Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

54. The Heart (2)

After Erebus had consumed Kore's power and settled his dark goal within his heart, Erebus' clarity returned. He was himself, the shadow cultivator and Lieutenant General of Shadowbane. But he was still in the illusion, standing on the burning battlefield.

He looked around at the dead bodies that were being consumed by the fire, including Kore with a hole in her stomach.

Erebus had seen disturbing and bloody moments before. Hells, he had bathed in blood, but this was on a different level. He felt his stomach churn, and he fell to his knees and vomited. He groaned when he saw that only blood came out.

He stared at the corpse of Kore. Her eyes were still wide with shock and betrayal. Her mouth was opened as if trying to protest her sudden death. He sighed a little and reached over to close her eyes. He cared little for her dignity, but seeing her eyes reflect the pain of being betrayed irked him. She had no right to those feelings.

He tore his eyes away and found a glimmering sword next to him. His gaze softened as he realized this was the original Gramr before the Shadow Deity converted it to the daggers. He reached down and touched it but found it was now unfamiliar and cold. He tossed it to the side in frustration of feeling its rejection. The fire hit the blade, making the light glare in his eyes, drawing his gaze to where it landed. A horrified shudder ran up his spine when he saw the black wolf's head.

"Fenrir!" He cried out and rushed over. His legs were unstable, and the ground was littered with bodies, so he stumbled and crawled over to the head. When he reached it, he picked it up carefully and held it to his chest.

"No... Fenrir..."

His eyes wandered around and saw the many bodies of the Shadowbane soldiers, people he had fought with. People, he called friends and brothers. He let out a heartbroken sob, a sound that had never escaped his lips before.

A hooded figure sat beside him and wrapped his arms around him. [It's time to wake up now.]

Erebus opened his eyes and saw the arms still wrapped around him. However, Fenrir's head, the bodies, and the flames were gone. He was back on the cold temple floor.

However, the horrible scenes that he witnessed were etched into his mind. He was appalled by the things he did with his hands and found it difficult to breathe. Erebus could only sob silently. He hated everything he saw. He hated his fate.

When his crying ended, he wiped his wet cheeks but found that they were covered with blood, not tears. The Shadow Deity felt distressed seeing him in this condition. Only in true sorrow and anguish would someone cry blood. But he believed Erebus needed to know the truth of his possible dark fate.

It took time, but Erebus calmed down but was still leaning on the Shadow Deity. 

Erebus hadn't bothered to wipe the blood tears on his face, and his hair had fallen into a disheveled mess. He looked to be in a pitiful state.

"Am I truly that weak?" His voice was raspy from his yelling.

[Weak? Did you not see how powerful you can become?]

"Powerful? I thought I was already a monster, but this... this was evil... Asura King... Titan... Devourer..." He looked numbly at the hand that pulled out the Titan core from Kore. "Oh, Deities... she is a Titan?" He trembled as he recalled Kore admitting her origins.

The Shadow Deity sighed lightly. [A true oversight of the Deities and heroes of the past. She hid herself well.]

He ran his trembling hands through his hair. He married and loved a Titan, the Realms' enemy. And if he did not save Jericho, he would have been brainwashed by her to become a horrible monster. "Am I so easy to manipulate?"