Chapter 25 #2
“Oh, but you are.” Hope sparked in the elder’s eyes. He pushed his chair back, lowered himself to his knees before Rain, and bowed his head. “And I hereby swear the allegiance of myself and the entire Order of Aurora to you, King Rain Beau Royal—regent of the one and only Rainbow Kingdom.”
“What the fuck!” Rain shot upright, immediately regretting the movement as pain spiked through his skull.
He should have grabbed the pills. “I don’t understand.
How can I be a King of a kingdom that doesn’t exist?
Is that a joke because of my name? I am Blue Aetherial, Heir to the Blue throne.
I cannot rule the White Kingdom, never mind a Kingdom that doesn’t exist.”
“Your Grace,” Isarion said gently, “the Order of Aurora was founded exactly one thousand years ago by the prince you embodied in the vision. Every initiate of the Order receives that same vision upon their first successful channel—though ours is silent, and we must interpret it ourselves. That was the first unusual thing about sharing it with you.”
He paused, ensuring Rain was following.
“The satchel he was given—only one member of the Order can know of its contents. The Sacred Brother or Sister. The title passes through the ages. Until now, the Gods have kept our ancestors’ secrets hidden. What knowledge we have is scattered, interpreted, debated by the greatest among us.”
He rose slowly, joints clicking, and sat beside Rain on the couch.
“I believe powerful magic was used to protect us from something that awakened the day of your birth. That same magic has kept an entire kingdom hidden. Until tonight, I knew only prophecies—cryptic, overlapping—speaking of the return of twin royals and the beginning of an ending. We were never certain whether they referred to you and your sister or another pair born around the same time. There were similarities between both sets.”
A soft smile touched his lips.
“When your father’s guard found me returning from pilgrimage, I took it as a sign.
For a time, I believed your sister was our saviour—she embodies all the good in you.
Intelligent, compassionate, successful, yet unburdened by the pain you carry.
Which, in hindsight, should have been the obvious clue.
I feel foolish for not realising sooner. ”
He exhaled, reverent.
“I meditated this evening. The Gods finally revealed the missing pieces I have searched for all my life. We believed we were waiting for a king capable of overthrowing all kings, uniting the realms into one—a Rainbow Kingdom. And while that may still come to pass, the Gods know you are powerful enough to do so. But now I see the truth: the Rainbow Kingdom is not a metaphor. It is the heart of Aerth. A mother Aetherchrome, pulsing with exceptional power, designed to channel through every other Aetherchrome.”
He looked at Rain with awe.
“The last true Rainbow sovereign was Queen Skylar Royale—your many-times-great grandmother.”
“Skylar?” Rain whispered. “I saw her as a child, in my first vision. I… I don’t understand the significance. Why does it matter if I’m her descendant?” Rain’s face remained a mask of confusion.
“The Gods are trying to tell you that you are of a ninth Aetherial bloodline,” Isarion continued.
“Like Queen Skylar, you are a Rainbow Aetherial—of her royal line.” He looked at Rain with something close to reverence, as though Rain himself were a sacred relic.
The elder’s astonishment pressed against Rain’s senses, making his nausea churn again.
“Yes, you also have Blue and Green ancestry, of course. Your parents are still your parents. But it appears both of them descend from the Rainbow bloodline. It has lain magically dormant for generations, waiting for twins born of two carriers. It is miraculous—the genetic mutation for twins, combined with a hidden blood type. Only the Gods could orchestrate such fate. Had we known of another lineage, we could have tested your blood at birth, as we do when unsure which parental line is dominant. I imagine your blood will interact with all Aetherchrome unlike any other. I implore you to test this yourself, to override your scepticism.”
He gave Rain a pointed look, fully aware of his tendency to doubt.
“Your paternal line descends directly from Rainbow royalty. Queen Skylar’s husband is the origin of your surname—she took his name as an honour, though the throne was hers.
She was a mighty queen. I was shown visions of their wedding day, and of the birth of their two sons—one your ancestor, the other the White King you inhabited in the dream. ”
Rain’s head throbbed—not just from the hangover, but from the sheer absurdity of the information. A different blood type? A hidden lineage? He suddenly felt alien in his own skin.
Isarion stood and returned to packing, giving Rain space to process. Rain had countless questions, yet none would form.
Eventually he managed, “Isarion… how do you know all these details? My visions are cryptic. What you’ve said makes them clearer, but how do you know?”
“Your Grace, I am a Master of the Heavenly Plane. I have spoken to the Gods since childhood. I know how to ask the right questions—and how to interpret their answers better than most.” He spoke plainly, without arrogance.
“And then there are the teachings of the Order. We are the keepers of secrets and structure. We know things others do not.”
“I see. And why must you leave so suddenly?”
“There is much I must do, Your Majesty. The tides have turned, and what we have awaited is already in motion. We are behind.” He sighed as he folded a cardboard lid closed.
“I must avoid the King. If he learns any of this, he will use everything within his power to extract the information from me. You understand the consequences that poses—for both of us.”
Rain exhaled, letting his confusion settle. He crossed to the window and opened it, peering down at the driveway. Only one trailer was visible and that belonged to the Pink Court.
“Erm… Isarion, are the Pink Kingdom loaning you their trailer?”
“Loan is a generous term, Your Majesty. I would rather not incriminate you in my escape, but as I now view you as the highest authority, perhaps you will pardon my crime.”