The doors to the throne room open slowly, gliding over the floor too silent for their immense size. Wan grey light cuts a shaft down the hallway, Illuminating lord Avex as he steps slowly over the black marble and clear crystal of the palace floor. The doors boom once as rock strikes rock with the finality of funeral bells.

The hall has been cleaned, no longer do blood and corpses litter the floor. Great pillars line the immense room, and as he walks, he is given time to think. He wishes that he wouldn't have to, and still the thoughts worm into his head and down through his body, weighing down his feet like shackles, making his pace slow and measured.

Overhead, the grand skylights filter in the cloudy grey light, and he can hear the distant rain pattering against the colorful crystal glass. He is dwarfs in the large space, and he feels small as his feet strike over cold marble. He shouldn't feel small, not now, not with what he has come to do, but still he manages to feel like a child, a child that is raised in the cutthroat halls of the palace, fighting to get ahead on a tide of hungry Celzex, fighting for food, fighting for warmth, fighting to avoid the hunger of his own mother, who ate many of his weaker siblings.

His father has always enjoyed violent mates, each and ever last member of his harem are as cutthroat as the emperor himself, and it is a miracle none of them has murders the emperor of their own accord.

But his father is a hard one to kill, eyes in the back of his head, or so the humans would say.

At least he used to be.

At the head of the long room, his father sits on the obsidian throne, like he has for most of his life, like he has since his youth. His father, Lord Celex, even now he seems to fill the room with his presence, while lord Avex manages to feel small, the Emperor could tower a thousand feet above him, and still not feel as large as he is, as large as his influence and the things he has done throughout his lifetime.

Despite that.

He is not what he once was.

Little veins of orange light spider through his body, evident in his ears, his eyes, his face, and under the fur that covers his body.

He is a mass of old wounds, and scars.

His heart labors to beat.

Life has finally brought the great emperor to his knees, though lord Avex is the only one who knows this.

He plans on keeping it that way.

Which is why he must act quickly.

His feet are heavy as he makes his way forward and he stops below the throne eyes cast down.

He can feel his father's eyes on his back, and the two of them stand silent for a long moment, "So the day has come, has it?"

His father's voice is calm and collects, he senses no fear, no rage, no bargaining.

He has known this day would come, has expects it. In fact, he would probably have been disappointed otherwise, but still he cannot help but feel.... Soemthing. Shame fills his insides even as the strange and unknown emotion does, and he tries not to let his father see as lord Celex steps from his throne, landing on the floor before Lord Avex.

The two of them stand there silent facing each other.

He cannot meet his father's eyes.

"Why will you not look at me, boy." His father's voice is harsh, but it is not without.... Something?

It takes him a while to look up into his father's face, and though his expression is stern, there is soemthing in his eyes that....

He can't explain.

"Why do I see shame in your eyes. This shall be a glorious day for you shall it not?" his voice is surprisingly soft.

Lord Avex turns to make sure no one stands in the room with them, so he can speak freely to his father. Likely for the first time in his life.

"I don't want to do this."

Lord Celex spits on the floor, "Than you are weak!"

Lord Avex does not flinch, "You know that is not true. These.... Feelings are not natural for our species. This is something else."

Lord Celex goes quiet.

The two stand there for a long moment before the emperor finally speaks, "I could not tell him."

Lord Avex is confused, "Couldn't tell who what?"

"Couldn't tell our friend, especially not on the day he was supposed to be happy, how could I ruin that for him.... Couldn't admit that that is to be our last goodbye. I lied to spare him pain because I didn't want to see the pain in his eyes, didn't want to listen to the pleading of a man who couldn't understand.... I lied to save someone emotional pain." The emperor turns his eyes to the falling rain, "Never in my life have I done such a thing, never balked from the truth, but even as my mind rebelled, I weaved a beautiful lie for the benefit of someone other than me." He turns to look at his son who stands on the stone floor staring at his father, not with disgust, or confusion.

But understanding.

"It is a curse we share you and I to feel as we do."

Lord Avex watches the rain too, filling up with misery as the droplets of water collect on the glass, "Why, why do we have to suffer like this. It was easier before.... I looked forward to this day, dreamt of it since I is young , but now all I feel is..... Unexplainable.""

Lord Celex taps his foot on the floor thoughtfully body tilts, "The humans give a piece of themselves. With new revelations, the understanding of the anima, I think that people assume that takes away what makes humans special. If we are all the same than it is simply the constructs that make us different." He is quiet for a few seconds, pulling his thoughts into a coherent sentence, "But I think it is different, there is still something different about them that cannot be explained by mere constructs. As if they give piece of themselves...."

"Pieces?'

"Vrul, gain courage, Finnari find pride, Tesraki loyalty, Drev alternatives, and we find.... Empathy perhaps?"

It is not a word that exists in their language, and so he uses the human translation, the word alien on the air.

He thinks about it for a moment, "Were it to fly from me just for one night."

"Steel yourself boy, this must be done." Lord Celex turns to face him and straightens, "So send me to our Makers or on the wings of the architect I will send you."

Lord Avex nods, the moment shared now gone, evanescing into the silent air of the throne room.

Sadness morphs into tension as they begin to circle.

"I will have your throne."

"You will try."

They lock eyes, following the movement of the other's body as they circle, backing into the center of the room.

They circle for a long time, not out of hesitation, that moment has passed, but out of caution knowing the other's capabilities, and unwilling .

He sees his father's body tense and then stop freezing in the moment, "Do not tell him."

He is surprised to hear his father's voice.

Lord Avex tilts his head.

His father continues to speak, "Make a lie if you have to. If I die, tell him I died in my sleep."

"Yes father, I will tell him."

With the promise parts from his lips, lord Celex lunges.

He hits lord Avex like a freight train and the two of them fall to the floor, rolling across the marble with barely a sound, though the silence does not match the rage of their fight.

Their two dexterous limbs tear and rip at each other seeking out eyes and ears, claw at bellies intending to disembowel.

It is not long before the ground is paints blue with their blood.

He is surprised to find hos strong his father is despite his bodily weakness. He has the cunning of a crystalwren, and he feels himself being sent backwards with a powerful kick that drives him across the floor and slams him back into a pillar. The wind is knocked from him, and he collapses to his side as his father comes barreling towards him.

Still gasping lord Avex rolls to his side just in time, spinning to catch his father by the foot and pull him to the ground.

He lands hard and Lord Avex is atop him, clawing at his eyes.

He scores a hit that makes his father roar in pain even as he clamps hold of Lord Avex's ear.

They both feel a ripping and tearing sensation as the skin there begins to pull apart.

He screams and bites his father in the face, ripping at him with his teeth mouth filling with chunks of skin and fur. His mouth fills with the taste of warm copper, and he drinks it in even as his father batters at his stomach and sides, ripping out chunks of hair.

He slams his father back against the floor again and again, but he still manages to roll away.

The two of them comes apart and began circling again eyes narrowed.

Lord Avex's ear throbs in pain, blood drips down into his left eye, scratches oozes slow blood along his middle.

His father is squinting through one eye, and has chunks missing from his brow and face, blood pools on the floor at his feet. Those delicate orange veins of light are brightening, coming to the surface of his wounds as if eager to overtake more of the damaged space.

Lord celex is a great warrior

But he is slowing.

Adrenaline has ruined his heart, and despite a transplant, the void disease knew, and weakens his new heart too.

Just like Thomas.

Lord Avex watches his father carefully, watches his grimace as his heart begins eto fail him.

He attacks just then sending the two of them back to the ground.

Teeth, and nails met eyes and ears and skin.

Hair flies, and blood pools.

No one hears.

He has made sure of that.

They are alone in the silence as the rain drums overhead, and the room swallows their screams of pain and rage.

He tears a cut down his father's side, but is knocks painfully in the head.

He hit the ground hard, and his father jumps on his back tearing at him, but he rolls to the side and throws him off kicking him in the chest, aiming for his heart.

The kick is a powerful one and sends him skidding.

He falters, only for a moment as his heart buckles like a weak leg.

And in that moment Lord Avex gains the upper hand, pouncing upon him, grabbing him by the fur and tearing into him.

They roll into the base of the throne slamming against the stone with a dull thud. Lord Avex has the upper hand, and with his body fills with rage, and sadness and pain he slams his father back against the stone.

Again

And again

And again

And again,

Until he moves no more.

He pulls back and screams at the air in sadness and pain. Below him his father still breaths, but.... Not heavily. His body rises and falls softly. The great warrior is still not dead.

Lord Avex should finish him off, but he can't.

He just can't.

He moves forward sitting by his father's side resting the old Emperor's cooling body against his.

His good eyes is open and he stares upward as the light trickling in through the panes of glass above. A slow pool of spreading blue blood wells beneath them, spreading outward. The emperor's eyes are foggy.

He rests against his favorite son, surprisingly peaceful.

He is not afraid.

"I'm sorry father."

He does not reply, but his eyes seem to be smiling.

He is peaceful.

He has almost died many times, but this.... This is a good way to die, the way he has always wanted to die. He closes his eyes face turning against his son, warm, though blood soaked. He takes comfort in the arms of his murderer.

And there

On the throne room floor, Lord Celex expires, his heart beating one final time, marking his life one more with one powerful beat, and one last soft breath.

Lord Avex stares at the body of his father lying against him, and for a moment, he swears he sees..... something, before it is gone and he is sure that it is simply wishful thinking.

He is alone.

Alone with his misery.

...

Celex cannot weep.

They could once, but when weeping became a symbol of weakness deserving of death, the ability slowly evolved out of the population.

But that doesn't mean the pain or the desire to weep goes away.

Now there is simply no outlet.

Instead of tears for his father, he can only keen softly afraid to make a noise any louder should anyone hear, sense his weakness, his sadness.

He should be happy.

He is emperor now.

But he can feel nothing but pain.

***

"It is not your fault you feel this way."

He lurches upright and turns on his heel at the voice looking around wildly for its source.

In fear he think it is one of the other Celzex but instead, he finds a dark figure lurking in the shadows behind the throne. it is almost eight feet taller than he is, and he recognizes the shape.

Drev

To tall to be the saint of Anin.

"Who are you." He demands, his voice strong.

"Weak."

He flinches.

"Weak and pathetic, though it isn't your fault."

"Do not play games with me, I know who you are.... Kazna mother of lies."

The dark shape blinks its golden eyes at him, "More clever than you look."

"Interesting, since you are not, I have heard of your campaign to turn the admiral's friends against the UNSC, and I wonder why you have bothered at all. We are loyal, we are no cowards to be talked into your dark cause. So get out of my throne room."

"I had hoped you would be more reasonable than your father." She says as she steps from the shadows.

Though instead of being lit by the grey light above, the darkness pools around her.

"but I suspected as much, which is why that will not be my tactic this time."

He steps away nervously knowing that he is outmatched though he would never admit it, "Speak your peace dark one."

"how does this sound, you help us, or live with the knowledge that your father's anima will never reach the makers. Instead he will be used to fuel our rise to power. An eternal batter as you will."

Lord Celex freezes, "You can't."

"Can't I?" She laughs

"His anima was ripe for the picking only moments ago.'

She closes her fist, and as she does he can see light spilling out from between her fingers, "he is strong, but not strong enough." His heart goes cold and she laughs, "The void will be maddening for him, like it is for all constructed creatures. A pity really."

She shrugs, "But I will not bother you any longer, my offer has been set. Take it or leave it as you wish."