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THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY TWO
The dinning table seemed like a feast for a king. Never in my life had I seen such different varieties of food where I was allowed to eat as much as I wanted to my satisfaction. “My king, this is too much”. My Aunt says, overwhelmed. “This is our last feast”. The king said. “It’s both an apology and a token of my gratitude to you and the rest of your family so please, this doesmt even come close to showing my emotions”. Air Victor chuckled nervously. “We thank you, my King”. “Please, dig in”. I look at the dishes one after the other. There was too many to choose from that I didn’t even know what to start with first. But luckily, Christina had come to my aid as she placed a green leaf on my plate. “Try this first, Jack”. I smile at her as I pick up the green leaf. Before I could put it in my mouth, I halt as I remember the last time Sir Victor, Sir Barrett and I had once eaten their meal. This was giant’s flesh. It had to be. “What’s wrong, Jack?”. Inquired the king. “Is the fo
THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY THREE
After we came back to the palace from the market place, I am being shown to a room that I had all to myself. But all the way, my mind was on the words of that young man I’d met earlier in the festival, his last words to be precise. After I’d rejoined Christina from the restroom, she’d inquired why I’d taken so long and I’d just told her that I’d lost my way . I tried to act as calm as possible not giving away any suspicious behavior. But I couldn’t help but think about it. The man had said that he’d flirted with Christina and that was what made the rich merchant not want to have her again and furious, the king had banned him from the island but he’d always stocked around Incase one day the princess might need his help. And I was grateful, I mean, I should be grateful that he’d saved the princess from getting married to that rich merchant who clearly wanted to take advantage of her but why was I burning with jealousy instead over the fact that he'd flirted with the princess!.“Snap
THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY FOUR
The following morning I wake up with Christina already awake nestled in my arms, holding onto me ever so tightly. “Goodmorning”. I greet with a smile but she doesn’t reply me which bothers me as we’d just spent an intimate night together. A million thoughts ran through my mind. Was last night not good? Was I bad at it?. It was my first time afterall so I wasn’t expecting to be perfect either but above average wouldn’t hurt. “Are you alright, my princes—”“I want to go with you, Jack “. She says in whispers. Audible whispers. More words didn’t need to be said to understand what she meant for I clearly knew. “I could just stay here with you if you would agree”. I say not wanting a dispute between her and the king but that didn’t sit well with Christina. Upset, Christina rolls out of my arms. “There’s so much more to this kingdom that you suspect, Jack. It’s not all rainbow and sunshine everyday”. She argues. “The giants you see all around aren’t enemies of this kingdom but rather
THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY FIVE
I’d pretended as if I’d left the kingdom and returned home but stopped in the woods, where I knew the knights and my Aunt would be waiting for me to tell them about my plan to escape with the princess. “What was so important that it couldn’t wait till we returned home?”. Sir Victor questioned strongly. It was written all over his face that he couldn’t wait to go back to his son and wife. “I apologize for taking out of your time”. I say from one knight to the other.”But this is a matter of urgency”.“Then speak with a matter of urgency, lad. We don’t have all day”. Barrett spoke calmly. The calmness in his tone was only made possible because of my Aunt’s presence and to that, I was grateful for. “It’s about the princess. She wants to follow us back to our land”. “No. No, not at all. Perish that thought”. Sir Barett say the minute my words come out.“Barett, let’s atleast hear him out”. Sir Hansman cajoled. “No. There’s no thinking this. The king would be very furious when he finds
THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY SIX
Feeling uneasy and almost sick of the smell that oozed out from the giant’s clearing, I nearly forget the reason I’d decided to come here and had almost turned back the way I came but after chiding myself harder and one last time, I make my way into the clearing where the giants would notice me quickly and as expected, they did.They start to charge towards me upon sight, seeing me as a meal to be eaten but I hold up my hands. “Wait”. Surprisingly, they halt and to that, I was grateful for or else I would have taken off quicker than my next breath. “I have an offer for you all”One of the bigger giants amongst the troops before me seemed fascinated by this idea as it opened it’s mouth and spoke as a strong sewage breathe accompained his words. “Wh-at is t-hi-s of-fe-r?”I repressed the urge to cover my nose at the stinch of his breathe as I table out my offer. “I want to offer you a chance at revenge”. The giant quirked it’s brow, confused by clearly intrigued. “Re-ve-n-ge?”“Yes” I
THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY SEVEN
I hide nearby the kingdom gates listening to the mayhem being caused by the giants in the village. Roars and screams could be heard from each and every angle. It was hard to even decipher if the giants were the prey or predators from this battle. Blood were spilled on the ground and immediately I saw it, I knew they belonged to the giants. I knew just how skillful the knights of this kingdom were. I’ve seen them fight upright. Plus these giants they were fighting with were one of the “friendlies” not the barbarians who’d killed a lot. Or maybe I should have tried to talk the barbarians into corporating with us?. I shake my head dissing my thoughts. I couldn’t believe I was thinking of corporation with those who’d captured my Aunt and whole lot of others. Plus even if I’d miraculously gotten them to corporate with us, the chances that they would turn against us was relatively high. Instead of thinking of the decision I would have made, I just concentrate on now. What’s done is done
THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY EIGHT
The great fall of the giant seemed to have awakened our six senses as I look down at Christina from above and shout with a matter of urgency. “Faster! Go down faster!”. With a mad rush, we keep going down the beanstalk knowing fully well that the king and his knights will also be on their way down, on our tail. It was nightfall by the time we start to reach the bottom as jumping leaf by leaf was a lot easier than trying to climb. As we reach the bottom, I see numerous people waiting for us down below. From my Aunt to the King of our land to Sir Barrett, Victor and Hansman and only one thing resonated In my ears. Home. I was finally home and never in a million years did I ever think I’ll be glad to be back here even with the creditors that awaited us. I wiped at the tears that threatened to roll down my cheeks as I jumped off the beanstalk. Immediately my feets hit the ground, My Aunt rushes over to me and hugs me ever so tightly. I, more than anything wanted to hug her just as m
THE ROOT OF DARKNESS FOURTY NINE
As the beanstalk falls, I see the king who had also followed his knights down, fall but was rather lucky as he ended up landing on the body of the giant he killed, breaking his fall even though he is still quite scuffed.“You people are the worst!”. He fumed. “I welcome you into my home, bathe you, clothe you. I saw you as family as you were even allowed to feast and dine with me by my golden table!”. He turned to look at Sir Hansman and my Aunt. “I helped find and save those who you’d lost In my land and this is how you repay me?!”.“I should have known better than to help people who know nothing about kindness”. He ended as he spoke out of rage. Understandable rage because he didn’t seem to understand why we were doing this when he welcomed us in his land with so much generosity. But over my dead body would I let those fickle words of his move me to return Christina back to this man. This murderer. Only the lord knows what he would do to her for planning to escape in the first plac
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- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
The urge to turn down Korn's invitation wad strong as I'd remembered Lord Nova's advise about Korn seeing me as a threat if he got to know about the power I wielded. But, I didn't have the boldness to do so. "The tale is bound to bore you, my king" "Trust me, Xagrel. This is a tale I'm well invested in no matter how boring it might appear to be" "If you say so, my king" A grin spreads across Korn's face."Then shall we?" I nod. Turning to face Xandos, I say. "Thank you for the clothes and for giving me a roof over my head. I'll be heading back with king Korn now" "Will you be back?" "I wil-" "He might not" Korn interjects. "I need my slave around me at all times if you get what I mean, Xandos" Xandos bows his head. "As you wish, my king. Do arrive safely back to the palace" "I will as always, Xandos" Korn extends his hands towards me. "Your hand; we're going on a very short ride" Placing my hands over Korn's, he teleports us to a strange and eerie place that re
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
"First we can't have you work on an empty stomach" Xandos states, leading us to the center of his living room. "So help yourself with breakfast" I glanced around the empty space buy see nothing. "There's nothing here" Xandos chuckles. "It seems like your sharp reflexes ended in the bedroom. You didn't notice it when you first walked in here last night so I assumed maybe it's because it was dark but that doesn't seem to be the case" Xandos points up at the ceiling. "Look up" Following his hand direction, I gaze up to see a well- rounded brown table suspended mid-air yet remains stable and secure. From where I stood, I couldn't see the top of the table but ethereal glowing moonlight hovered around it. The leg of the table was crafted to resemble curved wings with intricate carvings woven around it. The table almost seemed...alive. "Do you think you have what it takes to make it to the table top?" Xandos questions bringing me back to reality. I was determined to mak
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER SIXTY
His words made me feel warmth all over for some strange reason. "Why would you want to help someone like me?" "Because I can't have you messing with lives again" He replies as a matter of fact. "You said earlier you don't have a distrinct to stay in. Would you like to follow me home?" "Home?. You live alone?" "Of course I do" He responds. "I'm the last of my kind that's why immediately I felt the balance of time being messed with I knew it was an outsider doing such as there are no chrono mages in Eridoria yet" As he leads the way to his home, I inquired. "What is your name, by the way? I don't know how to address you" "You can call me Xandos" "Nice to meet you, Xandos. I'm Xagrel" Xandos gives me a disapproving look. "I hope you are more eager to train than you are to know my name" "We're here; home" Xandos announces as we stand infront of a swirling blue vortex. "Brace yourself up" He advised stepping into the vortex. I followed suite not knowing why Xandos had
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
"How did you do it?" The talking wall inquires in awe, staring at the now brightly lit room. "You didn't have any expectations of me, did you?" I shake my head. "Just like how I'd figured out a way to reach the magic book without lights, you should figure out how I'd managed to do this" Waving at the wall, I grinned wider. "See you around" Turning on the door knob, I stroll out of the door shaped shelf; re-entering the entrance of the book store. Still wearing the grin on my face, I walked over to the talking wall whom looked displeased. "I see you've outdone yourself" It commends. "You've proven me wrong" "You don't need to turn yourself into a stone" I assure. "I didn't intend to take on this challenge to get something out of it" "I know" It responds. "My brother and I are not just magical talking walls. We can read people's mind as well and so does magic" "People whom have pure desires and intentions just like you do tend to receive magic alot more faster than oth
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
The interior of the bookstore gave an eerie feeling as it was dimly lit with flickering candles. Walking down the aisle, the path leads to numerous bookshelves that were shaped like a door. Those bookshelves had no walls on them. "How can we help you?" A voice inquires, startling me. Turning sideways towards the direction of the voice, I come face to with a talking wall. Swallowing deep, I inquired. "Do you run this place?" "The store owner is out for some couple of days" The wall replies. "We don't know when she'll be back" "We?" The wall clears his throat, probably annoyed. "I take it that you are new then. What can I help you with?" "I'm looking for a book that can help me learn magic" There was silence before the wall lets out a deep hearty laughter. "Magic isn't just for anyone to learn, boy. If that were to be the case, I'd be a talking human not a talking wall" "You've come to the wrong place so see yourself out" The wall concludes. Anger coursed through
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Do I want to take a look into my future?. What if it doesn't have Ophelia in it? Was I ready to face that kind of future?. "I would like to politely decline, Lord Nova" "Why? You're not brave enough?" Lord Nova closes his outstretched hands. "You need to work on your courage, Xagrel or else you are never going to grow even with the kind of power you wield" I furrow my brow, confused. "What sort of power do I weild, Lord Nova?" "That's for you to find out when you are ready to" Lord Nova alights from the bed. "Your leg is all healed up. You may leave now" Alighting from the bed, I bow my head at Lord Nova. "Thank you for your wise words" "Wise words without actions remains empty words, Xagrel. Choose wisely" Exiting the tent, I gazed around for Ryker but he was nowhere to be seen. I was a bit disappointed as I'd expected him to be waiting for me outside. I guess he meant it when he said we weren't 'close yet' Just then, I hear a loud scream coming not so faraway from wher
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
How did I know that my senses had been awakened?. That's because the light emitting from the strange artifact blinded my eyes so badly that the box had fallen from my hands. But just before the box could touch the ground; time stops and reverses settling the box back in my hands. "What the-" I say, bewildered. "M..o..v..e" came the giant's voice pushing me out of the way as they uproot a tree onto their shoulders. But do you know what was insane? The fact that I was pushed by a giant but wasn't moved from where I was standing. As if I suddenly had a strength par with a giant. I chuckled over my absurd thought. "That can't be right. Maybe the giant didn't push me hard enough" My gaze lingers at the giants as they go about uprooting more trees from their root as an idea creeps into mind. Placing the strange artifact back into it's box and tucking it into my pocket, I moved to stand infront of a tree exhaling deeply. "Here goes nothing" Placing my hands at either side
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Witch Lyrik smack the back of my head head. "It's king Korn to you" I was having a hard time wrapping my head around everything; this new world development, Korn as king, the witch similarity to my manager. If I was in a different world with the people here similar to those in my past life, if everyone truly upgraded one way or another; why was I still ranked as a slave?. The lowest of all lows. Tightening my fist, I apologize." I apologize for calling you with disrespect, my king" "Apology accepted but you will be punished for trying to flee from me" Korn declares. "The question here is; In what way?. How about I do so by turning your little sister to one of my concubines" My eyes widened at the mention of my my sister. How had I almost forgotten that if Korn could be in this world so could my sister, Ophelia. "Please.."I plead, rubbing my hands against one another. "Not my sister. I'll do anything" "You will do anything I want whether you like it or not" King Korn co
- THE ROOT OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
In a split second, my eyes flash before my eyes and I felt regretful. Regretful for having lived a life that had no meaning whatsoever, regretful for having allowed Korn bully me out of my workplace, regretful for having exchanged harsh words with my mother. If only I could have a second chance...but then, would I do things differently?. I wouldn't know until I get that chance. "Damn, my head" I wince in pain, rising up to my feet while placing my hands on my head. Then, I remember that I wasn't even supposed to be alive. "What is going on?" Taking a look around my surrounding, I find myself in a place that I couldn't recognize. Surrounding me were high mountains whose peak were hovered glistening light. Water falls freely down the side of the mountain into a river of clear sliver water that flowed into a riverbank. There were different species of flower dancing freely by the bottom of the mountain. "What in the world is this place?" I questioned, filled with amuse
