The Second General wanted to refute or even challenge Giza’s words to so degree, but the endless and limitless abyss he sensed within her made the few strands of hair on his recently shaved face stand on edge, along with those on the back of his neck.
The man shared a glance with his fellow General and then looked at Giza once more perturbed. "Surely, you did not co here aning to harm His Majesty?" He queried, holding tighter to his blade, ready to strike at a mont’s notice should she utter a single unfavourable word.
"?" Giza gestured to herself while her eyes returned to normal and she raised the hand that was supposed to house the glas she was drinking from, revealing the General’s blade instead, causing him and the other to stand from their seats in shock while the latter also drew a blade he had been holding on to.
"I have no intention of touching a hair on Zan’el’s head, he is of no use to ." She answered honestly, tossing the blade across the table and crossing her legs again. "I truly did co here seeking asylum from Sol Vestic though, that much is a hard fact that even I cannot refute."
"And what reason do you have to hide from him if not the reasons he has openly declared twice now?" The farther General asked, relaxing his hand and releasing a breath of relief when he saw her mood lighten again.
"First General, that is a conversation I will only have with the ruler of the Grand Collective, you are rely a stone beneath his feet, do not question as you freely wish." She leaned her head with a playful smirk seeing the big bad First General turn his gaze to avoid looking into her eyes again. "Do I make you nervous, Kent?"
"You know my na...?"
"I know everyone’s na," Giza tilted her glass finishing the drink and raising it with a refreshed hiss. "I know every living being and the na they were given upon their conception, I house knowledge so vast you would lt at the ears trying to comprehend the smallest fraction of it."
"Allow to host an inquiry regardless, Giza." Another figure walked into the room, imdiately recognised by the two Generals who went to their knees where they stood while Umbra out of reflex stood with his fists balled and his head tilted forward ready to attack if this man even twitched the wrong way.
"Do not be so alard, boy."
"What the hell?" Umbra who had already gained a fair deal of enlightnnt stared at the Emperor with his eyes wide in horror, he could not sense the power before him, Zan’el looked and felt like a regular person, but those were just his senses, his instincts were screaming at him, begging him to run away, escape whatever the price, however he needed to- just go and never return.
Unlike what he had co to understand of the Vatui and the way their true nature deford or beautified the individual, Zan’el was stunning, even more radiant than Ikaris, he had a slight aura of mana clinging to his presence like a white veil shielding him from even the particles of dust that could enter his body.
"Zan’el, your glow is quite the sight," Giza remained seated speaking flattery while tapping the glass under her palm. "I need a refill,"
"Make it so," Zan’el continued walking towards them staring at the man who discreetly tread oppposite of him to Giza with a large bottle of the substance she had been drinking and smiling faintly at her. "What business do you have with ?" He asked.
His eyes had a peculiar tint of red, almost pink in his irises while his pupils were re shades darker, his skin was unblemished, more pure than a cold star, emitting a steady humming sound that walked with him and a faint light which burned the atmosphere in his presence.
His hair brushed against his back, much like Ikaris’s it also had a glow to it; like snow against the sunlight it alone was enough to bring light to any dark corner of any room.
He was a tall man, a full foot taller than Umbra and even with his clothing seemingly average his posture scread regality, had Umbra not known the history of this man from Giza he would have been convinced he was the most pure, the most perfect being he had ever t, from his facial structure, his jawline, the form of his body down to the short beard on his face, nothing seed out of place, nothing about him scread "wrong".
"What’s up with this freak?" Umbra muttered just loud enough that the room went silent after Zan’el’s eyes slowly scanned until they rested on his form.
"Freak?"
"Forgive him, he has no idea the presence he is beheld by," Giza took a nonchalant sip of her drink and then looked to Umbra. "My Lord, you are a guest, show a little manners-"
"I don’t like him." Umbra chuckled almost with a deranged tone as he turned his back to Zan’el and stared at her. "I really don’t like him."
"How dare you turn your back to-"
"Stand down, Alkaios," Zan’el raised his hand at his second General. "Do you thinm yourself unkillable because you are in the presence of this being?" He asked. "Are you aware that any of us in this room can kill you without batting an eye?"
"I’m surrounded on all sides by enemies," Umbra answered, glancing over his shoulder at the Emperor who wore an amused smile. "But don’t think I’ll die that easily, you won’t walk away unscathed."
"...For so odd reason, I believe you." Zan’el raised his brows in surprise and then lowered his hand. "I have not raised my hand in vilence in over a century, maybe soti soon you will humour with a duel."
"Don’t even dream it, if I’m fighting you any at all, even now, It’s gonna be to the death!" Umbra’s black mana began seeping through his eyes while his teeth grit and sharpened like two rows of saw blades in his mouth.
"That can be very easily arranged, you -"
"That’s enough," Giza stood, placing her glass down and staring directly at Zan’el who snapped out of evidently ssing with Umbra for the fun of it with a huff. "We ca here for Asylum, that is the only reason, Sol Vestic has an army that threatens your empire as well as much as it does mine and my Master’s existences, my proposal is a simple alliance until this issue of the Golden Godslayer is resolved."
"What could just the two of you do?" Alkaios furrowed his brows. "This seems like less of an advantage for us who will beco their sole target sould we accept this rushed proposal."
"To be precise, Giza has the raw power to singlehandedly destroy the Grand Collective in it’s entirely," Umbra answered. "The reason we are being pursued so passionately by Sol Vestic and his armada is because he feels threatened by the power that the two of us combined wield, that and he and I are one in the sa, fundantally."
"So I have heard," Zan’el took a seat, prompring his generals to to the sa, followed by Giza and subsequently, Umbra. "If I am taking this seriously, there can be no secrets, what did you do to make soone as dangerous as him chase you across the Grand Collective, and why do you and your enemy share the sa likeness?" He asked and watched the questioned shift and compose himself.
"I made myself excessively availible for the next few hours, I want the whole story, including the parts that involve that woman; Ikaris."
"Then, I will start at the very beginning..."
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