However, humbly did Darshun obey and followed. He passed Kaylis and Kelarin through the cage, exchanging a quick smile to them—Kaylis looking shocked, Kelarin weary. Then he walked by the crowd that once again fell silent, watching this warrior with a look of awe upon their faces. The entire time, Darshun's grin would not cease.
After re-entering the castle, the guards took him down a short hall, merging off onto a stairway. Then two more stairways—each beginning just around the first bend of the next corridor—and down another hall that seemed almost endless, bearing no torches mounted upon the walls. The only light being a couple of lanterns a few guards freshly blazed up.
They walked until they came to a steel door having strange markings and symbols or was it another language? Darshun had seen the written words of Wizard and Elvish from some of his father’s books, but this looked different. Demonic perhaps? No, it didn't look like that either. He was no expert but felt this was deeper, darker as if quoting something he probably would care less about hearing. Then again so what? Why fear? Fear is an emotion long left behind him.
What must have been the door handle looked to be a six-inch thick silver wheel stationed at the center of the door, extended by a chrome shaft, three feet in diameter. Two guards turned the wheel the shaft rotating with it, a loud clanging noise sounded and they pulled open the door. “In there,” one commanded him.
Darshun walked into the room and found himself surrounded by six pillars of stone, each standing a different height and having a different color glowing atop, together completing the colors of a rainbow. Each light, starting with red traveled above the other pillars making its way back to itself. Then the next light for example: orange would do the same. The result? A beautiful hexagon-shaped rainbow and Darshun stood in the midst of it.
“The High Wizard will see you shortly,” a guard announced having laughter in his tone, and then left the room, closing the door.
Curious, Darshun went over to one of the pillars preferably the one shining blue. Like the rainbow shape itself, he saw a hexagon-shaped crystal molded into the rock. It was this gemstone omitting the light. He inspected the others, first red, then orange, yellow and so on, discovering the same type of hexagon crystals omitting beautiful light. “Fascinating. I wonder what they are?” The door opened, his attention now focusing on the intruder, Levieth.
“We meet again Nasharin.” He shut the door behind him by simply motioning forward his staff.
“One who strives for evil should not carry such a weapon,” Darshun noted while looking at the staff for a brief moment.
“Evil? Good? Mere titles.” He stepped closer to Darshun, again having little to no expression, as if he felt nothing.
Darshun wondered whether any emotion existed at all beyond those piercing silver eyes.
“Strength is what matters in this world.”
“Strength…yes,” Darshun replied. “That leads me to a question. Back in the Arena, you saw what I am capable of and yet you enter in here alone? Face to face with me? Surely, your overconfidence in the title, ‘High Wizard’ has completely deluded your mind.”
For a brief moment, a dim smile rose on Levieth’s face. “It has been a long time since I’ve met one as bold as you. A Nasharin without fear. It is a good change. No longer does this world breed warriors as yourself…only cowards. Believe me when I tell you, I resent the fact that most of your kind is extinct. Your people were remarkable creatures, the power of the Wizards and the Humans fused together as one creature. Who would have thought crossing species would create beings of such incredible unique power? You and I are related you know.”
“You are nothing to me!” Darshun snarled.
“The same blood flowing through my veins also flows through yours, the blood of the Wizards.”
“Perhaps, but our principles differ greatly.”
“Don’t be so sure. Being Nasharin you know the inner rage you have for destruction. I myself have seen your people kill senselessly many years ago.”
“A few demon seeds do not plague an entire race. Otherwise, Wizards would all be corrupt as well.”
“As mistaken as you are, you do well to defend your kind. But enough of this petty talk, I came here to discuss another issue. Tell me, as strong as you are, why is it you’ve allowed yourself to be held hostage? With your power, you could have blown a hole through the castle wall to the outside and fled hours ago. Yet here you remain. Why?”
“Just enjoying the view.”
Levieth took another step toward him, never shifting his gaze. “So you like how the Humans are treated here is that it? You enjoy seeing men tortured, mutilated, used for sacrifice, breed in captivity, and never knowing peace again, ever? Used only for tools then disposed of when we’re finished like common trash.”
Darshun clenched his fists, glaring the Wizard in the eye. “No, I do not.”
“Then hold your sarcasm boy. Regardless of how powerful you think you are, you are in no position to cast such mockery. So, answer me why you have stayed?”
Darshun remained quiet.
“I think I know, yes. You seek the Crystals of the Elements but do not know their location. So you’re buying time as best you can. That is the only possible sense this makes. Let me inform you that even if you were to find the crystals you’d live just a few short moments before Abaddon destroyed you. They are in his hands now and my Lord rarely abandons their sight. Confronting him ensures only your death, not a re-taking of what you seek. A very unwise mistake.”
“I fear no Demon.”
“Ah, but he is much more than a Demon. He is a God, possessing strength you or myself can never fathom. He is merciless, limitless and immortal—the King of the Underworld. Soon, he will be King to this world as well, God of this world, the Forbidden Realm.”
“And you, a Wizard descended from the Angelic race of Heaven, admire this creature?”
“Admire? No. Neither do I enjoy seeing the men within this castle live the way they do, the torture he allows his minions to inflict on them. Were I in charge, it would not be so.”
“Then—why do you serve him? Why do you serve the Dark?”
“No side is flawless. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. However, the Dark has the power to rule the world forever, where the Light does not.”
“Ruling the world by way of an iron hand is not what the Light intends to do.”
“I know what the Light intends, and it doesn’t involve me. Understand Darshun, my greatest lust is power. Like the frenzy hidden beneath your flesh—to challenge and triumph a mightier opponent—ultimate power and authority burns in my blood like a never ceasing flame. Only Abaddon can satisfy that craving, ruling alongside of him not the Light or—he that is God of the Light. If that means I must put aside my petty feelings toward creatures opposed to Abaddon’s will…then I shall.”
“But don’t you see you’re not truly evil. Not like Abaddon. Do you not think about that? Ponder upon those feelings of morality that still flow through your Wizard veins, and obey them? Stand up for what is right—?”
“Be silent! I've heard this talk before and will not have it preached to me again, especially by the likes of you. For I’d suspect a Nasharin above others would understand power. Apparently, you are still blind. Be as it may, I also came here to invite you to join the Dark. You will need some time to ponder it, I'm sure, but realize if you accept you and I together will be serving the most powerful entity ever to step foot on Seventh-Realm Earth, Lord Abaddon. In the coming New World all will bow down before us, serve us, worship us…fulfilling any desire we may crave. We’d be invincible with all the power you can image. I am the last Wizard on earth. It would be inspiring to stand beside the last Nasharin. What do you say?”
“I will never betray the Light as you did, Levieth!”
“My reputation has reached you, interesting.”
“I already knew about your obsessions with power before you mentioned them. The last true Wiza
rd Olchemy spoke to me about such things not long ago.”
“Ah, the Fire Wizard Olchemy, you knew him?”
“Yes, I did.” Darshun wondered if Olchemy truly was dead, Levieth after all referred to himself as the ‘last Wizard on earth’.
“Such a wonderful, talented soul gone to waste,” Levieth spoke, a ring of sorrow in his tone. “I tell you, it is not easy to kill your own flesh and blood. But he wouldn’t listen.”
“Flesh and blood? How do you mean?”
“Olchemy was not only my pupil but my son.”
Darshun's jaw dropped.
“He neglected telling you that. I am not surprised. He was ashamed of me just as I was ashamed of him.”
Never in a thousand years would Darshun have suspected such a fact. His own father Mirabel Luthais—not even his bloodline but adoptive—loved Darshun with all his heart, would do anything for him. So how could a biological father murder flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood? Has darkness crept into Levieth's heart so much? Is Abaddon really that seducing? He had to ask. “How could you murder your son?”
Staring a good long while at Darshun, Levieth finally answered, “Listen to me Nasharin, flesh and blood children are no more in this world. We are either sons or daughters of Lord Abaddon or enemies to him. And understand this…the Light has always hated your race. You are the ‘accursed’ as they say. So why protect them?"
“Regardless of what the Light thinks of my race, what you are trying to do to the world is wrong. Never will I join your side.”
“So be it. But you will soon realize the consequence of your error, just as Olchemy did his.” Levieth’s eyes flashed a bright green and he shouted out the word “Mephistopheles.” Immediately, the gemstones upon the pillars sprouted up into colored flames causing the hexagon rainbow of light to become a rainbow of fire.
Instantly, Darshun felt sickened with horrid nausea, excruciating head pains, severe body aches and a burning fever. Like a deathly illness coming on at once—he fell to his knees. Then visions were cast into his mind, visions of his own people committing horrendous crimes, an army of transformed Nasharins slaughtering the innocent. Families were vaporized in fire, incinerated by lightning. A thousand voices shouted to the Heavens as flash floods buried their kingdoms. Any resistance soon met their fate also their bodies crushed underneath debris, carried away in the wind or were swallowed up by great earthquakes. Entire cities sank into lava and the world seemed to burn—all from the hands of the Nasharins. By cruelty and slaughter did they rule the world and nothing stood in their way, not even Wizards—their staffs were scattered across the landscapes, broken in two and enflamed.
“What—manner of deceit is this?” Darshun asked.
“A glimpse of what your people have done in past times and what the world could have become had your race continued to live on. See, you and I are not so different after all.”
“Lies! Never would my people do such horrible things.” Ignoring the visions he tried to transform but could not and found that his strength grew even weaker.
“Having trouble releasing your power?” Levieth asked.
Darshun looked upon him in fear.
“Yes, that’s right. I understand your power. Asharian is the source…same as mine, the element of the Holy Angels, possessing energy far beyond what most can fathom. The stones atop the pillars are broken fragments originally from a larger stone called Arion. The pieces naturally break off into a hexagon, with each having one color of a rainbow as you can see. But Arion is far more than just a stone of magic. In truth, it is the hardened blood of the Fallen Angels who lost the war against the Holy eons ago. Unlike the Holy Angels’ blood, the Fallen didn’t spawn life. Instead, it formed into an element capable of deadly influences upon mankind or any creature coming into possession with it. Beautiful to the eyes the stones are, yet their power inspires greed, lust, murder, envy, responsible for a million sins and ten million deaths throughout the ages.” He paused and studied the Nasharin’s paling face.
Darshun stood listening while feeling weak, stunned and mystified.
“And intertwined with a spell I was fortunate enough to learn from an ancient evil feminite, causing the stones to become enflamed it becomes toxic to Wizards and especially Nasharins who already carry a curse. For one such as I, who has pledged allegiance to the Dark, it has no effect. You, however are not so blessed because you stand ironically with the Light. Right now, it is crushing your body and spirit, as well as casting images into your mind of your people’s own impurities to bring on guilt. If I let this go on for too long—you will die.”
“I do not understand,” Darshun said collapsing upon his back, nearly lifeless.
After another gaze of flashing green, Levieth spoke, “Belial,” causing the flames to go out. “I have ceased the spell, for now, but shall return in seven days to see if you will reconsider my offer.” He knocked his staff against the steel door three times and the guards stationed outside opened it. He glanced back to Darshun. “In case you were wondering, normally all Nasharins do, I will speak aloud the Angelic writing on the outside of this door. ‘Where there is fear, there is fire. Where there is fire, there is death. Welcome sons of the Fallen, Wizardmen of destruction, welcome to your rest.’ Think about what that means, who your true allies are in this world.” He stepped out, shutting and locking the door, causing the room to fall under complete darkness. For not even the stones gave off any more light.
Left alone in the dark, having fresh visions of the horrible things his race supposedly did at one time—what they would have done to the world had more lived on, and that phrase, ‘Welcome sons of the Fallen?’ As if the Nasharin race were the offspring of the Fallen Angelic, sharing the same mindset and desires? No, that is an utter lie—an impossibility. Never!
Darshun moaned in agony and rage, thrashing back and forth. “I should have acted sooner! Now I am unable to fight. No, it must not end this way. It—just—cannot…” With little energy to spare, he fell back against the hard floor and lay still, drifting from consciousness.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The King Of Demons
Having minor aches and pains, Darshun awoke to a nibbling on his ear. He opened his eyes but saw nothing in the dark cold chamber.
The fleeing nibbler, brushing a set of whiskers across his face as it scurried by, stopped beside his hand and set something hard and round in it.
“Eh, what's this?” He lifted it to his nose and sniffed, the sweet familiar aroma exciting his hunger. “An apple! But who…?” A second large plump apple rolled into his other hand, resting on his open palm. Darshun tossed it aside and swiftly lunged his arm out in the darkness, taking hold of something furry and squirmy, the thing unleashing a quarrel of squeaks. Immediately, he recognized who it was—what it was—a rodent? Most likely one of Kelarin's that chewed its way through the walls to bring him food.
Darshun seemed unable to communicate with it but were he to take a guess, it would probably not be a very pleasant conversation, giving how much squeaks were coming out of the little thing. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! You startled me is all.” Darshun set the rat back onto the ground. “Thank you for the apples.”
It squeaked once more at him, loud and precise making its frustration clear and then ran off, scurrying back through whatever hole it came from.
“Funny creature.” He bit into an apple, munching on the thick white flesh, sweeter than any apple he had yet to taste, rich, satisfying on his tongue. But rather than savor the fruit he gobbled them up quickly, time seemed a delicate factor. Darshun rose, stretching his muscles. “Strange to think I am still in this room, close to the elements that somehow—take away my power…” He then remembered the Arion Elements that lay in the darkness before him. “I must get out of here fast. Levieth said he would return in seven days. I don’t know how much time has passed but I cannot risk him returning and recasting that horrendous spell. Not again. Ugh!”
There came a loud crack from t
he door and the screeching of steel.
Darshun's skin felt like evil crawled all over him. The presence seemed unmistakable. “Levieth! What timing!” he whispered then dropped to the floor like a dead man.
Slowly, the door opened and the outside light illuminated the shadows, revealing the apple cores beside him. Darshun hurriedly grabbed the cores and tossed them to the far corner of the chamber, hoping the rats would cease any more gifts.
In stepped Levieth, shutting the door behind him…Alighting his staff, he walked over to Darshun and poured a bottle of red wine vinegar onto his face.
Gradually, did Darshun open his eyes. “Water, please—must have water…” Darshun’s voice cracked like a weak, feeble old man.
With the High Wizard's gaze bent on him, he noted, “Strange, I did not think the spell would have this much of an effect on you Nasharin.” He grabbed a hold of Darshun's right arm, rubbing his fingers to and fro of the skin, then dropped it to the floor. “You should have regained partial strength by now. The last Nasharin imprisoned here, I needed to recast the spell every seven days until his body finally gave out. Seems the Arion has already severely poisoned your blood. Though it doesn’t matter, I can heal you immediately were you to join the Dark. Have you thought about it?”
With one eye closed and the other half open, arching his back to glare Levieth in the eye, Darshun spoke, “Never! I’d most soon rather—rather die within this room.”
If the High Wizard felt disappointed, it could not be known as always his face remained unreadable. “So be it. But before you die, know this—it has been discovered that a certain she-elf by the name Kelarin has the powers of healing…and unwisely used them on a Nasharin—the same Nasharin she also has feelings for…You.”
Darshun wanted to jolt his body and widen his eyes due to excitement and fear, but in order to look convincingly ill, he remained as still as a corpse.
Crossing Forbidden Lines (Guardian Series Book 2) Page 17
