The body sizzled from the boiling blood, causing steam to fill the valley, increasing the temperature by quite a bit. Christofer scrambled down the narrow path they had climbed to the outcropping before he lost sight of Yulian.

“My Lord! That was incredible!”

Itri stood, dusting himself and Alois off with quick hands before following the brunette’s lead down into the valley. Alois glanced at the two open mouthed representatives then back down to the retreating figures of his comrades. One of the men looked at the young boy in disbelief. Alois became transfixed on something in the valley, feeling an odd sensation. . . almost like-

“Did he...is it dead?”

Even the interruption of the man did not shake Alois’s attention, his red gaze intense and unwavering. He stepped forward, his entire body on high alert, hairs standing on end. It was an odd sensation, as if he was attuned to a presence in the valley. His throat was closed, no words able to push through. He wasn’t sure what he would say. A warning to Yulian and the others below? A warning of what? Did he even want to voice his concern when it could be nothing?

He had never felt this before, even when he first had a feel of Yulian’s full power, and before that even when he was still with his parents. This was different. It was natural and seemed to cover him about as if a cloak, caressing him and assuring him that he knew what it was, that it would protect him in a way that no one else ever could. Tears slide down his face at the thought, and it alarmed the two men.

“Hey, are you ok? Did you get hurt?”

Yulian had brushed aside Christofer and Itri’s concern, instead looking up at Alois and seeing the two representatives fretting over him. Yulians demeanor changed, a scowl marring his features, and silencing the two boys at his side. “What happened to Alois? You were suppose to keep him safe.” His tone was icy, and the two boys flinched to have it directed at them.

“He was fine, there’s nothing wrong with him,” Christofer bit out, drawing Yulian’s cold gaze to him.

“I sheltered him from the collision, there isn’t a scratch on him Milord.” Itri cast a worried gaze between Yulian and Christofer.

During their exchange Alois had slid down the slight incline, pebbles and loose dust slowing him down until his feet touched the valley floor. His gaze was glued to the cave opening, his mouth parted slightly as he took in even breaths, ignoring how the settling dust coated him as he moved forward. His tear stained cheeks were stark in the moonlit, causing the three others to fall silent as they watched him move. Yulian was the first to move, stepping down from the beast’s body, a puff of dust rising up from his landing.

“Alois what are yo-”

His head snapped to the cave entrance, the breath sucked out of him by the sight. He knew that something had been off about the beast that was steaming into non existence behind him, but he didn’t think something like this was possible.

In the dark maw of the cave stood a lone figure that radiated a more concentrated and intense form of the power that Yulian had felt in the beast. He was impossibly tall - a giant among the Humans gathered and clothed in a set of white robes that made his short black hair pop on pale skin. His golden eyes were dangerous as he pinned Yulian with his stare, making the Human stop short, leaving Alois to move forward.

As the young boy drew closer to the figure he attracted the Icchorian’s attention, and his expression softened as he smiled, holding out a hand to the boy. Alois stared up in wonder, entranced by the warmth that radiated off the towering figure. He reached out slowly, hand dwarfed by the Icchorians own as he hovered over his outstretched limb. The Icchorian’s gaze dropped down, eyeing the thick and almost too large ring that sat on the boy’s thumb.

He heard a soft voice brush about him, too low for the other Humans to pick up on. The Icchorian had returned his attention to Alois’s upturned gaze.

“Hello little one. My name is Mukesh, I am an Elder. Are you being held against your will by these Humans?”

Alois shook his head, throat still too tight to answer out loud.

Mukesh seemed worried by his response. “Why does the dangerous one watch you with hunger? He has a dark air about him, too perilous for one such as you.”

“One… such as me?”

Mukesh smiled, kneeling down a bit to be closer to him. “Yes… you are quite special. I have many things to tell you about little one, would you like to come with me?”

Alois felt his heart skip a beat at the prospect of getting to be this close to an Icchorian who wasn’t a monster as he had seen before. He spoke so kindly, his voice light and powerful in a different way than Yulian’s. He jerked his head in a passable nod, and Mukesh smiled widened. “Very well. Let us leave here.” A strong hand reached out to ruffle his hair, and Alois could only continue to stare, feeling a faint smile tug at his lips at the show of fatherly affection.

The warm moment was destroyed when Mukesh was suddenly slammed back into the floor of the cave, Yulian’s fury cutting through the air. One hand was on the Elder’s throat, closing the airway even as he brought one of his daggers down to sink into the Icchorian’s chest. Golden eyes widened in shock at the sudden attack that escaped forewarning through his senses. It seemed this Human was just as dangerous as he had assessed. Christofer and Itri stood at the cave’s entrance, blocking the possibility of escape for the pinned Elder.

Yulian ripped the dagger out to raise it over his head, the blood soaking the white robes quickly and pooled where his hand held Mukesh’s throat closed. “You would dare touch what is mine!? Filthy beast with impure hands! Die!” He brought the metal blade down repeatedly, ignoring the blood that seared into his skin in his anger, green eyes dilated as his focused burned into the Elder.

Alois fell back onto the ground in horror, pushing himself away from the blood that pooled out from the grisly scene. Tears welled in his eyes, watching as Yulian pushed beyond Human limitations to destroy the Icchorian.

Yulian felt elation shoot through him, satisfaction finally sinking in that the act of slaying the beast form did not bring. An empty shell was nothing to taking the life of the real thing, and he felt laughter bubble up through his chest, filling the cave with its horrifically wondrous sound. He paused, leaning down to stare down into the slowly fading golden gaze, his voice elated but held to a low whisper.

“If you don’t have our blood, you’ll die. How does it feel? I’m doing you a favor really, I am going to change this world, and your kind will suffer for many years. I shouldn’t show you such kindness as a quick death, but I’m a merciful ruler. Even if you slighted me by touching what is mine.”

Mukesh moved weakly, blood seeping from his mouth and nose, vision blurry as the intense pain began to fade into nothing. He weakly turned his head, gaze focusing on the form of Alois - white hair a shining beacon even in the dim moonlight that shone into the cave. His own blood sizzled on the ground, and he let out a gasping breath as he painfully raised his hand towards the young boy.

“Run.”

Alois’s heart stopped at the mangled word, unable to tear his gaze away even as Yulian’s face twisted in anger, blade slashing down in frenzied swipes once more. He chopped away at the Icchorian’s bruising neck, growls echoing in the cavern. His free hand clawed at the golden eyes, tearing into them in his anger and cutting off the gaze that pleaded with Alois to obey.

Alois sobbed as the Icchorian’s hand fell limp into his own blood, his back pressed into the harsh rock wall that cut through his thin tunic. It was a disturbing amount of time that passed before Yulian stopped, his heavy pants and Alois’s soft cries filling the silence. The two representatives had warily approached the cave in the last few moments, and were standing just as shocked as the three boys. Yulian had his head bowed, hair curtained about his face as he caught his breath.

He stood slowly, dagger falling to the ground with a heavy finality that shook Alois up from his mourning, wide red eyes taking in the disheveled appearance of the teen. The blood boiled on his clothes, burning through some of the fibers and leaving behind tendrils of smoke as Yulian moved, his lips curled still in a half smile as if he was laughing at some private joke. When his gaze landed on Alois’s tear streaked face, the smile faded to be replaced with concern.

“Alois...are you hurt? Whatever lies that beast told you, you must remember that we are your family. He never would have had the chance to take you from us.” He knelt before Alois, reaching out with a bloodied hand only to have Alois flinch from it, eyes wide in horror.

Green eyes trailed from Alois’s face to his own bloodied hand. He closed it into a fist, withdrawing it slowly. He stood, turning to address those who still stared in a mix of shocked horror and admiration.

“Christofer take Alois and get the horses ready. Itri, retrieve my weapons. Mind it’s blood.” He strode forward out into the clearing once more, glancing back at the two representatives. “As for you two. I trust a full and complete report will be given on our return. Your recommendations for my immediate coronation would be the only acceptable outcome to result from this.”

They nodded quietly, following along as Yulian strode after Christofer who escorted Alois to where the horses waited. Yulian pulled his pack from the back of one of the horses, stripping off his bloodied and torn clothing, eyeing the burns on his chest and arms from the spilled blood. He tisked, Christofer coming over once he was sure Alois was secure and examined the burns. He murmured about a salve with the main party, brushing fingers over angry red skin. Itri had finished securing the weapons and cleaning them by the time Yulian was dressed in clean clothing, and they all mounted their horses and took off at a steady pace. The sky was slowly beginning to lighten with the coming day, and they would be able to rest before heading out again.

Alois was silent on the horse in front of Christofer, Yulian allowing him his space after the earlier events. He was sure the boy was just shaken from having come so close to a monster in Human form that he needed time to process his thoughts.

Alois felt cold inside. The Icchorian’s words echoed in the back of his mind, but the overwhelming sight of his death was overcoming any thoughts about what those words might mean. He belonged to Yulian, that much he was reminded of almost daily. His future would be wherever the teen would lead, and once he was King there would be nowhere Alois could go that he could not reach.