Forbidden

Chapter Two

Ashlem's eyes gleamed with intensity as Kayl materialized before him. "Kayl my trusted Shadow."

"You're exalted!" Kayl bowed his head, "are you considering what the keeper had said?" He asked, earning a slight nod from Ashlem, his brow arched up at alert, "You should know that the keeper is full of deceits and sly tricks; he speaks no truth."

Ashlem stood up from his position and walked to the edge of the tower, his eyes traveling down to the unending pit.

Smoke mixed with wails of agony puffed up from the underworld. Hellions with fiery and thorny whips led thousands of souls to the fiery pit.

A mournful serenade of sorrowful cries of the damned resonates through the shadows of hell, weaving a somber Harmony in the darkness.

The past years he had spent looking at the faces of each of the thousands of souls been led to hell, but none was her; she wasn't led down to hell; his fears were coming true.

Kayl noticed Ashlem's worries and came to stand behind him, he had been Ashlem's Shadow for ages and could feel his master's pain as though they were his,

"She is not down there," Kayl spoke up, "her body perished the moment she bore your seed, but her soul has remained missing ever since. The keeper might be right."

Ashlem shut his eyes tight, the pain breaking down the walls of his heart, waking the guilt he has buried deep. He couldn't even protect the woman he loved. It was his fault, if he had not met her and made her bore his child, she would be alive and happily married to a human. He sucked up the pain that had become visible.

Ashlem faced kayl, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Go down to earth. Lucifer will stop at nothing to claim the child, we never know what his next tricks might be. You must use the secret gateway and find a vessel you can possess on Earth to protect the child."

Kayl bowed, his expression turned grim. "Although I can access the earth, there is the matter of our kind limitations on Earth."

In the order of hell, a demon sent on an assignment can last for a specific number of days. After the deadline, such a demon will dissipate into dust.

Ashlem's jaw clenched. "Yes, I know. That's why I have thought of a solution. You must obtain Lucifer's energy. He is the only one who can roam around the earth with or without possessing a body for as long as he desires."

Kayl's eyes widened. "Lucifer doesn't trust anyone enough to share his power."

Ashlem's gaze turned cold, calculated. "Find a way to get it, the child's life depends on it."

Kayl's mind racing, he recalled a crucial detail. "Lucifer's shadow Xaren, he was banned to earth wasn't he?"

Ashlem's eyebrow arched. "Yes, what of it?"

Kayl's voice took on a determined edge. "If Xaren was once Lucifer's right hand, and if he is still surviving on Earth, he may still carry his Master's energy, I can track him down and extract what we need."

Ashlem's face twisted into a mix of desperation and urgency. "Do it, kayl. Time is running out; you are my only hope."

Kayl's resolve hardened. "I won't fail your exalted, but if Lucifer discovers our plan..."

Ashlem's eyes flashed with a warning. "Don't even think it, Lucifer mustn't know. For the child's sake, kayl, you must succeed."

"Yes, Master." Kayl bowed and retraced back his steps before vanishing into the shadow

Kayl arrived on Earth. Deep inside the forest, the woods seemed to grow darker, as if the very trees themselves were twisted and corrupted. Kayl navigated through the dense underbrush, his senses guiding him toward Xaren's hiding place. The air thickened with malevolent energy, like a palpable shroud. A crooked, ancient tree loomed before him, its branches grasping toward the sky like skeletal fingers. The cave's entrance, hidden behind the tree's trunk, yawned open like a mouth of darkness.

Kayl stepped into the cave, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. The air inside reeked of damp earth, decay, and something metallic – blood. The walls seemed to press in, adorned with twisted, organic-looking formations that resembled grasping hands. A faint, eerie glow emanated from luminescent mushrooms, casting flickering shadows.

The cave's interior was a labyrinth of twisted tunnels and narrow chambers. Kayl navigated the winding passages, his footsteps echoing off the damp stone. He sensed Xaren's presence,

As Kayl turned a corner, he entered a larger chamber. Xaren, Lucifer's former shadow, slumped against the far wall, shrouded in shadows. The air around him reeked of desperation.

Xaren's once-imposing form now appeared gaunt, his skin sallow and dry. His eyes, once burning with Lucifer's energy, had dulled to a faint ember. Kayl detected the faint scent of human blood on Xaren's breath.

"Could the heavens have provided me with my next meal?" Xaren croaked, his voice barely audible.

As Kayl approached him closely, his brow arched with confusion and a mix of disappointment.

"You are not human. Other beings were banned from accessing the Earth."

He drew closer to Kayl, sniffing the air around him. "Kayl... You are kayl." He left out a resounding laughter.

Kayl smirked widely. "Are you disappointed?"

Xaren staggered back. "You raised my hope for nothing. I have been here expecting the next meal that will willingly walk in here."

Kayl's eyes traveled around the cave; humans' skulls were scattered around. "I thought you would be living better than this."

"What are you doing here?" Xaren asked, getting bored.

Kayl approached cautiously. "Xaren, I've come seeking Lucifer's energy. Ashlem's daughter needs protection."

Xaren's gaze drifted, his eyes clouding. "Gone... it's gone. Lucifer's energy, I mean. I've been... surviving on human blood."

Kayl's expression turned grim. "How did this happen?"

Xaren's laughter was a dry, mirthless sound. "Lucifer's wrath... I was cast out, left to wither. No energy, no power... just this." He raised his wrist, revealing the faint, gruesome scars of bloodletting.

Kayl's eyes grew darker; in a moment, he was standing before Xaren; he held him up by the neck so that his feet were not touching the ground.

Xaren cackled revealing his colored jagged teeth. "You are so full of energy and strength, it takes me back to the good old days when I used to be this strong. But I doubt if you would last till the next full moon. If you can't find the keeper's energy before the next full moon, your fate will be sealed, far worse than mine."

Kayl let go of his neck and dropped him roughly on the cold ground, "I rather dissipate into thin air than leave like a monster. I must find the keeper's energy, I have to protect Ashlem's daughter." He paced about.

Xaren gasped and curled back. "A woman, his child is a woman." He paused and stared blankly at Kayl, and continued, "Women are a curse to us. Do not take on that mission, or else you will be cursed by her. Trapped by her enchanted eyes and lost to her swinging body."

Kayl laughed at Xaren amusingly. "So, that is what happened? You are put in this condition because you lusted after a woman."

"That is none of your business." Xaren snapped.

Kayl retreated and started leaving. "I should have known coming here was a waste of time." He mumbled.

"I have an information worthwhile than what you are looking for." Xaren spatted.

Kayl stopped on his. Track and slowly turn around. "What did you say"

Seeing that he had gotten Kayl's attention, Karen repeated. "I know where the keeper's energy lies."

Kayl desperately marched towards him. "Tell me where that is, right now!" He growled.

Xaren picked a stone and started scribbling meaninglessly on the wall. "The keeper had always been interested in gaining power; wasn't that why he was cast down to hell? Where, then, do you think his energy might be?"

Kayl stepped back, his mind trying to add up the puzzles, but he couldn't think of a possible place. The keeper was the one to roam around every corner of the earth. Finding his energy on Earth is like looking for a pin in a haystack.

Xaren enjoyed the confusion on kayl's face that he laughed crookedly. "Where is the keeper's energy, should I tell him or not!? Where might it be, should I tell him or not?" He chanted loudly while scribbling hurriedly.

Kayl had grown impatient with the crazy thing before him. It wouldn't take him anything to have his head rolling on the floor, but he was merely controlling himself.

In one swift motion, he held Xaren up by the neck like a weightless object, his blistered feet dangling in the air. "I believe you have lived long enough, should I just end it here for you?"

Xaren choked on his breath. He tapped Kayl's hand repeatedly to let him go.

Kayl threw him down haggardly. "Quit playing pranks with me; you blood-sucking mosquito. I'm not the patient type." He warned sternly.

Xaren coughed hard while gasping for air. "If you need my help, shouldn't you learn to be nice to me?"

Kayl brought down his voice, trying to sound as calm as possible. "What do you want?" He asked.

Xaren crawled to kayl with desperation. "Blood!" He said. "I need blood. I have been starving for weeks. My strengths are failing me; humans hardly come by this way." He said, with visible hunger.

Kayl smirked and looked down on xaren with an intimidating gaze. "Shouldn't you hunt for your food?"

"The sun has become my enemy. I have been confined to this cold, damped forest for a long time, and I have forgotten my way back to town." He tried to sound as pathetic as possible.

Kayl bent to his level, "I can help you, much more than you think, but it all depends on how useful you can be to me."

Xaren desperately grabbed onto Kayl's arm, like one who has found a savior. "I can do anything. I have all the information you need." He implored with wide pleading eyes.

"Now tell me, where is the keeper's energy?"

Xaren hesitated, but spoke up. "Within the ancient castle's foreboding stones, the keeper's energy slumbers. One of the three princes unwittingly harbors the essence of his dark legacy."