"And who might that be?" Astaroth asked, feeling a bit guarded.
"Someone you have deep ties with," Seraphim replied while moving forward.
Astaroth quickly realized the attackers were stealthily surrounding him. This wasn't a fight he wanted to have, not now. Using their mental connection, he told Volk to leave immediately, take Aldric with him, and that they'd meet again at the inn.
Volk, obeying swiftly, did as his master instructed. With the intruders' attention fixed on Astaroth, he knew this was a mission he couldn't afford to fail. He disappeared in a flash of shadows, reappearing behind the merchant. In one silent motion, he knocked him out, lifted him onto his shoulder, and vanished once more, the shadows in the room turning a bit darker.
A few moments earlier...
Aldric's thoughts were spiraling.
"Shit, shit, shit!" I cursed, trembling in my boots.
"I didn't expect them to bring so many people! And… it looks like I'm not even the real target."
Who the hell did I hire as a guard? 😭
"I really hope I make it out of this alive. If there's a god out there who loves me… now's your time to prove it! I'll kiss your feet every single day of my miserable life!"
As I was bawling my soul out, I felt a chilling presence behind me. Just as I turned to check it out...
My mind went blank.
And darkness swallowed everything.
Presently....
Still reeling from the shock, Astaroth narrowed his eyes. "And who might that person be? He should have a name, shouldn't he?" His tone turned sharp. "I won't ask a second time."
Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped. An oppressive air spread, suffocating everyone in the vicinity.
One of the intruders stepped forward, voice like gravel. "Remember me, brother?"
Astaroth's eyes constricted.
No. Not now.
He wasn't ready for a battle with his brother. He needed to escape.
Aetherion continued, voice mocking and condescensing. "It seems you've decided to work as an adventurer. How the mighty have fallen, would you agree?"
Astaroth clenched his fist, teeth grinding. "Don't bring that up. It's my fault for losing… but be guarded, because I will have my revenge soon enough."
Aetherion sighed. "A shame. Such a shame indeed. And here I thought you'd changed. But it seems you're still stuck in your old ways."
"It looks like you'll need a few more centuries in death to have a change of heart."
Suddenly, Aetherion's incarnation vanished in a massive display of speed, reappearing directly in front of Astaroth. His fist launched forward like a cannon, blowing a hole through Astaroth's gut and destroying everything in its path.
But what he struck… was only a shadow clone.
His eyes narrowed. "Such craftiness… Hahahaha. It seems his mind hasn't dulled after all this time."
He turned to his subordinates. "Spread out. Search the area. Seraphim, we're leaving."
Seraphim frowned. "Shouldn't we chase him now that he's weak?"
Aetherion simply waved her off. "No. We'll meet again soon enough. He's not the kind to run from a fight, and most definitely not a coward. He only grows stronger in the face of danger."
And with that, his consciousness left the host body just as mysteriously as it had arrived. Seraphim vanished moments later.
In a realm far from the mortal plane...
Aetherion sat upon a radiant throne carved of starlight and divine bone. His lips curled into a smile.
"We'll meet again soon, brother…"
Back at the heavenly inn...
Astaroth arrived in a burst of shadow. The moment his eyes landed on Volk and Aldric, safe and unharmed, he felt something stir in his chest.
It was strange.
Unfamiliar.
A feeling he had never felt so deeply before.
He chose to ignore it.
He moved to the bed, casting a glance at Aldric. "Is he okay?" he asked while taking a seat.
Volk, diligent as ever, nodded. "Yes, Master. I only knocked him out. He'll be awake soon."
Astaroth said nothing, but his thoughts stirred.
What had happened earlier made him boil with rage. He felt a strange emotion he had never felt before until now....
Frustration.
It was… new to him.
And he didn't like it. Not one bit.
"I'm still too weak," he muttered to himself. "I need more strength."
His eyes met Volk's. "And you… you'll need to focus on something else as well."
A brief silence.
"Volk," he said, "what do you think about going to the academy?"
Volk blinked. His expression froze as he tried to process what he had just heard. Then, the realization hit. His lips parted in disbelief.
"R-Really master? But what about the task you gave me?"
"We'll put it on hold. Attend the academy. Grow stronger. Make new comrades and allies. Our priorities just changed."
"Yes, I understand, Master," Volk said, trying his best to stay composed.
But the happiness bubbling within him was impossible to hide.
Astaroth scoffed, feeling it through their bond. Still, it was understandable.
Volk had always been poor, talentless, and living a miserable life with no chance at a future. Attending the academy? That had been nothing more than a dream.
Until now.
He looked at the one who had changed his destiny, the one who'd lifted him from despair.
Dropping to his knees, Volk bowed low and shouted:
"I won't let you down, Master!"
I WON'T!