Chapter 13 - The Hollow King

"Yes and no. I want to get the tier 4 ritual for the path of radiance. But I also have another objective. And I need your help for that."

"Interesting. And might it concern your little friend over there?"

The eerie man's exposed eye was fixed on Kharon, as he watched him try to avoid contact. As Aidan and Kharon got to the front of the throne, Aidan slowly pulled a pouch from his cloak and gave it to one of the guards. As they took the pouch, the guard gave Aidan a piece of paper before walking away.

"I wouldn't check the authenticity of the coins because I trust you. But if I find that you tried to trick me, you know what will happen. Don't you?"

Aidan slightly nodded before he looked at the contents on the piece of paper. After a while the paper was suddenly set aflame until there was only ash. Aidan then pulled another pouch from his cloak before addressing the man on the throne.

"Veylor, I need your help to make my friend a registered citizen of Lunaris Haven. And also to get him a soulbind token. Can you do that? I will pay you the same amount as the instructions for my tier 4 ritual."

"It's Hollow King to you child. Normally, I would kill you for such an offence; however I am fond of you so I will spare you. That amount wouldn't be enough; this boy isn't from the city, that's for sure. How did you sneak him in without detection? Tell me that and I may reduce the price, slightly."

Aidan briefly looked at Kharon before answering, "I can't tell you that. I will pay whatever price you want. Just get the job done, Hollow King."

The man suddenly stood up from his throne, his layered robes suddenly flying up as if hit by a gust of wind. He then took slow, steady steps towards Aidan before turning his attention towards Kharon and reaching out to him. Aidan stepped in the way but was sent flying with a single finger. The Hollow King then proceded to place his left arm filled with bones and crystals on Kharon's forehead.

Kharon was suddenly overcome with overwhelming pain and fear. His vision turned red and a viscous liquid flowed from several of his orifices. His body slowly dropped to the ground before being caught by the tall, gaunt man who looked at him with a dark, sinister smile. 

Suddenly the Hollow King staggered back as blood flowed down his nose. He wiped it with a bewildered glance before turning towards Kharon who was lying on the ground, still in agony as his face contorted in strange ways. 

Aidan slowly pulled himself out of the crater in the wall before running towards Kharon. Disregarding his bloodied body he reached Kharon in a flash. As he reached him, a faint, yellow light enveloped his hands as he gently placed them on Kharon's body. However there was no change to his friend's condition as he continued to convulse on the ground in a pool of blood.

"You can't stop the effects of my curse infliction. A mere tier 5 can never dispel a tier 3 ability... Your friend has caught my attention though, it's been a long time since I have bled. So I will create a false registration for him. His name will be Raven Duskveil. Come tomorrow to collect the documents and soulbind tok-. Actually I will hold off on the token for now, come for the documents though."

"Duskveil... Why are you giving him your name? If people think he is related to yo-"

"They will leave him alone and wouldn't pry into his business. It's perfect considering his tier 5 and tier 4 ascension ritual and core path messages. The path of mysteries... It seems to ring a bell for me. I think it was an ancient legend my grandfather told me. I thought he was just an old, senile zealot. Who would have thought..."

Aidan froze as the Hollow King uttered those words. His face was filled with fear and apprehension as he stuttered.

"H-how do you know that? The path of depravit-"

"The path of depravity doesn't allow the wielder to look into the memories of others, yes. However..."

He tapped his left, crystalline hand. 

"This little construct of mine was made from a tier 3 essence core of the path of imagination. It's perfect for looking into people's minds."

"But then... Why was Kharon in pain? Why did you start bleeding?"

The Hollow King stared at Aidan with a slight smirk before saying, "This boy is special, Aidan. He is hiding secrets you cannot even begin to fathom. He himself isn't aware of this. His body had defences which needed to be weakened, before I could pry into his mind and even then... You should never learn about the divine; unless you are divine yourself. If I had pried too much I would have definitely died, or worse."

As Aidan looked at the Hollow King, Kharon's body slowly stopped convulsing until he was completely still. His rising and falling chest was the only thing signalling that he was alive. 

Aidan tried once again to heal him as a bright light engulfed Kharon's body. His pale skin regained a bit of colour as he winced and moved slightly. 

"He wouldn't wake up for a while. I suggest you take him back to your home. Give it a few days and he will be mostly back to normal."

"Mostly?"

"Know one stays the same after having to face their worse nightmares while in total agony. And considering his background those nightmares must have been truly horrifying. Even I couldn't see them clearly. If not it would have ended badly."

Aidan took another glance at the Hollow King before picking up Kharon's unconscious body and leaving the throne room. His footsteps reverberated around the corridor. As he walked out, all eyes focused on him, they seemed to be considering an ambush. But before they could pounce, a chilling voice could be heard coming from the throne room. 

"No one is to harm Aidan or his companion, unless you want to deal with me..."

As those words echoed through the corridor, everyone suddenly shifted their attention elsewhere. Aidan walked out of the large, decrepit building into the equally decrepit part of the city. He looked around for a while before deciding what route to take.

'I need to avoid attention... So I will need to go the long way. But Kharon...'

Aidan suddenly switched directions as he walked back to the alleyway he had taken. As he walked through the tight space, he put Kharon's body into his cloak while maintaining a hold of his head. Aidan ran through the bustling streets with stunning grace as he avoided several passers-by. He made several sharp turns while maneuvering through the shops and stands until he could see his house. 

A few familiar faces tried greeting him as he ran and shouted greeting backs before he reached his front door. He gently reached into a separate compartment of his cloak as he pulled out his soulbind token. Once he placed it on the door and drew several patterns he swiftly jumped into the house and locked the door.

He immediately pulled Kharon's body out of his cloak before carrying him to his room. As he placed Kharon on the bed and covered him, he muttered a few words as he walked out of the room.

...

Kharon's eyes slowly opened as he looked around the room. His grey eyes slowly turning light purple as he used Silent Craft and created a walking stick. He slowly lifted himself off the bed as he staggered back a bit before regaining his balance. He could feel a throbbing pain in his head as he walked out of the room. 

He made his way through the corridor and through the well decorated room before walking into the kitchen. Aidan was sat at the table with a sombre expression on his face, as he stared at his untouched plate. 

As soon as he saw Kharon he sprung up and hugged him before quickly pulling away. 

"S-sorry, are you ok?"

Kharon looked at him with an indifferent stare as he said coldly, "Yes, I am."

The two looked at each other as Aidan suddenly asked, "Are you hungry? There are still some leftovers from a few days ago."

Kharon gave him a short nod with the same indifferent stare as he made his way to the table. He didn't even react to the news as he took a sit while dismissing the walking cane and waited as Aidan got him a glass, some silverware and a plate.

"Here, what do you want to eat? There is some gilded basilisk steak, mirecarrot mash, whatever you want. And of course there is aetherbloom elixir."

Kharon pointed at several dishes as Aidan placed a small portion of everything onto Kharon's plate. Aidan then poured some aetherbloom elixir into a glass before handing it to Kharon who quietly took it before muttering a small thank you.

Aidan sat back down as he asked, "Do you want to talk about what happened? What you say when the Vey- the Hollow King used his abilities on you?"

"No, not really."

"That's ok... I bought you some clothes while you were... sleeping. I think you will like them. And also I got your registration documents from the Hollow Syndicate. You are now officially a citizen of Lunaris Haven. Well unofficially; but you get the point."

Kharon slightly nodded as he continued to silently eat his meal. The cold expression on his face not changing in the slightest. 

"Kharon if there is something wrong, you know you can tell me, right?"

Kharon took another bite of his food as he said, "I think I lost my emotions..."