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But now as the King I had always been destined to become.
“We will meet again, Lucius Septimius, but until then, I will keep the souls you cherish safe.” I nodded my thanks before allowing myself the bitter indulgence of seeing my daughter for the last few precious moment before this Demon King was made to leave Heaven. And I may have left a soul I loved behind, but I was also taking away another I cared for. That, and the eternal gift of my daughter's face now smiling at me. Something that finally had the power to replace the haunting memory of her lying dead in my arms. A wound I can honestly say, I had never once believed capable of being healed.
I had never been happier to have been proven wrong. So as darkness enveloped me, I welcomed it as I looked down at the blue glow in my hands, knowing what this meant.
It was also why I was not surprised when I found myself back in the Temple of the Tree of Souls. The destruction from the battle that had ensued here still remained, yet one thing had changed. The roots leading to the Tree of Souls we're now free of the infected hatred that had once consumed them.
I walked over to the body that still lay as if asleep, waiting for its master's return. I took in a deep breath as I knelt down next to Ruto, an angelic soul that had been with me for the last eight hundred years.
“I once gifted you my soul's blood, now your soul is that of the gift from my daughter. Rise again, child of my blood, and once more breathe life into this mortal realm.” This was when I opened my hands over his heart and allowed his soul to seep back into that of his vessel. I then watched as he finally took a breath and I myself closed my eyes, this time thanking only one God in particular, for he had granted my daughter's selfless wish.
“My… Lord?”Ruto questioned the moment he came to, now sitting up before looking around the broken space. So I stood, and told him,
“You may have lost the fight, my second, but thankfully we did not lose the war.” Then I offered him my hand which he took without question.
“How is it that I'm here?” At this I looked up, a symbolic gesture even my own kind could not overcome, for Heaven was not to the skies like many would believe. It was merely a realm like any other, however one thing could be certain…it was a realm we all looked up to.
For the light of good usually came from above not from below.
“It seems that even after having my blood in you, the heavenly Gods do not forsake those touched by Hell as we once thought,” I told him as I pulled him to his feet, before then turning to the temple that was the symbol of my birthright. It was mine once more, and no longer a vessel of hatred. So, knowing this, I closed my eyes and set about righting the wrongs of the rotted soul of my blood kin. Now bringing back the former glory of the Temple, one without the rot of its tainted Keeper. This meant that by the time I had opened my eyes, it was once more as it had been when first created by the Gods of Fate for me.
“And what now, what is to become of us now, my Lord, what comes next?” I looked towards the portal back into Hell and only one face made it to my mind’s eye. For I knew what I was about to do. But as for Ruto, I told him to make his way back to the surface for in all honesty, the moment I had seen my daughter dying on the battlefield I had thought of little else. Nothing more than trying the only thing left I knew was capable of saving her. But now as I thought about it, I was faced with all I had left behind in that moment. The moment after we had won the war,
Seconds after my Chosen One had defeated a God.
I had asked her to wait for me but in all honesty, I had no idea how long I had been gone or what I would find when I went back there. Time worked differently in each realm and up until today, Heaven had been one that I had never stepped foot in before, naturally, for obvious reasons. So, as I looked up to the top of the tree of souls, I released a relieved breath to find the crimson rose still safely blooming there. Now knowing it always would, for the eternity I prayed to the Gods to have with my Chosen.
Only then did I answer him.
“Now it is time I go and claim my Queen.”
* * *
The momentI landed back to the same spot I had left my Queen, I was not surprised to find the battlefield empty and desolate. I was, however, disappointed. Because it meant that with my short time in Heaven it had transpired into something significantly longer here. Even though I knew the threat of Matthias was now long gone and from this moment onwards, would be nothing more than a turning point in Hell's history. Nothing more than a battle fought and won to add to the long list of battles before it, I still couldn't help but worry about her.
But then again, no matter how powerful my Chosen One had obviously become, and despite the fact that it was now blindingly obvious that she was a mortal no more, it didn’t matter. For I knew that this feeling of anxiety would never leave me when we were apart. No, too much had happened between us and the bitter memories of her dying in my arms would haunt me for the rest of my life.
I was, however, at the very least, comforted to know that she was surrounded by my own people once more. After Amelia had saved my life and forced my hand upon the Eye of Crimson, I had felt whole again, as every soul ever connected to me returned all at once. But it was a weight that I was no longer burdened to hold by myself. For I also had felt each of those souls share that connection with Amelia…their new Queen. Now each of us were forever Fated to hold within us a piece of our Kingdom. Meaning that they would all embrace Amelia as their Queen and their loyalty would be shared between us just as they did when following me as their King.
It was a comforting thought, but admittedly not as comforting as the feeling of her in my arms, held there against me so that I may once more breathe her in.
“You're back!” I heard my brother say, and I turned quickly on the spot to find him sitting casually against a broken piece of a boulder. One, if I recall, had broken when Keira had thrown her husband into it and not a memory I would likely forget…nor would Dom I can imagine.
“Dariush?”
“Who else did you expect?” he said, and the moment my face replied for me, he added,
“Ah yes, but of course, well trust me, given the opportunity she would have stayed, but I didn't think you wanted me to allow her to set up camp and sleep in this barren wasteland as she waited for you.” No, I would have not wanted that. But this wasn't something that I needed to say for he already knew. Therefore, also knowing what I would now want, he snapped shut the book he had been reading, and pushed himself from the boulder he had been using as a seat. Then after dusting himself off, he walked towards me. I met him halfway and the emotions of the day dictated my actions as I pulled him in for a hug.
“My brother.”I could tell he was caught off guard, for his body tensed before finally relaxing into the rare show of emotion.
“Brother.”His tone of voice said it all, the relief was easy to hear just as mine was.
“And what of the hex?” I questioned, knowing this was the reason he had become unconscious, missing the battle and no doubt still furious at the thought. Especially when he had been forced by our brother into creating a portal so as he could get to Keira. In fact, I knew that it had been his efforts to fight back against the summoning Hex that had caused him to lose consciousness for so long.
Hence, for once, why he didn't look smug and I soon knew why when he told me,
“The Hex disappeared when the one who cast it passed on.”
