The Exiled King

Chapter 30 - The Ethereal Ivory Palace

The magical shockwave was both terrifying and relieving at once. Terrifying in its intensity, but relieving in its appearance, after Garyth had taken Lirya and disappeared for over half a year. It was like a breath of fresh air that cleared his mind.

"The Ether! He's taken Lirya to the Ether," Jason gasped, as he sensed the origin of the mana blast.

The other guardians in the room had all jumped up as they felt the shockwave and peered at one another. There was the distant sound of footsteps, then the door burst open and Aidan appeared, slightly winded and very wide-eyed.

"You... felt it too?" Aidan said, more than asked.

"How is he in the Ether?! He's not dead!" Leus asked, his expression a mirror of the confusion seen on everyone's face.

Aidan frowned and said, "Garyth isn't a normal human. He has tremendous magical power. Truth be told, he's probably more powerful than I am."

Jason's heart sank at Aidan's words. If the archangel, who'd been instrumental in defeating the demons in Silvardor, couldn't measure up to Garyth, it begged the question of whether all the guardians would be able to.

"Well, it's time to use what Jaron taught us. Let's not waste any more time," Jason said, and the others nodded.

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Adrian had prepared a large room for them, laid out with some simple beds. There were no windows and it was dimly lit and sparsely furnished, but it suited their needs just fine.

Altein stood to the side and said quietly to Adrian, "I don't know how long we'll be gone for, but it's important that you let no one come and go from this room until we return. We've dealt with body possession once and it's not impossible for that to happen again."

Adrian nodded solemnly and reassured him, "I will personally stay here until you guys return. And I've stationed guards outside the room and increased the number patrolling the halls of this part of the castle."

Altein nodded and joined the other guardians, climbing onto a bed. There, they would direct their spirits to leave their bodies, leaving behind empty shells that breathed slowly—so slowly it was as if their bodies had gone into a comatose state of hibernation.

Altein laid flat on the bed, rested his hands on his stomach, and closed his eyes. He was acutely aware of how fast his heart was beating—the heartbeats like drums in his ears.

He was nervous.

Of course he was nervous—what they were doing could very well cost them their lives.

Altein took a deep breath, then separated his spirit from his body.

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They stood above their bodies, translucent and buoyant. Soon, the pull of the Ether insistently began to call them. Together, they followed the pull and ended up in the ethereal tunnel, a long, grey brick-tiled tunnel lit with eerie green lanterns hung at intervals. The tunnel was filled with spirits that drifted towards the light at the far end of the tunnel. Altein, Jason, Leus and Taryn followed the other spirits quietly, as seconds turned to minutes. The tunnel seemed neverending, but at the same time it seemed to get closer to the end with every passing step. There was a dim echo of dripping water and a chilly gust of wind, but the tunnel was otherwise silent. None of them felt like breaking the silence, though doubts began to seep in.

After what could have been anything from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours had passed, they found themselves battered by the chilling winds as they stood at the end of the tunnel, peering at what could only be the realm of the dead—the Ether.

The Ether was a strangely beautiful, yet haunting place. FIlled with life, yet devoid of life. It was a green-tinged land, a flat plain surrounded by a range of mountains. All manner of odd structures littered the massive plain, filling the quiet greenery of the Ether with vibrant colours. Some were quaint cottages with beautifully tended gardens, and others were large castles or twisted towers.

As soon as they stepped out of the tunnel and onto ethereal soil, their spirits solidified and their forms gained substance.

"She's over there," Jason said quietly, pointing to a distant white cluster sitting on the mountains.

Using their powers, they made quick work of the distance that would've taken a mortal days to walk. They soon found themselves standing in front of a large set of cerulean doors—the entrance to what they could now see was a magnificent ivory palace. Jason and Leus drew their swords in preparation for anything that might happen once they forced the doors open. Jason stepped up to the door pressed hard against it, expecting resistance. He almost toppled over when the door swung open with no such resistance. It was almost as if it'd been left open as if someone had been expecting them.

Jason turned and looked at the others and their faces mirrored his confusion and trepidation. Moving quietly, they entered the palace entrance hall—an eerily quiet hall with polished marble floors and long ivory pillars. Illuminating the space were rows upon rows of magelight lamps, hanging in between the ivory pillars. The palace was beautiful, but in all that beauty lay a certain soulless quality.

They continued moving along until they came upon an open doorway leading into a brightly illuminated room with a crackling fireplace and five people sitting on the plush sofas and armchairs around it. Some of the inhabitants jumped up as they saw the intruders.

"Lirya!" Jason said, recognizing one of the people by the fireplace.

He took a step forward and someone else jumped up and ran in front, throwing her arms out to block him. She was a young woman with long and wavy dark inky blue-black hair and defiant brown eyes. She was dressed in a simple purple dress with puffy sleeves and intricate golden embroidery.

"I'm not letting you get any closer!" She said with a wavering voice, but with eyes bright with determination.

"I know why you're here," She continued, "And I won't let you kill him."

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Things are about to go down.