The Followers Of The Prophecy

Interlude: The King's Demise

This is not my story to tell, but this is the story of the poor soul, King Asalekor of Ardglass, and his new job, his side project and how everything behind the scenes fell apart.

He got his new job in the most confident way he could think of. Asalekor and his team broke into the castle like it was light work, because most of his team, a group of devourers like himself, had already infiltrated the castle as guards. They killed their way up to the throne room, where King Brenalos was heavily guarded on all sides of the throne room.

"I'm gonna give you a chance to step away from this bastard peacefully," Asalekor told the guards, "You don't know him."

The guards, loyal to their leader, turned to a position of combat. Light work to Asalekor and his children, they killed them after a small battle and went for Brenalos. After a tough battle, they pinned the king down, and tied him up. Cadius, Ocaleri, and Adieni fixed up the throne room, and weeded out the loyals of Brenalos by killing them, and adding them to a pile to eat later.

"I will untie your mouth. You can scream all you'd like, your guards can't defend you. And you can try any form of sky powers, it will come back to you, as you saw when we fought," Asalekor told the fallen king.

"How are you alive?" Brenalos asked, panting after the cloth was taken off his mouth.

"How am I alive? Don't make me laugh, Brenalos. I haunted you every single night, didn't I? You saw my face in every corner. You saw my scar every time you looked in the mirror. The one you carved on my face. The night you threw me into Abyss Stadium, I never made it down. I felt the current bringing me down. I feared for my life. I feared having to live the rest of my never-ending life being sucked down in a bottomless pit. And then..." Asalekor paused, and sighed, "And then she appeared. The love of my life. She crossed the abyss to save me. The only being to ever cross Halivaara's bottomless abyss, my love, Etheria. Thanks to her, I present my new self to you today. It feels like it's been a lifetime. Watch as I wear your crown, watch as I sit on your throne, watch while I wait for your source of hope to arrive; and finally, watch as I slice her head off, and come after you next. Ceceir should be here in a couple of weeks."

"You know about the prophecy and its leader?" Brenalos asked, surprised.

"Of course! How unprepared do you think I am? My daughter is a chosen one, and she read her version of Amelia to me. My youngest daughter, younger than the twins, a perfect fifty fifty split between me and Etheria. The perfect spawn. Her sky powers are also so rare and precious. I tried to train her, but her mother refused. I sent them away to Halivaara to wait for the chosen ones. I sent her and my wife away because of you. My wife stopped loving me because I was so addicted to you. You caused my divorce. And then, to cope, I became a hunter and brought my children down with me. You caused me and my children to be sunken into this ill addiction. The taste of fresh flesh and bones. You caused my family to break apart because you haunted me more than I ever haunted you. I fucking hate you."

"Asalekor, I am a changed man now. Please, have mercy," Brenalos begged.

"Mercy?" Asalekor laughed, "Every night I dream of when you beat me up before school. Every time I feel my face, and feel the hole that is this stupid scar, I see your knife cutting into it in that dreaded afternoon. It's like I feel as though my face is still swollen. Like the blood is still dripping down my chin and neck. It's like I see your deadbeat friends laughing at me. I had to tell my family and kids that I was born with it, and that I was always smiling. And now you want me to feel mercy?"

"We were young, and unwise. Asalekor, it's been almost thirty years."

"Time is irrelevant, you bastard," Asalekor turned to his children, "Cadius, Adieni, Ocaleri, come here and look at this so-called god. Listen to his answer when I ask him this," he turned to Brenalos again, "Why did you deform my face? Why did you try to kill me? Answer!"