The Great Black King

Chapter • 09

♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱

"Who are you?" the childish voice questioned me, and bluntly, I stared at the little being who was sneaking around the gardens of the emerald palace.

What was I supposed to say? It was obvious who this child was, for there, in the midst of hell - children, were rare. As rare as dreamy happy endings.

That little boy was Loren, Callisto's son and his one true love until then.

The being to whom the king dedicated his life and the reason he opened himself to Elaine. There were even some fans who said that Elaine was not so good and had blatantly used the boy to get closer to the king.

At the time, I remember disagreeing and defending the heroine.

"I am Asra" I replied simply by extending one of my hands to him to help him stand up.

The little boy wore black clothes that stood out on his excessively pale skin. There were reddish circles under his crimson eyes, and he smiled briefly as he took my hand.

"Asra? Like the phoenix that swallowed the deadly sun?"

He looked excited as he waited for an answer and I couldn't help but remember Elaine's words, after all there were many suspicions about Asra being part of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The phoenix that swallowed the sun and condemned the mortal world to eternal darkness.

"Who knows?" I spoke, sketching a small smile, "but where did you hear that story?"

The boy looked around, all of them as if searching for someone, and something told me that this someone had risen quartz eyes.

"Well..." he whispered, "daddy always tells me little stories when he puts me to sleep".

It was almost comical to hear those words when I knew who his father was and even more so that after everything that had happened earlier, it was to me that Loren came and not to Elaine. Was this all a result of my changes since I entered this world? Or a fact that Asra had never mentioned in the novel because she simply didn't care?

"Got it..." I spoke, still holding his little hand, "and what would your name be, my dear?"

The boy bit his lip hard, and when his face lifted to look at me, I could clearly see the mask that covered part of his face, the one that hid the curse marks.

"L-Lor-Loren..." he stammered, and his delicate little face slowly turned redder.

Loren, that sweet, cute little boy, was really Loren. The Loren who clung to Elaine as if she were his mother, as if she were his only friend and confidant. The little Loren who would rule the underworld with eternal guilt in his soul and the shackles that Elaine's God would bind him in for all the sins of his father.

That child in front of me deserved neither of those things. No child did.

"Hello, Loren" I smiled, "what are you doing here?"

It was obvious that he didn't want to answer, and his gaze wandered around the garden as he tried to find a suitable answer to give me. One that wouldn't scare me and wouldn't be... well, exaggerated.

"I was..." he lowered his tone more and more, becoming almost inaudible, "I was trying to find Papa and I heard Azrael say that he was in the garden palace with red roses."

Of course, that fallen man had a big mouth and a propensity to complain bigger than his mouth. It was obvious that he would be annoyed, but to the point of openly babbling about it? Were there any screws missing in Azrael's head? I could force them if necessary, and if he caused little Loren to put himself in danger again.

For Loren, a child cursed by the God of Elaine, it was complicated to live life quietly. Every day he was taken to his father's office and there he was medicated so that he would survive a little longer. For his body to endure one more day, one more of the painful crises that plagued his little body; so Callisto didn't let him go out much, giving Loren everything he wanted inside his own room or even the main castle.

It was his way of protecting the little one, of seeing to it that he didn't expose himself to unnecessary dangers or even that he didn't get tired and fall down in the corners.

How long had it been since he had run away? How much longer would Loren still have by my side before Callisto would freak out upon hearing the news and start looking for him incessantly? Would he be angry if he saw me by Loren's side? Would he open up to me like he did with Elaine?

Nonsense. I was thinking nonsense again.

Callisto wouldn't magically change just for something silly like that, he would probably be too angry at the danger Loren was in to even try to remember how we were together when he arrived.

He probably wouldn't even look me in the face before taking the child away.

"Humm..." I sighed, "I would offer to look for your father, little one, but... I'm afraid I don't have any men here. The emerald palace is guarded by women, and only women can enter here. Men are not allowed, unless that man is the king."

Loren looked at the floor.

"And the king...is he there?" she asked with a sly, wistful tone.

I smiled.

"No, the king is busy, working..." I spoke, stroking his hair as I crouched in front of him, "but I am always here... so if you get tired of looking for your father and want some company, come to me. I am also constantly alone. It would be nice to have someone to talk to."

Her twitchy little eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Really? Really, really? He didn't seem to believe me, so I smiled, a wide, genuine smile.

"Yes, Loren, I would love for you to come over and talk to me," I spoke bluntly, "that would make me immensely happy."

The boy's face lit up like a true star shining in the crimson sky, and with an impulsive and cute gesture, he threw himself on me and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you, Miss Asra! I will come! Even though Daddy comes to see me every day, I will come to see Miss and then... we can talk!"

He was adorable, I realized as I hugged that small, fragile body. Loren was an adorable child, and yet he was destined to die without Elaine's help.

There were too many things to change in this damned story written by such a sadistic author.

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