Chapter 44

The feast, Havila.

"You thought you had it all planned, but you forgot to watch your back."

Aojen watched in surprise as his brother stood towering over him. He couldn't explain how it had all happened, but there was he was spitting blood and foaming, lying helplessly on the floor. He wished he could explain, but he lost track of words.

"What did you think of us in the first place? That we are dumb and do not know how to make a choice? That you were the only one blessed with power. It's a wonder how you could be so forgetful of what we were sent to do. Even if you would be mad, was it to the Emperor? The emperor we all held our lives to."

The third warrior of the group preached. He had one of his feet on Aojen's face, squeezing his jaws with the hard sole of his sandal.

"Brother...you too?"

Aojen called at his brother as soon as the third warrior took the sandal off his face. Not only were his words pressured, but also his breath. He couldn't find the appropriate words.

He probably couldn't believe that time could change so soon and so easily. That was the spell he seemed not to be acquainted with.

"What do we do to him, Emperor?"

Aojen's brother turned to the Emperor, who was seated on the royal seat that Aojen had occupied in the first place.

"Let him entertain us," the emperor ordered as a few of the guards hurried to Aojen and picked him up. The emperor nodded towards the fighting spot.

The guards understood. They bore Aojen across their shoulder to the battleground. He should die by what he had proposed.

"Let seven panthers lose," the emperor called. His thick and deep voice swept the whole space into a void of unprecedented silence. He had both the aura and the voice. Twas an honour that he was made for such a thing.

Aojen crawled to his feet. His feet were weak, as well as his will. He wished it all could just be over, but that was very much far from his reach.

In no time, seven panthers were let loose as echoes of awe flushed the mood of the agora. There was a certain urgency that was birthed. The noise made the recently retreating congregation show to what extent they loathed Aojen.

But few of the people were wrapped in the blanket of protest though they couldn't show themselves. They couldn't give themselves out. Darkness was their home. That was what it was.

Jim had just snapped back to reality. He had asked almost everybody around what had just happened, but all seemed engrossed in the end of Aojen.

Even Tzu, who was seated by him, wouldn't say a word. But one thing he snapped back into reality to like was the ill fate that had caught up with the annoying Aojen, who had ordered the death of their brother.

Every eye was on the dancing Aojen. He had his face to the sky. He was muttering inaudibly. It probably would have done quite a lot of good if there was a public address system to make his opinions known.

The Panthers had made a circle around him.

"Let your black magic save you, idiot!!!!" one of the crowd called. The man who had called out had scarred face. He didn't hide it. He probably had had such an encounter with the panthers before.

But then, another man close to that fellow punched him in the face. None of those in the distance knew why that was.

Well, the assaulter had done that because he was supportive of Aojen. He was like a hidden supporter. Such a supporter who was only keen on wasting away on parties and things knitted at the tail.

The two fellows were separated as eyes were supplanted on the dancing Aojen again. The Panthers were closing in on him. He knew he didn't have the chance whatsoever against the animals.

He was trying to connect to the source of strength within him, but he couldn't help it. The source seemed dried.

"I guess he will melt into the air, like we saw in the mat. I'm not sure he will be killed by those leopards," Tzu argued with the Emperor, who glared at him. At first, Tzu thought that that look meant that the era of their friendship was over. But really, were they friends in the first place?

"It could be metaphorical," the emperor shot and looked away from him. Tzu took the first glare as a warning to never interrupt the emperor again. That seemed to make sense.

Tzu looked at Jim. Jim was engrossed too. He could read on Jim's face that he couldn't wait for Aojen to be a goner. But why was it taking that fucking long? It seemed as though they were watching some Oedipus play in the theatre.

"Die!!!!" Jim screamed so loudly that he felt like his oesophagus would pop out of his throat. Aojen looked towards him. Jim couldn't read the expression.

Then almost immediately, all the congregation began to chant what Jim had said. Their voices resounding and bouncing off the stone chairs surrounding the battleground.

"Die!!! Die!!! Die!!!" That was their hymn.

Then at once, all the panthers seemed to had been connected to that cry too as they joined in hurrying towards in premeditated hop.

Aojen outstretched his arms and screamed so loudly that the agora shook from the pillars. It felt like the roofless building was going to collapse. The sun ranged, and a stray was made.

Out of Aojen's body spurted what looked like lava as he burst like a poked balloon.

All the panthers were hit by the burning lava and were roasted almost immediately.

The panthers growled and passed out as dark smokes danced from their body, dwindling into the apt atmosphere.

"Quite a relation," the emperor muttered as he watched satisfaction spread from Tzu's face unto Jim's.

They both had not the faintest idea what he had in store for them.