Solomon fell to his knees.
He felt his mind tearing itself apart as he saw the faces of Rena, Emmanuel, and Raizel.
But more than that, he couldn't stop thinking about the island.
He had almost completely destroyed it.
There were families on that island. Women, children who had never done a thing to him.
Yet they had gotten caught up in the currents of his tantrum.
Solomon couldn't breathe. He couldn't hear himself screaming.
The faces of ghosts and victims haunted him like nothing else could.
His psyche began to fracture. He was losing all awareness of the ground he stood on, the air that surrounded him, and all of the eyes that were upon him.
His eyes caught on fire. His sclera became bright red, while his irises turned a smoldering orange.
Odd metallic blood streamed from his nose and dripped onto the floor.
As he toiled in agony, Solomon felt someone press their finger against the back of his skull.
He knew not what had been done to him. He could only guess that the chemical balance in his brain had been adjusted somehow.
No longer was he drowning in a sea of agony, despair, and grief. Now, he couldn't feel much of anything at all.
Solomon tried to lift his head, but he learned very quickly that his body was not in the mood to be given any orders at the moment. Every nerve he possessed screamed at him not to move.
"I believe this may be a first for us… it was thought impossible for one without a core to bear a Yaksha. And yet you live and breathe.." The Kinslayer sounded genuinely impressed.
"Barely." The Alchemist was unmoved by everything that she saw.
While lying on the ground, Solomon suddenly felt his discarded sheet cover his back.
"Shame on all of you. Our youngest must be undeniably troubled after all that he has endured. We should be making the day as auspicious as we are able. Have your manners fled you in your old age?"
Solomon didn't recognize the last voice to arrive, but he knew one thing about him for certain.
He must have been the leader. There was no other way to explain why everyone in the room seemed to straighten up.
Even the Alchemist seemed to have nothing more to contribute to the conversation.
Solomon strained his eyes to get a peek at the final man, but he remained just on the outskirts of his vision.
All he could see was the beginnings of a glow...
"Apologies, Redeemer, but... are you certain that the boy's Yaksha did not make a mistake?" Gorgon questioned.
'Redeemer...' Solomon echoed the name in his mind like it was an old tune he didn't want to forget.
"You are persistently being rude, Alchemist, despite my chastising you only mere moments ago. The Yaksha do not make mistakes. They activate when they feel they are ready, and not a moment before."
The silver-clad woman lowered her head.
"You bring up a splendid point. I was shortsighted."
"How humble of you.."
Solomon felt his body slowly begin to feel better.
He went from being in agonizing pain to experiencing some tolerable soreness.
Sitting up, he wrapped the sheet around himself and finally glanced at the man responsible for aiding him.
But there was no one there.
*Whistles*
Solomon looked back towards the floating thrones circling the platform.
Finally, he saw another of the empty thrones now occupied by... something he couldn't quite comprehend.
It was in the shape of a man, the smallest so far at an average human height of only 6'0. It's armor was the most splendid yet, a gold and white colored vision with long, flowing sleeves and a glowing symbol in the middle of its chestplate.
His armor, while impressive, was the least interesting thing about him.
What firmly captivated Solomon's attention was his head, which resembled a burning sun.
"You must have a wealth of questions." The Redeemer leaned back in his throne and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I suppose that's not surprising, since no one was polite enough to start the introductions..."
The armored beings stiffened in their thrones once again.
"I am The Gorgon- Fifth Daughter of the Deathless Athanatoi. High Lady of The House of Ariss. Oathbound Enforcer of our Nobility and Honor."
"I am The Griever- Fourth Son of the Deathless Athanatoi. High Lord of The House of Aseity. Oathbound Guardian of The Well of Tears."
"I am The Alchemist- Third Daughter of the Deathless Athanatoi. High Lady of The House of Aegis. Oathbound Shield of the Citadel."
"I am The Kinslayer- Second Son of the Deathless Athanatoi. High Lord of The House of Asha. Oathbound Guider of our Pawns."
"I am The Redeemer- First Son of the Deathless Athanatoi. High Lord of The House of Aeternum. Oathbound Scion of the Everlasting, and Weaver of The Paths."
Solomon blinked slowly.
He couldn't understand even half of what he had just heard.
Solomon's eyes drifted towards the last empty throne in the room. When he spoke, his voice was utterly devoid of it's usual emphasis or clarity.
"And that..."
"Yes, that's for you." Somewhere, beneath his flame, Redeemer was smiling. "Our General. We have been waiting for you for a long time."
Suddenly, the last throne floated towards Solomon. It grew in size as if adjusting to his large body, and hovered patiently as it waited for him to take a seat.
"The House of Ares currently stands empty. It waits for you to light its embers and raise an army for us, the likes of which the great realms have never seen before."