Abel's Tale

XI. Mercy

"Oh, Son of Darkness. Heir to the throne," Thanatos's deep voice filled the entire throne room. "I can feel your weakness growing."

Malachi stared holes into the cold stone floor, refusing to give his Master the satisfaction of fear. The Dread Lord cocked his head, studied Malachi, who could feel the disappointment. Who could feel the pain that was about to come his way.

"You seek to hide your fear from me. Me? Young Malachi," Thanatos said through a laugh, "you should know by now you cannot hide from me. I have seen your mind, your every intent."

Malachi met his master's dead stare. The smallest bit of defiance he could muster. Thanatos grinned. Malachi made a move to speak but felt a tightness in his throat, and suddenly it was hard to breathe. He could feel the monster ravaging through his mind.

The cliffside duel.

Abel's visions.

The red crystal he gave up.

Their conversation in the fog.

The one on the ship.

"Yes," Thanatos said. "There it is, the scavenger has worked his way into your mind. I told you to cast him out. You have weakness, my dear prince."

The tightness in his throat was unrelenting, and soon the prince's vision began to go dark. And just as it began to grow dark he could breathe again. And as soon as his vision returned a flash of blue hit him, the crackle of thunder filling the room as the lightning seared across his body and the pain festered deep inside.

Soon his feet began to lift off the ground but the assault was persisting. Malachi knew he deserved this, he failed his master time and time again. But every punishment only served to fuel his own hatred toward the being who dealt it.

The last streak of lightning buried itself into Malachi's skin and he came crashing down to the ground. The more he did this the more resilient it would become, but that's good. The more he did this the more he could take next time. The more prepared he would be for when he finally took arms against the monster he served.

He kneeled before his master, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a painful groan or gasp for breath. Instead he spoke, "The Scavenger will not get away. My knights are after him as we speak, expecting his arrival in the port. They'll take him here to you."

Thanatos grinned once more, and he never looked more sinister than he did in that moment. "Then, my boy, who is that behind you?"

Abel didn't remember docking or ever leaving the ship. But when he awoke, he awoke on a red bed in a white marble room. And when he left the room he found himself in a long white hallway lit by black candles.

A knight with a blood red tabard approached with his hand on the hilt of the sword hanging at her waist. "You. I don't recognize you."

Abel was at a loss for words. He didn't even know how he got here. But the emblem on the tabard, that he knew. The outline of a sideways diamond with a dot in the middle. It reminded him of an eye. The symbol of Thanatos's Empire.

"Where am I?" Abel asked.

"Are you drunk?" The Knight asked. "You don't just wander into your Emperor's palace. State your business here,"

The Emperor's palace? How?

"Now."

Abel knew his options were few. He rushed her, held his hand over her mouth and pushed her into the wall. While her free hands were busy trying to pry Abel off of her, he reached for her sword.