Kou couldn't tell what Salem had in mind. It could either be one of the following situations he was facing: Salem had a hairy strategy under his sleeve or he was a double-crossing convict without one word. His king surely was telling the truth about humans being unpredictable and hollow-hearted.
He had no time to decipher whether the convict was joking or he meant it when he said he'd capture him. The only result Kou wanted from this was escaping and finding King Kairon on his own. He didn't want any casualties, but if worse comes to worst innocent lives would be entangled in the scrimmage.
"Kou won't get trapped here."
His heterochromatic eyes linked with Salem's. He couldn't tell what he was thinking and he did not know him long enough to determine his true intentions.
Kou jumped, a circular whirl of dust and air blew away the priests and deacons surrounding him.
Salem followed his figure in the skies. He raised his hand in his direction and shut it into a tight fist.
"Debuff."
Yellow electric sparks fizzled out of Kou as he ascended. Instead of going higher as he anticipated, he was making a rapid descent. Did he suddenly run out of mutant privileges?
A pair of bat wings stretched out in between his shoulder blades. Knowing that he had pinions to fly, thousands of golden hair strands shot outside of Salem's fingertips, latching and pursuing the viel. The holy strands that were said to belong to a Goddess loosely flailed in the air, ceiling over the square. Salem managed to catch the sluggish viel, yanking him off his place from the skies. The viel was significantly weaker because of Salem's debuff ability. He crashed on his knees, creating fractures on the cement.
"Why are you cowering? Aren't you King Kairon's proud paladin? Has his disappearance made you fragile?" Salem queried.
Kou kept staring at him, befuddled with how quickly he changed sides.
The prince waved. He pointed at the viel with a big smile. "I want him alive. He will be my royal pet. He is kingless already, isn't he?"
Kingless?
Kou's flattened and submissive ears erected in an instant. Call him homeless, call him useless, but never call him kingless.
"What a privilege, wouldn't you say so as well, viel? Why don't you serve the next future king?" Salem agreed with the boy.
The viel lowered his head, his wings drooped. "I…there is no other king I can serve."
"He's dead. Accept it. King Kairon is no longer with us."
Rorik was twitchy. He wasn't aware of this plan. Sure, the first thing he thought of doing when the viel was caught was pretending to take him into custody, but he would release him right after.
But pissing the viel off?
Kou was known to be a Kairon Loyalist. If he were only that then there would be no issues other than debates about whoever governed Canaan better. However, this certain viel was known to be the strongest and minacious amongst the 333 viels created. If they weren't in the city, Rorik wouldn't have any qualms engaging him into a life-and-death battle, however, they were in the capital for pope's sake!
Rorik fidgeted and meekly nudged Salem. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get the entire city annihilated?"
"Not yet," was Salem's short response that invoked disbelief in the older man.
Not yet? NOT YET? What did he mean not yet?
The viel rose on his feet. He glanced at the prince who was staring at him like a new toy in the item store.
"Kou will not serve any other king. Even if you cut my arms and legs off, even if you burn me or stone me, and even if I am to be titled as a traitor, I will never serve you or anyone else. You better off killing me."
He never ceased to believe that Kairon was alive. He'd wait centuries for him. More kingdoms may be built with new kings born with exceptional talents and intellect; they may even become better rulers than him, yet he could never be replaced.
Eros' face crumpled. His eyes welled up with tears and his hands clenched tightly in front of his chest.
"I want my pet! I want my pet!!! Why won't you obey me? Do you want my father to have your head cut off?"
The queen pulled the young prince against her waist. She gazed sharply at Salem. If there were other people around, the prince wouldn't throw a tantrum like that. Since the people within the area fled, he could freely act on his impulse of becoming a spoiled brat. The king, however, was different. He will express his brutality shamelessly. At times, the pope could control him, but there were circumstances when he would behead someone in the streets in broad daylight. Other countries wonder why people hadn't revolted yet when they were extremely against taking one's life and the answer was simple: the king was acting on their deepest and darkest desires for them.
Humans could never be completely pure.
"Salem, remove this vermin out of my sight. Do everything in your power to domesticate him for my son. If you can't do so, kill him."
The convict bowed at his waist. "Yes, Your Majesty."
The spear that the viel left from the inn perforated holes into walls of many houses, rolling smoothly into his awaiting palm. Dark clouds swirled unnaturally over the kingdom, like a whirlpool in the ocean. Four pillars of lightning raced from the clouds down to the ground, plowing the ground with their destructive force, searching for the one who summoned them. The electric currents reached Kou's spear that absorbed the currents. Kou released his hold from the spear, the weapon moved on its own accord, pointing against Salem as it generated a growing ball of pink light in a matter of seconds. It blasted before Salem could dodge, blowing off the surface of the floor that it covered.
He managed to create a holy shield that stopped the blast from annihilating him completely. He jumped as soon as the shield cracked and was shattered by the blast. If he didn't debuff Kou, his shield wouldn't have stood a chance. It was a quick and moderately sturdy one.
The viel broke out of the thick puffs of smoke, his fist making contact with Salem's crossed arms. The convict kicked the viel away, using that extra push to get onto a roof.
"Need a hand?" Rorik drawled. He was sitting on a bench in front of an abandoned fruit stall, watching the scene unfold with such thrill.
"Would you help?"
The cardinal snorted. "NOPE."
He brought this fate to himself, Rorik did not want to take part in any of it.
The viel appeared behind him, almost catching him off guard. He jumped off the roof, following the viel's movements that were increasing in speed. He had to debuff him again soon if he wanted to come out alive. If he failed because of dying, King Lycus would still put Karma and Jinx under the guillotine. A deal is a deal no matter what the cause of failure is.
Salem had a moment of standing still and at that moment, the viel grabbed that opportunity to clobber him. Every strike made on his face created an aftershock of breakage beneath the ground. Even Rorik was getting alarmed by this and Salem's lack of action.
The convict broke into a short chuckle that stopped Kou's punches. Blood soaked the mesh that covered Salem's face.
"Stop sulking, Kou. Have a little faith in me."
Kou's eyes widened. His fist loosened, dropping to his side. The clouds slowly cleared, allowing the sun to give light again.
'Why are you still here, Kou? Everyone is fleeing. I have told you to do the same.'
Kairon was watching from the window of his castle. Only a few knights who swore their life to the monarchy actually remained to put their life at stake. Vessels would invade the capital soon. The castle was infested with traitorous viels.
Kou knelt, his clenched hand pushed against the floor. "Kou will stay. Wherever the king is, Kou will be there.'
Kairon turned around. His chin remained high and his demeanor was at ease even when El' Azar's fate was doomed.
'Why? I have failed you. Do you not resent me?'
The knight raised his head. There was not a trace of hatred on his determined features.
'I only have faith in you.'
…
…
…
Rorik felt horrible.
Cuffing the viel's hands behind his back and securing a metallic collar around his neck to weaken him made him feel like he was betraying the heavens. He didn't even know that they had a prince until now!
"Are you coming?" Rorik asked Salem. Instead of withdrawing the thousands of hair strands back to his fingertips, the entire square was covered with hair. The street sweeper will lose her wits tomorrow.
"Are you scared of Kou?" the convict mocked.
Veins popped out of the old man's forehead. "I'm going to take him to the underground penitentiary. Once I return, you better explain to me what's going on."
Salem ignored the cardinal, walking over the stage where the queen and prince stood before. They returned to the castle with a very upset prince. Children were cute until they started to want something they couldn't have.
The strands on this side were tainted with a bronze shade. Usually, the strands would become completely black if a demon or any entity of Sheol was close by. Kou was part demon so the hairs that came in contact with him turned black. The hairs could only remain gold or become black. There was no middle ground like this one.
Killing the king may be easier than killing this child.