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3. Darker than death

Hundreds of years ago the deity Efreen found himself observing the human world.
He did not know why he still bothered to do so. It had been almost a century since a human was able to peak his interest.
Just as he was about to turn away, he suddenly laid eyes on a child with shining red hair, even brighter than the flames he adored so much. He came to observe the prince, because it certainly was a prince, a little while longer and before he realized it almost a full moon cycle had passed.
He turned away, horrified.
How could a mere human entrance him with his presence alone, him, a god.
But far too soon he found his thoughts wander and turned his gaze towards the world bellow only to find that the human had grown.
Efreen froze and was once again, much to his dismay, captured by his every move. At the same time he realized that he would not stand him being taken away by one of the others.
So he wove a spell, stronger than he ever had, and guided it downwards to the red haired prince that seemed like a spark in a sea of darkness.

Present

The whole empire was in an uproar when the news of Fharans disappearance reached the ears of the public.
While the majority grieved with the royal family a considerable amount of people still remember the past years far too well as to express any sympathy.
Maybe for the boy, but certainly not for his family. But most of them kept quiet and just observed the process of the royal hunt.
To everyone's surprise it seemed to be impossible to find even a trace of the prince or his captors. It did not matter how big the reward became or how desperate the family searched nothing could be brought to light.
The despair left its mark on everyone involved and the palace stayed in mourning for almost two years. They decided only then that any further efforts would be in vain.
The funeral was held exactly two years and three months after his disappearance. Emperor Rhisane invited his sister, who had not come to the palace ever since the announcement of her nephew's death, to take part in the ceremony but she refused.

The years went by and everything returned to its normal routine. It was terrifying how fast the existence of the former crown prince returned into oblivion once more. If it weren't for the few who remembered it could have been as if he had never existed in the first place.

The day of the funeral

It was dark when he opened his eyes, as it had always been for the last two years. He had long given up hope to return to the palace, hope for help even earlier.
He still occasionally wondered how long it had taken them to find him missing. One day, maybe two?
It was hard to even discern time at this point. The only reason he knew that it had been two years and not an eternity was a conversation of his wardens a few days ago. He was sure it had been on purpose to hold it directly in front of his prison door since it was the only room on the corridor.
It seems it took them two years to free themselves of my existence once again, he thought and cautiously tried to move his legs only to involuntarily flinch as a searing pain shot through his left one.
So he was still alive, apparently.
Two years of torture had taught him not to fear the pain, but to take it as proof to be alive and conscious. There was no real pain in your dreams.
He slowly closed his eyes again. It would take hours before anyone would come to feed him again and they mostly left him in peace when his injuries became too heavy, at least for a few days.

He was just about to drift off into unconsciousness again as he suddenly heard a sound that brought him back to reality.
It was not unusual to hear the rustling of rats or the passing footsteps of his wardens but this sound was different, almost like laughing........

You are quite right little one, a dark voice suddenly resounded in his head, I do apologize for my rudeness, but who would have ever guessed that I would bond with a child of fire. Even such a special one like you. Quite peculiar indeed. Life never ceases to throw surprises your way.
Now then, care to explain why you refuse to rely on your blessing to end your torment?

Three and a half years later

The sun stood high above the desert as the caravan drew closer and closer to the city gates.
The capital of the empire of Ratcar enclosed the biggest oasis in the whole desert and in its very center lay the imperial palace like it had for centuries.
He had sat down on one of the wagons that carried the cargo and enjoyed the burning feeling of the sun on his skin, which was far too light for this part of the continent. Quite a few of his travel companions still looked at him with suspicion and even his deeply embedded northern dialect had been unable to dispel all their presumptions.
Afrit lay quietly purring on his lap and enjoyed the sun as much as him. His black fur absorbing the warmth, the rays imparting his coat with a golden luster.
"It seems as if I returned after all.", he whispered to himself and watched as they slowly approached his old home.
Afrit lazily opened one of his bright silver, almost white, eyes and yawned. After observing his human companion's expression for a while he closed it again and went back to sleep.
Fharan could have been wrong, but he thought the cats purring had gotten just a little bit louder.

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My apologies for any grammatical mistakes in this chapter or in the ones to come.