Ashen sat on his throne in the dark and looked at the Infernal Demon. His eyes shined then he closed his eyes. "Are you ever going to tell me your true name?"
The Infernal Demon looked back at Ashen then crossed his arms. He smirked and his red eyes shined brightly. "Wouldn't you love to know. Frankly I do not trust you enough to tell you my name. You haven't earned my respect beyond me making you a vessel for my gains."
Ashen looked at the Infernal Demon. "Well then I will call you Ragnarok solely because of your past. Your powers was enough to defeat the Old God of the Underworld. It will make it a lot easier for me to communicate with you."
"Ragnarok. Hmph. Call me whatever you please. It does not make a difference to me, boy." Ragnarok said and crossed his arm. "How long are you planning on hiding me from your family? Only your sister knows."
"As long as it takes. I am to be the King of Exithia in a month. I will not let you ruin it." Ashen said and opened his eyes. "Once I become king...I will use that power to bring down the corruption of this land and build the ultimate empire."
"Heh...The Dark Justice." Ragnarok said then turned away. He looked back at Ashen then a dark aura surrounded him. "Don't forget...The Seven Knighthood is still out there somewhere. It is our duty to destroy them...make sure they can never fight or live again. Don't forget what one of them did to your uncle. The Knight of Justice."
Ashen looked at Ragnarok and watched him disappear. He looked down and noticed the lights turn on. He looked up and noticed it was Ishia entering the room. "I told you to never come down here..."
"Brother, I know you were talking to the Infernal Demon. The Seven Knighthood are all scattered across the land. They are all associated with the Holy Empire, the Lustrous Empire. It'll be nearly impossible for us to take them all down." Ishia said.
"How is that so? 30% of the Corrupt Ember is enough to take them." Ashen said.
"That's 30% you can't even control. When was the last time you actually ever used the Ember?" Ishia said with her arms crossed.
Ashen looked down and closed his eyes. "The last time I ever used it was to save you from Lucius, the Knight of Truth. I was nearly able to kill him if he hadn't been saved by the Holy King."
"That was three years ago. You haven't used it since then." Ishia said. "You've only used his darkness and not the flame."
"The girl is correct." Ragnarok said, reappearing in front of Ashen and Ishia. He smirked at Ishia as he looked at her.
Ishia looked at Ragnarok and took a step back. "Infernal Demon..."
"You do not have to worry, mortal. I will not betray you or your allies." Ragnarok said then floated upwards then sat down crisscross in the air on a magic circle. "Let's talk of the Lustrous Empire. That empire contains Xovia, Vaelyra, Loborg, Levell, Asadia, Ceya, and Lustrous itself. Each kingdom holds one of the Seven Knights, and the closest one would be Xovia which holds the Knight of Courage. If I remember correctly, Pandora was marching to Xovia. This would be a perfect chance to bring her to our side."
"You think it would be that easy?" Ashen asked, looking up at Ragnarok.
Ragnarok looked down at Ashen. He rose his eyebrow and shrugged. "There's no telling. Ruination is a bit of a wild card, but she wouldn't risk destroying the only other monster she knows exists which is me. She's been known to betray those she no longer has use for. She's a bit shaky to trust, but...with me on your side, she won't get the chance to betray you."
"I see." Ashen said.
"We should focus on taking down Xovia, and with that I bid this meeting a farewell. Remember your goal." Ragnarok said then disappeared.
"Come on, Brother! Mom made supper for us!~" Ishia smiled at Ashen.
Ashen nodded and stood up from his ruined throne then followed Ishia out his dungeon.
[Meanwhile at Aestrea...]
Pandora looked at her plans and sighed. She looked at Ruination then looked back at her plans. "Are you sure? Will another fight with him earn his respect?"
"An all out battle. Royal against Royal. An official Royal Battle. No Monster Abilities needed. If you win, he has to join you. If you lose, you have back up plans." Ruination said. "We use him to defeat King Xavier and then dispose of him."
"Dispose..? But he's the only other Monster we know of. There's no way we can get rid of him." Pandora said.
"We certainly can't keep him even if his monster is the Infernal Demon. The Infernal Demon is too unpredictable and he will not hesitate to destroy you whenever he gets the chance." Ruination said. "Just look at what he did to the Underworld."
"I know all of that, but...I can feel that Asher...is the one." Pandora said.
"After one day? Geez, you have connection issues." Ruination said then crossed her arms. "Fine we don't have to get rid of him, but don't let your guard down. You may never know."
"Yeah yeah whatever! Let's head to the Kingdom!" Pandora said and began to pack up her things.
"It's going to take ten days to get to Exithia Kingdom on horse. There's the bridge as you know and then the extra landmarks you have to cross." Ruination said.
"Ten Days. That will be enough time for me. After all I will need all the energy I can get." Pandora said then finished packing.
"Right. Let's get going now." Ruination said then disappeared.
Pandora left her chambers then said her good-byes to her mother and siblings temporarily. Her father wasn't anywhere to be found so she left him a quick note for her mother to give him. After bidding a farewell, she left on her journey to Exithia to make Ashen an ally...
[Five days later...]
Pandora stopped at a village and looked around. She got off her horse then began to wander around. The villagers were peaceful and happily going by on their day to day lives. She smiled at the people as they reminded her of her own people and village. As she walked about, she noticed Ashen helping a woman tend to her crops with his sister Ishia. She noticed they were inseparable.
"There he is, all you have to do is challenge him." Ruination said.
"Princess at your 12." Ragnarok said.
Ashen looked back then noticed Pandora. The two stared at each other and time had felt like it stopped for them both.
"She's back..." Ashen said.
"He's right in front of me, this could probably be the only shot I have." Pandora said then walked towards him.
She was soon met face to face with Ashen for a second time. She crossed her arms. "Prince Ashen."
"Princess Pandora." Ashen said, on guard.
Ishia hid behind her brother and watched. She was worried about how the events could unfold.
"Last time we didn't have a proper battle, but this time I am here to properly challenge you to a Royal Battle. A battle you can not refuse because the state of my kingdom is on the line. I want your kingdom as an ally to Aestrea." Pandora said.
"A Royal Battle huh?" Ragnarok said and smirked.
"A R-Royal Battle? But whoever loses..." Ishia said.
"The loser has to give away their Birthright." Ashen said.
"I know the stakes are high, but Xovia is a powerful kingdom. I refuse to allow my kingdom to become fodder to King Xavier. I can't beat him alone. Accept my request and I will prove how serious I am." Pandora said.
Ashen stared at Pandora then smirked. He crossed his arms and his draconic aura knocked Pandora away, causing her to skid backwards. His eyes became dragon like and shined. "I accept, you are a fool to challenge me directly. You would have been better off trying to assassinate me again."
"That wasn't my fault! I gave no order for them to strike! I promise you that, but I do hold fault for continuing our battle. This time is different, I came to you upon my own accord. I will do whatever it takes to save my kingdom." Pandora said.
Ashen's aura had disappeared and he turned around. "The battle will be held at the Summit of Exithia. It is just beyond my kingdom. I will be waiting."
"The Summit. That is where his father and challenging king fought which ultimately lead to the king losing and losing his right to rule Exithia." Ruination said.
"You know this how?" Pandora asked and walked off.
"Research. The new ruling king is one he doesn't like. His mother is forced to love this man. If you help him defeat the new king, it will greatly help him become King of Exithia faster. Just a thought though." Ruination said.
"I thought I will consider." Pandora said then got back on her horse.
"Brother you're actually going to go through with this? What if you lose and become just like Father?" Ishia asked.
"I will not allow that to happen." Ashen said and finished watering the crops. He stared at the soil and balled his other fist. "I will make sure of it."
Everything is on the line for the both of them, their Royalty, their Status, their Birthright...The stakes couldn't be any higher for either of them and both will make sure to give it their all during their battle at the Exithian Summit. Without their Corrupt Ember, the battle could go either way...for either of them.