Annak nursed Avan back to health. She was worried and afraid. They had taken precautions to keep themselves safe from Ander and his demon army. She wasn't sure it was enough to keep the dragon king from destroying Arimelari and everyone in it.
She was waiting, waiting to hear from Avan what he knew of Ander's plan. The boy had gotten better but was yet to wake up.
She could only hope that the king would be thoughtful and rethink his decision of taking over. From the link she shared with the triplets, she was certain things weren't well with them.
Francis was not the same man he used to be and at the moment, his only concern was to please Ander. And the boy had a lot of anger issues and more, he held a lot of grudges towards his friends and family. That made him very dangerous under evil influence.
"The future is dark," she whispered. "And it isn't good that you are asleep. You are the only one who can shine a light on the darkness we are heading to. Only you can get Ander back," she added recalling the glimpse of the future that she had seen.
It was hopeless, the future wasn't looking great for anyone. It was a burden and a curse for her to have the gift of seeing the future when she was helpless to do anything about it. She had tried her best to get the key to avoiding the future to wake up but it seemed fate was mocking her efforts.
Despite being normal and in perfect health Avan had refused to wake up. The boy himself was refusing to wake up and she could get an idea why. Seeing Ander and Francis together must have left a bruise in his heart. It must be a reality that he wouldn't want to be a part of but sadly he had to.
The whole world needed him to wake up. It was the only way they would survive the calamity that was to come.
"You have to wake up," she pleaded in a soft voice. Her heart was shaken with fear, she had known a day like this would come for a long time but it never occurred to her that it would happen so soon.
'We need to talk,' a chilling voice said in her head. 'We have a common goal. Rooftop,' the voice added.
She got up from the bed, she covered Avan up with a warm blanket before stepping out. She teleported herself to the rooftop to meet the sudden guest who visited her.
"Is there a reason as to why you are here?" she asked the black fog before her.
"How about a truce," the faceless God offered taking his form.
"Am. Amaru?"
"Surprise," he spoke with a little mischief in his tone. "I'm here to make a deal with you," he added.
"A deal? What kind of deal?" she questioned eagerly to know what it was that had dragged the faceless god from where he was to her.
"I keep you informed about Ander and Francis and in return you owe me," he stated to her.
Annak listened and considered the offer, it was good but owing a debt to a God that cares only for himself was a dangerous path to trade. She wanted to be informed but not at the cost of her freedom.
"What will I owe you?"
"Anything I ask for when I do and don't worry, I will only ask for one thing. Once I figure out what that thing is," he said.
"How do I know that I can trust and most importantly why should I trust you?" she inquired.
Amaru looked pleased. She was always smart and knew never to beat around the bush.
Straight to the point was the way she worked and he liked it. He was just like the new Francis, only he had cards up his sleeves that he could use to control people.
He was powerful and the secrets in his head only made him a lot more dangerous. The more allies he had the better chances he had of surviving when the battle ended.
The chances of coming out alive were high if he played both sides.
"Right now I can tell you that you have at least three weeks before Ander attacks. For now, he is a lot more interested in learning every inch of Francis's body," he mumbled. "They are working on their relationship or at least that is what Ander thinks. Francis is just waiting for Ander's soul to get stronger and take control before they come," he added.
"How is Ander?"
"Missing his mother but Francis has him busy to act on his feelings for his mother," he replied to her.
"Sounds like there is the hope of stopping the war. We can separate the two and stop the war from happening," she suggested seeing a light at the end of her dark tunnel.
"Impossible. Francis has him around his palm, he won't take his eyes off Ander for a second let alone enough time for you to get in the boy's head. He wants Ander to see the world on fire and he is more than willing to lend him a hand. And trust me, his hand is dangerous," he explained darkening the hope that Annak had gotten.
"I have to return before the chosen one realizes I'm gone. See you soon whisperer."
"I haven't agreed to your deal yet," she announced before he left.
"Seems to me like you don't have an option of saying no," he spoke his lips curling up onto a devilish smile. "Wait for me."
******
"Are you sure about this?" Ander questioned feeling unsure about Francis's request.
"Yes love, I am very sure," Francis replied. Francis got him to the aisle of the lost souls. According to him, Ander needed to call a soul of dark Melchior.
"Why would you want such a dangerous man back?" he asked.
"He is just a piece of the big picture we have planned," Francis said wrapping his hands around the dragon king's neck. "You trust me don't you?" he asked him.
"I..umm.."
"You love me right?" he inquired. Andre nodded his head obediently. "I want to prove it. How about you trust me and stop questioning me. I am on your side and I love you."
"Okay," Ander replied.
Ander crushed the flower of deception in his hands. The scent from the flower attracted souls of the dead towards him. He stood inside the circle with a shield around him to keep the souls away.
Francis stood right behind her, he watched the souls start to gather all around them. The triplets floated above them ready to capture the soul of dark Melchior and bring it back to the underground house.
"Call for the strongest lost souls. Leave the weak," Francis advised.
Ander did his best to concentrate and follow everything that Francis was saying. He didn't want to let the man down.
The souls were drawn to him. They came rushing, the weak and the strong together rushing for a chance to live again. Ander closed his eyes and searched among them for the essence of dark Melchior from the energy he had gotten from Avan.
The souls beat down on the shield wanting to possess their bodies and leave the aisle but the shield was strong.
"I can't find him," Ander informed him.
"Is this how weak your love is. I have asked for one thing and you can't do it," Francis complained. Won't you even try to be worth my love?" Francis questioned.
Ander felt hurt listening to his words. It was strange having to be on the receiving end of emotional blackmail. And though he knew he was being used by the male, he still felt the need to do as he said.
He focused harder trying to find Dark Melchior, his eyes traveled the palace. It entered a room in the east wing he rarely visited and stopped on the bed where Avan laid unconscious.
He froze, from his head to toe. His body stopped as he stared at the sleeping charming boy. The memories of the times they had spent together and the way Avan thought of him flashed before his eyes.
His focus drifted from trying to find dark Melchior to getting Avan to wake up.
Francis noticed his shift in attention and frowned deeply. He placed his hands on each side of the male's head to see what it was that he was looking at that stopped him from doing what he asked.
He saw the image of Avan sleeping on the bed in the room. Being in Ander's head he saw a lot more than he intended. He saw his memories with the king being close replaying in the boy's mind over and over again.
He saw how happy he seemed to be with the man, he was confused. He got lost in that part of the memory feeling a deep attraction to the man in the memories. It was like his heart recognized the man and started beating in his chest as though yearning for him.