The Realization
Armaloth
“My master, we need your authorization to send a contingent of demons to the outside world. We want to bring more human slaves. The ones that have arrived are not enough. Our clan prefers to feed on human blood, and we can easily overpower them.”
Blooderek, the clan leader, has been here long enough to enrage me just hearing his voice. His demands have increased lately. If it weren't for my queen suggesting this reunion, I'd be somewhere else enjoying her.
They want more humans, and the last lot was quite large. Around a thousand living humans were brought from their world to serve them. The members of this clan enjoy human blood more than demonic blood, but I am beginning to get tired of them. This would never have happened before, but since my queen asked me, I have no choice but to please her. She also asked me to revoke the order to bring the Cerberus back. She thinks it is not necessary, since our reign is powerful enough to contain any entry or exit from my kingdom.
So, I had to give in to that too, and now my court is turning into a circus. Any demon feels entitled to come here and demand whatever comes to mind, like this one in front of me. I need to put an order as soon as possible. The only thing that is stopping me at the moment is my queen.
“No more humans, Clan Leader, you will have to make it with what you have. And I assure you that I will not authorize any more for a while, you may leave.”
The leading clan did not receive my ultimatum very well. His face contorted in fury, but he knew he must stay in control.
“My lord and king, my queen specifically asked me for a new lot of humans. She intends to use them at her convenience. I would not want to fail her. Reconsider your answer, my master, they are only humans. All of them will be used for our benefit.”
“INSOLENT,” I formed a ball of energy and directed it towards him. The demon was hit in the face and was thrown several meters away. I got up from my throne and went towards him, watching him with disgust and disdain. The upper part of his body was disfigured, it will be difficult for him to recover from this.
“GET OUT,” I yelled in his face, making my chamber rumble with the impact of my voice. The demon nodded in acceptance and vanished. I returned to my throne and leaned my head on the back. Waiting for my branches, to wrap around me, but they are different. They no longer curled around my body, and no longer snaked when they saw me.
I know something is wrong since the day my queen touched my hand. But as much as I want to think about something, nothing comes to mind. The only thing I can think of is to stick myself into her, my queen. My number one priority is her. Although sometimes something in the deepest part of my head tells me that she is not the one I should worry about.
All this is confusing me. Sometimes out of nowhere, I see the image of Moriah in my mind. But it disappears just as it came, like a fleeting flash. Another thing is the headaches that I constantly get when I spend a lot of time with my queen. It is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I need her, and on the other, I cannot be with her for long. It is imperative that I find out what is wrong. I cannot discuss this with anyone, especially my queen.
Knowing who I can trust will be difficult since I cannot afford to reveal my weakness. It is as if I can smell them in the air. The smell of betrayal intensifies as I know they are nearby, lurking. It makes me feel weak. Just to think that I shouldn't have agreed to the clan leaders' request for proof that the human was not a threat to our kingdom. The queen, however, intervened by convincing me that keeping the demons together was necessary.
Moreover, I reluctantly agreed because I knew I must appease them somehow. My queen assured me that it was the right thing to do, as we wanted them on our side. So, I transported myself to my catacombs.
But seeing the human, I felt something briefly, but it immediately disappeared. I forced her to clean herself in the pond, as I could see that her wounds were spoiling. The water has special properties, that is why I did it. Then chain her to the ceiling and went to collect the clan leaders.
Upon returning and seeing her hanging defenseless, I saw their lust running deep through the minds of these demons. I could also smell the anticipation of the pain they would inflict on her. This made me feel bad, but I didn't know why, she is just an instrument.
The first time the whip fell, I could feel her pain, even though it was only a flash of despair. As soon as I realized her body couldn't resist any longer, I halted everything we were doing.
I had to get those demons out of my catacombs as soon as possible, so I left her lying there on the ground. Now that I am thinking of her, I will go see that she's fine, or at least breathing. I cannot let this ruin my plans.
My Agalariept materialized just as I was about to transport myself. I had time without seeing him, like my thorny branches, he kept his distance from me. As he trotted toward me, his eyes flashed with fury, and I was unable to determine his intentions. Therefore, I waited to see what he would do. He whined and blew smoke from his nose. I noticed that he was upset, and it was with me.
Nevertheless, he surprised me by approaching me and resting his nose on my shoulder, as he always did. My throne suddenly snaked around me, as well as my Agalariept, and I was surprised by that as well.
Together, we created powerful energy that had never been felt before. The power that was accumulating within me felt incomparable, strong, and powerful. Then I felt something break.
A red vapour poured from my nose, spreading into the air, and I was paralyzed when I saw the reality for the first time. My forehead was drenched in a cold sweat, and everything that I did passed through my eyes.
“What had I done? No, no, no, Moriah.” I got up suddenly and transported myself to my catacombs.
“Moriah,” I yelled her name and headed towards the place where I left her. She was not there. How could this have happened? I wandered over and over again while holding my head in my hands.
“MORIAH!” I screamed desperately. At this point, I stopped because I needed to calm down and think. As I searched every corner of the room, I found nothing, so I decided to go back in time to find out what had happened.
I invoked Cronus's powers, which came to me like lightning. It crossed my entire body, starting from my head and ending on my feet. As I recalled the moment when we were whipping her.
Everything happened like in a film. I as a spectator, watched it all unfold. I saw everything. The satisfied face that Drickblood had every time the whip struck Moriah made my stomach turn.
The clan leaders sadistically gloated over my wife's suffering. And I allowed it, I also looked at my face, my expression was blank because deep inside I knew that this was a mistake. But I let myself be manipulated by that poisonous snake. I, the mighty king of the underworld, the god of demons, was vilely deceived. Even though my anger was reaching a point of no return, I decided to go further back in time.
I watched helplessly as we tortured Moriah all this time. From that time, when Drickblood was bored, and decided it was a good idea to play Hit the Target with Moriah. She and I stabbed her several times in various parts of her body, knowing that she could heal in a short time.
Moreover, observe when we kicked her for something that she did not do quickly enough for our liking. That beating was brutal. I remember that she took many days to get up.
By that time, her body was no longer healing as before, with the wounds remaining for a long time just like the pain. I saw it all, and my blood boiled with resentment towards Drickblood. I only had one thought, and that was revenge. Still, I went to the part where it all began.
She approached me and when she touched my hand, my body reacts to something she did. I have to know how was it possible for a lower demon like her to control me.
Going further back in time. I remembered that my servant told me that the Queen had met her trusted advisor, as well as an unknown demon. So, I went to that moment.
In the chamber of lost souls, sitting on her throne, she was speaking to the Blooderek clan leader when a stranger and her assistant appeared in her presence. The advising demon bowed, but the other one did not. The queen got up and went to them, so I was shocked when she was the one bowing to the stranger. He was covered with a cloak that concealed his identity with a spell. That is why my servant had no idea who he was.
They spoke for about half an hour, just as my servant had informed me. And I was able to see through his mask when he turned to the Clan Leader with his face exposed to me. His power could no longer fool me, I saw through his mask.
It's him! I recognize him! Now I understand everything, and I know how that vampire managed to put a curse on me by just touching me. It all makes sense. The dragon demon helping me, the seven clans against me, the queen's coronation. The stranger conspiring with them all. The heavens will pay dearly for this intervention.
Nathanael, the disciple of the archangel Michael, was the stranger who met with the queen. Because the heavens are conspiring to overthrow me and leave the queen or my heir in my place. That is why the urgency to procreate one with the queen, but I know now. They want to prevent me from forming my invincible army and take away my right to conquer everything. It will never happen, never.
But before doing anything else, I must find Moriah. That is what is most important at this time. I need to look deeper into this.
I watched the scene where I left her lying on the ground for a while and saw that she was addressing someone. Her head turned toward the direction, and she extended her hand, but nothing happened. And a moment later, she smiled and muttered something. Then she closed her eyes and disappeared. There is nothing else.
After seeing everything, I close Cronus powers closing my hands together to hold the power, then I transported myself back to my reality. My biggest fear was that Moriah had been taken by some celestial being. Returning to the throne chamber, I was welcomed by my thorny branches. My infernal steed stood on two legs and whinnied.
Our energy was in tune again, and I was so glad about that. I woke up from that curse, and now I have to put together a plan to destroy them all. The best thing I can do is continue with the charade. Now that I know everything, it will be easier to destroy their plans.
But I can't risk being cursed again, so the best solution is to feign ignorance and show them that I am on their side. Those damned members of the council of seven. They wanted to manipulate me so that I would do whatever they wanted. I am ashamed to know that they did it for a while.
I approached my steed and said in a low voice, “I have to find my wife. Not only that, but I need you to help me, I don't trust anyone. I don't know who is with me right now.”
My Agalariept looked at me suspiciously. I never thought the time would come when my demon steed would stop trusting me. But I deserve it, for falling blindly into the enemy's trap. I know why he is like this.
Yes, I hurt his mistress without mercy, and I let others hurt her too. So, I said, “I'm fine now, nothing can stop me from taking revenge on our enemies, and I swear I will take care of her with all my power.”
My demon horse threw its head back and whinnied. I convinced him. I shook my head in disbelief and said, “Show me.”
He froze completely, and his eyes rolled back. He began to project what had happened after I left her. I saw my steed materialize in the catacombs and approach Moriah. Now I know who she smiled at and who she was trying to reach. My Agalariept approached her, and with his snout shook her head. Moriah thanked him and immediately lost consciousness.
This was hard to watch, but I am Armaloth, and I will emerge ahead of all circumstances. The next thing that happened, my steed enveloped Moriah's inert body with his energy. He transported her to the dimension of the dragon beast, of all places. He must have chosen the Dragon demon because here all are enemies.
I turned to see my horse with a questioning face. He moved his head up and down and turned around, not paying me any more attention.
Apparently, my horse trusts the Dragon Demon blindly. He would not send his mistress to a place where she was in danger, so I will have to go with the flow. Well done my horse, well done, I thought. I know that Moriah will be fine with the Dragon, and I trusted him to help her to recover from everything we did to her.
When I finish with those traitors I will go to take her back, my wife will return to her master and lord, where she belongs.
