A Star's Element - 7. Meeting Royalty

Tobias

The Spirit Sailor has stopped rowing the boat and is now letting us slowly drift in the open water.

I believe it is almost time to teleport.

“Why are we slowing down?” Luno says next to me.

He lifts his head from my shoulder and glances up at me before turning to let his hand trail in the water.

He hasn’t said much for awhile. I guess he's thinking about all that we talked about.

He seemed really confused. A bit strange that the Gatekeeper of the Heavens would keep Luno in the dark.

Gods thrive on sharing information. They love to share it with others to seem like they know better and all.

Why wouldn’t she tell Luno a thing? Especially about her husband. Or even the one who slept with her husband.

I personally don’t see why the Gatekeeper got angry at Raiyo.

Sure, he is the God of persuasion and seduction, but the Moon God has clearly been unfaithful to the Gatekeeper for thousands of years.

“We are about to make our way to Enfierna.” I say and glance behind us at the Spirit.

He gives a nod.

It is always best to make sure he is taking you to the right realm. It would be pretty bad if we somehow found ourselves at heaven’s gates.

I would bet that the Gatekeeper would be very cross to learn that her son is trying to meet Raiyo of all people.

“Then why are we slowing down?” Luno asks.

I sigh.

So many questions.

Can’t he save them for when he meets Raiyo?

“We are going to teleport. Enfierna is Raiyo’s realm. He owns it.” I say through gritted teeth.

Honestly, Luno’s voice is starting to annoy me.

“Now can you just shut up for two seconds?”

Luno bites his lip and the flowers in his hair start to turn red.

I am pretty sure they change color based on his mood.

For instance, they may be red because he is angry. He is too damn nice to do anything about it however.

Apparently he took my words seriously because two seconds later, he says, “Would he try to kill me?”

I just laugh at that.

“Honestly? I don’t know. I doubt it. I could try to tell him not to if you want.” I smile down at him. Then I remember something.

“You should know something about Demons however. They all have titles. Well, some do anyway. Raiyo is one of them. We takes it very seriously. All the Archdemons are considered Princes. While Raiyo is supposed to be call a Prince, everyone considers him a king.”

Luno’s brow furrow, “Why is that? I thought the moon god was the king?”

“Well,” I start as the water below us begins to foam with bubbles, “nobody really thinks of him as a king. He never does anything for us; doesn’t even tell us what to do. Raiyo however, he does everything. He cares for us, gives us rules; pretty much keeps the peace. The fact he was the first Archdemon created is also a big part. We all consider him the true king of demons”

Luno nods in understanding and glances over the boat. “I guess the Moon God can’t really do anything about it since Raiyo can’t die right?”

“Yup,” I say and the water begins to rise and surround the boat in a giant bubble.

Luno leans back against me, almost as if he is scared. I just roll my eyes.

You’d think someone with this much power wouldn’t be so scared of such things.

The Son of the Gatekeeper of the Heavens.

I didn’t even know gods could have children. I am pretty sure they can’t. None that aren't the Mother Goddess that is.

He doesn’t look like the Moon God. I’ve never seen the Gatekeeper but I have a feeling he doesn’t look like her either.

It is strange. He looks so much like...it doesn’t make any sense.

The bubble begins to lower us into the water and the light from above begins to slip away. Soon we are surrounded by the darkness that lurks at the bottom of the sea.

“This is scary.” Luno whispers.

I sigh and wrap my arm around his shoulders. Anything to shut him up.

He pulls his cloak tighter against him.

The bubble begins to shine and change into a bright orange color. Almost like liquid fire.

It soon shines enough that you can’t see past the bubble.

Flakes begin to peel off of it and then we begin to rise.

The boat jets upwards and just as the last of the bubble’s flakes fly away, we breach the surface of what looks like a black sea.

The sky is no longer blue with the sun, but it is orange. No light source can be found.

The sky always looks like this. There are the few dark clouds that roll around but none seem to be out today.

In the giant black sea, there is only one island. A giant island that holds a castle in the middle of it.

Lights can be seen from the many windows that scatter around the walls. Black wisps fly out of them and some return from wherever they were in the world, they carry information.

Whispers to give to Raiyo.

He says that most are prayers or cries from his followers in the human world.

“Does he know we are coming? Wouldn’t it be rude if we just let ourselves in?” Luno whispers.

“You can stop whispering, and yes I am pretty sure he knows we are here now. This is his home. I wouldn’t doubt that he senses that we are here already.” I say and keep my eyes on the castle.

We reach a small dock.

As soon as we hop off, the Spirit Sailor gives a small nod and then turns to leave.

He keeps his eyes on the castle for a few moments before the boat sinks into the water.

There is a clear path that leads straight to the castle. On either side of the path are naked white trees. Their branches curl close to the path but never pass over.

There are large thorns that cover the trunks and black wisps weave their way around them.

We walk along the path at a bit of a slow pace, Luno is walking far too slow. I am not exactly complaining. This place creeps me out as well.

Luno keeps a grip on my arm as a wisp flies a little too close to him.

It lingers in front of us for a moment before it darts towards the castle. No doubt to tell Raiyo that we are on our way.

“Those things are creepy.” Luno whispers. I guess I shouldn’t get onto him for whispering again.

“What do I say when I greet him," he asks. "I know I can’t say it like I am speaking to a normal person.”

“Oh you don’t have to worry about that. While we consider him the king of demons, he prefers to keep it pretty casual. Not many listen to that, but you can say whatever. Just don’t be mean obviously. Otherwise you won’t survive this little trip.”

Luno’s face seems to pale at that. Yeah I don’t blame him.

At least I’ve met Raiyo a few times.

Working under my uncle has led me to join him in meetings that happen to include the King of Demons.

I know when my uncle was explaining things for my first meeting with Raiyo, I just about threw up from being so nervous.

The last time I saw Raiyo was about fifty years ago. He is an interesting god. Just a bit intimidating.

The path is completely empty. A light fog has begun to form. The branches on either side of us scratch and clap together as the wind dances through them.

“I’m scared.” Luno says, his grip on my arm just tightens even more.

I try and wrestle my arm away.

“I know ” Is all I say in response.

I don’t really know how to comfort this person. It is strange seeing him so scared.

I’ve only seen him happy and then that brief moment where I made him cry.

That...that made me feel pretty awful. I don’t know why honestly. I’ve literally only just met him.

The cool air passes through my hair. I shiver a bit and look down to see that Luno doesn’t seem cold at all. Sure he has the cloak but it is a bit chilly.

He has his stomach and chest out so he should be feeling the cold.

~~~

Luno

A black wisp darts in front of me.

I give a small shriek and freeze. Tobias just snorts and moves a hand to my back to push me forward.

“Relax. That’s all you need to do. Relax," He says.

I try to even out my breathes but we are right at the front entrance of the castle. It is gigantic and beautiful. It also looks scary.

There is a constant wave of black wisps that fly in and out of all the windows. They make is creepier than it should be.

Gargoyles are perched on some corners of the castle.

All windows are lit in a orange glow that must have candles.

At the very tip top of the castle, a dark cloud swirls around.

“Just stick close to me.” Tobias says before grabbing my hand and pushing open the front door.

The inside is so much more different. While it was dark and gloomy outside, inside it is a bit more cheerful.

A large chandelier hangs above us. Diamonds seem to glitter from the lights. There aren’t any candles. Just strange balls of orange light.

A gigantic fireplace is to our left and bright red furniture surrounds it. It all is trimmed with wood painted gold.

Paintings of deserts and forests cover the walls here.

A giant marble stairway sits in front of us. It even goes past the ceiling.

A woman with horns on her head walks in front of us.

She is a demon. I would imagine everyone here is a demon.

“Our king will be down in a moment to greet you, Lord Anyaste.” She gives a small bow before turning to stand at the side of the bottom of the stairs.

“Lord Anyaste?” I give a small giggle. Mostly to try calm my nerves.

He gives a loud sigh.

“I just knew you were going to say something about it,” Tobias says, “Not now.”

Footsteps are soon heard from above us.

I turn my gaze to the stairs and feel my heart pounding in my ears.

A gigantic man with skin as black as night starts thumping his way down the stairs.

He wears silver armor and a black bear’s fur as a cape.

I have to bite my lip to not say anything.

The man has a giant sword strapped to his back. He has horns that are covered in a shiny silver metal. There are scars all over his face and his eyes are a deep shade of red.

Greying hair spreads around him like a lion’s mane and falls onto his shoulders.

He looks angry.

“Is that him?” I whisper to Tobias.

“Nope,” he says in a normal voice, not at all trying to keep quiet, “that’s him.”

I turn back to the stairs and see another person behind the giant demon. They...they kind of look like me?

The other person has tan skin but not as dark as mine.

His hair is as black as night and not as much of mess of curls as mine. Their hair isn’t really curly but it is slightly wavy. Their hair is medium length on the sides but it doesn’t touch their shoulders.

His eyes are scary. I’ve never seen eyes like those. Not even on animals.

What should be whites in his eyes they are instead black. His irises are a bright orange that literally glows. His pupils are a dark yellow color. Though you can’t really tell if he has pupils. It kind of blends with the orange.

His face isn’t as full as mine. His cheekbones are a little sharper and the nose is a little smaller.

The outfit is...interesting.

It is completely made of black silk and leather.

He wears a weird top that covers his shoulders, arms, and chest. It covers four fingers on each hand but leaves his thumbs in the open.

He has black claws. I shiver just looking at them.

The outfit has a cape that looks to be made of black smoke? It’s weirdly pretty in a way. It just swirls around behind him, completely covering his back.

His stomach and sides are out in the open.

No scars or anything seem to touch his skin. Well, at least I think so.

There are straps of the black silk that are in random places.

I have a feeling they aren’t very random.

One large strap rises from his left hip bone and connects to the bottom of the top part of the outfit. Another goes along the bottom right of where his ribs would be.

He wears boots that reach high into his thighs. Though, he doesn’t really wear pants. Just black leather underwear?

The straps that cover parts of his stomach are attached to it.

It’s an interesting outfit. I can imagine that for some, it would tempt to want to do things.

I glance at Tobias and see he looks to be a bit entranced.

Is it weird to be attracted to this person as well? Even if he somewhat looks like me?

Surely some kind of magic is giving me these thoughts.

The big thing about Raiyo that sticks out to me, is that he doesn’t have horns. A demon without horns seems very weird.

While the giant demon from before just stomped he way down the stairs, Raiyo holds himself more gracefully.

He stands tall, even if he is rather short, and he keeps his head held high. Though, somehow his hips seem to move in a way that I can’t tell if he’s doing it on purpose or not.

I can see Tobias likes how he’s walking.

As he gets closer, I notice his hair seems to move a bit on it’s own. Almost like it is underwater.

Whenever one flies upwards, it almost looks like it starts to disappear into small trails of smoke.

“Why hello there, handsome.” Raiyo purrs and walks up to Tobias.

He pulls Tobias down by the top of his armor and kisses him full on the mouth.

Tobias kisses him back, though he looks a bit strained while doing so. I think he is under Raiyo’s spell.

I just stare in shock.

Raiyo steps back and laughs to himself.

His voice almost sounds like there is another talking underneath it. It echoes even when he laughs.

The giant demon from before is standing at the base of the stares and he gives a loud huff.

Raiyo doesn’t even glance back as he openly looks Tobias up and down.

“Oh calm down, Yezmo. You just had your fun!”

I feel my nose wrinkle a bit in disgust at that.

Finally Raiyo looks at me.

He doesn’t seem to make a reaction. I thought he would. We kind of look like we are related.

He gives a sly smile and I swear I hear chuckling in my head.

“Well, may I ask why Taisla’s creation is here?” Raiyo motions for the area by the fireplace.

I swear his eyes burn bright as he mentions that name.

Is that the Mother’s name? I’ve never heard it before. It doesn’t sound like it would be Mother’s name. Then again, I never really thought of what her name could be.

We take our seats. I sit close to Tobias, and Raiyo sits on a couch all to himself. Well, he mostly lays on it.

Raiyo’s eyes seem to burn into me yet he constantly has a smile that just screams that he knows more than I do.

I pull myself closer to Tobias. He doesn’t push me away thankfully.

“Do you not see it?” Tobias says, motioning towards me.

“Yes I see it.” Raiyo replies, eyes never leaving me.

“Well? You don’t have anything to say about it? Not even questioning why it is possible?”

Raiyo drums his claws along the top of the couch. The noise puts me on edge.

“Oh I know how it is possible. I even know how it happened.”

Oh I see. He just wants to play it along for dramatic effect.

“Our good friend, Morgoren, must have had quite the night with me long ago.” Raiyo smirks and a wisp flies in and hovers by his ear.

He continues to talk.

“The question is, do you want to know how you were born?”

I frown and try not to look directly at him. No matter where I look though, I can still feel his gaze burning into my soul.

I’ve never really questioned how I was born. I’ve seen plenty of animals bring life into the world. I simply assumed that it was the same with Mother.

Is that not how it works?

I give a small nod and I swear I can tell that Raiyo has a evil smile. He doesn’t start however.

I glance up and see he has stood and is moving to a window.

I glance out but see nothing.

I then feel it.

Mother.

“Oh well speak of the bitch! It’s the beautiful Taisla. What are the odds?” Raiyo leans on one foot and keeps a hand on his hip.

“Since you finally decided to stop hiding in your son’s shadow, would you like to tell him how he was made, or shall I?” There is venom in his words.

Mother’s voice then speaks, “You will tell him nothing, whore!” Her voice is just as deadly as his. “He isn’t ready.”

Wait...Raiyo can see Mother?

“I believe he is, he looks just of age already. Don’t you think?” He glances at me and I see his sly smile is still there.

I bet Mother must hate that smile.

“Let me in. I shall take him home at this instant,” She says. I blink and look at Tobias.

He looks absolutely terrified. I am scared too. I don't really want to talk, even if she clearly sees me.

“Oh please. He isn’t some child. Now, since you clearly won’t be telling him anything, you will leave. Send Morgoren my love!” Raiyo blows a kiss to the window and smoke escapes his lips.

It passes through the glass and it surrounds what looks to be the shape of a woman.

Instantly the smoke burns bright like embers and then the figure is gone.

Raiyo walks back to his seat and keeps his eyes on me.

“I’ll just give you the fast version, because I don’t really feel like talking too much. You both interrupted some business that I was tending to.” He rolls his eyes.

It looks so weird with his fire eyes that burn in darkness.

“Basically, you don’t really have parents. You are a star, or...were a star.” He pauses for a bit, before he nods to himself and continues on.

"Your creator was the moon god, Morgoren. He spent a lovely night with me,” He waves his hand at himself and gives a smile and winks, “and after your bitch of a ‘Mother’ found out, she pretty much cursed me to being unable to die.”

He summons a knife made of smoke and without warning, stabs it into his head. It doesn’t really hit. It seems to sink through air, as if nothing is there.

The area that should be affected by the blade, instead turns into black smoke.

He throws the knife over his shoulder and continues talking.

It almost hit the giant demon.

“Well, Morgoren decided, if he couldn’t have me, he’d make his own version to keep for himself. So he took a star from the sky, that would be you, and tried to carve it up. He tried to shape it to look just like me then give you life. Clearly he couldn’t get it perfect.” Raiyo gestures towards his hair.

“From what I know, he also wanted to turn you into a weapon. Taisla happened to find his little experiment,” he waves a hand at me, “and she tried to corrupt it. No doubt angry that it managed to look somewhat like me.”

He rolls his eyes but still smiles nonetheless.

“Taisla managed to make you the opposite of what he wanted. Not at all a weapon, but instead you have become this...beacon of life. The star’s energy, your energy, provides life. Something Morgoren does not like. If I were you, I would use that power as much as I can. It gives a nice ‘fuck you’ to the old bastard.”

Raiyo smirks and leans back in his couch.

“Yezmo.” Raiyo says, his voice echoing throughout the castle. The giant demon enters the room immediately. “Set up a room for the both of them. Only one bed.” He smirks at Tobias.

He then looks at me. “I don’t believe I ever got your name.”

I am about to say it but he just waves a hand at me.

“Eh, it doesn’t really matter. I doubt we will ever speak again after you leave.” Raiyo moves to stand and begins to walk to the stairs, his hips seem to roll with each step.

“You however,” he points to the giant demon, “are free to accompany me to my chambers.”

He starts to walk up the stairs but then his body dissolves into smoke.

A grainy black swirl of darkness begins to float up the stairs. He disappears from our sights.

The giant demon practically runs up the stairs.

“Well,” Tobias says after a moment, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be honestly.”