The Dragon King's Servant: Rise of the Daemon King

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Gateway

"Come on hun." Kelly said, laying a hand on Melanie as she stared down at her king.
She didn't want to leave him. The thought of him never coming out scared her. Nearly as much as him dying all over again. Crouching down in front of him, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

"Please. Come back soon." Melanie said, then got up and turned away. As soon as she took a step away, she felt a hand grab her wrist and she turned. Half ready to strike and half ready to leap forward. When she turned back, Lucian's eyes were open and he held an apologetic expression on his face. Melanie collapsed into him, arms wide and face buried in his neck as tears of pent up anxiety burst free.

"What the fuck took you so long?" She cried. "You scared me to death."

Lucian wrapped her tight in his embrace and scooped her up with all the ease of picking up a child. Melanie held onto him, not ready to let go. All eyes were on Lucian as he rose from the floor.

"What happened?" Maalceus asked.

"How long have I been gone?"

"Three days and ten hours." Lynx replied.

"In other words, way too long." Kelly added.

'Seriously." Melanie said. "What kept you away. Again?"

Lucian hugged his queen with a tight love, squeezing her intensely as she held on to him.

"There is much to explain."

"Did you get answers?" Maalceus asked.

"Oh, I got answers. I also got a bit more."

Kelly and Maalceus shared a confused expression but asked nothing further as they followed Lucian out of the meditation chamber.

*****

Lord Elkwood followed the path through the forest. The further he went, the darker it became. The canopy had blocked out the sun completely. Thick creeping vines had weaved around the branches that interlaced thirty feet above. The black ivy hung down, the vines revealed inch long thorns that were as poisonous as they were painful. The forest was silent, save for some rustling in the brush that sounded too big to be mistaken for squirrels or birds.

He knew what lurked in the dark forests. Creatures from darker realms that had found comfort in the cursed lands. The path he followed was made of solid stone. Slates of evenly pieces stone that had been placed one after another to create the path. Elkwood stayed true to tale of the dark wood path. 'Stone by stone. Step by step. Follow the paved path or you shall find, blood and sorrows never to leave behind.'

He understood the meaning hidden within, as did everyone who knew of the dark woods. It was a cursed land, plagued by death and spirits that refused to move on. If he or anyone left the paved path, they'd never find it again. Forever lost within the darkness of the forest. As he followed the path, it turned a wide corner where it stopped at an archway. The stone archway was covered with blood ivy.

Thick thorn covered vines with scarlet red leaves spiraled around the the ten foot arch. Lord Elkwood approached the arch slowly, carefully. As he did, from beyond the path, the forest shook and quivered. The trees and vines, barbed and tangled, swept aside like a curtain of beads. From within the forest, stepped out a figure of hideous design. It had the body of an elf that had withered away to skin and bone. Though it's feet had been replaced by deer limbs. The hooves clacked against the stone as it strode forward.

It's hands had been replaced by feral claws. In its right hand, the claws were hooked around a long wooden staff which ended in a number of skulls that hung from thorny vines. The head of the figure was a bloated face. Lord Elkwood would have guessed that it had belonged to an elf at one point but it was too difficult to tell. Thick antlers sprouted from the head, tearing the bloated skin away. What hair it might have had was long gone.

The hooded cloak it wore was the only thing keeping its body from being revealed, though Lord Elkwood had a pretty decent idea as to how the rest of its body might have looked. It's pale dead eyes rolled from side to side as it moved forward. From the parted lips of the bloated face, a ragged voice oozed out.

"You come. Seeking the way?" It asked.

*****

Lucian and Melanie sat side by side in the library. Maalceus, Kelly and Lynx sat together in separate chairs facing the pair. No one asked any questions or spoke up. Everyone listened intently as Lucian explained his meditation journey. What he had seen. Who he had met and what he had learned. By the time he had finished explaining it all, everyone had remained silent. No one was sure what to say.

"Eternal?" Lynx asked.

Lucian nodded.

"You are...a deity now? A god?" Kelly asked.

"I don't quite know I can call myself that but I am similar to it, yes."

"You can't die? Not anymore?" Melanie asked, worry and hope in her gaze.

"No. I am eternal my love." Lucian replied.