Aracnus 16

[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.

 

16

xxxxx

“Is it different?” the demon king asked the dragon king and golden eyes shifted to him. He frowned and then shrugged.

“Define different.” It was said curtly at first before he sighed, shaking his head “The pull to bond with a lifemate is always strong; there is always the compulsion there. That’s the entire point of you being potentials to begin with.”

Rioran wasn’t in the mood to drag the situation out. “Whatever, just tell me what you know about Arcanus magic.”

He was given a look before Xene looked back out the window “My grandfather told me of it once; he was the only one who lived during that era and he eventually entered Eternal Sleep a few thousand years back so he’s a permanent part of the spiritual plane.”

He held up two fingers “Arcanus magic was brought to our world through a race called the Larka. How they came to our world is unknown, only that they were suddenly there one day and they had strange abilities that no one could quite understand. They approached kings and emperors, offering their services and providing ‘miracles’. People who had long since been dead were brought back to life; individuals that were infertile or in a same sex relationship could have children; and the biggest thing was immortality.

“That was what they promised all of these rulers and it almost immediately threw the world into chaos, kingdoms and empires committing acts of genocide on their enemies so that one person could achieve true immortality. They were the first race to have and grant immortality; back then there was no such thing as an immortal creature. Later, it was discovered that reviving the dead eventually drove the individual insane. A living soul cannot coexist in a dead body, it warps them.

“They were eventually considered to be gods. The races delved into this magic; back then there were dozens of different ones. Demons and dragons shunned Arcanus magic because of their high connection with the spiritual plane; we had known something was up and didn’t trust it or the Larka. All of the races that practiced it became warped and twisted. Their personalities changed, their physical appearance changed, even their spirits grew darker. When they died, their spirit would not return to the spiritual plane of the world; it became a part of whatever energies they use to call upon their abilities. The balance of the world shifted heavily and it began to die. Because of all the benefits Arcanus magic gave people it was so widespread that stopping it would have taken an act of the gods.”

The redhead frowned “I thought there was one race that stopped them.”

Xene nodded “Yes…but they weren’t a race.” He paused in thought “The best way I can put it is that the spirits began to collect themselves and became solid entities. Unfortunately, by that point the energies from Arcanus magic had weakened the spirits too badly, so they approached the only two races who had refused to have anything to do with it. They took demons and dragons with the highest concentration of spiritual energy and merged with them. It transformed them and they called themselves Meedians. That is probably the race you are thinking of.” Rioran nodded and he continued “They basically became gods and there had only been eight of them. Regardless, they alone managed to subdue and banish the Larka to what is now known as the Forbidden Island.

“Entire races were extinguished because the corruption had become so bad they were no longer the race they had been centuries prior. Only one race surrendered, the ancestors of the vampires, but because they hadn’t heeded the warnings initially they were cursed, banished to the darkness, unable to function in the light.

“The four demon gods passed on what remained of their power to mortals and thusly the cycle of the demon kings began; creatures of god-like powers to be guardians over the mortal races. The entire demon race was given immortality with limitations. After they had done that they became one with the spiritual plane so that they could fix the damage that had been done. Us dragons were blessed with limited immortality but they dispersed their powers through the entire race instead of four, which is why dragons have higher magical capacity and are more sensitive than any other race. At least, that’s how my grandfather explained it. He could have been bullshitting me, it was eons ago after all.”

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a large bag of coin and slid them over to the silver haired male “That’s more information than I ever would have gotten on my own. What I don’t understand is what happened that enabled them to start wreaking havoc again. Perhaps another influx from their original world?”

Xene shook his head “No, you would have sensed it. The war was gods versus gods Rioran, whoever these creatures are; they are not the Larka of old. I cannot sense any powerful presences, although I can sense that one of the temples here has a heavy concentration of Arcanus energies flowing from it. There are several unusual forces. One I know are Monsters; the warped sensation of demonic energy is difficult to mistake.”

“I’ve been moving, so I haven’t encountered any Monsters lately. They had been in a centralized location for a while, trying to hunt me down.”

The dragon king shrugged “Understandable; you pose the greatest risk to whatever it is their plans are with you being a demon king and all.”

“It doesn’t make any sense. If they have all these abilities, they could simply find me and seal or freeze me.”

Turning to him, a slow smile emerged “If they could, don’t you think they would have done it by now? I sense Arcanus magic, Rioran and it is powerful, but there is something wrong. It’s as if there’s a block or limitation on it. They also haven’t tried to come into my realms to freeze us, even though they were able to freeze the demon kingdoms. That means they obviously don’t have the power to affect the spiritual plane.”

“Hmmm…” lashes lowered over green eyes as he reflected on Xene’s words “So then, my earlier suspicions were correct. Whatever immense power they used to freeze our kingdoms was the only heavy hitter they had.” He sighed “They obviously approached the elves but little came of it…either that or there’s a hidden army of them I don’t know about. Vampires wouldn’t help them and humans don’t know anything about Arcanus magic. They weren’t even a race back then.”All of his suspicions of them using humans because they had no other recourse had been correct. “What do they want, though? To take back over the lands?”

Xene shrugged “You’ll have to figure that one out on your own.”

You’re kidding. “You’re…not going to help me, are you?” he couldn’t believe it “Xene, this doesn’t just involve the demons you know – “

A hand rose and golden eyes narrowed “A demon king should be more than capable of dealing with this problem and unlike you, I can die, as can my people. We do our best to protect the spiritual realm, you handle mortal affairs. So no, I’m not joining your crusade to save the world, I could give two shits about it. Dragons exist between the spiritual realm and our own separate dimension; we are not connected with the mortal world unless we wish it. There is a lot about the spiritual realm you know nothing about Rioran; this world being destroyed affects my race not at all.”

He wanted to throttle him “You just finished explaining to me how Arcanus magic affected the spirits –“

“The spirits, not the spiritual plane.” He shook his head “There is a difference and I don’t feel like explaining it to you, just take my word for it.”

“What the hell nonsense are you spouting, dragon? I –“

Both men stiffened and stood up, scowls on their faces as they looked out in the same direction. They exchanged looks.

“That was…” Rioran began.

“Circle magic.” The dragon king finished “On a rather massive scale. Whoever just completed it…their spiritual energy decreased sharply.” He turned to Rioran “I had sensed his presence earlier and had actually been on my way to investigate when I came across you. It feels like an immortal but…”

“Naliel.” When Xene frowned in confusion he shrugged “He’s a mutt of the highest degree; human, high elven and dragon.”

The redhead was stared at for a long moment before Xene blinked “I’m…not even going to ask how in the hells that happened. If it is your friend, he needs to see medical attention immedi –“

Right then Rori burst in with Liari, his blue eyes wide with confusion and a little bit of fear; Rioran made a very unpleasant noise and began to storm towards them.

“Rioran?” Liari looked very confused by everyone’s reactions “Um, Rori all of a sudden wanted us to come here in a rush and…” she let out a sharp gasp when he firmly grabbed her arm and began to leave the tavern “Rioran, what’s wrong?”

“Your mutt friend is casting a very powerful circle magic spell and it’s going to kill him.” Xene explained, his hand moving to Rori’s back as the four walked out “He’s trying to activate it now…” he looked at Rioran “For him to be able to even cast it in his state is nothing short of a miracle. What the hell does he think he’s doing?”

“I have an idea.” The growl that came from Rioran was hardly human “Xene, can you cast us there? I can’t pinpoint the exact location, it’s rather far.”

The dragon king turned to the boy “Rori, cast an illusion spell around us so we don’t attract attention.” He looked at Liari “You have healing abilities right?”

Hazel eyes blinked at him in surprise “How did you know that?”

There was a subtle hum of power before dust rose from the ground, a circle cast beneath their feet. It was then that Xene answered “I’m psychic.”

“He…he is?” Liari did not sound pleased about this.

He was being facetious; dragons are sensitive to different energies, he can sense yours. Rioran sounded amused By the way, I hope you don’t mind the feeling of freefall.

“What? W-why –“

Her thoughts were cut short when her entire world shifted and faded to black.

xxxxx

I...I hate you so damn much it’s not even remotely amusing. All Liari could hear was laughter in her head as she tried to fight off waves of nausea. It’s not funny!

“Vampireling, it’s absolutely hilarious, you just can’t appreciate it.”

Oh...forget you! There was Naliel to consider and immediately she was up and on her feet, shaking off her nausea. His energy was dangerously low according to Rioran and he was kneeling on top of a portion of an elaborate circle. She had heard of Circle magic but had never seen it done until now. The entire forest was bathed in a soft blue glow and resting in the middle was a man on top of an altar. He was probably the most unique individual she had ever seen; dark brown skin with pale blue hair. He was obviously an elf and looked almost peaceful.

“He’s a dark elf, specifically. I’d almost assume he was the owner of the swords you acquired but he’s already equipped with two long daggers.” Rioran mused as he moved over towards the panting Naliel. “And if the impression I got from Naliel is any indication, I seriously doubt he’s as peaceful as he looks.”

That was confusing but Liari decided not to push it since Rioran was already being more open with her than he usually would be.

“Kid, go over to the right of the mutt,” that was Xene speaking to Rori. The albino nodded slightly and quietly obeyed. She wanted to be annoyed by the display – she really didn’t like the dragon or the way he treated his lifemate – but the little outing with the boy had revealed much. Rori was completely devoted to Xene for the other man had saved his life and brought him back from a dark place. He hadn’t known anything about life mates and so Liari had decided not to tell him.

“Take West, Rioran.” Xene continued but the demon king snapped his gaze over at the dragon and growled.

“I don’t need you to tell me that. Shut up and go stand in your corner.” He looked at his lifemate “Liari, all we need you to do is pour your energy into Naliel. “ the redhead scowled heavily “Be careful, Vampireling. Naliel’s energy is dangerously low and he’s very powerful, don’t try and give him more than you can handle. Whatever you give him he’ll survive off of, understand? If you go over half, I will be very...unhappy.”

She felt her lips twitch. You’re so sweet. And here I thought you had not a romantic bone in your –

”Liari, I am serious.” Her hazel gaze snapped to his emerald and the look he gave her...she had never seen him look at her quite like that. “I know you, don’t do anything reckless.”

The young vampire looked away, trying to hide her blush at her life mate’s words and actions. Things were changing between them. It was slow but she knew now that what was between them now wasn’t what had been when he had initially taken her from her home.

Liari wanted to feel elated by this; but all she felt was confused.

Dismissing it for now, she knelt down beside Naliel whose entire focus was on the ground. His breathing was shallow and if he noticed her presence he wasn’t showing it. Gently, she put her hands on his shoulder, wanting to make sure she didn’t jar or startle him. No reaction. She actually felt her heart breaking when she saw his bright blue eyes close; he looked so awful.

Was this what being without one’s life mate did to them? Her arms went around him and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. She never ever wanted to see Rioran look like this. Ever. Closing her eyes , she began to focus on pouring healing energies into the male. Vaguely, she noticed the light surrounding them grow brighter and could hear chanting. Raising her head she looked over at Rioran and started.

She had seen him summon the wind before but he had always been up in the air. With him standing there she could see the way his eyes became hooded, chin slightly raised. His lips were parted as words slipped quietly through. Wind was being produced from magical energies and his hair whipped around his tanned face. Since she was so used to Rioran looking sarcastic or annoyed, it struck her how...beautiful he looked. Ethereal.

It didn’t take her long to realize why Rioran had been so adamant about her not giving up too much of her energy. All she could do was give him enough of her energy so that he could survive and even that much was ridiculously low for him. He really was incredibly powerful, it felt as if her bits of energy were only drops in a massive bucket and it made her feel many things; mostly weak and impotent.

I...feel so useless. Even Rori was contributing by pouring his energies into the circle; that meant he had to be decently powerful, right? So then why was she the only one that seemed to be so weak?

“You’re not useless and you are needed. I need you, Vampireling.”

Her arms tightened around Naliel and she buried her face in his neck. I...love you Rioran. Why she was admitting to this now she had no idea; he didn’t love her and all it would do was make him uncomfortable.

“I know.” He sounded apologetic and something else that she couldn’t determine.

The light began to shine even brighter and the energy in the air was stifling, so much that she felt that she would choke on it. There was the sound of something soft hitting the ground and she looked up to find Rori slumped down on his knees, struggling to breathe.

“Enough.” The dragon spared him only a small glance “I’ll compensate.”

It felt as if an eternity was going by as the circle was, basically, being held up by the two immortals. She began to feel anxious as the light finally began to fade and the energies in the air settled down. Naliel went deadweight in her arms and she struggled not to fall back or over. He was incredibly heavy for an elf...but he was alive. Shifting, she situated him so that his head was resting on her lap. He was obviously unconscious but his face looked relaxed and peaceful. She brushed his hair away from his face, smiling warmly at the man who had willingly done everything, even almost died, to save the one he loved.

“He was an idiot.” Rioran sounded very upset although when she looked up at him he seemed to be fine. His gaze was on the altar; Xene was helping Rori to his feet. “What did he think would happen if he brought his lover back only for him to find Naliel dead? He’d kill himself in his grief; that’s how the bonds work. He was being a selfish, irrational, moron. There was nothing endearing about this.”

Liari would have responded but suddenly a sharp, loud gasp filled the forest air as the body on the altar jerked to life. He immediately went into a coughing fit, rolling over to his side as his body shuddered. It was obvious that he was too weak to do anything yet he struggled to at least sit up after his lungs were filled with fresh air after going so long without.

The dark elf tried to open his mouth to speak but only raspy nonsense emerged. Rioran quickly closed the distance, his expression grim. She could sense it; the demon king was very upset about the entire situation. The vampire smiled a bit.

You try not to show it, but you care about Naliel a lot, don’t you? You’ve been around each other for years, shouldn’t you accept the fact that you consider him to be a good friend?

He ignored her as he walked over to where the newcomer was facing. Crimson locked onto deep green and pale brows furrowed in confusion. With a small command, Rioran placed two fingers on the man’s forehead and was rendered unconscious. With very little effort, the redhead placed the man over his shoulder and turned to Xene “I suppose I owe you for this one.” He regarded Rori who was being lifted into the dragon’s arms.

Golden eyes looked down at the young human who returned the gaze, his own eyes bleary and unfocused. Bending, he whispered a few words to the boy who stiffened slightly before a small smile emerged. Leaning against Xene’s chest he closed his eyes.

What did he say? It wasn’t any of her business but curiosity was getting the better of her. Rioran mentally shrugged.

“Probably something he should have said a while ago. Come on; we’ll take the two elves back to the inn. We’re stuck here until they wake up anyway.”

Although Liari had strength that surpassed five fully grown human males; there was no way she was going to be able to carry Naliel, the man was surprisingly heavy.

“Two reasons for that.” He regarded Xene only briefly as the dragon chanted something in a strange guttural language – not quite demonic but close – and disappeared with his human bundle in his arms.

She wanted to question where that guy was going with Rori but she could sense that her life mate wasn’t in the mood to indulge her concerning that particular subject. “For one, he’s not a full elf, he’s...well he’s a quarter really. Secondly, those who are closely attuned to the earth, like him, tend to be heavier naturally because he’s always got earth spirits clinging to him. In fact, with the way he’s freakishly attuned, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if he transcended and became a Mergent. There’s human mages out there, why the hells not?”

Liari gave him a look when he also easily lifted Naliel over his other shoulder and raised a red brow at her. She ignored that look “What’s a Mergent?” she had never heard the term before.

“It’s...” he trailed off as his gaze shifted to the far left. “Odd. Why didn’t I notice that before?”

It wasn’t terribly far but there was definitely an open glass casket sitting in the middle of a dead circle. Whoever or whatever was in there was long gone now, it seemed. There was something lying on the ground, however, but it was quickly rotting and she guessed it had been humanoid at one time. The stench hit the both of them and Rioran walked over to a clear area to create a circle that she could only assume take them back instantly.

“It would seem that our elven friend has a bit to tell us when he wakes up.” Rioran regarded the body coolly “I’m almost positive that’s the undead creature of before.” He didn’t ask the question that went through both of their minds in regards to the now empty casket.

xxxxx

“A Mergent,” Rioran began as he dropping one elf on the bed and the other on the couch of Naliel’s hotel room “is an individual that is so closely attuned to their elemental spirit that they can actually become that element. The super mutants that this Crimson Tides order sent after me were a freakish example. They were Monsters that were half organic and half element. Since they were using Xerxes’ blood they were massive earth Monsters that had a strong command over the element but were as stupid as ever. In any case; basically the spirits break down your physical body somehow – don’t ask me because I don’t know – and you can either gain those attributes or become the element itself. All the demon kings can do this but it’s not really something that one does unless necessary. You can piss off spirits; so abusing the bond you have obviously acquired with them can make them unresponsive to you.”

He watched her let out a sharp breath and walk over to the window. He could sense her wonder and how she felt overwhelmed. She was educated, but it was limited and biased teachings from a race that avoided the rest of the world because they could only exist in the darkness.

Vampireling, come with me. The elves will want some time alone when they wake up anyway.

When they entered the room, he pulled her into his arms, leaning against the far wall. He held her like that, in the darkened room; her back pressed against his front.

“Liari,” he murmured, burying his face in the crook of her neck “You cannot compare yourself to us; stop doing it. You are incredibly young, you can and will become stronger with time. Naliel didn’t just wake up one day with his powers; they developed with years of experience and training. I did not wake up a demon king; I was given these powers and even then it took me a long time before I could truly master it all.”

Her arms came around his and she lowered her head “I know that. But that’s not all of it. During the daylight hours I am useless to you, deadweight and a burden. Now I understand why vampires don’t leave their territories – we’re just too vulnerable and weak.”

There was a long moment of silence as Rioran debated on what he wanted to say to his life mate. No matter what, she wasn’t going to be swayed as long as she was traveling with them. He could sense that she felt she was even weaker than the albino, which actually wasn’t true.

He could train her but only in combat and he honestly preferred not to use weapons. She would need someone who was truly into her style to be of any use. Training her in magic was impossible; he wasn’t even close to sharing her attributes. Healing? His attempts were laughable at best; tragic at worst. Shadow magic? That wasn’t something someone wanted to play around in; that type of magic was its own breed and he had no experience with it.

Her biggest weakness – and it really was a weakness – was her lethargy. He was all but positive if he completed the bond that would be cured but...gods he couldn’t do that to her right now. He would have to put her through unimaginable pain because there was no way he could be intimate with her; it was just too soon and their relationship was too delicate. She already behaved a certain way because she knew he didn’t love her, adding intimacy to that would complicate everything.

Rioran was over two millennia and he had no idea of what to do about this situation. He wanted to tell her sappy bullshit like ‘it’s going to be okay’ and ‘everything will work out for the best’ but one, that wasn’t him and two, he’d be lying. There was a very real threat going on, making her any promises would be hollow. Hell, he couldn’t even promise her a home when he returned with her to his lands.

But he couldn’t let her keep up her line of thinking. “Vampireling...” he sighed “your lethargy, I am almost positive I can cure you of it.”

She spun on him, bright eyes widening in shock “What?” he could feel the surprise, hope, and elation within and he found himself unable to look at her. “I really can...?” her face turned concerned at his expression “Rioran...oh. There’s a catch, isn’t there?”

His smile was thin “I can bind you to me by taking a bit of your soul, that’s how it works. With you bound to me we should be on equal footing concerning certain things but the problem is that I don’t actually know if it works that way. The last time a vampire and demon bonded it resulted in a war that nearly destroyed the vampire race. I had stayed out of it so I know very little concerning the details of their relationship.”

Liari seemed to consider this “Rioran, you know, you’ve never told me why you wouldn’t complete the bond with me. I’ve thought about it off and on, because you had obviously accepted me as your life mate so it didn’t make sense to me. I thought...maybe it was because you didn’t return my feelings but that isn’t it, is it?”

He wasn’t about to lie to her “Yes and no. At first our conflicting feelings had a lot to do with it; because I had a difficult time seeing you in a romantic light – regardless of my idiotic bouts of jealousy. I told you already, I want to be with you. I am not forcing myself, my feelings are no longer platonic, I do desire you.” She blushed at that “But I as I said; I don’t know if my feelings are that of love; I’ve never experienced the emotion. I could very well be in love with you, I know that whatever this feeling is it is not fleeting and it is not something I’ve felt before. When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.” She snorted and he smirked, wrapping his arms back around her and pulling her close.

“The other reason is that taking a bit of someone’s soul is excruciating to the individual you’re doing it to. I can make it so that it’s more of a mild discomfort but it would require...” might as well just say it “I’d have to have sex with you, basically.”

Liari just stared at him and he gave her a wry smile. “Listen, it’s like this; take cooking. You put a metal pan into the oven and you bake something – let’s go with a cake for shits and giggles because it really doesn’t matter. If you were to pull the cake out of the oven with your bare hands it’d result in a very bad day for you, right?” she rolled her eyes at his – admittedly – lame attempts at humor and keeping a very serious situation light “Anyway, even when you use oven mitts you can still feel the heat. If you held the pan long enough your hands would even become uncomfortable from it.”

Hazel eyes blinked up at him “So...what you’re saying is that sex is an oven mitt?” she looked clearly amused by this and he glared at her.

“Don’t be obnoxious; you know what I’m trying to say here. Anyway, I know how sentimental you are. You’re like all those other females that want your first time to be ‘special’ and ‘romantic’ and all that other ridiculous crap...”

“Rioran! You are the most insensitive individual I have ever met in my entire life. I have no idea why I tolerate your antics.” she laughed and pushed at him playfully but when she did he suddenly crushed her against him, startling her. His arms wrapped around her tightly, one hand buried in her hair.

The redhead tilted his head so that his lips were brushing along her neck “Liari, I don’t want to hurt you. Physically, spiritually, or emotionally. Do you understand what I’m saying? We can deal with the lethargy but things like that – when damaged it takes a very long time to heal. I’ve been alive for a very long time; I’ve seen it destroy relationships many, many times.”

Pulling back he framed her face in his hands, taking in her sad and solemn expression. He could feel her conflicting emotions, her insecurities and doubts. “We will be bonded eventually, but you’re not ready to take this to that kind of level and to be honest...” he once more pulled her into a gentle embrace, his gaze off towards the far end of the room “neither am I.”

There was the sensation of hands sliding up his back and she turned her head so that her cheek was pressed against his chest. Even though they had all the time in the world, it felt as if they were constantly running out. Every time he felt as if he was becoming closer to her their relationship took two steps backwards. Nothing seemed to be the right thing to do or say and she felt just as frustrated concerning their complicated situation as he.

Liari, although she didn’t realize it and if she did she’d never admit it, wanted him to love her. The fact that he didn’t was, pretty much, the reason their relationship was so complicated and would continue to be so. He was the problem and there was nothing he could do to fix it. He couldn’t force himself to feel something if it wasn’t there and he honestly didn’t know if he loved her or not at this point.

As much as it pained him to admit it; she probably would have been better off with Eris.

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