Chapter 353 - 353

Nightmares, torturing him from the second he closed his eyes, a very horrible gut feeling and shivers as he felt his own blood boild underneath his freezing cold skin. He screamed in his sleep, his eyes closed shut as if someone had glued his eyelids together. 

It hurt. This constant struggle of trying to wake up from this endless nightmare was like a beast clawing his skin, a monster trying to rip out his heart. And while Allias screamed in his sleep Theseus held his hand, hoping that the king would soon wake up, free himself from this subconscious torture. 

A sorrowful expression, a gentle caress and a sigh, slow and heavy escaped from the general's lips as he could only watch his beloved get destroyed even in his own sleep. 

The pillows and the sheets had become dump from his sweat. His body was tense, as he laid frozen with an unbearable expression of agony.

"Allias..." The general called out. "Please" he pleaded. Who was he pleading to though? The gods? The king himself? Who would be the one that would stop this horror that was playing out like a grotesque play in his mind. Who would hear him as he whispered his lover's name into the night and asked of some invisible power to soothe his pained soul? "Please" he repeated again as he removed a few wet, stray locks away from his eyes. The king began to calm down. His fast breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed. The groans were silenced and his eyelids were not moving like crazy anymore. 

The general exhaled, relieved for now, finding some short lived comfort as he began thinking of the events that would follow. A few hours had remained, less than a day and the crimson sun would shine above their heads signaling the beginning of a battle. Not a physical one, a battle simply based on whose mentality was stronger, a war between the devil and the golden king as they stared at each other with cold stares. 

For how long? For how long would Allias be able to withstand this facade? For how long would the king seemed unfazed only to simply crumble in the comfort of his own room? For how long would his exquisite beauty be able to hide the haunting of his soul? Theseus looked outside his window as morning soon arrived at the demonic capital. 

Oh how he wished this day wouldn't come. He hoped that someone would stop time. He had hoped for this invisible power to grant one of his wishes but nothing happened. The current of time continued as always, unbofhered by the sorrow and terror that was overtaking them and when Theseus looked at Allias, knowing that he had to wake him up he felt a piercing pain on his chest. Was he waking him up to lead him straight to his doom? He wondered as he gently kissed his lips.

The king's eyes fluttered and for a second, still disoriented by the brief peaceful sleep he smiled, thinking that he was still in their room back in the palace. The red light though, rudely invading their room from the half drawn curtains shook him up and he immediately sat up.

"It's time." Theseus told him and the king nodded. 

For a whole day he had been treated like a proper guest. He had been given food and a very luxurious room. No one had bothered him nor was anyone hostile towards him. For a whole day in the Demonic Capital he was treated as who he was a king. Allias though was sure that things would now change. That Achlys simply gave him a taste of what he could have had, a simple glimspe of how he should have been treated just to shock him afterwards. The king was not expecting her to be kind nor compassionate. He did not expect his trial to be a smooth process either and the more he thought about it, the more he feared. 

Theseus helped him get dressed. He handed him his snow white clothing and the shiny hold cuffs that wrapped beautifully around his sculptured arms. He helped him tie his belt and wear his sandals. He was dressed the way he did back home. Freely, with light colors and shiny gold. Reminding himself of who he was. Remembering his mother and father, capable leaders, powerful elves and deep inside him be hoped he could mimick them even just a bit, hide how small and scared he felt. 

Theseus placed his crown on his head. It was cold and for the first time it felt incredibly heavy. He walwaus wore it with pride, holding his head high but now he felt as if it was impossible. The cold gold felt as if it weighted a ton and his shoulders slumbled, his face fell and the crown simply slipped off his head falling onto the floor. It made a hollow sound, e hoping in the quiet room and Allias looked at it, his eyes wide, his lips closed as his heart trembled. 

The general cruched and grabbed it. Holding it tightly as he placed his fingers underneath his chin and raised Allias' face.

"Wear it. It's yours." He told him.

"I don't deserve it. I am scared. I am an embarrassment to my people, my parents. What kind of king gets scared?" 

"You are not just a king Allias. You're a person too. You can be scared. That's not what's important. What really matters is that you overcome your fears, fight them head on show everyone how worthy you are of being king. A king who does not get afraid does not value the meaning of life, he does not value the life of his people he does not value nature and it's gifts. You Allias are more fitting to be king than anyone else." He encouraged him as he placed the crown on his head one more time. The king smiled faintly, gazing at the white haired man with such love in his eyes.

"How could I be so lucky? Some times I can't believe it. You are and always be the one who makes me better. Thank you and no matter what happens today I want you to know..."

"I don't need to know." Theseus said, interrupting him. "We will leave that room together anyways." He told him and headed towards the door. "Now let's go. We will be late. I am sure you want to doom Achlys as soon as possible." He said and Allias' nodded smiling. He took his hand, not caring about proper etiquette anymore and walked towards the room they had instructed them to go yesterday.

Allias could already hear voices from the outside even though the big double doors were closed. The guards pushed them open to him to reveal a crowd. It was a square room, with few furniture. It mostly had chairs from the middle of the room and back while in the middle the space was empty. On the other end of the room stood a few of the council members with Achlys sitting in the middle, smiling cunningly. 

The king walked in, scanning with his eyes familiar and unfamiliar faces. Many people, demons actually had come to spectate his trial. He found Asmodeus, Mark, Ares and Ea mixed up with them as his bright eyes traveled from face to face. 

There was one particular figure though thag surprised him and not pleasantly. He frowned a deep wrinkle forming between his eyebrows as he stared at her. Theseus realizing that something was wrong looked at him and then the direction he was looking at. He too couldn't understand who he was looking at.

"What's wrong?" He asked the king.

"This woman. That one" he said and pointed at her with his head. "She is the one that lived from the Chaos Sisters." He whispered and now Theseus was frowning with him too. They didn't manage to exchange any more words, because Achlys' voice echoed in the room, making everyone fall silent.

"Shall we begin? Since the guest of honor is here..." She said, that hideous smile never fading off her face.