Chapter 94: Chapter 94
"I wish I had your powers, just for once" Henry whispered softly to the girl lying on his arm, her eyes were closed but the smile on her face told him that she wasn't asleep, she was just savoring the after taste of their lovemaking, every touch of his on her body felt as if he was removing a small chunk of her tiredness of her body and soul and replacing it with a missing part of her, she felt whole with him and was sure he felt the same, what was once reasons for the beautiful relationship they shared to fail and die in its crib, their differences, their status, and their personalities that almost destroyed each other, became the things that strengthened it.
"Why is that?" She asked him in her sweetest voice, she didn't mean to sound the way she sounded, but the ecstasy she was feeling turned her voice into the most delicious music pouring solely into Henry's ears, making what already felt like the most beautiful and perfect atmosphere even more perfect.
"So I can freeze time, with you here in my arms, without worrying about the future, and what it may hold, just you and me like this, forever.", He said kissing her blushing cheeks and caressing her brown locks, testing their softness under his touch, just like her, so soft and alluring.
"Sadly, I don't have that kind of power, Time is above the reach of everyone, even the Gods who can control life can't control time."
"That is unfortunate, but on the good side, we still have the ability to recreate this night over and over again". He said smiling, wanting very badly to take her again but he knew they both needed their energies for the next morning, not to mention that making love to Rima wasn't only physical, every moment with her, every time they looked in each other’s eyes felt like making love, every time they were the reason for each other’s smiles and laughs were making love, every time they had the satisfaction of knowing they were alive and still have time together felt like making love.
“There is something troubling you.” Henry asked after a few minutes of silence, he had waited for her to tell him on her own but she didn’t, and he wasn’t planning on waiting any longer, whatever problem she was facing was also his to worry about.
“Since that day in the center, my powers haven’t been the same.” Rima said in a small voice, a part of her hating to admit weakness, but the other part was relieved to finally be able to tell that to someone.
“What do you mean?” his hold tightened on her, and the guilt he felt for hurting her and pushing her to explode resurfacing, but as if reading his thoughts, Rima places her palms on either side of his face, kissing him gently, telling him for the thousand times that it wasn’t fully his fault, and that she forgave him.
“I don’t know, I am just weaker, my body isn’t as strong and agile anymore, and nor is my resistance, my magic is barely there and I am only able to perform small attacks.” Rima explained her state, knowing that there was a possibility that her core was damaged.
And a damaged core only meant that the demon was dying, but she chose to keep that information to herself, a well as the fact that might lose her throne.
"What about that lord you told me about, what was his name again?"
“Micka, but Eren killed him Two years ago when he planned to kidnap the girl, I don’t think he was the one responsible for the attacks on the frozen edge and the dark forest.”
“But you said they were fire attack!”
“I did, but they were random attacks, whilst the latest fire lord was a maniac who planned his every move, if it was him, with me and Eren in the center, he would have destroyed our empires long ago.”
“It looks like our worries keep on increasing!” Henry sighed out, pulling her closer, and wondering if he could even ask for her help to defend his lands while hers were suffering.
“Remember this is for the best of all of us, and Eren is taking the matter of these fire attacks himself, I heard that they were small demon gangs taking matters in their own hands, plus, the attack decreased significantly since our return.”
“But the damage is already done!”
“But the damage is already done, I hope this expedition is successful, otherwise, I don’t know how am I going to deal with things!”
“Everything would be alright, love, you are an amazing queen and your people love you, not just because you are strong, but wise and caring, I have seen it in the eyes of your soldiers!”
“Thank you, my love!” but things don’t work the same way in my world, Rima said to herself, in her world, power was above everything, someone weak couldn’t be a leader, when she took over the ice throne, she didn’t do it because she was the kindest nor wisest, but because she was the strongest, and challenged the previous lord to a dual which she won and ended him, and all of those who stood her way, something she wasn’t sure she could do in her current state with a damaged core.
"So Eren now is our biggest hope?!" Henry asked sarcastically, trying to change the subject, not that he doubted the shadows’ lord or his abilities, especially with the new powers he got from the center.
"He is, He is the key to the next attacks, it is just that...He hasn't been himself lately, Henry, I am getting reports about it."
"What do you mean?"
"My ambassadors in his lands told that he is no longer the same, it feels like the darkness around him had thickened so much and swallowed him inside, his aura is so dark and gloomy, and he barely talks to anyone, not even his own people, he just does his work and hunts the bastard who dared to attack his lands, sometimes, he disappears for days, only to go back drained and beaten, something happened to him, I don't know what is it, but…".
“But you think it has something to do with the girl.” seeing her hesitant nod, Henry frowned before bringing her face to rest in the crook of his neck, “He did say that he was going to her when I last saw him, if he is acting this way, then I guess that she didn’t make it!” at the thought of losing a lover, Henry couldn’t help but tighten his grip on his, unable to imagine losing her, not knowing that it was much worse for a demon as their feelings ran deeper, and that losing a lover was a path to madness.
“And his blaming himself for it, while in reality, we are all to blame.” Rima buried her face more in the crook of his neck, her voice breaking at the end, wondering if all the bad things happening to them were their punishment for sacrificing a soul so pure.
And for some reason, the thought of punishment, of karma and justice, seemed as if it had black hair and a scarred face.
The red and black eyes scanned the town from afar, his beastly orbs not missing even the tiniest of details, it was hard to believe that the town which was boiling hours ago was that quiet, like a graveyard, the army had left the capital to join the rest of the troops on the borders, the town that celebrated its heroes and bead them its best wishes to return safe and victorious was now sinking in darkness and silence, the windows were closed and the lanterns were extinguished, only a few drunk homeless men were swaying on the streets enjoying the after taste of cheap booze and melodious celebrations before unconsciousness swept them away, the black and red eyes watched the scenery without any emotions, there was no impatience nor boredom, no anticipation nor caution, the eyes were empty, void, just like his life and soul.
Inanimate, that was his state since his return, his life was no longer a life but a bitter survival, with nothing to survive for, let alone live and fight for.
The shadow Lord sighed tiredly but it didn't give him any comfort, he even forgot the meaning of that word, alongside the normal way of breathing where air would enter than leave his chest smoothly, instead of settling inside like thorns, it was labor to exhale, not that it bothered him, it was less then he deserved, he was happy with the little amount of self-beating and torture he was getting, for he knew that he did not deserve any rest or ease, just pain, as much as there was for him, he was willing to take it, not from the outside, and not from anyone, but from himself, from within, every night was just a reminder of that night, when he walked inside the shack, just to find her remains, her bare bones and her fallen silver locks, no sign of her warm smile, nor her radiant eyes, not even of her scared frail self, only death was there, her death and her father's, and his, he felt like dying in that moment, every good feeling about life has been sucked out of him at that moment and he has been dead ever since, the only living thing about him was the living pain, the living agony and self loath, for everything he ever did for his fair lady, for hurting her, for making her cry, for being too late to save her over and over again until it was really way too late, and now, all he was left with was a shattered heart that only beats to torture him further, he thought about ending his miserable existence since there wasn't anything worth living for, but, the only living thing that remained from his beloved angel was her memory, a memory that lived only inside him as he was the only one who truly knew her, and by killing himself or allowing himself to die, he was only killing her a second time, thus he chose the suffering of life, enjoying the sweetness of the shadowed memories before they turn into ashes and bitterness also known to him as reality.
Eren shook his head, not wanting to allow himself to be driven into one of the dark corners where he would stay for days, not right then with a mission in hand, The battle that would change the map of the world as they knew it, He may have ignored himself but not his duties, he didn't want Sara's suffering to be in vein so he had to keep going forward no matter how bad he wanted to abandon the journey.
"My Lord, all of our warriors have taken their positions, Our spies have eyes on every corner of the castle". Andrea spoke through the mind link, with the new powers he had acquired, Eren's strength had grown explosively, and so did his skills, one of them being his ability to mind link all of the shadow demons at once, sense their positions, their state and even see through their eyes, and through them he had a clear view of the entire castle, each of the four gates had two foot soldiers and two archers guarding it except for the main gate which had six foot soldiers and four archers, all of them yawning every once and a while, waiting, just like Eren and his warriors, for the shift changing that is barely half an hour away.