Flames of War Chapter One: Embers of Hope (Part II)

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Kylor stared at the Netherean before him in complete shock, much to the king’s amusement. Hyperion chuckled. “I see you are surprised by my knowledge.” Still stunned, Kylor merely nodded. Hyperion nodded sagely. “My friend here,” he nodded to the flying zombie pig, “has been keeping a close eye on the Overworld. He stated that your performance at the tournament was most impressive.” Not sure what to do, Kylor bowed his head. “Thank you, your majesty.” Hyperion stared at him, hard. With a nervous swallow, Kylor shifted under the intense gaze. Hyperion then shook his head, not satisfied with the young Ardoni. “You speak to me as though you are lower than me. If you want to command respect, do not give your authority to someone else.” *How does he know so much about me?* Kylor was about to speak up and ask, but Hyperion suddenly stood. All around the room, everyone froze, tensions running high. The king strode to stand in front of Venus. Her eyes cut to Kylor with fear. Kylor took her hand to reassure her and glared at Hyperion. “Can’t you see that she’s afraid,” he demanded, “What are you trying to do, intimidate us?! That doesn’t seem very noble.”

Everyone in the room stared at him in shock. Hyperion sized Kylor up, and Kylor realized his mistake. The cold look in the king’s eyes made it clear. *He’s not afraid. His casualness in this, he’s confident he would win!* And by his stance, Kylor had no doubt he would. Sensing the storm brewing, the Ardoni behind the Dawnsinger drew their weapons. Bones rattled as the Wither skeleton guards fell into ready positions. The creeper faced Netherean crouched, pulling his halberd into a fighting pose. Behind them, the gilded hybrid drew her weapon. Kylor was most curious about her. *I’ve never met a hybrid quite like this.* Her skin was bumpy like a Nethereans, built it was white like a human’s. Her hair was green like moss, and her eyes were mesmerizing. The left one was the color of warped nylium, while the other was yellow like a tongue of flame. She was average height, almost six foot, and was probably around twenty or so years old.

The tension was so thick, you could cut it with an Aggrobeam. Then, to Kylor’s surprise, King Hyperion chuckled, nodding his head with approval as he appraised the youngster in front of him. The Wither skeleton guards and other Nethereans looked confused, but they relaxed. The Ardoni, however, didn’t until Kylor waved for them to stand down. Hyperion’s purple eyes shined with praise. “That’s the spirit! Don’t be afraid to stand up for your people. Otherwise, they won’t respect you and neither will your opponents. And where there is no respect, there is no leadership. Then you wouldn’t have an army!” Kylor straightened. *Well, this is going well, at least.* Kylor locked eyes with the king, refusing to back down. “If you know so much about me, then you know why I’m here.”

Hyperion nodded thoughtfully. “I do indeed.” He tilted his head as he considered the party in his throne room. “You want to secure an alliance with me.” Kylor’s hopes soared, only to be crushed by the next statement. “And you have failed to give me a reason to support you.” Kylor was about to complain that that wasn’t fair. *I just got in here!* But he could tell that this wasn’t a good idea. Looking into those piercing purple eyes, he knew it would just be taken as a sign of weakness, unworthiness. *He’s the type that only respects strength. I’ve got to show him I’m strong enough to stand against his taunts.* So rather than complain, Kylor brought his eyes to the the king’s, staring his fellow leader down. Hyperion nodded his approval, but then turned his attention back to Venus.

Spreading his hands as a gesture of peace, he studied her. “I am sorry that you felt afraid. I didn't mean to intimidate. However, I noticed that you were part Shadow.” Hyperion raised an eyebrow at her. “You hide your true form well, but not well enough.” Venus stood gaping at the king. For a second, she seemed to flicker. Her runes turned red and her hair became a lush brown. Above her horns, Felina ears appeared. Then she became her normal self again. Kylor stumbled backwards in shock. *That’s what she really looks like, or am I dreaming?!* Venus seemed to realize her slip. Casting her eyes down, she nodded. “I am part Shadow. I used my blood to hide my form and made illusions around myself. It’s the only way I can be accepted.” Hyperion’s face softened. “I know it's hard, but look at me. I am a hybrid, and I have fought my way through the baises. I was always scorned for my blood when I was little, and my mother did nothing about it.” His voice was bitter, then changed to proud as he continued. “But I pushed above it. The thing is, no one will accept you if you don’t prove to them why they should.” Venus nodded and bowed, her voice a whisper and her eyes still downcast. “Thank you, I’ll remember that.” Hyperion fixed her with a stern look. “You had better. Otherwise, you won’t get anywhere in this life.”

*We’re getting off track here!* Kylor cleared his throat. “If you have been monitoring the Overworld, then you no doubt know the danger the Nether is in because of the trouble brewing there!” Hyperion, however, wouldn’t be so easily persuaded. “That still does not give me any reason to help you,” he challenged, “I have not been told why I need your help.” Kylor opened his mouth to reply, but Hyperion plunged on. “The danger is imminent. Victor will try to take the Prime Songs and grow strong enough to win, especially with the End and their Human allies helping him. With so much power, you could not stop him. And another thing to consider.” Hyperion, now sitting back on his throne, leaned forward. “The Overworld has the advantage. Combined, they have the strength to challenge my armies and they could actually win. And in their world, they know the terrain better and would have more supplies than us. If we fought there, there is a decent chance we would lose. But if we stay in the Nether, you can weaken them for us. Then, we can use our supplies and the terrain here to our advantage. For the beings of other dimensions, the Nether is a death trap. That’s why outsiders have never beaten us on our own turf. Plus, if we lose out there it’s over.” Hyperion shrugged, then gave the Dawnsinger an inviting look. *He’s giving me the chance to jump in.*

Kylor took it gratefully, launching into his speech with passionate gusto. So much so that even the Creeper faced Netherean gave him a look of admiration. “Because the danger is coming, you owe it to your people to prepare for it! If you won’t defend them, who will? True, the Humans are powerful, but not all of them side with the Enderknights. Instead, they fight against the End, and would gladly ally with such a great power such as the Nether. With their help, you would be able to crush the Enderknights. And you talk of Victor? If he gets the Primes, it is all over. But the best way to win is to stop him from getting them, which will require your help. After all, you’ll be doomed if he gets them, so it would be in your best interest to stop him. And sure, you would have the advantage of terrain here, but with the Enderknights and all of the Humans against you, you wouldn’t win. Isn’t that why the Nether had to retreat during the First Great War? The Nether was lucky then that the Humans didn’t give chase. If you want to protect the people of this kingdom, if you are a true leader, you will do all in your power to help them. You are honor bound to help them, or are you not the leader that I thought you were? Prove to me you deserve your praise, walk what you preach, or do you shy away from challenges due to your privileged status? Don’t be a fool. Whether you like it or not, you need our help. So stand with me.” Kylor extended his hand. “You knew my father, otherwise you wouldn’t recognize me as Kylus, for both my father and I share that same scarred rune. Drakius said that you helped him, so help me. Just like you did then, make the right decision. Together, we can end this night and save everything we care about. Haven’t the people of our worlds suffered enough?”

The entire room held its breath as Hyperion stared at Kylor’s hand. *Come on,* Kylor pleaded silently, *take it!* After what seemed like an eternity, Hyperion looked up, having bowed his head in thought during the speech. Kylor was surprised by the look in those purple eyes. Hyperion was looking at him in*…awe.* Hyperion spoke, his face sad and his voice a faint whisper. “Tysoar told me that his child would be the greatest, a leader capable of ending this nightmare. An avenger of all people.” Hyperion’s eyes became hard and his voice reinforced as he continued. “And he was right. You are a true leader, and our people have suffered enough.” With that, the king got up and took Kylor’s hand, his eyes blazing with grim determination. “Very well, blood of Kylus. You have convinced me. It is true, the best way to end this is to stop Victor before he becomes too powerful. The Nether Kingdom will be your ally, and we will stand with you in battle, fighting to our dying breaths by your side.”

Hyperion turned to the Creeper faced Netherean. “Rygirian, prepare the armies. Call forth from all cities any citizens willing to fight for our kingdom. Blood Angel, find more of your kind. Tarrus, we need the Piglins to remain neutral. No doubt they have realized what they have caused and know it will only bring them trouble that they cannot afford in their shattered state. See what you can do.” Immediately, they began to move. The Blood Angel flapped his wings and set off to find more Zombified Piglins. Rygirian set out from the throne room and prepared to gather the Nether armies. Tarrus, as that was his name, hugged the gilded warrior. Then, after whispering something Kylor couldn’t hear, Tarrus broke away from the hug and set out.

Kylor waved his warriors out from the room, and Hyperion did the same. Alone except for themselves and Venus, the two great leaders studied each other. Venus, however, spoke first. Timidly, she approached the Netherean royalty. “How did you know I was part Shadow? No one else has been able to see it.” *Yet another thing she’s hidden from me.* Hyperion tilted his head at her question. “I was born with the combined power of an Ender Queen and a Nether King. I was given the eyes of the end as a result, those eyes beyond time that can see much that others can’t. I can see through such illusions.” Kylor was about to grill Venus about this newest secret, but he was cut off by Hyperion. Gazing at the young Ardoni couple, Hyperion mused about the future. “With our combined strength, the embers of hope may yet become a flame of strength. Let us pray that this infernal alliance pays off.”

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