We must've been flying for two hours before Lilith finally began to descend from the skies.
The Equili kingdom was sprawled out before us. Large crop fields and dense forests with a few villages spread throughout.
There was a large city in the center of it all—the city of Twilight.
We flew past the city and towards a large estate nestled west of Twilight. It was a white building with two wings wrapped around a courtyard.
In the center of that courtyard stood a statue holding both the sun and the moon, with its arms stretched out.
Lilith gripped me with a grin as she banked towards the statue. "Hold on!" Jinnah held onto Lilith from behind, burying her face in her back.
The wind whipped around my face as I raised my hand to shield my eyes.
The water dragon tucked its wings and began to plummet. My stomach flipped as I held my eyes shut.
BOOM!
We smashed into the statue, sending chunks of stone flying as the dragon dissolved and flooded the courtyard.
Trees with black trunks and white leaves crumbled over as guards and maids scattered.
Lilith protected Jinnah and me with a sphere of water that bounced around before it popped. We spilled out and the water carried us right up to the entrance.
There a man stood, dressed in a black suit with a hand sat comfortably in his pocket. His hair was slicked back and his eyes were gold and narrowed.
Lilith met his gaze with a smirk. "Phillip, ya miss me?" She tilted her head and gave a warm smile. Meanwhile, I was coughing up water.
The man, Phillip, sighed deeply. "I see you're still as childish as ever." His gaze shifted towards me. "I pity the man who lay with you, whoever he may be."
Lilith rolled her eyes as she stood to her feet. "Please, no man could ever handle me." She shifted me under her arm. "This son of mine is a stray, one I'm trusting you to watch."
Phillip shifted his gaze over the courtyard. Servants with the ability of darkness cleaned up the water. While servants with the ability of light healed the trees. "Why should I?"
Lilith approached him. "Don't play games with me, Phillip." She stopped when her chest was an inch from his. "If anything happens to him, I'll kill you. It's as simple as that."
Phillip clenched his fists as a deep frown crossed his lips.
It didn't take a genius to see this guy was pissed. But if I had to guess, it's more because he knows she can kill him, rather than the threat itself.
"I despise you," he said coldly. "There's not a day that passes that I don't regret saving you from those slavers."
Slavery? Geez…
Lilith placed a hand on her hip. "Aw, is that your way of saying you preferred I was some fucked out plaything for the elite?"
Phillip's right eye twitched. "That's not…" he sighed deeply. "I will not let you anger me, leave the boy and go." He pointed towards the sky.
Lilith smirked triumphantly. "Will do." She sat me down and lifted my face by grabbing my cheeks. "Lafayette, remember what I told you, alright?"
I nodded. "Yes, mother."
Lilith's smile softened as she squeezed my cheeks. "I love you." She whispered, before giving me a kiss that lasted a little too long.
Nice.
She released me and turned to Jinnah.
"Make sure he's cared for, I know Phillip will do everything in his power to keep a distance from him."
Jinnah bowed. "Yes, my Lady."
Lillith stepped back out onto the courtyard and summoned another dragon. Then, she was off.
Phillip watched her go with a conflicted expression.
I cleared my throat. "Nice to meet you, sir."
Phillip looked down at me. "Are you anything like her? Be honest, child." His golden eyes bore into me, searching for any sign of his ex-wife.
If I said yes, he'd hate me. If I said no, he'd think I'm lying. Which means the answer lies somewhere in between.
And considering how formal he is, I think I have a good answer.
I lowered my gaze and slumped my shoulders.
"I want to be strong like her, but sometimes I think she's a little scary." I looked up to meet his gaze.
Phillip sighed. "Sounds about right. That woman is broken and nothing short of a miracle will fix her."
He turned his back on me. "Come."
Success!
The halls of the estate were covered in black carpet and white walls. Chandeliers hung above, illuminating the place.
Phillip massaged his chin as he led the way. "I haven't many guests, least of them children. So forgive me if this guide is limited."
"That's fine, sir," I replied.
Phillip looked over his shoulder and hummed. "Actually, I think I'll have Meridian guide you."
Meridian huh? Sounds like the name of a protagonist. Girl or boy though?
Gotta be a girl right? Yeah, I can see it now, a chick that's all doom and gloom.
Imagine her intro line.
Throughout the highs of the light and the lows of the darkness, I alone bring balance.
I just gave myself goosebumps.
Please let this girl be a future Valkyrie. I mean, it'll be perfect, and I'll have the advantage of being her childhood friend.
You know what that means.
Phillip stopped in front of a large set of double doors. "Here we are." He knocked once and pushed the doors open. Inside, the room revealed itself to be some sort of study.
The walls were lined with bookshelves and papers were scattered across the floor.
In the center of the room was a massive, shadowy flower.
It had a closed bud encased in golden light. The petals peeled themselves back to reveal a child sitting in the lotus position. They had dark purple hair with gold, frosted tips.
Their eyes slowly opened to reveal a pair of eyes with heterochromia. One was a deep purple, the other a deep gold.
"Father, why have you called for me?" The moment the child spoke, my dreams were shattered.
It was a boy.
Of course, he was a boy. The universe just couldn't let me add the goth-loli to the harem.
"My son, I have brought a guest." Phillip gestured a hand towards me. "He'll be staying with us for the foreseeable future. You will escort him through the east wing."
Meridian glanced at me with quiet, analytical curiosity.
"The son of the mad dog." The flower he sat on dissolved into wisps of light. His feet touched the floor with a gentle grace.
"Follow me."
Straight to business, efficient.
He walked past me, his steps measured and quick. He didn't even look to see if I was behind him, the dick. I scurried behind him.
Jinnah followed, while Phillip headed towards the west wing.
"So," I began, finally matching his stride "Light and darkness, that's a cool combination."
Meridian glanced at me with his hands clasped behind his back.
"I suppose, though I struggle with something. A dilemma."
Oh, so maybe he's not all that bad after all.
"Care to explain?" I asked.
"My mother is a darkness user," He explained.
"When two of different affinities have children, the children are weaker in their element of birth."
I blinked, is he saying two people of different elements create a child who has a weaker overall element?
Like light plus dark equals a weaker light or a weaker dark.
"How is that a dilemma?" I asked. "Even if that's true, you clearly got the best of both worlds, rather than the worst of one."
"And if I hadn't?" He replied, giving me that same side eye. "Instead of being this rare case, what if I had been the norm?"
I fell silent.
Honestly, now that I think about it this kid had a point. If what's usually produced is a child with a weaker element, he just narrowly escaped a lifelong debuff.
If I were in his shoes, I'd hate my parents for having me. You'd be forced to be a loser for life and it wasn't even your fault.