Acceptance

Chapter 28

I was woken up with a start when the mountain shook as a roar that haunted my nightmares echoed throughout the tunnels. The King was here. I dressed quickly and went to leave but Cindy grabbed my hand. Fear grabbed my heart as I looked at all of my mates who seemed worried. I gave Cindy a kiss. I then sent a sleep spell to knock them out. Cindy fell and I caught her with ease. I laid her in bed with my other mates who slept peacefully. I wiped away the tears and grabbed my sword before leaving. I decided to make more sleep spells throughout the mountain so it would only be me who faced the King. Less people for him to kill.

I left the mountain and faced him. He stood as tall as the mountain, but when he saw me, he shrunk down to my size. "It has been a while Alice," He noted. I glared, "Not long enough if you ask me." He chuckled darkly, "I love what you've done with yourself." I bared my fangs at him and he laughed. "Let's make a deal," I offered to him. Demons loved their deals, and I hope he'll make a deal with me. He crossed his arms, "I'm listening." "A dual between the two of us," I told him. "I win, you and your demons get the hell out of here. Only way you can come back is if I'm dead," I told him. Unfortunately for him I was going to live forever. "If you win, I will let you have this world." The words coming out of my mouth were bitter.

"I don't want this world," He said with a gesture of his hand. My grip tightened on the hilt of my sword, "Then what do you want?" He cupped my cheek, "You my dear Alice." I moved away from his touch. "Why the hell would you want me?" I asked him. "I want more than just you. Your mates as well," He told me. I growled softly, "You can't have them." He chuckled darkly, "Just listen to me child." He said. He gestured with a hand and two arm chairs appeared. He sat in one, looking like he was comfy at home. He gestured for me to sit in the other one. "Let me tell you a story of how my people and I became cursed as demons."

I studied him for a moment before looking at the mountain. "You undid my sleep spell," I said when I saw my mates. "Only on them," He told me. "I find it important they hear this as well." "Knock us out like that again, I will bend you over my knee," Shelton said through clenched teeth as they came out. "She was just wanting to keep you from seeing her shed anymore blood," The King said with a wave of his hand, summoning more chairs. Cindy sat down on the edge of the chair and soon they followed suit. I sighed and did the same.

"What is your story?"

"Have you heard of warlocks," He asked and I shook my head. "They were male witches," Nathaniel said while crossing his arms. "Witches and Warlocks had a long going war for centuries until one day the Warlocks vanished." "Not vanished," The King corrected. "Cursed to be demons. It was a woman who was a high priestess in dark magic. She gave her own life to curse us. She is also the reason why there is such a huge discrimination towards half breeds. She was angered by Priest Ulric falling in love with her younger sister. She was convinced he brainwashed her sister with some kind of love spell, however that was not the case. Warlocks, for the most part, specialized in nature magic, nothing involving curses. She on the other hand was a master at curses. She used the ultimate curse to wipe us out, turning us into these demons. The only way to break the curse is to find someone to accept our true selves. With the curse, she cursed the world to harbor feelings of hatred towards those who weren't of pure blood, because she feared a world of understanding will break the curse." He explained to us. "However, her curse slightly backfired, when the Goddess appeared to punish her. Her curse had broken the balance of things. The Goddess made us powerful to counter it, hoping that one day one of us would have the power to break the curse. She wasn't able to break the curse unfortunately, but she made it so mixed races could mate. It is due to the imbalance left behind when the witch cursed us, why children of mixed races, very rarely make it past puberty. When the curse is broken, balance will be restored and children will be able to live." His eyes then settled on Cindy, "After all, it would be a shame if the twins you're expecting don't make it."

My blood became ice, and we all looked at Cindy, who's eyes widened, as her hand went to her stomach. I looked back to the King, "What is your proof that we should believe you?" "Our magic doesn't work on witches because nature magic doesn't work on spiritual magic," He told me. "And before you argue about the demons I created, life is a part of nature. Of course, the nature of them, wasn't something I could control."  "He's telling the truth," Nathaniel said. "It's a distant memory, but I remember smelling a warlock once as a child. Their scent was unique, and easy to pick from a crowd. Sandal wood and a maple, an odd mix, but remember able."

"So how do we break this curse?" I asked him, making my sword vanish as a sign of good faith. "You accept me for who I am," He said simply. I then felt a mental nudge, as if the Goddess herself were guiding me.

I stood up and faced him. "I, Alice Grommel, accept you for who you are, Qin Lomwick." He fell out of his chair with a groan as he began to glow. A bright light shot into the sky, the force of it erupting from him, throwing me backwards into a tree, my head snapping hard into the trunk of it. I dropped to the ground, my vision becoming dark as the light began to glow and take over the world. When darkness took me, I faintly heard someone calling my name.

When I opened my eyes, I was blinded by sunlight. I was no longer at the base of the mountain. Instead I was in a large meadow. "Come join my for tea my child," A woman said sweetly. I stood and saw the Moon Goddess sitting at a table with a tea kettle and two cups. Her violet hair seemed to blow in a phantom wind and her clothes seemed to be made of spider silk. I sat at the table in front of her.

"What happened?" I asked her. She smiled kindly, "After I told you the warlock's name, you did just as you were meant too." She poured tea into the cups as she spoke. "You were always meant to kill the demon king Alice, but not with violence." "What's going to happen now," I asked her while taking one of the cups she offered to me. "I have reset life. Everyone knows of the demons and of what happened, but no one knows the demons were warlocks. They will think of them as a species that went into hiding, tired of the constant fighting." I was shocked, and my expression must've told her as much.

"If they know, they'll shun the warlocks, just as they did to half breeds." She explained to me, hitting me where it hurts. I looked down at the cup of tea in my hands, "What about my mates?" "They do know. I was unable to alter their minds or yours, nor do I want too. However, to ensure you keep their secret as well, I am tying Qin to the six of you. Your destinies have been tied together well before any of you were conceived, so I think it fitting of how it turned out." "Where do we go from here now that it's all over?" I asked her.

She smiled at me, "You live your life my child. Live it full of happiness and love. After all, you're about to be a parent once your gypsy delivers the two gifts of life she carries." She then waved her hand and I felt as if I was falling. "I love you all," she said faintly, before darkness took me once more.