Nova Peak It's like an apple of temptation

The question gave him pause. He stiffened noticeably. Looking out from the ledge, he watched the clouds roll over the moon. The light upon Takiyok dimmed then, and Taikon took a moment to lay down in a regal sphinx position. After a long breath out, he followed the silence with words.
It's a good thing, he said, swallowing what felt like a rough stone. It made an audible sound — his tongue felt dry and the cold air through his nose wasn't helping. Taikon knew that she wanted more, but he had to be careful to step around the hardest parts of his story. They were wounds that were still too painful to open. It was quite possible they always would be. He had never spoken about it, not even to women like Lunaria whom he'd cried his heart out to.
We didn't see eye to eye, he said, though he knew he had told her that when they had first met. My mother was a bit of a monster. Well, actually that's putting it mildly. She brought war to many packs. She swallowed them and turned their sons and daughters into slaves, or plebeians if they were lucky, he explained, unable to look at her through it. What Taikon did not mention was that he had been brought up as a prince, and as such he had long enjoyed the comforts and luxuries of his royal position. That meant he had been a part of her vicious system, regardless of who had invented it.
In fact, his mother had been one of a long line of Farukan Queens and Kings that followed such a pattern. Taikon had broken the cycle, but he was certain that she or a chosen heir was still doing the same fascist bullshit. It created a lot of suffering. He was one of those who suffered, but he knew there were many others who had lost more than he had. Entire families had been wiped from the earth, all for the sake of power and a facade of knowledge-seeking values.