Chapter 17: The Scarlet prince
Fiona's body was buried in her garden,the same place her funeral had taken place.Gerald waited till the sun set in the sky then he appeared in her quaters in front of the garden's huge gate.
On seeing him,the four knights at the gates bowed.
"Did you let anyone in here?"he questioned and they shook their heads simultaneously.
"Anything unusual happened?"
"None Chief"they chorused
"We have been here night and day and no one came by"one of them said.
Gerald's eyes peered at them,if the empress had been resurrected Dark must have gone through these knights,the emperor had cast a spell inside to prevent anyone from appearing inside unless the maid was hallucinating.
"Step aside"he ordered and they moved away from the gate.Gerald gripped the handle and pushed it open then he walked in.
He walked further into the garden with a flame in his hand till he came by her grave site in a small building whose doors where sealed with various enchantment,one which just any demon could put up and break maybe the Emperor never thought Fiona's grave would be desecrated,he would have used Delu.
A tomb stone surrounded with flowers lay in front of the grave in which was written Fiona's name in full.
Flowers also surrounded every inch of the building, filling it's interior with an alluring smell.
Gerald raised his hand, pointing his palm at the door and broke the enchantment.
Inside he streched out his hand in the same manner, focusing his magic energy,he reached below into the depts of the ground and spotted the casket then with telekinesis,lifted the soil above it along with the casket,seperated them and lowered the casket to the ground,the sand dropping back to it's previous spot after he had released it from his magic.
He drew closer and opened it and there laid the empress,her body surrounded with ice and preserved with the phantom grass around it.
He slammed the casket shut fraustrated,so he had wasted his time coming here,all the risk and trouble for nothing.
Gerald replaced the casket and the sand above it,sighed and walked out of the building,the maid had really been hallucinating and he hoped she never let him set his eyes on her.
*******************
"If I ever get my hands on that witch! I'll...I'll"Dark growled raising a clenched fist in the air and swinging it in rage,his back facing the other occupants of the room.
He wore his usual black clothes with a pair of black boots but this time his face was exposed,his rough face partly covered in scars from rentless battles from the past.A particular scar ran all the way from his head to his neck whose end was concealed by the black long hair that clung to his neck, almost reaching the level of his waist,some partly covering his face.
A man who seek revenge from Tyran for reasons which he believed were quite altruistic.
"You're not still over the fact you were tricked by a mere handmaid?"Marcus smirked then let out a soft chuckle.
"He knows he was Prince Marcus,you don't do you have to keep reminding him?"The demon next to Marcus said,Garrith his elder brother,both sons of King Zemah.
Garrith was dressed in royal robes as Marcus,his face slim and hairless.
His long black hair that was tied in a ponytail fell freely down his back reaching the level of his waist.
Marcus turned to him
"What!he hasn't stopped ranting since I came in here"
Garrith gave Marcus a slight nudge then leaned closer and said in a whisper.
"I wouldn't want to get on his bad side if I were you...you know his anger is untamed and you are no match for him...best behave Marcus else this room becomes a battlefield".Marcus grumbled a few words silently then went silent.
Garrith was right,he was no match for Dark,if the room became a battlefield he knew who would go down and Dark never spared his opponent.
The higher-ups had requested an evening room meeting to discuss a way to breech Delu's barrier and some were now seated awaiting the rest of them,rarely did they have physical gatherings like this,but today they had called another gathering the like which they themselves never attended.
Killing the Imperial prince, preventing the prophecy,a purpose that had turned many in power against the Empire,each having their own malicious reasons for being part of the plot and others revenge.
Some know nothing of the prophecy while others that did kept such information to themselves, still it was all for one purpose to kill the prince and some also to make the Emperor suffer.
Marcus's gaze shifted from the demon next to him to one at the other end of the room.
There was a chair in Front of him but he was not seated on it, rather he was seated on the floor with one leg stretched out and the other in a flexed position.
He had the body of a child in mid teens though Marcus knew he was far older than him.
The demon's eyes remained fixed on the floor as he wrote something Marcus couldn't see on it.He had never said a word since they got here.Marcus had only seen him around the emperor and the fact that Marcus had never heard him speak before made him think that maybe he was mute.
His short red scarlet hair was cut in a stylish fashion to the level of the nape of his neck with two strands falling on his face in front of his eyes,with a pupil,a red one for that matter to match the color of his hair.
Scarlet hair and red bloodshot pupil,Marcus had never seen a demon with such appearance in his stable form,a camouflage form in which a demon appears like a human with sharp fangs and long pointy ears.In contrast to a full form which they have a beast like appearance,the kind they usually used in battles.
Anytime the general's eyes met his it made his heart skip a beat,for some reason this guy seemed to frighten him instead of dark.Whether it was his unique appearance or the aura of death surrounding him Marcus was not quite sure.
Sometimes he wondered the kind of power he possessed that earned him the position of a top general in the imperial army,the strongest so he heard.
This general was the only one who never wore an armor to battle but instead wore his usual garment,a white cape over white spotless robe decorated with golden embroidery with a golden belt around his waist yet after every battle a stain was never found on it.
General Rengyotsu in short Ren known as the Scarlet prince though not of royal blood line.
The emperor trusted him and they were quite close perhaps he would be the only one this fellow ever spoke to.Which made Marcus wonder what he was doing here,someone both loved and trusted by the emperor.His thoughts was suddenly interrupted when Lord Tydor and Athena appeared in front of them.
Marcus frowned,these two weren't who he was expecting,he wanted the higher-ups here instead.
Athena's eyes scanned the room till it settled on one occupant of the room,Ren.
She stared for a while and only looked away when a noble woman appeared behind her Marcus didn't recognize her,he didn't know she was part of their game.
"My apologies for the delay"she said fanning herself with an expensive hand fan.
"Who is she?"Marcus asked Garrith but the noblewoman heard what Marcus said and answered instead.
"Kaugra, daughter of Lord Zhu who is also a general_"
"Kaugra Everyone knows your father"Garrith reminded and kaugra grinned widely,still fanning herself with her eyes fixed directly on prince Marcus.
The prince stared back assessing her features, something he always did anytime he came across a beautiful woman, indeed she had a beautiful face but not so much of a beautiful body,little boobs and barely any curves.
Marcus scoffed and averted his gaze,not my type.
Kaugra went over to the chair in front of Ren, apparently the only unoccupied seat in the room and sat on it but she never took her eyes off Marcus.
When no one spoke for a long time the lord's voice boomed out.
"Since we are all here I'll cut to the chase...as we all know the emperor is out and this is our chance to take out the imperial prince.We have lost connection with the servant nursing the child, her telepathic link must have been blocked by the emperor...not that doing so would change anything,it's like her life is still devoted to serving the emperor,if only she knew_"
"If only she knew what?"Marcus cut in and everyone except Ren turned to face him
"I get the feeling am the only one in this room that doesn't know what is going on,what about this imperial prince are you all hiding?"
Garrith's puzzled face turned to look at him before facing the rest.
"What about him?"he asked.
Marcus pointed at the other occupants of the room.
"There is something about this imperial prince that makes them want to kill him so bad that they are not telling us.
Garrith stood up and walked up to Lord Tydor
"What is it you are not telling us?"he asked staring down at lord Tydor who was a few inches shorter but the Lord only looked ahead not facing him.
"Doesn't matter...what matters is that our interest is same and we are here to ensure that happens."
Garrith considered this for a while then went back to his seat,an unsatisfied expression on his face.Marcus scoffed and sank back into his chair
If they were not going to tell him anything he would find out himself, talking them into it was pointless.
"That handmaid is mushheaded,I'd like to slit her throat myself,she even went as far as fooling almighty dark here"kaugra said,eying Dark maliciously in an attempt to provoke him,Marcus noticed and smiled it appears not only him was fond of getting on the sorceror's nerves.
Dark gave her a deadly stare.
"She was quite the actress I doubt anyone wouldn't fall the trick she pulled"he said defensively
"And had you waiting hours for her"kaugra laughed.
"Enough of this... without further Ado let's get to the business of the day,this is our chance to take down delu's barrier"
"Lord Tydor,we all know that barrier is indestructible"Marcus said with the wave of his hand and Athena spoke for the first time.
"Indestructible but not impenetrable"
Everyone's gaze settled on her then she continued,
"So how do we do that oh great and mighty goddess Athena?"Marcus asked grimly.
"I don't know"came her response.Marcus looked agitated.
"You dont_"
"I don't know"Athena repeated."All I know is that the barrier is penetrate..Delu's barrier is the strongest in the empire and only his bloodline can use that spell or easily cross through it.I once came across it as a child while reading in the imperial library...it didn't say anything about the spell,it only said if I do remember vividly...the caster has to be a master in barrier making magic whose powers must be on the same magic level as one who erected the barrier if not...the spell destroys him".
Placing a hand on his beardless chin with his elbow on the arm of his chair prince Garrith sighed in a surrendering manner.
"How do we find one such as strong as the emperor to do that,I honestly think this is a dumbass go nowhere idea.Its the Emperor himself we are talking about here,I haven't heard of a demon whose powers equal his and there probably isn't".
"There is"Athena corrected"I mean there should be_"
"A sorceror maybe_"Kaugra cut in."They are the most powerful beings of the realm"
Marcus looked her direction.
"The lamest thing I've ever heard...you already know sorcerors don't interfare in matters of the realm...they do their business and stay out of ours.And a plot against the empire,they might as well kill you for uttering that".
"Are you forgetting we have one here?"kaugra asked raising a brow.
Marcus scoffed.
"Dark is no where near his majesty's level_"
"Dark can raise the dead"kaugra reminded.
"What has that to do with barrier making I doubt he even knows any barrier spells.He doesn't have that ability".
"I'll take the bait"came the sorceror's hoarse voice.
"Since when do you deal with barriers?"Garrith asked being fully aware Dark's magic ability an elementarist whose power was strongest at night,he had never heard him deal with barriers neither had he heard him use another family's bloodline gift,he had used leblos an ability possessed by king parlu's lineage on second thought,it made him wondered if dark could actually pull this off.
"You have a death wish or something?"Marcus questioned.
Athena neared him and narrowed her eyes as they met his.
"Are you sure you can do this?"
Dark scoffed and looked away.
"What do you care what happens to me"he snapped"we just need the right spells don't we and I know sorceror city better than any of you nitwits here"
"Are you willing to give your life in your search for revenge against the empire?"Lord Tydor asked.
"I'll be sure to kill the little cricket and crush his soul before that happens".
Athena shook her head.Despite Dark's all cool attitude she knew he was simply picking a means to pass on.
Ren never raised his head during the discussion,his gaze still fixed on the floor as though they were glued to it.Yet he had been listening and digesting all what they had said.
His fingers however had stopped it's fremd movement against the floor below him,one of his hands now placed on his flexed knee and the other on his other thigh.
Athena glanced over at this other occupant who had never uttered a word since the discussion started.
She balled up a fist,her hands still at her side,not out of anger nor with an intent of attacking but rather in an attempt to stop herself from succumbing to the urge in her mind.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone