Arthur's Point of View

Klasteris

Aydan and I appeared in the North next to The Floating Stone Forest, where the heart of Klasteris resided. Problem was, we were falling through the sky, thousands of feet up, and Demons surrounded in almost every direction. Skelds flocked around parts of the sky , and a horde of Demons resided below. The rocky terrain was completely filled with red and black energy, which made me frown.

It made it almost impossible to focus on any Ancient Demons or Ghouls with such a large force. No Ancient Demons stood out from my quick look around, but there was likely one in charge again if this was anything like last time. Which meant there was going to be quite a few Ghouls as well. However, the most disturbing fact was that there were more Demons now than there were during the assault on the Capital two years ago. Why focus a larger force here?

"Mordred!" Aydan shouted from next to me over the wind.

"Are you okay!?" I shouted back as I tilted my body to move next to him.

"Look!" The Sage pointed towards the city on the floating stones, and I saw a large white shield covering the area.

Frowning at it, I assumed it belonged to Elias, which meant he was likely going through magic at an alarming rate. My eyes glanced down as roars and screeches echoed out throughout the area. The Demons had finally spotted us, and Skelds started to make their way towards Aydan and me.

Gritting my teeth, I looked to him. "Do you think that shield will let you through?!"

Aydan looked back at it. "Possibly!"

Grabbing his hand, he yelped when I started to spin in the air. "I'll meet you up there!"

"I can't fly!" The Elf cried out in horror.

"Then pray someone catches you!"

"No!"

Off he went. Aydan was sailing towards the shield at the perfect moment. Seconds from the ground, I corrected myself and boosted my energy as I landed. The Demons below me were crushed, andothers were sent flying as I sent a wave of my energy through the ground, which caused it to scatter like a shotgun.

Walking up from the crater, I saw many Demons eyeing me or roaring in anger. "Didn't like my entrance? I thought it was catastrophic!"

Many of the Demons rushed me, and I used their numbers against them. Fire shot out as my eyes created a field around me, making every Demon stumble when it got too close. Any that fell to the ground, I killed by creating a spike from underneath them to pierce their bodies. After a short massacre, without me having to try too hard, I took off running towards the city in the sky. It was then that the first Ghoul arrived on the scene.

However, this Ghoul didn't seem to be as playful as the other ones I had fought. In fact, he seemed quite serious. He killed a few of the Demons in his way and stood before me. Honestly, I was getting ready to kill him as well and continue my run when the second major Demon showed up.

A mass of fire and smoke landed on the rocky terrain behind the Ghoul and seemed to flatten out before retaking its form while killing a surprising number of regular Demons. They burned and melted at its mere presence, and I recognized this one from the day I realized I was in the past. This was the Ancient Demon that drove out Arceana from her outpost and killed Kandma's mother.

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It stood behind the Ghoul at a rather tall height of ten feet or so. "Really wish you were the one who showed up last time." I commented, but neither Demon said anything.

The Ancient Demon merely snorted fire and watched me. However, neither made a move to confront me any further than this. So, I assumed they were waiting for other Ghouls to realize I was there or maybe even another Ancient Demon. Needing no further prompting, focused my gaze upon both of them and got them both to slam into the ground from the sudden change in gravity.

While I did consider moving to kill the Ancient Demon, flames shot out around its body to protect itself. Ignoring it was my only real option for the moment since it was putting on quite the light show for others to find me. Focusing my energy into the air around me, I crouched down as I started to focus energy into my legs as well. The two Demons looked confused, but when I jumped, the air I had collected helped me, and I used my eye to reverse the gravity under me as well.

Roars could be heard as I made it up to the city and flinched as I passed the shield. Wasn't sure if I was going to make it through or not, but I landed inside safely. Upon my sudden arrival, many cheered as they realized I had arrived. Several Zugal soldiers moved towards me and took up positions around me.

"Take me to King Elias and Sir Aydan."

They did as instructed and escorted me to the newish castle. Two years old, and it gleamed with its white stones from the white shield surrounding us. I inspected it and realized the density of the shield was impossible for Elias to summon, which meant something else was doing it. That was a question for another time.

"My King!" Elias said in relief and excitement as I entered the war room.

The war room was a small extension from the Throne Room, which looked more to be a resting area at a glance. However, Elias made it open, and in view of the throne in case there was ever an emergency or need for assembly and it was always under guard.

"King Mordred!" Aydan called out just the same.

Chuckling, I put my hands on my hips. "You two seem surprised to see me."

The once Lestranian Prince chuckled. "Not everyone lands into a horde of tens of thousands of Demons, quite like you do."

A few others who were present chuckled as well. "As glad as I am to see that you and your people are safe, I do need to know what is happening."

Elias looked to Aydan with a nervous look before turning back to me. "We were hoping you could tell us." At my silence, he explained and gestured outside. "That shield appeared when the Skelds suddenly appeared along with the horde in what seemed like the time span of a night."

"King Elias has informed me that none of the Demons have broken through the shield, and sending scouts out went poorly when they tried to call for aid. They can only see the massive horde below and the Skelds flying about." Aydan added.

"That is disturbing."

"Which part?" Elias inquired.

Crossing my arms, I replied. "All of it. This shield isn't something we can rely on if it activated randomly and don't know what is generating it. It could just as easily fall, but there is more about this situation that feels off."

"The numbers?" Aydan offered.

I nodded. "That is another. Why send a larger force here against a smaller kingdom, but I'm more concerned about what is among the horde. I already ran into one Ghoul and one Ancient Demon, but both refused to attack me. That tells me they were waiting for reinforcements."

Elias looked around the room. "Who could support an Ancient Demon aside from another Ancient Demon?"

"And those are far and few between." The Great Sage pointed out.

"Exactly. So, my biggest concern is," Looking outside the window at the shield, I paused. "Who were they waiting for?"

The room became quiet for a moment until Elias stepped towards me. "Well your arrival, and help, is most welcome, but I am still confused as to how you and Sir Aydan arrived here."

Gesturing for someone to fetch some food and water, he offered us a place to sit at his table, which had minuscule amounts of information about the enemy forces. During this time, we were fed, which was nice since Aydan and I didn't get the chance after we returned from the Hollow Forest. Aydan also caught him up with our arrival and how we found out about Klasteris being under siege.

We were probably sitting down going over all the information we had for thirty minutes or so. Things were going just fine until I felt a chill run down my spine. I looked around for a minute before looking back to Aydan and Elias, who were going over ideas for aiding the coming Lestranian army.

However, a feeling of dread soon washed over me as I sprung up from my chair when I heard the words, "So, you're the one who has been giving me so much trouble." A disgustingly familiar sweet voice called out.

Looking frantically around the room, I tried to pinpoint where the voice came from. Aydan also stood and looked around confused, but he didn't seem worried. Elias, on the other hand, seemed none the wiser. I broke out in a cold sweat as I felt a pressure filling the room, and soon, my gaze fell onto a woman who sat on Elias's throne.

My eyes slammed open when our gazes locked, and my body acted instinctively as she smirked. "Shields!"

Aydan and Elias were smart enough to follow my orders as I flooded us with my own energy as well to protect us. Many were surprised at my energy surrounding them but were even more surprised when their shields fell, and a chunk of my energy disappeared, and the rest of it rippled. A white mist had slammed into it before returning to the woman on the throne.

Her smirk widened into a smile as she kept her gaze focused on me. This was worse than the time with Tor. Everything about this woman made my body scream at me to run away. Flee while I can before it was too late. However, I knew it was impossible, and judging from her nonchalant attitude, she likely knew the same.

"You were able to protect them in time." She commented as she looked at us from her relaxed position on the throne. "Surprising, but well done."

Black wings extended from her back as she stretched, and I realized that she was a High Elf, or rather, was at some point. Vile red and black energy seemed contained to her immediate area and body but formed a violent storm around her. I had no doubt she was restraining herself greatly. Pointy ears, black wings, long blonde hair, purple eyes, vile energy, black dress with golden accents and red gems, and a fair complexion that almost rivaled Mara.

"Not many can survive such an attack, which is another testament to your abilities." She leaned forward with that same smile. "You must be Mordred." Summoning a red and black spear before her, she leaned on it. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."