An angel’s road to hell

4. Of seers, others and a little bit of conflict

Cassandra Pendragon

After mum had finished playing dress up doll with me, she gave me a critical once-over: “Oh my, Cassy, I swear you are getting cuter by the day! You look just like a little angel…” Right, how come I feel like a clown who is suffocating under frilly satin? I swear those ribbons made my head twice as heavy. Well at least I could enjoy mum brushing my tails. That felt nice. While she finished with the brush, my mum kept on chattering: “Today is your second birthday, all your relatives will come by. Some of them you haven’t even met yet. Are you excited my little darling?” Oh, I had pretty much forgotten about the birthday thingy. I vaguely remembered my parents and brothers singing while Ahri cut and served cake, but that was pretty much it for my first birthday. If my assumption that I had been born into aristocracy was correct, shouldn’t there be a presentation of the new heiress of sorts? My confusion didn’t last long: “Before the festivities we will have to present you to the court though. It’s an old tradition to wait until the second birthday but what can you do?” Child mortality was still an issue, I supposed, so it would be prudent to wait until the second birthday before getting everyone’s hopes up. Well, at least it didn’t look like I had to be dressed up like this every day. At least I hoped so.

“We’ll just get that over with and afterwards we’ll have the whole day to ourselves. Arthur and his family are coming, as well as your grandparents. It’s gonna be a beautiful day, just you wait!” I tried to mumble: Don’t jinx it! But all I could get out was another: “Gahh!” Well, what could possibly go wrong?

Three hours later, of which I couldn’t spent a single one napping, the last of a seemingly endless procession of people stood before my parents and me, bowing down from the waist and mumbling something about honour, privilege and good health. I didn’t listen very closely. First of all, I was pretty cranky. A good three hours is a long time for a toddler, especially if the toddler in question is constantly trying to prevent another diaper accident. That was my first hurdle in mastering my body. No more would I be subjugated by the whims of nature!

Also, after I had listened to the first three nobles, I realised that they all pretty much had said the same.

“An honour to meet you, princess…blah blah blah….would you grant me the privilege of introducing my son, daughter, the dog of my second niece twice removed…blah blah blah…we wish your highness good health and a bright future…” All in all it was an amazingly dull affaire, but at least I could confirm my parents’ standing. I had been born into one of the five royal families that ruled this land. From what I gathered, I had to only endure the litany of this last bootlicker… ahem, I wanted to say gentleman, and then I would meet the others. Royal families that is, not bootlickers. When Viscount Singha, a dull grey kitsune with a voice that matched his fur, finally finished with his sermon and left the throne room, where I resides in a gilded crib, just beside my parents’ thrones, I could hear a fanfare from the outside. Our palace had been built in an U-shape, with kitchens, stables, an armoury and soldiers quarters to the left, a servant wing to the right with the royal wing behind. The throne and ball room took up pretty much the whole ground floor. Both wore lavishly decorated, with moon-stones along the walls and ceiling. The first floor sported a library, a small meditation chamber, a private banquet hall and a smallish kitchen. The chambers of my family filled the top floor. We even had a dungeon and a treasury down in the basement. The courtyard was full of flowers and a huge fountain burbled in the middle. From somewhere around there I heard a sonorous voice: “It’s an honour to announce his royal majesty, King Peter Furglow and his queen Amelia!” A loud bang proceeded the low screeching sound with which the main portal opened. And in came… the most boring looking coupled I had ever seen, they resembled dusty librarians. Admittedly I didn’t have that much to compare them to, at least not yet, but they simply oozed boredom, just looking at them made me feel sleepy.

Wait a minute! I was sleepy, admittedly, but the grown-ups also started yawning as soon as the couple walked in. After some seconds the eyes of every one in the room glazed over. Some even started drooling. No that I had much experience, but that sure as hell wasn’t normal. I felt a slight pressure on my mind, but was fine otherwise. Should I try to wake everyone? Probably a good idea and as I had shown before, while I couldn’t  articulate properly, I could scream just fine.

I gathered my breath and….BANG! One of the two soldiers positioned to both sides of the entrance dropped his halberd. The resulting crash could have woken the dead but nobody moved. Ok, message received. Screaming wouldn’t help much. Should I pretend to be under as well? Probably for the best, as I couldn’t think of anything else to do, especially since the edges of my crib resembled the Great Wall of China, at least from my point of view. Huh, what’s a China? No matter now, just put a vacant expression on your face. That shouldn’t be too hard, as it had been the only expression I had been capable of up until last night. Alright, show time!

Peter Furglow

10 minutes earlier

As I was walking over Boseiju’s branches, the one thing I had been dreading ever since that fateful encounter 7 months ago happened. The small golden spirit anchor in the form of a crown on my neck burned like a miniature sun and everything went black.

I was nowhere, wisps of grey nothingness covered my surroundings. They formed abstract shapes and silhouettes fleetingly before dispersing. There was no sound, no light, only wiggling threats of nothingness that prevented any form of orientation. Right in front of me a gargantuan throne, formed of burning and screaming bodies, towered over the scene.

“It’s time. My vassal shall meet you shortly. He will deliver my seal. Pour energy into it to put everyone close into a trance and mark the new born. Be gone!” An imposing figure made of shadows with a smouldering crown on its head commanded.

The fires within its throne raged and swallowed me whole. It felt like my soul was burning. Just before I hoped death would finally end this travesty my life had become, I opened my eyes and barely prevented a skin-tight encounter between my nose and the branch I was walking on, clinging to my wife for support.

I was sweating profusely and my wife cast me an anxious glance. In a quiet whisper, so that neither our herald nor the two accompanying soldiers could hear us, she inquired: ”Did it finally happen? The mark on your neck shone for a second before you tripped. It summoned you, didn’t it? What do we have to do?”

“Nothing much. We only have to betray some of our closest friends and mark their daughter with the seal of a sociopathic maniac from across the world. Oh right, its vassal will deliver the seal, so someone else is already under its control. Damn… curse my flea-ridden curiosity!” Tears stung in the corner of my eyes as I looked at Amelia and glanced at her neck. Where her collar had slipped slightly while supporting my sorry ass, a tiny red crown could be seen. It glowed in an ominous colour, nearly alike to the smouldering crown on that devil’s head. Great fox, I loved her so much. And was likely going to pull her down with me.

7 months earlier

As the most accomplished far-seers in the kingdom of the five families, the family of Furglow, my family, was tasked to scout out our surroundings and explore the world on the astral plane. We were supposed to spot any danger to the kingdom, hone our skills and make sure our bloodline strengthened over time. For compensation we retained our status a a royal family, all privileges associated with it and a generous stipend.

My marriage to Amelia had been arranged when she had turned 7 years of age. During the testing all kitsune underwent at that age, her talent for clairvoyance and astral-travels had been detected as well as her latent ability to manipulate soul energy. She was simply a perfect fit. And for me she was simply perfect. I thanked my lucky star every morning that I was allowed to wake up beside the most brilliant and beautiful creature under the moon. We spent most of our days on the astral plane, looking for lost secrets and hidden wonders.

A golden-red shimmering trail leading far west had caught my attention. Amelia had had a bad feeling about exploring so far out, but I had convinced her with promises of unseen artefacts and new astral places full of unique sights. And so we had sent out our spirits further than ever before until, far across the seas, a dark force had caught us with inevitable strength and pulled us to the burning throne. And that was the first time we met it.

A presence, far stronger than mine and Amelia’s combined had invaded our spirits and rendered us helpless. After excruciatingly sifting through our memories it had bound Amelia with a soul seal that would ignite on its command and forced a communication mark onto me. It had made clear its intention to use the seal if prompted with a reason and then sent us back to wait for further instructions. They never came and I never found out who left the trail we followed. Until today.

7 months later

As we neared the Pendragon’s palace, a pitch-black kitsune with two tails approached us. He had been hidden in a leave-covered alcove just off the side of the main branch.

His fur lacked the lustre and shine of his father’s and looked more like matted steel. His grey eyes resembled storm-clouds and a huge two-handed sword black as the night was slung over his back. I had only met him briefly and sporadically before, but that sword definitely belonged to Mordred, youngest son of the Pendragons. His short hair and collarless shirt revealed his neck. I fervently searched for a crown of any colour or shape, but … maybe the mark was somewhere else? No, those signs needed the energy from the central meridians to power up. May the Great Fox have mercy!

“Ah, Peter, wondrous seer of the Five. And the charming Amelia, what a coincidence!” His voice was deep and full, but there was an edge to it, like a blade hidden in the dark.

“Are you by any chance on your way to my little sister’s presentation?” He stopped at arm’s reach. I could see a cruel smirk hiding in the corner’s of his mouth.

“Lord Mordred, it’s our honour to greet the newest heiress of the Pendragons and the daughter of good friends! We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Why so formal, Peter? You were at my presentation as well and we have known one another ever since. And didn’t we recently grow even closer?”

With those words he took the final step towards me, his hand extended. After we had shaken, I felt a small stone cylinder on my palm.

“Anyway, I am fairly certain it’s gonna be … rememberable. Enjoy your day dear Peter. Amelia, your servant!” I could only clench my teeth and force a smile on my lips.

“Thank you, Lord Mordred. May the  Great Fox reward your kindness tenfold!” I saw a spark of anger ignite deep in his eyes but he only bowed to my wife and disappeared along a side branch.

Full of bitterness and regret I continued on my way. The second son had betrayed his family. I of course knew that he always envied Arthur’s position and the birth of his sister with two tails. But I had never expected him to stoop so low and sell out his own blood! That’s sacrilege!

I poured nearly every ounce of energy from my body into the seal. The effect was subtle but impressive. Everyone present except for me and my wife, who were protect by the marks on our necks, immediately lost their focus. Vacant faces were all around, one soldier even dropped his weapon. No one reacted. Drenched in sweat I nodded to my wife and approached the crib. The toddler within looked apathetic. A little drool flowed out of the corner of her mouth. I was glad her eyes were hidden behind half-close lids, the weak silvery glow coming from underneath was eerie enough. I quickly crossed over to the child and pulled out the cylinder. It was a stone steal with an intricately designed gold seal at the bottom. I touched her forehead lightly with the seal. An ominous glow was emitted from the steal and the seal melted into the toddler’s forehead. Her eyes shot open and silvery light flowed through the room.

Cassandra Pendragon

I followed the dusty librarian’s approach through half closed eyes. I even drooled a little for good measure. As he got closer, I realised my predicament. What ever he had in mind, I most likely couldn’t stop him. So should I just continue to play along? What if he seriously harmed me or even took me away? That wasn’t an option. But what could I even do? There was no way to even think about fighting and I couldn’t cast a single spell. I had a profound theoretical foundation but no clue if, how and what kind of energy I could manipulate.

I became scared. My heart sped up and when he stood before me and I felt something cold touch my forehead, I panicked and opened my eyes. The royal traitor touched a glowing cylindrical stone to my head and a foreign presence flooded my mind.

My panic subsided instantly and was replaced by pure and undiluted anger. A fire burned with in me and turned the tendrils of the invader into ash. Relishing in the power cursing through my veins, I lost all restraints, succumbing to my wrath. Every trace of this entity had to go, had to burn! I’d burn them to oblivion, erase their souls, feed on their energy.

I couldn’t think, I couldn’t see. I was a bonfire, igniting everything I came in touch with. They wanted to subjugate me? Me?! Fine, let’s dance! I would immolate their bodies, tear the walls of their spirits down and burn their souls to a cinder! Nothing would remain.

I sent a spark through the connection the seal tried to form with my mind. I could feel the spark racing westwards, carrying a promise of doom and destruction. Returning from my inner world I could see the room bathed in silvery blue light. The fires of heaven raged within 20 meters around me and burned everyone with ill intent towards my family.

The not so boring librarian turned to dust immediately. Nothing remained but a pile of ash on the floor. Through the silvery haze I could see his soul trying to escape but the fires were faster, stronger. It got caught and was consumed. The fires burned brighter.

His wife screamed, panic, sorrow, disbelief and hysteria made her voice collapse. A small smile formed on my face. I spread my arms and the fires engulfed her. Her scream died out with a dry rasp as her cloth and her hair ignited like straw. Her eyes liquefied, oozing out of the sockets. Her skin turn red, than black and than to ash within milliseconds. She was still alive and I smiled. This was retribution. Absolute retribution. Inhumane and cruel and … wrong. My soul screamed in agony, trying to pull back the fires to stomp out the anger. To gain a resemblance of sanity. I fought the most important battle of my life. One I couldn’t lose or I’d be lost.

The blue torrents of energy returned to me. I bled for every centimetre, literally as blood was dripping from my eyes, nose and ears, but I didn’t give up, didn’t give an inch. My progress was agonisingly slow and I nearly lost consciousness. But I didn’t give up. My throat ruptured from my screams, i broke my wrist when I hit my crib while trashing around. But I didn’t give up. My soul felt full to the brim with burning gasoline and darkness encroached on my vision from all sides. My frantic gaze settled on my parents, still happily asleep and miraculously unharmed and I didn’t give up. With one last Herculean pull the final ember returned to me.

Fire raced through my body, ravishing everything in its path. I felt like this was the end, killed by my own power. At least I only took two people with me. And to be honest, the dude at least kind of deserved it. Maybe not the burned soul part.

I looked at my parents one last time and managed to smile. They didn’t need to know how much I suffered right then. The fires within burned ever brighter, gaining momentum, raging towards my back, getting so hot they felt like icy crystals, until they broke out of my skin, right above my shoulder blades. 20 meter long torrents of bluish-silver energy roamed around me and through the destruction. I could feel them, like massless extensions of my senses. But they didn’t burn anymore, instead, everyone they touched shook their heads and started to wake up.

My gaze roamed around the butchered throne room, resting on what was left of the Furglows. A pile of ash and a charred corpse, burned beyond recognition.

I threw up and darkness came.

Below the imperial palace

A burned and smouldering thing stumbled from a golden throne. Below the throne, connected via cables and magical tethers, hundreds of hollowed out husks gradually turned into dust.

The thing slowly recovered its muscles and skin until it resembled a man with a haughty expression and fiery red eyes. On his head were the remnants of a molten crown.

Across his chest, directly over his heart, a deep and cauterised wound remained, glowing faintly in a silver hue.

“Hmm, soul damage…despite all the sacrifices…Interesting.”

He turned towards one of the many golems positioned around the throne. Artificial eyes focused on him.

“Get me 333 mages to repair my soul and two further batches to power the throne for my next excursion. I need to contact Mordred and Amazeroth. Mordred was right. We found it.”

“Recruiting so many mages will take time. Enough are stored to repair your soul, my liege, but we need time to get the rest.” A robotic voice replied.

With a wave of his hand the man brushed the golem off: “She is only 2. We have all the time in the world.”

The man walked back to the throne and settled down.

30 minutes later horrendous screams and red lightning filled the chamber.