— the elemental emperor of ateu vemunea —

Known as Emperor Vakaros, Vaal Ikaros is the ruler of the elemental empire Ateu Vemunea on planet Apollo. Being passed on the title since he was only 55 years old, Vaal Ikaros has undoubtedly looked after his home for a long, long time now. The elemental was born as a child to the previous rulers, with his father being part of a powerful and strong bloodline. Vaal Ikaros and his father had traits of the elemental subspecies that could transform into a big, montrous being, and with that came more strength and an elongated lifespan. Where the average elemantal lifespan would be comparable to other mortal species, this subspecies could easily outlive them all- Averaging at several centuries, the oldest recorded was 500 years old, back in the early beginnings of the elemental empire. Current myth goes that Vaal Ikaros is even greater than this previous ruler, and would bypass them with ease.

The elemental proved to be a stern, but deep down caring emperor, putting his empire before himself even in the most dire of situations. He married Mononoke for political reasons quite early on, only a mere two years after he was put on the throne, in his mind thinking that would add balance and peace in the eyes of the citizens. Vaal Ikaros, whilst being quite powerful and having led troops before, was never one for war. Only aiding in the most dire of situations, Vaal Ikaros would most of the time put his own empire before others, essentially being fine if they were to be isolated like in the earlier days of elemental history. Emperor Vakaros loved showering his family, his guards and his citizens with richments and luxuries, often holding royal parties from time to time in his first 100 years of ruling. Times were good, and Vaal's subjects were overall quite happy with his rulership.

However, all of that changed when the royal son Narukesh disappeared face off the earth one day. By that time, Vaal Ikaros and her royal highness had grown far past just a political marriage. It was no secret that the empress and emperor, as well as their daughter Liadawnes, all lost it when the son had gone missing. Panic overcame the palace, affecting guards, secretaries and everyone who worked there too. It was only a mere matter of days before the news would be passed onto citizens, and soon prayers could be heard at shrines for the lost son. Vaal Ikaros stopped at nothing and had forces sent out to seek every corner of the empire, as well as forces sent out to the other continents of the planet. There was no single possibility of Narukesh leaving out of the blue out of his own will, as it was quite clear he was happy to spend his days in the empire. From day one, it was suspected to be a kidnapping, as the only remnant that could be found on palace grounds, was a shredded unfamiliar piece of cloth.

As sad as the truth was, life still kept going despite Narukesh missing. Emperor Vakaros held a speech a month later, thanking everyone for their prayers and best wishes, but reminding them that it was of utmost importance to look after themselves and their community together. The missing son was a problem for the royal family to fix, and Vaal Ikaros had every means of sending off all the forces he had to find him- If it weren't for his wife knocking some sense into him. Time kept passing by, and soon it was already half a year, with still no single clue to be found. Then a year would hit. And after that, two years. Eventually the citizens seemingly forgot about Narukesh's existence, but the longer he was missing, the longer the emperor and empress went crazy.

It had been a decade after Empress Mono couldn't handle it anymore, and abruptly left Vaal Ikaros and the empire behind, as if going up in smoke in one single night. The emperor was devastated, and from then on his rulership went downhill. He had always openly cared for his subjects, and whilst the royal parties and luxuries became less once Narukesh went missing, it changed even more after the empress left. Emperor Vakaros seemingly became aloof to his empire and subjects, not bothering to openly attend ceremonies or parties anymore. According to Vaal's guards, rumours go, the emperor would just get up, have his meals, sit on the throne for the day, go to bed and repeat. It was as if the life spark within him had completely left him, and if it did, who could blame him? The only family the emperor practically had left at that point was his daughter, who was increasingly growing bitter with him also- Feeling as if she was the one being forced to reassure all of the citizens.

Over the years, Vaal Ikaros seemingly had grown bitter too. Most of the time, the elemental emperor would now stay in his enlarged transformation, sitting menacingly on his throne, impatiently waiting for the day to already end. The emperor completely stopped interacting with his subjects soon enough, and nowadays the citizens of Ateu Vemunea have to do with letters and complaints offered to the royal advisor. Vaal Ikaros has by no doubt grown neglectful, and whilst the citizens try to understand, emigration has spiked in the last recent years. Whilst the elemental empire was safe and sound from the rest of the world, it felt.. Lonely. Families practically only had each other and their friends, and with the ruler seemingly stuck in his own world, the love for the empire seemingly diminished. Even the guards nowadays seem to mind their own business when not needing to interfere with thievery and crimes. The emperor still sends out forces to seek his lost son in the world, and if he ever gets found, it means that the empress would come back also. Whilst it is known what would turn Vaal Ikaros back to his former, glorious self, it is also known that no one can aid him.

— FUTURE ARC —

At some point in the future, the actions of the Dragon Orc empire would be unveiled by spies from surrounding countries. When one would hear of the Dragon Orcs, one would usually associate an economic slave empire with it, but the news these spies unveiled was on a whole other level. It was discovered that for the past few centuries, the Dragon Orcs had been experimenting on workers and worshipping demons, even enslaving them to do their dirty work. Word would go of a ginormous elemental demon to fuel their empire also. It wouldn't take long before this would reach Ateu Vemunea, and when Vaal Ikaros was informed it stroke him like a bullet. Teaming up with several other countries, Vaal Ikaros sent out his troops to aid a planned siege without hesitation.. And eventually, he went himself also. Not every country was ready to jump onto the effort like Vaal Ikaros, solely because the Dragon Orcs played a vital role in the global economy.

The Dragon Orcs proved to be a strong opponent, and taking down their walls wasn't easy. Soldiers, warriors, mages and many more were putting in all they could, fighting their way through the strongest slaves their empire had put on their front lines. It was clear that the Dragon Orcs weren't utilising their full power and holding back. When one of the outer walls finally went down, mutilated and stronger slaves cut through the opposing forces as if they were nothing. Vaal Ikaros and his elemental soldiers gained the upper hand by transforming into their stronger, monstrous versions, being able to take down these brainwashed workers in the very same fashion. When the fight slowly turned into their favour, taking down the inner walls of the empire, the Dragon Orcs pulled their trump card. Destroying the giant castle walls, in its debris and ashes, a ginormous, crimson red elemental demon revealed itself. Standing at roughly 15 feet, fierce red eyes bore through everyone on the battlefield, judging them as if they were nothing but mere pests. Vaal Ikaros was speechless.

That was his son.

Immediately fuelled by anger, Vaal Ikaros cut through Dragon Orcs and their slaves alike in a fit of pure rage. He refused to fight their trump card, in absolutely no way would he endanger his very own son he hadn't seen in seemingly forever. He ordered his troops to stand down from engaging the crimson monster, but no one listened. Screams and war cries filled his ears from all around him, this was obviously the big bad final boss the dragon orcs had prepared. Surely, the war had to be won if they took down this hazard. As a mutated Narukesh, with his mind long gone, cut through the Dragon Orcs' enemies, Vaal Ikaros grew more and more anxious. His son had been utilised and weaponised by an empire he'd barely engaged with, and listened to them without hesitation. The more allies Narukesh shot down with ease, the more the tides turned again. Vaal Ikaros had to make a choice quickly, and that was whether to battle his son himself, or let his comrades die.

With a loud, deafening voice, Vaal Ikaros caught the attention of the crimson demon by screaming his name. It felt like eternal torture to see no resemblance of his former son in the monster's eyes. Wanting no other casualties but himself falling to Narukesh, the emperor challenged him to a duel. All the screaming and fighting of soldiers became background noise, as Vaal Ikaros stroke a powerful slash across his own son's chest. Within seconds, Vaal Ikaros was thrown back by force without effort, as if he were a puppet to toy with. In order to properly win this war, Vaal Ikaros realised soon enough just a battle wasn't enough.

The emperor put in everything he had in each slash, punch and hit he could land, forcing himself to forget about the fact it was his son. Narukesh was long gone. Narukesh was long gone. Narukesh was long gone. Constantly repeating those thoughts in his mind, Vaal Ikaros made his enemy bleed, ignoring everything else that was going on around him. Despite considerably being smaller, Vaal Ikaros gained the upper hand by making use of his tactics. It was apparent Narukesh had not fought anything in his time of capture, as he was flailing around like an angry monster rather than a skilled soldier. His mind was long gone, not to be recovered. For the safety of his allies, his family, and even himself, the following was clear- With a final, strong slash piercing through Narukesh' heart, the monster fell by his father's own hands. It was for the better that way.

The Dragon Orcs seemingly defeated, Vaal Ikaros and his allies basked in their victory as they finally surrendered. Letting down their guard, however, was the wrong idea. Infuriated that their most powerful force was defeated, the High Kaiser Yaijinra showed up. Watching from behind the lines, Yaijinra clearly underestimated the opposing force. The elemental emperor was clearly beat down from the duel against his son, but now he was in for a real one. Yaijinra truly stood at the top of the Dragon Orcs, infused with demon's blood he was truly a sight to behold. And there was bloodlust behind those red eyes of his.

The elemental emperor and the High Kaiser fought one-on-one for approximately two days straight. Despite the High Kaiser's mutterings that Narukesh willingly came to them to make a deal, Vaal refused to listen to any of it. There was no way his very own son could sabotage himself like this. Blow after blow, the two rulers were left to their own devices as outsiders helped their forces get back on their feet. It was as if the two had an entire battleground to themselves, with no one to disturb them during those 48 hours. However, when it seemed either side wouldn't win, Yaijinra and Vaal Ikaros were forced to come to a truce. After all, Vaal Ikaros got what he wanted. His son Narukesh was now at peace, even if the ones behind it were still alive. While the Dragon Orcs were one of the most crucial cogs within the economy, losing Narukesh meant that they no longer could work at the same efficiency. On top of that, Yaijinra and his fellow Demon Orcs couldn't feed from his blood anymore for demonic power.

With many losses on both sides, the elementals and the Dragon Orcs reluctantly shook hands and went their own ways. Upon return to his home, the elemental empire celebrated and mourned with him. An official funeral was held for the lost royal son, who'd finally returned in the shape of ashes. The empire cut off their few trade deals, and all contact had then officially ceased with the Dragon Orcs. The emperor was frankly utterly broken from the conclusion of his son's disappearance, but at last he had the closure needed to move past it now.

A few months after the siege, Vaal Ikaros was beyond tears when Empress Mono and their daughter Liadawnes returned. A tearful, yet happy and much needed reunion made the family bond again after all those years, and finally they could support one another to mourn. The chapter on the lost royal son was closed once and for all. Slowly, but surely, Vaal Ikaros eventually returned to his former peak of being an emperor. His passion for his family, his citizens and his empire would return soon enough- And the same would go for his wife and daughter. It was as if the empire started to heal as a whole and restore itself to glory. The love for their home had returned, and Vaal Ikaros didn't want it to be diminished ever again.