Vaid Empire: Conquest

Vaid Empire: Conquestis a massive fantasy series that aims to mixeroticawith the quality of a published novel. New chapters and artwork are released every month for free, with the completely optional possibility to receive early access on the official Vaid Empire Website. The Series focuses heavily on worldbuilding, story, and characters.

The world of Ayphieal is shattered and chaotic, with kingdoms and tribes of six distinctive races vying for territory amongst themselves. It is only when a young human warrior finally pushes back against the chaos that the world begins to shift towards order.

***

11th of Fonic, 17 AVE.

Kingdom of Harin, Great City of Visti.

Cendra's skin glimmered with perspiration as her training sword carved through the air. Though they shared her blood, the two Privictis recruits before her each met the blade with their own in turn.

The watchful eyes of many observers felt warmer than the midday sun. They studied her twisting body, noting each careful thrust of her blade. Surrounding the dueling trio, the other recruits retreated whenever the fight neared them.

Her short skirt fluttered in the breeze, a modest garment in place of her discarded outfit. She sensed the hidden desires of the males as she moved, their curious eyes sneaking glances at their royal sibling. She leapt high over the heads of her opponents, maneuvering into a flip that granted several recruits a quick glance beneath her skirt. These were certainly her father's children, for she sensed their forbidden cravings.

Where once she'd have taken pride in her beauty, their studying eyes were now a distraction. They looked to her with awe, with curiosity, with expectation. She began to crumble beneath the pressure until her blunted blade caught the edge of her opponent's armor.

"Out," Clin said in a calm voice, gesturing for another to replace the defeated man.

Cendra blocked a thrust from the new challenger, slashing at the other. They came at her as a pair, blades dancing until she struck them both. The hint of a smile touched her lips, feeling her worry slowly succumb to the thrill of their duel.

The two were replaced, and she rolled faster than they could strike, cutting down her new opponents in mere moments. Her smile turned to a grin, then a smirk, wielding her blade as if it was part of her arm. Every movement came with increasing precision and speed until victory was no longer her sole concern. As her skills slowly rekindled, she couldn't help but show off with needlessly extravagant spins and twirls.

Every opponent departed with a harsh bruise. When only Kunir and Hazia remained, Clin allowed his favored apprentices to face his mate. They came from opposite directions, hoping to outmaneuver their foe. As they moved to cut her down, a swift twist of her body and blade redirected them both, allowing Cendra to smack her blunt weapon against Kunir's dented helmet. Hazia missed a thrust, receiving the hilt of the princess's blade hard into her stomach.

With her opponents collapsing into the sand of the courtyard, Cendra almost raised her blade in triumphant as the defeated crowd cheered. Instead, she saw Clin watching her expectantly.

Kunir rose with a groan, his glaring eyes easing with new respect. Cendra felt the urge to revel in her superiority slip from her fingers, reaching down to offer Hazia a hand. The girl accepted it with a pained smirk as she was helped to her feet.

"Well done. Let's hope those bruises teach you all something of humility," Clin stated loudly. "There shall always be an opponent greater than you. When you finally meet the foe that holds your end, will you prefer to face him alone, or to stand with your brothers and sisters as you do now, beaten and bloodied?"

Cendra felt Hazia's hand leave hers, seeing a nod of gratitude.

"The luxury of kinship is quite simple," Clin continued. "You'll never need to endure defeat alone."

Something in his words made Cendra's hand twitch. As she looked at the crowd of recruits, she permitted a smile.

12th of Fonic, 17 AVE.

Kingdom of Harin, Great City of Visti.

"Help...y...your mother...my boy..."

Clin was back in the jungle. Once more he was a child. Once more he felt his mother drowning as his foot pushed her head beneath the shallow water. Once more he awoke, screaming.

Sweat drenched his bare body as he gasped for breath, trying to calm the pounding of his heart as he returned to reality. He was within Cendra's private chambers, having moved his few belongings to rejoin her. Cliax's tiny bed rested against the far wall. The young prince stirred uncomfortably from the noise, though his silver eyes remained shut. Such nightly outbursts were hardly rare these days.

The only thing Cendra's chamber lacked was Cendra herself. Alone, Clin buried his face in his hands, taking a calming breath before rising. He left the warmth of the bed behind, not bothering to conceal himself as he made for the side door. He wasn't surprised to find the princess behind it, standing in the darkness of the small room connecting to the rooftop garden.

"You had a nightmare," Cendra stated, standing before the table that held her sword. Her arms remained folded across her bare chest.

"Cliax didn't wake." He crossed the room in mere steps, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "How long have you stared at that thing?"

She frowned in the darkness, seeing moonlight gleam off the white blade through the window. "Thatthingis more valuable than any army."

"Yet you leave it to collect dust." He kissed her head, more tired than he had been before falling asleep. "I'm certain the recruits would be ecstatic to see it wielded in person."

Cendra shivered. Clin held her tighter, mistaking her reaction for a sign of cold. She lowered her eyes from the blade. "Do they truly benefit from my presence?"

Clin saw her stiffen, hearing the concealed doubt in her tone. "Certainly. Do you think I could train them half as well without your knowledge of their powers?" Though he chuckled lightly, his mood dampened when she remained still with silent worry. His voice grew serious. "You have a valued place among us."

She hesitated, touching his arms. "I've long pondered how it'd feel to stand beside my siblings as allies. Now I have." Her grip tightened as her tone softened. "I can't say their...fellowshipis unpleasant."

"You've already had a sibling to stand beside," Clin said, feeling her pull away.

"Don't start that again." Cendra crossed her arms once more as she stepped away, turning to face him. "I know what I did. You all chide me for pushing Vixin away, even as you continue to wake with guilt of your own."

Though her words had been harsher than she had intended, he heard the sorrow in her tone. He released a deep sigh that carried the weight of decades. "So I do. I had hoped I'd be beyond my nightmares by now. After all I've done, all we've built, they remain. I'm tired, Cendra."

"As am I." She dared to meet his weary eyes. "If your trust in me remains lacking, so be it. Without knowing what plagues your past, I can do little but urge you to focus on our future. Though, I suppose that hasn't been enough to cure you."

"My trust isn't lacking." He stepped closer with the grimace of a silent apology. "My burdens are merely my own."

She stepped back once more, nearly touching the curved walls of the round chamber. "Yet they remain, and I am left only to wonder impotently, unable to assist."

Clin stared at her. When he finally moved, he walked to the window in silence. The darkness of a conquered city lay below. For a moment, he felt very far from home. "I merely want to sleep. I'm tired of running."

"Then stop. Unburden yourself so you may rest." She uncrossed her arms. "Do you truly believe anything you reveal shall separate us?"

When he felt her hand on his back, Clin sighed once more. "Yet you're rebuilding yourself. There's no need to carry the past of another as you move forward."

Cendra blushed. Is that what others thought? "I'd rather 'move forward' with no secrets between us. I require you at my side, not lost in nightmares."

He turned to meet her silver eyes, pondering. Her soft skin nearly glowed in the moonlight, an ethereal beauty bare at his side. "I suppose, after Kisrin, sheltering you from harsh realities is no longer a mercy."

She felt her hand quiver at the mention of her defeat, though pushed her body against his. "I don't need protection like a child. I need the truth, as your mate. It's time, Clin."

He searched her eyes, seeking a single hint of doubt. When he found none, he nodded. "Perhaps you're right, yet you must promise the truth won't undo our years together."

"You are the father of my son. I'd stand at your side as you burned the world," Cendra said, taking his hands.

Clin frowned at her words. "My deeds aren't nearly as harsh, yet they echo through me as clear as the night they occurred. I was merely a boy in the rainforest, following my mother's commands."

"You've never spoken of her."

"Nor shall I speak of her further beyond tonight." He grimaced. "She was a vile woman, as blinded by her hatred of outsiders as I was to her malice. A good son should never disobey his mother, and so I followed her through the trees as we hunted. When we came across an encampment of outsiders, she named them our enemies before they ever uttered a word."

"Were they?" She studied him with curiosity, concealing a grin. Finally, she was receiving what she had always longed for. Finally, he trusted her entirely.

"No," he replied, the word sounding as if it'd choke him. "Perhaps one day. Perhaps they would've forged a settlement of their own. That night, however, they were only a group of families huddled in tents to escape the rain. Hesin later told Nitri's elders how they had fled from the destruction of a minor settlement far to the south."

Cendra's lips tightened. "Ah. Hesin. Then this is the source of that grotesque man's animosity?"

"The man is free to hate me," Clin replied firmly. "I followed my mother willingly to a nearby cave. I did nothing when she explained that a horrid creature rested within, and I eagerly obeyed when she ordered me to assist her in luring it forth. Only when it caught the scent of the camp did I understand the horrid depths of my mistake."

She felt his hand squeeze, almost tight enough to hurt.

"I hear them in my dreams." He appeared to look through her, far into the distance beyond the curved walls around them. "Children crying. Women screaming. I stood and watched through the trees." He paused, his face hard with agony. "Of course, my mother hadn't escaped unharmed. As we led the beast to the camp, running faster than I thought I could, the creature's towering head knocked down any tree branches that stood in its way. One...struck her."

"I'm sorry, my love," she said, her voice smooth. She slipped from his grasp to touch his chest. The feeling of her soft hand was his only comfort. "If you had told me we share the loss of our-"

"The branch didn't kill her." His face hardened, as pale as the blade beside them. "It pinned her beneath its weight, but it didn't kill her. I tried to lift it. I tried to free her. The area had been flooded by rain, deep enough to reach my knees, and I tried keep her head above the water."

Whatever joy she felt at the revelation turned to ash. "She drowned?"

Clin nodded. "I couldn't lift it." He hesitated until he couldn't endure. "Ah...what a lie that is. I tried, but I stopped! I watched the destruction we had caused. I saw the women, the children, the families destroyed! I pushed her head under the water myself..."

Seeing the agony in his eyes, Cendra touched his cheek. There was little she could say, and when words failed her, she held him close.

"We believed we were protecting Nitri," he said in a voice just above a whisper. "I saw Hesin through the trees. He witnessed what I...ah, he knows the full of it. He hates me, and just so. We were merely boys, and already he had lost everything. Did you know he had a brother?" Clin felt a building within his chest, threatening to consume him until he released a long sigh. He touched his head wearily, feeling decades older than he was. "He had a brother..."

She waited. Silence lingered between them, wrapped in the darkness of the night. When she finally met him with eyes of worry, she spoke softer than she ever had in his presence. "You were only children. Surely, you must know you weren't at fault."

Clin straightened with a miserable frown. "A man can accept his deeds and strive to redeem himself, or he can place the blame upon others and never escape. Hesin knows what I did."

"Yet they weren't your deeds. Let him hate your mother if he likes, yet you?" Cendra sensed the sword beside her, its power faintly tingling. "You merely followed her command."

Clin peered at her wearily. "A child isn't responsible for the deeds of their parents, yet I committed the deed at her side."

"You knew no better.Sheplotted their destruction, not you," she hurried to reply. "Hesin can sulk all he likes, yet he'd be a fool to blame you for the crimes of your..."

He watched her words trail off as realization filled her eyes. With a nod, he sighed. "Well said."

"That's different," she replied, hardly bothering to put conviction in her tone.

"Indeed. I committed the deed at her side and shall always have to live with that fact. Your sister, however..."

She felt her chest tighten. "Don't."

He heard the doubt in her tone, echoes of old thoughts. There'd be no point in a lecture she already understood. They stood in silence once more as he watched her expression harden, then begin to break. He gently wrapped her in his arms.

"I don't hate her," she finally whispered. The truth choked her, feeling a dampness that she hated forming in her silver eyes. She rested her head against his chest, releasing a pained groan. "Clin...did I waste all these years without her?"

Clin stroked her black royal hair as he calmed her. "Wasted or not, there are many more years ahead. You can accept your mistakes and rectify them or continue to fight without her at your side."

"She hates me now," Cendra whispered. "I can feel it."

"Vixin is a caring woman. Give her time. If she never forgives you, at least stand knowing you did all you could." He felt his neatly trimmed beard brush against her, his once golden strands now mixed with more grey than he liked. "Let your past mistakes burn with your fleet at Kisrin."

She breathed uneasily, feeling weak. "Won't you do the same?"

He nodded wearily. "When I've earned it. Someday, when I've reached my end, I hope to stand firm, unshaken, knowing I may call myself a good man. Until then, Hesin may have his hate."

Cendra sighed. "You're already a good man, you fool."

A memory of Hesin's voice echoed through his mind. "Confess."He shook his head with a grimace. "No. Not yet. Still, I take it the truth hasn't soured your opinion of me?"

She pulled back, nearly glaring. "Don't be a fool. If you've granted me your darkest secret, I may rest easy. Greater men have done far worse for much less. Besides, I can hardly pass judgment when my own hands are far from clean." She touched her belly, lowering her eyes with a thought of her father. "I still owe you."

"The woman that stands at my side through such truths owes me nothing." He kissed her softly.

"I do. The pregnancy..." She scowled. "You may have any pretty slave you desire. It's only fair. I may summon one tonight for you if it'll ease your nightmares." Her grip tightened as worry claimed her gaze. "Only...pull out. I know I broke our agreement, yet if I discovered your child in another woman, I'd..." Her voice quivered. "Just...don't.Please."

Seeing the pleading in her eyes, he caressed her cheek. "My seed is yours alone. A good man keeps his vows, and Cliax is more of a gift than I deserve." He watched her fear ease. "Summon no slave. Leave the sword. I'd rest beside my mate tonight, or not at all."

Allowing a relieved smile, she took his arm, leading him back to bed. The past had been laid bare, and she pulled him closer than before. Yet when she sensed the sword calling to her, she pondered his words. "Give her time."

14th of Fonic, 17 AVE.

Domani, Capital of The Vaid Empire.

The laughter of children echoed through the entrance lounge of Vixin's private apartments. Lying upon one of the many cushions littering the rectangular chamber, she watched them play.

Jinilya ran around the edge of the shallow pool in the center, chased by the two youngest of Rosila's three children. They were echoes of Vixin's former mistress, a constant reminder of her past training. The eldest of the pair, Rosila The Younger, easily caught up with the fleeing toddler, though pretended to lag behind. Her younger sister, however, showed no such restraint. Just older than Jinilya, Onza outstretched her hand, trying to catch the slightly smaller girl as they raced.

Vixin chuckled, watching her wards play with a motherly glee. The sounds of Jinilya's wild giggles caused her heart to flutter, moving her hand to rest upon her flat belly. Wearing only a loincloth, she felt her own soft skin as an emptiness filled her womb. She wanted another baby.

Having given birth to her latest child months ago, her everlasting craving had already returned in full force. Of the pair of slaves that had competed to impregnate her, she was pleased to have congratulated the Arkos, for a beautiful hybrid daughter had slipped from her royal loins. Though the child had already been granted into the care of The Sages, she still smiled with glee even now, feeling a deep fulfillment at knowing her bloodline had mixed with another species. She was certainly her father's daughter.

The craving ache within her womb continued as she watched Onza catch up with Jinilya. Though it was unthinkable for anyone to lay a hand upon the granddaughter of The God Emperor, the toddler knew no better as she shoved the princess aside. Jinilya stumbled, recovered her balance, and glared viciously. She hurried to catch up, grabbing Onza's by the arm.

Lost in her thoughts of pregnancy, Vixin touched her own inner thigh, blushing as a warmth grew between her legs. Her distraction was shattered when she heard a splash. Jumping to her feet, she saw Jinilya in the water, pushing Onza's head beneath the surface. She reached in, pulling the girls apart and yanking them from the pool. "Bad girl!" she said, spanking her daughter after ensuring Onza was unharmed. "She's family!Neverhurt a member of your blood!"

Jinilya winced in pain as she silently accepted the punishment. Her glare remained, eying Onza as if she were prey. Vixin sensed a gathering of power within her daughter, yet a second spank dissolved the girl's concentration.

"Take them to their rooms. I'll speak to Jinilya after she's had time to ponder her mistake," Vixin commanded the young Rosila as the girl took the hands of both children to lead them away. The princess watched her go, sighing when she was alone.

Standing, she departed the lounge and moved into her personal bedchamber. Orange light from the setting sun poured through the open doors at both sides of her oversized bed, trickling over her skin as her hips swayed. She walked toward her desk, sitting down as she felt the chair's silky cushion against her bare rump.