16. The Search for Fairies

On the red star, King Arinn was growing increasingly desperate to find the whereabouts of the fairies. He had ordered his men to search for any information, no matter how small or unreliable, regarding the location of the fairies.

"I want to know everything," King Arinn told his men. "Every rumor, every hint, every whisper. I don't care if it's just a rumor or a myth. I need to find those fairies."

His men nodded and set out to gather information, visiting nearby stars and paying visits to paid information organizations. But despite their efforts, they found nothing concrete.

One group of soldiers visited a distant star, where they met with a local informant.

"We've heard rumors of fairies living on the moon of Gloopernacks," the informant said, a sly grin spreading across his face. "But be warned, the moon is treacherous. Many have gone in search of the fairies and never returned."

The soldiers thanked the informant and set out for the moon of Gloopernacks, but when they arrived, they found nothing but a barren, rocky landscape.

"This is a waste of time," one of the soldiers muttered. "We're never going to find those fairies."

Meanwhile, in the prison, Lich Xandros was mocking King Arinn's efforts to find the fairies.

"The idiot king thinks he can find them this way?" Lich Xandros laughed, his voice echoing off the cold stone walls. "Fairies are far too elusive for that. They're like ghosts, always one step ahead of their enemies."

Steve, Lich Xandros's faithful servant, a skeleton with only a head and no body, nodded in agreement. But then, he added, "Yes, master, but maybe the king is just trying to distract himself from his own incompetence. I mean, who needs fairies when you have a king who can't even find his own nose?"

Lich Xandros's grin faltered for a moment, before he regained his composure. "Silence, Steve! You're just a servant, you don't know what you're talking about."

Steve shrugged, his skull bobbing up and down. "Just saying, master. You're not exactly the most competent evil overlord either. I mean, you got caught by the king's men and thrown in prison. Not exactly the most impressive feat."

Lich Xandros's face turned red with rage, but he took a deep breath and composed himself. "Enough, Steve. I curse Eryndor for my current predicament. Why did the unlucky evil god Zorvath take him as an apostle? And a human at that?"

He remembered a story about the unluckiest God Zorvath and shivered. The story went that two devil gods, Xarxas and Vraxxis, once fought against Zorvath over the love of an evil goddess named Xylara.

"It was a ridiculous fight," Lich Xandros said, chuckling. "The three of them fought for days, destroying entire cities and landscapes. But in the end, Xarxas and Vraxxis were so plagued with bad luck that 17 righteous gods from heaven broke through the barrier of the Netherworld to just kill them."

Steve snorted. "I bet Xylara was worth it, master. I mean, who wouldn't want to fight over a goddess with a face like a cat's behind?"

Lich Xandros laughed, despite himself. "Well, maybe she was. But the result was that Xarxas and Vraxxis were killed, and Zorvath just hid and ran away. He'd be a fool to fight against 17 righteous gods alone."

The scene played out in Lich Xandros's mind like a comedy. He imagined Xarxas and Vraxxis, two powerful devil gods, fighting over Xylara's affections. But every time they tried to attack Zorvath, they would trip and fall, or their spells would backfire and hit them instead.

"I'll get you, Zorvath!" Xarxas shouted, charging at Zorvath with his sword. But he tripped and fell, and his sword got stuck in the ground.

Vraxxis tried to attack Zorvath with a blast of magic, but it backfired and hit him instead. "Ahh! My face is on fire!" Vraxxis screamed, running around in circles.

Zorvath just stood there, laughing and laughing. "You fools," he said, shaking his head. "You'll never win Xylara's heart with your clumsiness."

In the end, the 17 righteous gods from heaven showed up and killed Xarxas and Vraxxis. Zorvath just hid and ran away, leaving Xylara to mourn the loss of her two suitors.

Lich Xandros chuckled, remembering the story. "Yes, well, maybe Eryndor is just as unlucky as Zorvath. But I still can't understand why Zorvath would choose him as an apostle."

Holy Mage Cassius burst into the room, a look of excitement on his face. "Your Majesty, I have reliable information about the fairies' whereabouts," he said, bowing low.

On a green star 10 million miles away from the red star, two fairies, Luna and Aria, sat on a tree, their delicate wings fluttering nervously as they whispered to each other.

"Do you think it's true?" Luna asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think the king is really searching for us?"

Aria nodded, her eyes wide with fear. "I'm sure of it. And if he has an undead as his sidekick... that can only mean one thing."

Luna's eyes sparkled with imagination as she conjured up a scene of friendship between King Arinn and Lich Xandros. She pictured the two of them walking together in a garden, Lich Xandros making witty remarks about the king's clothes.

"I can just see it now," Luna said, giggling. "The king and Lich Xandros, strolling through the gardens, discussing the latest fashions. Lich Xandros is probably telling the king that his cloak is too flashy, and the king is laughing and saying that Lich Xandros is just jealous because he doesn't have a sense of style."

Aria chuckled, but her expression quickly turned serious. "If there's an undead partnered with the king, and they're searching for fairies... then that can only mean one thing. They have something to do with Lord Kael"

Luna's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh no, we can't let them know about Lord Kael. He's almost on the verge of dissipation, and if the king and Lich Xandros find out about him... it could be disastrous."

Aria nodded, her face set in determination. "We must never let them know of his existence. We have to keep him safe, no matter what it takes."