Demon King Ascendant

Almost four hundred years ago, the last year of the Demon King's War.

The room was grand, everything a throne room should be. The ceiling arched high above, crisscrossed with flying buttresses artfully worked with images of the gods among their favored plants. The floor was tiled in delicate mosaics depicting scenes from myth and legend. The walls were paneled with rosewood and oak, carved with figures of heroes and monsters. The space itself was vast, nearly a hundred meters in diameter. At one end, a dias with five broad steps reigned over the room. On it was a mighty throne, replete with gold and gems worked into intricate designs.

It was a beautiful place, fit for one who had declared he would rule the world. The beauty was marred by one thing; the bodies of the dead, who had fought and died there to attack or protect the would-be Demon King, he who now lay dead on the highest stair of the dias. The combined forces of Tasnian and Earth-born Summoned had been successful.

They had thought.

On his knees, the Tansian Meinz blinked up at the Summoned Chester. Chester was the leader of their forces in this assault to stop the Demon King once and for all. When he'd struck down the Demon King, the survivors had thought the war was finally over.

Meinz slowly shook his head. "Did -did you just curse me?"

Fondling the Demon King's sword, Chester smirked. He lovingly touched the large Bolat crystal embedded just above the hilt. 

"A curse? Many on Earth would call it a blessing. A Holy Grail humans have sought throughout our history. The Crystal gave it to me for the asking -I just shared it with you."

In despair, Meinz looked around. Nearly everyone who'd accompanied them on this mission, Tas and Terran, had fallen in the fight to reach and defeat the man who lay dead on the dias, the man who had branded himself the Demon King and driven the world to war. Besides Meinz and Chester, only three remained, all Summoned, the twins Theo the mage and Teria the rogue, and Elric, also a rogue. Meinz himself was a priest.

Chester was a magic warrior type, with a Commander Blessing and Skills. The four of them couldn't hope to take him on in a fair fight, and likely not even by cheating.

"Come on Meinz." Chester stepped down a step and took Meinz's chin in his hand. "You know I love you. I want you by my side. Let me help you up." He released Meinz's chin and held out his hand. "Rise, and one day we'll rule this world together."

Meinz looked away and gritted his teeth. One thing he'd learned on this journey was Chester only loved himself. 

Behind and below Chester, Meinz caught a glimpse of Theo. Seeing he'd caught Meinz's eye, Theo jerked his head toward the Demon King's corpse lying on the dias.

The plan. The plan that Theo had tried to propose and Chester had shot down before hearing the details of. The plan that Meinz and Theo had worked on in secret.

A plan to seal the Demon King if they couldn't kill or defeat him. 

Meinz gave Theo the smallest of nods and, to distract Chester, accepted his help up. Theo needed time to cast. 

"Took time to figure out you couldn't lift your bulk yourself?" Chester smirked. Meinz flushed; he didn't like being reminded he had more "plush" than everyone else, even after the months of training and travel. And Chester never quit on the comments. 

Right now, Chester clearly thought he had won. His grin was pure arrogance, gloating over the sword in his right hand while holding Meinz's in his left. He pulled Meinz forward, forcing a kiss on him. "I'm so glad I can be myself here."

Yanking himself back, Meinz used the sleeve of his robe to wipe his mouth. "A traitorous asshole?"

It was Chester's turn to blink at him. "Gay, you fatty. Loving the same sex is wrong to a lot of people on Earth."

Meinz took a minute to remember "gay" referred to men who worshiped Vikesh. "That still doesn't make any sense. Why would the way the gods made people be seen as wrong?" He could feel Theo's spell building; soon it would reach a level Chester could detect. "Do they also hate people who are reincarnated to bodies that don't match their souls?"

-there it was. Chester's eyes widened as he spun around to focus on Theo.

Teria and Elric were ready. While Chester was distracted, they'd moved to the side of the throne between him and Theo. Both Rogues combined speed with sharp and dangerous attacks. Between them, they also had a surprising amount of mass. They hit Chester from the side, knocking him down the stairs and away from Theo and Meinz.

"You -you!" Chester sprung to his feet, brandishing the Demon King's sword as the rogues moved swiftly to block him. 

Meinz could feel it. Just a little more… Theo was almost there.

But while rogues could aggravate a magic warrior, in the end they couldn't stop one even without the Summoned Blessing. With the Blessing, Chester could easily ward off their attacks. The rogues needed help.

Closing his eyes, Meinz summoned what was left of his mana. 

"With the Light in my right hand

And the Dark in my Left,

In the names of Idalin the Mother

And Vikesh the Father,

I call to Khedia and Dhemas

To burn with fire

The purifying fire

The dark crystal of the poison star.

I am Meinz of the Temple of Saleca

Of Saleca in the Ocheorean Empire.

PURIFY!"

The spell hit the Bolat crystal in the sword. Already partially drained from the party's first assault, it flickered and darkened, the energy within dispersing and weakening. But not completely; a single steel spark still shone in the middle. 

Tears welled in Meinz's eyes. If he hadn't kept back a small amount of mana so as not to collapse, could he have finished purifying the crystal?

Chester had been affected as well. The spell not only affected the flow of Bolat's energy from the crystal to Chester, it affected the flow of energy within Chester. He staggered, coughing blood as the conflicting energies battled, tearing at his body, rupturing small blood vessels and damaging tissue.

"Meinz!" Elric was by his side, keeping him from staggering as the effects of the spell caught up with him and he swayed from mana depletion.

Not far away, Teria stood in the path Chester would have to take to reach Theo. Chester, raging and stubborn, was forcing himself towards them despite the damage to his body, headed towards her and Theo. Theo-

Had finished the spell. He spoke the last line aloud.

"By Kiren and Cronus, be bound by time itself!"

Meinz's mind darted over the completely irrelevant thought of what would Kiren think of being evoked with another world's god.

Chester froze, the air turning thick and grey around him. Meinz sucked in a breath.

"Run! Now!"

"But-!" Teria looked at Theo, still manipulating the spell.

"Leave him!" Meinz yelled. "We have to get out!"

Chester would never have ordered such a thing. He would have ordered them to continue fighting until their last strength, confident his Commander Blessing would pull a win from despair.

Chester was a fucking idiot. He was why so many had fallen. 

Tiera caught up to Meinz and Elric, tears in her eyes. "But Theo…"

The trio ducked through the doorway and sped down the hall. "The spell should have immediately made a crystal shell," Meinz panted. "It didn't. It's not working right." He had too much bulk for this speed. "The grey means it hit him-" gasp "-but it's not under control. Theo had to stay." Huff. "He's the only one who can manage it." Meinz felt himself gaining some of his strength back from casting the purify spell and redoubled his efforts. 

"Hmm," Elric said. "How big of an area will the spell cover if it isn't controlled?"

Meinz thought as they dodged through another doorway their party had shattered on their way in. "Um…"

"And there's a flaw in your plan," Elric added.

"What!?" Meinz gasped. "Fuck!"

Both rogues blinked. Meinz was usually the last to swear. 

The reaction was understandable though. In front of them, the doorway the party had left clear now stood blocked. The enormous pillars on each side of the door had collapsed, falling in front of it and blocking the opening.

"Damn," Elric glanced around, looking for a space to crawl through or climb over. 

"Elric, up there!" Teria pointed to a very slightly indented arch in a row of otherwise identical arches lining a balcony a short flight up. "There might be…"

"I see it! A secret passage!" Only a rogue's eye could be sure at that distance and angle. Elric grabbed Meinz's arm. "Up the stairs!"

Teria sped up the stairs ahead of them. By the time the two men reached the arch, Teria had the secret door open.

Sticking his head in, Elric nodded his head. "Looks like a servants' passage rather than a hidden escape path. It heads in the right direction. Let's go!"

Behind them, Teria screamed. She stood by the balcony rail, staring down.

Below, the grey air that had surrounded the would-be new Demon King moved, expanding and covering all in its path. It roiled through the archway, and, much more slowly, seemed to seep through the stones themselves. Here and there, a partial shell of crystal was starting to form.

"That's the flaw. The spell was only controlled until it reached Theo." Elric looked intently at Meinz. "How big?"

"The entire area of the citadel plus a small area of the fields around it." Meinz looked sick.

"Let's go."

Tiera was leaning against the railing, tears running down her cheeks. "Theo sacrificed himself f- aah!!" The railing had broken in front of her, dropping her toward the mist. 

The two men watched in helpless horror as she reached the mist, slowed, then stopped, a few feet above the floor.

Elric shook himself and grabbed Meinz's arm again. "We have to leave her behind. Go!" 

The run through the passage cost them the cloak of Meinz's robes when it caught on a hook, but it led them out safely. The outer door was in a large carved relief set behind a fountain where glass and metal fish still sprayed gouts of water. The fountain itself was in an outer courtyard of the citadel, near an open side gate. They didn't see any of the Demon King's forces; perhaps the survivors had fled.

The fields and houses around the citadel were long deserted. The Demon King had felt having to transport goods and food from over a day away or more was preferable to nearby populations that could offer shelter to fleeing or approaching enemies, either from kindness or because of threats. Though the dead remained, there was no sign of any living that may have fled from the citadel.

Crossing the old irrigation canals was easy; they were all long dry. At the third one, Elric stopped and asked, "Is this far enough?"

Out of breath, Meinz nodded, then pointed up the hill where an old well and long-unused irrigation pump stood. Normally, animals or men would power the system, raising water to be poured into the canals. No sign of them now.

From the top of the hill, they could see the citadel, now covered in roiling grey air. Grey strands and wisps seemed to be trying to reach out farther, but, as Meinz had said, the main body had stopped at the first rows of fields.

Slowly, the air calmed and took on a gleam. More and more, slowly but steadily, the gleam expanded, finally solidifying into the crystal shell signifying the completion of the spell.

*******

People appearing in this chapter:

Chester Alfeson: Blessing: Commander. Profession: Commander. Summoned with five companions, four young women and one young man. Possessed the Skills of a master strategist, tactician, and strong magic warrior. Had exponential growth in warrior-oriented magic and skills, but his personality became corrupted by both the power and the obeisance shown to him. Plotted to steal the source of power of the Demon King and succeeded, but was subsequently sealed by his former party. Kingdom: Kiron (fallen) Race: Terran (Summoned)

Elric Imahara: Blessing: Steady Heart. Profession: Rogue. Summoned with a group of street kids and soon-to-be gang members.The wild world of war-torn Tas provided a useful outlet for their energy and desire to fight. Possessed the Skills of a rogue, scout, and thief. Kept Chester distracted and helped Teria hold him off while Theo worked to seal him. Lauded as a hero after surviving the death and sealing of the Demon Kings. For unknown reasons chose a remote if extensive territory as his main reward. Remained friends with Meinz until Elric's death from cancer. Race: Terran (Summoned)

Meinz: Birth talent: Mental Stability. Profession: Esteemed Priest. Acorath was his home village, exact location now unknown. Last known person to master both Dark and Light magics. Worked with Teria and Elric to keep Chester distracted while Theo worked his sealing spell. Worked with Tasnians and Summoned to build the guild registration and communication systems. Disappeared ten years after the defeat and sealing of the Demon Kings. One of the few people to have two birth-talents, although the second was unknown. Kingdom: Ocheorean Empire (greatly reduced in size, now known as Ochrea) Unknown relationship with the alchemist Ion, Earth Mage Aevum, the archer Silver of Geler, and Elmerin the Spearmaster. Race: Human, Tas.

Teria Edwards: Blessing: Dexterity. Profession: Thief/Rogue. Summoned with her twin brother Theo and other members of their family while on a trip, as well as some friends who had accompanied them. Had extremely high stats in Agility, Stealth, Accuracy, and Targeting, as well as good stats in Trapfinding and Mechanics. Kept Chester distracted and helped Elric hold him off while Theo worked to seal him. Was sealed with Chester by accident. Kingdom: Drendale (fallen) Race: Terran (Summoned)

Theo Edwards: Blessing: Magic Control. Profession: Mage. Summoned with his twin sister Teria and other members of their family while on a trip, as well as some friends who had accompanied them. Could handle all the elements and undifferentiated mana. Was skilled at enchanting objects and creating seals. Experimented with time magic. Worked with Meinz and other party members to seal Chester. Sealed himself with Chester to make sure the spell would be successful. Kingdom: Drendale (fallen) Race: Terran (Summoned)

Magic items used in this chapter:

Demon King's Sword: A two-handed sword 0.9 meters long. A dark grey, the sword is plain except for the large Bolat Crystal implanted just above the hilt. The sword is forged from adamantine and makes it easier for the wielder to access and channel the power in the Bolat Crystal set just above the hilt.

Spells used in this chapter:

Time Stop: An extremely complex and highly theoretical spell created by a past Tasnian enchanter. No one was able ever to exercise both the magic and control needed until the Summoned, with their high-powered Blessings, appeared. Even so, Theo has been the only one to actually cast it.

Terms used in this chapter.

Blessing: All Tasnians have one or two Birth Talents. The Blessings of the Summoned are said to be powerful gifts of the gods to put them on equal footing with the Tasnians they must deal with. In reality, the Blessing and the power have separate although related causes. 

Because the gods' rules for Tas say every person must have a Birth Talent, anyone entering from outside the world who does not have a Birth Talent or something comparable has a talent forced onto them to take its place. Meanwhile, those who cross dimensions are infused with the energy that exists between worlds, hyperpowering them in comparison to the inhabitants of Tas; if a Tasnian were to cross the space between worlds, they would also be energized. While the energy eventually disperses, on Tas the lost energy is replaced by an equivalent amount of mana, maintaining the high level of power.