How it all burned down

Chapter Three

Althea awoke to the smell of burning.
"Fire! Silas, fire!" She shook her husband awake.
"How the fuck did that happen?" He bit as the pair moved towards the door.
"I don't know!" She followed him out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
"It's always you" He bit as they moved outside. They stood out in the street and looked up at their home. The roof was on fire, correction, the roof was ablaze. Looters ran down the street with armfuls of electronics and food that they had stolen from their neighbours. Then their roof caved in on itself, taking out the second floor.
"Wait, where are the girls?" The pair stood looking up at their burning house as Aria emerged from the flames of the home carrying Kiera in her arms.
"She got burnt by the fire" Aria coughed as Elias took Kiera and examined the burns that now covered her back.
"It's time to call Arthur, he was right about the world coming to an end" Elias looked up at Althea, almost seeing fear appear in her eyes before he turned back to Kiera and her painful sobs.
Their world was burning. It was dying. And only Arthur could save them from its destruction.

Elias moved through the courtyard at Eton college, the rest of the Founders behind him. The world was dying. Rioters and looters were everywhere and it was only getting worse with each passing day. But one thing was clear in all of the madness surrounding them, only Arthur could save them now. Elias and the others moved into their old meeting room where Arthur was stood at the head of the round table.
"Gentlemen" He nodded. 
"The world is dying, just like you said it would" Elias began. 
"I was right and you're all finally realizing that fact" They nodded. 
"Gelia wasn't just a game was it?" Arthur reached under the table and pulled out a rolled long piece of paper. He placed it on the table top and unrolled it, showed them all the blueprints for a large walled city. 
"You made plans" Lucius spoke up. 
"I did more than just plan" Arthur reached under the table and placed the newly taken images onto the table top. 
"You started building Gelia" 
"The world is dying, so I started building our new one. Our world, run by us, for us. I created a better world" Arthur's smile sent a chill throughout the room. 
"What about the laws? What's in place and what isn't?" Elias asked. 
"Everything we decided ten years ago is in place. The Founders will live a life of luxury, you'll get to pick you're wives, we'll get to do what, or who we like" Arthur smirked wickedly again.  
"I get Vienna? And anything else I want?" Elias asked. 
"All you have to do is take it" 

Sixteen years earlier
"The years that you spend here will be the best of your life" Elias sighed as he listened to the headmaster drone on. He and the rest of the boys starting Eton this year were moved into a hall and told to listen to the headmaster. But honestly, everything about him and this place bored Elias. Men bored him. All of them pretending to be something that they weren't, even his own father. He craved excellence, he craved someone who could understand the need to push themselves, to achieve something more. 
After the assembly was over, the boys were shown to their dorms and the boy that they would be sharing their room with. 
"Lucius" He held out his hand for the other boy to shake. 
"Elias" He took his hand and shook it firmly, just like his father had taught him. 
"Making friends already I see" A voice came from the doorway as they boys dropped each others hand. He was tall, his long blonde hair hung over one of his eyes "Lucius, give me and Elias a minute" He brushed the hair away from his eye as Lucius left the room "Arthur" He held his hand out for the boy to shake and he did, firmly. 
"What do you want?" Arthur chuckled lightly. 
"I see your potential, Elias" He moved to sit by the window, his eyes looking down on the world "You were bored this morning, you crave excellence, you crave something more and I want to give it to you" 
"How?" 
"I will teach you. Something about the group of boys this year gives me hope for our future" 
"Our future?" Arthur met his eyes once again. 
"The future of the world is bright Elias, but only if we ensure that it stays that way" 
"I want that. But I'm only twelve" 
"Only" He chuckled "I hate that word. In order to achieve excellence, we must first become excellent ourselves"
"Can you help me with that?" 
"I will help you with that, but we're going to need help" 
"You want me to find the strong ones?" Arthur nodded. 
"The future is ours Elias, all we have to do is take it"