Chapter 220 - ALI MINI THEATER: Side Story 12

The Story of Vladimir of Kres and the Devil's Cavern…

"The Immortal War has finished! We have won!"

The cries of triumph echoed across Ged. The war against Czernobog's minions had been concluded, and the people and demigods of the mortal plane had prevailed.

Since the King of Heavens, Perun, had banished the Black God in the depths of hell, the latter had never given up trying to free himself and wreak havoc on the lands. However, even in his sealed state, Czernobog could still try and cause chaos every fifty years when his seal was weakened for seven days starting on the first day of either the third or fourth month of the year.

Today was the end of another Immortal War. The Gedians, the people of Ged, had won again. The hero of this war? It was none other than the young Vladimir, the Crown Prince of Kres.

"Long live the prince!"

Kres was the most powerful country due to its monarch's strong divine blood. This generation was the best, as it was the first time for the fire kingdom to have a very powerful royal, only a shy away from the legendary returner to ancestry.

How?

Because Vladimir of Kres showed prowess and divine inheritance far greater than any of the previous kings of the land had ever exhibited. The only difference was that the young prince did not possess Mavara, the great flame dragon of Kresnik. It was alright, however. He was still the strongest in the history of the kingdom. Now, as the hero of the recently concluded Immortal war, he would go down the history as a legendary emperor.

Yes, Vladimir of Kres would be crowned emperor soon.

The current emperor was only waiting for the war to finish so he could abdicate the throne early and place the crown on his son's head. Thus, this was that moment.

"Your Highness, congratulations!"

The soldiers cheered in welcome as soon as the crown prince entered the great hall and present his sword to the king as a sign of respect.

"My son, you have proven time and time again how worthy you are. This victory is a sign from the heavens that it is time for you to take over…"

Thus Vladimir succeeded his father and became the emperor. Of course, to be a good king, it was said that one should take a good queen, and so he did. He got married and had children as years passed. One could say that life was already complete for him.

However, if for others, life as the beloved monarch and a hero who people sang about was satisfying, to the now middle-aged emperor, the void in his heart only grew bigger. Ever since he was born, there was an unexplainable emptiness that he couldn't explain.

He'd gone through life searching for something that he couldn't identify. It was a futile longing. If he, himself had no idea what he was yearning for, how could he ever find it?

"Are you alright, my love?"

Vladimir looked up and gazed sideways at his queen. It was their eldest son's eighteenth birthday, and the palace was filled with merriment at the grand celebration. The emperor smiled at his pretty spouse, the faithful queen who had been with him for years, as he murmured some assurance.   

He reached out to take her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, a touch that only he could understand the real meaning.  To some, it would seem an affectionate gesture, but in reality, it was not. Deep in his heart, it's his apology for failing to love her despite the years of being together.

Yes, Vladimir couldn't find himself falling in love with his wife of twenty years. The reason? Because an incomplete person like him couldn't know how to love. It would take him another two years to find out why.

It was a stormy night when that dream came. Vladimir stirred in his sleep when the vision came to him. A silver-haired paragon of beauty that bore the face that seemed so familiar came to visit him.

"Kresnik," the beauty called, and it took a long time before Vladimir realized that it was him the person was talking to.

"Kresnik?"Vladimir frowned.

The Flame Emperor of Heaven was the Kres Monarch's ancestor. He wondered why he was being called as such. Then, he remembered.

He was Kresnik, and the beauty before him was Perun, his father-in-law.

"Pe...run…"

Vladimir repeated the King of Heaven's name as his legs gave in from under him. Realizing who he really was, took all his strength as a bitter feeling of mixed remorse and shame swelled in his chest. Everything he knew, everything he did – all the glory and great things he'd accomplished over the years were washed away by his self-loathing upon realizing his betrayal.

He had forgotten about who he was and why he was here.  He had forsaken his promise. He betrayed Alencica, his one and only love.

Vladimir collapsed in the presence of Perun's amethyst gaze as tears welled in his blue eyes. Did Perun come to criticize him?

"Kresnik, Stribog had an accident," Perun told him in all urgency. "We were bound to the mortal plane when he suddenly strayed. His flight caused a rift towards the other dimension and it's dangerous for the mortals there."

Huh?

Vladimir couldn't understand, but it seemed he was given a mission.

"Send your first-born and another first-born from the Wind Kingdom so there will be strong blood protecting that plane, and so my brother can reincarnate there, just in case. Also, in case she's there in the future, it will be easier for you to find her."

Vladimir, of course, could only agree. However, there was one thing he needed to know and when Perun seemed to not even mention anything about his blatant infidelity, it was he who broke down.

"Alencica… Where is she?"

Perun's eyes then changed, and Vladimir's hands balled into fists. He knew he had no right to ask about her after what happened, but he couldn't help himself.

"She's… She's been sent into the cycle…"

Vladimir froze.

"No…"

The word escaped his lips like a choked sob. Alencica going into the cycle meant only one thing: She had died. Her incarnation was no longer in this world, and he, Kresnik had failed to accomplish his promise.

Learning about this made the light in his eyes vanish.

"I will do it then..."

The morning when Vladimir woke up, he was no longer the same man. Unlocking his memories meant his divine powers oozed letting everyone aware of how powerful he had become. This was what also convinced the Emperor of Ovid to let his own Crown Prince join the Crown Prince of Kres in the expedition.

In front of the King of the Wind Country, Emperor Vladimir had released Mavara for the first time. But of course, it remained a secret between the two kings. The two rulers even went with their sons to the portal and watched the men vanish to the other dimension.

As soon as they were gone, Vladimir called forth Mavara, announcing to everyone present of his returner to ancestry status. Vladimir then asked his elemental to make a cave in order to hide the portal from the world. It was the beginning of the Devil's Cavern.

In order to keep the people away from the rift and accidentally being transported to the other dimension, they also spread the news about the artifact of Kronos, the non-existent God of Time. They told everyone that many had already perished trying to find it, so people would be discouraged to even try.

"My love," the queen had welcomed him that night with a cheerful smile.

The whole of Kres was celebrating despite the disappearance of its Crown Prince for the news that its Emperor was none other than Kresnik, the Flame Emperor of Heaven. However, the returner to ancestry himself could no longer smile.

"Samara, forgive this fool who had done you nothing but disservice," Vladimir told his wife who looked at him with confusion.

It was the first time Vladimir had called her by her name, as he could no longer bear to call her his wife or his love. She never was.

In his past, his present and his future, there was only one person who could ever be those: Alencica.

Now he understood why he always felt so empty. He now realized why he seemed to be always searching for something even when he seemed to already have everything. It was because Alencica was not here.

And he promised her they'd be together forever – and so they would…soon.

At the stroke of midnight, when the party in the castle was at its peak, Mavara rose from the castle with a thundering cry – a cry of anguish as he flew up in the sky and vanished among the stars.

Why?

Because Vladimir of Kres, the returner to ancestry Kresnik, had slipped poison in his wine and drank it to end his empty life as he had always done whenever he couldn't be with the wife he had promised to be with for all eternity.