THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS

A Passionate Aberrance

 Chapter XVIIII

“What?” the squire reported the latest predicament the kingdom of Qionar is facing right before the opening of the tournament

 “Yes your majesty, the Old Eolk was abducted by an Andal beast” Everyone in the room including the Queen was distressed by the news, but the squire seems unbothered and confuse on why would they be surprise when the former king was left alone on his quarters with very few soldiers to guard him. In fact, in most days, there were no soldiers guarding him. He was never treated like a royalty after the death of the previous Queen. the squire thought that the former king's a*******n is irrelevant and a relief for the kingdom's sinking reputation.  

The Andal is controlled by the kingdom of Shuixron. It is located across the southern seas. But for the one’s who’s aware of it, despite  the vast distance of these people from Shuixron—from its history itself—the people of Andal are heavily bigoted to their Prince. Their demonic prince, whom they see as their god. 

The Queen knows these people are also looking for the scroll. And perhaps because of her thoughtless announcement, she put her father’s life in danger. If only her sister is still alive, how will she handle this glitches? The Queen stroke her head with her hand shaking from the chaos she have created. She mirrored herself with her hands; still trembling. She can’t be in her right mind, and what is going on with her must be that demon child’s fault “How did they? A traitor?” the queen yelled and shivered back to her chair. The squire felt uncomfortable with all the Queen’s surprising reactions. He remained standing at the corner and reserved himself from speaking. He can only think the queen is her father’s daughter, and it is natural for her to be unnatural as well.

There is no doubt that Lamon did all the betrayal. He is from the kingdom of Shuixron. He must’ve been signaled the Dhouels of Andal to support his mission. But then, why didn’t he direct the matters to their main kingdom, what is his purpose? 

“Andal, the place of the rotten demons, filled with anguish and condemnation, yes! they are no monsters, they are demons, demons who serves their demon god” the queen feared to encounter these monsters of Andal. for they are ruthless and barbaric. These people are the ones who helped the Elves defeat the Esel’s Gathoms. Who fought against king Ostheo hundred years ago. They are powerful, yet, just like the kingdom of Shuixron hundred years ago, they stand no chance against these Gathoms if they were to fight alone.

They believe their god will once again be awaken from his sleep. They kept the soul of their god’s offspring and introduced it to the elves, but they refused to accept it, they broke their covenant. The Elves believe that with the scroll on their hand they are invincible, but these people they betrayed seek revenge. They manipulated the king of Shuixron and give the offspring to him. the Prince of Shuixron is the evil offspring whom the Dhouels believe to bring them justice and rule the entire world.  

Across the ocean due south, where the Dhouels resides; beneath the earth where the fire dwells, the lurking lava and the endless heat of Andal is what keeps this people alive. Their leader in a black cloaked stands on the centre Isle of this red cave gives  order to his followers. The ugly beasts carrying heavy  weapons made from huge bones and wrought metals. A small goblin with a swelling stomach appeared before his leader “what is it?” says the man in the black coat gnashing his teeth to the small goblin who’s been frightfully humbling himself to him 

“I bring to you the keeper of the scroll” said he with the sound of thudding excitement 

“Oh, where is he?” the man changed his mood after hearing the better news. The guards drag the old man into the ground nearly burned his hair to the blistering lava

 “Is he the man?” the leader said while examining the old man’s troubled face

 “who are you?” he is trembling yet he must not show any trace of fear for that is what these monsters are looking for. The man whose face is hiding inside his hood laughed, echoing all over the entire cave, while the others tried to imitate him

 “Who am I? Have you considered your actions distresses the king? Our king, the king of the world” he raised his voice with his hand as he paused “You stole the scroll from them using the guilt of that king Theodoro of Shuixron from his queen’s death” say’s the faceless man rigidly “You have no right to commence a tournament for the scroll does not belong  to you”----“nor you” the old man reclaimed “you stole it too. The Gathoms are the ones who owned it from the very beginning, your ancestors stole it from them as well” 

The faceless man stepped back “My ancestor? Huh! How foolish. It is I myself” the man revealed himself to the old Eolk. Startled as he is when the man’s appearance was brought  into light

 “How? How is it possible? Ligayun?” the chief of the tribe of the last Gathom is the reason of the annihilation of his race 

“How? Well I am immortal! I tried to run away from my bounds and engaged with the humans” the man began regathering his past in various confounding expressions “I fell in love and had families, but my wife found out my secret. And I had to kill her” he stopped and grin stupidly and then began again, but this time he became serious

 “I took the Gathom boy and race him to lessen my guilt, but I only made it worst. And my bounds haunted me for years. I gave my position to Arman and continued my true purpose, the purpose of bringing back the true ruler” Ligayun suddenly changed his expression again from a proud face to an emotional realization, and shed tears while seem recollecting another memory  

“I killed my wife” he repeated in a whisper. He turn around to calm himself but he couldn’t “I never wished to, my daughter Gayunhumay, I offered her blood to the prince, I did it, I covered my hands with her blood and her husband Arman. He tried to stop me, but, who is he to stand against the king's revival ? He maybe is a Gathom, but he tried to stop the king’s revival. He has no idea what he was doing, who he is and his purpose. The king  is his longed one” the old Eolk saw vulnerability and madness inside Ligayun’s words 

“The prince’s true nature is concealed by the symbols written on the scroll” Li gayun turned back at him “The Ascans concealed our king’s true power inside the scroll. Before our king vanished, he used the same pattern to transmit his soul into the shard of life. For that, his future is safe and someday retrieve what has been taken from him” Ligayun added “I am no enemy, only I have to do what I ought to, perhaps I could die if my mission is done. He might grant me my wish to die in his hands” the old Eolk bends his knees on disbelief, all the things he believed in was wrong. The Scroll is not for the Gathoms to protect the Ascans, but to hide it from the Dhouels, the race who conquered the world hundred years ago. The people who  silenced their existence inside the Andal abiding for their king’s return 

“I don’t have the scroll, I lost it” the old man said regretting, Ligayun grabbed him and glared at him with a probing rage. Has this man lost his mind? How could he lost the scroll? Or another feint “Are you making fun of me? There is no way you’d lose the scroll, that would end up your very own life, lying can’t help you survive” but the old man is certain, he lost it and doesn't  know why or how. He suspected Quamran mistook it with the other scroll

 “I was preparing for the tournament, I took the scroll out of the chest and my daughter Ainhelier summoned me, when I came back the scroll is gone” say’s the old Eolk “who would took it then?” Ligayun’s final inquiry gave the old Eolk surprising Idea “Quamran, he is my apprentice, other than the queen he is the only one that could possibly took the scroll” the old man added “Quamran?”----“yes, he is a soldier from your tribe, he is with your grandson Lamon” Ligayun perceived that his people is isolating and so are his grandchildren “My grandson is in Qionar? Then where is Arayan?” how could he still be concern about the safety of his family, he lost his daughter because of him, the old Eolk is confused weather which side of him is real.

It was a very long time ago, after running away from the Dhouel. Ligayun lost his way into a forest. That time as well is the journey of a native captives from the northern part of the world to Antana, a small community ruled by a lord. These captives were being tied up aligned on a single thick rope pulled by a wagon. Ligayun happened to stumble upon them and saved them from their cruel fate. He was mocked by the soldiers and beat him until they exhausted. And due of his Immortality, his body remained unharmed. The soldiers cannot believe what they saw, a man with a very strong body. Ligayun took his chance and bout back until he defeated all the armed soldiers, and freed the captives. But since they have nowhere else to go, Ligayun decided to live with them and tried to find home for them, and so they became nomads for years.