Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

37. Phonoi World

Of all the possibilities Fenrir had imagined, he never believed he would find Erebus again. He dreamed of it countless times but deemed it impossible. Erebus was dead.

When the spirits decided to grant him a Death Crown, hundreds of years had already passed. Erebus' name had already been forgotten, and history was changed. The Spirit Realm had closed its doors to the outside world, and Jericho had become too powerful for Fenrir to face alone.  

Instead, Fenrir dedicated countless years to searching for Erebus' grave. He hoped to give him a proper burial instead of letting his bones rot in the hands of his enemies. However, Fenrir couldn't find where Erebus was laid to rest.

He couldn't even find the battlefield where they died. He only heard rumors it had turned into a great forest. Hidden deep in the forest was an army of red statues surrounding a large black stone. However, this forest was equally elusive. It was as if the earth swallowed the entire thing. 

He resigned to his lonely fate after dedicating his life to this search for a millennium. Eventually, he found happiness in this life and honored Erebus' hope for him—he found a wife and had a pup.

But he believed the spirits and Deities had heard his mournful howls when fighting the Devils in the northern facility. A powerful and dark energy exploded inside the facility—an energy he would never forget. Against all odds, Erebus' soul survived, and he returned. 

Fenrir turned his eyes toward Erebus, who was sitting in the pond. A growl rumbled from his throat as he sent a warning to the Deities. Now that they were reunited, the Aether could not take Erebus. 

Erebus was in an extraordinary amount of pain, and his jaw was clenched so tight that he could feel his teeth crack. The fangs that were protruding from his mouth pierced his lips, causing them to drip with blood constantly. Every muscle in his body was tense and trembling while the inside of his mind was in torment.

He felt his mind being pulled and awoke in a different realm. He was sitting in a dark place, illuminated by a blood moon. A thick grey and black fog swirled around him, creating a disturbing atmosphere. He saw nothing else, just the red moon and fog.

He stood slowly and reached for his daggers but faltered when he realized he had no weapons. In fact, he had nothing on and was completely bare. He examined his body and found that it was completely different. He still had Eri Themis' face, but he bore numerous scars.

He had the wound he received from the Acrid Doctor that sliced across his chest. But he also had five large scars on his chest and back.

He gently brushed each one and realized that they were in the same places where Jericho and his brothers pierced his body in their final battle. His left arm was covered in scars like it had been burned. He examined it closely and remembered that this was the arm he lost. He brought his hand to his face, ran his fingers over his eyes, and discovered a scar that ran horizontally across his eyes. He tried to click his tongue but found it felt damaged and heavy.

He kept his hand over his chest on top of the scar where Jericho stabbed his heart. There was a dull pain from the memory. His fingers brushed across the scar and lingered on the ten-petal mark on his chest. It fluttered at his touch and started spinning gently.

His attention was stolen by the fog as it moved suspiciously in the distance as if someone was walking towards him. He moved his hand and generated shadows to create loose pants and a shirt to cover his body.

He watched the fog move and dance until a dark figure emerged before Erebus. The figure was also bare and held the same scars as Erebus across his chest.