Chapter 717 Everything Was Planned Since The Beginning

Fabian Barrett. That was his name.

A young boy who was born in the slums of abandoned land. Growing up, Fabian was weak and was nothing but prey for the strong. If not for his older brother, Fabian would've died a long time ago. However, due to this, his brother had to resort to extreme ways just so no one would hurt his little brother.

Guilty for being the cause of his brother's misfortune, who could've achieved much more in life than his daily brawls, Fabian left home. Now a young man, the young fellow had to find ways to survive all on his own or perhaps, just die since dying was just as dreadful as living. But instead of finding ways to die or live, Fabian just lost his sanity in this cruel, wild world.

That was when he met her.

A woman who stretched her bloodstained hands to him, offering him powers and control in his hand. All he had to do was hold her hand.

So like any man trapped in his own mind and helplessness, he reached his hand out to her. The moment his fingers wrapped around her bloodstained hand, her lips curled into a crafty smirk, and that was when he knew he was selling his soul to the devil.

This woman, who never told him her name, taught him cruel things. For instance, she was the one who taught him where to hit to kill his opponent instantly, or what to do to incapacitate someone without killing them. She showed him methods, paving the bloody path, which he took willingly until he reached a position he never thought he would ever reach.

A king's henchman.

In exchange for the power and control the woman had given him, his end of the bargain was to cause problems for the king. However, the king wasn't his real target, but the Queen. Her name was Ameria Grimsbanne La Crox.

In the shadows, a slight manipulation could lead to an unimaginable turn of events until the royal family fell apart. Many relationships were ruined, and by some twisted humor fate had thrown at him, Fabian's brother had this special affair with another royal.

It was too late for Fabian to back out because Maleficent, the spear this witch gave him had brought out his lustful desire for blood. Without slaying someone, Fabian was certain this weapon would devour him. The souls trapped in the blackening spear would devour him, to be exact.

Knowing his path was a one-way route, Fabian had to put matters in his hands. With his awareness of the fate of the royal family, he had to ruin his brother's relationship with a princess, and complete the end of his bargain.

There was only one way to gain full control and that was to be able to wield Maleficent's with total dominance. For himself and for the brother he had wronged, Fabian willingly took the villain role in the dark.

Everything was clear to him… but what he and this witch didn't expect was a prince emerging from hell and taking matters into his hands. If not for this prince, Fabian was certain he wouldn't be standing in this empire with the intention to see a little girl. Perhaps, he would end up tagging along with this witch named Marsella.

'I had done many, many things for Maleficent,' whispered Fabian in his head, watching the dark shroud envelope Aries's body and lift her up. 'And yet, you dare take it away from me.'

It wasn't like Fabian didn't have an idea of what could've happened. The moment he stepped foot in this empire and laid his eyes on Aries for the first time, he knew he shouldn't see her eye to eye. He came for Sunny, not to cause trouble or be forced into the passivity of the situation.

He loathed that the most.

The reason Fabian idled for half a year, keeping his distance, and checking Sunny's well-being from time to time. His young miss was spoiled within the royal palace and the emperor was very fond of her, so he didn't have the urge to take her away.

What more? The brewing tension behind the empire was too distinct that even an outsider like him could feel it. But then with Maximus's arrival, Fabian already guessed he couldn't avoid these people like always. He had to show his face one way or another: first, to protect his little miss, Sunny. And then the second was to find a way to co-exist with the other holder of Maleficent, instead of outright killing each other.

"You had broken your promise, Aries," Fabian breathed out, unfazed by the piercing scream Aries unleashed which carried a strong gust of wind.

The dark shroud enveloping his spear slowly disappeared, leaving it like a normal spear. Although there was still thin darkness surrounding it, holding it didn't give the same pang and bite that Fabian was used to.

Now, it all made sense, he thought.

Maleficent as a whole was a power on its own. It could be used for good if the holder was good by nature. But since Fabian, who wielded the dark spear and fed it with people's souls, laments, grudges, and his victim's darkness, it granted a baseline of the path Maleficent would take once it returned to its original owner.

Darkness.

Surely, Maximus and Marsella had thought this through for many years since it had been a long time since Fabian claimed ownership of this spear. Using Aries, who went through hell in the Maganti Empire, this darkness she had suppressed blasted out uncontrollably.

Aries's screams created shockwaves across the empire, causing tremors on the ground. Pain, unimaginable pain. That was what her screams sounded until they slowly sounded angry.

Fabian had to cover one of his ears to muffle the noise as her screams shattered all the windows in the imperial palace and everything fragile.

Fabian held his breath, ignoring Third's maniacal laughter behind him. He kept his eyes on Aries, and much to his surprise, the dark shroud that didn't enter her body formed into black wings on her back. The screams stopped, but the echoes continued.

"Now I feel bad for my new friend. It seems I won't be able to see him for quite some time," mumbled Fabian, thinking that Abel was in for a wild rest.