The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 61

The sound of the demon's roar made Logain grip Dante's hand tighter. The prince might have been a shade, but that didn't mean that the demon couldn't kill him for good. If either of them died while fighting a powerful demon in the shadow realm, then they would be dead for good. There wouldn't be a way to resurrect them if that happened. Logain had no intention of dying, and he wouldn't let the same fate happen to Dante either. This was his chance to save the prince of Zuvelia.

Staying in this room would be the death of them. Logain could feel a barrier protecting them, but it wouldn't hold for long. The beast roared again as it slammed its large body against the ground. Somehow, it knew that they were below them. Particles of dust and debris fell from the ceiling as the creature slammed itself down once more. Dante looked up, tightening his grip on Logain. The prince felt like he did before he was cursed: timid and afraid.

"Logain, escape without me. I will just slow you down. Besides, I'm already dead, so there's no point in you trying to save me," Dante suggested with a sad smile. He was afraid of facing the demon alone, but he could stall the creature and give Logain a chance to escape.

However, the warlock wouldn't leave him that easily. "We go together, or we face the demon here. I will not abandon you. If we can run far enough, then I can create a portal that will take us back to the land of the living."

He would have created the portal now, but Logain didn't want to risk accidentally bringing the demon back to his world. He didn't know how safe it was to even bring Dante back with him, but he was willing to take the chance. If they ended up in Zuvelia like Logain believed, then they could find Dante's body in the other world. Logain could help guide his spirit back to his body. It wouldn't bring Dante back to life unless they acquired the ring from Meredith, but at least Dante would be able to rest in peace.

Dante was still reluctant to follow the warlock, but he nodded his approval to join him. With his hand clasped tightly, Logain pulled Dante out of the room with him. They escaped just in time as the ceiling caved in, and the demon fell down below. Logain glanced back to see the beast standing up through the dust and debris. Once it regained its composure, the monster would chase after them once more. They needed to escape quickly.

Logain wasn't sure where to run to escape the beast. If it were able to find them despite a barrier keeping them safe, then it would be able to find them wherever they ran to in Zuvelia. Logain contemplated running away from this kingdom entirely, but out in the open, the beast would be able to catch up to them quickly. Their best bet was trying to escape it while still in the castle.

"Dante, please tell me you know a good place to hide!" Logain exclaimed as they ran through the castle halls.

The beast was on their trail. It was much faster than them despite the tight corridors that it had to run through. Logain didn't glance back, but he could hear the beast as it crashed into objects. Regardless of the obstacles in its way, the creature was fast. At this rate, it would catch them, and they would have no choice but to face it. Logain was trying to reserve his magic for the portal, but he might have to use it to fight the demon. He didn't think this was a battle he could win.

"Come with me!" Dante took the lead this time as he pulled Logain towards the only place he could think of.

Logain followed him, praying that they could escape the monster, even if it was only for a couple of minutes. The warlock only needed a few minutes to concentrate on creating the portal. Since he still doubted himself when it came to teleportation magic, he hoped that they would end up where they were supposed to. Logain would have loved to go straight back to Ambria to tell Casimir everything that happened, but he needed to think about Dante. Dante's spirit wouldn't last long in his world unless they reached his body. He would take care of Dante first, and then he would worry about returning to his kingdom.

The warlock wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he didn't think Dante would lead him to a library. It wasn't far from the monster, so Logain had doubts that this place would keep them safe, no matter how large it was. But when Dante slammed the door shut behind them, everything went quiet. It was a similar quiet like when Logain found Dante in his tomb. Once again, this place was protected by a barrier. It wouldn't hold for long.

They ran to the far end of the library and up the stairs to put some distance between them in the beast. Logain was curious as he asked, "I don't understand. Why do some parts of the castle have protective barriers and some don't?"

Dante didn't have the answer either. He could only take a guess as he replied, "This place meant something to my mother, as well as the tomb you found me in. They were gifts to her from my father, so they were very important to her. I think a part of her protects this place. The other place I could have taken you to is the garden, but that is out in the open. At least this room has a door that can buy us some time."

It made sense. Logain knew enough about spirits to know that if they had a strong will, then they could protect certain objects and places. Dante's mother might have been keeping them safe for now. The warlock had more questions for Dante, but there wasn't nearly enough time to ask them. There was a bang on the door as the beast caught up to them and was now trying to break the door down.

Logain needed to focus. He tightly gripped Dante's hand as he commanded. "Think about Zuvelia with me. With the two of us working together, perhaps I won't fuck up this teleportation spell this time."

Dante looked at him wide-eyed after Logain admitted that there was a possibility of him messing up the spell. However, he decided not to question him as he closed his eyes and tried to think about his home. He tried to think about the good days he had at the castle, which weren't many. Most of his good days consisted of the time he spent there with Tristan. It might have been hard to get along with Tristan in the beginning, but the prince eventually fell in love with him. Despite their differences and the rough times they had with each other, Dante didn't regret meeting Tristan. He just wished things had turned out differently.

As the portal formed in front of them, the demon broke down the door. They looked back to see the demon once again, but Logain didn't hesitate for long as he pulled Dante through the portal with him.

The portal closed as the demon lunged for them.