An Oath Beyond Death

There were signs of movement, yet the throne room of the Demon King’s dungeon was completely empty. Not even a trace of the ancient battle once fought here remained.

The only sight in the distance was a lone skeleton beneath the throne.

"A portal," said Meldior, analyzing the center of the chamber. "And it closed not long ago."

"Do you mean someone took advantage of the commotion and came to loot the place while we were fighting?" I asked as I began walking toward the throne.

"No, my lord, only the dungeon master can open a portal here. Even after all these centuries, those defenses are still active in this place," Meldior replied with a somber expression.

"So that must be what the hero of Baresta meant when he said it was already too late."

Now closer to the throne, I could see that the skeleton lying before it bore a brooch with the symbol of the Empire.

"This must be Eldric’s body…" I said as I crouched down. "For some reason it seems to be the only skeleton left in this part of the dungeon…"

"My lord, would you like us to bury him according to human custom?" asked Lirilien, stepping up beside me.

But before I could answer her question, a strange sensation caught my attention.

"This time, I can sense a presence…" I said, turning toward the throne.

Everyone followed my gaze, and before us a figure began to materialize.

"It seems I caused you a great deal of trouble. I’m sorry."

The one speaking to us was none other than Eldric. This time his body was translucent, yet his expression seemed far more human.

"My soul was fighting against Adelgorth’s, but in the end I couldn’t contain him…"

"Do you mean it wasn’t really you we faced just moments ago?" I asked, not fully grasping the situation.

"It was a fragment of me, my will, manifested through the power of my sword Cyndelair," replied the hero, gesturing with his transparent hand toward the weapon Meldior now held. "But that part of me couldn’t reason, its only purpose was to guard this place. Once again, I am sorry."

Meldior nodded, his earlier theory now confirmed.

"If you’re still here, young warrior, does that mean you know what happened to the Demon King’s body?" Rafal asked.

After hearing about the portal, I didn’t have many doubts left myself.

"Adelgorth has risen from the dead," said Eldric, clenching his fists. "He will stop at nothing to conquer the entire known world."

How cliché…

In any case, hearing that an ancient demon is roaming free is never good news. Fortunately, there was someone here who seemed to have plenty of information about this enemy.

"Such insolence!" exclaimed Lirilien, startling us all. "All of Ameritia belongs to my lord!"

"Ahem! Setting that aside for now… Eldric, this may sound like a strange question, but what do you plan to do now? Rest in peace?"

The hero shook his head.

"I cannot rest in peace knowing Adelgorth is free."

"I can imagine… after everything you did to prevent his return," I said, stroking my chin as I thought. "How about coming with us?"

The hero shook his head again.

"I cannot leave the place where I perished…"

I don’t think this could be done with just anyone or at any moment. But seeing how strong Eldric’s attachment to life is, and how his soul is here with us…

I approached the body once more and placed my hand in the air above it.

Revera was the word for regeneration, Londerter was the concept of union, like the one between body and soul. Combining the two in a way that better channeled magical energy would be…

"Revondien."

"What?! What is happening?! Ahh! Aaaahhh!"

The soul of the legendary hero was practically swallowed by the skeleton, which had begun to glow with a blinding light.

Thankfully, the brilliance concealed the regeneration of veins and muscles, which honestly was not exactly a sight for everyone.

"This goes beyond simple magic… But after learning of Orb’s existence, nothing surprises me anymore," remarked Meldior.

Rafal and Lirilien nodded beside him.

***

The scene shifted once again to the antechamber of my quarters inside the gigantic tree at the center of Myrthalas.

Fortunately, the chair I was sitting on (which looked more like a throne, to be honest) was sturdy enough. Otherwise I would have collapsed under the weight of Merite and Coletto, who were perched on each of its armrests and had their arms wrapped around my neck.

Certainly, no matter how much they elevated me as a legendary emperor, the respect that came with it seemed to have been lost on them somewhere along the way…

In front of me was Eldric, still kneeling after learning of my identity.

It seemed I was doing a terrible job of keeping it hidden, but in my defense, only the members of my “party” knew… the rest merely suspected… or simply thought I was some new god…

"I can’t believe it…"

Those words from the ancient hero’s mouth had nothing to do with who I was. Those doubts had surely vanished from his mind the moment he set foot in Orb. No, they were directed at the news Meldior had just delivered about the small kingdom of Tharond, now reduced to a mere region within the Empire of Baresta.

"Tharond was our ally… I can’t believe my father betrayed them. How can I face Diliora in the afterlife…"

"I don’t know how to put this, but House Baresta no longer rules the Empire of Baresta," explained Meldior, stroking his beard. "In the midst of the wars against the Demon King, the branch family, Portentor, seized the throne."

"My uncle…" Eldric Baresta’s expression turned serious, as if a resolution had just taken shape within him. "Your Majesty, please allow me to accompany you. I believe my enemy is not only Adelgorth. It seems Baresta too has lost its principles."

"I was the one who revived you, so forgive me if this sounds like another strange question… but are you sure? You may end up facing Baresta if we go according to Lirilien’s intentions."

The one alluded to just smiled angelically.

"The kingdom of Baresta was born to preserve your legacy, Your Majesty," Eldric declared, rising to his feet. "But the kingdom has already fallen. The Empire of Baresta, controlled by the Portentor, is my enemy."

"I like this youngster, he’s got guts," remarked Merite.

"Merite, Eldric was born long before you," corrected Coletto.

"If he was dead, it doesn’t count," Merite shot back.

"In the end, our objective hasn’t changed," affirmed Lirilien at my side, her trademark calculating smile on her lips. "What better way to protect Ameritia from Adelgorth than by bringing it under our control?"

"I am against indiscriminate conquest, but it is true that Ameritia belongs to Zendal di Ameritia," declared Eldric. "All I ask is that we first try the peaceful path."

"And when they say no, we annihilate them!" shouted Merite with a laugh.

"It will be up to me to decide whether this world deserves to be conquered. First, I want to see it for myself…"

Deep inside, I knew I had an urge to conquer and claim everything I saw. That was why Eldric’s power interested me, beyond the information he carried, and why I ended up reviving him. But if I acted only according to that desire, I would be no different from Adelgorth.

"Now that we’ve left the dungeon behind, the only thing left is to reach the surface," I continued, as I looked up at the ceiling of the chamber.

Of course, it was only a metaphorical gesture. I had no idea whether beyond Orb’s sky lay the Abyss caverns, or whether we were in another dimension altogether…

"Now it’s our turn to accompany you, Zendal!" said Merite.

"But the dungeon only lasted a couple of days!" protested Lirilien.

"For us it was more than a month," Coletto affirmed.

I looked around, and even the men seemed to show in their expressions that they wanted to follow me, but they couldn’t say a word in the face of the women’s intensity. To be honest, Meldior’s expression seemed to suggest that he would also be fine staying in Orb studying magic…

"For now I will go alone, as I had planned from the start," I said at last.

"My lord?!"
"Zendal!"
"Masteeer…"

"Don’t worry, I’ll spend a few days in Myrthalas, and in the meantime I’ll adjust the flow of time so that it passes however I wish. I believe I can do that now."

"Is that true, my lord?!" exclaimed Lirilien in surprise.

"I’ve been thinking about it for some time," I replied with a smile. "It wouldn’t do if Meldior died of old age before I returned… and it would be boring if Merite matured with the years."

"Zendal… I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not…" murmured Merite beside me.

I simply smiled and stroked her head.

"Don’t worry, Master, if she hasn’t matured in hundreds of years, she never will," Coletto affirmed.

Lirilien nodded with a smile as well.

"Now that definitely wasn’t a compliment!" Merite protested.