Chapter Text
“I will not let this river break me just so God can have something to heal”
—
Scott stared at himself in the mirror. He never thought that he looked like himself. Every time he saw his own body in his reflection, it looked like a stranger.
He pushed those thoughts back, he had a meeting in an hour. Gem and Katherine wanted to meet to discuss ways to remove the corruption, it was important, he needed to be focused. He couldn’t afford to be distracted.
Scott generally decided to ignore his past. His mind had blocked out most of the specific memories, he just knew it wasn’t good. He remembered the social events that were always too draining, the nobles laughing at him, comparing him to his oh-so perfect older brother, the only company he had being the young prince of the Ocean Empire, also overlooked in favour of his sibling.
He missed the times he had with Jimmy, it was the only real time he could be himself, Jimmy was one of the few who understood him.
But work came first, since Xornoth left, he had to step up, he didn’t have time to be a person, he was a king before anything else, and that had been made clear. He didn’t have time to worry about old friends.
He took a breath, preparing himself to face the world, before heading outside to his balcony and taking off, flying on wings he found himself wishing he never had.
—
Jimmy’s memories were unclear at best. He had always been the forgetful type, but he felt like he was missing so much. He knew so much yet so little. He knew of the death games but not of those in them. He felt useless. He’s supposed to be an emperor but here he is, wallowing in his own lack of memory. The other emperors would laugh at him, he should be better.
Then there was Lizzie. She had asked him to go to his Ocean Empire embassy, apparently she had something important to tell him. Maybe whatever she had to tell him would explain the note that he found while organising his storage area. It was signed in her name. With any luck, she would be his long lost sister whom he didn’t even remember clearly.
He stepped out of his house, the corruption growing too close to the paths. He needed to do something about it. He’d ask at the next House Blossom meeting for help. He heard about a meeting between some other emperors, hopefully that brought some results.
—
Lizzie knew she had something missing ever since she rose to power. Like a part of her was missing. She had been all over the empires looking for answers, then she found it. A text that told of two siblings, hatched from eggs, then separated when one came to land. One sibling, the blue axolotl, the Ocean Queen, and another destined to rebuild an empire destroyed by war.
She looked at herself, blue fins replaced her ears, scales lined the sides of her face, and a blue tail spun itself around her leg.
Was she the blue axolotl that she had been so desperate to find?
She was the Queen of the Ocean, so it would add up. But then who would be the other sibling?
Someone who had rebuilt an empire destroyed by war. The Cod Empire came to her mind. The Codfather had come along and helped the people rebuild under his rule after a civil war left it in ruins. Was he her long lost brother?
She had to tell him.
—
Xornoth watched over Rivendell from where they had sat on the top of the enchanting tower. It was the closest they could be to the mainland without feeling like their skin was burning. It was because of Aeor’s protection, they knew that much, they just wished they could get closer.
But unfortunately, the unshaken will of a God does not change for a lone traitor, and the magic protecting the empire stood firm. Even on the enchanting tower, across the river from the source, Xornoth always felt their skin start to crawl being up there too long.
It was a nuisance more than anything. They had a job to do, and a worthless excuse for a guiding figure was blocking it. One day, they told themselves, one day they’d find out how to get around it. That would get Exor’s approval, maybe even his praise if Xornoth was lucky.
However, daydreaming could only last so long. They felt a familiar itch on their skin telling them that it was long past time to leave Aeor’s territory.