When he got to the main room, he saw his wife breastfeeding their new baby. He quickly gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"Welcome home, my lord," his wife greeted.
"Thank you."
"Why are you home now? Aren't you supposed to be at work by this time?" Felicia asked.
"The Emperor ordered us to come home…" he paused as if contemplating whether he should continue. "I have to lead the soldiers to find the Star of Doom," he said with a sigh.
The golden flicker of the candlestick illuminated his clenched jaw. His eyes softened, as if apologizing to his wife.
"You are going to war?" Felicia's voice lowered.
"Olden, to your room now," Felicia ordered.
Olden, who was already listening in curiosity, flinched at the tone of his mother. Gabriel put him down on the floor; afterwards, a servant came to carry him to his room.
"It is not a war exactly. Felicia, I know I had promised you that I wouldn't go to battle anymore and would spend time with you and the kids. However, I can't disobey the Emperor's order," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Excellent. You might as well have married the Emperor, Gabriel. I can't believe you lied to me… What if this time something bad happens to you? What about me, what about our kids?" her voice cracked.
She removed her breast from the baby's mouth. She gently placed the baby in her crib. She rose up and walked closer to Gabriel.
She gently placed her hand on his left cheek. Gabriel held her wrist before leaning into the warmth of her palm. His eyes fluttered closed.
"I'm sorry, Felicia. I owe you a lot. But I promise this will be the last time I will pick up my sword to fight in a war. After I return, I'll quit my job… I will be a good husband and father to you and our children," he mumbled. But it was loud enough for Felicia to hear him.
"I hate you, Gabriel." She hit his chest.
Gabriel pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Felicia." He planted a kiss on her forehead.
........
Before the first light of dawn, Gabriel had already mounted his horse. His black armour reflected the golden glow of the torches. He stared at his house with longing. His eyes saddened when they met Felicia's, who stood by the window carrying their new baby in her arms.
He flashed her a smile before waving to her. Felicia returned the smile. "Come back home safely," she mouthed to him.
Without wasting any more time, Gabriel kicked his feet against his horse's side. He loosely held the horse's reins. The horse began to gallop away.
"I'll come back home safely, Felicia, for you and for our kids," he muttered.
"Yaaahh!"
The horse picked up speed, racing through the dark alleys.
.........….
(Two weeks later)
In the war room, the high mages sat around the table, their expressions furious. The Emperor sat on the high chair, with Agnes on his right side and Artherine on his left side.
High Mage Orion rose to his feet, seething with anger. "Emperor Dimitri, have you disregarded the rule of Eldenria and our forefathers?"
"I dare not," Dimitri replied casually.
"Then why did you, behind our backs, order the elite soldiers to head to the border between the Land of Skulls and the Northhelm Empire? Did we all agree that they should embark on this journey?" High Mage Orion glanced at the other mages at the table.
"No!" came the mages' unison voices.
"Why did you disregard us, Emperor?" Orion's voice lowered.
"I didn't mean to. But you all could not see what was at stake. Our lives, our families, our people, and our land would have suffered if I had not taken any decision," Dimitri said, clenching his jaw.
How could they question him as if he were a kid? Shouldn't they respect him and his decisions? He is the Emperor.
Another high mage who sat opposite him flared up at his words. "If you really had cared about them, you wouldn't have been hasty with your decision!"
Dimitri rose up. He slammed his hands on the table; the contents on the table vibrated from the force he had used. "I am not a kid! I am your Emperor! You should talk to me with respect!" he yelled, his nose flaring.
"If you want to be a wise ruler, you have to act like one. I remember when your father had led the other mages to fight the demon a hundred years ago. He had succeeded because he took his time to observe his enemy. That was why he was able to convince his fiancée to change sides. And that had led to the great victory, making Eldenria what it is today," the oldest mage in the room said. His voice was low, as if he were barely hanging onto his dear life.
"What I'm trying to say, my son, is that you are too impatient. The universe has granted you a chance to rise above all Emperors with your hard work and not through your father's name, but what did you do with it? You were careless and didn't even think about the lives you were sending to their deaths," he added.
Dimitri clenched his fists. His eyes burned with rage. He glanced at Artherine as if he wanted to snap her neck before turning his gaze to Agnes, who sat with an unreadable expression.
"I did what I thought was best for us. The demon child is a big threat. Didn't you all see how he parted the sky seven months ago? If he had such tremendous power as a five-month-old baby, what would his powers become when he turns one? And what would it be after five years?" Dimitri asked, his eyes scanning every single expression on the mages' faces.
When he saw the fear flickering through their eyes, a small smirk formed on his lips. "This was the best decision." He hit the table again.
"But we have not heard any news from the elite squad you sent to fight," another mage voiced in concern.
"The squad was led by Gabriel Flamehouse, an exceptional warrior. He cannot fail," he drawled, although he was also beginning to get worried that he had not received any messages from them.
Just then, the door burst open. A soldier ran inside, falling to his knees. Sweat dripped from the corner of his face. "Ga… Gabriel Flamehouse is back."
"Bring him in!" Dimitri ordered, pushing his chair back as he made his way to the door.
Gasps echoed through the air as Gabriel entered the hall room. Different cuts and blistered wounds covered his body. He dragged his body hastily towards the center of the hall. One of his eyes was wrapped with white sackcloth, but it had already turned red.
The cut on his armour looked like it had been sliced through like a hot knife through butter. Gabriel fell to his knees. "Your Majesty, we have completed our mission…" Blood splattered from his mouth.
He pushed the little black box in his pocket across the ground. It stopped at the feet of the Emperor.
High Mage Orion ran toward the collapsing Gabriel. He quickly muttered some incantations. Golden energy formed around his hand, then he placed it on Gabriel's chest.
Gabriel wheezed, more blood spilling from his mouth. Then he grabbed Orion's hand. His one eye shone with fear. "The… The Vorraks… are back."
Gabriel's body thudded against the ground. The scene of what had happened flashed through his eyes.