The Heir of the Fallen

Chapter 19

Horseman of Famine, Adelaide

"A true death, right? Beelzebub just told me about that," she flushed. So many things had just happened, and she was still reeling from the power influx. Sheepishly, she asked, "What was it again?"

"It is the act of draining someone's soul, and immediately they fade away, and their soul is lost for the rest of the time. It is similar to how Famine faded; only he did so after being alive in this realm for many years, and his soul was old. As far as I know, Aamon has figured out how to perform true death when even the Prince - er, Beelzebub, does not know how to. And the thing that troubled me the most," he continued, even though there was already a look of sheer horror on Adelaide's face at this point. Ares was already in this deep; he might as well keep going. "Aamon, the freethinker, said that he had help from the inside. I don't know how much we can trust anything from that bastard's mouth; however, in this instance..."

"So someone is dirty?" She asked, bewildered, understanding what Ares was saying. But, if she understood what he was saying, that did not make sense. "Who would go against Beelzebub?"

"I don't know. I don't know who would even dare to try. Beelzebub's power far surpasses any of ours or any soul in this realm," Ares admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "Truth is, the guy scares the absolute shit out of me. Especially if or when you piss him off."

Adelaide had to suppress a small laugh. It was hard to imagine Ares scared, but the gleeful moment quickly passed. "So wait, there is someone out there," she pointed out the window, "who can permanently kill people right now? That's what you are saying, right?"

Ares nodded. "I am afraid so," he muttered.

Adelaide's fear washed over her, and she had to grip the side of the couch with one hand; the other started digging into her palm. She could feel a panic attack coming on, but she would not let herself give in to it. She didn't have Sophie there to calm her down.

At that thought, her heart ached. She missed her best friend and thought of her quite often. But no matter, Adelaide had to be strong now, especially after taking over someone else's spot. Seeing his fear reflected in Adelaide, Ares took a shot at attempting to distract her. "Hey, did his highness ever tell you when he would talk to me? When I was human?"

Adelaide's breathing calmed as she looked at Ares, her hands unclenching slightly. She could feel her nails release the flesh of her palm. "A little. He told me about your father and your siblings. How you took care of them," she said, her voice small.

"Did he also tell you how I came to this name?" Ares asked, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. Adelaide shook her head and couldn't help but smile a little. Ares' smile was infectious. "I am a descendant of the God of War, Ares."

"You're shitting me," Adelaide laughed a little before realizing Ares was serious. "Of the God, Ares?" Adelaide asked in disbelief. "Like the Greek God? They exist?"

Ares nodded, that grin remaining plastered across his face. "Yes, of course they existed. Or some form of them existed, maybe not entirely in the sense of a 'God,' but they were based on real people! And they meddled with mortals." He paused, and Adelaide couldn't help but think of how much the people in this realm loved their dramatic effects. "And then, many years later, I was born!" he exclaimed like it was an important historical event. "And so, because of my namesake and having any part of the 'God,'" he mentioned this part with air quotes, "continuing to exist in me, it will probably be a long time before I fade like Famine did. No one even knows what his name was anymore. Even Beelzebub has forgotten Famine's name. We just called him Famine. Eventually, all the Horsemen will be reduced to their purposes before we fade away, our names long forgotten. I assume that's what will happen, anyway."