The Exiled King

Chapter 24 - It Begins

The being raised his head, long eyelashes framing stormy gray eyes that met her auburn ones. Sharply pointed ears stuck out from beneath a cloud of matted hair and his lips moved.

"Help... please free me!" His eyes glistened, wide with mixed emotions.

"How?" Lirya asked, edging closer and raking her eyes over the wings of the being, "How do I get you out?"

The being pointed to the swords in the magic circle and said, "Find the sword that says 'Aidan' upon it. Pull that sword out, and I shall be free."

Lirya peered closer at the swords, noting with further examination that the swords were named.

Daeylora... Eclipis... Saera. Isendra, Yurin, Helios... Rowae. And finally, Aidan. She grabbed the sword and pulled. It came up and clattered to the ground, but excruciating pain lanced up her arm and all over her body.

Only a moment passed as she blinked the black spots out of her eyes, but the next thing she knew, the being hovered over her with a worried look on his face. He helped Lirya up and turned, looking sadly at the seven swords, one of which lay on the ground, a fine dusting of rubble around the hole it had been embedded into.

"Um... who are you? What are you?" Lirya questioned, her face tense.

Have I just freed a monster? Am I going to die?!

The being turned to her and smiled. "Kind lady, I thank you greatly for freeing me!"

He continued, with a hint of pride in his voice, "My name is Aidan Adrianus Raizel Illuen, crown prince of the archangels. Please, tell me what I can do to repay your favor! Ah, firstly... could you tell me what year it is? I'm unable to recall how many years I've spent, locked in this filthy tower, imprisoned by the swords of my comrades."

He talks funny, Lirya thought, But seems harmless enough...?

"It's fifty seven ADW," She volunteered, and the archangel frowned.

"What is this 'ADW' that you speak of, milady? How many years have passed since it was the year 4783?"

She gasped and said, "Listen... I don't know who you are or what an archangel is, but 4783 was centuries ago. Ever since the demon war we reset the count! Are you trying to mess with me?"

He paled, his face falling, "S-Surely not, my lady? Surely you jest? It cannot be!"

Frantically he gestured to his wings, saying, "Don't you know these? How can you not know what an archangel is?!"

"Wings? Humans don't have wings on their back!" Lirya cried.

The archangel's face only grew more perplexed. "Wait... You're human?! I thought you were one of my kin! I thought you'd used concealing magic on your ears and wings! How did you find me? Only my kin know each other... that is the reason I've been trapped here for so long!"

She frowned. "I- something called me here... to meet you, I guess?"

A loud roar shook the delicate frame of the tower, causing dust to rain upon their heads and Lirya shouted over the noise, "Hey... I don't suppose you're able to fight? I might have to cash in on that favor..."

"Why yes, I'm an excellent fighter and my recent captivity will likely not have dulled my skills too much. I assure you, archangels are considered the most powerful creatures on Dargon," The archangel said, puffing his chest proudly.

"In that case," Lirya said, giving him a shove at the door, "There's a demon rampaging outside. Please kill it!"

Another roar shook the tower, more debris falling from the ceiling, and he cursed, grabbing Lirya's and and running out.

A quick word uttered had his eyes glowing briefly red and the eight swords flew out of the tower and landed at his feet.

He sighed, "You have left us in quite the predicament, milady. Fear not, I shall vanquish the foul beast for you! Though it may be unknown to you, I am among the few beings in possession of immense power."

He flapped his mighty wings, taking off with a blast that blew leaves off trees and had Lirya fighting to stay grounded.

Lirya squinted, watching as his figure shrank and the distance between them lengthened.

The demon loomed far ahead, its monstrous body dwarfing the archangel headed its way. Lirya followed on ground and far more slowly, her eyes trained at the sky as Aidan reached the demon.

A shrill cry cut through the air from the direction of the city, then the prince attacked.

He flew straight at the demon with his sword extended and it slammed deep into the demon's arm. It gave a ground shaking roar and shook its arm, flinging Aidan around like a ragdoll. The prince landed on the demon's arm and used both hands to heave the sword back out. The force of the pull had Aidan tumbling mid-air until a couple of flaps of his wings stabilized him. The demon's head turned and its beady eyes glared at the archangel prince. With a sweep of its other arm, it batted Aidan away. He was thrown far as he tried to right himself before he crashed to the ground. He desperately spread his wings, twisted and slammed into a tree. With shaky steps, he untangled himself and wiped away the blood running from the many small cuts on his face. He glared at the demon and a deadly aura exploded from him, sending a chill down Lirya's back, despite the massive distance separating them.

She watched in astonishment as the archangel prince's hair changed from a dark blue hue to a blood red color, spilling down his shoulders like a sea of flames. Within moments, his wings also changed from pure white to ruby. With a force that shook the ground and sky, the prince launched his attack at the demon just as it batted away hundreds of elven arrows with a swipe of its arm. They clattered uselessly to the ground as a massive flare of light illuminated the skies. Aidan's sword, grasped in his hand, glowed a brilliant red as he held it aloft, then swung it in a beautiful crescent arc.

A mighty roar echoed, but was cut off as the sword cleaved the demon's head from its shoulders. For a moment, the body remained standing, but then it slowly toppled to one side, flattening the forest beneath it and raising a cloud of dirt.

Is it... dead? Lirya wondered, stepping closer.

Aidan landed in front of her, stumbling a bit when landing, as his hair and eye and wing colors rapidly returned to their original color.

She reached out to steady him, asking, "Are you alright?"

He nodded, then said, "The demon is dead. Please see to your comrades—I heard a cry from the city. I will be along in a few short moments."

She turned and ran towards the city just as the barrier came crashing down.

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He waited until she had disappeared between the trees, then he grimaced, clenching his fist at his chest. He staggered, dropping to one knee, as a cough splattered crimson across the grass.

Aidan wiped his bloody lips and muttered, "It looks like I haven't much left..."

He fingered a strand of hair that remained red, whispering, "At this rate... perhaps once or twice more?"

Hoarsely, he said, "Cress, I'm afraid we may not live to see the peace we desire. That demon is but a prelude of what is to come. I can feel it, and I know you can too..."

I know... but better to die fighting for the five realms than to cower and live through the hell that will follow, came the reply.

"That... you are right about," Aidan replied with a chuckle, standing up straight and smoothing the wrinkles in his overcoat.

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Who do you think Cress is?

What do you think will happen next?

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