Underground Ring: Book 1

by M. M. Reid

  “Just because the glass is empty does not mean we cannot fill it,” Laucian responded, still peering into the outside world.

  “So you’re saying I’d have to kill in order to survive?” I moved away from the wall and got back into a kneeling position, no longer afraid of the demon that stood before me.

  “Precisely.” Laucian turned slowly back to me, his face sober. “As the human body dies it releases Shin. If you are in close proximity to the death, the Shin will come to you like a firefly to the flame and sustain you…for a period of time.”

  I cocked one eyebrow. “A period of time? How long is this period of time we’re speaking of?”

  Laucian smiled slightly and took his time answering me, clearly choosing his words carefully. “It will depend on the individual. Trust me when I say, given the current circumstances, it is…manageable.”

  Had I only realized what he had meant by “current circumstances.”

  “So why tell me all of this? Why bring me here in the first place? You think I have forgotten that you nearly took my life those years ago?”

  Laucian gazed upon me for a moment before speaking. “As I said before, Augrais,” he said, his voice cold and metallic, “if I wanted you dead, you would have died.” The lightning struck behind him once again, illuminating his features in such a way that his face became the face of a monster. “Do you realize how easily it would have been for me to finish you? How easy it would have been for me to simply cleave your head from your body?” He glared at me as his power began to rise to terrifying levels. “I allowed you to live.”

  The windows began to shatter as his Vitae flared. The candles that were scattered about the room flared to the point where they almost became wild. I gaped at him, my breathing becoming shallower and shallower. His dark energy felt as if it were suffocating me.

  “Why?” I screamed out of desperation. “Why did you allow me to live then? Why not just kill me if it was so simple?”

  In a flash, Laucian crossed the span of the room. He was now sitting in front of me, staring right into my eyes as if they were a window.

  He raised his hand. “I could count on this hand the number of those who have survived bringing their loved ones back from the dead. Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of energy users from all of the ancient civilizations have attempted it, but only the strongest of us have survived. In recent years, you have been the only person to attempt it.”

  “You don’t strike me as the nostalgic type,” I retorted quickly, attempting to act as though I were unaffected by this knowledge. “You didn’t answer my question, Laucian. If you could have killed me so easily, why let me live when I could be your greatest threat?”

  “Don’t you see, Augrais?” Laucian asked, his excitement palpable. “This is destiny! Think of the odds of two of us being created at the same time! You and I were chosen, Augrais. Chosen to bring balance to this broken world!”

  “Join you?” I scoffed, as I got his meaning. “You are indeed more foolish than you look.” I laughed outright, then became very grave, looking him dead in those wicked violet eyes.“ I’d rather die.”

  I didn’t realize I had moved until my head slammed into the wall, causing the brick to crack. Laucian had lifted me off the ground and was now holding me up by my neck.

  “That can still be arranged.” He spoke softly but the threat rang true. “Besides, if I were to let you live and allow you to stroll out of here, where would you go? If your former friends did not kill you, the starvation of Shin energy certainly would eventually catch up with to you. Little to do you realize, my dear Augrais, that you are in fact the one who needs me. I don’t need you.”

  The Master of Shadows released me suddenly and I collapsed upon the ground, coughing violently. His voice haunted me as the room spun. “The only way you will continue to walk in this world is if you join my cause. I will teach you how to do better than just survive. How to become something so powerful all will tremble before you. I will make you a God.”

  It was then I realized the weight of my current circumstances. He was right. I could not survive without a constant supply of Shin and to do that I would need to take many lives. This would breed vengeance and my true death would soon follow. I would need his protection and the protection of the Shadows in order to live. Not only that, but he could teach me, show me, how to become something like him: an immortal.

  “Understand, Augrais, that when you take me up on my offer, there is one tiny favour that you must do for me.” Laucian had a look of pure innocence on his face.

  I massaged my throat, relaxing my esophagus. “This is where you ask me to turn against the Underground Ring and friends to kill them?”

  Laucian’s laugh became low and deep. He shook his head, no. “Your free will.”

  I was taken aback. “Sorry?”

  “How do you think I control the Shadows?”

  “Your minions looked as if they were being controlled. The Water gift, their listless eyes, no emotion,” I answered, unsure of what he was getting at. “But I don’t know how you do it from a distance and manage to maintain the link with them. One must concentrate on those affected and those affected must stay in the line of sight.”

  “A school book answer that a student of Lokus would give.” Laucian smiled again. “Here is something you don’t know. One can amplify a gift many times over if one uses a vast amount of Shin energy. And here’s the kicker. Once I have put someone under the control of my Shin Water gift, they will not be released. Unless I am to meet an unfortunate end.” Laucian’s smile became a wide grin that would make a vampire look friendly.

  The last piece of the puzzle fit nicely into its slot. “No,” I stated firmly. “No, I will not accept.”

  “You assume you have a choice.” Laucian was upon me before I could think to defend myself, pinning me down with one hand. He raised his other hand as I struggled to escape him, to no avail. He closed his eyes, obviously summoning his Shin. And that is when my Air gift suddenly took over. My head felt as if it were splitting as the four great elements swirled about Laucian. They seemed to condense and flow into his fingers with the intensity of a celestial phenomenon, of a supernova. Then his hand shot out and he placed two fingers upon my forehead like the fangs of a striking serpent. There was a moment where we both hesitated, and then it began. His fingers felt as if they were drilling into my skull and I screamed out, falling to the ground.

  Submit, came the voice inside my head.

  I then began to convulse as I tried with all my might to resist the overpowering Water gift summoned against me. Froth came from my lips and my eyes rolled into the back of my head as my convulsions became worse and worse.

  You do not have the strength to resist me, Augrais. Laucian’s voice seeped into my mind. His cold, deep laughter echoed as my screams increased.

  Submit, came the voice again, stronger this time. The excruciating pain exploded to a greater level, something I had never felt in my life, even during my transformation to Vitae Lord. Everything seemed to be ripping apart. My skin felt as if it were peeling away, as if I had been under the blistering desert sun for centuries. My eyes were so strained I thought they might burst. My blood boiled. I had to stop it. I had to end this.

  Stop. Stop! I cried in my mind. Stop please.

  It did not stop. Submit. And the agony became worse

  A scream erupted from my lungs, as the remaining windows of the room shattered and the candles suddenly blew out. I was fighting him with everything I had, trying to shake this anguish.

  It was then that something in me just snapped. I said it then, the one word that I never should have said. The one word that would put an end to all the suffering. Yes.

  It was hard to explain what happened next. It was similar to my visions of the past. But this was different. Images that were foreign memories poured into me. This was Laucian’s memory.

  The environment around me was blurry, like a drawing stained by water, but I could make
out the individuals present in this misty realm. Laucian sat upon a throne of sorts, his legs draped over the armrest lazily, as five individuals marched towards him.

  “You dare walk down these halls with your Shin Dynasty, Lokus?” Laucian taunted.

  “Did you get our letter?” Lokus asked as he brazenly stepped forward. I noticed how much younger he looked. His hair was not yet snow white. Next to him stood the Arch Druid Ravenfury, and he too, no longer had any white streaks in his beard, nor was it an out of control mess.

  “And what would a group of demon hunters want with a demon like myself? Don’t you have innocent people to murder?” asked Laucian carelessly as he checked the dirt under his fingernails. “Besides I have no real interest in the matter.”

  “Have no real interest? Or are you simply too afraid of the Red-Eyed Demon?” a woman piped up from behind the two towering men. “We could have killed you at any time, demon filth!” This woman had short brown hair and strong features. She looked like a lioness: stoic; strong; fierce.

  “Then why haven’t you?” Laucian asked, challenging her with a dazzling smile

  To her left, a small man shifted his hand upon a large sword that was almost twice his size. He had golden hair that matched his ancient armor. His emerald eyes shone unnaturally in the candlelight. My memory clicked, I had seen him before, but I couldn’t quite place him. A lump formed in my throat when I saw the last member of the Dynasty. Next to the woman stood my father, who looked no older than I was now. He spoke next.

  “Relax Lucretia.” He spoke softly but directly. “Allow Lokus to negotiate with it.”

  “Why are we even here?” Lucretia spat. “We should kill this monster and hunt the Red-Eyed Demon down and make him pay for what he did to James and Olivearia!”

  “Silence, Lucretia!” Lokus said, then spoke to Laucian. “We have found what you desire most.”

  Laucian stood up from his chair and Lucretia flinched as she reached for an old pistol at her side. My father gripped her wrist tightly before she could pull it free.

  “The chain?” he asked as he approached them.

  Lokus nodded. “’The Red-Eyed Demon has it.”

  “Let me guess,” Laucian sneered. “You want me to kill him because you cannot? What makes you think I would?”

  “He is an Acerbus, you are not.” Lokus said simply.

  “What’s to stop you from finishing me off after the battle?”

  “My word,” Lokus said, with a small smile and then added after a moment of unimpressed silence, “and immunity. We promise never to harm you as long as you refrain from killing innocents.”

  Laucian’s hand suddenly shot out, clasping the nape of Lokus’s neck firmly. The others reacted, weapons drawn, but Lokus raised a hand in protest. He tried to hide his sheer terror but beads of sweat began to form upon his brow.

  Coward, I thought.

  “I will trust you, Lokus,” Laucian said, “but if you cross me it doesn’t matter where you hide. I will get my retribution.”

  Lokus swallowed nervously and nodded.

  Laucian smirked and brushed by the Shin Dynasty. “What are we waiting for then? Don’t we have a demon to slay?” he asked.

  Again my stomach twisted and pulled me forward as if I were water sucked down a drain. I was now watching battle in a dark, dank catacomb. The walls were high and there were no doors or windows anywhere to be seen. Just rows and rows of urns and sarcophagi. The crypt floor was littered with bones, webs, and coffins. There was only a dim beacon of light coming from a hole in the ceiling which illuminated the floor and the battle between the two men standing upon it: Laucian and the Red-Eyed Demon. Laucian’s sword sliced the demon’s weapon in two, causing the handle to skid away into the darkness of the mausoleum. The only other sounds were the grunts of Laucian and his opponent.

  The Red-Eyed Demon now used two hands on the head of his weapon, grinding it against Laucian’s katana. Blue sparks illuminated the horrible scars across his necrotic face. Blood was oozing slowly down the Red-Eyed Demon’s nose as a cut on top of his bald head bled freely. The Red-Eyed Demon screamed and committed fully to a brutal swung with his newly created axe. Laucian fared little better as he slid back, blood droplets painting the floor below him. I had never seen Laucian so overwhelmed. A shallow cut on his face was slowly healing right before my eyes as he gasped for breath. They hovered for a moment, panting, each one knowing full well that their next engagement would determine who would walk away from the duel. The Red-Eyed Demon roared and charged forward like a rhino, the ground shaking under his feet. Laucian, though tired, moved swiftly, strafing to the side with lightning-fast agility before delivering the three final blows. One was to cut off the beast’s head, the other two to chop that head into pieces.

  Laucian collapsed as a spray of blood erupted from his shoulder. The Red-Eyed Demon, even in death, still hadn’t missed his mark. With a grimace of effort, Laucian ripped the metal weapon out of his flesh and collapsed onto the ground, blood pouring like a waterfall out of his fresh wound. At first I thought Laucian was dead, but after a moment he stirred, slowly dragging himself to the corpse like a maggot towards meat. In one agonizing effort, he righted himself, a scream echoing through the halls of the dead.

  “I’m sorry, brother. You have something I need,” he whispered between pants as he used his injured arm to search his fallen opponent. His searching became more and more frantic as he screamed, “It isn’t here. It isn’t here!”

  Laucian looked up to the hole in the ceiling from where he had plummeted from just a few moments ago. Large shadows stretched out over the crypt as the five Shin Dynasty warriors, Lokus standing in front of them all, stepped over the hole. They all looked down upon Laucian with disgust.

  “Lower the rope. It isn’t here!” Laucian cried between grunts of pain as he slowly righted himself. “It must be hidden somewhere in that rat hole we found earlier.”

  None of the five stirred, they just stood watching as Laucian’s legs wobbled and his eyes glazed. “Lower the rope! Lokus?”

  Lokus was silent as he reached into his shirt and pulled the shining chain free. The chain I had worn before, the chain that Laucian clearly desired most in this world.

  Laucian cackled victoriously. “Excellent, you found it! Throw it to me!”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary, Laucian,” Lokus said, his face like stone.

  “Then throw me the rope then so I can come up and get it,” Laucian growled, becoming impatient. “I held up my end of the bargain.”

  Lokus didn’t have to say anything as two of the members, my father and Lucretia, disappeared from view.

  It was then Laucian realized it was a trap.

  “You had it this entire time!” Laucian screamed at them as he realized he had been betrayed. “You traitorous swine!”

  “Good bye, Laucian.” Lokus laughed slowly as a grinding stone began to close up the demon’s only exit to freedom.

  “I will get out of here!” Laucian called up to them as the light disappeared around him. “And when I do I will slaughter each and every one of you! All the Mystics, Pagans, Druids, Boorr. I will show no mercy for any of you!”

  I was pulled away again. But in the moments before I returned to consciousness, I could only hear Laucian’s blood curdling screams as the darkness enveloped his entire existence.

  I was awoke from the vision. The throbbing pain had stopped. I now lay on the ground, panting as sweat dripped off of me in buckets. My wounds had reopened fully and blood was pooling around me.

  Laucian stood above me, his eyes feverish and his breath shallow. “Welcome to my world, Augrais. Don’t you feel alive?”

  I attempted to stand, to insult him, to do anything, but I could not. I could not find the words nor the will. Laucian had won.

  The Violet-Eyed Demon continued, “You will need to feed in order to maintain your life. Foalan!” he called to the door. “Bring him in.”

  The door opened and in
came two men. One was tied and gagged; the other was a young man around Lee’s age. He was tall and very skinny, with short peppered hair, though he was clearly very young. He looked somehow familiar, as if I had seen him before.

  The bound man was placed on his knees before me. I recognized him immediately: Gerald. The ropes were bound so tightly that they made his skin purple where they cut into it. His face was battered and bruised.

  “Augrais. Stand,” came a command from Laucian’s lips.

  Don’t stand, don’t stand, I thought, but to no avail. I awkwardly got to my feet, standing strangely as if my limbs were on strings. Then in a flash, Foalan sliced open the poor Pagan’s throat. Blood spurted forth as a he gasped for breath, only managing a wheeze as he fell to the floor.

  I was forced down, falling to my knees, looking right at Gerald as his life poured out of him in a crimson river.

  “Breathe Augrais,” Laucian commanded. “Breathe the life.”

  I could never forget Gerald’s eyes as the blood gurgled out of his throat and mouth. Never before had anyone looked at me with such hate, such intensity. I could tell that he would give anything, do anything, in order to see the situation reversed.

  “Breathe,” Laucian’s voice came again.

  I inhaled deeply. It was like drinking a warm beverage on the coldest night of your existence. His Shin, his life, flowed into me like a warm liquid, strengthening me, returning me to my Godhood. There was a hissing noise as the Pagan began his death throes, his body’s last attempt to get oxygen to the brain. My wounds were burning away as they closed completely. I felt my old strength return to me. I felt the invincibility.

  “Is it done?” came the voice of a female from the entrance of the room.

  “It is,” Laucian said as the newcomer walked into the room.

  I recognized her instantly, although she was much older than in my vision. This was the woman that stood next to my father: Lucretia. She approached me, looking at me intently.

  “It’s good to finally meet you,” Lucretia said, touching my face lightly, “my son.”