Arcanus 15

[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: Xene is introduced. He is also a main character from Transcendence.

 

15

xxxxx

His initial search had been rather fruitless; going to the temple directly had resulted in no leads, even if the place felt oppressive and stifling. There was no one there of any real magical power that he could sense and so after only a few minutes he left. There was no sensation of an undead presence anywhere. Where in the hells was Veciel?

Sarna…

It didn’t take him too terribly long to become slightly frustrated with the situation. There was no way Veciel was that good at masking his presence; he hadn’t done it before in Wyst City and he had wanted Naliel to come here. For what he still had no idea. By mid afternoon he had finally given up. He was just going to have to wait on Veciel to make his move. He hated that, because it put him at the disadvantage, but what could he do?

He didn’t sense Rioran or Liari when he returned to the inn so he ventured upstairs to his own room. The moment his hand hovered over the ice cold door knob, however, he knew why he hadn’t been able to find Veciel anywhere else. There was a block in his room, like a barrier. Veciel had probably used an item of his to do the spell. It wasn’t a common spell but it was circle magic, something he hadn’t been aware of the other knowing. Whether or not the undead elementalist was still in there remained to be seen.

Opening the door he found that his room looked the same as he had left it, although it was definitely freezing inside. Letting out a foggy breath he flared out his senses and came across a subtle power humming from his desk. Walking over her saw it, a strange letter with unusual arcane-type symbols around the edges with a summoning circle in the middle. Frowning, he opened the folded piece of paper.

It was written in high elven and were basically instructions concerning invoking the particular circle he had just seen. That was probably another reason why he had been unable to sense Veciel’s presence; the man was somewhere else, a good distance away.

Circle magic was a very powerful type of magic with a heavy price. Normal magic called upon power over the spirits. You could be as powerful as your connection with the spirits allowed. Circle magic did not come from any spirit but your own which was why it was so dangerous. Spiritual energy had a limit before the body would shut down and force itself to rest. If you went over that limit, you died. Circle magic spells always took a considerable amount of personal spiritual energy, which was why it was rarely used.

Whispering a word the circle on the paper glowed and instantly he had it engraved in his mind, flawless. Casting the circle incorrectly could also seriously harm or kill the individual. Setting the now blank paper back down on his desk he conjured the image in his mind and willed his spirit to activate it. Beneath him came the stench of burnt wood as the circle branded itself below him and then there was a wrenching sensation. He could feel cold moving into his skin, through pores, down to bone. It felt as if he were in freefall and then the world jerked violently as his knees hit the cold ground. Immediately he was seized by panicked earth spirits and the sensation of something wrong, something unnatural.

“Naliel.” The voice was cold, calculating…it was the voice of his nightmares.

Crystal blue eyes looked up at the man standing not too far away. The sun was setting and the chill in the air had nothing to do with the weather. It  brought back memories he had long since buried.

No. No matter how much time passes, these scars will never allow me to forget the night I discarded my self-worth and dignity.

Despite the many times Sarnaiel had touched, kissed, and soothed those scars over; no matter how many times he had told him he desired him regardless…that night would always haunt him.

“Your lifemate did not seem to mind it.” Rioran’s severe tone echoed in his mind like a ray of light though the clouds.

Focus. Think. Veciel wanted you here for a reason and it has nothing to do with you.

As if on cue something caught his attention. It looked like a glass casing, as large as an adult-sized coffin leaning against a tree. Cold air was flowing from it and a sick feeling of dread came over him when he realized why exactly it had reminded him of a coffin.

A male was lying inside. Human, from the looks of it, with blond hair and pale skin. He couldn’t have been any older than eighteen.

“Of all things, to be reincarnated as a human…”

His gaze finally shifted to the undead elementalist. The grey skinned elf looked pensive, oddly so, and it put Naliel on edge. Wait…

“What did you just say?” he would have stood but that required movement and his stomach wasn’t quite ready for that just yet. He looked at the boy and then back to Veciel, who seemed to look a mixture of frustrated, annoyed, and something else. Something deeper.

“Five years, half-breed.” That pale violet gaze shifted, boring into the archer’s with a twisted intensity “Have years I have been in this corpse.” The half-elf got the strong feeling that the person in front of him was hanging onto sanity by a thin thread.

He had been sane two hundred years ago? His mind asked bitterly and he forced himself to discard the vicious thought. Sarnaiel was more important.

“That child…” Naliel looked at the young boy. He looked like a noble, with deep green silks for clothes. “He is you?”

Reincarnation had only been speculation as it had yet to have been proven. Some people would sometimes feel as if they had lived a past life, or that they somehow seemed out of sync with themselves. He flared out his senses but sensed no life coming from the boy. Trust Arcanus magic to answer the question many had been asking for centuries.

“That is the body they ripped me from when they reformed this corpse.” He looked at Naliel “And so now we come to our agreement.” He nudged his head behind Naliel “Your bottom dweller.”

Immediately he shifted in his sitting position and started. There he was, lying on a small stone altar. He looked the same as he had five years ago; short pale blue hair resting close to his shoulders, dark brown skin still flawless. His eyes were closed and he wasn’t breathing. It also seemed as if there was a thin layer of…frost?

Naliel turned back to his old tormentor “What did you do to him?” he was surprised it had come out so calmly, he felt anything but.

“The spell is on a lesser scale than the ones used to freeze the demon kingdoms,” Veciel explained and a shift in his vision had him turning to warily watch the other male as he walked around the circle “Give me what I want and I’ll give you what you need to break the spell.” His grin was humorless “And before you decide to kill me and try to break the spell on your own,” he tilted his head to the boy “He’s the one who has the circle inscription needed and he’s also frozen. You do what I ask and we all go away happy.”

They had a face off. The last thing he wanted to do was help Veciel in anything but…he had all the cards and it wasn’t about him.

“What do you want me to do?”

Walking over he handed Naliel a sheet of paper. It also had a circle symbol “I want you to transfer my spirit back into that child’s.” he motioned towards the blond “As you so accurately guessed, that boy is me. I was ripped from my current body to inhabit this one…” he looked at Naliel and the half-elf was taken aback from the amount of emotion that was glittering in those eyes. Emotion and barely controlled insanity “Do you know…how disturbing it is for a living soul to be in a dead body?” he was shaking “What in the hells were you doing these past five years? I thought for sure if I took that thing over there you’d come running.” He paused and took a breath “Can you possibly understand the…hell I’ve been through?”

“I don’t care about the fate of the man who tried to rape and enslave me.” His voice was cold as he took the paper “Will you retain your memories of what transpired after you were removed from your body?”

There was a small pause “Why do you care?”

Because if you do I will kill you. He thought but didn’t answer. A part of him was screaming that such a thought was wrong; the spirits had obviously given Veciel another chance. Humans couldn’t cast magic anyway so what threat could he be? Even if the boy housed Veciel’s spirit he wasn’t Veciel. That same voice was telling him that feeling like that wasn’t him. He wasn’t a naturally violent or vengeful person.

“Try and enjoy it, Naliel.”

The less sane part of him, the one that had emerged from that night, didn’t really give a fuck. His scars burned. He ignored it.

Activating the circle, he allowed it to burn into his memory. Slowly, he stood, motioning for Veciel to move “You know how this works. You and the body will need to be in the center.”

Keeping his gaze away from Veciel he stiffened when the man stopped just inches from their shoulders touching “Would it help if I told you I’m sorry?”

“No.” the voice was dripping with venom ”Not at all. Especially since you wouldn’t mean it.”

There was a pause “Mironel. What happened to him?”

The question shook him so much he actually shifted and looked at the undead male. He immediately schooled it into a scowl “You mean your test subject?”

Violet and blue engaged in a staring match that Naliel ended up winning. Something flashed in Veciel’s eyes before he turned “Forget it.” he continued walking.

“Mironel spent fifty years slowly going insane while pretending to be fine.” Naliel answered anyway “Then he killed his mate, their unborn child, and himself one night. Apparently, he still loved you…at least that’s what the suicide letter said.”

Another moment of silence “You did grow cold, Naliel Liunos.”

Dark laughter filled the clearing “I have you to thank for that.”

“Then congratulations, you allowed a dead man to win and rule over you for two hundred years.”

Those words hit him so hard any amount of rage he could have built up from that was washed over by cold reality.

“Stop letting it control your life, Nal. Stop letting him control your life!” Sarna’s words from years and years ago chimed in his head and he finally understood their meaning.

I am better than this.

But what did that mean? Did it mean that Veciel had cared for Mironel all those years ago? The changes in Veciel had started after he had been practicing Arcanus magic…did that meant that it had driven him insane? That…

No. No. His actions were his own. He allowed power to corrupt him, if that was truly what happened.

“Won’t those guys try to find you and reanimate you?” Naliel turned as he watched Veciel move the glass casing near the center of one part of the clearing. He shook his head.

“You can’t reanimate a corpse twice and a soul can’t be put into another dead body, the two will reject each other outright.” His grin was grim “There are limits to Arcanus magic, Naliel. I should have realized that a long time ago when I had been limited to how I could fulfill my legacy.” He opened the case and cold vapors poured out “When I am placed back in my body, the spell will break. What you seek will be in the right pant pocket.”

This time when he cast the circle he could feel his body grow heavy and the constant hum of the earth dimmed dramatically. This one was much larger and required much more spiritual energy. He could only imagine how it would be for Sarnaiel. The other male stood in the middle, his hand on the casket, obviously not affected by his own spell since he was touching the boy. It wasn’t until Naliel had finally activated the circle and the energy was pouring into the spell that Veciel spoke, holding up two fingers.

“Two things.” The smirk widened “One, the only thing I’m sorry about is the fact that I didn’t fuck you.” The tone implied it was literal and figurative “Two, once the spell on the boy breaks you’ll have but thirty minutes to free your dark elven piece of shit, or he’ll die...which will be impossible because you’ve casted two circles in a row and activated two. You’ll die if you cast the third one, it requires a level eight circle.” He tilted his head “Consider this my revenge. May the both of you rot in hell.” The body crumpled to the ground.

xxxxx

“He looks frightened Rioran. Are you absolutely positive he’s a threat?”

Rori vil Wesser. He was very pale, made even more so by the fact that he could sense the demon king’s great power, and had only remained rooted to the spot because of fear. His entire body was tense and he truly did look ready to bolt. But there was something else; Rioran could tell there was another reason why he was so absolutely terrified. There was something familiar about the enchantments on his clothes. They were powerful but not elven which would have been his first guess concerning origin.

A human magic user. He couldn’t believe his eyes; it was supposed to be impossible. For as long as he could remember humans had never been able to cast any magical spells and you could forget circle magic – they didn’t have the spiritual capacity. The boy didn’t feel very powerful but he was no weakling either. Rioran was sure with time and training he would improve and grow.

Did the other humans know about this boy and his powers? No…not if he was from here. With humans fearing anything magical they’d just accuse him of being a half breed and would have chased him out.

Everything is a threat until I determine otherwise. Was his answer to his lifemate “Why are you here, Lord vil Wesser?”

He flinched at the name as if Rioran had slapped him. Interesting. He took a step back “I’m not…” he began to look around frantically, as if an army was about to come out from behind the demon king and attack him. He looked frantic and not a little panicked.

And that’s when he felt it.

There weren’t too many individuals who could mask their energies, especially powerful immortals. He had thought himself mistaken at first but no, that guy was here; one of the very few people that could hide their presence from a demon king.

Relief moved over Rori’s features as the presence brushed Rioran’s shoulder none-too-gently and his irritation levels skyrocketed.

Of all the bastards to encounter…

The man was at least six foot four with wide shoulders and long shaggy silver hair that rested between his shoulder blades. He had tanned skin, beautiful golden eyes and the most arrogant grin on the face of the planet.

Gods I hate this bastard.

“So, I see demons have taken up picking on poor human boys,” the big man shook his head “If it’s not freezing yourselves in my lands it’s this. I’m becoming disappointed in you people.” To Rioran’s complete and total shock the man put his arm around the boy’s shoulders, pulling him to his side. It almost distracted him enough not to question his first statement. Almost.

“What do you mean, freezing ourselves in your lands?” Did…no. There’s no way that idiot actually managed…

As if reading his mind the man’s grin widened “That’s right, the idiot – you know him as Xersi – somehow found his way into my territories…except in the wastelands. He ended up freezing there for years and had my girls not been playing around in that area he’d still be frozen now.” He shook his head “An idiot and a whelp for demon kings…your race truly has sunken to an all time low.”

I hate this bastard so much. “Hello, Xene; I see your disposition has improved volumes since we last met.” His voice was thick with sarcasm “I am assuming you are here because of Xersi.”

Xene chuckled “Absolutely not. Whelp.”

Gods if it wasn’t for the fact that not even Gladian could kick your ass I’d beat you into oblivion you smug, stupid, son-of-a bi –“

“Um, who are you?” Liari took a step forward and Rioran started. He knew that look.

Liari. It was a clear warning. Don’t. This guy isn’t someone you can fight.

A silver brow rose and he let go of the boy to lean forward “Hasn’t your demon told you? He’s given you his blood, I can sense it, so that means, little vampire, that you can ask him yourself.”

Just ignore him Vampireling…

She took a step forward, hazel eyes narrowing “Well, since I’m asking you, that means that I obviously want you to answer, not Rioran.”

Standing straight, golden eyes slide over to the redhead “Are you going to put a leash on your mate or what?”

“His name is Xene.” Rioran ignored the question “He’s a smug bastard who also so happens to be a dragon.”

“The king of dragons, you mean.”

“I’m sorry, did I conveniently leave that out?”

The two males glared at each other until the young boy stepped forward, gently putting a hand on Xene’s arm. The dragon looked down at him.

“Um…you know these people, Master?”

Both Rioran and Liari just stared. Master? He had thought…well it would have been a rather unlikely pairing but he and Liari weren’t exactly…

Apparently Liari had the same thoughts as he for she spoke up “He’s not your lifemate?”

Rori looked confused and the dragon king barked out a laugh “So what if he is?” he shrugged “What’s that supposed to mean to me? I’m training the boy. I was pulled here to this kingdom and met him. Isn’t he intriguing? He’s probably one of a potential handful of human magic users in the entire world. He’s like a treasure in and of itself.”

His lifemate’s disgust was an almost physical force as Liari struggled to control her anger. She’d been rather short of temper as of late and seeing one mismatched couple had already pissed her off. She also had a thing for supporting ‘the little guy’. More than likely, this was going to get very ugly, very fast. He would have stopped her but then he remembered three things.

One, she was a shadow magic user. Two, she could teleport. Three, Xene was arrogant and vain as hell, he’d never see it coming.

So Rioran did nothing.

“He’s not a novelty item.” She snapped and the redhead could feel the sympathy and empathy; the latter stung just a bit. He might not love her like Xene didn’t love that boy but still...he wasn’t cruel to her. “If he’s your lifemate you should treat him a little better. I don’t think you’re his type either.”

The albino looked away and down and Rioran couldn’t help but feel sorry for the kid. He didn’t even understand how they were a spiritual match, Xene would only control and dominate him. Once the dragon king’s interest wore off he’d dump Rori somewhere and would forget he even existed.

“Look little vampire,” Xene’s words brought Rioran out of his thoughts “Just because your lifemate didn’t have the common sense enough to not bind himself to you doesn’t mean I have to be included in his stupidity –“

He was cut off when Liari disappeared, reappeared and slammed her fist into his face as she had to the Lotros heir so many years ago. As the demon king had suspected Xene hadn’t at all been prepared for a woman to hit him, especially not a young vampire. He staggered back, his hand flying to his now broken nose and staring at Liari as if she had lost all sense of logic and reason. Not an unrealistic look considering who he was.

Reaching forward she grabbed Rori’s hand and the demon king had to fight back a growl when the boy openly blushed at the contact.

If he starts crushing on you Vampireling…

“Shut. Up.” Oh yeah, she was pissed “I hope that dragon rots in the deepest pits of all the hells.” She glared at Xene as she tugged gently on Rori’s hand, pulling him along “I’m tired of you men and your complete and total disregard towards other people. People like you are disgusting.”

“As if you vampires are any better!” the dragon king leaned back, his nose already healing “Your superiority complex is so high your mates end up becoming servants to whoever is the higher clan.”

“That doesn’t make it right and it doesn’t justify your actions!” she snapped back and now the young human was fully behind Liari. Rioran was only thankful for the illusions, otherwise they would have drawn a crowd. She looked at the boy “You have options, you don’t have to be treated this way, as if you’re nothing.”

The look that emerged on the young boy’s face made both immortals stiffen but for different reasons. He looked so…broken.

What happened to this child?

Hazel eyes turned back, blazing as they regarded the demon king “I want to get to know Rori better, he seems like a really nice person.” She looked at him “Is that alright?”

The look on his face spoke volumes. He was completely stunned by the question “I…” he looked at Xene before looking back at Liari “I don’t want…”

“Get lost.” Xene snapped and turned to Rioran “The demon king and I need to have a talk anyway.” His eyes shifted back to the vampire but he remained oddly silent, settling for glaring at her instead. She didn’t back down, a lot of it having to do with the fact that she couldn’t sense the amount of raw power he radiated and so had no real fear of the man.

Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Rori “Do you know this area?” he nodded and she smiled “Could you…show me around?” once again he nodded but he looked incredibly shy.

“Oh Rioran…” she sounded so sad and he knew why she was jumping to his defense so strongly. Their lives were too parallel, they were probably even the same age.

You really shouldn’t get involved, Vampireling. He might be completely devoted to Xene already.

“Then why hasn’t he defended him?”

Good question.

“He has options, Rioran. If he can’t stay here we could take him to Liunos lands. Naliel would take him in, I know he would. He does not have to stick with this jerk.”

He sighed mentally. You will do what you want regardless of what I think on this one, Liari. Go and try and talk the boy into having a spine, meet us in a few hours. I’m going to try and drill some information from your new best friend here.

As the two young mortals walked away Rioran held up a hand when Xene turned to him.

“I don’t control my lifemate and I’m not going to.” He smirked “Besides, you completely deserved it. You’re a bastard but I didn’t think you were a cold one.” He shook his head “Anyway, I need information Xene, and I can provide trade for it.”

Alarm bells went off when all the dragon did was stare. He was furious, that much Rioran could tell, but it wasn’t all directed towards Liari.

Huh. I wonder.

“The tavern.” The taller male turned and began to walk “And it better be a damn good trade, demon, because if it wasn’t for the fact that she was your lifemate we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

He didn’t bite back his growl “What’s the matter, Xene? Don’t like being told about yourself? Did she get under your skin?”

“Actually,” he turned briefly, scowling “Yes, she did.”

xxxxx

“Arcanus magic?” the silver haired king took a sip of the ale that had been brought to him, wrinkled his nose at it and set it down “I can’t believe humans drink this.” He muttered to himself.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes Rioran leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. Since it was only mid afternoon not many individuals were around. “You’ve sensed it, I’m sure. You’re the most sensitive individual around concerning energies.”

“I admit when Xersi approached…or rather we found him,” Xene snorted “I had been curious. That was the entire reason I came out here. I don’t like involving my people in mortal affairs; that’s why the world has demon kings.” The redhead’s eyebrow rose at that but it was ignored “Yes, I sensed it the moment I left my lands and entered this realm.” With a small sigh he looked out the window, scowling “We have some artifacts that are from that era but their magical signatures are weak at best, so I knew what it was, I didn’t need to confer with the spirits.” He gave the demon a side glance “I also sensed that boy, which is why I’m here in this kingdom.”

“Since you’ve brought that up; is he truly a potential? I seriously couldn’t see you involving yourself with that boy.”

A very strange look crossed Xene’s face and Rioran found himself frowning. “That boy…” the dragon looked frustrated “I am sure there is probably another human or so like him in the world…and I am also sure they have probably been through what that child has been through. I was curious so I did some digging. His albinism is just a genetic defect; it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s a magic user. His element is water and he has a rather good command of it. To be honest, I think he’s pretty much what humans will be evolving into as the millennia go on. They’re the youngest race; it was only a matter of time before they began to connect with the spirits. He is about as powerful as a Mixed or, hell, even a young elven boy.”

Rioran whistled “That’s not a bad start for a human. But you didn’t answer my question. Is he a potential life mate or what? If not, I can tell you right now Liari is going to want to take that boy to Liunos lands unless he has a family. At the moment she thinks you little more than a mindless, heartless, sexist caveman.”

Golden eyes rolled and he shook his head “Women. Always so dramatic. She takes in five minutes of interaction and jumps to conclusions.”

“You didn’t exactly help your case, Xene.”

He waved a hand dismissively but continued to look out the window “I’ll tell you about the boy free of charge, anything about Arcanus magic you better have something good for me.” He grinned “Something at least five hundred gold kon in equivalent trade.” He laughed when Rioran scowled at him “Still a copper pincher?”

“Shut up.” He growled before conceding “Fine. You’re the only one I can ask and get solid information on so five hundred is a good trade…I guess.”

“Cheap bastard. You certainly don’t get it from your father.”

“I’m also not a slut like him. Neither are things I am ashamed of. Now talk.”

“The boy is from the vil Wesser family and his parents were more than aware of their son’s abilities. They forced him to hide it, however, and whenever he slipped up he was beaten. Of course, since he wasn’t getting any proper training he couldn’t control it because he didn’t know how.”

“Let me guess, he was probably abused heavily as a child and kept under a tight watch.”

Xene nodded “Indeed. Understand, most of this information I had to find out on my own through illusions and manipulation. The boy didn’t start talking until just last week; I’ve had him under me for six months.”

“That long?” Rioran was surprised “Was it just because of the abuse?”

He shook his head “No, it was trauma. He was sheltered but his family is friends with vil Larchs; they’re cousin families.”

“vil Larchs?” he frowned “We met a couple with that name just before we ran into that boy.”

A muscle ticked in Xene’s jaw “I see. Was the man’s name Kaden?”

“Uh, yeah, it was.”

The air became a bit thicker with tension and the redhead frowned. What in the world…?

“Kaden vil Larchs,” he began “was Rori’s best friend. The two boys grew up together. He was aware of the truth and kept it a secret…until recently.” The scowl deepened “That wasn’t the only secret he was keeping. Rori holds no interest in women although both boys were slated to marry. This is when it gets fucked up. Apparently, the vil Larchs discover that their boy is in love with his best friend. Rori didn’t know this so they weren’t lovers or anything. Instead of simply admitting it, however, he tells his family that Rori is a magic user and that he must have been influencing him to feel those things.”

“You’re joking.”

Xene shook his head “I wish. That’s not all. Rori refuses to speak of it but I am almost positive he was beaten and raped by vil Larchs. When I found him the other boy’s stench was all over him, along with blood and semen. I don’t know how Rori escaped; I just know that he was seriously injured and completely devastated.”

He had no words. It was obvious it seriously bothered Xene and it was definitely a disturbing tale if true “Then why did you treat him so coldly…ah.” his eyes widened and he shook his head “The connection is strong.” The dragon king was fighting the urge to bond with Rori and the pull was stronger than he had anticipated. Rioran wasn’t on close terms with Xene but he had an understanding of the male’s personality. “Let us take him then, if you don’t want to bond with him. Keeping him here will do him more harm than good.”

“I can’t.” the dragon king did not sound happy about it.

“Did you…bond with him already?” he hadn’t sensed any deep connection with the two but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist.

Two hands moved through silver hair and he sighed again “No. I just…” he shook his head “I just can’t...and that frightens the hell out of me.”

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