Four Elements Book 3 - Sacrifice

Prologue

The Demon Realm had never been so restless. The thunder and lightning echoing from the dark palace had every demon hiding in their home. Their ruler was not happy. Worse, he was absolutely furious. Of course, this was hardly surprising for him, but this fit of rage was quite the site to behold.

"... How did you find out?" Zarias asked.

Zorak glared at him.

"It wasn't difficult to figure out. You overpower them every other time until they snatch a victory and the one time you have the advantage, the fire girl flattened you without any effort? The only explanation to that is that you didn't put up a fight."

Zarias didn't answer. What point was there? It was the truth, after all. Partly, anyway.

"How dare you?!" Zorak snarled.

He was glaring at his young son Zarias, standing before him in the throne room.

"You were using an innocent..." Zarias said. "It felt wrong."

He faced his father resolutely. Of course, part of the reason for that was not wanting to show his father he was nervous.

"So that prevails over your father's well being? Over my wishes?"

"You have all you need here!" Zarias retorted. "And you tried to obtain more, and were thwarted each time. Perhaps it's a sign you should be content with what you have."

"And you think you have a right to decide that?" Zorak demanded furiously.

"You had no right to take that human girl captive, and yet you did it," Zarias snapped. "So you are in no position to make lectures about rights!"

"I am a Demon Lord, I have every right!"

Zarias and he were so angry that the sky outside was prickling with electricity. The somber clouds, normally a dark gray, were now of the deepest black. The only lights in the throne room were the flaming torches around the walls. Their glow gave Zorak's eyes an eerie, dangerous look Zarias had never seen before, but didn't like.

"That is where you are wrong," Zarias retorted. "You are the ruler of the Demon Realm, yes. But you have no authority on Earth or in the Spirit Realm!"

The Spirit Realm was where spirits like the former guardians of the Elements now rested, though they actually rested within their successors until they were no longer needed. But so far, that had persisted in pestering Zorak and ruining his brilliant plans. That was unacceptable. But what was even more intolerable was his son's betrayal.

"Tell me, Zarias," he said, stepping away from his throne and circling around him. "How long exactly have you been working against me?"

Zarias hesitated a moment. Was he trying to figure out what the humans knew? Or was something else going on?

"... I have never worked against you, Father." he finally said. "I simply didn't agree with what you were doing."

"ANSWER MY QUESTION!" Zorak bellowed, tossing a goblet of wine to the floor, its deep red contents spilling over the floor like blood.

It took all of Zarias's willpower not to take a step back.

"I am," he said. "It's not that I was working against you, I couldn't let you harm an innocent."

"What do you care about a simple human?" Zorak demanded hotly.

Again, Zarias hesitated. He had no real answer. He had spent a lot of time watching them, trying to understand them. Maybe that was why. He was becoming... attached to them, wanting to be more like them.

"I wanted to see what it felt like to be one," he finally said.

He had never felt this much hatred radiating from his father. But he stood very still. Zorak hated signs of fear even more than being betrayed.

"Then you are no son of mine."

He raised his hand, and powerful jolts of purple electricity shot towards Zarias. He was struck repeatedly in the chest and thrown into the wall before falling to the ground, a trickle of blood running down his pale face.