Zeras stood there wide mouth as he sat there dazed a little.
"Sammodra Zean. Do you mean..."
"Yes. Sammodra Zean. While many knew him as the king's adopted child and think it worthy of him to take the throne, none of them knew of the true past of Sammodra." The old man said shaking his head with regret.
It was like looking at a young group of generation who have forgotten their past and diving head-first into the Abyss.
"Do you know young man, that Sammodra Zean isn't an Athlanthean." The old man asked once again shocking Zeras.
"If he's not an Athlanthean, then that that means he's an..." Zeras gasped as he discovered the truth, a truth he never wanted to believe.
"Yes, Sammodra Zean is not an Athlanthean, he is in fact a Skull." The old man said as a matter of factly.
Zeras looked at the old man blankly, his face morphing into other expressions continuously.
"But, I don't understand, why will the king spare an enemy and even adopt him as his own son. It looks kinda..." Zeras said not finishing his sentence. It looks stupid to him, who adopts the child of an enemy.
"Even though King Atlas, was a great man and a powerful King. He did have a single blemish in him and that was his pure kindness towards the young.
Sammodra was found after the end of the battle, with a dead mother and father. He was just born as at that time.
Atlas couldn't bring himself to kill a boy who lost his mother and father. So he decided to raise him believing he could wipe away the urge of the Skulls want for powerful artifacts from him.
A good decision, but unfortunately, fate." The old man said shaking his head.
"The King loved Sammodra as he later accepted him as one of his own, training him to become his successor but as Sammodra grew, so did his urge for powerful things. The Skull's want for powerful treasures is not at all something slowly built in them, it's a deep greedy urge forever etched in their bloodline." The Old Man spat out coldly.
"The things Sammodra saw couldn't longer satisfy his urge and he finally found something that did. And that was Atlas's Golden Trident. It was the same thing that caused the battle with the Skulls in the first place.
How could the king not know of this. But could he bring himself to get rid of the son he raised since young.
Besides, the King sustained injuries during the war and was well aware he wouldn't live long. Something Sammodra also knew, and therefore was waiting patiently for Atlas death so he'll automatically obtain the trident as the next king.
That's why King Atlas created a second rule, which is that only the most powerful Athlanthean can become the next king of Atlantis.
It was a rule with a bleak efforts. Atlas was leaving the owner of the trident to fate. If Sammodra obtained the trident, he'll soon later know of his past and can you guess what he'll do once he learned of his past..." The old man said asking Zeras.
"He'll destroy Atlantis and go out searching for his own race." Zeras answered absent-mindedly.
"Correct."
"But there should be someone who can win him right. Is Sammodra that powerful..."
"Sammodra Zean is probably the most powerful in Atlantis. And should I tell you why?
Atlas raised him as his own son, teaching him the secrets art of the Athlantheans that were mostly unknown. Besides, Sammodra also had the blood of the powerful Skulls running through him.
He's the most perfect combination of two powerful races.
He's very powerful. So powerful I can't think of a match to him.
All the ancient warriors of Atlantis are all dead, the Athlanthean soldiers of this generation are just heedless flies who tried grappling around for anything they might find in the dark.
In short, they're lost..."
Zeras swallowwd as he finally realized just how tough his mission was.
"But I believe there's one that can defeat Sammodra."
"Really?" Zeras asked curiously.
"Did I tell you after King Atlas and Sammodra, one more person survived." The Old Man asked with a smile.
"Yes. The King's Advisor?." Zeras answered.
"The King's Advisor is not an ordinary advisor. In fact, he's the one who grew up with the king, teaching the king the secrets art of Athlantheans and protecting him since young.
In other words, you can say the king's advisor is the king's teacher since birth.
If the king's advisor were to teach another person. Then that person would just be as powerful as King Atlas himself."
Zeras nodded, realization dawning upon him. What the man said was really true. But there was still a flaw.
"Since the king is dead, I believe his Advisor should have also died, right?"
"No his Advisor is not dead, he's very much alive." The old man said with a smile.
"He is? where is he right now?" Zeras asked curiously.
"He is..." The old man said as he turned back to look in Zeras blue eyes, before saying a word that made Zeras almost faint, before suddenly bursting into laughter.