisor turned to face the group “Treason or no, what you did is inhumane to those who were affected and potentially permanently scarred by the events that took place here. We do hope suitable compensation is planned for those involved.”

  “Suitable compensation?” Alister asked, his brow furrowing and his voice rising.

  “For the non royalty affected, compensation will be given. Not to the royals,” Frost quickly interjected before Alister could cause a scene.

  The king took his time to calm himself, running a hand along his face and exhaling deeply. He then sat upright and straightened his posture against the broken throne “To the matter at hand.”

  Owen didn’t even need to attempt to read his mind to feel the wrath emanating from the giant. Anyone with eyes could see that. Owen was taken aback when the king raised a large finger to point at him, stating “I would suggest you really think about what company you keep, boy.”

  All eyes fell upon Owen as the room emptied, even Alister giving him the side eye as if to state “don’t say anything stupid.”

  Owen cleared his throat when attention was thrust upon him and said “I do not know what you are talking about. What I do know is you seem to be using me as a distraction from the matter at hand here.”

  The king scowled once more. Owen was unsure if it was because his attempts at distraction were ignored, or if he truly wished to convince him to defect. One would assume the latter as the king stated “You think subjecting innocent people to a pain such as this is appropriate just so you can achieve your goals?”

  Owen cleared his throat to give himself a moment's pause to come up with his response. “Whether I agree with the methods or not, we have a job to do and by purposely making that job harder you are appearing more and more guilty of the crime of treason and from what I know about history… Alister here isn’t above regicide.”

  To avoid a further scandal with the tower, the advisor attempted to salvage the situation by saying “I assure you the lord's intentions with young Corax were nothing but selfless.” He then pulled out an ancient looking tome from within his robes and flipped open the dusty pages. “Death has always been a problem in the past under your own rulings. Depending on becomes Death, the world is in for a few decades at least of either Death abusing its powers and accepting payments for safe passage to the afterlife or a kind Death that ushers in peaceful passing.”

  Owen was graciously allowed to continue arguing their case by Alister and Frost who both took a step back. Owen was sure this was as much of a test as anything else had been up until now so he doubled down on his aggressive stance. “Death is also a being that is meant to awaken much later in life once Corax had the time to explore and experience the world for himself. Not only have you robbed him of such experiences by locking him in this castle, but you have awoken his powers early through whatever methods you are using to keep him here so you also have robbed him of a childhood that he was supposed to have.”

  The king decided to continue in place of his advisor once he faltered. Once again he pointed at Owen and asked “In my position I have seen the outcome of the spire taking charge of raising Death. I have seen the flourishing society it brought but I have also seen the hell it can create when Death goes rogue. You will not be able to save everyone should he go down said path. So I am going to prevent that path before it even begins. By providing the best tutors the lands can afford I seek to teach my son the error of his ancestors and keep him on the right track.”

  “There's no need to keep calling him your son,” Owen hastily responded. “He is a corvid and even if you managed to lay with a corvid woman, his size indicates nothing of a giant. What we can gather is you somehow found out he was Death and took him from his original family.”

  Such accusations could bring shame to the name of the castle and thus brought a higher sense of tension through the room. Deciding it best to come clean before they dug a hole so deep they could never recover from the advisor said “We used the power of a seer. Knowing Death was within the city we formulated the plan to take Death in and raise him to be a good person.”

  The king once again decided to make his thoughts known and loudly boomed “You may sit in your tower looking down on the rest of us common folk but we have to deal with the consequences of your failure to educate Death.”

  Such an accusation sent a wave of anger through his comrades, however none of them showed it as they remained steadfast as Owen read their surface level emotions with his magic. Owen decided to voice that anger for them and said “If you think that you are somehow a part of the common folk you are far more delusional than any king I have ever known.” Walking forward he returned the king's former scowl and continued “You sit upon your throne while everyone else fixes up the mess you created in your thirst for power. You continue to wage war in the other continents in hopes of owning it all. A warlord is the last person who should be trusted with the sanctity of something such as death!”

  “It is for the greater good of my people's prosperity!” The king argued. “I am ensuring that my people have the best possible future once this is over.”

  Owen paused for a moment, such a statement gnawing away at the back of his mind that caused him to state “No greater evil’s have been committed than those in the name of the greater good…”

  This brought a pause to the king’s rant, in which Owen expanded his statement “Do you expect us to believe that you, a warlord bent on controlling all seven kingdoms, would be able to resist the urge to unleash the power of death onto your enemies?”

  Swiss was the one to grab Owen’s arm and shake her head when he looked back at her. Tugging him back to the line up and bringing an end to his verbal assault of the king. “Don’t get too worked up over this sort of stuff. We can handle this,” she whispered.

  Alister clapped his hands together and said “This is clearly going to get us nowhere.”

  The advisor agreed, mimicking the gesture and bowing to them “It truly does seem like we are at an impasse here.” His voice was confident but Owen could read the fear all over his face as if it were a visible expression. They had been caught and he was desperately trying to find a way out.

  The king raised a hand again and said “Then we shall sort this as civilly as possible.”

  “Alright then. We will return to the spire and once we receive orders of what to do we will return. You have until then to prepare.” Alister explained. Using a finger he motioned the group to exit the throne room with a single gesture.

  Upon the exit of the group, the king released the tension built up in his body and sighed. The respite only lasted a brief moment as his advisor said “My lord, I do not think the immortals were being genuine in their offer.”

  “Of course they weren’t,” the king responded, rubbing the ridge of his eyes. “Increase the security around my son's room. Make sure that he stays safe.”

  “Of course, my lord,” he responded.

  Turning and marching towards the large doors, one of them would slam open with a frantic guard stating “My lord!”

  “You may speak,” the king quickly confirmed.

  “I was delivering the apple pie you requested to Corax when I found his room to be empty and I cannot find a trace of the young prince!”