Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Chapter 361: Year of Darkness

"HOLD! HOLD! ARSENE, YOU MUST HOLD!" Hephaestus desperately screamed, hammering down till all that was left was ashes.

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"Arsene!"

"Arsene!"

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"Beware of my return," She whispered with a soft, tender kiss, "For I will not be the same."

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"Endless and Eternal,"

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Snapping my eyes open, the blinding flashes of fragmented memories flooded my soul. Desperately gasping for air, my stomach twisted as blood spewed from my lips, spilling over the ground.

I groaned, for It was all I could do before slipping off the bed into a pool of my blood. Still gasping for air, I hastily tried to look around, confused at where I was. The walls appeared to be made of clay. It was simple, holding nothing of elegance. The same could be said about the hay bed in which I laid.

"Where am I."

I muttered, struggling to lift my body to its feet, only to end in failure. Splashing back into my blood, I laid head first, watching the bubbles of air rising from the small puddle.

"Hephaestus... is dead... Am I?" I weakly muttered while my vision began to fade.

Cling to my consciousness, I held my eyes open and studied myself. My Dantian was dry, and my body's vital Qi was gone. Even for a devil, such a thing should be impossible, but here I lay. My muscles appeared in perfect shape but weak as if I had not moved in years.

"What happened?" I muttered, recalling very few things.

Activating the Demonic Sacrilege Mantra, the Gates of heaven and Earth opened wide as I felt the taste of fresh honey due fill my lips. With each breath I took, a dense mist would fill the black sun that was my dantian.

I had not known how long it had been. I had learned to stop counting. True torment numbers were. But I soon found the energy needed within me to stand upon my two feet.

Noticing the dirty rags upon my body, I looked around the simplistic room, finding a long oak stick that lay silently near my bed. Taking it into my hands, I leaned against it to support my weary self.

Making my way towards the door covered by what seemed to be animal skin, I stepped through as my eyes fell upon a pot steaming with what appeared to be soup, maybe porage?

Not capturing any sort of life, I headed towards the exit, towards the hour of the night. Remarking at how not even the stars shone with light, I glanced around, "If its night time? Why is no one sleeping or cultivating?"

Shutting my mouth, I slowly made my way towards what seemed to be the sounds of laughter. Feeling the ground trembling the closer I got, I saw a large gathering of not humans but giants.

"Midgard?" I recalled vaguely.

"Young man, your awake?" A booming voice of an elderly man resounded. He was tall, very tall, towering over me like I was but an ant, but as he drew closer, his body began to shrink to the size of what humans appeared to be. "You have been out for a very long time." He said, causing my brow to rise. "A year, to be exact.

"A year?" I muttered, wondering if that was a long time. "Was that hut yours?" I inquired, receiving a kind nod,

"Aye, I found you falling from the stars when night fell upon the land." He muttered, shifting his aged eye towards the large gathering, "Some people here believe it was your doing."

"Why would they think that?" I asked, scratching my brow.

"Must you ask? You are, After all, Arsene Snow known to be the Ashen King. What are we supposed to believe?" He said as if I was supposed to understand.

Appearing like I had the faintest idea, I lifted my lips, "Do you know where the Isle of Yu'Drol is?" I asked, appearing only to remember to head there.

"Six mouths Jurney northeast, but you will not get far. Not with your body like so." He said, "Stay for a bit, you have crippled your foundation, and it needs time to recover. A month at least."

"Why are you so kind?" I inquired while my memories were foggy. I felt something was fishy. Are people so kind? Even if they are giants? Should I peer into his heart? Wait! I remember my abilities.

"Kind?" The elder turned to me, shocked, "You must have truly forgotten your memories. It seems like our priest was correct. It's not because of Kindness but fear. Fear of what may happen to you should we neglect you."

Lowering my head, I touched my heart, not sure what I was feeling. There were fear, hatred, and worry within his expression, but he remained civil.

"I see," I uttered, unsure what to say. When all of a sudden, blood began to leak from my eyes. Flooded by the intense pain of having my eyes being torn open while having them seared with tar, I fell, clutching them as my body began to shake.

"Arsene,' Feilo shouted, shocking me to the core at how I even knew his name.

Why is that ability activating now!

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Rising from my bed, I looked around at the familiar walls and bed. Cursing beneath my breath, I felt my dantian dry once more. Shaking my head, I sighed, "I need souls, lots of souls."

Activating the Demonic Sacrilege Mantra once more, I chose to wait till my entire body was full of energy. Pushing my qi into my weak muscles, I began feeding them demonic qi in hopes of regaining my strength.

Stepping into my hut, Feilo frowned, noticing my actions. Shaking his head, he beckoned, "Come and eat. This may help recover your vital Qi. I hear you hate fish... It's Amber smoked Salmon soup. Found within our great canyon."

Twitching my brow, I glared hatefully at the elderly man smirking with a solemn expression. Knowing what he was doing, I sighed, rising from off the bed to follow behind Feilo. Grabbing the cane that had returned to its original spot, we entered what I believed to be the living room.

Smelling the fishiness, my stomach began to churn as his evil laughter echoed, "It's all we got. If you want to head to Yu'drol, you had best eat up."

"Your damn bastard!" I bitterly urged, taking a seat on to a soft cushion by the pot.

"Get your memories back, and we will see who the real bastard is."