Symbiotic Ascension : A Progression Fantasy Adventure

Silence reigned throughout the empty land separating Munirp from the Ink Dunes and New Thalorieth. The twin moons shone lazily above Glenn, covering him and everyone else in a cloak of pale light.

'This was impressive,' commented Diamanes. 'Very impressive.'

Glenn was startled out of his trance. 'No shit. Fuck, did he just blast a hole in a God's eye? Why do I and Nelg even bother at this point? We should just get Alaric to help us!'

'Excellent idea,' agreed Diamanes. 'I'm just kind of curious as to how you will convince the King to fight against literal Gods when he has to protect his kingdom.'

'...I was being sarcastic, Diamanes.'

'I know.'

Glenn threw a suspicious look at his left hand before turning to his comrades. Sahro's eyes were practically shining as he looked up at Alaric Magnus descending back among the mortals. Milena was slowly shaking her head in awe while massaging the back of her neck. As for Liara, she was scratching Whitey's chin, pondering with a complex expression.

"It has been quite the show for sure," Glenn muttered. "Damn, can he even be called a human still?"

"I don't know," admitted Diamanes. The young man froze and stared at his left hand. He hadn't exactly expected an answer to his rhetorical question.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Diamanes smacked his lips together, wincing. "I don't know. Maybe he is still human, but a mortal shouldn't be able to fight a God, never mind harm one."

"Even a True Ruler?"

"Hmm," Diamanes grunted. "Even a True Ruler."

Glenn looked back at the King, who was now discussing with Duke Noir. The bear-like man's face was unnaturally pale, and he nodded multiple times at his liege's words, each time gulping profusely. It was a strange sight, seeing the giant of a man that was Duke Noir look so... Fearful.

With the feeling that everything was finally over in a good way, Glenn allowed himself to search for a man with particularly pale skin and a tendency to look like he was completely dead. A feature which did improved in recent times.

The W.O.R.M. was practically half-buried underground, with only one round top revealed like some sort of huge cap placed on the ground. Javier was nodding to a few demons who were thanking him vehemently.

"Thank you again, Sir... Sir." A blue-skinned demon bowed, settling for no name instead of an unsightly mistake. Elder Iakris, a demon with gray skin and a single long horn on his forehead, shook Javier's hand, a forced and exhausted smile on his lips.

"You have done our people a great service, Son of the Moons. We will repay you in kind, that I assure you."

Javier's eyelids trembled at that, even drawing up a very small smile. Glenn cleared his throat, announcing his presence.

"Elder Ialkris. You remember me?"

The gray-skinned demon frowned. "You're that boy with the..." His eyes slowed on Glenn's left hand. "Yes, the purple limb. I remember you. You... Became even stronger, didn't you? What sorts of meals do you consume on Limbo to grow so quickly?"

Glenn moistened his lips. "Just a good bowl of pain and struggle, nothing special. I see Javier evacuated you from the Beyond. How did that come to be?" He turned his gaze to the Pale Son, who had already written his reply on a piece of paper.

"The Moons told me to come here."

Glenn restrained a chortle. "Of course they did. Great job, Javier."

The silent hunter nodded slightly, his eyes hiding his true feelings, if he had any at all.

"Elder Ialkris." Liara saluted as she joined the group. "I am glad you and your people could survive this ordeal."

The demon smiled dejectedly. "There's not much left of my kin, I fear. We who once stood proud in front of monsters and devils wearing human skins are now houseless, our world turned to the void." He looked at the pale Moons above and sighed. "This is a strange sight, I must admit. One I thought was only a legend."

"What will you guys do, then?" Glenn inquired. "Any plans on what's next for the demons?"

Ialkris shook his head. "I... We just arrived on Limbo, I'm afraid we do not have the resources or the knowledge to adapt ourselves. Everything is different, and we are all..." He rubbed the corner of his eyes. "Very tired."

He glanced at the King of Munirp, who was still speaking with Duke Noir. "I must admit, my kin does not want to find refuge in the arms of humans of all people." He forced an awkward smile towards Glenn. "I mean no offense, but the history between our races is too heavy for simple cohabitation."

"Then come to my kingdom," proposed Liara simply.

Elder Ialkris blinked and turned to Liara with a confused expression. "Your kingdom?"

She nodded. "Thalorieth - we call it New Thalorieth - is being rebuilt currently."

The demon's eyebrows creased, and he rubbed the side of his horn. "Rebuilt? But... I remember distinctly my elders telling me that Thalorieth had been ruined by a thousand years of sandstorms."

Glenn cleared his throat and grinned. "We have brought some changes to the Ink Dunes."

Ialkris' confusion deepened even further. "But how? I am certain that the elves have suffered a punishment even worse than ours, for they couldn't be sealed into another world..."

Liara traded a glance with Glenn, who nodded discreetly at her. 'We need to talk to this demon. He knows stuff about the past. Shit, I should have returned to the Beyond earlier instead of putting it off until a literal God told me to go there.'

"Elder Ialkris, if you would, I'd love to tell you about my country. Rest assured that demons would be perfectly welcomed there, in the new elven kingdom..." Liara brought the elder a little further alongside a few other demons interested in the Queen's proposition. Glenn excused himself and sat on the ground, contemplating the night sky.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Too much had happened in too little time. But then, it was always like that with his adventures.

'That mission went like shit, by the way,' remarked Diamanes. 'You went into the Beyond to break the Guardian's chains, and instead got the Beyond to be destroyed and the Guardian killed.'

Glenn clenched his teeth and almost insulted the entity for his harsh words, when he realized that he wasn't exactly wrong. Had Glenn and his team not come to the Beyond, perhaps the Guardian would still be alive and the Seal still... Sealed.

'Bah, I'm just messing with you,' cackled Diamanes as he listened to his host's thoughts. 'That True Ruler would have gotten the last piece of the Seal one way or another. At least you managed to get rid of the problem in the end. And the Beyond was like an infected wound, better burn it down before it spreads to the rest of the body!'

'...We did destroy an entire world,' Glenn carefully said.

'Technically, the Guardian did, not you. You just gave him the Guide idol, that's all.' Diamanes made a spitting noise. 'And it's the Guardian's fault for being so weak! Who had the bright idea of giving him the key to the world when he couldn't even use mystical powers?'

Glenn rolled his eyes. 'He was the King of the Demons, and even without his powers, could fend off against a Newborn Ruler.' Glenn suddenly frowned. 'That makes me think. Why didn't he use his powers? From what we saw, the Elf King could use them.'

'Their punishments were also different,' noticed Diamanes. 'Maybe the Gods wanted his world to die, but had to keep face or something? To not hurt their faith production too badly?'

'How could it hurt them when nobodies know about it?' Glenn retorted. His blood turned to ice, and he suddenly stood up. 'Nobody remembers shit but the demons. Fuck. Why can't anyone remember anything?'

He had never really thought about it, but there was a big hole in Munirp's history. The First King's name was forgotten, but that could be explained as a punishment from the Gods. Aside from that, nobody knows about him and the other Kings slaying a God. Nobody knew about the ancient elven kingdom of Thalorieth, only that the elves had disappeared at some point in time. When? Nobody knows, it's a total blur. Or was it? 'I'm not exactly an expert on Munirp history.'

Glenn's eyes quickly searched for the perfect individual who could reply to his questions. The King of Munirp glanced at him and turned back to his advisors. The young man moistened his lips and turned to the second-best person for the job.

Milena was pacing around with all four arms crossed, Sahro watching her with half-closed eyes. He was doing the maintenance of his katana, Raijin enjoying a lovely nap on his knees. As for Pebble and Whitey, they were taking a break, sleeping in a corner after all the flying they had to do.

"Milena, I just thought about something-"

Milena clenched her teeth and grabbed Glenn by the collar. "I also thought about something, Glenn! Where the hell is Lucian?"

Glenn blinked, his eyes slowly widening. "Oh shit. I forgot about him."

"He had his eyeballs ripped off, and you forget about him?" Diamanes scoffed somberly. "What a good friend you make."

The young man could have given excuses about that - watching a human pummel a Dead God was probably a good enough reason - but he didn't. Instead, he turned back and rushed in Alaric Magnus' direction. Their friend's father and ruler of the kingdom of Munirp.

"Excuse me, Your Highness." Glenn interrupted his discussion with Duke Noir. The King turned towards him and, suddenly, Glenn felt like he was just a tiny little mouse staring up at the tallest mountain.

"What?" He asked dryly.

Glenn sketched a nervous smile, his back drenched in sweat. "I- We would like to know about Lucian's condition."

The King frowned. "I sent him to the best healers in the kingdom for treatment, but his soul had disappeared. The most competent individuals are working on it, do not worry."

"His soul did what now?" Glenn couldn't help repeating the King's words.'Oh, that doesn't sound good. That doesn't sound good at all!'

The King grunted and grabbed Glenn's shoulder. "Lucian is in good hands, he will be fine-"

Bzzt!

The King- no, Alaric stumbled back with a grunt as someone suddenly appeared, hugging him. Glenn was so startled by that he forgot to cast his spells.

"You-" Alaric sighed, glanced at the curious onlookers, and closed his eyes as he replied in kind to the embrace.

Lucian flinched as he suddenly remembered where and with whom he was, gingerly pulling himself away. "S- Sorry, D- Father. Your Highness." He hastily corrected himself. His blue eyes were back in their sockets, not without traces from his experience in the sky of the Beyond. There was something in the Prince's gaze that Glenn's soul could deeply resonate with. A scar that shall never truly heal, caused by great suffering.

'I think the word you're looking for is PTSD.'

'Shut it, Diamanes.'

Alaric smiled softly, and he gently pressed a hand on the side of his son's face. "I'm glad you're okay. You gave me quite a scare."

Lucian bowed, trembling. "My deepest apologies. I had not expected things would turn out this... This way."

His father chuckled and patted his back with a warm expression. "The greatest cooks know not to burn themselves, for their hands still remember their errors past." His gaze softened, and he sighed heavily. "I am simply happy you have not burned yourself too badly."

Lucian gritted his teeth, a bead of sweat dropping down his neck. "I swear to become the most careful of all princes. I refuse to let these sorts of things happen again due to my recklessness and personal desires."

Alaric, even though he didn't exactly know what had transpired in the Beyond, nodded. "Good. Now, I think someone's waiting for you."

Lucian turned to find a grinning Glenn staring at him. The Prince's expression crumbled, and he hugged his friend tightly, surprising him. "Glenn, I thought I was going to remain stuck in the sky forever!" He cried.

Glenn was startled at the start, but quickly patted his friend's back and carefully pushed him away. "Well, thankfully, you didn't! And you don't look half insane, so you should be fine, right?"

Lucian stared at him with an empty gaze. "Next time, you go and try to see what it's like to be a pair of eyes in the sky."

Glenn laughed and passed his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Come! Let's show the others that you're okay."

"How? What have you done?"

The voice made them both freeze in their steps as something Insidious tightened around their necks. A cold fury, so powerful it strained their breathing and stopped them from talking. Glenn's pulse accelerated as he recognized the voice.

'Dragon-Mask. How the fuck did the King not see the bastard! What the fuck, Alaric?!'

"He won't notice me," Dragon Mask muttered. "Nor hear me."

"Now, reply to me, or I swear I will cast your princely friend down the bowels of this world, Glenn the Devil's Hand."

"How did you stop the demons' descent? And how the hell did you destroy the Beyond?!"

Glenn felt some of the pressure being alleviated, and he gulped. His throat was dry and coarse, and he felt as if any movements would condemn him to certain death. And to add to the injury, he could feel a compulsion pushing him to reply to the damned Occult Wanderer.

"I..." He grinned widely as that compulsion faded away, devoured by the being in his left hand. "Didn't do shit, you fucking sick bastard!"

His Mana pulsed out and into Lucian. The Prince, who was also being crushed down by the unknown pressure, realized what he had to do. He used a spell.

Glenn, Lucian, and the presence behind them's time was rewinded by exactly one second, which wasn't enormous, considering what Lucian was capable of now. But with a True Ruler in range, that was the best he could do. And it was more than enough for a certain individual to realize the treachery.

One instant, the pressure from Dragon-Mask crushed them.

The other, the King, arrived.

He grabbed at the air, his sudden movement creating a violent gust of wind that almost threw them both off their feet. "You damned pest. Why don't you try and attack my kingdom once more?" Alaric hissed, his crown shining with majestic twilight.

The creature he had seized growled softly. A bat, with a deep red body and dark green wings. It turned into a cloud of smoke, dissipating in the air. Alaric cursed and watched as the spell disappeared.

'This guy is all bark, no bite,' laughed Diamanes. 'A True Ruler making false threats! I've really seen everything!'

Swoosh!

The flapping of wings echoed in the night as the moonlight suddenly turned crimson. Glenn took a step back, cold sweat drenching his back. The change had been instantaneous, with no warning signs. The Twin Moons were still pale, but blood mist now covered the land. A whisper rose from the ground, silent yet heard by all.

"If you so wish it, King of Munirp."

"Let the Sun be swallowed by the darkest night."

"Let my name be heard once more, you who have harmed my God."

"Let the fear creep within you, and the wound I inflicted on you weep."

"For I, Lord of the Night, fear no man."

"For I, Nosferatu, shall always prevail."