Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Zethis stood, overlooking his city again. The look on his face was serene in a way. His once great plan for reconquering Eroa for his kingdom and enslaving human nations was in tatters. All of the advisors to the throne and representatives of the different clans begged him to push for peace.

Despite the stupidity of it, Zethis could not relent. His pride would simply not let him. He still saw a way out of this with him still coming out on top, though it would be difficult.

As long as Alvora stood, they had a way to win. General Pana was one of their best. All she had to do was hold the city until the next wave of reinforcements arrive. Granted their passage through that area of the desert has been slowed thanks to the migration of Sand Wyrms currently happening.

It was an annual event and piss poor timing.

"Hold out Pana. We will send reinforcements soon." Zethis mumbled.

Over the last four years his temperament had cooled a little. His demeanor took on a more mellow tone. No longer was he the genius king that could crush their enemies, but the stubborn fool who did not know how to quit while he was ahead…

"King Zethis! Your presence is requested in the council chambers."

"Fine." Enjoy reading at m v-lem-pyr

He meandered through the hallways, in no particular rush to get where he was going, taking time to admire the art that hung on the walls for the first time in his life. There was a beauty to the palace that he had not known before. While he was gazing lackadaisically at the paintings lining his palace's halls, he felt a slight tremor in the air. It was a terrifying, yet familiar sensation.

"Her…"

Zethis' calm demeanor quickly changed to one of excitement. He had felt this a few times in the past, both as a younger warrior and a child. Though it had been many years since he had last seen the woman in question.

Bursting through the doors of the council chambers, he quickly gazed about until his eyes rested on a small woman with cat-like ears and a stripped orange and black tail. Though they were hard to discern there were also light stripe marks all over her body as well.

"Lady Tierga!" Zethis said, coming to a kneeling position before her, much to the surprise of the council members around him.

"Stand, Zethis! You are a king! You should not kneel before your subjects." The woman shouted.

"King, Emperor, or god, I will always pay respects to my master." He said while standing up.

The woman before him was the person who trained him to fight. She was Alorek's Empyrean Rank warror, Tierga. Though she was easily in her sixties, she did not look a day over thirty. The massive maul on her back was almost as tall as she was as well.

Zethis exchanged pleasantries with his old master for several minutes, completely ignoring those who had requested his presence. When the woman started to show signs of annoyance, he backed off and returned to the matter at hand.

"So, Lady Tierga, what has you blessing our palace with your presence?" Zethis stated in a tone befitting a ruler.

All of his previous melancholy vanished and for a moment, at least to the eyes of those around him. He returned to the strong king he had made himself known to be in the past.

"I hear enemies encroach upon our lands, and come to give you guidance and support. Though Kalivas has not entered our borders, nor are there signs of the warriors of the Union kingdoms participating, I find myself growing concerned for those who bully those weaker than them."

King Rank and Empyrean Rank warriors and mages rarely, if ever, participated in their homes' wars and squabbles. To fighters of their caliber, it was decided that for the safety of those weaker than them, they would not fight unless provoked by another individual of their weight class.

To them, the kings and queens of the continent's nations were akin to children playing a game. When two nations warred, that was simply a pair of toddlers fighting over a toy. These powerful beings did not intervene in the fighting of children, only when another adult tried to bully them would they step in.

Usually, they did not care for the changing of rulers over the places they protected, but some, like Kalivas, did. Tierga was one of the ones who did not participate in protecting the homeland, unless another of her level were to participate.

Something concerned him though. If neither Kalivas, nor any of the other possible King and Empyrean Rankers were joining… then what was the cause for concern?

"My lady… I apologize for my ignorance, but just what kind of bullying do you think is occurring? Our king simply started a war he cannot finish, there is no bullying, rather divine retribution perhaps?" One of the elder members of the council stated. Zethis glared at him, but compared to the aura of Tierga, his threats meant nothing to the old man.

"So you reject my offer for assistance then?" Tierga asked dangerously.

"I-I-I wouldn't say that, my lady it is just… you and your cohort do not typically care to intervene even in past skirmishes. I just find it strange that you would fight on our behalf…"

The powerful warrior laughed, making the others in the room tremble. "Do not assume I will fight this war for you. No, these are your own problems. However, I will support you. By my name, the capital will not fall, Alorek will remain sovereign. This is what I promise."

There was a collective sigh of relief, including from Zethis. Though he knew it was basically impossible for Eroa or the Union to want to annex them, the concern was still there as a possibility always existed. With Tierga's promise, their sovereignty was assured no matter the outcome.

"Ah, but one more offer. The Sand Wyrms… I shall take care of that problem. Advance your armies as you wish."

With that last statement, the woman left the room. No one made moves or statements to stop her. That would be like trying to ask an earthquake to stop shaking. Zethis gradually felt his energy reserves rekindle. The flame and passion in his heart burned brightly again.

Those in the council room noticed as the slump in his shoulders disappeared and once again his posture regained the regal positioning of a king. "Advance the armies. We march on Alvora. Then, we push Eroa back to their borders. Though we may not win this war, we will not lose it either. This I promise as your king!"

When he raised his fist in the air, the soldiers, guards, and several council members roared with confidence and eager resolve. Zethis smiled and thanked his old master for her appearance. Though it was unlikely, he could not help but wonder if she did this to help him out of his slump.

No matter her reasoning, he was not about to let this opportunity for recovering his honor go to waste.

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A/N:

Today will be the last day of writing three chapters a day. I have been making mistakes to meet the goal (see the accidental Dual Chapter and chaps 144-156, which had horrendous grammar and spelling errors I needed to fix), and I want to improve quality over quantity. I am very sorry I could not do the whole month of three chapters a day! I just do not want to sacrifice the story to meet this goal.

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