He could already imagine the empty room. “There is nothing there! No one is waiting for me there! She left me. She abandoned me again. She was the only person who ever wanted me and she threw me away too! She’d left me to die. She’d left me to fend off the wolves. I don’t want to die alone, Nala. Please save me. Save me like you did before. Please want me again. Mother, father, please don’t leave me here to die! I don’t need to eat. Please, at least let me die in your arms. It’s cold and I’m frightened. Nala… save me, Nala!”
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Quick summon the physician! His Majesty has collapsed!”
Ethereal pale green eyes like morning dew on young spring leaves. He wanted to be lost in them again. Platinum hair like newly spun spider silk. He wanted to taint every strand with his scent again. The gods only needed to name a price.
The three of them were surrounded as soon as they stepped foot into the Palace of the Southern Kingdom. Those fakes possessed the same physical aptitude as a full-fledged demon, so it was no wonder that their senses were just as keen. They were outnumbered, but they were no ordinary demons. Those fakes could also sense that as well.
The atmosphere was dense with animosity.
“What an unpleasant surprise.” The one with golden blond hair, known as Rain, stepped forward. “If you want to destroy this palace too, then by all means feel free. It does not belong to us.”
Nala circled him. “If memory serves, you were the one who kidnapped me. Well, are you prepared to face the consequences?”
“I sense something different about you,” Rain said. “Have you regained your lost memories, little one?”
“I’ve regained more than just my memories.” She created a ball of energy in the palm of her hand and then let it roll on the back of her fingers and around. “If you are gentlemen about it and apologize to me, I may show mercy and let you live.”
“Is that what this is about?” He mockingly laughed. “It doesn’t matter if they are humans or demons… women are petty creatures by nature.”
The male demons laughed at the joke, much to the disdain of the females. She glared at Noctiam to quiet him.
“But it is so true, Nala,” Noctiam said between laughs.
She directed the energy ball toward him instead of the enemies. He leaped out of the way before it tore him into shreds. The energy ball created a large hole on the ground where he stood moments ago.
“Impressive,” Rain praised with a handclap. “…and you were not even trying. I am curious as to what you are capable of.”
“She lacks training and experiences. It will be a long while until she can reach her full potential.” Trent stepped forward and removed the thin layer of white gloves from his hands. “I will be taking over now and I will not disappoint.”
The other demons unconsciously took one step back. They already knew what he was capable of.
“Let your ‘Queen’ know that we have arrived. I will make it quick for her so that there will be no suffering.”
“You should have consulted me before you made that promise, Trent.” Nala sighed. “You take the fun out of everything.”
Noctiam placed his hands on her frail shoulders. “How about we resurrect her afterward, so you can kill her again?”
“I like the idea.” Nala smiled mischievously. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”
The demons grudged the conversation.
“Is Lilan too frightened to face us?” Nala teased.
“Why would I be frightened of the likes of you?” The raven-hair beauty emerged from a summoning circle. “I have been listening and I daresay I do not like it very much.”
“My prince, would it be possible to hold this off another night?” Noctiam asked politely. “I think I’ve taken a liking to Snow White.”
The raven-hair beauty sent a flirtatious wink at Noctiam.
“It’s not very gentlemanlike to kill women you’ve slept with,” Trent reminded.
“That’s a no, then?” Noctiam summoned his weapon, a long saber, into his right hand. “I’m sorry, darling. My master said no. That means your life ends now!”
Noctiam launched his attack at the raven-hair beauty, but his attack was intercepted by Rain. The demons in the surrounding charged at her and Trent. Their attack failed when Trent cast a protection shield around their radius. They suffered recoil damage from the protection spell and were knocked back several meters.
Trent summoned his own weapon; a sword passed down to him by their father – Ragnarok. He had his own soul weapon, but why should he try to replace perfection. It is one of the two weapons in existence that could shatter a demon’s core. Their father left it to Trent before he entered his slumber with a hidden intention.
“Ragnarok?” Lilan gasped. “It cannot be real!”
Nala stared at the weapon with admiration. “You must let me borrow Ragnarok sometimes.”
“You would drool all over it.”
She was speechless for a moment knowing it was true. “Turn it into a bow! Please I want to see it in bow form! Please!” She begged.
As she requested, the sword obeyed and switched into its bow form. Trent fitted an arrow into the string and aimed it at the raven-hair beauty.
“No!” Lilan screamed out. “No, don’t let it hit me!”
Upon letting the arrow fly, one of Lilan’s lackeys shielded her with his body. Lilan looked scared to death, until she saw the arrow being lodged inside his flesh.
Lilan began to laugh. “It’s not real…” Her face became ghostly pale when her lackey crumbled into a pile of ashes.
Trent fitted another arrow into his bow.
“Please wait!” Lilan immediately bowed her head to the ground. “Please spare my life!”
Her demons stood dumbfounded by the act.
Trent lowered his bow.
“Soft-hearted as always,” Nala remarked. “Mother’s blood bested you, Trent.”
“How did you come to possess the soul weapon of our lord?” Rain traced away from Noctiam’s attack. His calm composure was gone. “You must have stolen it!”
“And now they accuse us of thieving our father’s weapon.” Nala rolled her eyes.
“Your father?” Rain turned around to Lilan who was still cowering on the ground. The demons in the hallway followed Rain’s gaze.
Noctiam returned to Nala’s side. “I’m a bit confused on the progress. Are we still fighting them?”
“They’ve learned their lesson, Noctiam.” Trent said and then walked away. “I can’t kill a woman who is begging on her knees.”
“I suddenly feel like I’ve just wasted my time,” Nala agreed with him. “If you are going to pose as Lucifer’s daughter, at least hold it out until the very end.”
“Who are you people?” Rain returned his focus on them. “Please, I must know!”
“It doesn’t matter who we are.” Nala said. “But it is best to stay out of our way from now on.”
“That’s it?” Noctiam followed. “You call that revenge, my prince? I have never seen a weaker attempt. You might as well wear a skirt and let me propose to you.”
“You’re poking a sleeping bear, Noctiam,” Nala warned. “Have you ever seen him in full rage? Even I trembled.”
“It’s fine as long as I don’t push his last button…and I know where it is.”
“Suit yourself.” Nala shrugged her shoulders.
“Wait!” Rain called out, desperate for an answer. “Are you…”
Noctiam slightly turned back. “Don’t you want a group of followers, Nala?”
“Been there. Done that. Not interested.”
“Not even a little?”
“Now, if I were a coward of a king, where would I hide?” Nala pondered and then slowly shook her head. “I cannot put myself in his shoes, no matter how hard I tried. We just have to flip this entire palace over to see which corner he has crawled off to.”
It was the second time walking through the palace with this unsettling atmosph
ere. The eyes on her were not quite hostile, but they were not friendly either. The servants were trying to act calm, but their subtle, jittery movements told her that there was something very wrong going on. The chaotic expressions on their faces contradicted their orderly behavior.
“Where is His Majesty?” Nala asked a female servant standing by the side of the hallway with her head bowed low.
“His Majesty…His Majesty…” The girl struggled to find the beginning of the sentence. “His Majesty has departed for battle, my lady.”
“Are we being attacked?”
“On the day the wedding was supposed to take place, the Southern Kingdom mobilized the army across the border. That’s where His Majesty…”
“That was four days ago…”
“My lady, we are very worried. His Majesty would not listen to the physician’s advice and left for battle in his condition.”
“What condition?” Nala hurriedly asked.
“His Majesty collapsed and was running a high fever. We tried to stop him, but that was an impossible task!”
Nala troublesomely sighed. “That boy…”
She should have been more discreet about her powers, but she was in no mood to waste time finding a place where she could dematerialize. The servants screamed out in surprise when she suddenly disappeared from their sight.
She reappeared in the middle of the battlefield and amongst an ongoing battle. Sayan’s scent was difficult to find amongst the thick haze of blood and sweat, but she was sure he was close by. The loud noises of weapons clanging against one another, cutting through the flesh, and the agonizing screams amidst the high spirited battle cries distracted her senses from finding him. A soldier rammed his sword at her, but she stalked pass him.
Fai, where are you?
She turned her head to the east when the beast leaped out into the air and landed in front of her. His large paws pinned down two soldiers upon his landing.
“Where is Sayan?” She asked the beast.
I’ve lost him, master. He fell off my back a while ago and I cannot find him.
The beast roared at the soldiers planning on attacking him and then they cowered away.
“Sayan!” She screamed out his name, but her voice was drowned out by numerous of other noises. “Sayan!”
There is a high possibility that he is already dead, master.
“Be quiet!” She shouted at the beast. He drew back and whimpered. “Sayan! Sayan! Where are you, Sayan?” She was wasting her efforts in vain and she knew it. Fai trailed behind her to protect her from being assaulted.
“Human lives are just too fragile! If only I had sealed the blood contract!” She muttered. The thought of finding his corpse trampled on the ground and beyond the point of identifiable set a fire beneath her. She didn’t want to lose him. She couldn’t lose him.
“Sayan!” She cried out his name as she ran through the battlefield. Never in her life could she imagine sounding so weak and vulnerable without intending to. “Sayan! Answer me!”
She heard her name being called. Her head frantically scanned her surroundings. She froze when she caught a glimpse of him still standing in the distance. Obelisk still faithfully protected him from his enemies. The aching inside her chest was appeased when their eyes met, but another overwhelming feeling took its place. She set off toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and the momentum of her leap forced the both of them to fall to the ground. She had gotten them both to safety.
Sayan looked up at her with a still expression, as though he could not grasp the reality of what just happened. Heavy teardrops fell onto his cheeks and broke away his doubt.
He reached for her and pulled her down against his chest. His lips repeatedly apologized in very soft whisper. She puzzlingly stared at him when he slowly pushed her back and wiggled away.
“I…I’m covered in blood…”
She found it delightful that this boy still believed her to be pure. His image of her had not been altered in the least. She leaned forward and initiated a kiss and he welcomed her with a fierce kiss of his own. He turned them over so that she would be the one laying on the soft bed of grass.
He pulled away. “Don’t seduce me now. I have to get back to battle. My men are…”
“I have the Southern King and the Eastern Princess hostage,” she said quickly to dissolve any thoughts he may have about returning to battle.
“How? He is protected by Lilan.”
“It was rather easy with Trent’s help.”
“I see,” he said in a disappointed tone. “Will you be leaving with him as soon as you fulfill your promise?”
“Perhaps,” she teased, but he didn’t catch the playfulness in her voice. His expression slumped.
“I know you love him, Nala. I know that he can make you happy, but…” He trapped her in a tight embrace. “I need you. I just can’t let you go.”
“Why do you need me?”
“Must you make me say it?”
“That’s not necessary. Need me or not, I have already decided to be by your side until you grow old and until your body ceases to function. After you die, I will watch over your grave. That is my promise to you.”
“You’re stripping me of the pleasure of growing old with you.”
“I am not human, Sayan. The way you see me now is how I will remain for all time. There is always the other option. My offer stands.”
“Let me prove my sincerity to you a little longer. Ask me again in ten years.”
“You fear immortality more than you fear death?”
“If I live long enough, there will be a day when you will walk away from me. I can guarantee that you will not be bored of me in a lifetime, but I do not have the confidence of longer than that.”
“Will you still love me?”
“I will always love you.”
“Well then, we still have a war to end. I think you will be a good king.”
He released her. “I have no interest in being a king, nor am I made out to be one,” he confessed. “For nine long years, the battlefield has been my second home. I have had enough adventures and I have seen enough bloodshed. I cannot say that the end justifies the means, because I know I have caused my people far too much grief. I will find a man who is worthy enough to burden the hope of the people. As for myself, I want a peaceful and quiet life with you and the children we will have. I want to live near the ocean, and like words written on the sand, the waves of time will eventually wash away everything about my past. No one will remember my name. That is how I want to live the rest of my life. Will you still have an ordinary man like me?”
“Are you testing me, Sayan?” She asked curiously. “The moment you hand your power over to another, is the moment they will have you dead. I think you know that as well.”
A knowing smile appeared on his face.
“Dreams are just dreams, I supposed.” He sighed and then got up on his feet. “I was hoping you would say you would have me no matter if I were a beggar or a king.”
“I am not a romantic.” She took his hand and he pulled her up. “Do you want your wife to continue to be a traveling dancer?”
“You would just be provoking me to kill.”
“Ah yes, jealousy is the passion fruit of mankind.”
“A little too bitter for my taste.”
“Well, I think it’s sweet. Anyhow, we have wasted enough time. Phasia is only a day away from being whole again. Procrastination is poison when time is of the essence.”
Epilogue
“Have I ever mentioned that I am not very fond of high places?”
Nala inched closer to Sayan’s side on the palace’s balcony, overlooking the crowd below. His left arm wrapped around her dainty waist and pulled her even closer. His other arm waved to the cheering crowds below. She was small, but perfectly proportioned. The smooth silk of her wedding gown stuck to her frame and emphasized the curves of her body.
“It appears that you have won over the hearts of your peo
ple, Sayan.”
“It seems so for now, but the hearts of the people are very fickle. Smile to your people, my queen,” he said and then purposely flashed a dashing smile at her. “You wouldn’t want them to spread rumors that this tyrant king forces you into marriage.”
“It wouldn’t really be a rumor, Your Majesty.”
“Sayan,” he corrected her. “And you promised that you would stay by my side, yet it took me three full months of persuasion to get us here. Smile, Nala.”
“I like the way you persuade me.”
He grated, “I am certain that there is still much persuasion to be done.”
Their eyes locked together in a flirtatious gaze.
“There is still one thing stuck in the back of my mind.” Sayan curled his lips, slightly frowning. “What motivates you to save a starving child in the forest?”
Her eyelashes curtained over her pale green eyes. Reluctantly, she looked up again. “Compassion?” she replied silkily.
“Nala,” he warned.
She heaved a long sigh. “I never told you how I died, did I?”
He blinked, indicating his answer.
“My story began with my father, the archangel Lucifer – Sovereign of Hell. His magnificent arrogance, his otherworldly ruthlessness, and his overbearing pride rivaled that of a god! And he fell in love with a mortal woman. I mean, he was really in love with her. Fate has a way of sticking it to him.” She wittily laughed. “Lucifer’s subjects opposed to the union and devised a number of plots to separate them.”
“They opposed because she was a mortal woman?”
“Partly,” Nala nodded, “but primarily because they were jealous.”
“Jealous?”
“We simply exist and we exist for very long. We needed a purpose to keep us sane. Serving Lucifer was the only purpose of their existence.”
“If that is so, shouldn’t they be happy for him?”
“But my mother was a mortal woman. Mortal dies and very easily, I might add.”
He understood. “The blood pact?”
“You are brilliant!” Her compliment delighted him.