The Soul Keeper

I didn't respond. Instead, I just glared at her before stepping away. Her lips formed a mischievous smile.

"That's insane." Aoife whispered after Vixia walked away. "She's insane." 

I nodded. "She is certainly something." I mumbled. Vixia was an enigma. She had always been one, ever since we first crossed paths. "This is her being mild again." I added after a moment. She had done a lot worse than this.

Aoife's eyes opened wide. "What do you mean?" 

I sighed. "Let's just say we clashed. A lot." I chuckled when I saw Aoife's expression. "She and Delthur were the first two demons I came across. I was terrified the first time I met them."

My explanation only seemed to confuse her more, and the same could be said about the inspector as well. "Just… never mind." I said, shaking my head. It wasn't exactly the easiest situation to explain.

I suddenly felt a powerful presence by the entrance, and quickly turned and glared at the door. "Fetheion's here." I said as the doors slowly opened, and the Exiled Divine stepped through.

He was wearing grey armour of similar design to my own, though he had clearly enhanced it. I could feel the power radiating from him.

"I guess it worked," I mumbled as my expression darkened. My ability to sense others' power was just as strong and sensitive as before, if not more so.

"How did you know…?" Inspector John asked. I shrugged. "I can sense him." I said in a low voice as Fetheion approached us.

"Kai, I'm glad to see you well." He hesitated. "I… fear asking what happened yesterday."

I avoided meeting his gaze, and clenched my fist, hidden under my cloak. "Don't. I'm fine, there is nothing to worry about." 

He seemed somewhat surprised, perhaps because of my attitude, or perhaps because I actually seemed fine. "I'm glad to hear." He said, shooing Aoife and Inspector John surprised glances. They didn't seem to notice his confusion.

"What happens next?" Aoife asked after perhaps half a minute of awkward silence. Fetheion took a deep breath to answer, but I was quick to cut him off.

"They're rallying the entire demonic army. That will naturally take some time. A few days at best, weeks at worst. We can't attack the Divine Pillar until the army is ready to march, but we can't let Aelith and her underlings take control of Earth without any resistance either." 

Fetheion fell silent as I explained. His shoulders dropped and his expression changed – he seemed hurt more than anything. I promptly ignored him. "So, some of us will go back to Earth, and we will start bothering her. We'll stop the construction of new Pillars as much as we can." I glanced at Vixia, who was leaning her back against the wall not too far from us. 

Noticing my gaze, she nodded. "Once the armies are ready to march, we head off. We destroy the Divine Pillar, kill Aelith and end the plague that is the Lightbringers." 

As she spoke, her lips curled up into a wicked smile. It was clear that she enjoyed the thought of killing Aelith. I didn't blame her – I wanted to kill her as well. 

"Wait, so this will take days? Weeks, perhaps?" Aoife asked in shock. 

"What did you expect, girl?" Vixia asked with a chuckle. "We are not gods, we are not all powerful, not even the Lord is." Her gaze lingered on me. "And I can already tell the Keeper of Souls will not take part in this battle." 

I flinched. "Why not?" I asked, furrowing my brows. The only reason I believed we stood a chance was because I thought we had the Keeper on our side. "He killed Rohir."

Fetheion drew a sharp breath. "Only because you were about to die." He touched his own chest. "Because he has a claim on-"

"Stop, I get it." I cut him off in a hurry. Aoife and Inspector John didn't know about any of that. And I intended to keep it that was. I didn't want them to worry about me any more than they already did.

"Once the Pillar is destroyed, the Ereth will leave, right?" Inspector John chimed in.

I nodded. "They can't use their powers for long unless they're near a Pillar, so once it's destroyed, they'll leave." I sighed and looked around. How long had we been waiting here now? Where was the Lord? The Keeper? When were we going to get going?

I clenched my fists. I was anxious, worried. I still had no clue as to where Mother was, and Aelith was only growing stronger each minute we spent here. I shot Fetheion an annoyed glance. I had so much I wanted to ask him, and I…

The massive doors that led to the throne room opened with a loud creak, distracting me from my thoughts.

The immense presence of the Demon Lord filled the waiting area as he stepped through the door. I took a deep breath as the air grew heavier. 

"What happens now?" Aoife whispered. I shushed her – I didn't want her to be the forefront of attention right now.

"Fetheion," The Demon Lord's voice, filled with power, echoed within the room. "You will accompany Kai and the humans back. Establish a base, then do what we always do."

The Exiled Divine nodded. "Who will come with us?"

To my surprise, it was Vixia who stepped forward. "I will come, along with a few of our soldiers, and of course, Delthur will join us."

I took a deep breath. Vixia was powerful, but not enough so to stand her ground against Aelith. 

"Once the preparations are complete, we will strike." The Demon Lord's lips formed a faint, yet wicked smile. "Leave when you are ready. And Kai, follow me." I was about to breathe in relief when he spoke my name. But when he did, I froze for a moment.

I followed him back into the throne room. My palms were sweating as I tried to keep my fear under control. What else did he want from me?

"Here." He raised his hand, and the familiar shape of my scythe appeared in the air before me. "The Keeper took it before you left your world. Try not losing it again." He chuckled. "Give me your hand." He added.

I hesitantly extended my left hand. He touched the middle of my palm. I felt a mild sting. 

"You know what this is. You know when you have to use it. And you know what it will do to you." His purple eyes seemingly peered into my souls. "Use it well, and make it count."