With nothing to do but wait for Aoris’ rescue, Kyle soon fell into a shallow, uneasy slumber again. He was waking up often as the ropes cut into his skin, or as he heard the muffled footsteps of Vis walking inside her little underground home.
“Wake up!” She cheerfully declared as she opened the door and stepped inside, with a plate in her hand that smelled of cooked meat. Kyle felt his mouth water, and his stomach gurgled in response, prompting Vis to chuckle.
The vampire shut the door behind her, then placed the platter in front of him. “I don’t think I need to remind you,” She said as she untied his hands. “You can’t cast magic, and I’m fast and powerful. Don’t try and run – you won’t make it.”
Kyle begrudgingly nodded. “I know, I know.” He had no chance of escape while she was watching him. It was better to eat, regain some strength, and wait for an opportunity.
T
Kyle drew a sharp breath. Vis chuckled upon seeing his shocked expression. “I told you, these lands belong to me. Those villagers, they are mine. They should ave shown me respect, and offered themselves to me. Instead, they chased me away with torches and pitchforks.” She let out a sigh, and shook her head. “Quite rude if you ask me.” Kyle ignored her whining. There it was again, that phrase. ‘An empire lost to time’. Was it lost to time the same way Necron was? “What does that mean?” He piped up. “What?” Vis shot him an odd look. “I’m their rightful ruler is what that means!” She exclaimed. “Haven’t you been listening at all?” “No, not really.” He admitted. “That’s not what I meant. You said the empire was ‘lost to time’. What does that mean?” Vis’ smile shattered. “It was lot to time, Kyle.” She coldly replied. “What else could that mean? It exists no more.” She raised her chin, and coldly watched Kyle as he finished his breakfast. “
The silence was deafening. Vis’ words hand felt like a dagger thrust in his heart. It hurt, beyond how much he thought it would hurt.He bit his lips and took deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart.His plan had never been a very sound one. Waiting for rescue was hardly a plan at all. It was the best he could come up with though. It had all been in vain, however. The Fallen Knight he had grown to trust and depend on was nothing more than a fraud, a traitor to him.Vis’ words rang true in his mind. He was out of choices, any stalling he did after now was only going to be in his own detriment. Either he accepted Vis’ offer and let her feed on his blood every few days, or he’d be stuck in here forever, potentially.He let out a sigh. This wasn’t just upsetting, it was also infuriating. He was sick of being pushed around by beings too powerful for him! First it was Azazel, the Fallen Angel. Then, Droigheann, and now this d
“You are a lucky fool.” Droigheann scolded Kyle. “If it were me, I’d have kept you tied up in that room – much easier access to food that way.”The thought alone made Kyle shudder. “Well, the more powerful I get, the tastier by blood it what I understand. She probably let me go so her food gets tastier.” He pouted. “Did you not sense my call at all? I tried to summon you, more than once.”Droigheann shook his head. “Vampires are creatures of the past – not many remain. I admit, I do not know much about them, besides their food source.”Kyle sighed. He was still feeling lightheaded. “I thought as much.” He rubbed his temples. “Droigheann, what does ‘lost to time’ mean? She said her empire was lost to time.”The Demon shot him an odd look. “You said Necron was lost to time as well.”Kyle nodded. “I did say that.” H
The refreshing scent of the plants filled the newly furnished alchemy lab. Kyle leaned against the table, his brows furrowed. Some of these descriptions in the Necronomicon were beyond confusing.It had been several days since he sent the Fallen Knight Aoris away. He could sense her presence still, hers and of the few people she’d brough to him before leaving for the chasm. She and four more warriors now were tasked to clear the chasm.He could sense all five of them. Every time one got wounded, he flinched with pain. Thankfully, they healed rather fast due to one of them knowing bits of healing magic.“You seem exhausted.” A familiar voice sounded from the window. Startled, Kyle raised his gaze as he left the Necronomicon disappear. It was none other than Rhealis, the elven dreamer.“You need not hide the ancient book, Summoner.” She said with a smile as she climbed in through the open window instead of using the open door a
Vis visited Kyle that night. He didn’t try to resist as she drank his blood. She tried to chat, but he was too tired, and too busy to deal with her. He fell asleep, not caring about her still being in his room. When he woke up the next morning, she was gone, having left a single rose on his bedside.He put it in a vase, then hurried over to his alchemy lab. There was much work to be done today.His goal today was to create those healing elixirs he’d read in the Necronomicon. First, he grabbed a stack of papers and wrote down the recipe, so he could take a look at it even when other people came to the alchemy lab, without fearing the Necronomicon would be found out.Then, he went into the garden, and started to collect the plants he needed. Once all the materials were in his possession, he went back inside, and got to work.Brewing potions was a lot harder than just putting all the ingredients in a bottle in the r
Kyle shuddered as lightning struck somewhere in the distance. He could barely hear the noise of thunder, but the dark clouds had begun to cover the skies already. A storm was brewing, and Kyle couldn’t help but feel like their doom was looming over them.“What the Priestess of the Golden Flame said is correct.” Droigheann’s voice startled the young summoner. “You need rest as much as you need to work. You need to be at full power so those who depend on you can demonstrate their full strength as well.”Kyle let out a sigh. “I know, I know…” He muttered. “I’ll go sleep.”The Demon of the Nightbloom nodded. “Yes.” He said and vanished into Kyle’s shadow.Kyle yawned. He did feel tired. That conversation with Cacophus had taken a larger toll on him than he’d thought. Lying was easy, mixing lies, and the truth was difficult. Especially when the person he was talkin
He woke up to the sound of his own scream. Panting, and drenched in sweat, he quickly reached for his face, and pressed his palms against his head.“I’m ok,” He whispered, unable to take his mind off of the visual of his own severed head, falling into nothingness. “I’m ok…” He took deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart. His chest hurt, he couldn’t calm down.Those dead eyes, filled with the fear he must have felt at the moment of his death.A severed head. Blood, dripping from its neck.His head. His neck. His blood!Distant thunder startled him. He flinched and hugged his own knees. Suddenly, he felt unsafe in this room. It was so large, so empty save for the bed and a couch. There was so much space here – so much space for the four winged angel to fit.Was that what was going to happen? Was Azazel going to cut his head off?He shuddered and
The process of brewing potions was a slow and meticulous one. He needed to be aware of exactly how much mana he needed to pour into the brew, and when. The heat of the boiling cauldron needed to be precise. He needed to stir a certain amount – not more, not less.“So,” He wiped his forehead as he finished the process. “Do you think you can do it?”Irena, the Priestess of the Golden Flame nodded without hesitation. “I believe I can, Summoner.” She said with confidence. “You need not worry – I have experience with brewing potions.”“That’s good to hear.” Kyle said with a faint smile.Irena had surprised him by randomly barging in and asking to observe the process. He hadn’t expected her to be interesting in alchemy at all, nor did he think she would want to sit here brewing potions all day.He took a piece of blank paper and wrote down the potion recipe as it was note