Zoran, turned to leave first, his family already inside of the car. He saw the inside of the dome erupt, changing, turning into worlds where the contestants would survive or die in.
Many watched in wonder, the whole continent would watch it live.
The chief prime minister caught up with him, silently walking behind Zoran.
"Isn't this a deadly gamble. Your son could die."
Zoran paused, and inclined his head, considering him briefly, and he continued.
"He is my son." He said finally, a tiny smile on his face as he stopped before his car.
The chief prime minister opened the door for him, and he got in, getting a glimpse of the dome darkening before his door was shut.
'They dared to question his bloodline, this was his answer.'
*** ***
Zeus eyes snapped open, and he was met with an unfamiliar landscape. He was seated at the peak of a towering mountain, the wind whipping his hair into a frenzy as he struggled to look at the view.
He struggled to stand up, a wave of dizziness washing over him.
He stumbled to his feet, his mind foggy and his thoughts disjointed. His memories were slipping away from him. He tried to recall anything. A face, a name. But there was nothing.
As he stood there, the ground beneath him began to tremble, and shudder, the biting wind threatening to send him tumbling down the mountain.
The sound of crumbling rock, and screaming earth filled the air, as the mountain surroundings began to fold in on itself. His eyes widened in horror, as hills rose and fell in the distance.
A voice called out to him, but it was distant, barely audible over the mountains destruction.
Where he stood lurched, his stomach plummeting as the mountain dropped away beneath him. He fell to his knees,his fingers scrambling for purchase on the rocky surface as the mountain peak sunk into itself.
He felt cold.
Biting, painful cold.
Water washed over him in slow, deliberate waves, pulling sand from beneath his back.
Another wave washed over him.
Higher.
Salt burning his lips as he tried to move.
Nothing answered. His body felt heavier with each washing over, and retreating of the water, his body was painfully sore.
The world was grey and soundless, save for the soft sound of the water clashing against his body.
His eyes slowly opened, the sun hanging above him blinding.
There was a ring around the sun.
A halo of ice crystals.
'It is beautiful.'
His eyes drooped, his vision fading.
"General." A voice called, a blurry figure coming into view.
"General. General."
He snapped out of his reverie.
He was seated on a chair, his head lulled back against a cushion. He blinked rapidly, taking a deep breath as he sat up straight.
Before him stretched a fortress, courtyard lined with banners snapping in the wind.
Soldiers moved with discipline.
Armors clinked, as steel caught sunlight.
Nothing changed, this was reality.
"General." A familiar figure called.
Zeus turned.
Cassian stood there.
His dark hair tied back, a deep blue cloak draped over his shoulder, eyes sharp as ever. He was his best friend in this reality.
"I see you're still recovering from the campaign. You look like you wrestled death itself." Cassian said dryly.
Zeus rose slowly. His body did not feel sore, it felt intact. There was no sand, no salt biting his lips. Only leather armor, and an identical deep blue cloak bearing the emblem of the crown.
"I thought I was on a shore." Zeus said quietly.
Cassian frowned. "No, you've been in here for a while."
Zeus glanced at his hands. His knuckles were scarred, his hands full of calluses earned from years of wielding a blade, and rein of horses.
Behind Cassian, four others approached.
All of them were the Emperor's chosen. The ones the realm called sons and daughters of the Emperor.
Raven; Commander of the vanguard.
Tall, composed.Her armor was unadorned, but immaculate. She always moved with a purpose.
Elora; Master of signals, and artillery.
She had calm eyes, ink stained fingers. Always calculating the trajectories before anyone else noticed the winds direction.
Loke; Quartermaster General.
Broad shouldered, practical, the architect of every successful supply line.
Cassian; Political attaché turned field commander.
Noble born, precise, dangerous with words and steel.
Athane; General of the rear guard.
Protecting the army's rear, and flanks.
And Zeus as the commander General.
Six of them.
The whispers in the realm, said one of them will be the Emperor's heir. But no such proclamation had been made.
The old Monarch had no blood successor, only war victories. And the six of the generals who had delivered them.
Behind them, trumpets sounded.
More victory banners were being raised.
They had broken the armies of the twin sovereigns of the eastern territories Shu-an, and Si-al. Two rulers who had troubled their kingdom's borders for six consecutive seasons.
The war had not been glorious, it had been grueling.
Rain soaked trenches. Mud choked supply routes. Three days without sleep. Zeus remembered it all clearly.
It had happened at red hollow, a narrow basin surrounded by ridges. The enemy had believed it was the best choke point.
They had made the enemy think that they had the upper hand, but the enemy were caught unawares.
Zeus had divided his forces into three staggered lines. The front line infantry had absorbed the initial clash. Shield locked. Spears braced. His forces maintaining their formation discipline.
His second in command and calvary commander Ardine had deployed his hidden riders, descending in a controlled wedge formation when the enemy calvary attempted a maneuver.
Loke had ensured the enemy grain shipment had been delayed weeks before. They were already rationing.
Elora had positioned artillery not to shatter their front line, but to destabilize footing beneath advancing units. They bombarded their targets, psychologically pressuring them.
Raven had commanded the center personally. They did not retreat. No overextension.
Zeus had not needed to raise his voice, or exert his authority. He had moved through the formations, supervising, adjusting angles, correcting spacing.
When the twin sovereigns had attempted a dual assault, one pushing center, the other circling north, Zeus had rotated his reserves before impact. He had anticipated that it would be their convergence point.
They had broken the enemy through their structure and foresight.
By dusk, the banners of Shu-an, and Si-an were down. They had captured the king of Si-an, and the queen of Shu-an fled.
It was a clean victory. A hard win, one earned in mud and discipline.
They stood there as the heroes they had always been.
They all stepped out of the tent, -Zeus in front of them- the soldiers watching them with great respect and awe.
Zeus felt the gravity of the expectations placed on him. Ardine walked up to them. "The Emperor has requested all of your presence in the palace. Cassian glanced at Zeus briefly, subtly, his expression unreadable.
The gates of the palace opened, the army's banners fluttering in the wind as they halted, their ranks parting to allow the generals ride forward. The generals dismounted, walking in through the palace gates.
The generals were met in the middle by a royal procession, the Emperor's flag fluttering in the wind.
The royal procession parted, the Emperor's sedan coming through. The sedan carriers halted, lowering it down gently. The old ruler emerged slowly, supported by attendants.
His face was pale, thinner than before. But his ever sharp eyes searched the faces of the generals as they stepped forward and knelt before him.
His grandniece stepped down from her sedan, her flowing black hair held together by several ribbons, her brilliant purple eyes enchanting. She moved besides him, and he placed his wrinkled hands into her soft, youthful hand. Her silver robes fluttered behind her as she walked, her gaze swooping down slowly over the generals kneeling before them, her gaze lingering on Zeus.
"Your Majesty. Her highness." They all saluted.
"Rise." The Emperor croaked.
They stood up.
The Emperor looked at Zeus, smiling faintly at him. "My son." He uttered, his grandniece Nessina taking him closer.
He patted Zeus on the shoulder, his gaze lingering on him for too long.
"We won the war. Yes?" He asked, his voice shaking with age.
"Yes your Majesty." Zeus responded.
"Then why do you all look like a war is about to break out. I am sure it was a celebration I invited you all for."
"Yes your Majesty." They all responded.
"Are there any new reports from the borders?" He asked.
"Our scouts have reported that our enemies have retreated, they will not be regrouping their forces for a season at the very least." Athane responded
The emperor nodded slowly, his eyes flicking to Zeus. "The war is never truly over, is it?"
"Not while ambition lives in the hearts of men, your Majesty." He said carefully.
The Emperor smiled, and turned, getting back into his sedan.
Nessina and Zeus shared a look, as she helped her granduncle into his sedan, and headed for her own. "Follow us behind." She said, her sedan lifted into the air.
All of it felt distant now, -he sea shore, the folding mountain and hills- almost like a dream.