"So, are you going to stop me?" Syryn stared up at the anti mage. 

Rowan's lips parted to say something but he feared what he might end up saying. 

"Don't follow me into the dungeon, Rowan." 

Saying so, Syryn left the anti mage at the entrance to the dungeon. He stepped into the darkness and waited for his eyes to adjust to what little light came in from the open door. 

Levia was sleeping inside the cell quietly. Syryn had told her to wait for his arrival and she had. The mer king's body could not be seen. Not a single bone was to be seen in the prison. 

"Come, Levia. It's time to leave." 

_________

The walk back to the temporary palace was silent. Rowan hoarded his words, thoughts, and feelings about the situation to himself. Even his face was a canvas of pleasant neutrality that didn't betray an inkling of his feelings on the matter. 

Syryn was equally dry with his words. All that showed on his face was cold solemnity for what he had decided. 

Syryn, you're a cruel man. 

[And you handed me the reins to the kingdom. How does that make you feel?]

You blame me for foisting on you the responsibility of kingship. Is this too your revenge against me?

[You're right. You care about Silisia, don't you? As the chosen saviour and king of Silisia, watch me destroy what you love. The prophecy will be proved wrong because I am no saviour.]

I don't understand what brought this on, Syryn. You've suddenly gone cold but I can't see what has triggered it.

[That's an easy answer, old man. I saw the faces that had enjoyed watching my execution. Such good memories, right? The part where my nose and lungs were filled with water is seared into my mind and I was reminded of it.]

You still have time to stop and evaluate your decision. You will regret it, Syryn. I know you will. 

[Yeah? That's the future Syryn's problem. I hope he deals with it wisely. You can be his mentor and guide, old man. That's your job.]

I am trying to guide the present Syryn.

[How many families do you think will try and escape? I am guessing about a third of them will do just that.]

This isn't a game. 

[You've had no qualms about taking control of my body so it's up to you, old man. You want to stop the blood sport, stop me.]

Bloodsport? You consider them animals. 

[We're all animals.]

Then go behave like one. Kill and eat your prey raw, live in the wild, don't wipe your ass after taking a shit.

Syryn let out a laugh at the Sage's dry tone. [You're a funny one, eh, old man?] 

Stop this idiocy, Syryn!

[Deal with! You chose me to be king and that's what I'm doing.]

The sage hadn't known that he could get a phantom headache from the stress that Syryn was causing him. He was just a smidgen of consciousness. Why did he have to deal with this lunatic?

I can stop you but I won't. Do you know why? 

[Why do you ask me when you and I both know you're gonna tell me regardless of my answer.]

Syryn's attitude was similar to that of the bratty youngsters he had to discipline back in his days. 

To have you learn a lesson, you crazy brat! You'll regret your actions and I will tell you that I told you so! 

[Great. I can't wait.]

The Sage's reasoning was understood and now it was Rowan's turn. Syryn wondered why the anti mage was choosing to be a blind spectator to a massacre. He knew next to nothing about the internal working's of Rowan's mind so it was all up in the air. Syryn hoped that the anti mage cared at least a little bit because, in the end, he hoped for Rowan to be a good man. At least better than him if not a saint. 

______

The anti mage had barely said a word to Syryn the entire time they spent waiting for time to pass. Syryn had even unleashed a fully transformed Leviathan whose terrifying presence circled the waters above Silisia. Any mers contemplating escape were cowed by the sight of her watching the waters. Her senses were sharp enough to pick up the trail of mers even if they managed to escape the kingdom. There was just no way out of the nightmare for them. 

The noble houses mourned what was going to be the death of one child from every family. There were heirs who were less than a year old. Syryn had demanded that even the babies be brought so one could only imagine how horrified the parents were. Families wept and said goodbye to their kids. Some of them even wanted to fight back but all they had to do was look up and see the Leviathan over their kingdom. It was hopeless. They were in the clutches of an evil ruler. 

______

"It's time then," Syryn said to himself. He then spoke to the guard next to him, "Go and have them blow the horn to summon the nobles." 

While Syryn had been waiting, a guard had tried to assassinate him. He was promptly frozen in ice by the mage. The guard was then taken away by Syryn who told the other guards what was to happen to the unlucky mer. He warned them that they would all turn into pet food if they tried to attack him. 

All that time, Rowan had remained quiet. Syryn had at many times felt the anti mage's heavy gaze on him. It made his skin itch. Syryn wanted to tell Rowan to stop staring at him and just spit out what was on his mind. He wanted the anti mage to do something, anything but look at him like that; like Syryn was a stranger to him. But he was, wasn't he? 

You still have time to change your mind, Syryn. You'll go down in history-

[Shut up. Today, the waters will turn red in Silisia.]