Gifted [UNEDITED]

Prologue

    "Y-You sent my friends to The Underworld?!" Prince Toram asked his father, his voice was loud and deep. He bit his lip, struggling hard to hold back the rest of his words. He had just returned from surveying the realms and a guard told him what his father had done. He wore a goldplated armor, his eyes were wine red and his hair was dark grey, they were long and flowing, his skin was fair and a little pale. He looked young like a man of twenty four, but he was infact three hundred years old. He was gracefully tall, thin and slender, as befiting a prince.
   
    "Yes, I did. It was necessary" the King answered, "they were a bad influence on you, I had to send them away, they deserved to be punished" he continued. The Celestial King always feared his son may become a power crazed tyrant, he feared that he might destroy the balance of the world, he was constantly taking measures to ensure he stays sane, and his friends weren't helping, they were filling his heads with thoughts of rebellion. "Do you believe I am wrong?" he asked his son, his eyes were blue and pitiful. He felt his heart hook on a beat as he waited for his son's response.
   
    Toram glared at his father. "Yes, with all due respect I do believe you are wrong father", he told the King, his voice had cooled, and his hands stopped shaking when he realized he was in front of the King's council. The council hall was large and elegant, all the councilors were dressed in gold colored robes, about a hundred of them. Celestial soldiers at every corner, wearing the same armor as he did, only his had his name engraved on his breastplate."They should have been given fair trial, and being a bad influence is far too small a crime to require The Underworld as punishment!" he continued, his voice rose again and his eyes widened.
   
    "One day my son, when you're King you can decide what requires the underworld and what does not. But I am King now, and I don't see myself stepping down soon." the Celestial King told his son, his voice was calm. His Kingly robes covered his neck down to his feet, revealing only his hands, they were white and golden, his crown was gold and it had twelve gems on it, his hair was dark grey like his son's, and his eyes were bright blue to match.
   
    "This is not fair, this is not how justice should be!" Toram yelled, his hands started shaking again. His lips pressed in a thin line and his eyebrows raised. "And if this is how you treat your subjects and your kingdom, I'd rather go to the underworld and be King there!"
   
    "Toram!" The King flared, his hand pressed hard against The Gold throne. "Will you defy your own father, your King!?". His nose started to twitch, one of his eyebrows raised, and his breathing became rapid.
   
    "Yes. You can keep The Heavens and the realm, I'm going to the underworld and I'm going to be King there" Toram answered, turning around for the door.
   
    "If you leave out that door, you are no longer my son."
   
    "Better start looking for another son then" Toram replied, as the door closed behind him.
   
    Toram adjusted his armor, trying to get comfortable in the overwhelming heat. The Underworld was a vast wasteland, stretching for miles and miles to no end, it was dark, the only source of light were the fires that burned beaneath series of zigzagged fissures, and the hot lava fountains scattered all around. "It's so different" he said to himself, twisting his face in disgust. When he heard the words, he winced at how stupid he sounded. Of course it was different, this wasn't the Heavens, green flowers and ashwood trees didn't grow here, infact no trees grew here. This was a place of undying fire, a place where the only emotion that existed was pain. Here the air wasn't cool and fresh, instead it was hot and irritating.
   
    The self exiled prince took his first few steps in his new kingdom, wondering if he had made the right choice. He surveyed the place,  his palms turned wet with sweat, and his mouth went dry. He frowned when he perceived the stench of burnt skin and old bones, "this place is terrible" he murmured to himself. After hours of walking through lifelessness and nothingness, Toram heard an unfamiliar shriek. It was loud, and heavy, he pushed his hands against his hears trying to block out the noise, but it kept getting louder and louder and closer too.
   
    His heart stopped when he saw for the first time, the creatures they called daemons. The creatures that tormented mortals and took their children for food. A long time ago before the celestial King defeated and imprisoned them in The Underworld, the daemons roamed around the realms killing and slaughtering mortals in large numbers. They were violent and vicious creatures, and mindless too.
   
    This one was about six feet tall, it had eyes on the sides of its head, they were tiny black dots, Toram could hardly see them. It had no nose, its face was flat, and its mouth was oval shaped when it opened, revealing its teeth, they were yellow and dirty, and sharp, tiny rows of canines and incisors. Its fingers were long, and its nails were hardly visible. It had three toes and one hind toe, with short sharp claws bulging out of them.
   
    The black skinned demon was now face close to Toram. His heart stopped again, wondering what the daemon would do to him, his leg muscles tensed, he contemplated running but he'd never be faster than the daemon. And where would he run to, there was no where. The foul stench that oozed from the creature's mouth burned his eyes, and made his nose twitch. It's breathing was calm and slow, but Toram's was rapid and blistering, "d-don't hurt me p-please" he stuttered to the creature, he was afraid. There was an akward silence, the daemon looked at him for a few more seconds, then it snorted and walked away.
   
    The prince heaved a sigh of relief, he felt his leg ache, they had been tensed for a while. His mouth was dry, and his throat throbbed, he was thirsty. He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, cleaning the sweat that had gathered there, the heat was getting to him, he was tired. He removed his amor, leaving him with only his silk shirt. "I will not quit, I can't quit. I must not quit" he said to himself, as he drew a deep and long breath.
   
    "Toram!" a voice called out to him from behind, it was odd yet familiar. He turned around, his face squeezed and he squinted at the approaching figures. They had leather trousers and wore dirty and worn out silk shirts. The closer they got, the clearer Toram could see them, one had brown hair the other one had grey hair, both long. He couldn't make out their eyes, they were not close enough. But he could make out their faces, they were Leviath and Belzenel! He rushed over to them and gripped Belzenel in a tight hug, he held him for some seconds, sniffling and caressing his neck. He looked at Leviath and opened his hands in an inviting manner, and hugged him too.
   
    "How are you, are you hurt?" he asked them, touching Belzenel's face and examining it, he sniffled and hugged him again, messing up his flowing grey hair.
   
    "I'm unhurt Toram, I'm happy to see you" Belzenel answered as he withdrew from his friend, "when did you come?"
   
    "I have only arrived a few days ago" Toram replied.
   
    "Few days? Time is slow here my prince, it's been a few years now" Leviath cut in.
   
    "Few years?!" Toram shouted, his face squeezed again. "What do you mean few years?! Do you mean to tell me I have been walking this wasteland for a few years? Leviath, I think the underworld has taken not only your soul but your sense too!"
   
    "He's not wrong Toram, it's true", Belzenel said, taking Toram's hands in his. "Your father put us in here after sending you to survey the realms. How long did it take to survey the realms?"
   
    "Five years..." Toram answered, looking at him with a blank expression, "so what are you saying"
   
    "It's been only ten days for us" Belzenel answered.
   
    "Ten days?" Toram asked, cocking his head. Belzenel nodded and gestured at him to apologise. "I'm sorry..." he told Leviath, clicking his tongue and rolling his eyes. He felt embarrassed for having to apologize.
   
    "It's fine my prince, you have every right to have disbelief at first" Leviath replied, bowing his head.
   
    "But how do you know this?" Toram asked.
   
    "We saw you through The Eye" Belzenel answered, "we saw when you surveyed the realms, we saw you grow, we saw you change, that was when we realized that time was slow here."
   
    "The Eye, the one my father put here to watch the daemons, so he would know when they tried to escape?"
   
    "Yes, that Eye. It's been over a thousand years since they were imprisoned, your father thinks they'll never escape so he forgot about The Eye." Belzenel explained.
   
    "How were you able to make The Eye work, or even make it see what you want"
   
    "We have Leviath to thank for that, he made it possible" Belzenel answered, gesturing towards Leviath.
   
    "Very good Leviath, very good. But I have no use for The eye now, I want to go back to The Heavens. This place is horrible, but I can't go back a beggar, I told my father I would be King here, I need an army to take back with me"
   
    "My prince there is a way. The daemons, you can make them into your soldiers." Leviath suggested.
   
    "Ah. They would never do, my father defeated them once before, he'll do it again—"
   
    "Yes, I know my prince. He defeated them because they were divided and outnumbered.   But now they would all be united under your command, and we can use The Dead to make up for the numbers."
   
    "That's a good idea Leviath, Toram what do you think of this?" Belzenel asked.
   
    Toram smiled, and blinked a few times before answering. "It is good, but there is one thing you overlooked, how do I bring them to obey me?"
   
    Belzenel was the first to start laughing, then Leviath joined in. "What do you mean how?" he asked, wiping the tiny droplet from his eyes. "You are the son of the Celestial King, all you need do is command and they shall follow" he told him, still laughing.
   
    "Oh really?" Toram asked, cocking his head backwards. He didn't realize that he had power over the daemons and The Dead, he didn't realize anything unless it was pointed out to him. "Alright then" he announced, pulling his sword from its sheath. "I command all the daemons and Deads to come forth before my eyes!". His voice echoed through the vast emptiness.
   
    There was a rumble,  Toram looked and he saw thousands and thousands of daemons and Deads rushing towards him, dead elves, dead dwarves and dead humans. They stopped in front of him, some of The Dead still had their old wounds, some of them had already decaying bodies. They were lined in front of him in three columns, the columns stretched as far as his eye could see, he strained his eyes trying to get to the end of it. In front of him was the army he wanted, large numbers, though untrained.
   
    "There's no time, I have not much time, we march to The Heavens now. We would go through The Undying gates and march to The Heavens."
   
    "Of course my prince" Leviath agreed, bowing his head in courtesy.
   
    "Your horse, Toram" Belzenel said, gesturing at a horse, there were two other horses beside it. They were bony, the flesh on their faces were torn, and only their skulls and eyeballs remained. They had old wounds on their necks and legs. It was as though Belzenel had it all planned out, from Toram's self exile to this moment.
   
    "It's the best we can offer, my prince" Leviath consoled, noticing the disgusted face Toram wore.
   
    "It's fine, after I take The Gold throne, I'll have better horses and the whole world at my command. It's only a small price to pay." he replied, mounting the horse. He felt uncomfortable, the bones pressed against his bottom, and the foul stench clung to his nostrils. It smelled like dead decaying bodies. "Just a small sacrifice" he murmured, kicking the beast softly on the side, sending it to a trott.
   
    "We're here my prince, Heaven's Gate. Isn't she a beauty." Leviath said, pulling his horse to a halt. It was a short ride, The Heavens and The Underworld were not very far apart. On the way Toram's army broke formation a few too many times, the daemons had only their bare claws and sharp teeth for battle, more than half of The Dead were unarmed, the rest were armed with curved blades, and spears, and pikes. It wasn't really an army, just a large group of untrained creatures.
   
    "A pity it has to go down" Belzenel remarked, breaking his lips into a smile.
   
    "Get them to form a line" Toram commanded, his face was straight and his eyes were fixed on Heaven's Gate. It was tall, deeply rooted in the grassy plains below it. It was thirty feet tall, from its looks it was sturdy, having stood for more than a thousand years. It was called Heaven's Gate but it was an expanse of hard rock walls, with a small gate in the middle.
   
    "The line is ready and waiting your command, my prince. Leviath told him, settling his horse.
   
    "Good, how do you suppose we go over the walls?" he asked.
   
    "The daemons, my prince. They are good climbers, they would go over the walls and open the gates."
   
    Toram looked at him as if he had said something stupid. "The moment the first daemon gets close enough and starts its climb The Celestial soldiers standing sentry on the walls would rain arrows on them. We would lose a lot of them before we gain entry."
   
    "We have the numbers Toram, don't worry about it too much" Belzenel interrupted, giving Toram a slight tap on his head.
   
    "Unarmed numbers Belzenel!" Toram shouted, gripping his reings a little tighter. "We should never have come, I was too hasty, we should go back now".
   
    "We have come too far to go back Toram" Belzenel replied. He cracked his whip and his horse galloped to the line.
   
    "It will be fine, my prince. We may be unprepared but..." Leviath tried assuring him, but he flared "Shut up!" he yelled, gesturing at him to leave.
   
    Toram watched as Belzenel commanded his own army "forward march!" he heard Belzenel shout. 'I would never go into a battle I know I would lose' he thought. "Up the wall!" Belzenel shouted again, Toram saw the daemons scurry up the walls, their legs and arms moving very quickly, they were almost at the top in a few minutes. 'Leviath wasn't wrong, they are good climbers. Perhaps we might win' he thought again. He kicked his horse hard and it set out into a fierce gallop, joining the rest of his army.
   
    "I thought you'd never come" Belzenel mocked, shaping his mouth into a grin.
   
    "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout" Toram apologized, his voice was low, Belzenel hardly heard him. He looked at Leviath, he was so calm Toram wondered how he kept himself in such situations.
   
    "Archers!" a voice from the walls yelled. Toram turned his head to the wall, his eyes went wide when he saw Celestial soldiers drawing arrows. His jaw dropped when the daemons started falling as a result of the arrows raining down on them. The soldiers were too fast, the first group shot and withdrew for another group to shoot, they were trained and seasoned soldiers.
   
    It all went wrong so fast, the daemons were quickly reducing in numbers. "Withdraw the daemons! Now!" he yelled at Belzenel. The exile didn't answer, he was lost. "Belzenel!" Toram yelled again.
   
    "Yes? Yes, yes, right." he stammered, rubbing his forehead. "Fall back! Fall back!" he shouted. The daemons rushed back, some of them were hit by the never ending rain of arrows.
   
    Toram heard the gates open, "Oh no" were the words that rolled from his mouth. He saw his own father leading the calvary that came through the gates. "Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!" he yelled, rounding his horse and setting it to a gallop. He galloped without stopping, untill he reached The Undying gates, he heard shrieks behind him but he never turned. He rode through the gates and commanded The Dead and the remaining daemons to close it up.

  "Toram!" his father's voice called out from outside, "I strip you of your powers, but for your safety I will let you keep your power to command The Dead and daemons. I hereby seal The Undying gates with one of the gems on my crown and to ensure no one will ever open it again I will throw it into the mortal word where no one will know it's value. I love you Toram but you brought this on yourself".
   
    After moments of silence Toram realized his father was gone. Hot tears escaped his eyes and travelled down to his chin. He looked at Belzenel, he was shaking. He didn't say anything, he only rode away, Belzenel tried going after him but Leviath held him back.