Act 1 Chapter 3 - Sentence
Rosa looked at Zayne’s shocked expression with disdain “Huh? Right of course you wouldn’t know. You failure of a son” the words were like daggers, but what came out after was soul-piercing “She went out to look for you, and never came back. Left without your father knowing, what did you expect? Her Vice was a lot worse than yours, she’s presumed dead.”
“He was fourteen” Audrey said, her words soft as silk as she rubs her eyes from her nap.
“He’s twenty-five now, he could’ve come back, Audrey!” Rosa spat back, but her gaze softens when she looks at Zayne “I-I’m sorry, we all loved your mother.” She paused briefly “I’ll take you to your room we can discuss your sentence later tonight”
Zayne made no sign to move, he rubbed his face once. Then twice more. Audrey whispered to him, but his thoughts were too loud “My fault..” he muttered under his breath, he looked up his eyes dazed past Rosa “No it’s okay, tell me what my sentence is now” His voice was calm despite his simmering fury, he looked at the white brick walls, adorned with Teserian patterns, it was geometric, heptagons with angular lines that spiraled and merged into the next heptagon. The pattern was printed horizontally across the entire room, it was an unused castle infirmary. Finally his eyes snapped back to Rosa.
“Right, your sentence, it’s lenient…” Calling it lenient only sent pricks down Zayne’s spine, how could it possibly be lenient when an innocent man would be killed in his name? He stayed silent letting her continue. “The first thing, you have an ankle bracelet powered by Myra Crystals, imbued with lightning, it will zap and drain you of all your energy if you leave designated zones. Yes, a location based restraining order.” She said firmly
“Where am I allowed to go then?” Zayne asked, Rosa ignored him and continued “Secondly, there is unrest within the country. You have proved that you can work with efficiency with your whole Emerald King shtick so you will work to remove this unrest working within the confines of your bracelet. Thirdly, you have a sister now” She was just dropping life-changing bombshells left and right, but it was his fault. He left for a decade.
“She’s your step-sister, your father found her in a lab explosion nine years ago, her name is Fae. She developed Myra Technology” Myra technology, she said that before. Zayne wondered if that anything to do with the staff, that weird girl gave to him. He began to link things together: a lab explosion, a weird staff that used his energy to produce magic like effects, his ankle shackle that would electrocute him, while draining his energy. Everything was linked, that world he was in must’ve been filled with those weird Myra Crystal things, so that girl must be Fae.
Zayne groaned, he wasn’t a stranger to taking care of kids. He fostered six while he was away, his Vice showed him who was worth taking care of. This girl however put him through torment in that distorted world, forcing him to adapt and destroy things he wasn’t ready for at all. “So what do you mean, I have to take care of her, I’m not supposed to read bedtime stories to some sort of entitled, prodigal child scientist am I?” Zayne says sarcastically. “No, she will be actively helping you with the terrorists” She replied calmly. Terrorists, she never mentioned that before. She said unrest, unrest does not equal terrorists.
“Fine, I’ll take care of the Fae girl, and deal with your terrorists. Anything else?” His voice tinged with impatience “Yes, the execution is in two days, you are expected to attend. The execution will be televised to the world and not the country. You will be considered dead to the rest of the world, but in Tesera it will be considered a triumphant return of the true heir of Greed. The people of this country know nothing about the Emerald King, they know nothing of the world beyond the walls, not for eight years” She said casually.
“You have the rest of the day to yourself, I’m going to get my between breakfasts, Audrey will take you to your room”