Out of Prison

At the southern part of Nightgloom Fortress stood the highest tower in Nightfall Realm. It was confining one precious prisoner named Asuren Nightgloom.

His prison chamber was wide yet dark and almost empty. The only source of light was a tiny barred window located near the ceiling which was over twenty feet high. The only entrance to that cell was a door made from thick iron which could only be opened by his captor, the Evil Witch.

A slightly used mattress was lying on the corner of the room. The prisoner rarely slept on it as he was spending most of his time on the opposite side of that prison chamber. His waist, arms, and legs were chained against the cold brick wall. His torso was bare, and his chest had been cut by a poisonous blade. His bleeding wound and the poison spreading in his body made him dizzy, but he held on to his consciousness. He had to stay awake and prevent his captor from taking full control of his body.

He had been a puppet of the Evil Witch for thousands of years. It took him a long time to finally gather the strength to resist her curse and hide away. He avoided her for almost a century and thought he could protect that freedom until he could destroy all the twelve seals and lift the curse of eternal darkness on his homeland, Nightfall Realm.

He should have listened to that part of his brain that told him to stop pursuing a ridiculous ambition. The Evil Witch was also looking for the seals but she had no intention of destroying them. What she wanted to do was use the power of the seals and become a more formidable being.

Even without the power of the seals, the Evil Witch was already a tough enemy. After a few decades of resistance, Asuren had been captured and returned to his prison chamber where he suffered relentless torture.

Asuren closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He repeatedly muttered an incantation, until his fists were covered with a faint emerald glow. Instead of shattering, the chains binding him had further drained his strength and almost knocked him unconscious. He shook his head and refused to fall asleep. He took a few deep breaths and waited for the fog clouding his eyes to vanish.

It took a while and, when his vision had cleared, a slit in the air had formed and dropped a young man in front of him. He and the stranger looked at each other with confusion.

The stranger blinked. His brown eyes turned to silver and then he whispered, "You are poisoned and cursed. Not just a simple poison curse but a powerful and ancient one."

Asuren got even more confused and he just let the bizarre stranger touch the chain binding his left wrist. He thought he could not be any more confused but his eyes squinted with suspicion when the chains all over his body had instantly shattered and faded into glowing dusts.

He cautiously pushed the stranger away. The Evil Witch had probably found a new way to torture him.

"I can help you…"

"No…" Asuren tried to crawl away from the stranger but his body failed to cooperate and he collapsed on the floor. "The Evil Witch… sent you here…"

"Evil Witch?" the stranger stared at him with confusion and then shook his head. "I don't think so. I just have this uncontrolled ability that takes me to random places at random times. I will tell you more after I remove the poison in your system."

The stranger touched his wrist and they were instantly devoured by darkness. Asuren felt a powerful pull that made him dizzier and nauseous. The awful sensation lasted for a few seconds and worsened in the next. As soon as the darkness around him had vanished, he found himself plummeting towards a grass-covered ground.

"What is happening to me?" the stranger had fallen above Asuren before rolling on the ground. "I'm sorry… I…" his voice faded as a slit opened beneath him and devoured him.

Asuren tried to grab the stranger but failed to move a single muscle. He remained lying on the ground, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths. It helped ease his dizziness and nausea. He looked around. The stranger was nowhere to be seen but something more enthralling had caught his eyes.

An enormous white chrysanthemum bud was floating majestically in the middle of a magnificent pond. One second it was as tranquil as the pond beneath it but the next moment, it had been surrounded by a golden light and its petals began to spread.

The chrysanthemum bud bloomed into a magnificent flower and the golden light around it had exploded and momentarily blinded Asuren. When his vision cleared up, he saw a stunning fairy floating on top of the fully bloomed chrysanthemum. Her elegant translucent wings were like those of a butterfly, it had delicate markings and a faint green glow. Her long black hair flowed elegantly down to her waist. It had a few braided strands that glittered like emeralds. Her slender body was covered by a green, sleeveless, and knee-length silk overcoat. Underneath was a thinner cloth that had a lighter shade than her topcoat. Her skirt ran a few inches past her knees. Covering her feet were knee-high boots that had a darker shade than her overcoat.

The gentle expression on the face of the stunning young fairy was instantly replaced by anger as soon as she opened her bright green eyes.

She clenched her fists and bellowed to the sky, "I hate you, Father!!!"

Asuren clutched his chest as pain exploded from his wound and a voice had spoken in his mind.

I want her. Take her to me.

"No…" Asuren shook his head and coughed out a lot of blood.

His fear intensified when he felt his consciousness fading away and the beautiful fairy glanced at his direction.

He tried to fly away when the beautiful fairy approached him but his body remained uncooperative.

The beautiful fairy knelt in front of him and checked his chest wound. "My friend can heal you. I'll take you to her."

"Leave… now… please…" he coughed out more blood and tried to crawl away.

"Save your strength," the beautiful fairy grabbed his hand and he was instantly filled with a warm sensation that washed away all his worries and fears. Even the voice and the threatening aura of the Evil Witch within him had been eradicated.

Asuren was astonished and he just let the beautiful fairy lift him from the ground and carry him on her back. She quickly soared down the mountain but their path had been blocked by a monster that looked like a bear but twice as big. Its sharp eyes were ominously red and its claws were as sharp as daggers.

The beautiful fairy dodged those claws but was still grazed in the cheek. She flew faster but the monster was quickly catching up. Its wings were smaller than its body but it could still fly incredibly faster. It summoned countless sharp blades and tossed them at her. She avoided most of it but one blade had hit her wings and she plummeted on the ground with Asuren.

"What kind of monster is this?" the beautiful fairy got up on her feet and summoned wind blades. Before attacking, she glanced at Asuren and said, "Don't worry. I can protect you."

Asuren only stared at the beautiful fairy with awe. She knew how to fight and with her swift yet graceful movements, she could probably win against her monstrous foe.

Asuren shook his head. He already recovered a bit of his strength. It helped him sit up and lean on a nearby tree. A few more minutes of rest and he would be able to stand and help the beautiful fairy fight.

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