The Dragon King's Heart

Dante looked up at the sky above him. His expression was unreadable, there was a lot on his mind. From his pocket, he revealed a small vial. He smiled to himself as he drank its contents. As soon as he did, a coughing fit hit him. 

He collapsed onto the ground, violently coughing. He used his hand to cover his mouth. When he was finally able to breathe again, he looked down at his hand. 

There was blood in his hand. 

"Your Majesty! Are you alright?" Marius rushed up to him helping him up to his feet. 

He could feel the cold air surrounding the Dragon King. It was getting worse with each passing day. The vials were less effective in the Celestial Realm it would seem. 

"I'm alright, thank you, Marius," Dante whispered. His voice was hoarse from coughing. 

Dante refused any more support, he walked back to his quarters on his own. Marius followed closely behind. 

"Your Majesty, perhaps-" Marius stopped himself short from finishing the sentence.

"Perhaps I should return to Gaeia and spend my last remaining days with Laina?" Dante finished it for him. 

It had crossed his mind before.

"I wish I could," he sighed as he got up from his seat and walked out into the balcony. 

It was nighttime in the Moon Kingdom. The Moon hung high above in the sky while the Kingdom was bustling with life. Sometimes Dante wished he was just a normal subject. If they had been born ordinary, perhaps they would have fewer burdens to bear. 

The Celestial Trial was something he must experience. There was no escape from it. All he could hope for was that the training he had done was enough. 

"Your Majesty, the Empress is here to see you," a messenger broke the silence. 

"Tell her I do not-" before he could finish his sentence, the door to his room flung open. 

Marius quickly got down on his knee, keeping his eyes glued to the ground as Empress Cecilia entered the room. 

"You don't need a messenger to tell me that. If you hate me so much, you can say it to my face," the Empress snapped at her son. 

"Leave us."

Marius got up on his feet and left the room, along with the maids that accompanied the Empress. He closed the door carefully, giving the mother and son some privacy. 

Dante did not say a word. He continued to admire the scenery. He watched the flickering lights carefully. He wondered what Laina was doing right that moment. All he wanted was to be by her side. 

"Do you really hate me this much?" the Empress asked, her voice cutting through the silence. 

He turned back to face her. 

"How could I hate my own mother?" he asked.

"Then talk to me, Dante," the Empress begged. She moved forward, wanting to hold his son's hand. 

But he did not let her. He knew the cold touch of his hand would give it away. Empress Cecilia let out a sigh. 

"It is time you fulfilled your responsibilities," she said to him. 

Dante turned to here, "I will not-"

"It is not your call to make,"  she snapped back at him, "You have abandoned your post long enough. It is time.

Once the Celestial Trials are complete and you've recuperated, the coronation will be announced."

Dante protested, "No-"

She glared at him, "I will abdicate the throne and you will fulfill your duty as the next Moon Emperor."

He knew what that entailed. He would never be able to return to Gaeia. His duties as Emperor would bound him to the Celestial Realm. The Empress was doing everything she could to keep him here. 

"I will only do so if Laina is my bride," Dante put his foot down. 

He would never take anyone else. 

The Empress shook her head, "Absolutely not. That is against our tradition! I have already selected a suitable candidate, the marriage ceremony will happen right after the coronation is complete."

"No."

"No?"

Dante lifted his sleeve, revealing the vine-like markings all over his arm. Empress Cecilia widened her eyes in shock. She knew exactly what it was. 

"Dante... what have you done..." she stumbled back a little. 

A smirk appeared on Dante's face.

Pak!

The Empress slapped him across the face. 

"Have you gone mad, Dante?! Do you know what you've done?!" she yelled at him. 

Dante did not respond. The smile remained on his face. He reminisced all the new memories he had made with Laina. All the wait had been worth it. He was going to do everything in his power to return to her. Even if it was to die in her arms. 

Empress Cecilia was shocked. The curse he was inflicted with had spread across his body. It was severe.

"My days are numbered, I'm aware of that," Dante said with determination, "Nothing will stop me from getting back to her."

"I wouldn't be so sure," the Empress said solemnly. 

Despite the turn of events, it surprisingly worked in her favor. With the extent of the curse, she knew his days were numbered. In fact, Dante would not be able to make it back to Gaeia with the way it was progressing. 

"The effects of the curse have been aggravated since your return," she said carefully, watching for a change in Dante's reaction. 

"You don't have to worry about me, mother, "Dante replied, "I won't die. Not yet."

She easily read between the lines. But her foolish son did not know. No amount of elixirs, no matter how powerful, was going to prolong his life long enough for him to make it back to Gaeia. 

"It won't be enough and you know it," she knew he was holding out hope. 

Perhaps he was hoping for a miracle. How foolish he had become, a man in love was truly a fool. 

"No matter how high the concentration of the elixir, it would not be enough," she reminded him. 

There it was. The look in his eye that she had hoped to see. Disappointment, coupled with despair. 

"It will be enough," he said with clenched fists, "I will..."

"Has your brain turned to mush?" she asked him sternly, cutting him off mid-sentence. 

No matter what it took, she was going to bend him to her will. First, she would wake him up from his dream. She wanted him to see the reality of his nightmare. 

"You know as well as I do, that there is only one outcome from this curse and it is not a pretty one. Your time in Gaeia may have delayed its effects. But you're not there anymore."

She circled him, like a predator observing its prey as she continued to speak, "After the Celestial Trials, you're not going to be able to stand. Let alone return to Gaeia."

"I'm strong enough," he rebutted, "I have trained for this."

Empress Cecilia chuckled as she shook her head.. How foolish he was.

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