33 Risen#re

Telamon remembered that day well, he was handling the talks between Taliyah and Efrideet, and trying to get Efrideet to stop her attacks on the newly crowned empress, whilst also trying to stop Taliyah from lashing out against Efrideet with her newfound authority and power.

Efrideet's power was a strategic weapon for the military and with it, they had managed to launch very successful campaigns into the old Golgoth empire, whilst weeding out many of the newly formed powers in those places.

During one of those meetings, Eftideet wanted to pull him on her side and forced herself to pull secrets from the future, she went so far as to reveal her prized treasure to him, one of the legendary basins left by Quaria herself, it was then that he saw the things that made him change his mind.

The things, or rather the being that filled him with terror in the night, it was impossible for Efrideet to have created such a being from her fantasies, and Efrideet herself had been shocked by the encounter he experienced.

He saw the shields of the Capriska world crumble and the structures falling to ruin, he was used to seeing such destruction it couldn't cause him any fear, but soon he saw the broken body of Efrideet in the ruins.

Taliyah stood over her with a vicious smirk and another figure, one shrouded in so much death, that their figure was completely distorted beyond compare.

The feeling that being gave him made him want to crawl and hide like a coward, he could tell that the foreign being was insulting Efrideet in her final moments when suddenly it turned to look at him as if he was there.

The shadows seemed to form a vicious smile as its gaze became fixed on him.

The being suddenly appeared before him like death itself, and started to chuckle, "So, this is why!" the being exclaimed with joy that couldn't be seen through all that destruction and death on its body, ", now it all makes perfect sense, Telamon Dao consider yourself very unluck," the being chuckled whilst saying his name in an amused tone.

"Usually, I'd have just killed anyone that dares to look at me from any point in time, but as it turns out we go way back, and since your fate is going to be very sad anyway why should I end it early," the being with a hint of ecstasy to its voice.

"Oh right, before you go back I do have to do something quickly," Telamon was unable to move as the being came closer and he heard him mutter a few things, like 'system warning' before flicking a spark of light into him even after all these years he didn't know what that spark was.

"Right, that should ensure that the past me is on guard against you, you sly old fox!" the being said cheerfully.

It glanced back at Taliyah and shook its head as if saddened about something, "Oh I almost forgot you still don't know who I am, well I can't allow you to know that, but ask that bitch what this means when you get back," the being suddenly unravelled a piece of the veil and showed him a green line light, that ran from the nape of his neck to Taliyah's.

"Lastly remember, if you play with black stones, you're gonna get yourself killed," the being said cheerfully as if he had made a clever joke and flicked him away.

With that he found himself back in front of the basin, with an unconscious Efrideet, she soon explained that the green light was the link between a parent and child, and so it had set his course, but he couldn't quite figure what that dreadful being meant by black stones.

---

Telamon felt his heart racing as Lirian's speech came to a close, he could hardly fathom what he had heard, but 'black stone,' that was far too specific, he felt it deep down that demonic creature from the future it had to be Lirian.

He had to stop Lirian from growing no matter the cost, he couldn't let him grow into that unfathomable creature, after all, he had seen another future, one in which that being, had brought a war like no other, with two empires going into a vicious battle against each other.

He handed over his duty of closing the ceremony to one of the teachers and departed, he smiled gratefully at the future Lirian, in his arrogance he had given Telamon everything he needed to confirm who he was, the future him was a terrifying being, but the current him was a helpless pup.

---

The next day when Lirian got up, he heard Anya giggling in his room.

She turned to look at him, "Someone has made many, many new headlines,"

"What can I say I'm just that great," Lirian said shamelessly.

Anya suddenly started to read out the lines of an article.

'The prince candidate Lirian, used the fallen candidate Ilma Eden's death, as a way to seduce the current princess candidate Edith during her hours of grief.'

"There are also a ton of pictures with your hickeys, there have even been a few fan clubs online, 'I want a hickey from Lirian'..." she continued to read out a long list of embarrassing names that made even Lirian go red.

"Media, was right," he sighed as he remembered what she told him at the ceremony, "But tell me the others, there must be a few good headlines," he said expectantly.

Anya sighed, "Actually, you've caused a very big problem for yourself this time."

"What did I offend some candidate or prince's/princess's that couldn't live up to what I claimed a candidate should be able to do," he said teasingly.

"NO!" Anya said stronger than she intended to, "Well, that is a small part of it, but there has been a massive outcry over your actions of calling his excellency Telamon by his name, they are demanding a public apology from you and her majesty."

"That will never happen," Lirian said plainly.

"You are causing problems for her majesty, again Lirian," Anya yelled at him.

"Have you ever offered an apology to Efrideet for trying to stage a coup against her rule of the Capriska family?", Lirian asked coldly.

When only silence answered he said, "I didn't think so, no matter soon I'll be throwing his severed head in all of their faces anyway, I wonder how many of those hypocrites will come forward to fully support my actions when I'm done," he said smiling coldly.