I didn't ask in the previous chapter but how was it <3

This chap we are introduced to Luneith and three more characters.

...............

The God of Destruction was quickly welcomed back to his rightful throne, after a little scuffle with his lovely half brother Felix who had been overseeing Luneith with a team of advisors ever since he had been imprisoned.

Adrien's relationship with his brother was, in a word, complicated. Felix was the older out of the two- born to another mother, a demon- but their father had chosen Adrien to be his heir. Because of it, Felix hated their father with a passion- or at least that's what Adrien believed.

But it was more than that. Felix had been overlooked by their father in favour of Adrien who was destined to be the God of Destruction. Felix's mother, Nathalie, had been practically tossed aside by his father in favour of the peacock fairy that had enamoured him with her wonderful appearance. And since Adrien was born, their father paid more attention to him than the bastard child which had been the result of a long blown affair with the Head Court Lady of the palace before Emilie had come into his life.

Adrien knew that Felix felt jealous of him when he was younger.

Felix was never destined to be a God. And before the war, Adrien knew that Felix hated it.

The thing is, he too felt jealous of Felix. Felix who was allowed to do whatever he wanted and no one batted an eye. Felix who, even if he wasn't the Crown Prince, had the ability to hold a crowd like a leader would. Felix, who despite his great fighting ability, did not feel the need to use power to get what he wanted. Felix who did not have to abide by the amount of rules and regulations their father had enforced on Adrien because Felix wasn't the one destined for greatness in the eyes of the powerful King Hawkmoth. It was Adrien who had to be the perfect one. It was Adrien who had to be what his father wanted.

And he became exactly that. He was Destruction, just as his father always desired him to be. Just as the realms already saw him as.

"You must become void of everything but your anger. You must focus your will on destruction to summon your power, for only you are the one who can wield it," His father had drilled into his head that his power, his cataclysm, could only be called upon with his fury. So early on, Adrien had learned to focus on the feelings that would destroy. He made it clear to everyone around him, even her, that he wanted to be destruction. 

Adrien didn't blame his brother when the first thing he did when they were in private was punch him in the gut. And he let him. Because if there was even one ounce of emotion left in him, if there was anything in him that still expressed his feelings about anything, part of it went towards his brother (the other part was always, always for her).

What Adrien didn't expect was for his brother to immediately bring him into a tight hug right after. He just stood there, stiff and in shock.

"You may be confused brother, I know. But I just want you to know that despite our differences, I missed you dearly. You've been gone for too long. And I have made amends with myself and my distaste for you. I am pleasantly rejoiced to have you back."

Adrien blinked but didn't say anything, still startled at the revelation he had just received.

Finally, his mouth opened and got something out, "I- uh- what happened to you? You were never like this before... before..." he couldn't say it out loud but they both knew what he wanted to say.

Felix chuckled and released Adrien from his clutches, causing the God to sigh slightly in relief, "Let's just say, with you not around, the dragon could only spend her time waiting for you alongside me."

His eyebrow rose, "Speaking of, where is that dragon? I thought she would be the first I would see."

"She was volunteering to teach combat in that little village just at the borders of the realm. The one you used to go to," he snuck a sly glance at his brother, though the God saw it anyways and ignored it, "I sent her a message already. She's on her way as we speak. She has missed you profoundly."

As if he had summoned her, the dragon they were talking about came sprinting into the room in her human form.

The arrival of the Great Dragon meant that for the umpteenth time of the day, the God of Destruction was the victim of some sort of violence from one person or another. At least he had his powers back so he didn't really feel any pain when Kagami slapped him for making her wait for him so long. And even if he most definitely could, Kagami was one of his most trusted and he would never punish her for something like that. Not when he knew he deserved it.

Once she was done ranting and Felix had left after giving the dragon a small peck on the cheek, consequently leaving the God to stand still again, wide eyed and surprised, the general of his army and his right hand woman sat down in one of the chairs and started reporting to him of everything that had happened whilst he was gone.

It took quite a few days for him to be fully caught up and he found himself rather busy. But he didn't mind. In fact, he relished in being in full control of himself and being a king to his people once again.

Unlike his father, Adrien was never actually seen as tyrannical- regardless of what the Solerians thought (they really dramatized his whole character) - and when his presence was confirmed in Luneith, the jubilant streets celebrated that their king was back. 

Of course, when Felix was put into his position, things were quite peaceful and there was rarely any conflict but (on Luneith's side that is- Soleria had been becoming gradually aggressive in recent years and it had been troubling the court), just like the previous Lune Supreme did, the people of Luneith believed that the God of Destruction was the rightful ruler of their lands. That he would be the one to end Solerian provocation and attacks once and for all. And they had waited with bated breath, for decades upon decades, for their leader to come back.

They knew, eventually, he would.

Sometime soon, Destruction could finally complete his mission and bring the glory his father before him had wished for (or so, they believed).

...............

There was something that had been bothering him recently, however.

At random points in the day, Adrien would feel pain in any unsuspecting place for varying lengths of time. Sometimes, a bruise or a cut would accompany it but he didn't understand. Whenever he was training, his knights could barely make a scratch on him, and when they did, it very quickly- almost instantly healed.

These small injuries took longer, as if they were made on a separate layer of skin which did not take his healing factor into account. 

He decided to only tell his brother and the dragon about it. They were the only ones whom he could trust with such information. 

The both of them were shocked, to say the least.  And so they questioned him and his time in the prison. He didn't tell them everything- he didn't tell them about her. Never about her. No one knew about her (though he suspected that for some reason, Felix thought he had an affair with someone from that bordering village). But he told them about the fairy who broke him out. How he had woken to her pressed towards him. How she had been able to bind his power despite her energy being as weak as a new born whose spirit and power hadn't fully materialized yet.

He once again ignored their cynical glances at him as he washed over the fact that he spent a lot of time in the prison with the little fairy, instead saying that soon after, they had figured out how to get out and he had left her outside of the prison. In reality, they were there for hours, bickering and talking like old friends, though he would never admit it. 

When he had finally gotten his powers back and destroyed the prison, she had dropped down exhausted and he hadn't left her outside of the prison. Instead, with her safely tucked between his arms, he had flown all the way to the area she had called the Sunlit Forest and left her by a spot full of sunlight where she could easily be found. He made sure she was resting on a patch of soft grass and performed a small relieving spell on her so she would be able to wake up quicker. 

He left with his skin feeling just a bit warmer, and not just because of the sun (though he was grateful for his mother being a fairy as he was able to regulate his temperature more in any weather).

 They told him that her binding was unheard of- which he, of course, knew already- so the glower towards them were certainly deserved. They had suggested he go to the extensive library in the palace, full of scriptures and books that many didn't have access to, including ones from even before he had become Lune Supreme. So he went, even though he knew every word that had ever stepped into that library by heart, and they didn't follow him.

The library was his safe space. His haven. The place where he was most comfortable. When he had wanted to get away from everyone. When everything was too much, he would come to this place, full of knowledge as much as it was full of imagination, and he would read anything and everything he could see. Not many were allowed in there, only high officials and approved scholars as well as the book-master, Lady Caline, the fairy his mother had come to Luneith with. They had been the best of friends and she had stayed here ever since his mother brought her here, never once thinking of going back. She was like a second mother to him and Felix, whose mother had passed soon after she was cast out. 

His robes trembled and crinkled and creased from behind him as he steadily and dominantly stepped towards the library.  

Once he pushed the large wooden doors, covered in ornate carvings of mythical creatures (and a small carving of a ladybug and a cat which no one knew was there unless they knew what they were looking for), open, he inhaled the scent of old paper and the metallic tang of protection magic in the air.

"Everyone out right now," his authoritative voice echoed in the silent halls of the library causing everyone who was there to rush out without question, only pausing to bow to him in respect, as all subjects did.

The only person who didn't leave was the one whose gasp directed everyone's attention to him in the first place, and so he made his way towards the fairy who looked older and wiser than he had ever remembered, "Young Master. You finally came!" She had rushed towards him and embraced him before he could react.

His hands moved on their own when they returned the hug. It was as if, ever since he had come back, he had been more capable of showing affection to the most important people in his life which scared him in a way. It made him more vulnerable to feel certain emotions. It made him feel weak unlike what his father had wanted for him.

But it felt good.

To feel that warmth he had felt in those forests. To feel the sheer loyalty people had for him and how they wanted to show it through things his father had said was useless for him. To feel once again what he had felt with her.  Devotion and maybe even some love.

What was going on with him?

He moved his arms so they were limp against her sides causing her to release him from her tight, nurturing grip.

"I apologise for not coming sooner," he said much like a child being scolded by his mother. It was frightening how vulnerable he felt in those seconds. 

"Nonsense," she shook her head, "You have many duties you must have needed to attend to since you came back. Coming here was most likely the last thing on your mind. Now come, come. There are many new things I have managed to accumulate in the last 70,000 years. I think you will like the novels I've acquired from the mortal realm. They have rather creative minds."

"I'm sure I will like them Aunt, but I do have some things I need to find information on," he started walking towards the section he knew where to start from, "Say, do you have any new scriptures on power restriction. Any types of seals which are marked by a ring of light?"

"Why do you ask this?"

He contemplated for a moment before lifting his hand up so it naturally fell below his wrist, but instead of the intrigue he expected, he was met with confusion.

"I don't understand. What are you trying to show me?"

He looked at her in dreaded awe, then his eyes flicked to his wrist where the green light shone brighter than the reflection in his eyes, "You- you can't-"

"Can't what dear?" 

His eyes snapped to her face which was now full of concern, but he'd rather not worry her so he dropped his hand hastily, "Nothing. It's nothing. Just give me all you have on anything that can seal powers or restrain them."

"Very well," she sighed, knowing she wouldn't get anything out of him. 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, channelling her energy into the words surrounding her, looking for the particular words and phrases her king had asked of her. Though she couldn't see the books, she could feel the words that called for her and she enticed the ones she was looking for to beckon forward. With a flick of her hand, they were elevated to the space reserved, even in the years he wasn't there, for the Lune Supreme.

"I've arranged them in order of the date from left to right. Each pile represents a millenia. Luckily, there isn't many that you need to go through but I do suggest you create a time bubble around yourself so you do have some time to sleep my Lord."

"You know, there is something called showing gratitude when someone helps you," the little fairy, Marinette, haughtily remarked to him as she continued to mutter and rant about having to be the one to help him escape and why the fates had decided that it was her that had to do it, "I know you probably have been lonely in here for a while but it's nice to tell a person thank you sometimes."

He looked at Caline and attempted a small smile directed at her, "Thank you Aunty."

She seemed stupefied in her spot for a second, unable to process just what she had heard. When she could finally fathom what he had told her, an honestly positive smile showing her lovely pearly white teeth crept onto her face, "You're welcome dear."

With that, she let him go to his space where he spent a few seconds casting a time bubble like she had suggested and he sat down, bringing the first pile of books on the left nearer to him.

As he flicked through the contents of the first book, his eyes trained on the green light, he thought, 'Maybe she is influencing me more than I realised.'

...............

As he went through the books in front of him, he felt more and more frustrated. Nothing in them said anything about what he needed to know.

He sat there for a second, wondering what he should do, his hands placed on either side of the book he was currently going through, his stature as upright as he was always taught to have it. If he couldn't find anything in these books, he was going to have to go to the one other place he knew of which contained knowledge beyond the bounds that normal fairy or any devilish entity could reach. 

And if he met a certain little fairy on the way to territory he was probably forbidden to be on (like he actually cared about that, he rolled his eyes at the thought) he may stop in order to question her about what she knew about the curse she had put on him.

Yes, it was just because he wanted to question her motives.

No reason else.

...............

A millennia is actually 1000 years.

Once again, Eid Mubarak <3 

I will post Saturday next week. I just wanted to post a little early this week and double, just because it is the end of Ramadan and it's sort of a little treat to both you guys and myself.

Bug Out Lovelies<3