Chapter 19: Chapter 19

“ZACHARY, WAIT! I DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA!!”

Calix yelled while chasing Zachary who was marching towards Whitestone Citadel with thundering steps. The sound of his harsh breathing was enough to shake the entire Moonland, the greenery of its forest and its beautiful valleys were being charred by the heat of his anger that was emanating through the pores of his skin. His jaw was clenched and his obsidian orbs were craving blood- the blood of those who made his angel cry, who dare to put their hands on his most precious possession, got the guts to cage his love, and made the unforgivable mistake to separate her from him.

Enough of child’s play. Demon of wrath won’t spare anyone today.

Not even the ones who were dear to his Diana.

“HEY, YOU PUNK!! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING OR AM I TALKING TO MYSELF?? WATCH OUT!!”, Calix screamed when he saw a burning log falling over Zachary but he quickly dodged it. He then swung his golden sword over his crown, cutting the log in half, and continued his journey.

“Zachary, listen to me. Diana will never approve of it. No matter how much you love her, if you dare hurt Ariel, she will never forgive you-“

“I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT IT NOW!!!!”

Calix flinched hard hearing his ferocious roar. Zachary then turned to him and gripped his collar taking him off-guard, “I’ve tolerated enough. These fucking angels don’t understand the language of love. I went against my principles; I fucking changed my whole being only to impress Diana’s family. Keep them happy so that they don’t become an obstacle in my life but I think I made a mistake. They’ll keep pestering me until and unless I show them my real face. I am the King of Hell, not some ordinary devil whom they can shoo away. I will chop them off and can even devour them alive. And it’s high time I should take the bridle in my hands. Enough of chit chats and melodrama. Now, I won’t listen to anyone, neither to you nor to my Diana,” he grated out.

Calix shot him a pissed look, “So? You’re gonna kill Ariel for messing up with you?”

Zachary nodded, “She forced me to do that. She should be punished for ringing the wedding bells of my Angel with that fucking Theodore when she bloody knows how much I love her. I haven’t planned an easy death for her. After making her and the brother-in-law of his dreams captive, I will hand them over to my people. They would be delighted as it’s been a long time since they haven’t feasted on royal blood,” he said while chuckling darkly.

Calix rolled his eyes and yanked his hands off him, “YOU IDIOT!! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO YOURSELF?? Alright then tell me what will happen after that? Diana will hate you for sure and you’ll even ruin my plans of marrying Rose.” He spoke in frustration.

Zachary narrowed his eyes at him, “Rose? Diana’s friend?”

“Yeah, that blondie. Isn’t she beautiful? I have set my eyes on her,” Calix chirped and looked at Zachary who was still scowling at him.

The look of denial in his eyes agitated Calix. He crossed his arms over his chest before speaking in his deep voice, “Why? Do you gotta a problem with that? If you can marry an angel, why can’t I? Moreover, unlike your parents, my parents always accept my decisions wholeheartedly instead of poking their noses.”

Zachary kept listening to him silently. He then let out a sigh and shifted his eyes back to the front. A large body of troops was storming toward them. Zachary and Calix instantly aimed their swords before lunging at them.

“Why are they attacking us, Zac? Don’t they know that you’re Diana’s future husband?”, Calix questioned Zachary who was busy fighting with them.

“They’re under spell Cal. Look closely. Ariel had given strict orders to Ara to stupefy the guards of Whitestone Citadel.”

Calix furrowed his brows, “They’re under spell? But how did you even come to know about all this?”

A guard all of a sudden tried to attack Zachary from behind but he was quick enough. He quickly pushed his sword backward, stabbing him right in his stomach.

Zachary then shifted his attention back to Calix, “If they come across me or saw me, they have to kill me. And for your second question, I have marked Diana and I know that right now, my love is crying in her room while chanting my name nonstop.”

His voice was laced with sorrow and rage. While on the other hand Calix was dumbfounded after hearing his reply. Stabbing a guard, he pulled him closer. Calix was stunned to see his pupils along with his sclera completely white. Throwing him aside, he looked at other guards who were practicing the same move to tackle Zachary like a robot.

“Zac, I think we should do something to break their spell. They aren’t at fault-NO, WAIT!!!”

He shouted when Zachary plunged his sword down a guard’s throat. But he didn’t stop there only. Zachary then waved his sword in a circular motion slitting the neck of each guard who was trying to approach him. Their blood splashed everywhere, tainting the beautiful gardens of Whitestone Citadel. Calix quickly shielded his face with his right arm to protect himself from the blood splotches but Zachary made no move to cover up. Instead, he grinned like a bloodthirsty beast feeling the stream of blood trickling down his left cheek. Collecting some on the tip of his fingers, he hummed in satisfaction before licking it off greedily. Calix removed his arm and looked at Zachary who was slaughtering down the guards like a killing machine.

On finding no movement from Calix, Zachary let out a dry chuckle, “Since when you became so generous, Cal? Don’t forget we’re devils not those pathetic angels. That Rose is for sure turning you into a chicken”, he said in a mocking tone while looking at Calix’s paled face in amusement.

His sarcastic tone made Calix clench his jaw. Knocking a guard down he gritted, “Mind your attitude, Zac. The day when you went to convince Diana after she witnessed the hidden monster inside you, you promised her that you would never hurt an innocent in the future. I am just reminding you of that.”

“And what makes you think I would follow that?”

Calix stared at him in disbelief. Zachary smirked while jabbing his sword in various body parts of the stupefied guards, “It was all my plan to convince Princess. No doubt I love her more than my life and I know she is innocent but that doesn’t mean I have forgotten my revenge. Don’t forget Cal that I am the successor of Binnazun who was wronged by that fucking Theodore’s ancestors. I’ve been born to avenge the miseries of my great grandfather. And this marriage will be my key to getting access to Heaven. Something which I’ve been trying for years.”

His pitch dropped abruptly as his irises started glowing red. The tip of his golden sword all of a sudden started turning red and small yellow balls of fire started erupting from them.

Calix’s eyes widened when he realized that Zachary’s demonic powers were again taking control over him. His gaze then landed on an army of wounded guards who were advancing toward Zachary. If they come near him now, he would lose control. Finding no other option, Calix immediately charged at them and slashed their necks before they could hurt Zachary. Within a minute, the duo wiped off the group of ten thousand guards of Whitestone Citadel.

Calix lowered his sword and gazed at the dead bodies of the innocent guards ruefully. Yes, they were innocent because Jerrick had given strict instructions to the army of Moonland not to hurt his son-in-law. Calix knew this as being Zachary’s right hand, it was his duty to assure his safety. He can never compromise with the safety of the King of Hell. After all, he was not just a devil but the great-grandson of the biggest rival of Angels- Binnazun.

Zachary was able to roam freely in Moonland, visit Diana now and then only because of Jerrick’s will. And if the obedient guards are defying their king’s orders, it was the work of someone within the royal family.

Calix heaved a deep sigh and turned around only to freeze on spot.

“Rose?”

There in front of him stood Rose and Jasmine staring at him with horror-filled eyes.

Calix’s P.O.V.

My heart skipped a beat seeing the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life. My eyes slowly took in her sharp features and her divine beauty. She was looking drop-dead gorgeous in a wedding gown-

‘Wait? Wedding gown?’

Anger surged through my whole being like a lightning bolt. So, she was planning to escape me? I then shifted my eyes to another girl who was standing beside Rose. She was dressed in a beautiful purple gown, might be her bridesmaid.

I and Rose kept staring at each other in silence until Zachary decided to break the ice, “Cal, let’s go now.”

Without breaking eye contact, I gave him a curt nod before we turned our heels and headed to Whitestone Citadel.

“Wait!!”

A soft voice halted our steps. Zachary turned back but I didn’t move an inch. I couldn’t make myself look at that betrayal. I know what I did was wrong but she made a big mistake by backstabbing me. Right now, I just want to kill her but saving Diana is more important. I’ll deal with this traitor later.

I looked over my shoulders only to see that brown hair girl talking with Zachary.

“Demon King, I am Jasmine, Rose’s younger sister. We both also want to save Diana.”

Zachary scoffed, “Oh! Really? Well, it doesn’t look like that to me,” he chuckled while eyeing Rose’s white gown.

That hazel-eyed girl looked at him confused but immediately shook her head in negative when his words registered in her pea-sized mind, “No Demon King you’re getting us wrong. This was all Ariel’s plan. I’ll tell you what happened.”

We both were shell-shocked after hearing the whole truth. Jasmine told us how Ariel planned to get Rose and Ernest’s youngest son married and when Diana protested, she captured her by using her powers.

“Tomorrow is Diana and Theodore’s wedding. George had said that on the day his brother will get married, he’ll marry Rose and would never let her visit Moonland. Please don’t misunderstand us, Demon King, we need your help. Only you can only save us from them.” Jasmine pleaded while crying hard.

I looked at Rose with soft eyes only to see her shedding tears silently. Shit!! How could I judge her this easily? She was also a victim of Ariel’s master plan just like Diana.

I looked at Zachary whose face had turned red in anger. I grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it tightly before looking at the girls, “Don’t worry. Nothing would happen to Diana or you two. Just tell us how we could enter that palace as it is sealed with magical powers.”

Zachary all of a sudden shoved my hand away making me stumble backward, “I FUCKING DON’T NEED ANYONE’S HELP!! That bitch Ariel had designed this palace, right? I’LL KILL HER THEN!!! Once she dies, her powers will become ineffective and I can easily enter her palace then. Cal, go and bring her to me. My hands are itching to kill that witch,” he seethed on my face. I glanced at Rose and Jasmine only to see them staring at Zachary with wide, fearful eyes.

I walked to him closer and grabbed both of his shoulders before looking straight into his eyes, “I can understand what you’re going through right now but now it’s time to act wisely. Your one rash decision will bring the two words to the edge of war. This carnage *pointing my finger around us*had already invited troubles for us. We came here to save Diana and we’ll do that only. Killing any noble blood will create a rift between the two families and no matter how much Diana is angry at Ariel, she would never in his dreams wish for her death. Just think how much Diana will be broken if you kill her sister-in-law who is like a sister to her? She’s already shattered and I know you don’t want to hurt her anymore now, right?”

Zac lowered his head and closed his eyes. I could see him clenching and unclenching his fists. My words did hit the wise part of his brain. I internally sighed in relief and looked at Rose. She and her sister were still frightened but it was good for them. At least they wouldn’t dare to question our acts.

I instantly morphed my expressions into austere and shot them a glare, “Stop your daydreaming and fucking help us in getting access to that prison where our Queen is held captive against her will.”

Jasmine instantly bobbed her head like a puppet, “Sure, this way King.”

Zachary didn’t bother to reply and left. I looked at Rose only to find her staring back at me. She then averted her gaze and turned to follow their trail. But my words made her stop dead in her tracks.

“Don’t think it’s over between us. You are still mine and the sooner you accept it, the better it will end for you.”

*****