The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 174: The Battle of Norneau - Part 10 - Unsealed

Chapter 174: The Battle of Norneau - Part 10 - Unsealed

Kir cursed his father.

He swore and raged, helpless thanks to the sudden interdiction of his remaining seal.

"Look, Son," Maledict’s illusion bent to regard Kir. "I know you don’t see it now, but this is for your own good. An oath like that... that’s a burden you aren’t prepared for. You don’t have the power for it..."

"I’ll show you power!" Kir spat. "Come face me and there won’t even be ashes left of you!"

Maledict frowned. "As you wish," he said.

The illusion vanished, and a moment later, the air split into a portal that showed Kir a brief glimpse of demons gathered in the Academy’s arena, a large, mechanistic orb at the very center of the dueling space.

"Well. I’m here, my boy. What are you going to-"

Kir tried to fling a nova blast at Maledict, but at the last moment, the spell failed. All around him, the shards of his seals began to glow and rattle where they lay.

"You see, my boy, the Forbidding doesn’t just protect you from my followers. Until our bargain is done or your mothers are dead, we cannot harm each other... at least not physically." He reached, tugging Kir to stand by the horn. "I truly am sorry for the death of your friend... But for the sake of our kind, you cannot be constrained by the likes of mortals." He let go with a push, allowing Kir to find his feet. "Once you’re older you’ll understand. You’ll forgive me. In time." He turned to regard Noir. "What was his name?"

"His name is Noir!" He tried to slash at Maledict with his claws, but again the Forbidding stopped him. "I will never forgive you," Kir snarled.

Maledict clenched his fist and a bubble of mana formed around Kir, trapping him. A tighter squeeze of the fist and it contracted, moving and holding Kir in place, his arms spread and his legs together. Maledict growled in frustration. "Perhaps I should take you back with me... you’d be amongst your own kind, and have a better understanding of what the real fucking world is! I-"

"Autumnalis..." a woman’s voice spoke.

Maledict’s eyes widened. He turned. He whispered, "Aelaes..."

Behind him was an illusion. An angel with crimson wings, wearing a white dress. Sitting against a chair as she rested her arm over its high back. Her eyes were a rich, vibrant green.

It was Kir’s mother.

"Yes my love?" Maledict’s voice sounded, but it was not the Maledict in front of Kir who spoke. A moment later, Maledict, a broad smile on his face, entered the illusion, trading a brief kiss with Kir’s mother. "Not you, I’m making this for you in the future. A message in a bottle."

"Ah, another prophecy... So soon?"

"You spoke to me of changing the future, husband. This is how it happens. I thank you for teaching me what I needed to convey my prophecies... And how to use this remarkable device."

Past-Maledict chuckled confidently. "Alright then, carry on. Don’t forget to remove the manastone from the scriber when you’re done." He touched her gently, kissing her again. "I shall await you in bed," the Maledict of the past said. Aelaes regarded his departure for a few moments more before turning.

"Autumnalis... I know you are in a bad place right now... but I need to explain... The reason I... I am going to leave you is because I know... I know what must be done to ensure that our worlds do not meet their end... that the past does not repeat... The worst past that ever occurred..."

As she took a deep, shuddering breath, Kir felt something crawling along his arms, but he couldn’t turn his head to see what. Suddenly he realized that he hadn’t been punished for trying to cast a spell. He was unsealed.

Concentrating, he started to draw on his magic, waiting for the right time as he watched his mother’s recording play out. Maledict was clearly too transfixed to notice.

"That is why I will run... Why I will hide... I am Shingir’s vessel... And the avatar of his future. I’m sorry, my husband, but you are not capable of the evils that must be done..."

"Why?" the real Maledict whispered.

"I know you’re wondering why... In truth, I have a price to pay... for the ability to change the future." Kir’s mother started crying, wiping her tears away before she continued. "Before we ever knew each other, I... I made an oath with Aidaeb... Or, at least a being claiming to be them... My love, I know who our son will be... Who he will carry with him... But please, please... Even when our oath is concluded. When you have lost the Aelaes you loved... Please remember the spirit of what we were together. Do not go willingly into darkness..."

Tears fell from Maledict’s eyes, steaming as they touched his skin. He reached for the illusion, but his fingers passed through. "It’s too late... The angels are upon us and it’s too late... I cannot stop... For my people, I cannot stop..."

"Trust our son, my husband... Trust Kir... You-"

The illusion ended. Like teardrops, the melted remains of the seal fragments fell to the ground.

For a long time, Maledict stood. Then, suddenly, he clenched his fists and roared upward. The scream was long and wordless, deeper than his demonic body suggested it should be.

When he turned, his eyes were completely black except for the glow of purple at their core.

With a snap of his fingers, Maledict let Kir fall into a stumbling stand. "Trust you, she said... How am I supposed to trust you when you can’t even tell what you should be fighting for?!"

Kir ignored his father and walked over to Noir.

His lover’s body looked pale... utterly lacking in mana to the point that it was the only normal thing in his vision.

A choked sob crawled from Kir’s throat. He knelt.

What good is magic if I can’t save anyone...

The crawling sensation had reached his neck. He looked down to realize that his arms were glowing from within. The fusion of his body, mind, and soul had progressed. He closed his eyes.

Knowing Noir was dead... knowing there was nothing he could do to find Lucifer or even hurt Maledict... Kir suddenly felt a darkness welling up inside him.

Not the darkness of rage, but of despair.

His mind began to slip away... just as a trio of shards came to rest upon his forehead, having crawled along his body to arrive there...