Arcanus 6

[catriana_fiction]

Title: Arcanus (Previously known as Demon King)
Series: Original
Genre: Fantasy/Drama/Romance
Rating: M
Chapters: 16/??(WIP)
Summary: He is the Demon King of the West, one of the few true immortals of the western lands. When his kingdom is frozen by 'Olde Magick' he goes out into the world to find clues and answers. Along the way he binds himself to a young vampire, encounters a half-elf that is more than what he seems and quickly begins to realize that freezing his kingdom was only the beginning.
Notes: This is only the beginning for Rioran and Liari.

 

6

xxxxx

 

“You know,” Rioran mused as he sat in his carved chair “I might be off on this my dear half-elf but do you not think it is strange that the largest concentration of Monsters are in Varian and Lotros territories?” leaning back against the wall of the small shack he built years ago the demon king crossed his arms “And the enhanced Monsters? Why is it that they’ve all been spotted in Varian lands? For these past four years as I have received word from you and my sister, I have been giving it quite a bit of thought.”

Chair facing Rioran, Naliel leans slightly on the makeshift table, frowning thoughtfully “Well,” he began “The Lotros and Varian clans are the most powerful and influential, it does make some sense.”

“I also thought the same thing, at first,” setting the chair down he leaned forward “but why is it that the enhanced Monsters have only been seen in Varian lands? Every single one of them I ended up personally dealing with. Don’t you find that a bit odd? I could understand sending them out to one location to ‘test’ them out, but for four years? Call me conceited if you wish but I do believe someone is upset with the fact that I am alive.”

The half-elf opened his mouth, blinked, and closed it. “Are you trying to say that this group is actively pursuing you?”

Rioran answered a question with a question “You are aware that there are four demon kingdoms correct?”

Giving his friend a look he tilted his head “Yes, of course, there isn’t a creature alive that doesn’t know what a demon king is.”

“Gladian is the oldest and controlled the North, his element is water” he continued “Xersi controlled the South, his element is earth. Rias controlled the East until her kingdom was frozen all those years back and she controlled the element fire. I controlled the West and my element is wind. Now then, while everyone is aware of the demon kings, do you know which out of all of us is the strongest?”

The question made the other male pause “If I conferred with the spirits, I could find out…”

“But it is not common knowledge.” The redhead interjected “The only ones who know are us demons and we don’t give out that information to outsiders for a very good reason. In any case, all of this insanity began when these people, whoever they are, froze Gladian’s kingdom. They did not go after the dragons even though with Olde Magick at their disposal they certainly could have, they went after the only real threat powerful enough to cause them problems.” He waved a dismissive hand “Vampires hold no real power, not like they did seven centuries ago, if the humans mounted a serious attack they would be decimated. There are more humans than there are vampires by far and regardless of the fact that vampires are stronger than humans, overwhelming numbers will always win in a war.

“My point is this, Naliel, if it is not common knowledge, how were they able to determine who to attack first? Strategically speaking, their actions were sound. Gladian is the most powerful demon king out of all of us, he is also the oldest; I do believe there were only one or two kings before him. Rias and Xersi are about the same in terms of power and control, although one could argue that Rias was the better fighter. Their kingdoms were frozen last and Xersi has completely disappeared, I have no idea where in the hells he’s gone. So then, what do you think that means Naliel?”

There was silence as he digested this “So then, you are saying that because your kingdom was second that you are -?”

“That is correct; when Gladian’s kingdom was frozen I became the strongest demon king. Gladian is very powerful and a lot of that has to do with his age, I am behind him, but not by that much my friend. Why are they concentrating their forces on me? My kingdom is frozen; they would not need to worry about an invasion. These creatures who utilize Olde Magick that can freeze entire kingdoms, why would they concentrate their forces on one demon king? Does that make sense to you?”

“Hm, I believe I see where you are going with this,” blue eyes narrowed in thought “They were able to determine which demon king was the strongest and attacked accordingly but two out of the four kings themselves survived. The human community is definitely growing in numbers concerning these religious orders and a few kings are even discussing war against the vampires and demons. The latter is impossible, since currently there are only a handful that are free but the orders haven’t been focusing on demons as much as they’ve been with the vampires. The humans believe that the vampires are running the show.”

“Now, here’s another question for you my dear half-elf, why haven’t these creatures frozen the vampire clans? Granted vampires are more spread out than demons by far but don’t you think they would get rid of the heavy hitters at the very least? Why create these religious orders when they obviously have such powerful magic at their disposal?”

It was a very good question and Naliel made a small thoughtful noise “Whoever they are, they have limits.”

The demon smiled “Exactly my thought. Whatever powerful magic they used on our kingdoms; that was all the juice they had for that. So now they’re using the humans to wipe out the vampires but they are still going after me. They know I am alive and they want me dead. Why would they need to continue to fear me? I am but one demon king and while I may be immortal, I am not invincible. The fact that they are trying to kill me tells me that their knowledge on us was limited, they knew enough to know where to strike, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Regardless if it’s just you Rioran, you are still very powerful in your own right. It is not a far stretch to believe that they perceive you to be a threat.”

Rioran chuckled “While I am flattered that you think so highly of my powers, I cannot take on an army of humans and Olde Magick casters by myself. I would seriously damage their numbers, they would definitely regret crossing paths with me, but I would be unable to actually kill them all without being incapacitated. If they were to magically seal me – and I am sure they could if they can freeze four kingdoms – there would be little I could do. So why am I a threat?”

“I suppose…perhaps it means that they are not as powerful as we believe them to be. I…” he frowned in thought “I suppose one could argue that they are hiding behind the humans because without them just you alone could destroy them if you found them. You have only been in one location because of your life mate, if you started moving…”

“If I started moving,” Rioran continued for him “I’d slaughter them all. I would find them, I would kill them and they know it. All they can use that army for is the vampires, it’s not like an entire army could track me down and even if they could they wouldn’t be able to keep up with me due to the numbers. In addition, even though it’s been years the humans are still hesitant to start a war against the two races, they probably don’t even know about the demon kingdoms being frozen, it’s not something a human would be able to discover. The reason we demons mostly reside in our kingdoms is because the kingdom itself exists in an in-between, it is a part of this realm and another, similar to the dragons except that their entire kingdom is in another plane because of magic. We have our lands but the kingdoms themselves aren’t really a physical part of that, which was why it was so easy to freeze and capture all of the demons within. So the humans are hesitant because of the demon kings.”

Blue eyes widened “Could perhaps the reason why the humans refuse to truly go to war is because they know you are alive? It is not a far stretch for those priests to tell them that they’ve frozen the demon kingdoms, the humans believe that they are blessed by the gods.”

A small nod “It is not a far stretch, I will give you that. It would make sense, out of all the demon kings I was the most active outside of the demon community. I did not hold any alliances with humans as they believe that demons are inherently evil and corrupt but I personally held alliances with the other races, even the dragons although it is rather loose and I have not seen or spoken to one in centuries.”

“Ah, that was one thing I wanted to ask you about,” Naliel frowned slightly in confusion “why have you not approached the vampires about the situation and ask for an alliance?”

Green eyes blinked at him a few times before Rioran burst into real laughter, almost falling out of his chair “Have you ever tried to ask a favor from a vampire? The ‘alliances’ I hold with the very, very few clans that exist are more like “Hey, we won’t spontaneously show up at your door and try to kill you so you do the same”. Vampires don’t like us, they’d probably throw a party if I went over and told them all of the kingdoms are frozen…they’re still a little bitter from that war seven hundred years ago.” He rolled his eyes “It wasn’t even our fault the war happened, the vampires started it and…forget it.” He shook his head “It’s not worth rehashing, just know that they were stupid and vain then and they’re stupid and vain now. I can almost promise you Lotros, Varian, and Nasfus, the three most powerful, don’t perceive the humans to be a threat, they’re that conceited. They’ll probably pull a Rias and hole themselves up like fools when the time comes.” Rioran sighed “The only reason the Varian haven’t been giving me shit about being in their lands is because I’m keeping the Monster numbers down and they know it. They have no idea why I’m here but as long as they don’t have to deal with the problem they’re more than content to let me do whatever I want.”

A slow grin spread on Naliel’s fey features “I find this ironic, considering that you are about to take their daughter and leave them to deal with the Monsters.”

“Yes, well,” the demon looked away, smirking “I figured since they’ve been ignorant of this much they wouldn’t mind continuing to be oblivious to that little fact. Besides, Liari would be happier away from the vampires, she’s too compassionate for them.”

The redhead ignored the knowing smirk his friend gave him. And Naliel calls me a smug bastard.

“So then, the humans could be hesitating because of the threat you represent as you’re the most well known demon king. Whoever these mysterious people are have limits on their knowledge or skill of Olde Magick and so your presence is a serious threat to whatever it is they are planning. I suppose when you put it that way I can understand why they want you dead.”

“Yes, I…” he abruptly cuts himself off, paling, eyes widening in alarm.

Up on his feet in an instant Naliel moves forward, worry on his face when he takes in his friend’s stricken expression and pale face. The demon king suddenly doubles over and the half-elf is kneeling, his arms moving around the other male “Rioran? Rioran what is wrong?”

The pain filled cry that echoes throughout the little shack seriously alarms Naliel. The demon king looks as if he is in an incredible amount of pain and Rioran’s cries continue to fill the room. When the powerful male began to thrash about Naliel actually had to cast earth magic to pin him down.

“Rioran! Rioran, my skill in the healing arts is not outstanding but…” without another word he begins to channel his energy into healing. It does seem to help considerably although it is obvious that the demon is still under a lot of pain.

His focus is shifty but he manages to look at Naliel “Liari…” he gasped “She is…she’s in Lotros territory.”

Those words didn’t make sense. “What do you mean? You claimed that she was in the castle and Lotros’ land is a half a day’s travel so how –?” a small pause. It was possible although it was a method not normally used “They used a port link?” port links were low energy portals that lead from one distance to another. It was slightly unstable, if there was another port link gate around the user could end up there instead of their intended destination. Travel was instantaneous but they were normally too annoying, limited, and time consuming to use consistently. Rioran nodded and the half-elf scowled. “Can you communicate with her?”

A small shake of the head “She is…they casted a sleep spell or something on her, I can’t…” there was a small pause and then Rioran’s focus shifted inward. After an agonizing few minutes the demon suddenly disappeared.

xxxxx

“Liari…”

She felt so incredibly heavy, as if she wanted to awaken but couldn’t. It was a strange sensation. Was she floating? It felt like it. There was darkness yet she could hear things going on around her and felt someone lift her. Oh, that could be why she felt as if she was floating…

“Liari…”

That voice…it sounded familiar but for some reason her mind was too fuzzy to concentrate on it. She wanted to open her eyes but she couldn’t, it was as if some force was keeping her eyes closed. It was rather annoying and she tried a little harder and felt herself making some headway but not much. That voice kept calling her and it sounded strained. It was such a familiar voice, where had she heard it before?

“Lia. Lia wake up.”

Just like that it was as if a veil had lifted and her eyes snapped open. Immediately confusion fills her for this is neither her room nor her bed. Where was she?

The vampire flinches when she feels cold fingers brush along her cheek and surprise hits her as she looks up at Eris who is sitting on the bed. Wait, why was Eris here? Where was she? No…was she in the Lotros…?

A smile emerged on his handsome features as if reading her mind “You are in my home.” He informs her “Well, soon enough it will be your home as well. I brought you here a little early, I know the actual ceremony is next week but…” he shifted, pinning her wrists above her head in a gentle but firm grip, lips brushing along her jaw line “I do not wish to wait that long to be with you now that you are an adult.” He continued along her neck “You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment, Lia.” There was a small, mocking chuckle “What is that silly term humans use, ‘love’ right? Or is it lust? It starts with a ‘L’ I know that much.”

“Liari.” Rioran. He sounded very far and very strained.

She began to struggle in his grip “Eris,” he lifted his head, his expression showing confusion at her struggles “you can’t just…you took me from my home for this? You…” she jerked out of his grip and tried to push herself back on the bed but his other arm had been around her waist and he wasn’t letting go. “You never ask me what I want or…we are friends aren’t we? Send me home, I want to go home.”

There was a moment of silence as the boy looked at her “You are joking, aren’t you?” he raised an eyebrow “Lia, we are childhood friends yes but you are still Varian and I am still Lotros and you are my fiancé. I shouldn’t have to ask for anything that is supposed to be given to me freely. Were our roles reversed and I was from the lesser clan I would devote myself to your will, you know that’s how it works.” His grip tightened “Now, I have always found your…eccentricities to be interesting but there are limits Lia.”

“Liari.”

Rioran? He sounded as if he were in pain Rioran, are you alright?

There was a small pause and she felt his amusement through the pain “…Happy birthday.”

She had to fight to keep from laughing. Really, the man was ridiculous. Rioran, I can sense that you are in pain, what is wrong?

“…are you paying attention to me, Lia?” her childhood friend shook her lightly. He looked frustrated and she could tell that it was quickly turning into anger “I have waited a long time to be with you and I care for you, why do you continue to fight me?”

As much as Rioran would probably hate it, her heart went out to Eris. He did truly care for her but he was also a pureblood and there were strict rules and codes that were followed and he fully believed in them. It wasn’t as if he knew any other way to live, he has lived a sheltered and closed off life, just like she has. The only difference was that she’d had a demon in her head who had shown and shared with her much more than what lied within the vampire community. He had shown her that there was a different life than what was taught and while it had made her an outcast, she found that she couldn’t complain.

“Eris,” she began “I care for you…you have been a good friend but I do not wish to be forced like this.”

“Liari.” The voice was still strained “I have…but one thing to ask you. Him or me, who do you choose?”

She didn’t even hesitate I want to go with you.

Four years. For four years she has actually waited for this moment, although she had hoped that it wouldn’t have ended in such a manner. With the wedding a week away she had thought that she’d be able to leave quietly with Rioran; no such luck. She has always loved Rioran, being by his side, knowing that he wanted her by his side, that had been enough for her. After that night for years she has dreamed of being with him, of finally being able to be close to him and he not have to leave for years on end. Liari had no idea all of what he wanted from her or where they were going to go but she didn’t care.

“Summon me.”

Eris grabbed her arms firmly, confusion and frustration on his face “Lia, if you care for me then why –?”

Liari closed her eyes I am sorry Eris, but Rioran had claimed my heart long before you had come into the picture. “Rioran.” She said softly, summoning her life mate.

The moment she spoke his name almost half of the bedroom exploded, startling both vampires. There was a powerful wind that began to fill the room, quickly removing the dust to reveal the demon. It became quite clear after a second that he had not just destroyed the room, a large chunk of the tower wall had gone with it. There was some sort of shield around his body and he hovered at the exit he had created, wings outstretched, green eyes practically glowing in the night, those crimson pupils standing out eerily. His gaze was completely impassive but she could sense that he was very, very unhappy.

Floating inside, the moment his feet found purchase Eris reacted, casting a large spiked mass of ice that would have killed the demon outright were he not who he was. The ice shatters against the shield and the redhead begins to walk slowly towards her “Get out of my way child,” his voice sounds hard, cold. There is a small pause and then Rioran turns his head “Markus,” both the young vampires look over at the Guardian that was suddenly in the room, his expression grim and knowing “If you do not reign in your heir I will kill him. I am here to claim what is mine, I will not be hindered.”

Hazel eyes widened as she took in this different Rioran. Of course he was older, looking in his early twenties, but it was the way he held himself that caught her off guard. His expression, body language, speech, all of it was that of a person in a position of power. He was almost regal despite the plain clothing and his presence demanded respect, as if he was above all of them.

There are…so many sides of you I don’t know about… she thought sadly. His gaze focused on Markus but he responded.

“You have an eternity to learn.”

Once more Eris attacked despite the warning shout from his guardian and a massive spear of ice burst through the floor as if to impale the demon from below. It split in the middle and then with the wave of his hand the entire thing shattered. The demon’s gaze shifted back to Eris and without warning he moved his arm as if to sweep across the boy and as he did Eris was blown away from Liari, thrown out of the room entirely and shattering the door in the process.

“Rioran!” Markus took a step forward but the demon was no longer regarding him. He reached the bedside, the shield enveloping her. The moment she was in the shield the harsh wind faded and she looked up at him in surprise. He held out a hand.

A slow smile emerged on his handsome face “Are you ready, Vampireling?”

Is this really happening? Stunned, she moved automatically, taking his hand. He pulled her up to her feet and then she was in his arms. The smile he was giving her was small but kind and happiness filled her.

“Yes.”

“Demon!” the Lotros heir, enraged, reemerged and tried to cast another ice spell only for it to shatter against his shield. He was not finished, however, ice was not the only thing he could cast.

The demon blinked once and then raised his hands, looking at them curiously “Hm.” Putting his arms back around her he turns to the side and shifts his gaze back to Markus “Could you please tell that boy that while his illusions are cute and amusing, he has but one more time to attack me before I kill him.”

Obviously this was not what the Lotros heir wanted to hear from a demon and so he began to walk towards the couple the desire to kill clear in his dark eyes “Do you have any idea of who I am demon? Do you have any idea of who you’re dealing with?” by this point Markus has reached his master and when he tries to hold him back Eris shifts his gaze at the male as if he’s lost his mind “Guardian, what do you –“

“I believe the better question is, do you know who I am?” Rioran smiled but there was no humor there, what reached his eyes was death, not amusement “Do you have any idea of who you are dealing with, child?”

“My lord…” the older vampire had a tight grip on his master’s arm “that demon is…” Eris tried to shake him off but Markus was insistent “My lord! Please, he will kill you.”

With some considerable force Eris snatches his arm back, sneering at his Guardian “And what sort of demon should I, a Lotros vampire, be afraid of?” turning back to Rioran he raised his chin lightly “What sort of demon are you?”

The smile widened “I am known as Rioran, the Demon King of the West.”

Eris paled and actually took a step back, Liari’s eyes widened to saucers and she looked up at him in true shock. Rioran was a…

“Ah,” he sounded amused in her mind “Did I forget to mention that part? I could have sworn I had mentioned it once or twice.”

Rioran you know good and well you did no such thing! Were he not holding her she might have collapsed or even fainted, this male was a demon king? They were known as four of the most powerful creatures in the land and he was…

“Well, you might have been asleep when I said it,” he continued, sounding highly amused by her shock “In any case, I know you have a million questions for me but right now I would really like to depart so…” shifting, she suddenly found herself in his arms and he regarded the two vampires.

“I am leaving vampire territory altogether,” he said, mostly speaking to Markus “I have what I’ve stayed here for, I have no further reason to remain.” This time he looked at the boy “If you’re smart, you’ll keep your hunters here, sending them will be a waste of time.” He turned to leave.

“Lia!” Rioran stopped and turned so that she could see what her future could have been had she never met the demon currently holding her in his arms. The pain in Eris’ face is genuine and once more Liari’s heart goes out to him. This was not the way she had wanted this to go. “Lia,” the male shakes his head, as if he honestly can’t believe that she is truly going to leave “Don’t do this.” His voice was pleading “Since we were children I have held feelings for you, do not leave with this demon. You don’t belong with such a creature.”

Her arms tightened around Rioran’s neck and her gaze was sad “Eris, you have been a good friend but…” she looked up at Rioran whose expression was carefully blank, he wasn’t even looking at her “Rioran is who I belong with.”

I am going to port us…I can’t…

“I understand.”

Closing her eyes briefly she leaned against the demon king “Good bye my friend.” She says and then they are gone.

xxxxx

Rioran remained silent, absorbed in his thoughts. Although the situation had been unavoidable it still brought him no joy to see the pain in Liari’s eyes at having to hurt her friend. She might not have loved the boy but she had cared for him nonetheless and his life mate was a compassionate woman. He knew once she finally got over the initial shock of everything she would have many, many questions for him, but he didn’t want to think about that right now. His thoughts were on how he had felt when he had seen her tonight, how she had affected him.

As he had suspected years ago Liari had grown into a beautiful woman. Her face was no longer held that childish roundness to it, her skin was still pale with the barest hint of red making her look like a porcelain doll. Those eyes, those bright hazel eyes with flecks of gold, he’s always loved her eyes. It was one thing to see her through her eyes, it was another to see her through his eyes, to look down at her and know that she finally belonged to him. Fifteen years he has waited for his life mate and he cannot deny at this point that his feelings have grown considerably.

Now that he had her, all that was left was to figure out how to restore his kingdom and eliminate whoever it was that had done so in the first place. Until the bond was completed she would remain mortal but he didn’t want to concern himself with that right now. What he truly wanted was to finally enjoy her presence, to leave these lands with her and have her truly by his side. He is not sure if this is the bond speaking or his own personal feelings, at this point in the game he no longer cares.

It will take hours by flight to reach Naliel and while vampires weren’t adverse to the sun they weren’t exactly at their top physical state either. Liari would become extremely lethargic the longer the day went by so he decides that it would probably be better to stop at the border and use illusion so that they could get a room for the day. It would also give him time to contact the half-elf; he was sure his friend was worried about him considering how he had departed. The wind had whispered that his sister had a message for him, so once he reunited with Naliel he would see what it was she had to say.

Thankfully the small Hunter’s village wasn’t full of Hunters, he did so hate having to use too much power on illusion magic, it really was not his forte. He continued to carry her, gave the innkeeper some sob story about Liari that had easily worked and carried her upstairs to their room for the night. He closed all the curtains and shut all the shutters after he laid her on the bed. Rioran took in her curled up form as she turned her back to him. She wasn’t crying, but he could sense her distress, confusion, and how overwhelmed she was about tonight’s events. As an immortal he did not truly need to sleep and so he decided to watch over the room instead, making sure no one disturbed his life mate’s rest. Many times while she had slept he had walked over, brushing his fingers along her face or hair, marveling at the fact that she truly was there and never again would he have to walk away from her for years on end.

Rioran finally had her, but this was only the beginning.

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