Lost souls

10.1 ☾ The Ecplise

Taken from the Demonology Manual

When the world was born and Piety named it ʹDraiganteor,ʹ there was only darkness. From it came the Creatures of Dusk, the forefathers of the Demons.

They spoke the language of the abyssyl, and from its alphabet, the spells of black magic and the forbidden names were generated, among them ʹJeze,ʹ which means ʹapocalypse,ʹ and ʹEsteban,ʹ which translates to ʹmartyrdom.ʹ

Piety created the progeny of the Dragons, and their flames illuminated the world, forbidding the use of the abyssyl language. The period described hereafter is called the End of the Times.

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Gazazhel

───͙⊱••✩••̩̩͙⊰•───

In the study reserved for the High Druid in the royal castle, I am coming to the conclusion that the princes in the Human Kingdom have it rough.

It comes naturally to me to establish this during the High Druid's boring explanation, as he adopts an attitude of full authority towards me and the guild.

Magic controls the fate of humans, we are the heirs of Legend, its debtors and subjects, yada yada yada. Bullshit on bullshit.

The talismans hanging from his belt sway with his gestures. I'd rather trim his thick, gray beard sticking out from under his raised hood than play the part of the serious and professional knight.

"So this is what you do," I cut him off.

All humans know the sacred tradition of the Sacrifice and Legend's cyclical need to change bodies. Except for me and my guild, because we are not human.

The High Druid knows the risks he and his colleagues face having us in the castle and is frightened by the danger of our agreement.

It wasn't Legend who tasked us with defending the kingdom. That's just the official version that justifies the dismissal of the previous royal army.

My knights and I took the title for ourselves; if the Druids hadn't accepted, Ocleodathe would have paid a high price. I would have called upon the Fallen Demons to descend upon the city.

"Things work differently where you come from?" the Druid asks, irritated.

My laugh sounds muffled under the mask. "Where we come from, we don't need just any deer. Legend isn't even half of..." I stop myself. It's not the time to mention him.

"Sir Gazazhel, the sword you are searching for here in the castle is well protected."

He just mentioned the reason why we infiltrated. Ocleodathe has political agreements with other kingdoms, especially the Seelie Fairy Kingdom.

If the allies found out that the Human Kingdom had been invaded by us, it would be a big mess, so the High Druid easily gave in to my blackmail. In return, the Shemesh guild must maintain a cover, and the royal family must remain unaware.

"If my presence bothers you, why don't you tell me directly where you have hidden the sword?"

The High Druid slams his hands on the desk. "Are you mocking me? You know very well that we made a sacred vow of silence! Our tongues have been bound by a spell that perpetuates from generation to generation, so the sword does not fall into the wrong hands! You can interrogate and torture us, even if we wanted to, magic would prevent us from speaking!"