Bruised Pride [End]

[Aerys Hellgate]

Aerys awoke to silence.

The kind that presses against your chest before your eyes even open up.

He blinked once, then again, squinting against the pale amber glow of light filtering in from behind drawn curtains. The air reeked faintly of medical tinctures, metal, and heat—an oddly sterile sort of warmth.

He knew this place.

The high arch of the ceiling. The subtle hum of arcane monitors built into the walls. The faint flicker of gold-threaded banners that fluttered in his peripheral vision like ghosts of memory.

This was the royal infirmary; The Acrix Palace. He was home.

Aerys shifted, and pain surged through his body like wildfire. Every muscle screamed. A truly foreign sensation, considering the last time he'd broken a bone was in his adolescence. His ribs felt like they’d been pulverized and stitched together by a bolt of lightning. Bandages criss crossed his chest and arms, and a salve-soaked wrap covered half his face.

He was truly fucked up, and still—he tried to rise.

With a groan, Aerys pushed himself upright, arms trembling beneath his own weight. Every movement drew a chorus of agony, but he welcomed it. He needed to feel something, something that told him that battle wasn't just a dream.

And it wasn’t.

It came back to him in flashes—memories of his bout, starting with the face of some girl..

He remembered it was the same face from the wanted posters— but there had been more to her. A darkness beneath the grime and ruin that clung to her clothes. A kind of sad beauty overshadowed by that.. thing.

That beast.

It was a monster that rose from her flesh like a curse unbound, an avatar of destruction cloaked in skin. And its power was without limit, fury without purpose.

Aerys remembered their clash. He remembered the violence, the fire, the soil shattering beneath their feet while the sky split above them.

And yet, what lingered most was not the pain—though it was truly crippling—but the feeling of being small.

For the first time in years, Aerys felt outmatched. Truly, and completely. He had given it his all, but nothing he did struck true. Their fight lasted hours, but the creature was tireless. Boundless. Godlike.

Aerys lowered his eyes to his bruised hands, and clenched them as if to feel the pain in penance for defeat.

“..the hell was that bloody thing?”

A gentle knock at the chamber door snapped him from his thoughts and self loathing. A nurse entered—a young woman in Tyre regalia, and her green eyes went wide the moment she saw Aerys awake.

She gasped, nearly dropping the glass vial in her hand. “You’re—you're awake—!”

He winced as he turned his head. “Barely,” he rasped, voice raw like gravel beneath water. “I could use a glass of water though when you get the chance, yeah?”

“I-I’ll fetch Lord Tal’m!” she stammered, nearly tripping as she turned to run.

He almost smiled.

Minutes later, the heavy doors parted again, and Tal’m strode in with haste that betrayed his composed exterior. Relief cracked his stern expression the instant he laid eyes on Aerys.

“You stubborn.. stubborn boy,” Tal’m breathed, stepping beside the bed. “I'm convinced your lust for battle and glory won't be sated until you're finally dead.”

Aerys gave a slow, shallow smirk. “Please, only kind words until I can walk on me own.”

Tal’m exhaled sharply, the closest he’d come to laughter in weeks. He leaned in, clasping Aerys’ forearm with care.

“You had the place in uproar,” he said. “You were only just appointed Crown, and I didn’t know if you would—”

“Anyone else?” Aerys interrupted, his voice suddenly flat. “Casualties. From Dabih’r.”

Tal’m’s expression sobered. “No one else. The city was far enough from the chaos. You were the only soul we found in that crater.”

Aerys let the words sink in. Relief. Confusion. But mostly, disbelief.

Then came the question Tal’m had likely waited days to ask.

“Do you remember what did this to you, my lord?”

Aerys didn’t answer immediately. He let his gaze wander—to the curtains, the ceiling, to the portraits of his ancestors watching silently from above.

Then he looked back at Tal’m, eyes dark with something new. Something heavy.

“You’re gonna wanna’ sit down, mate." Aerys muttered, his voice low and reverent. "It's one hell of a story.”

[Aerys Hellgate]

Tal’m sat without a word, his weathered face unreadable as Aerys began to recount everything. The battle. The girl. The transformation. The thing beneath her skin. Ulduin.

Aerys spared no detail.

He described how it wasn’t just raw strength—but endless strength. Like fighting an eternal engine of chaos wrapped in sinew. How his weapons broke. How time felt stretched. How the creature never once seemed winded.

“It wasn't just strong,” Aerys muttered. “It was endless.. Like nothin’ I threw at it stuck. Not even scratch. I may as well’ve been throwin’ pebbles at a storm.”

Tal’m leaned back, arms crossed, gaze darkening. “And this creature—came from a woman?”

“No—She became him,” Aerys said. “Or maybe he’s always been inside her. I dunno. It’s like... the monster was wearin’ her skin ‘til it didn’t need to anymore.”

He fell silent, eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling.

Tal’m folded his hands slowly. “And.. you say its claws cut through Tyre flesh?”

“Like butter.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Tal’m muttered. “Not without otherworldly pressure or maybe an arbiter of antimagic? Nevertheless, this is truly awful timing..” He trailed off, rubbing his chin.

“What's with the look, mate?” Aerys said, eyeing him carefully. “You’ve seen somethin’ like this before?”

“No,” Tal’m said. “Not exactly... However, I fear we may encounter something worse if the rumors are true.”

Aerys raised a brow. “Rumors?”

Tal’m’s tone darkened. “The Bhalian Empire. There’s been whispers across the eastern sands. Vessels sighted amongst the clouds. I was half convinced it was paranoia.”

Aerys frowned. “I’ve heard of them. Ghost stories, mostly. Giant primal elves that could scream away a country. They never stepped foot in Muu before, right? Why would they now?”

“I'm not sure.” He said honestly, despite his darkening tone. “But if the rumors are true, then they are already here.”

He stood slowly, folding his arms behind his back. His voice was low, grave. “The Bhalian Empire is the last remnant of an ancient world that predates human beings. They are ruled by the Mazoku Elves—a lineage of prehistoric elvs who believe mankind is a stain upon this world. And for whatever reason, have concluded that the only way to restore balance is through its extinction.”

Aerys’ expression darkened.

“They’re old, Aerys. Older than the kingdoms that dot Muu’s spine. Their Arbiters are... twisted. They don't conquer lands. They erase them. And they’re not alone. They’ve begun forming a unification of Fae tribes. Dryads. Joro. Even the Ulnor giants have started bent the knee.”

Aerys sat forward, despite the protest of his ribs. “You said there were rumours. What’ve they done?”

Tal’m’s turned, his voice dropping even further. “Helidor is gone.”

Aerys froze.

“...What?"

Tal’m nodded grimly. “One of Muu’s oldest monarchies. Gone. And that's not all. The Onyx Trench, an entire sector of the Forest of Resonance, had been wiped off the map overnight. No trees, no bones or remnants of life.. just ash.”

Aerys’ hands curled into fists beneath the blanket. "The whole bloody guild?"

“They don’t just kill, Aerys. They raze and sunder. No cities. No prisoners. No graves. No warnings.”

Aerys stared at him for a long moment. Then, without a word, he began ripping at the bandages across his chest.

Tal’m stepped forward, alarmed. “Aerys—stop. Your wounds—”

“I ain’t sittin’ in this bed while they march on kingdoms,” Aerys growled, yanking free another wrap, his wounds weeping fresh blood.

“You’re not fit to fight!”

“Oi, and who’s gonna fight, Tal’m? You? The other Crowns?” Aerys swung his legs off the bed, breath ragged. “They still breathin’, or have they all crawled into their castles hopin’ it’ll pass them by?”

Tal’m was silent.

Aerys glared. “Ya’ don’t even know, do ya’?”

“I haven’t heard from the other Hellgate Crowns,” Tal’m admitted. “Some are preparing defenses. Others..” He hesitated. “Have gone quiet.”

Aerys pulled the last wire from his chest, grimacing. Then he stood upright, sweat already beading on his brow as he stared out the window at the Acrix Desert beyond.

“Yeah.. I’m done waiting.”

Tal’m took a careful step closer. “You’re not ready. You need time to recover—”

“No,” Aerys said. “What I need is someone who knows how to fight monsters.. Someone willin’.”

Tal’m squinted. “What are you talking about?”

“You said you’ve seen monsters. That you’ve read things.” Aerys said lowly. To which Tal’m nodded slowly.

Aerys fixed him with a narrowed gaze. “Then tell me this, and don’t dance around it, mate.”

Tal’m raised a brow. “What is it?”

Aerys stared him down.

“Who’s the strongest Hellgate alive?”

The question hung like smoke in the room.

Tal’m blinked. Clearing his throat as he searched for the words. “That’s... not easy to answer. Dozens of clans, dozens of strengths validate the power of a Hellgate. You’ve have the defensive prowess of the Hologuard, The creative tactics of the Florem, even the mysterious Masters of the Öbius —”

“Oi, listen.. I Don’t care ‘bout titles,” Aerys said. “Don’t care ‘bout bloodlines or old songs. I need the name of someone you'd send to fight an army.”

Tal’m hesitated.. Then he sighed.

“Zeik Hellgate.”

Aerys tilted his head. “Think I've heard of ‘im. Did he show up to the Crown Jewel Ceremony?”

“Zeik left the Acrix long ago.” Tal'm continued as if he could recall the day from memory. “But he was once the Vesta Crown. A wizard. A legend. And wielder of the Cursed Flame. He's established his own Kingdom somewhere deep in the Forest of Resonance. They call it The Astral.”

“The Astral huh?” Aerys repeated.

“Indeed. A kingdom, hidden by the Forest of Resonance itself.. It is said the wizard doesn’t just study magic, but that he's developed methods of bending laws around it.”

Aerys grinned, somehow looking more alive than he’d looked since he woke.

“Well then,” he muttered, grabbing his tattered shorts off the hook by the wall. “Looks like I’m payin’ him a visit.”

Tal’m stepped in front of him. “Aerys—Please, consider what is you plan to do here."

“I have.” He said with a smile before he playfully slapped Tal'm cheek. “Trust me, I'll be fine. Even broken Tyre flesh can shatter diamond.