"For such grave offences" the Emperor's tone picked up.
"They will-
Silence reigned as the attendants stretched their ears to get every word.
-be imprisoned for a lifetime. Wrung dry spending the rest of their lives in Arcadia"
There was momentary silence, and then chaos broke loose.
"What?! They're not killing him?!"
"The demon must not be allowed to live!"
"Execute them!"
Others made small talk. "Did he say Arcadia? Isn't that the cursed land?"
"Is it? The one with the worst criminals?"
The Emperor released his lightning in full force.
The sudden increase in pressure had many shivering in their shoes.
With the silence restored, the Emperor nodded.
"You shall speak in a manner befitting your status, or you will be thrown out in due haste"
The nobles had their prides wounded, but they dare not try nonsense.
After all, this was the Emperor's domain.
Moreover, none of the Grandmasters had spoken, and they were the only ones qualified to speak with the Emperor on equal terms.
After a minute of silence.
*Cough*cough*
Not Deneris nor Raven, but Fredrick coughed to gain attention.
Once gained, he asked his question.
"Your Majesty, might we know the reasoning behind your decision?"
A drop of sweat lay on his cheeks. While he maintained a calm demeanour, his head was moving in overdrive.
Most people thought for sure that Ezra would be executed, himself included.
"Certainly," the Emperor nodded. He pointed to Ezra's kneeling figure.
"What is this?" he inquired. Much to the crowd's dismay.
"Haa…" Fredrick tongue paused. "I believe it a human turned demon"
"Correction" said the Emperor. "It is a Grandmaster turned demon"
After a small pause, he continued. "And it's the first to ever been caught-Alive"
Those with sharp minds were connecting the dots, their eyes widening.
"Is killing it the best way to make use of it?"
"That's a no" his gaze pervaded the crowd. "Demon worshippers are still at large, with him as live specimen, we'll learn more about our archenemies faster than ever before, and in doing so, create something to kill even those more powerful"
"Hmm"
The crowd began to understand the reasoning.
"Don't forget, the last Grandmaster arrived within the Empire without leaving any trace of his presence. We have my son to thank that only two cities were destroyed. In other words, we were lucky, very lucky" his gaze hardened. "But luck is not a reliable factor. If such incident repeats itself, the Empire will suffer irreparable damage"
"In sight of this, to kill the boy is to be short-sighted. Am I clear?"
Fredrick nodded, satisfied. "Very"
"Good-
"But then-
Deneris interrupted.
-what about the other five?"
The Emperor stared uninterested. "They might be accomplices, but they are not demons neither do they have any ties with demons. They will be imprisoned till their deaths''
"But-
The Emperor slammed his fist on his armrest. "That is final"
Deneris stared coldly, but didn't probe anymore.
"How do we know he won't escape?" Raven inquired.
"Because I'm making sure of it"
"And if he does?"
"I will put him down permanently-personally"
A few questions later, the gathering was done.
With a snap of his finger, guards came to take Ezra and the siblings away.
On his feet, Ezra turned to face his father and gave a nod.
'Thank you'
Regardless of reason, anything except death was something Ezra didn't think possible.
As they walked him back to his cell, Ezra took in the sight of the jolly crowd and atmosphere.
'This used to be my home' he thought. 'Now it's my prison...amazing'
Raven walked up to the Emperor.
"When will he be transported to Arcadia?"
"…?" the Emperor gave a questioning gaze.
"When will he-
The Emperor cut him short. "I heard the first time" then looked him in the eye. "How is that any of your concern?"
"In him lays the answer to wiping out the demons for good, I had to know"
"Raven" he said. "You seem to grow brazen as time passes-don't make me kill you"
He leaned into his chair. "All things regarding this matter are of utmost secrecy. Are we clear?"
"Of course,"
After that, a banquet was held, stretching into the late hours of the night.
________
Meanwhile…
Ezra shook his hands. "So…I guess I'm not dead yet"
If nothing else, it was a pleasant surprise.
'To think he'd take my advice'
When capturing him, Ezra hinted at the Emperor to place him in the demonic army.
The demonic army was located in Arcadia.
To be exact, the demonic army were the inmates of Arcadia.
Arcadia, also known as the cursed land, was home to Niton's worst criminals.
People too dangerous to be left alive, but too special to simply kill, then as a third option, the Arcadian prison was constructed, where they were taken, and then tested on, sometimes dissected till their worth was wrung dry.
The workings of the places weren't known to many.
Ezra knew this much because he talked with one, who escaped in the advent of the apocalypse.
"What do I do next?" he murmured. "Doing nothing is out of question. Mother is still being held somewhere…so how do I get her out?"
Right now, Ezra's options were severely limited.
Yet he had to make sure of his mother's safety.
He pulled out the ancient space ring hidden beneath his tongue.
Kept there as insurance against the noble's nimble hands. They would've taken it had they seen it.
His mother was being held hostage, to release her, he'd have to recover his strength.
'So, we're back to square one?' Ezra chuckled. 'I'm nothing without my strength huh?'
Then the best action to take was something related to that.
For now, he took out the book where his memories had been written into, skimming through as he marked things that could help him recover his strength.
'No, not this, this won't work. Okay, this is one, another, third…'
Only three things fit the bill.
How many he could currently find? None.
"I'll have to wait till the apocalypse"
'How long will that be?' Ezra felt depressed.
Pah!
He slapped himself.
'No, I should be thankful that a solution even exists'
Most people had their cultivation forever handicapped if they sustained the same injury-he wasn't!
That alone was an absolute win!
He brought a blank book, scribbling onto it while his mind worked the magic, making a prediction on the nearest future.
'With how a lot of events came faster than I was expecting, the apocalypse will begin earlier this time'
'Last time, the manite mine wasn't ransacked, Black Jaws didn't exist, Avilla wasn't conquered, and Ziltris didn't die'
Ezra shook his head at how many big moves he'd pulled.
'I can't predict what kind of variables these things will create, but a few things can happen'
'With Ziltris dead and their forces mostly exposed now, the whole world will be looking to attack them -prompting another war'
'If they are to survive that, the demon invasion will have to happen far faster than before'
'When that happens, the apocalypse wouldn't be far behind' Ezra nodded.
'Regardless, this will happen only after a year at the very least, at worst, should be a decade…or never'
He slapped himself again.
'Can't grow negative right now. It'll happen, definitely. I just have to be ready for whenever that will be'
Ezra calmed.
Having speedrun adept to Grandmaster rank, this would be the opposite.
Now he'd have to wait, making patience a core virtue while awaiting his chance. Which, by his rough calculation, might as well be a decade.
Frustration was already welling up in his brain.
'No matter what, I can't be hasty'
For one, while his case was decided, a lot of eyes would be watching.
After that, he also knew most didn't believe he ascended to Grandmaster realm relying on only talent.
Heck, even the guards usually said so.
Things like…
"There had to be some secret to it"
"Maybe he has some type of treasure"
"It could be something only the royal family knows about" and many more.
He knew most were thinking the same thing, even the Emperor had questioned him on it.
Ezra radically denied it.
He'd be spelling his death if he revealed such information.
The Emperor wasn't intent on forcing it out of him…
Ezra's brain halted.
'Could this be the real reason I'm going to Arcadia?'
He hadn't thought of it before, but it was certainly convincing.
'A secret to becoming a Grandmaster? Anyone would kill for that…Tch!'
That said, Ezra wasn't helpless.
He'd told the Emperor something else.
"I practised cultivation and weapon mastery everyday for a bit more than seven years-that gave me enormous advantage because advancing was far easier"
It was the typical answer of a genius, vague, mysterious and not very useful.
But hey, it had staved off the Emperor's curiosity.
Especially since he was telling the truth.
But he couldn't be sure his Father believed him.
'If he doesn't, I could be in big trouble'
He sighed.
For the first time, Ezra was apprehensive of the Arcadian prison.
He'd only decided to live, now his life might be taken.
With his emotions all over the place, Ezra decided to postpone any more thinking to the next morning.
One thought lay on his mind.
'Life's tough'
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