King Kairon was known as the hero of Canaan. The fact that the country still stands after the battle of heaven and hell, the land became his legacy to his people. When all hope was lost during the war, when his kingdom abandoned him, and when his crown lost its value, he fought not as a king; he fought as a man who loved his country. He fought as Kairon.
However, good deeds were just like wounds, they get forgotten with time. As centuries passed, people slowly forgot the meaning behind Kairon. What became more significant was the present and the future. The past will just be history and perhaps it was just human nature to never look back and appreciate what the past had done for them.
No doubt that King Kairon was the best King that Canaan had but he was long gone.
There was no use being loyal to a man who could no longer rule.
How come this viel still stands for him?
Salem was about to hit the viel's face with his fist, but the knight spoke with a longing gaze.
"My king will always live on...he will always live on here…" He shakily touched his chest. His eyes connected with Salem. The excom slowly dropped his fist to his side. "So please...do not disrespect his rest any further. My king has fought hard. Please...please let him rest."
Deep down, was the viel aware that Kairon was long gone? He must have been protecting Kairon's tomb ever since he passed away. Did the king order him to stay? Or was the king's kindness to this viel became a new form of cruelty that the viel swore his life to protect him even after death?
"Karma." Salem's injured subordinate came limping to him. The boy was young but ready to retire.
"Yes master?"
"Where's the hog scholar?"
Karma wandered his eyes and realized that Reysin wasn't with them. That bastard must have sneaked away while they were all busy surviving.
"He has gone ahead."
Salem turned around and used the tip of his umbrella to outline the unconscious vessel to the soil. Once the outline was complete, light flashed and took its body somewhere.
Karma gave his master a confused look. Why was his master keeping that vessel?
"I'm no longer interested in this quest. Let's go." Salem ambled past the viel.
"What about the scholar?"
"Do I look like I care, Karma?" Salem yawned. He was prepared to hit the hay.
"Nope."
"Good boy."
Karma followed his master out of El' Azar's destroyed entrance. Salem looked back, the viel was already gone.
His master was a big softie.
Salem may look like he didn't care 99.99 percent of the time. There was an instance when he smoked during a juvenile raid in a village they were staying in as if it was another peaceful night to let the world burn to crisp. There weren't many casualties. Actually, there was none. The only fluids that watered the soil were the blood and goo of the vessels. Deep down in that heavy armour, superior intelligence, predominant power, and addiction to fresh milk, was a man who had fair judgment.
His master never tried to fit into society. He said that: "The one thing that society will never attain is contentment. It could never be satisfied. It would always want more. That's precisely the reason why humanity always ends up in a disaster; their need for more gave them more than what they could handle."
"I guess we're walking." Karma felt like he was missing a rib or two. It would take half a journey back home before his master could decide to heal him. This was his form of discipline, making his disciples feel the consequences of their dumb actions.
He almost forgot that Jinx died.
"Master, Jinx died by the way."
Finally, peace and quiet. He didn't care less for the halfwit, but Jinx had been with his master since he was a child. Karma only started traveling with them three years ago after Salem saved him from an abduction that he couldn't remember. His mother couldn't pay two cows so since she worshipped Salem so much, she told his master:
"You can take my son instead!"
Funny that Karma's value was only two cows. He was insulted at that time yet finding out that Salem was a prodigy when it comes to taming, it was a privilege to be worth two cattle.
Salem did not respond to the news. Was he sad? Was he angry? Would he even grieve? Karma was walking behind him so he couldn't see his expression. His master didn't gasp nor said: "No way! Really?"
The young boy bumped against Salem's back. He did not notice him stop. The excom opened his umbrella on a cloudy and rainless afternoon which meant something. It unfailingly meant something.
A second of silence was followed by an explosion that originated from El' Azar. The explosion caused a wave of winds to be released, causing Karma to stumble down and grab hold onto his master's long leg like a koala.
'My ribs...' he thought.
The ground vehemently shook. Salem's feet stayed anchored to the soil as if he was a strong bamboo. His clothes were merely ruffled. Trees were almost blown out of their roots. As soon as the boisterous zephyrs became a soft breeze, Salem turned around and found a ray of dark light piercing a hole into the grey clouds. The light dispersed yet the sinister aura continued to linger.
Did that scholar open a forbidden scroll?
No, this feeling was familiar to him.
"Beelzebub?" was the first name that came out of his mouth.
This was Karma's first time seeing his master shocked.
But Beelzebub? Wasn't he the demon lord who disappeared twenty years ago after terrorizing Canaan for one hundred fifty years?
"Whatever it is, the viel can handle that, right master?"
His master didn't respond. His legs strode fast back to El' Azar. There was no use opposing his master's wishes but walking back and forth was a new way to torture him.
There were days when Karma wished that his master would truly be 99.99 percent insouciant and let things be. But the days when Karma wished he'd care less were the days when his master would care more.
Reysin had only stepped foot inside the castle when everything was blown into smithereens. He did see a silhouette of a man wearing a two-horned helmet, but he didn't get to take a good look on his face. If he was walking unscratched, then he either was an acquaintance of the viel or someone who took advantage of the viel being preoccupied of ending the future of youths early.
He calculated that the probability of survival would be 0.50 percent yet to his surprise, his calculations were proven wrong. He was saved by the king's viel.
They were standing on a roof approximately three hundred feet away from the site of the explosion. As what he had read in the old edition of 'Canaan's history of war and kings', King Kairon's viel moved as fast as lightning. If he was superior amongst all the other viels was the real question.
"Someone...someone was in there."
The viel ignored him. He was monitoring the castle with a troubled expression. Reysin doubted that the man in the castle was still alive after that detonation.
"My king…" The viel lunged out of the roof and left Reysin alone to figure out how he could get down.
"Hey!" Reysin scrambled forward on his knees to chase the viel with his gaze. "If you're going inside, retrieve scrolls that are still readable!"
The viel rushed inside the crumbling palace. His king's sanctuary was falling apart yet he hadn't woken up yet. He reached the double doors that were shut for years. The last time he saw his majesty, he seemed so tired. His skin had an unhealthy paleness where black veins branched out. He told Kou to wait. He told Kou that he will merely rest for a moment.
'You've been sleeping for some time Kou. Won't you wake up for me?' Kairon sweetly caressed the viel's hair.
Kou groaned and snuggled close to his majesty's warm embrace. His nice scent was lulling him back to sleep; however, he should return to his knightly duties.
Kou was the only knight permitted and insisted to sleep in His Majesty's quarters. If he was to refuse, the king would be upset the entire week. How many days had he slept?
'Yes, Majesty…' the viel murmured and stared curiously at his tired face. There was something odd about his king. Was he sick again? 'Majesty should rest. Kou insists.' It was astonishing that the both of them were still alive after that attack. He had lost consciousness and thought they'd die together.
King Kairon chuckled. 'I do look weakened don't I, Kou? It would seem that I am sick again.'
Kou stretched like a cat and slipped out of the bed.
'King must rest. Kou insists…'
The king walked his favourite person to the door and caressed his face one last time.
'I will Kou. You will wait for me, won't you?'
Kou leaned against his touch.
'Kou will always wait for you.'
Kairon smiled at him brightly. "And the King will always love his Kou."
He did wait. Time passed by slowly for Kou, but he had always felt Kairon's presence in El' Azar. There was warm food on the table of the monarchy laid out for him. His armour was always neatly polished. His clothes were clean and dry and though Kou couldn't catch the person doing all the services for him every day, he felt that it was all Kairon's doing.
Kou was never alone in this abandoned city.
Yet it was time for his majesty to awaken.
The doors were already open. Was King Kairon already conscious?
"Majesty! Majesty!" Kou yelled out worriedly. Everything was being consumed by fire and his majesty's scent was overridden by smoke.
A chuckle resonated in his majesty's room. Kou spun around to locate him.
"King?"
"Kou…"
Joy squeezed the knight's heart. His tails waved excitedly. Two arms embraced him from behind. He forgot and disregarded the situation they were in.
"Help me destroy Canaan Kou...Help me rule again…"
His thoughts were silenced; he couldn't comprehend the meaning of what Kairon was telling him to do, but Kou was willing to obey just about anything now.
Two sharp fangs pierced through his neck. A bright light flashed before his eyes. The seminarian from before appeared and yanked him forward.
"God's rain," the stranger uttered. There was no pitter patter. The rain did not start light. The grievance of the heavens poured heavy.
Kou turned around. What was behind him was an open portal from sheol where burnt hands were reaching out with malicious desires. The explosion did do damage to the castle but the intensity of it was more because of the portal opening.
The rain caused the demonic hands to sizzle. They withdrew back into the portal with pained screeches. The portal was sewn shut by a thread that belonged to Salem who broke the excess thread with one pull after every inch was stitched. The skies rumbled. The consuming fire was killed by the rain that invaded through the broken ceiling.
Kou became weak to his knees. He fell forward, leaning against Salem's shoulder.
"Where did my king go? Did he leave Kou?"
They were both drenched from the heavenly blessing. Kou's neck ached as it did with his chest. He was a knight for his king yet what would become of him if his king was never to be found?
A finger prodded his chest. He glanced up to the seminarian's eyes that were gently staring at him. The excom opened his umbrella despite their already drenched state.
"As what you said...your king will continuously live on here. Whether in a state of life or death, you are his knight."
Kou's chin trembled. His robotic ears flattened like that of a real cat.
"Kou is his knight. Kou will always be."
He knew his capabilities, he knew his strength, but he did everything with his king. Now with his absence, Kou knew nothing about independence. He only recognized obeying orders. He did them with mastery.
"Will you help Kou find him?"
A grin spread behind Salem's mask. A sheol portal opening only meant that a demon lord had entered the mortal realm.
Canaan was once again in peril and sheol's interest with the viel only meant that Salem had to keep a close eye on him.
"That depends, are you part cow?"