Chapter 77: The Razalek with the Moon Eyes, Part III

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Zidane looked ahead, his footsteps placing him slightly ahead of Yittek as a large carriage caught his focus. The citizens walking along the street divided, allowing Zidane full view of the carriage. It was completely black, the deep color disappearing upon making contact with a shadow.

It took a moment, but then Zidane realized how the effect was made. The carriage was using its own shadow for the coloring, the effect of others' shadows just a spark. Or perhaps the latter was simply how shading was affected when in contact with the outside world. Zidane had never witnessed it performed in the light of day, until now that is.

Yittek began walking again, pulling Zidane's focus back to the plan once more. Zidane walked beside him, feeling more uneasy the closer he got to the approaching ruler. This plan seemed so simple... Could getting their answer really be this easy?

One of the guards walking ahead of the carriage looked to them, passing Yittek and locking with Zidane's stare as the crossbreed raised it. Once more, Zidane felt himself wanting to shrink back. But the thoughts of why he was here suppressed the flinch and kept his feet moving.

Even with his eyes ahead, the guard continued to watch him. The stare seemed to take on a weight, pressing against Zidane like a metal ball being dragged down his skin. The weight reached his legs, then stopped. And Zidane knew exactly why.

First stage's in effect, he thought, trying to suppress the happiness in his mind.

"Thoughts away." Yittek's voice was rushed. "They're filtering. Apologies for not mentioning it sooner."

The guards stare left Zidane as he passed by, and a faint whisper reached his ears, a quick burst of words that mentioned Ezyta's name. Without warning, the carriage halted, stopping Zidane and Yittek's as well.

Zidane peeked back at the guard from the corner of his eye, watching both of their stares raise from the gold entwined around his legs. Their expressions grew solemnly hollow, their posture straightening as the one closest to Zidane spoke.

"You're a descendent from royalty."

Zidane gave a calm nod. "I'm Ezyta's son." The words stung as they left his tongue, the pain lingering like a layer of fire. Zidane swallowed it back, not letting the discomfort show.

The guard shifted towards Zidane, the large axe-like weapon swinging up from his hand to rest against his shoulder. "Would you be interested in speaking with Emperor Yowlitch?"

"I was under the impression he had just spoken with Ezyta," Zidane responded, a touch of confusion masking his excitement. How can this actually be working?

"It was a rather brief, unpleasant meeting."

No surprise there, Zidane thought before nodding solemnly. "Then, I'd be happy to speak with Yowlitch. Perhaps we can patch some things up."

The guard returned his nod. His eyes shifted, looking at Yittek with a cold blankness.

"He's my life guardian," Zidane said.

The guard briefly flicked his stare to Zidane in acknowledgement before stepping back, tapping a hand against the side of the carriage.

The guard looked back to Zidane. "Go in," he said, shifting the weapon to rest in both his hands. "Both of you."

Zidane looked to the carriage, eyes traveling up the steps that disappeared into the ground, before resting on nothing but the carriage's body. He stifled the anticipating exhale wanting to escape and moved his feet to the stairs, hearing Yittek's steps right behind him as he walked through the shadowed wall.

The room they stepped in was, at the least, five times larger than the outside of the carriage itself. Zidane barely had time to take in the room—noticing only the detailed, black decorations as his eyes rose from the floor's elegantly massive rug, stopping at the figure sitting across the room.

The Equilix's images rang true to Yowlitch's appearance—all but for the fact that now even more metal was on the ruler's ears. Rings interlocked with one another, spiraling down to decreasing size. With the thought of Lance, Zidane felt an amused smile break onto his face.

"Enough to set off a metal detector," the human had said through a face clenched with disgust.

The smile vanished and Zidane quickly looked to the side, letting out a slow but silent breath. He stayed there for a beat, letting the amusement settle back into neutrality and the neutrality fade to a deep calmness. It only took the thought of Zooka, the thought of her being with him. When he was certain, Zidane started towards the other end of the room.

Yowlitch continued to look out the window, tapping one finger against the small windowsill, sending flickers of light to Zidane's attention. The crossbreed studied Yowlitch's fingers, a little surprised to see that the glow hadn't spawned from rings, but glistening light embedded into the skin of each digit.

Although no sound had come from the disguised two, Yowlitch's stare drew away from the window, dark eyes immediately settling onto Zidane. Eyes that reminded Zidane of the moon, dark replacing the white cornea and white filling the irises. Yowlitch's finger stopped mid-tap.

The smallest of arches lifted one side of the young ruler's mouth. "You must be Jylin." His free hand rose from its place settled across his lap, presenting the booth-like seat across from him. "Please."

Zidane's feet began moving again, each step he took only increasing the bundle of nerves inside him.

He forced himself to remain calm, lowering down to the far end of the booth-like chair besides the window. As Yittek glided in behind Zidane, the crossbreed's eyes met with Yowlitch's. It only took a moment, but soon the ruler's smile gave way to a look of interest.

"Given your age in comparison to hers, I can only assume you were taken up as Ezyta's kin," the Razalek said. "Am I correct?"

Zidane nodded. A small part of his mind began to squirm with thoughts, wondering what Yowlitch would do to prove his and Ezyta's relationship. Forcing his mind into the crossbreed's, speeding though all the things he shouldn't see, everything that would give him away—

A paper floated into Zidane's view, turning his stare to Yittek's slightly extended hands. And the forged adoption certificate gently presenting itself to Yowlitch.

The ruler's stare turned down, the hand that had signaled the movement gliding back to its limp curl. Without a breath, the paper moved up towards him and Zidane felt his own breath stop in his chest, mind hoping Lance's idea was enough.

His stare remained fixed to Yowlitch's inverted eyes, watching the rapid zig-zagging descend further down the paper. Zidane forced his thoughts to remain calm, forced his burning lungs to become extinguished and his breath to return again. Yittek's words repeated in his mind, and he tried to abide by them.

You need only relax, and trust this process.

Submitted: December 04, 2019

Fantasy love abuse family romance adventure