‘I must have killed millions of them, those little fish fuckers. I skewered them with my trident, I grilled them and them to my…’ As quickly as his rage had e, it disappeared. ‘I was young then. Brash. The wars tinued for some time. The rebelliourhen, my darling wife, she passed away.’

  Strom could remember that time like it was yesterday. ‘I let go of my throne. What need of I, of a throne which had been uo protect them? I left, and I tio wage my wars, I tio fight. I started trouble with so many, I ’t remember who I didn’t offend during that time.’

  ‘The Iyr too?’

  ‘No,’ Strom said. ‘The Iyr has always weled me and mine, so I’d never go against it. A tury I fought. A tury, that’s how long it took me to sort out my thoughts. I returaking back my throhere weren’t many rebellions after that, not after I hem at their bud. I… I imprisoned some of my children too.’

  ‘Damn.’

  ‘I had to,’ he said, as though still trying to vince himself. ‘I formed seven Kingdoms, each which had been given to a direct desdant of mine, one for each wife. The first Kingdom was mihough, the seat of the Empire. I’ve passed it on now to one of my first daughter’s desdants, who started some trouble with the Iyr. I know the Iyr won’t take it to heart, though.’

  ‘Who starts trouble in the Iyr?’ Adam asked.

  ‘Fools,’ he replied, with a smile growing on his face. ‘And worse.’

  ‘So… how old are you?’

  ‘You’ll find out, one day.’

  ‘Iure?’

  ‘Yes,’ he replied, uo tain his smile. ‘Iure.’

  ‘You must be fug a,’ Adam thought.

  ‘I am. A relic of an era long fotten. The people who truly remember that time be ted oalon.’

  ‘You’re definitely a Dragon.’

  Strom smiled. ‘Something like that.’ Strom pat the young man’s shoulder gently. ‘Thank you for listening to this dying old man’s rambles.’

  ‘Are you really dying?’

  ‘My Spark is fading.’

  ‘Is that a physical thing, or like a metaphorical thing?’

  ‘It’s a physical thing deep inside me. Once my Spark leaves me, I will be a powerful old man. Then, I will die.’

  ‘A Spark, eh? Is that like a Drago?’ Adam wondered if he could have it.

  ‘Something much greater. Dragos, ohey reach a thousand years old, transd into an Ember. An Ember spends many years tinuing to form, before it bees a Spark. I could have gone further, but…’ He shook his head. ‘Immortality is a curse I do not wish to suffer.’

  ‘So you have, what, a year left?’

  ‘I will probably die duri year’s Twilight Month.’ He shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Are you afraid of death?’

  ‘In a way,’ Strom said. ‘I’m afraid of what will happen to my children. I know they’ll fight. The Empire tripled and halved twice. Once I die, it’ll break into more than seven pieces. I’d guess to about twenty or so, more if the others are as smart as I think they are.’

  ‘Sounds rough.’

  ‘I just hope they don’t kill each other. They’re family, but…’ He sighed.

  ‘Killing family?’ Adam thought. ‘I mean, sometimes I thought about killing my brother and sister. I wouldn’t, really, I was just a them.’

  ‘What of Lanarot?’

  Adam narrowed his eyes. ‘I wouldn’t kill her.’

  ‘Really? Even if you were to receive something great?’

  ‘I wouldn’t kill her for anything.’

  ‘Not even to bee the King of the world? Emperor, I suppose?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘What about for the greatest on to ever exist? That which would make Phantom look like a toy?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘What if she tries to kill you?’

  ‘Lanababy, trying to kill me?’ Adam raised his brow, the way Turot did.

  ‘What if she does?’

  ‘I’ll stop her.’

  ‘If you ot? If she has to kill you for an a on, and if you hold back you will be certain to die?’

  ‘Then I’ll just get the on for her,’ Adam replied.

  ‘What if she wants to kill you because she needs your soul for the on?’

  Adam paused to think.

  ‘If you do not kill her, she will kill you.’

  ‘Then I guess I’ll die,’ Adam said. ‘I’ll never kill her, not willingly. Not even if I was forced to kill her to save tless lives. You’d have to mind trol me, or charm me, I suppose?’

  ‘You love her so much?’

  Adam brushed the girl’s hair gently. “I love you so much, Lanababy,” he whispered, before kissing her cheek.

  ‘What a heavy burden we hold,’ Strom said.

  ‘It’s worth it though, isn’t it?’

  Strom smiled. ‘Don’t bee a King or Emperor, Adam.’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Then you bee the father of your people, and…’

  ‘And you’ll be forced to pick between your family and your try.’

  ‘Sometimes, iably, you’ll have to pick your try over your family.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Adam said. ‘If you’re a good King ood Emperor.’

  Strom sighed. ‘Sometimes I think back to that time. Should I have really seized the throne? Should I have gohrough all that pain and suffering to create such a precious thing which will only break upon my death?’

  ‘You’re too old to be thinking about that,’ Adam replied. ‘You’ve only got a year left.’

  Strom slowly nodded his head.

  ‘You know, I think you’ll get along with Jarot.’

  ‘Who is Jarot?’

  ‘Lanarot’s grandfather.’

  ‘Is he yrandfather?’

  ‘That old geezer? No way. He’s just an old geezer. Once I Level Up a few times, I’ll beat him up.’

  ‘What’s the story behind you two?’

  ‘Well, it all started when he… hey, isn’t that the Chief?’

  ‘You only just noticed?’

  ‘Yeah. How long has he been there?’

  ‘Since I arrived.’

  ‘Oh.’

  The Chief threw Strom a look.

  ‘It appears I must be leaving you,’ Strom said, before standing. ‘I’ll be seeing you, Adam.’

  Adam nodded his head, going back to thought about the ons he wao make, as well as the stories he was told by the old man.

  ‘He’s absolutely some kind on.’

  “It seems that someone has asked for a fight,” Strom said to the Chief ohey were alone.

  “You have heard?” Chief Iromin asked.

  “I’m not that old,” Strom replied, following the Chief out. “What a ce.”

  “What is a ce?”

  “Nothing,” Strom replied, as he followed the Chief out. They took a pathway which would have disoriented most people, though Strom was sure he could return to any pce he had already stepped within the Iyr. ‘Why did you y this pce out so weirdly, Orelius?’

  Eventually they approached a fields of soft earth and plush grass, which was bed by the soft snow.

  Opposite him were two Iyrmen.

  One was tall and strong, and would have been a beautiful woman if it wasn't for the huge scar across her left eye and down the side of her neck.

  The other was a one armed Iyrman, ithout his Devilkin grandson for once.

  “So, this is the old man who is trying to seduce my grandson away from me?” Jarot said. “You do not look s.”

  “I’m just an old man,” Strom replied. “You must be Jarot, the old geezer.”

  “So, he has told you about me?” Jarot replied.

  “He said you were an old geezer he nning to beat ter. He was about to tell me the story when the Chief received word of your little tantrum.”

  “I have every right to challenge anyone suspicious who is hanging around my darling grandchildren,” Jarot said. “Even if the Chief is proteg you.”

  “Who is proteg who?” Strom asked. “Who is that?”

  “I am Otkan.”

  “Kan, huh?” Strom looked to the Chief. “Are they the one’s from Solomon’s time?”

  Chief Iromin bowed his head. “Yes.”

  “So, the two of you have e to fight me?” Strom asked. “Isn’t it a little awkward if I bully the two of you?”

  “What is awkward is that you will fall too quickly to Otkan and I,” Jarot said.

  “Are you sure you only want to sent out the three of you?” Strom asked.

  Shaool stepped out from the shadows. “I apologise for my behaviour previously. I did not know you were Elder Story’s Guest.”

  “It’s not like I took it to heart,” Strom said, referring to when they first met. “If you had kept attag me, I wouldn’t have been so polite.”

  “Three against one,” Jarot said. “If only Rangak was here, we would be able to give you a proper taste of our strength.”

  “I wouldn’t mind a fainst one,” Strom admitted. “Since Rangak isn't here, your Chief here fill his role.”

  “Are you not uimating us?” Jarot asked. “Even my darling grandson would not uimate us.”

  “I am not your darling grandson,” Strom said. “Even if Shaool has some strength, the two of you are too rusty for my taste.”

  Chief Iromin wondered how he was going to stop the group from fighting too hard. ‘Elder Story, please help.’ He received word back from Elder Story, sighing.

  “Chief, do not stop me,” Jarot said. “This time I will not back down so easily.”

  “As you request.” Iromin took off his coat, folding it ly.

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  This old man about to get beat.