The little Cerolus cooed in my arms. I remember how warm it was to hold Axelor like that when he was born. I put my little finger in front of him, the little hand grabbing it in place.

I wish I could see him again. I wish I could see both of them again, if only to tell them I am proud of what they’ve done.

“Hello Cerolus, I’m your great uncle Cerolus, but you can call me Uncle Cer.” The soft coos from the child are adorable.

“Are you crying?” Sophia asks me from my side.

I take my finger from the grasp of the baby and touch my face. I wipe a tear from it.

Why did I remember that? I have tried so hard to forget all of it, for Sophia’s and for my sake. It was better like that. It was all better. So why now?

I shift the painful thoughts away, moving on from the loss. That’s what I was taught to do. And that’s what I will have to do. It always is. This curse in disguise is merciless, but I must go through it, I made a promise to my boys that I would live a life they never did, that I won’t fall down uselessly after them.

I got my revenge years ago. I moved on. It was better. The Humans did this to us. I retaliated. Hate bred hate, war meant more war, the cycle of death continued for years. It’s peace now, a new beginning. And I have someone new in my life. I have her.

She’s a Human, but she’s not responsible for what all of them have done. She isn’t to be blamed. And I don't. I think I'm happier with her around. More peaceful.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been so secretive around her. Maybe she deserves to know all about me. I think we need to know each other properly. Will she accept Cerolus Kreshorok, the Lilinlord of Dralarag?

“Cerolus.”

I turn towards Herod’s voice, his lone figure standing in the center of the room.

“Revert him.”

No. Not you. No. You can’t be serious. Why?

----------------------------------------

"Revert him."

I look around the room, everyone staring at Cerolus and The Maorok in silence. Even the baby hasn’t made a sound. Everyone is trying to glance away from the two, trying to not be a part of the scene. Just what is going on?

“Why? You know what that does. You know what that can do.” My husband has taken a defensive stance, cradling the child in his arms.

“I don’t care. I want what’s best for him, Cerolus.” The sullen look on his face doesn’t match the gravity of his words, and I am still at a loss to what any of this means.

“What’s best for him? You’re going to cripple him, and you call that doing what’s best? You’re going to ruin his magical prowess, you’re going to risk his life even, for what? So he doesn’t live long?” Cerolus is almost shouting at this point, the words echoing through the room, the other Demons almost retreated.

“I don’t want him to become like you! I have heard what happened to you! I know what happens to most of your kind, uncle! Do you consider me stupid? I don’t want to have to watch my own child grow like that, I don’t want that to happen to him.

I just want him to be normal, uncle. I don’t want him to suffer. Not like you did, not like when the Humans first attacked. You’ve watched the entirety of the war unfold. You know what we did, and you know what they did. I don’t want him to remember everyone like you do. Is that selfish of me? Is it selfish that I want my child to grow up happy, to live happy, to die beside his loved ones happy?

You have told me many a time how your existence is a curse in disguise. So remove the curse from him, uncle, I beg you. As a father I beg you.”

Cerolus has gone into tears, cradling the small child in his enormous chest, The Maorok wailing before him.

“And if I can’t beg you as a father, I will command you as The Maorok, Lilinlord Cerolus.” The atmosphere of the room changes from sorrow to seething ferocity, The Maorok enveloped in a cloak of flames. So this is the power of the Demons.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Cerolus calms himself down slowly, wiping away his tears, removing any semblance of emotion from his face.

“Feitora?” He looks towards the woman who has since joined The Maorok’s side, grasping his arm with both of her hands. She only nods silently in response.

“Very well. The Reversal Ritual will be done tomorrow. I, as the Lilinlord, will perform it. You know of the risks, and you have agreed to take them. I will begin preparations. The Ritual will be perform at the Fire Church.”

He walks towards the couple, returning the child to his parents, before turning to exit the room.

“Come Sophia.” What? Me?

I just follow his lead, still oblivious to what all of this entails.

We exit the room, rushing through the corridor.

“Cerolus.” I call him meekly, my voice strained, afraid to stand before him.

He keeps walking, not minding any attention to my words.

“Cerolus.” I call again, trying to make myself clear, calling for his attention. I am ignored once again.

I run to keep up with his pace, his gait much faster than my walk.

“Cerolus, please!” I am starting to shout, my voice echoing through the halls. I don’t know what is going on, but I deserve to, don’t I? I am his wife after all.

“Cerolus, stop!”

He stops before me, turning around. His face is clouded in tears, water pouring from the blackness of his eyes. His voice is strained, his tone sullen. He kneels to embrace me in his arms, his chin resting on my shoulder.

“They want to cripple him, and I have to do it. Why, why must it be like this? None of us wanted to become like this. None of us wanted this wretched life.” His sobs send shivers across my spine, his hands clutching me with force.

“Cerolus, what is going on? I don’t understand, what’s the Reversal Ritual? Cerolus, please explain to me.” I hug him back, the girth of his shoulders making me almost unable to do so.

He calms down, the waterworks slowing, his emotions shifting from one moment to the next. He leans back from the hug, his warmth no longer put against my body.

“I am a Lilin. We are the longest living race of the Demons, and I am the eldest one among us. The elders discovered you could change the race of a Demon by using powerful magic shortly after the birth, when the magical pathways are still young and malleable. They want to change him, so he ceases to be a Lilin.

It will drain him of most of his magical talent, since our talent grows as we age, strip him of any race, a blank slate ready to be filled by the Gods’ will.

I’ve lived for a very long time Sophia, longer than any of you Humans, longer than any of the Demons today. I’ve seen the War unfold before my eyes, remember so much terror, so much pain. They don’t want him to experience the same, and I can’t stop them. If I don’t do it, they’ll force someone else, someone less powerful, someone more prone to error.

No, I must do it, I am the Lilinlord, the Elder One.”

His sobs have turned into resolve as he coerces himself with his words. Just what has he lived through? Will he tell me that sometime?

“Go to the house or stay with them, I don’t care, but you can’t be with me today, I must spend today in preparation, alone. Please understand. I’ll see you in the evening. Take care, Sophia.”

He kisses me briefly, warmth enveloping me for a moment before fading away into nothingness. Then he leaves me alone in the hallways.

Kozzok appears from the shadows of the halls, his figure slender as always.

“Your command, Mistress?”

Do I go after him? Do I stay here, where his family is, or do I leave for the house to not be seen?

“Let’s go to my husband’s family. I need to know more about them.”