The plan was a simple one. The location was a river mansion with an expansive garden on one side and a large facility to the other side, all local to a port. The facility was where the slaves were held and trained until bought. The garden and mansion would be hosting the party. Caius bought an entry legitimately, to my surprise, in our family name. I would reveal my identity as the hostage-king that I am and socialize, gain the attention of the host, and keep him occupied until the end. Meanwhile, the Mirrad-Blood would search his quarters on the third floor. Caius had it on good information that the host was cheap and had not employed increased security for the event, and so would likely have his guards focused on the guests to prevent them from entering the stairs leading up to the upper floors instead of investigating the floors themselves.

There was, however, a problem with the plan.

"You're assuming his quarters are on the top floor then." I speculated.

"Well, yes. Why wouldn't they be?"

"Base floors are where the rich live and their sons and daughters take the upper floors, followed by the servants and staff on the third floor and attic. The more floors there are, the poorer the occupants. Taking the time to use stairs regularly is an inconvenience left to the poor. Unless there is a good view."

"There is [a good] view." The Mirrad-Blood replied, in his broken speech.

"Then probably the second floor facing the view." I said. Caius looked at me skeptically, but nodded.

"Party [does] not start [until] Evil Eye shuts." The Mirrad-Blood said. "[I will] scout it again. Meet me at [the] party."

I agreed to the plan. Caius provided some funding for whatever expenses might be necessary as well as the location. I was in upper class clothing as it was, but one of the unspoken rules of high society is that the new and fresh is a constant point of criticism that changes by the hour, so an updated warddrobe was in order. I had no qualms expending my brothers capital on the mind-numbing absurdity of spending hours being fitted by haute couture's and my senses overloaded by parfumiers. A hypocrtical view, perhaps, but I'd be able to look myself in the mirror with a mask knowing the cause to which I had worn the mask, than if I had proudly stood on principle.

When the time came, the sun had yet to sleep. By the regular hours it must have been the 15th hour of the day. It should have been night two hours ago. Whispers were said in the street that the sun was angry or restless, and though it was said as a myth of the ignorant, having met the Sun Emperor, there might be some truth to it.

"Today is going to be one of those long days," I sighed.

I returned to the second floor of the tower and arranged my living quarters. I would not subject my nephew to sleeping on the floor, and most certainly not to be left in my brother's care. I would need to buy bedding better than a few pillows and a quilt, but in the meantime it would have to do. I left my immediate bedroom, entering the mainroom, and about leaped out of my skin. In the corner of the room sat the Aeterna Emperor, silently watching me. His golden gauntlet was on my table.

"Gads! How long have you been there!" I gasped, leaning against the wall to stand.

He did not answer. He watched me through his brows, his fingers laced together in front of his lips thoughtfully and his elbows on the table.

I took a moment to calm my frantic heart and breath. I had not seen the god-king in a year since my defeat, and today I would meet him three times. He was my enemy. Because of him, my people were reduced to slaves in a foreign land. Thankfully, my fear won out over my hate.

"Would you like some water?" I asked, playing the part of the humble hostage-king. "Or some fruit? I do not have any potatoes, but I do have some apples, bananas, grapes."

This brought a rouse out of him. His eyes briefly glanced to a net I had over the kitchen counter with fruit hanging from it. "A banana will be fine," He said.

I nodded and, with my head bowed, prepared one and gave it to him on a plate.

xxxx

There was a great deal Adam believed he could learn about a person by seeing what environment they crafted for themselves. He judged Jyesthra to be a woman who was unpleased with the world as she sought escapes in her books, while Izthark was an explorer of it from his tinkering.

As he sat in Valspear's quarters, he let his senses soak in the man. Valspear walked in, arms full of clothing he quickly hung and then tidied up his sleeping room. He was evidentially distracted and hummed to himself the whole time.

The sleeping quarters had a single mattress shoved into the corner on the floor, a small set of drawers for clothing, and a rod on which was hung clothes that were modest while presentable for social gatherings. Except for the clothing he wore now, it was beyond anything a modest man could ever hope to afford in a life time.

The new clothing was unusual.

The living room was just as sparse as his sleeping room. It had one small table tucked away in the corner, with one chair he was occupying, and a counter on which were a couple horn goblets, a basket with bread, a large jug of water, and a net with some fruit hanging from it.

Valspear owned nothing that Adam would consider a hobby, no tools to do a trade, and, with the exception of what he was wearing, did not own enough clothing to be a regular party-goer. His home was filled with empty space. Nor were there scented candles and incense. Nor were there ornaments, ribbons, paintings, or any decorations of any kind. Adam had almost begun to think no one lived here.

Either Valspear was rarely here or he had no intention of making roots here for the long term.

The Kes-Blood took one look at him and panicked. He recovered quickly enough, but his composure changed completely. The man was driven, head high, humming to himself, and had a spark in his eyes and purpose to his steps. Then with a glance, he bowed his back, never raised his eyes from the ground, didn't raise his voice above a whisper, stopped humming, and walked like a whipped man.

Valspear didn't even need to do anything to the banana he offered. He could have handed it over and Adam would have eaten it as is, but Valspear took measures unasked for and placed it before him.

Adam was extremely annoyed.

xxx

"Why are you acting as if I whipped you?" The Emperor demanded.

I froze. His tone was already unpleased with me. Had I performed my duty poorly? "M-my lord?" I asked.

"Why. Are you acting. As if. I whipped you." He repeated.

"You didn't my lord, I just-"

The Aeterna's hands came down on the table hard enough to make the plate clatter, "I did not ask if I did or didn't, because I know I didn't. I'm not stupid! I asked 'why' you are acting as if I did. This is now the third time I have had to ask. Do not make me ask it again."

My breath caught, and my broken ear tingled. I rubbed the scar briefly, and replied, "I act in this manner because I am your hostage. You defeated me, and a king is lowlier than an emperor. I am here to elevate you."

"When did I ask you to do that?"

"Y-you never did."

"Then don't you think what you are doing is rather stupid?" He said, looking me straight in the eye.

I gulped, unsure how to answer. If he did not desire a hostage, then why was I here? Testing the waters, I straightened my back slowly until I was at my full height. He watched me closely, and nodded. "Better," He said.

"My Emperor," I started. I cleared my throat and forced myself to speak normally. "If you did not bring me here as your prize to be shown off to your glory, then why am I here?"

Rather than answer, the Aeterna ate quickly, and rose, telling me to follow. We left my home and descended the steps onto the ground floor. The celebration had died down so only a few noticed us. We walked across the massive pavilion to where the board game tournament had played out. All of the furniture and games were removed with its conclusion, but on the ground were still a few pieces left behind and trampled by the crowd, the same pieces he had thrown at me. Leaning down, the Emperor picked up a slightly flatted one and considered it in his fingers. He took a few steps further into the light, as the tournament had been near the edge.

The Aeterna Emperor gestured out and up towards the rest of the world. "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Dyson."

"And where are the ends of it?"

"Ends of it?" I wondered, confused. "What you see is what there is. Dyson is a cavern within the Infinite Soil."

Looking down, the Emperor moved the broken game piece between his fingers. He whispered, "Don't you ever feel confined by it?"

"Sure, children have the terror of it." I answered. "I had the nightmare that Ne would fall on my head, but we grow out of it."

"You may have grown, but we are all caged no less, unable to extend ourselves beyond what we see." He looked at me. "Didn't you tell Adam that you desired to be free of kingship to do good freely?"

So he remembered, I was right. He had been trying to communicate something to me and spark my memory in the tournament. "I did."

"You chose that cage, though I offered a way out, because you had the will to stand against the world for the world. You chose to stand judged to save your people, though a way out was offered again. You chose to stand against me as my equal. More than that, you accomplished something few have, you made me question it. That is why, among all the princes and governors i have gathered and appointed, you alone have no responsibility." He handed the broken piece to me. "I chose for you to be free, so that you may go and do the good you wished. It is what Adam would have wanted."

The Aeterna Emperor raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and the sun dimmed into night. He turned and walked back towards the tower. I stayed behind a moment longer, pondering his words.

I had misunderstood my purpose here, and so did nothing even with the knowledge of what was happening around me. I was given as a hostage to Ire in exchange for peace. That was normal; but now this was the new world. My father was gone with the old traditions. The Emperor was here and is working to make something new. What that means in its entirity, and what shape the new world will take, I don't know, but I had failed because I had made an assumption.

I ran my fingers over the broken piece. It was the same one I had defeated Adam with.  Adam and the Aeterna were one person, but their ways of speaking were different, and their place in the world were different. Adam claimed to be at odds with Aeterna because of his freedom against the Emperor's universal claim. Now, in his memory, the Aeterna chose for me to take Adam's place. I couldn't claim to understand how or why Adam and Aeterna treated each other as seperate despite possessing the same body and the same memory, but now I had come to understand at least something. 

I was Adam's successor.