Chapter 6 Ambition - Everything Shall be Yours

"I'M NOT HUMBLE WITH AMBITION, BECAUSE IT IS IN OUR DREAMS, THAT WE TRULY LIVE."

***

PHASE ONE

"Master Balkyre Fang !" Artena called as she ran after master Fang who was taking a stroll around his garden. Seeing her waving a letter in her right hand at him, Fang knew that it was an important message.

"Let me see", Fang said, taking the letter from Artena.

Could it be from the second prince ? Balkyre thought as he stared at it. Looking at the seal, a crow standing at the nozzle of the Silver Night Wolf - the emblem of the Balkyre family.

***

"The family is hosting a banquet to celebrate the opening of a new gateway to the under realms." Fang mused holding his cheeks.

"Are you going to attend Master Balkyre Fang ?" Artena asked Fang who seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Under normal circumstances", Fang explained, "I'm not supposed to attend. But, with what I have done to Theonis' subordinates, and the second prince's interest in me", Fang grinned, "it would be fun to be able to grab the attention of the family's elders and the other elite families of Malma who will be attending this banquet."

"You're going to use it as a means of publicity, is that what you mean ?" Artena probed further.

"Of course", Fang continued, "let me throw them into doubt concerning my credentials of being the next duke of the family."

***

Their dark forms and fluttering cloaks of darkness swarmed the surroundings, consuming this forest with their dark glow.

"Three hundred years", the first said, "the purple stone on his forehead glowing, "and still we haven't solved this issue yet."

"Even the Artedos couldn't recognize his origins", the second continued, "not alone having him trapped across the realms."

"Will this continue this way ?" The third wondered.

"It won't last for long", the fourth assured.

"Because, as for now", the first replied.

Opening his left hand, that purple orb of geometric shapes engraving its surface appeared on his palm, staring at it he concluded.

"We are the only ones he's afraid of."

***

"Full moon again" Lord Raven sighed as he walked into that clearing within this forest, "it's time children, can't you see that the color of the moon is turning grey ?"

Those forms in purple robes appeared from the darkness, seven in all, they bowed down to their master.

"All hail the Epitome of a Thousand Nights !" The leader of the group said.

"We can't let them succeed", Lord Raven sighed, "Because they are one of the obstacles standing in my path to supremacy."

"Will this be of aid to the Epitome of a Thousand Nights ?" The second in command made a gesture to the chest in the hands of a member belonging to their group who stepped forward.

Going down on his knees, the man opened the chest before Lord Raven.

That golden spark caught the Epitome of a Thousand Nights' eyes.

"Finally", Lord Raven exhaled, as he picked the quail from the chest, "with this and the inscriptions of the seven pillars of the Ciaran void, I will be able to rewrite the Lost Centuries."

That flash of lightning trailed from nowhere, striking the purple quail which Lord Raven had lifted into the air making that aureole erupt from beneath him. The earth shook as the aureole tore to the skies, creating that rift in the once peaceful clouds, transforming the once blue night into a ghostly purple. This was it, Lord Raven laughed, the climax had already happened way earlier than he had anticipated, those fools wouldn't know what hit them and they will be dazed by the power and chaos he was about to unleash into their realms.

That golden stopwatch descended from the skies, it hands moving and its ticking sounds reminding Lord Raven of the apocalypse at hand, he was already forearmed.

"Children", Lord Raven lectured, "to be honest even I don't know what the outcome of this conflict is going to be, but one thing's certain", Lifting the whip in his right hand to the rumbling skies and the stopwatch in his right, "it will be a feast of chaos."

PHASE TWO

Fang kept adjusting his collar as he held his glass of wine with his right hand, while adjusting it with his left. Seeing the dignitaries walking into the banquet hall being welcomed by the members of the Balkyre family, Fang couldn't help but wonder what their reaction would be if he was to be the one doing the welcoming.

"A waste like him", Fang mimicked, "the Balkyre family really doesn't know how to treat their guests."

Well, he was simply an ordinary drunkard with a rich father, that was what everybody saw him as. "What a lucky bastard !", He always heard many vampires and wolves say, and that was true, he was really lucky, lucky enough to be ...

That purple gown and white hair caught the eyes of Fang, not that he was interested, it's just that the person was simply obsessed with him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever", Fang exclaimed, downing a bottle of wine as he abandoned the glass. Staring at his table, Fang smiled knowing everything was set. Ten bottles of the best wine in the entire kingdom, twelve bottles of second grade wine, lastly, the one which he couldn't help but salivate, the large steak of chickens, eight servings in all. Now this was how a banquet was supposed to be.

Fang caught sight of the same woman covering her eyes as he was being stared at by others at the banquet.

"Ora, Ora", Fang sighed, "why won't you let me be ?"

Fang knew she wouldn't approach him in other not to draw the attention of others at the hall, not to forget, her father, Desmator was also present, keeping an eye on his precious daughter, from drawing unnecessary attention, especially when it involved the prodigal of the Balkyre family. If not, Fang knew Ora's wish at the moment was to have him slapped a thousand times.

"Let's forget about that", Fang said grabbing a knife, "who needs a fork."

A few minutes had passed since when Fang had started eating when the entire hall began mumbling, Fang didn't bother to look, it was definitely him they were gossiping about, they have a right to air their views, don't they ?

"How impolite of you to only order this much food and wine for a table of one ?"

"The prince !" Fang gasped. But behind that facade of surprise was the dark mastermind's glare of success.

"You finally came" Balkyre Fang said to the second prince.

"What do you think of my proposal ?" Prince Megraz went straight to the point, taking a seat at the other end of the table.

It seemed like he had come alone, Fang thought as he didn't see the prince's guards, or he had ordered them to wait outside.

"I think you aren't as ambitious as you look." Fang gave a vague reply.

Prince Megraz was taken aback but kept his cool, what did this brat mean by he wasn't as ambitious as he seemed ? But seeing that dark grin on the lips of Balkyre Fang, Prince Megraz knew that he was either standing before a madman or the devil.

"Well", the prince smiled, "you exceeded my expectations."

"Then what were your expectations Megraz ?" Fang asked, staring boldly into the prince's eyes.

Megraz was taken aback again by Fang's response, the gaze and countenance Fang had at the moment was different compared to the look he always had, this was the gaze of a superior being, one who had the ability to undo the certain - it was the gaze of a king, an emperor.

"You are too humble prince Megraz", Fang continued, "not only can I help you get the Dukedom", Fang drank from his bottle of wine, the intoxicating effect instead of dimming his brown eyes ignited a burning storm in his stare, one that made even the prince shiver.

"I can make the entire dark empire", these were Fang's words echoing in the prince's head, "all yours."