38. Satisfaction

Connor's POV

I saw Benji walk away, and I knew full well that the overly energetic boy had saved my ass today. My eyes followed him into the distance before I walked over to my parents, and they both smiled at me. My father was holding tightly onto Papa, and I could tell from the slight shake in the latter's eyes that he was still scared from the encounter. It was a close one for the both of us; I have no doubt that he would have killed me then moved onto Papa right after. I also knew that my father would have been forced to join his father rather than see his soulmate die right before his eyes, and that would have killed him inside more than anything. Papa looked so relieved that it hurt my chest, and I shared a solemn look with my father. This isn't going to be the last time we're attacked, and our foe seems to know a heavy weakness in our ranks; my father's unwillingness to let papa go.

"I was so, so worried Connor," Papa breathed, and he left my father's embrace to pull me into a hug so tight I may have been cracking my ribs slowly. I don't know how the man has so much energy right after a near death experience, but the concept didn't bother me too much. He was happy, so I was happy. "I thought... I thought I was going to lose you."

"I'm right here papa." My voice also wavered dangerously, and this was the first time that I looked inside of myself to realize that I was also afraid of dying today. My legs had a slight quiver to them that betrayed those feelings to the outside world, and I could feel my father sizing my condition up while I embraced Papa. "You can't get rid of me that easily," I joked, and I got two different looks of annoyance. I usually use humor and random lighthearted comments to keep myself from sinking in dire situations; I had inherited that quirk from my papa.

"Do not underestimate him, Con. We talked about this in training yesterday," my father declared, and I turned to face him after putting my serious face on. Our relationship was a good one, but it was always structured upon mutual respect and strength. Ever since I was a kid, I had always been taught the importance of balance. I swear they think I'm secretly the avatar sometimes. I've always been expected to not only keep up my skills of fighting, but also maintaining my grades, requests for help from my parents, and a lot of information I had to get memorized if I plan to become a successful leader of hell. I didn't mind it, though. In between the serious moments, I was always allowed to become relaxed; that was also important for keeping all of my skills from leaning too heavily one way or another. I couldn't be too uptight all of the time, or I would never get the chance of having friends or learning to love. On the other hand, if I was never able to take a situation seriously, I would never get anything done when I ascended to the throne. I would probably lose my mind if my parents held me up to the same expectations that Allystar holds for his son. I don't think I've ever seen that boy without a book in his hand; it made out for a lonely life.

"I know, father."

"What's in his file?" His voice was slightly stern, and I knew that I was to answer seriously.

"Really, dad? Right now?"

"You must not forget your teachings, even under pressure."

"Dray Pierce is a powerful man coming from a long line of demon leaders. Some say that, if he is to ingest a specific potion comprising of DNA from all of his living, direct family members, there is only one spell, cast by a master warlock, that can stop him from seizing all of the power in the world. Make sure that he does not achieve this potion, or it will be the end of the world as we know it."

"And why is it the end of the world, Connor?"

"Because the last master warlock died out without naming an heir. There was no one to take his place, and his library of spells was ransacked for the only incantation able to stop King Dray. No one knows where it is to this day."

"Very good."

"Do I get a golden star?"

"No," my father deadpanned before returning to swaddling Papa with love, and the other man giggled at his antics. I sighed before turning to walk away, and my feet were soon soaked with dew from earlier in the morning. I hate wet socks. I know that my father cares for me, but sometimes I can never tell with him. He has the mind of a hardened king with the softness of a kitten towards papa, but I rarely got to see that side. He preached to me that it was his job to teach me everything that I needed to know, and he took that task very, very seriously. I suppose he was doing a pretty okay job at it. Most people my age weren't so in touch with our thoughts and feelings, or the side of the spirits, but I had mastered those a long time ago. Sometimes I wished I was Ariel; she may have been being trained by papa to take over the pack whenever I was away, but at least she didn't have to deal with the constant influx of information that came from being tutored by dad.

Suddenly, I heard a highly pitched male scream, and I immediately sprinted in that direction. Another thing my dad had drilled into my mind; as a king, I'm expected to run into the danger instead of away from it. I had been trained in those ways since I was a little boy, and the instinct had implanted into my brain. It sometimes made me impulsive, but we were working on eliminating that little part of my mindset. I should think things through before I take action. I sprinted out into a small clearing in the trees, and I traced the scream from a little cave. I had never seen the thing before, but that didn't stop me from walking into it slowly. I lit a little fire in the palm of my hand like I had been taught, and I used the light to see in the pitch black setting.

A sweet scent flooded my senses, and I felt an excited flutter deep in my chest. I know that my 18th birthday was a few days ago, but I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon. I could hear panting at the end of the tunnel, and I felt it tugging at my heartstrings. Whoever is at the end of this tunnel... They're my soulmate.