Prisoner of Chaos (Redemption Book #4)

Chapter 54

The Dark Lord

Alvar is dead and with him my line of power is extinguished. The power that kept my body alive and gave my soul purpose, passed down through every generation, has finally broken it's grasp on the human race and with it, my own power has broken.

Why wouldn't they break as so many worlds before them had? Why would they not attend to their basest desire of dominating the world around them and let chaos enslave them to my will?

"You've existed here many millennia, Synias," a deep, kind voice says gently. "But you couldn't stop the love that is in the hearts of the people here."

"Love? That word has no place in my presence, Elias," I answer, turning to see my unwanted, unneeded guest, shining like a fucking beacon in my dark room dug into the rock, in the bowels of Erlund's North mountain. "And the same could be said of you."

"You were given every kindness, Synias," Elias says, ignoring my remark as he always does and walking around my throne room, highlighting every crag and corner of it with his disgusting, truth-telling light. "None of it was ever good enough for you. That's why she left you, Synias, that's why your mate bond was broken."

"What are you doing here? I thought you abandoned this world to create something new and less corruptible?" I snicker.

"I've never abandoned, Axus," Elias says. "There are many who understand what it is to truly love and protect those in their life, to seek the truth no matter how difficult it is to accept. Alvar loved Axus. His soul is at peace on the shores of Elysium, and his memory will live forever here."

"Spare me your gushy adoration for your late Guardian," I hiss, yet I cannot snuff out the light he spreads in my throne room, showing it empty and crumbling.

"Your time is drawing near, you've reached your last stop, and I pity you even now, Synias, your mortality draws nigh and there will be nothing but darkness in your future, the darkness even you are afraid of."

"I've always hated how poetic you are," I growl, annoyed I cannot do anything to rid him from my presence. "You make me nauseous with your self-righteous energy."

"Then you've always misunderstood what I am," Elias says. "You go by the name of the Dark Lord here. How fitting."

"Are you here to destroy me then?" I ask, for I know Elias is capable of touching me with his Light and turning me to ash.

"That is not my battle," Elias replies. "I bestow my gifts and I can appoint Guardians, but if you remember, I am bound to leave the fate of their world in their own hands, Synias. It is how it must be, for I refuse to selfishly dictate them as you wish to." He smiles and adds, "Although, I expect you know they will destroy you."

"Once I am gone, another will rise to take my place," I snap. "You know well how this game of mortals is played." 

"You will never know," Elias says. I hate him for saying it, just as I hate how I can't get away from how uncomfortably close his light is, for once my own darkness was too powerful in this world for even Elias to stand comfortably in my presence.

"Know this, Synias, you chose what is coming for you, after all the suffering and lies, you have no excuse. You may hate poetry, but Rift, the one you brought about the creation of, the one whose line possessed by my gifts whom you tainted with your own... the one you were determined would be your Vessel to destroy Axus for you and at last free you from this world... he is the one responsible for breaking you. He and his Mate, Princess Kyla, together are more than my Guardians, they broke every rule you appointed. They married today, did you not hear?"

It's the last thing he tells me before vanishing in a flash of holy light that sears my dark magic armor from my skin.

The only thing I can do is decipher a way to strike them in their weakest place. Strike them in a way that would cause chaos in their own family.

Already tried that and it didn't work. Kalvar was easy to work with because of his weakness for women who didn't actually love him, yet even Kalvar has grown from the star-eyed lad I first could so easily manipulate.

They are so strong. The death of Kyla's father and beloved king by the hand of Rift couldn't break their spirits.

I am too weak.

I must strengthen myself through war and I've still got a Queen in my Chaos deck.

Innocent bloodshed by the hand of Elias' Guardians is my best bet to regaining some kind of power. The Blood Queen is in the captivity of Underland, but before she went to kill Queen Lucy, she gave me the keys to her Fe army.

Ah, yes, the Fe army...

I'm almost smiling again as I realize the deaths of those poor, tricked and trapped souls by the hand of Kyla and Rift would power me to the point of formidability once more.

So many unwilling men strong, will be nothing against whatever Kyla is, and Rift with his stolen dark powers and innate light abilities...

I'm already in love with this plan.

First I'll have Lionel's army attack to get them in the mood to dance with me. Then I will fill the battlefield with my collared slaves.

The darling Guardian of Elias, Kyla, will kill men who were tricked into brutal slavery, very much like her father was many, many years ago.

How's that for poetry, Elias?