THE ELDERIEN CHRONICLES: Aftermath Of Darkness

Asmodeus

Kevin sat at the end of the pub with a large cup of alcohol placed on the table before him. There were about six extra cups, all empty, and the last one he was drinking from was halfway done. He took a heavy gulp from the cup and muttered something inaudible, making the people inside the pub gaze at him for a moment.

But he did not care.

Kevin continued to drink from the cup and when he was done, he tried to stand, but he was too wasted to do so. He tried again, but then, he fell right back into the seat.

"Hey... Little girl, I need two extra..." He called out to the girl serving him. She was about sixteen, and the look of worry on her face made Kevin uncomfortable.

"What?" He asked her when she stared for too long.

"Perhaps you should take it easy, sir? You have had seven cups already and the day just begun. Why don't you take a little break?" She suggested.

Kevin scoffed when she spoke. How dare she?

"Do you know who I am?" Kevin asked her but she did not answer at first.

"Speak, child! Do you know who I am?" He barked at her again. She whimpered and staggered back, almost hitting a table.

"Y-yes. You are Prince Kevin. General of the Capital's Forces and the greatest swordsman in Court." She responded and he nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I am all of those things. So, why do you refuse to serve me? Don't I pay for the wine I consume? Or do I not pay enough?" He asked her and brought out a sac filled with coins.

The little girl's eyes opened wide when she saw the money. As he threw the money at her, she could not believe her fortune.

"Get me what I want, now!", He barked at her and she quickly bowed.

"Yes, my prince."

She whispered and left.

Kevin groaned as she walked away. How dare she disobey him at first? He scoffed as he waited for the drinks and at the same time, slowly caressed the pendant on a necklace he was holding.

It was Lila's necklace. She wore it the night she died, the night that Savage Mintoval woman killed her. Kevin tried to shut the painful memory out but he could not. It was so evident that he groaned when images from that night flashed before his eyes.

"No... stop!" He whispered as the memory appeared to drag him into its motion. He quickly closed his eyes and tried breathing, taking deep long breaths.

"What the fuck is taking so long?" He called out to the girl. Part of the reason why he needed alcohol was to numb the pain. He did not want to remember that memory, and alcohol helped him with it.

Anytime he did, all he could think of was anger and regret. He wondered if there was something he could have done to save her.. perhaps he could have been faster? better? Perhaps he should have avenged her already.

But there he was, sitting in his anguish. He just watched as the young girl approached him with a cup in her hand. From the look on her face, she was scared of him. But he did not care. All he wished for was to get his drink.

As the girl walked closer, he noticed her staring at something outside the window. Kevin's eyes followed her gaze and he saw that it was snowing. The clouds had turned dark. He scoffed. Maybe the Elderien mages were trying something new.

He quickly took the cup from the girl and proceeded to drink. It did not take long, however, before he passed out.

"Kevin..."

A familiar voice suddenly called to him. It sounded like Lila. Kevin opened his eyes slowly and saw her beautiful face. She smiled at him as he continued to gaze upon her. His heart broke when he saw her face, and all the anger he felt turned into longing.

"Kevin!"

Someone called his name again but it wasn't Lila. He blinked. Standing before him was Miranda and she did not look pleased. Kevin sighed as his sister stood and gazed at him in disgust.

"Is this what you have reduced yourself into? A common drunk? Is this the way you wish to follow?" She asked him. He did not reply. He just groaned. How could Lila disappear so quickly?

"You are needed at court. We have a new problem and we need you to help deal with it." She stated.

"I'm sure Phil can manage. It's why I recommended him." He Said lazily.

"Phil is dead. He was murdered earlier today. Did you not see the snowfall? Or were you here all the time while I nearly died and you were missing?" She asked him in disbelief. She could not understand why her brother had changed so much.

"Alastair is there. Elle is there. I'm sure I wasn't missed..."

"But you were! And right now, I need you to come back to your senses and lead the capital's forces because if you don't, we might all die very soon."

"Maybe that's for the best. Maybe death is the answer. What could life possibly offer?"

Kevin said, and Miranda sighed. She slowly say down on the chair opposite him and looked him in the eye.

"Look, I know how you feel..."

"No, you don't. You do not understand. We were going to build a life together. For the first time, I did not feel so alone. She saw through me, and she loved me. But she was taken from me. Richmond is out there right now probably plotting against you and Damek is nowhere to be found. You should focus on dealing with them instead of a little cold."

"We cannot continue to dwell in the past. We searched for them for an entire year, Kevin but we did not find them. You are not the only one who lost something precious. Lord Henry died before my very eyes and that hurt."

"But you did not lose Alastair. It's unfair for you to compare your situation with mine." Kevin added and Miranda stood up.

"I need the General of the Capital in full capacity and I'm ordering it now. Sober up. You have an army to lead. That's an order.

***

Corvius sat down totally frozen as he meditated. His legs were crossed, and his fingers formed a pyramid in front of him. He remained perfectly still until a soft wind slowly began to blow within the room. 

Corvius took a deep breath as something pulled out of the darkness behind him.

"Elderien was just like you described. The land is fertile and rich. The people are happy, and it disgusts me." Corvius said out loud. Something growled behind him and Corvius opened his eyes.

"What about the mage, Alastair? Did you find him?" Asmodeus asked as he stepped into the spotlight.

"Yes. He is not as powerful as you said. I did sense a lot of energy coming from the little girl, Cara. She seems special." Corvius replied.

"She is. She has the Phoenix inside her, a being of immense powers." Asmodeus responded.

"Will she be a problem?" Corvius asked.

"No. Do not concern yourself with her. Focus on the cube and on Alastair. Do not underestimate him."

Corvius sensed that Asmodeus was lying about Cara, but he was not worried. After all, he had plans of his own. The demon had appeared to him three years ago and offered him power in exchange to become his host.

Corvius agreed, but then, he learned how to draw power from Hades itself. That was when his quest to absorb more energy began. He still made Asmodeus believe that the demon was in control, but in reality, Corvius was holding Asmodeus prisoner and the demon didn't even know it.

Corvius scoffed as the demon returned to the shadows. He was amazed by how foolish Asmodeus was.