The Rise Of The Dark Lord

Chapter - 08

Chapter - 08

Deep inside the forest

Surrounded by large trees and a waterfall in the background, some large beasts were gathered and discussing something. A large lion undoubtedly about a dozen feet tall stood in the centre while others stood on either side, in front of him. The lion with a white body, platinum mane and a platinum horn on his forehead which made him look majestical in every sense discussed something with those present there. These beasts were the Daemons from heaven, and their very appearance stamped on this fact.

The lion was discussing something with the other Daemons around him when the ape who was guarding the entrance barged into their meeting. All the other Daemons looked at him with surprise and a bit of irritation.

The Ape bowed towards the lion and all the other Daemons sitting there in apology. After that, he walked up to the lion, whispered something in his ear and unfolded the letter for him to read.

With each passing second, the initial frown on the lion's face changed to a slight smile and then to a broad smile. In the end, he could not hold back any longer and he burst into laughter. He gestured the Ape to go back, and it took him some time to finally control himself.

All the other Demons looked at him with their eyes ready to pop out in astonishment. Their calm and collected King was acting completely out of character.

When the lion finally calmed down, one of the Daemons around him could not hold it inside of him and asked, "My Lord, please tell us, why do you look so pleased after reading this letter? Who is this letter from?"

"I have told you many times never to address me like that. We only have one lord" The lion reprimanded the one who called him lord, then continued, "And as for why I am so happy? I can just tell you that our long-cherished dream of leaving this hell of a land might come true very soon". The lion vaguely told them.

“What?” All the Daemons present there were left appalled hearing this. They could not process the information in their head.

“My King, are you saying the truth?” One of them asked weakly, afraid that their king might just laugh at any moment and say it was all a joke.

“You are not playing a prank on us, are you My King?”

All the Daemons surrounding the lion were so excited hearing this that they started to bombard him with questions not giving him a chance to reply. Seeing the excitement on their faces at the mere possibility of leaving this place, the lion could only shake his head helplessly.

“Will you all calm down? I have just stated a possibility nothing is certain as of yet”. The lion looking at excitement on the face of his subjects asked them to hold their horses.

“But we never even had this possibility before. Isn’t it worth betting our everything on this?” One of them said. And what he said was true. They have waited all these years in the hope of a possibility to present itself in front of them, but it never happened. But finally, they have hope now.

“If everything goes fine, we might be able to breathe the air we long for once again”.

“It is, but we need to confirm some things before that. For now, I don’t want any of you to go around spreading this news among other Daemons. We need to be sure of everything first”. The lion told them to keep the news to themselves. He did not want to give hope to all the Daemons only to be shattered in the end.

“Yes, My King”. All of them said in unison.

* * *

Erebus and the group waited for about half a day before one of the Apes walked up to them.

“Let’s go”.

The group followed the Ape to the Entrance, two large sky-touching trees stood on either side. They could see the path that would lead them towards their journey of finding themselves a partner for life. This was the only way to enter ‘The Kingdom of Mythraj’. One could not see but this whole land full of greenery was surrounded by an invisible layer covering the sky and beneath the ground. The only way one can enter ‘The Kingdom of Mythraj’ is through this entrance which is always guarded by the Daemons.

The giant Ape stopped at the entrance. The demon who was escorting the group also stopped and turned towards the group, “We can only escort you up till here, from here on you all are on your own. You need to follow all the instructions they ask you to. We won’t be able to help you if you land yourself in trouble”.

Then he turned towards the giant Ape, “Now they are under your care. I hope you will forgive them if they make some mistakes”.

The Ape nodded towards him, then looked towards the group, “From here onwards, no one is going to help you anymore. All of you are on your own” The Ape said, “You need to know certain things before you head towards the jungle to look for your partner. I hope that your clan leader and other demons have told you about it, but never ever think of us Daemons as your pets or servants. We are the Mythical Creatures who once served the Gods, lived among them, a privilege no other race ever had”. The Ape continued to tell the group with pride evident in his eyes.

"We were banished from the Heavens because of some things we did and we are left to live in this hell, but this does not mean that we are any less than any other race out there," The Ape told the group with a longing in his eyes.

Even the Demons who heard him felt a stinging pain in their heart. They were also just like them, left in this barren land to fend for themselves.

"Enough of this now, I am going to tell you all what you can do and what you can't when you start your journey".

Now Erebus and the others were looking at the Ape with their eyes and ears totally towards him.

* * *