Moonatorian King's Fear
Meanwhile, on the other side of a land shrouded in ice, a king sat upon a dark throne. His shadow loomed like a titan, and his eyes glittered like a feral beast watching from the depths of the night. The King of Moonatoria had witnessed the brilliant flare of Orion's star, which struck him with an intense dread—a fear that slithered through his veins like snake venom. For once, a seer had whispered a vision to him: "By the sword of Orion, the King of Moonatoria shall fall."
His voice, rising like a groan from the depths of a frozen sea, sounded like the desperate growl of a trapped animal. He immediately commanded his spies to uncover the events in the land of Thallerion. There, he learned of the birth of the "royal son" of the King of Thallerion.
In a violent and desperate move, he summoned a criminal dragged from the depths of Moonatoria's hell. This man had no family, no kin; even Hades would hesitate to claim him. He was a demon wearing human skin.
"On this day..."
The man was forced to his knees, his skin as slick as grease, his hair like entrails dipped in mud. His teeth chattered like a rabid dog—not out of fear, but from a ravenous hunger for fresh blood.
"Your life changes, for you shall become a hero of Moonatoria. Slay the infant of the Queen of Thallerion... in this way, you shall save all of Moonatoria." The man watched as the King's shadow expanded, his voice deepening into a bestial roar. The King threw a key before the demonic criminal. "Your freedom is in your hands."
The Celebration
The following day in Thallerion, the Herzthroven clan celebrated. The air was filled with music and the laughter of children watching the performances of jesters. An unusual number of guests arrived, bearing gifts for the newborn prince. During the gathering, an elder—the former King of Thallerion—stood to speak.
"This infant is proof for the entire clan of Thallerion... for the spirit of Orion made itself known on the night Xerxez Herzthroven was born." He raised a shimmering golden goblet filled with wine as red as a rose. He spoke with authority: "It is a sign that the Great Orion has not abandoned us." Old Zerceux, the infant's grandfather, cheered. For a moment, he glimpsed a shadow watching him, but he dismissed it as a trick of the wine.
The royal couple listened to the joy of their kin, but Xurien remained uneasy. She whispered to her husband, "Cerceux... if our child is like a star meant to shine over Thallerion... why was the sky filled with such rage when the world welcomed him?"
The King reached out and held her hand, embracing her with understanding to soothe her fears. "My love, do not think of the sky's cry as a curse. It was a recognition. Power is not delivered in whispers; it was a display of the strength our son will use to shatter the evil of his enemies." He answered gently, sealing his words with a kiss.
The Uninvited guest
By afternoon, the surroundings grew quiet. Food and wine were abundant, and the guests were sated. But there was one uninvited guest who was hungry and thirsty—not for food, but for murder.
In those moments, the Queen was alone with her defenseless infant. As she waited for her husband, she suddenly caught a foul scent, like the stench of a mass grave, stinging her nostrils. A grating, broken voice reached her, and she found herself locking eyes with a stranger. Xurien saw eyes like those of a bloated fish, blood-red as if they never slept, and saliva dripped to the floor like pus from a wound. It was no longer spit, but venom.
Xurien's eyes widened, and her skin crawled. It was as if she were looking at a living demon; even when she closed her eyes, his hellish grin remained burned into her vision.
"Stay back! Monster!" she shrieked in terror. "How did you enter the palace looking like that?" She tried to stay calm, searching for a weapon, but found nothing within reach.
The man did not answer her directly. "I heard the boasting of the Herzthroven clan... that this babe is the star that will light this place?" His eyes flashed, and his words sounded like a saw cutting through iron. "But how can a star shine if it is swallowed by total darkness? How can a ray of light be found if it no longer breathes?"
Xurien's heart hammered like a lit fuse. "Do not come closer... I will not hesitate to hurt you!"
"That line doesn't suit you," the man mocked. "For I am a demon who knows no mercy." It was a boast whispered with arrogance. "And I already know the fate of you and your child." He licked his dagger with anticipation.
Though fear gripped her, Xurien calmed herself for the sake of her son, trying to stall for time until Cerceux returned. "If you think I am afraid of you... you are mistaken. Remember that I am a Thallerion; the spirit of the Great Orion runs in our blood."
The criminal went silent, then erupted in laughter. "Do you know the curse I belong to? Do you not wonder how I entered without any of you noticing?"
"What should I fear? You are nothing but a stray dog with no manners—a rabid dog! You have no mercy because destiny denied you a heart."
"Exactly! Dog-like, stray dog, rabid dog—but there is a better term for me: Demon Dog!" He laughed terrifyingly. "What the Canis gave me was not a curse. It is power... the power to smell the truth. And the truth is, you are terrified right now."
"Canis?" Xurien paused. "If you know the truth... why do you live in a lie?" As she spoke, her trembling hand reached for a heavy object on the altar—the cross.
"You don't understand... why I chose to live like a dog. Because of the cruelty of reality. I know the truth... the truth that you are no different from the leaders I've served; all you know is how to indulge in wealth while trampling the rights of the poor." The man felt a new courage growing in Xurien's heart, and he stepped forward to test it.
"Try to come closer!" Xurien's hand shook, but she held the cross as a shield. "You are simply blinded by your own rage!"
"Are you joking?" the criminal mocked her desperate use of the cross. "What can your prayer to the entity of the Crux do when my mind is made up? A demon moves faster than the answer to a prayer."
"I thought you knew the truth? Why are there marks of chains on your hands and neck? It only means one thing: you are just following the lies of a master... am I right?"
Xurien's question made the criminal look as if he were choking on his own bile. "This is my choice! My decision!" His jaw tightened, and his gaze turned murderous. "You have angered me! Can you endure the venom of a rabid dog's bite?" He howled, a sound that seemed to summon death itself.
Xurien witnessed a gruesome transformation. The criminal's filthy, thin body cracked and heaved; black fur sprouted from his coarse skin. His skull elongated, and jagged fangs as hard as steel tore through his gums. Corrosive saliva splattered as he clawed deep grooves into the floor. A whip-like tail lashed behind him, and his red eyes locked onto the infant, his breath hissing through the air.
Meanwhile, as King Cerceux was returning, he heard an unfamiliar noise—a blood-curdling howl filled with pure hatred. Realizing where it came from, he sprinted through the palace corridors.
"Merciful Lord, let nothing happen to my wife and child," he prayed, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. But when he reached the door, he found it locked. Even his powerful blows couldn't break through the reinforced door, designed for the Queen's safety. He had been outmaneuvered.
"Xurien! Open the door!" Cerceux shouted. "Tell me what is happening!" But the Queen could not hear him; the room seemed sealed by magic. In a panic, he ran to find help to break the door down.
The Demon Dog laughed. "How about that... no one is coming to save you." His voice was like poison. "Did you think I hadn't prepared for this?" Every step he took was calculated. "Remember this: the story of the star ends here. A shame... I shall pluck it so early."
Instead of despairing, a thin smile touched Xurien's lips. She gripped the cross like a true weapon and faced the monster.
"Amusing, isn't it? You think I'm trapped? You think you can slow the pace of our destiny?" The beast's voice was deep and terrifying. "Just as you think your god is quick to answer... you are like a lost child, ignorant of the dangers hidden in the woods."
"No matter how you boast, you are still just a dog that follows orders," Xurien countered. "The power Canis gave you is a bitter curse. A truth you cannot deny—you are a slave! A pup! Chained forever." The beast snarled, venom dripping.
"And remember this in your small mind: a Queen is not a mere ornament of the throne." They stared each other down like a volcano about to erupt. "And a rabid dog will never understand hope or peace."
"Silence!" The dog lunged, claws cutting the air like lightning. But Xurien's eyes were sharp, the spirit of Orion surging through her. "You were lucky... but with this next strike—taste this!"
"You think too much of yourself... but you are just a blind pup! Barking at your own tail! Are you not ashamed to enter here? Your opponent is a lone woman, yet you cannot even defeat her in one strike?"
Enraged, the beast prepared to pounce again. But before he could move, the Queen struck with words.
"You said a demon is fast... but from what I see, the beat of your fear is faster." As she spoke, the door thundered as Cerceux and his soldiers began to force it open. "The light of the star will never fade, no matter how dark the future of Thallerion becomes. That is the truth."
"You said you knew the fate of me and my son?" Xurien smiled as if she now controlled the room. "You are wrong! Why don't you find out your own true fate first?"
The beast roared and lunged with a violent, monstrous speed. "It's over for you!"
In that split second, the Queen chanted an oration over the cross. "Hear the voice that calls! Light of the Crux, judge the darkness!"
In an instant, the cross flared with the power of the Crux entity.
"Crux?!?" The Demon Dog's body froze mid-air, as if time had stopped. To Xurien, this was the Crux's power punishing a creature of shadow. "No! It cannot be!!!" the beast screamed.
The beast was bound by powerful chains that seemed forged in a volcano, glowing and smoking as they seared his wretched skin. The floor split open like a gateway to Hades. The chains pulled with the screeching sound of straining iron.
Xurien heard the dog's pleas for help, but it was too late. By the power of the Crux, the Demon Dog was dragged down into a hell of misery and suffering.
Afterward, an angelic light faced Xurien. "Blessed is the one whose faith is steadfast." It vanished, and the cross in her hand transformed into a brilliant, sturdy sword. Silence fell, broken only by the King bursting into the room, drenched in sweat and terror.
"Xurien! Were you bitten?" Cerceux cried. Xurien only looked at him before turning her gaze to the baby. Her face lit up with joy; despite the violence, the infant was still fast asleep.
Investigators and leaders arrived to probe the event, but the Queen refused to give a statement. The King asked everyone to leave her be, as she was exhausted from the ordeal and her recent labor.
Meanwhile, back in Moonatoria, the king slammed his fist in rage as a spy reported the defeat of his assassin. "Useless! I thought the rumors about that criminal were true. He was nothing but a joke to Thallerion!" He threw a bone at the man standing before him. The King remained in the shadows, his eyes burning with fury.