"Esker the wimp?", Demion asked. The name did ring a bell, a white haired wimpy kid.
"Now he uses a new moniker, The Snow Monarch."
"But didn't he die in the great war?", Demion questioned. He clearly remembered Esker's ice magic going haywire, freezing his own body in process.
"Why don't you find out yourself. You'll find him further north."
Demion got up, brushing dust from the side of his pants, "Further north huh?... That would be cold."
"It will be. Very cold.", Aracius said as he showed up at the entrance of the cave.
Demion looked up at him to see that his clothing had undergone considerable changes. He now wore dark blue cloak & baggy pants. Bandages ran up from his ankle to knees to wrap up those pants close to his skin. A black bandana was wrapped around his blond head covering most of it. But the thing that drew Demion's attention were 5 magic staves on his back, strapped by a leather belt across his body.
"I also need a change of cloths. Do you hav—"
"Wait.", The alchemist interupted, walking out of the cave.
A moment later he returned and handed a purple-tinged shirt to Demion. And shoes cause he was bare-footed.
"Why did you let him keep my hand?", Demion asked while doing his shirt buttons.
"Why don't you find out yourself.", The alchemist replied giving a smug smile and threw a brown tattered poncho towards Demion. "Take this."
Demion with his hand trapped between buttons & holes, couldn't catch it and let it veil over his face. While he grumbled from beneath, " I only have one hand..."
Demion walked out of the cave over to the rocky shoreline. Something caught his attention. The ever-lasting shadow covering everything in his view. He turned around. And almost mistook it for a gigantic pillar piercing the skies, rising from deep inside the forest.
"The tree of Elixer.", The alchemist showed up beside him, himself looking at it with eyes full of wonder.
"Was it always this big?", Demion wondered, lifting his sight till it reached the canopy.
" Yes.", Aracius showed up on his other side. "That's one of the main reasons for hiding the island."
It was true. The canopy almost covered the whole island under it.
"The reason why the island is hidden, is to protect it from humans.", Demion sighed. "From their lust and greed for power."
"The tree is a god in itself. It must be protected from evil. But what you're pursuing is no different.", the alchemist said, smiling at Demion.
"I'm pursuing something that has always been mine.", Demion replied. "I'm leaving."
"Wait. You don't know the way. You don't know the lands. How will you get there? Take Aracius with you.", the alchemist suggested.
"I know the direction. North. And beyond this island there is only one country, the Land of Ironfog."
"You don't know the land. You don't know the people. Aracius will escort you.", The alchemist replied Demion.
"Whatever", Demion turned towards Aracius. "Show me the way."
"Yeah, let's leave.", Aracius took a heavy breadth. "Ianuae Magicae!"
The alchemist curled up his face to a goodbye sigh or at least he tried.
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.
.
"Hmm, so this is the land of Ironfog.", Demion frowned at the snow, lying here & there.
"Yes. It's a village of fisherman. Or slum would be better.", Aracius frowned at the poor looking houses at the distance.
They were on the middle of a mountain valley, left barren by the chilling dry winds.
"If you were going to teleport. Why here, in the middle of nowhere?", Demion complained blowing out smoke from his mouth.
"This is my limit. And for someone who can't use teleportation magic it's quite rude to complain."
Demion frowned. Then started walking towards the mountains covered in frost. Aracius followed in silence.
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.
"Why did you burned down the castle?", Came an unexpected topic from Aracius.
"Just felt like it. And if you want a reason. Wanted to see if I can still summon the forgotten legends.", Demion replied in cold, dry voice.
"With the fall of the king, fall of every minister in the castle. You've pushed Skelen into total darkness."
"Total darkness? Humans are intelligent. They will crawl out of it. And if not, let them know what it feels like. Let them embrace the dark.", Demion said as the edges of his face curled up into a smile, then vanished as fast as it came.
By now the sun was diving into the horizon. Their shadows lengthened & lengthened into scrawny wicked figures.
Aracius was thinking if they would walk all night or... But Demion knapped off his confusion, "You said I'll find my hand inside a mountain cave. We walk the night."
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.
"What are you planning after getting back your hand?", Aracius uttered, pushing himself forward in the darkness.
Demion being even more cold than the night or chilling winds didn't answer. Only looked up gazing at the cloudless sky. The sky was blazing with white sparks all over. Blazing with constellations & glittering trails. Demion muttered out of the dark, "Aracius,...... have you ever seen a night like this before."
"Yes. I've seen."
"Maybe I've also seen. But I don't remember.", Demion sighed over his shoulder. "You know the constellations?"
"Yes. I can see Leo in the west, the long, winding, and dim constellation Draco, the Dragon. High overhead you will see the constellation Lyra, the Lyre. Cygnus, the northern cross lies northeast. Further to the southeast you will see Aquila, the eagle. Scorpius, the scorpion, with its claws pointing northward and its curved stinger dipping southward.", Aracius said pointing out everyone of them.
Demion's eyes followed Aracius's fingers to everyone of the constellations visible. Trying to understand the different animals & objects Aracius saw in them.
"But a new constellation has risen in the east.", Aracius continued, pointing out three bright red stars, a big bright golden & a blue-white one. All along a straight line. "Zaphkiel. The evil-slayer sword."
Demion shuddered, swallowed & moved on in the darkness. For a moment he had found a little calm in the stars. But it was gashed from him by that sword & bitter memories of that princess. Aracius thought maybe he shouldn't have told Demion about this constellation, discovered by the wise elders of the five nations 6 yrs ago.
When the dawn broke with the Sun peeping over the ranges, they were surrounded by snow, snow all over. They had crossed the snow line.
"How many steps? How much longer??", Demion frowned at the never ending expanse of snow & a few pine trees here & there.
Aracius had once again fallen behind him. On reaching up to Demion, stomping heavily through the snow. He waited a moment to catch his breadth. Then moved on sighing Demion a forward gesture, "Can't you walk a bit slow?"
Demion followed on Aracius without answering.
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" We are here. You'll find Esker on the other side of this cave.", Aracius grumbled.
Demion was looking at it. It was a cave with strange designs on the mouth. In he walked. Suddenly the floor turned hard & even from soft & uneven. It wasn't snow, it was ice. Ice frozen rock solid.
The ground was slippery. Real slippery to be told. Aracius took steps with great caution. On reaching the other side he saw Demion, staring at a castle of white.
"He lives in this castle. Castle of glass.", Aracius snapped Demion out of his thoughts.
"I see. But it's quite unpleasant of him, not to come out & greet us." Demion reached out his hand in the direction of the castle, "Hunter Phoenix!!"
The fire bird appeared again! Large enough to engulf the whole castle between it's wings. And it did so with a shrill cry. Then turned into a fireball & exploded. The castle shattered & ground cracked.
"You shouldn't have done this!", Aracius cried as he stumbled from the shock-wave.
"He can control ice!", Demion smiled as the castle had been stopped from falling apart by several icicles piercing & supporting it, although in a wreaked shape. "That was fast."
A howling laughter came from behind, "Demion! Long time no see huh. 6 years to be exact. But it isn't the right way to greet a friend." Demion turned to meet the person but was greeted by a pale, white, cold fist across his face.
It sent him flying, crashing across the ground & finally into a protruding rock. He got up to see a lean built. Demion could tell that from his experience of the punch. He had snow white hair and even more white skin tone, green eyes, a bit pale incomparison to his own emerald once. He had an unusual red scar on the left side of his face that starts with a cross on his forehead, trailing down in a line that severed his eyebrow and mared his eyelid, and hooks slightly at his cheekbone and follows his cheek down close to his chin. It also had another line of scar that ran parallel to his lower eyelid. His clothing looked like that of anyone in summer, a black sleeveless hoodie which lay open showing his bare chest & matching black pants.
"You Esker? Give me back my left hand. I can feel it. It's really close.", Demion looked at him with greedy eyes.
"Yeah, I'm Esker Snow. And congratulations on breaking free from prison", Esker chuckled. "But you sound different. Don't tell me you had amnesia from beheadment. Anyway, your new head looks quite handsome."
"I have a feeling we know each other. It's a blur but still I have a feeling we were close. But that's not the point. Where's my left hand?", Demion asked.
Esker made a come up gesture with his hand & a ice crystal protruded out of the frozen ground. "Is this what you want?", Esker pointed at a black hand trapped inside the crystal.
"Give it.", came Demion's heavy voice.
"Ufu fu fu fu.......", Esker chuckled. "I won't. It's better this way."
"Have you learned about Felix?"
"Felix? I know, he's doing some shit. Right?", Esker sighed.
"Yes. He's strong, as far as I remember. I'll need my left hand. Evermore cause I have forgotten most of the spells.", Demion argued.
"Why are you so concerned over it. Wanna end up in imprisoned again?", Esker sighed.
"Forget it. I'll take it by force.", said that Demion reached out his hand towards the crystal, "Ignis Fragor Carcerem"
Crimson flames engulfed the crystal in a prison just before it exploded a reinforcing layer of ice formed around it, making it strong enough to endure the heat. The next moment an ice dragon emerged out of the ground, bit Demion around the waist & crashed him into the ground.
"You never listen.", Esker snarled.
Demion was lying on the ground, cursing himself for his powerlessness. He gritted himself &, "Adjútor Petram!"
A giant rock hand came out of the ground & grabbed the ice dragon, shattering it to bits. He stood up to find Esker only inches away with his fists curled up into a fist. Demion's eyes opened wide following Esker's fist running towards his face. He didn't had time to dodge, it was inevitable.....
"Revincio"
"Aracius you bastard! You should be aiding me!", Esker yelled being unable to move. Trapped in his trajectory of punch Demion.
Demion sighed in disgust, himself also binded in the spell.
Aracius had taken out one of his magic staffs. It was a wooden staff with a ring formed on the head. He pointed it towards the crystal, "Tormento Ignis."
A fireball launched itself towards the crystal, making a hole in it. Aracius pulled out a black, scaled reptilian arm.
"Relevo!", Aracius spelled and both Demion & Esker got free of their binding.
Aracius threw the hand at Demion, "Remember this."
Demion grabbed it with a swing & pushed it against his left shoulder. The shoulder & the hand joined in an instant leaving a black double ring tattoo there. Demion could feel power flowing through his entire body.....