Arc and the king enter the Infirmary together. Auriel stands from her place next to the bed and hurries over to her father. The pair embrace for a moment before they turn toward the unconscious woman together. After a few moments of silence the king speaks.
“How is she?”
“Very weak, father.”
Arc nods soberly. “I was able to speak with her for a time before the strain of things forced her to rest.”
“She’s getting the very best care though, father.”
“That I believe. However I’d like to know more about what exactly happened.”
Arc sighs. “Believe me, so would I.”
Auriel gestures to the bed. “The doctor said that she mostly needs rest at this point.”
Malevolence groans. “Where does that leave us then?”
Arc looks to the benches attached to the wall nearby. “Sitting and waiting I would imagine.”
Auriel nods as she leads the king over to a seat. “Yes, father. After all, we can’t rush these things.”
Arc motions to the next room. “I think I’ll take this opportunity to check on the other patient. You two need anything?”
Auriel shakes her head. “No, we’re fine.”
Nodding, Arc steps into the back. Looking himself over to make sure his identity is still hidden by the armor he makes his way to Mio’s bed. Passing through the curtain, he finds Hammer reading to her from a book. Hammer looks up as he enters.
“Hey there! Visiting hours start up already?”
“For me they never end.”
Mio blushes as she pulls the covers close to her chest. “H-hello again.”
Hammer frowns. “Mio, what’s wrong with you?! The nurse got you something to wear!”
“Yes, but it’s just a hastily modified bedsheet!”
Arc chuckles. “I’ll see about getting you something a bit nicer.”
Hammer snaps her fingers. “The castle tailor could probably whip something up in no time.”
“My thoughts exactly, Hammer.”
He turns back to Mio before continuing.
“In any case, I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“Just feeling really tired. Not sure if it’s from the sickness or the medicine though.”
Hammer holds up a book. “I was just reading to her from this.”
Arc looks at the cover. “Poetry?”
“Yeah. Um… I wasn’t sure if it was okay to give her anything else.”
Mio smiles nervously. “I... I had wanted to hear more about the physiology of this land’s inhabitants along with their customs and traditions. But this was the only thing Hammer felt comfortable bringing back.”
Hammer shrugs. “Didn’t think I should do that until hearing from you though, Hero.”
“Feel free to get some books on the a fore mentioned topics.”
Mio appears relieved. “Thank you. I find these equines fascinating!”
“Just don’t strain yourself. After all, you’re in that bed for a reason.”
“I will try not to.”
“Anything else you need?”
Hammer chuckles. “Just a little privacy.”
“Ah! Sorry for interrupting.”
Hammer shakes her head. “Sorry. That came out wrong. I meant that Nurse Redheart is on her way to give Mio here a top to bottom physical.”
Mio sighs. “Doctor’s orders for some reason.”
Arc smiles. “He probably wants to learn more about humans as well as make sure there aren’t any other underlying issues. But I did come here for another reason.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
“Not really. Just wanted to let you know that Auriel and her father are waiting just outside.”
Mio looks to Arc. “Friends of yours?”
“Auriel is, yes. But I thought you should know that they’re here just in case you had to be taken up front.”
“Oh? But why…?”
Hammer smirks. “Auriel’s old man is a demon.”
“A what?!”
Arc nods. “And the king of their race.”
“You’re friends with a demon, Hero?!”
“Mostly his daughter, but yes.”
Hammer quickly chimes in. “She’s only half though.”
Mio pulls the covers up to just below her eyes. “I… don’t think I’m ready for a meeting like that.”
Redheart enters the room with her cart and walks over to the bed.
“I’m ready when you are, miss.”
Hammer stands up and sets the book on the nightstand. “Well, I guess I’ll see you when the nurse is finished, Mio.”
“This shouldn’t take too long. Give me about an hour.”
Arc turns to leave. “Alright. See you soon, Mio.”
Mio waves nervously. “Thanks.”
The pair leave the back and head up front. They spot Auriel and her father waiting patiently. Hammer offers Auriel a friendly wave which the demon nervously returns. Looking back to Arc Hammer motions to the corridor.
“Um… can I talk to you about something? Privately, I mean.”
“Sure. Want to head to my quarters?”
“I’d rather be closer to Mio. Just in case she needs me for anything.”
Doctor Whooves steps out of his office with a clipboard and walks toward Maria’s bed. Arc motions to the room.
“We can borrow the doctor’s office. As long as it’s just going to be for a few minutes, that is.”
The doctor nods. “No rush. I won’t be needing it for quite some time.”
Hammer appears relieved. “Thanks.”
Entering, Arc closes the oak door behind them and motions to a couple chairs in front of the desk.
“Why don’t we sit down?”
“That would help.”
Turning the chairs to face one another they sit down. Hammer wrings her hands nervously as she begins.
“First of all, I wanted to say ‘thank you’ for all you’ve done for Mio.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“You could have just left her back on Earth, or even not helped her at all.”
“Well, I could see that she needed medical help badly. It wouldn’t be very hero-like of me to just let her lie there.”
Hammer wrings her hands. “That… actually makes this part harder.”
“Huh?”
“Mio… hates your guts.”
“Because of what I did back on Earth?”
Hammer nods. “That and how you took me away from there. Not sure which she’s more upset about though.”
“Just for the sake of clarity, you do mean that she hates Arc, right?”
“You got it. Remember, she saw you and Eidolon’s Ward side by side when Stingray cooked up the little ambush back on Earth.”
Arc sighs. “So she still thinks the Hero and I are separate people, eh?”
“I’ve kept the ruse going since I didn’t want to be the one to tell her. At least not without your permission.”
“Thanks. In her condition it might set her recovery back.”
“Especially since she’s already had to learn so many disturbing things lately.”
Arc chuckles. “Like about this land filled with talking ponies?”
“That and being hunted by the military back on Earth. It tends to cause a bit of stress. That and she was forced to choose what to do regarding The Organization.”
“And she chose you.”
“She chose the truth more accurately.”
“Well, she’s safe here. At least as safe as anyone can be, I suppose.”
Hammer instinctively lowers her voice. “Um… did you have time to talk to the princess about her?”
Arc nods. “Yes. And she’s going to be allowed to stay for the moment. At least as long as she behaves herself.”
“That’s a relief! Considering her past I was worried they’d want to lock her up, or something.”
“Kinda did actually.”
Hammer sighs. “I can’t really blame them. But she’s in no condition to hurt anyone or contact The Organization.”
“That’s roughly what I told Twilight and Luna.”
“Luna?”
“One of the other princesses.”
“I know that. But she put her two cents in as well?”
“Twilight wanted a second opinion from a more senior princess.”
“Glad you were able to convince them.”
“Me too.”
Hammer fidgets nervously. “Um… as long as we’re alone and are on the subject… there was something else you need to know about Mio.”
“Other than the fact she hates Arc?”
“Yeah. She… um… likes you.”
“By ‘you’ I’m guessing you mean the Hero.”
“Right. Mio’s totally head over heels in love with you.”
Arc groans. “I know.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“How?!”
“For some time now she’s been acting… different around me.”
Hammer narrows her eyes. “Define ‘different’.”
“Like you, Auriel, Twilight, and the rest of her friends did before they confessed their feelings.”
“You’re getting more perceptive, Arc.”
“After so many fell for me it’s gotten a lot easier.”
“And… how do you feel about her?”
“Not really sure. After all, I haven’t had much time to consider that.”
“Well, you might want to give the matter some thought.”
Arc sighs. “I guess it doesn’t really matter though.”
Hammer appears confused. “What do you mean?””
“As soon as she finds out that the Hero is really just Arc any love she felt for me will be out the window.”
“Probably. So should we just not tell her?”
“While I don’t really want to lead her on any more than I already have, we might want to do that. After all, can’t have her going back to The Organization and telling them who I really am.”
Hammer shudders.” Right. You’d never be able to show your face back on Earth again.”
“Exactly. Now then I’m sorry to ask you to do this, but we should keep the façade up. At least for the moment. We might have to tell her at some point. But now really isn’t the time.”
Hammer grins and salutes. “Yes sir.”
“We’re alone, Hammer. You don’t need to call me that.”
“But I do like it.”
She grins seductively before continuing.
“After all, how many soldiers can say that they honestly want to get with their commanding officer?”
“I’m not exactly ranked over you though.”
“Think what you want. But this gal is ready to get horizontal with you anytime, anywhere.”
Arc sighs. “Thanks. I think.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“But that does still leave us with the question of what we should do with Mio after she’s healed.”
Hammer sheepishly looks away. “We... could put her in the dungeon.”
“Hammer!”
“What?! It’s a national security thing!”
“Remember, she can’t get back to Earth without the Rainbow of Light or even call anyone back there.”
“Mio could probably figure it out with enough time.”
“With any luck we can convince her that The Organization is not a good place to be and turn her to our side.”
“Or at the very least make her rethink helping them out ever again.”
“Considering that she was being searched for after going A.W.O.L, I don’t think that’s going to be very hard to do.”
“Probably not. After all, Colonel Diva isn’t exactly warm and friendly to her subordinates during the best of times. I’m sure Mio wouldn’t want to find out what she’d do to her for running away.”
“So, just to get our conversation back on track, I want to go on record as saying that I don’t think the dungeon is the place for Mio. Even after she’s feeling better, of course.”
“Then I guess I can’t do that.”
“I’m not ordering you not to, you know.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. You and Flash Sentry are in charge of castle security, right?”
Hammer nods. “Yeah. What about it?”
“You two are much more qualified to make a decision like that than I am. So I’m going to leave it up to you.”
“So you won’t get angry if we decide that she needs to be incarcerated?”
“Not if you believe there’s no choice.”
“I mean, she’ll be properly cared for. Three meals a day from the Royal Kitchen and all the books she could want.”
Hammer chuckles before continuing.
“Heck, she’d probably view that as a little slice of heaven. No work, no responsibilities, just books.”
“Well, I’ll let you figure that one out then.”
“Thanks. I promise I won’t let you down.”
Arc nods as he motions to the door. “I know you won’t. But why don’t you head back and make sure you’re there if your sister needs you?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that. But what about you?”
“Tell Mio I’ll come back to check on her later.”
“Okay.”
Leaving the room together the pair part ways. Returning to Auriel and her father, Arc sits down with them.
“So, uh… how’s the reconstruction going?”
“Slow. It took me two hours to remember how we used to make basic tools.”
Auriel giggles. “Well, you ARE the only one alive who remembers the time before banishment, father.”
“Yeah, I don’t get that part.”
Malevolence frowns. “What is there to understand? I was alive back then and I’m still here now.”
“But how?”
Auriel puts a hand on her father’s shoulder. “The ruler of the Demon Kingdom is imbued with the powers of darkness to become unageing.”
“I don’t think that cleared it up, my dear.”
Arc chuckles. “Not really, no.”
Malevolence grins. “Then let me try to bring sense to it, Arc. You see, demonkind needs to be ruled over by a strong leader.”
Auriel grimaces. “We’re a very… passionate group.”
“That’s one way of putting it. We generally prefer to vie for dominance over one another versus trying to talk things out.”
Auriel sighs. “Another reason I never quite fit in.”
“Demons compete with one another in all things. It’s just how we are.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “That sounds like it could get messy quickly.”
“It can, yes. In days long past it wasn’t unusual for demonkind to go to war with others over the most trivial of matters.”
Auriel shakes her head. “A worthless patch of soil might be fought over as savagely as one looking to take a female to their bedchambers.”
“It stemmed from a lack of perception regarding priorities.”
Arc nods soberly. “So what changed?”
Auriel smiles. “A single demon, massive in stature, stood up and subdued the nation under his heel.”
“So he took over the kingdom?”
Malevolence shrugs. “You can think of it more like tough love. He ordered those whom had the smallest complaints to be brought before him.”
Auriel puts a hand to her chin thoughtfully. “I believe the history books claim that the disagreement was over a hunter’s kill.”
“Correct. Two warriors attacked the same animal around the same time. Both claimed ownership of it and were prepared to fight to the death for their claim.”
Arc chuckles. “And this first king figured it out for them?”
Auriel nods. “In a way, yes.”
Malevolence grins. “He heard each side of the case and, after careful consideration, drew his blade and sliced the heads off of both demons in one swing.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Uh… why?”
“To make a point. You see, he proclaimed that if an argument was worth fighting over it was also worth dying over.”
Auriel grimaces. “He then called forth the next argument and did the same thing to them. Word of his actions spread like wildfire and before anyone knew what had happened the petty fighting stopped.”
“However, he worried that it would begin again as soon as he passed away.”
“Being the powerful and cunning warrior that he was, the king decided that in order to maintain the relative peace for all demons he would have to live in a perpetual state of physical prime.”
“As a warrior ages his blows become sluggish and weaker. Eventually he is forced to spend all his time defending against usurpers coming for his title and place in society.”
“Delving into the study of Dark Magic our first king became obsessed with the idea of limited immortality.”
Arc frowns. “Limited?”
Malevolence sighs. “No king rules forever. Even the greatest must eventually yield to death’s scythe, lest they be driven to madness.”
Auriel nods. “Unlocking the secrets of such knowledge he was able to extend his life indefinitely.”
Arc appears confused. “So how did he die then?”
“By willingly passing his power on to his offspring when they reached maturity.”
Malevolence smirks. “His son learned from his father all he needed to know in order to be a great warrior capable of holding our land together. And when he was ready, the king called together the citizens of the land to the palace, had them stand in the throne room before him, and made them watch as he put his hands on his son’s head and transferred his Dark Magic to him.”
Auriel bows her head. “Such a thing naturally killed the king. However the son reached down and picked up his father’s crown before ascending to platform to sit on the throne.”
“This tradition has persevered since then from father to son more times than can be remembered.”
“It takes longer for some to reach the desired threshold of power to be allowed to ascend. Usually decades. Occasionally longer.”
Arc looks to Malevolence. “But why have you been king for so long then, sir?”
Malevolence sighs. “Because… I was unable to produce an heir.”
“Infertility?”
“Yes, Arc. I thought that I would be king forever when, even after thousands of sexual encounters I had failed to impregnate even a single female. However one day a human woman came before me asking for sponsorship for her research.”
Auriel gasps. “My mother?”
“Maria. I granted her request purely out of curiosity at first, as I assumed that she merely wanted resources. But she did deliver.”
“Her tomes in the Royal Library?”
“They were perfectly researched, written, and flawless in their presentment. As she wrote more I allowed her more and more resources. Gaining my trust, I told her of my problem in greatest secret.”
“You wanted her to help you bear a child, father?”
“Yes, Auriel. It started with research naturally. A blood sample here and there along with hours of her laboring over a workbench studying it.”
Arc frowns. “Just blood?”
“As her research continued, and showed promise, I entrusted her with semen samples as well.”
Auriel giggles “And that was how I was created, father?”
The king shakes his head. “No, Auriel. She tried innumerable times to fertilize an egg with my sperm with no luck.”
“Her own eggs, father?”
“I provided many fresh cadavers of female demons for her to harvest eggs from. Rest assured they were not killed for this purpose though, Auriel. Each of them died from natural causes.”
“That’s somewhat of a relief.”
Arc nods. “Yes. But can I assume that she was unable to make that work?”
“You would be correct, Arc. However the reason for the infertility was something she studied heavily. It made no sense to her, as my samples showed live, healthy sperm.”
“So what was the problem?”
“She concluded that my sperm was incompatible with the other demons, as they would enter the egg cell but fail to start a process she referred to as ‘mitosis’.”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “The process by which an egg cell divides to form two identical cells.”
“What?”
“Sorry. Just a little something I remember from my high school biology class.”
Auriel smiles at her father. “It’s a fairly simple process. All creatures reproduce in this or similar ways.”
“Well, that didn’t work for me.”
“But what caused your sperm to be incompatible, father?”
“I didn’t know and didn’t care. All I wanted was for it to be rectified as soon as possible. So I told Maria that I would give her any and all resources she deemed necessary to achieve that goal.”
Arc motions to Auriel. “And it apparently worked.”
“Indeed. But there is quite a bit more to the tale.”
“Please continue then, father.”
“Her experiments took years with little to no advancement. For a time I became disgruntled… agitated that someone in whom I had put so much faith in had been unable to grant my single request. However, as time went on, I came to realize that Maria was the only one in Tartarus capable of potentially completing this task.”
Arc frowns. “You didn’t have other doctors?”
“Oh, we did. However she was leagues and bounds ahead of anyone else. Yet during her daily briefings I began to notice some changes in her as well.”
““Changes?”
“Her skin was beginning to sag ever so slightly and her blonde hair, which had been vibrant upon our first meeting, was becoming dull.”
Arc nods. “Age was catching up to her?”
“It was, yes.”
Auriel gasps. “What did you do?!”
“The only thing I could think of. Forbade her from continuing her research for exactly one week.”
Arc chuckles. “So you made her take a vacation?”
“Yes. However it was soon reported to me that she was still doing her work in secret.”
Auriel groans. “Uh oh. Dungeon?”
“Hardly, Auriel. That would have only led to more stress for her. Sadly she was just too smart for my agents to monitor effectively. So I left the matter to the only one I could trust with such a thing at the time.”
“Who was that?”
“Me.”
“You, father?”
“Yes, I ordered her to stay by my side at all times.”
Arc gasps. “But why?”
“To keep her busy. I tasked her with the job of analyzing my job and coming up with ways to make it more streamlined.”
“So you made her your professional advisor?”
“Something like that.”
Auriel grins. “How did she do?”
“Better than I thought. I originally expected her to make some minor recommendations. Things I could ignore after the fact. But she completely overhauled everything.”
Arc chuckles. “Sounds like she was a real efficiency expert.”
“Yes. So much so that I decided to keep her near to further advise me on my duties and tasks.”
“So you kept her close at hand to observe your role in totality, father?”
“More so than even that. I kept her near and made her privy to all my affairs in general. We ate together, worked together, and even enjoyed certain entertainment together.”
Arc narrows his eyes. “Define ‘entertainment’.”
“Private shows of skilled acrobats, musicians, wordsmiths, and even a few magic users.”
Auriel turns to Arc. “It’s normal for the king to be brought entertainment after a long day of ruling. However the form of amusement is left exclusively to them.”
“As time when on I ordered entertainment less and less. Instead I would speak to her at the dinner table long after we had finished eating.”
“What about, father?”
“Her homeland, her species, and even her personal feelings on a various number of subjects she was passionate about. I just… never truly grew tired of hearing her talk about things that intrigued her.”
“And that led to friendship?”
“In time, yes. While I had lifted my restrictions on her research, she willingly decided to spend most of her time with me instead. We grew close and I was even able to share with her certain… secrets about myself that I had hidden from even my closest advisors.”
“Secrets, father?”
Arc quickly interjects. “If you’d rather not say we completely…”
Malevolence interrupts him. “I was afraid.”
Auriel gasps. “Of what?”
“Every king before me had brought a son into the world in which to teach and eventually turn the land over to. However I worried that I would never be able to do so. Were I not allowed to pass my power on and join my ancestors in the afterlife I would eventually be driven to madness.”
“Did she have any ideas, father?”
“Just one. To resume her research with gusto.”
Arc grins as he glances over at Auriel. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
Auriel giggles. “Like mother like daughter, I suppose.”
She looks to her father before continuing.
“And since I’m here I assume she figured it out.”
“Of course. Maria ordered the Royal Physician to remove a number of eggs from her own body for study. She wished to see if any parallels could be drawn from comparing them to the ones harvested from the demon female cadavers.”
“An interesting experiment. Do you happen to know how it ended?”
“Your mother discovered that her own human eggs were very similar to that of demons. So she decided to try and fertilize them with my sperm. Needless to say it worked almost immediately.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Almost?”
“It took her a few tries to get it right, naturally. But I remember her being overjoyed when she looked through her microscope and saw the egg dividing rapidly.”
Auriel grins. “So she then put it inside of a host or was I grown in some other way?”
“I ordered my guards to bring forth the concubines. My intention was for Maria to give each of them a physical examination alongside the Royal Physician to determine whom would be the best candidate to carry my offspring.”
“Might I ask whom was chosen?”
“Your mother determined that none of them were suitable for the task. However I believed her to be biased due to her personal stake in the experiment. So I consulted with the doctor to get his take on the matter.”
Arc sighs. “And he told you the truth?”
“Yes. One of the stouter females was deemed the most likely to succeed at carrying my child to term. While Maria was upset by this, there was also little she could do to counter my orders.”
Auriel smiles. “But she did respect them, right?”
“Not exactly. She agreed to the implanting of the fertilized egg in the a fore mentioned female on the condition that she be allowed to perform the operation personally.”
“But why?”
“Maria said that she wanted to make sure it was done properly. And since no one had ever attempted such a medical feat before I had little choice but to agree and let her proceed.”
Arc groans. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s more to this?”
“You would be right, Arc. While she did indeed take the female into the operating room and sedate her, Maria had other plans.”
“Mother tricked you?!”
“In a manner of speaking. Instead of placing the egg into my concubine, she implanted it into her own uterus.”
Arc chuckles. “And then told you that the concubine was the carrier.”
“Exactly. The concubine was given the very best of treatment. The finest foods and most nutritious drinks were provided to her at regular intervals by the Royal Physician personally. However the state of the pregnancy was left for Maria to monitor.”
Auriel smiles nervously “Let me guess. She submitted false readings to the doctor?”
“Not exactly. Maria submitted the test results that she took from her own body in her lab prior to examining the concubine. It was probably a simple matter to put the completed forms on a clipboard and pretend to write before handing them off to the Royal Physician.”
Arc nods. “While she monitored herself and directed attention to the other woman.”
Auriel giggles. “Very clever of her.”
“By the time the ruse was discovered it was far too late to do anything about it.”
Arc frowns. “If I may, sir, why did you want a concubine to carry the child?”
“Yes, why not let mother do that herself?”
Malevolence sighs. “You have to understand that Maria was my only chance at offspring. If she had died in the attempt I would have had no one else to turn to for help in this matter. And… there was the matter of my own personal feelings for her by that time.”
Arc smirks. “Love?”
“A new concept for me, yes. I honestly didn’t want to see any harm befall her. But since the child within had already taken root there was nothing to be done other than to let nature take its course.”
He turns to Auriel and frowns.
“It was a hard time for both of us.”
“Father?”
“A demon child has claws. Apparently a human female’s uterus is much more… sensitive than a demon’s. You would often scratch at her insides causing her to scream out in pain.”
“Oh my!”
“But she would do her best to calm you by rubbing her belly and singing to you. Well, as best she could through the pain, that is.”
Arc attempts to continue the conversation. “Can I assume she carried Auriel to term?”
“It was a standard ten month pregnancy, yes. And the longest period in my extended life.”
Auriel sighs. “I do understand that.”
“Auriel?”
“Worrying about someone you care for just makes time go by that much slower. Like when Arc was on earth investigating The Organization. I worried about him daily.”
“Sorry about that.”
“I was glad when you allowed me to join you on your quest, Arc. It put my mind at ease to see all that you were doing to prepare for your attack as well as drew me closer to you. Physically and emotionally.”
Malevolence smiles as he remembers the past. “I spent as much time with Maria as my schedule would allow. When I had to depart in order to tend to my duties I would leave the doctor with her to monitor her vitals constantly. Eventually you were born via natural means, Auriel.”
Auriel gasps. “No painkillers?!”
“The doctor was unsure how much Maria could take without dying. So she opted for the natural route.”
“Complications?
Malevolence sighs. “Not until I held Auriel for the first time.”
“What happened, father?”
“You were so small and light. Barely noticeable in the palm of my hand at my normal size. However after a few moments of holding you I noticed something was missing.”
Auriel raises an eyebrow. “Missing? What could have been…?”
“A penis.”
“A what?!”
“Every demon king since the first had always given birth to a son. Admittedly, at the time I even considered telling your mother to start over. But that’s when it happened.”
“Oh?”
“You opened your cute little black eyes and looked up at me. It lasted for but a moment, however that was enough to convince me that you were special.”
Auriel sighs. “I must’ve been quite the disappointment.”
“Not really. I knew that you were different. Special in your own right. However until recently I didn’t realize just how much so you were.”
Arc appears confused. “Sir?”
“Auriel possesses an amazing mind. This much I always knew. However I wasn’t aware of her combat prowess until she returned from Earth with you, Arc.”
“I didn’t really do all that much, father.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Auriel. It was thanks to you that we were able to hold off the enemy and get to the rendezvous point safely.”
Malevolence gins with pride. “You yourself told me of the dark powers you drew from the Bloodstone, my dear. Not only that but how you were not corrupted nor consumed by the call of such power. Such is nothing short of amazing.”
Auriel sighs. “My mother is amazing. She’s the one who is worthy of accolades.”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “I think you’re both amazing, Auriel.”
He turns to the king before continuing.
“But I still don’t understand one thing. What exactly happened to take Auriel’s mother away?”
“I myself have wondered that very thing every day since she disappeared.”
Sighing, King Malevolence looks toward his unconscious wife.
“Hopefully we will soon have answers.”