Few days later Selena and Asher travelled to attend the royal meeting and arrived in their noble designed carnage. They walked down to the entrance of the castle with luxury designs and red carpet.
The grand gates of the Royal Castle opened slowly, creaking with the weight of their history. Inside, Asher walked shoulder to shoulder with Selena, both dressed in sleek formal wear, their presence regal but sharp. Asher wore a black and silver coat lined with enchanted threads that shimmered subtly. Selena, dressed in a long dark violet robe, kept her eyes steady, but Asher could feel her tension through her silence.
The guards, all loyal to the royal house, stiffened as he passed. Whispers echoed through the halls. Asher wasn't just a guest—he was a wild variable, one the kingdom could no longer ignore.
The heavy silence of the castle's throne hall pressed down like a weight on Asher's shoulders as he stepped in with Selena by his side. The air was thick with the scent of incense and old blood—history clinging to the walls like ghosts.
Several banners of noble families encircled the marble throne, each representing ancient bloodlines with deep-rooted influence. The nobles were already seated in a semi-circle formation, dressed in elaborate ceremonial robes, their faces calm but their eyes sharp—watching, analyzing, judging.
And at the center of it all, lounging on the royal throne with a cunning smile, was Prince Marvin.
His golden crown was small, subtle, a mockery of modesty. He leaned forward as if welcoming them, but Asher could see the predator in his eyes. Selena's fingers twitched behind him, her unease silently bleeding into Asher's awareness.
"Welcome, my noble brothers and sisters," Marvin spoke with exaggerated solemnity, folding his hands as if in prayer. "I stand before you with a heavy heart… for the loss of our beloved Royal Family."
The nobles lowered their heads slightly in respect—though some did so only for show.
"I assure you," Marvin continued, "I have mourned… deeply. But I come to you today with hope. I have finally come to good terms with the Assassin Guild."
A ripple of whispers spread across the chamber.
"The Assassin Guild," the prince went on, "is no longer a threat to the Royal House. I've brokered peace. A new beginning."
Some nobles released soft sighs of relief, nodding. Peace with the Assassin Guild meant fewer internal wars… fewer threats to their houses.
But not Asher.
His jaw tightened.
He knew better.
Prince Marvin was the reason the royal family was dead. He had orchestrated it all—the blood, the betrayal, the silence afterward. This peace was a lie, and it reeked of something worse brewing beneath.
"I know," Marvin continued, "that with the deaths of the Top One and the Top Three, our strength has dwindled." His tone turned grave. "This has not gone unnoticed. The other continents—the vampires, the demi-humans, the beast clans—are watching… waiting… preparing."
The mention of those names caused visible reactions.
Lord Krain pounded his cane softly. Lady Valtre's lip curled in disgust. Even the younger nobles bristled. War with the East Tribes—the vampires, werewolves, and demi-humans—was nothing new. But they'd never been this vulnerable before.
"But," the prince said, now standing, "there is a way… to stop this threat."
The room stilled.
"A device," he said slowly, "the cloning device. The same one rumored to have created powerful duplicates, the same one whispered about in fear. We have it."
Asher's heart sank.
His stomach churned, his head throbbed. Only one person could have given the prince access to that device.
Lysar.
Behind him, Selena's breath hitched, her hand slightly trembling. She had reached the same conclusion.
Then, as if summoned by tension itself, the doors behind the throne opened wide—and three masked figures walked in.
At the center was a man dressed in gray and black robes, wearing a mask carved with sigils of memory and time.
Even through the mask, Asher knew it was no other than lysar.
"Am Baaaacckk" Lysar said like a performer to the nobles.
Asher felt it in his bones, in the heat crawling up his spine. His body trembled slightly—not with fear, but with the memories Lysar brought back. The nightmares. The tricks. The betrayals. The death of his maid.
But it wasn't just Lysar.
The two masked figures behind him were also unmistakable.
Even in disguise, Asher knew their aura—Damian and Charles, two of his own clones. Ones who had been killed by his father after they rebelled.
Now they stood—alive again, brought back by the very machine that tore his world apart.
He wasn't the only one disturbed and was even more surprised to see worries in the nobles eyes.
Whispers grew louder among the nobles.
"I… I feel like I've seen that man before," Lord Krain murmured.
"Yes," said Lord Oreos, one of the sharpest nobles in the council. "I feel… wrong. He's someone untrustworthy. I feel unease, maybe."
Asher watched the hall fill with unease. Even nobles who'd come indifferent were now visibly uncomfortable, eyes narrowing at Lysar.They all had a feeling that they were once victims of lysar's plot but they could not remember.
Meanwhile the prince—he smiled wider.
"Why the unease?" Prince Marvin said calmly. "Do any of you have proof that this man has wronged you...? Then I suggest you hold your tongues before speaking in accusation."
There was iron in his tone now.
Even the nobles sat straighter. Tension now danced like a blade on every word.
Lord Oreos, however, wasn't ready to back down.
"Then let him remove his mask," Oreos said boldly. "If he is innocent, he has nothing to hide."
The rest of the council murmured in agreement.
Lysar stepped forward.
His voice was calm. Cold.
"Those who have seen my face… never lived to speak of it and those who knows what I look like suffers from lifetime trauma."
The words hit the room like a wave of darkness.
Asher flinched slightly. The inner demon inside him stirred.
He knew Lysar wasn't bluffing. He'd seen that face once—and lived only to carry its scars.
Prince Marvin raised his hand to silence everyone.
"My point," he continued, "is that with the cloning device, we can bring back the Top One, the Top Three—even improve them. We will become stronger than ever before."
A pause.
"But… we lack the power source. The energy required for resurrection is beyond normal means. We require power stones, ancient ones. The only place we can find them now…"
He looked up slowly.
"…is within the caves of the Vampire Dominion."
Gasps erupted.
"You mean to propose an attack?" Lord Valtre asked.
"Yes," Marvin replied. "An alliance with the Dwarves has already been drafted. We'll send an elite team— Some of the Top Tens, nobles, tacticians—to retrieve the stones."
He let the idea settle like a storm on the sea.
The nobles, although still wary, seemed excited now. The thought of reclaiming their lost strength thrilled them. Some whispered about resurrecting their family. Others wondered if they could be cloned themselves.
But Asher's mind was spinning.
Cloning technology in the prince's hands. Lysar involved. Damian and Charles revived. The next war was already happening—inside the castle itself.
Asher turned to leave the throne room with Selena. But before he could take a full step—
"Asher."
Prince Marvin approached.
The guards parted, but not without radiating hostility. One of them—a massive figure in dark armor—stood like a tower. The Second Strongest, Asher could tell by aura alone.
But Asher didn't flinch.
"Congratulations," Marvin said with a smile, "on marrying my sister."
There was venom beneath the words.
"It was… unexpected. But clever. Tying yourself to royalty gives you immunity, doesn't it?"
Asher stared into his eyes. "I wasn't looking for immunity."
"Oh? Then maybe you were looking for control."
Asher narrowed his eyes.
Selena remained behind him, quiet. Her presence was a calm anchor in a storm.
Marvin smiled again. "No matter. You'll be summoned to represent your territory in the raid against the vampires. I expect nothing but loyalty."
He walked off with his guards.
But someone remained.
Lysar. He decided to confront Lysar and didn't bring Selena with him this time.
He leaned against a pillar near the hall's exit, arms folded, waiting.
"Asher," he said smoothly. "I thought you'd never come."
Asher turned toward him. "I knew you were behind all this."
Lysar chuckled. "Always one step ahead, remember?"
"Why?" Asher asked, voice calm but sharp. "Why drag the world into chaos? Why bring back the worst of us?"
"I'm strengthening the kingdom," Lysar said with mock innocence. "The cloning device is our salvation. Our continent is dieing and we humans are slowly losing control putting us in the door step of extinction."
"At the cost of killing another man's son?" Asher snapped. "At the cost of my maid's life?"
"She was in the way," Lysar said without remorse. "And that boy—valvador's son—he attacked me. I just responded appropriately. Besides I brought the maid back to life with the cloning machine and I can always do the same for valvador's son."
"You tricked me," Asher said, his eyes now glowing faintly with inner demon influence.
"You tricked everyone. You murdered Selena. And now you're using our clones bodies as pawns."
"And you're no different," Lysar sneered. "You killed your own kind—your own clone Talon. At least I'm trying to build something. Korrin wanted legacy. Talon wanted to reign. I want power for the people. And you—you stand in our way."
Asher's fury surged.
The shadows around him began to ripple. The stone beneath his feet cracked.
Then… his voice deepened.
His inner demon stirred.
"YOU THINK YOU UNDERSTAND POWER?"Asher asked, voice distorted. "YOU THINK YOUR LOGIC IS WHAT IS BEST FOR THE WORLD."
"Oh looks like you've grown stronger but you are not the only one" Lysar said confidently. He reached out and placed a hand on Asher's forehead. He wanted to show Asher his mind dominating powers.
What he entered was not a mind, but a void.
A realm of endless darkness.
"Where…?" Lysar turned. "Where am I?"
And then came the laughter.
Deep. Echoing. Mocking.
"HA HA HA HA AAA"
He spun around, eyes wide. "Who's there?! What are you?!"
And from the shadows emerged something not fully Asher.
" KEH KEH HA HA HA I AM THE DEMON THAT CONSUMES MEMORY, I AM THE DEVOURER OF STORIES, I AM THE DESTINY MONGER.... I .. AM.....THE DEMON GOD STEE'ZZ "
Lysar screamed as he was being absorbed by the demon. He struggled, but his essence was being peeled, stripped, and being torned to pieces.
In the physical realm, Lysar suddenly jerked back from Asher, gasping and staggering. His hands trembled.
Asher looked down at him coldly.
"Try that again… AND I WILL ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE."
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