The dark clouds forming were a sign of an incoming storm. Their ship had been sailing for three days straight, heading to the eastern continent in search of a way to defeat the Fallen Ones and the gods.
"Merlin, you are probably the greatest wizard in the world, so why can’t you fly?" Alexander asked, and his question sounded cheeky. "I mean, most of the holy knights we’ve encountered are capable of flying, so why can’t we do the same?"
Alexander was perched near the small fire they’d built on deck, watching the clouds.
Merlin thought of an easy way to answer his question. "Because the gods hate us. The only mortals that fly are heralds chosen by the gods, and the rest of us stay on the ground where they can see us," Merlin said.
"So there is no way for us to ever fly?" Alexander asked.
Merlin poked the fire. Sparks rose and died out in the oceans wind.
"Sadly, yes. The Anunnaki fear that if mortals ever get too strong, they will threaten reality, so that’s why every mortal who gets too strong is killed by them. Just like how they killed the hero of man, Ademus," Merlin said.
"Okay, but why do they hate us Nergals?" Laila asked, curious to know more about Merlin’s past.
"I think we remind them of the first men. The sun people of old who had power equal to theirs," Merlin said. "But the Anunnaki fear another thing in us: our blood. The first Nergal to be born was Alexander Tuefel, and he frightened them so much that they destroyed his kingdom, my home."
Every time Merlin spoke, they learned something new about his past. He was a man who chose to keep things to himself, but he shared his stories with the ones he trusted.
The ship hit something in the water that caused it to shake a bit. A scream could be heard coming from the water, and the crew immediately looked overboard. "Help," a man floating on a log said in a raspy tone.
Alexander jumped into the water to help him, his body being pushed back by the waves, but he persisted until he reached the man. The others threw a rope and helped them get on board.
The strange man’s skin was wrinkled and white, his lips cracked, but his golden eyes didn’t look tired at all. They looked... awake.
"Are you alright?" Laila asked as she handed him a blanket.
The strange man had the brightest golden eyes they’d ever seen, and his hair was a shiny red color. His beauty mesmerized them.
"Thank you for saving me. I’ve been stuck in the water for two days now," the man said. "I come from a small village in the east, and I was sent to get some help. My village has been taken over by demons," the man said with teary eyes.
Alexander clenched his fist at the mention of demons. He walked to the man, grabbed him by the collar, and asked, "What did the demons look like?"
"T-they looked like demons," the man said with a frightened expression. The look on Alexander’s face would make any normal person scared.
"Alexander, let the man go," Merlin ordered.
"I’m sorry about that," Alexander said as he walked away.
Merlin sat next to the man, trying to make him as comfortable as he could. "What’s your name, and what happened in your village?" he asked the man.
The man’s breathing was heavy, like he had seen nightmarish things. "M-my name is Heylel, and I come from a small village called Rushmire," the man said.
"And the attack on our village started when we welcomed a strange man. He said he was a noble from the capital, so we treated him as such. Everything was normal for a while, until the children in our village started disappearing. When we finally found out who was behind it, it was too late," the man said.
They all looked at each other, skeptical about this man’s story. "What did he do to the children?" Damon asked.
"He made them into monsters. He carved weird symbols into their skin, and they started turning into demons," he said as tears finally poured from his eyes.
Merlin looked at Dante. Was it the same person that created Dante who did it to these other kids? He thought to himself.
FALLEN KING
They reached the eastern continent a day later. Heylel hadn’t stopped shaking throughout the journey.
Rushmire village was visible through the rain-or what was left of it. Something inside Merlin was telling him not to step off the ship, but his willingness to help others made him get off.
The air in the village seemed strange, like it was drained of all magic and happiness.
The rain finally started pouring, and it became even more depressing walking around the village.
"Were there any survivors when you left?" Merlin asked.
Heylel only nodded, eyes on the ground as if shame was all he could feel.
The moment they stepped into the village, they found a demon. A woman knelt down next to it as it feed on her soul. Draining her of life and happiness itself.
"LLABERIF," Merlin chanted, and a ball of fire shot from his staff. A crackling sound echoed through the air before the fire struck the demon, leaving only ash behind.
But the woman was already gone. Alexander clenched his fist in anger.
The entire village was devoid of life, and all that could be seen were dead bodies. Demons started rushing at them as soon as they came into the village square.
"Alexander, look after Dante! Laila, put up a barrier around us," Merlin said.
"I-I can’t. I don’t think I’ve mastered my psychic abilities yet," Laila said to Merlin. This was her first time seeing an actual demon, and it frightened her.
"REIRRAB," Merlin chanted.
A dome of violet light wrapped around them, humming. The demons hit the barrier, they clawed, slammed and even threw black flames at it, but it all slid off like water.
Heylel was amazed by power Merlin possessed.
The demons continued attacking the barrier, trying to get to the others. They slashed, punched, and even tried to use their magic on them, but nothing even scratched Merlin’s barrier.
"You really are the greatest wizard, huh, Merlin?" Heylel said, but he forgot the role he was playing. "You never told me your name, did you?" He said with a smile.
"No," that’s all Merlin said before blasting Heylel into the barrier. He stood over him and pointed his magic staff at his head. "Who are you?"
Heylel slowly got up. His expression wasn’t that of a man who felt fear; it was ecstasy.
"KNEEL."
The words weren’t loud, but the power they carried made everyone around feel so much fear that they dropped to the ground.
The barrier Merlin had put up shattered like paper.
"I am the architect of your kind," he whispered, his golden eyes now burning.
"I am the hand that brought your entire race to life. I am the true heir to this world. I am the king of hell," Heylel said with a cold grin.
"...The Morningstar?" Merlin said as he struggled to keep his head up.
"Yes, child," Heylel said, caressing his cheek. "You look just like him, you know. I offered your father the world once, but he was too proud. He wanted to build his own instead."
He stood up and turned to Alexander, who was frozen on his knees, clutching Dante tightly.
"You," he said to Dante proudly, like a father seeing his son after a long time. "You are my masterpiece. The only one who didn’t turn into an abomination after I infused my blood into you. You shall bring to this world the flames of creation, and I shall use them to create a world in my image."