The Demon Lord And His Hero

"We'll be back before dusk," Rowan told Artemus. He was about to accompany Syryn to Silisia where the mage would tie up the loose ends he'd left behind.

"Don't get into trouble," Artemus reminded them for the fifth time.

"No promises," Rowan replied. With Syryn in the equation, there was always a probability of something going wrong.

"If you don't come back by dusk, we'll leave without you and Syryn."

Rowan smiled at the expressionless Artemus. The dark-haired anti mage liked to act cool but his threats and cold words came from a place of concern.

"Don't get caught by a squall," he replied. The blond then dived into the water where Syryn was waiting for him.

_____

Silisia was still in the process of rebuilding itself when the duo arrived. Mer guards were still patrolling the waters but there were civilians too swimming amongst them. Under the rule of the old king, none of the mers had been allowed to travel to the surface but it seemed that it was no longer the case.

"Syryn, your majesty! Welcome back!"

The mage cringed when he heard the effusive greeting.

"Arhak, glad to see you're still alive," he replied. "And just call me Syryn. Drevin is your king, not me."

"Yes, sir, Syryn."

"Ugh! Just take me to Drevin."

____

The mer prince was alone in the throne room when Syryn arrived.

"You're back," Drevin said with a faint smile. "I was expecting you much later."

"I couldn't stay away," Syryn replied. "I had to know what happened to your father."

To Syryn's relief, Drevin didn't react negatively to his words.

"My father has lost his mind. We've bound him in chains so he would stop attacking everyone around him."

As much as he hated the mer, he was still Drevin's father. Syryn felt bad for the mer who had to watch his father go crazy.

"You don't have to look so guilty," Drevin told him. "My father brought it upon himself. He's in the dungeons. Go there and do what you must. I cannot accompany you."

"I'm sorry," the mage told the silver-blue mer. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Drevin nodded once and turned away from Syryn, grieving silently for the man he used to call father.

____

In the first cell of the partially buried dungeon, Syryn stared through the metal bars where a small monster was fast asleep next to a purple scaled mer. The old King of Silisia had a dull look in his bloodshot eyes. He hadn't slept in days since the monster had started stalking and following him. His previously regal looks were now hidden beneath a layer of dirt and wild hair.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," Syryn softly said to the mer.

Levia twitched in her sleep and yawned but remained snoozing.

"I gave you a choice to either be enslaved or to kill yourself but neither has happened."

The mer began to slowly recognise Syryn. Fear swam in his eyes.

"The sirens failed to take you away. I suppose even they fear little Levia."

"Have you come to kill me?" The mer king's deep voice asked Syryn.

He was supposed to be mad. That's what Drevin has told him. But the mer appeared sane to Syryn.

"Have you been pretending to have lost your mind?"

The mer smiled bitterly. He wished he could kill the human that had destroyed his life and taken everything away from him.

"You know," Syryn said with a twist of his mouth. "If you hadn't tried to kill me, I would have never acted against you. All I had wanted back then was to leave the ocean behind me and never look back. You did this to yourself, King. You forced my hand."

The mer laughed. Their oracle's prophecies had never been wrong. One way or the other, he would have been dethroned by Syryn. He had gone against heaven's will and was now paying for it.

"Drevin asked me to show you mercy. Do you want mercy?" He pressed closer to the bars and asked the angered mer.

"Do your worst. I have nothing left."

A sad and defeated opponent was no longer any fun to goad. Syryn had had his fill.

"Levia wake up, it's time for a meal."

The Leviathan responded to her name. She opened her clear eyes and looked up at Syryn, looking as happy as a monster could.

"Goodbye, King," Syryn told the purple scaled mer who closed his eyes in resignation.

_____

The sound of a horn rang through the water. It was an instrument used for summoning the mers for a gathering.

Heeding to the call, Silisia's occupants swam towards the palace where Drevin, Syryn, and Rowan were waiting. As they watched the crowd of mers become bigger and bigger, the silver-blue mer made conversation with Syryn. Drevin's father was no longer brought up between them.

"Where are your earrings?" Syryn was asked.

The mage touched his ears, surprised that they weren't there. He had forgotten about them.

"I guess they dropped off when I transformed," he replied.

"Then you're welcome to take some out of my collection."

Rowan took a sideways glance at Syryn's ears. He noticed two pinpricks on the mage's lobe. Why had Syryn pierced his ears? He then immediately noticed Drevin's earrings and understood why.

"We can get them at Elysium. There's no need to bother the King, Ryn."

Syryn gave Rowan a knowing look. His anti mage was drinking vinegar because he got matching piercings with the mer.

"Its fine," Drevin replied. "Syryn is a good friend. The least I can do is replace his lost earrings."

Having accepted the mer's assurance, Rowan went back to becoming a silent spectator.

"Where is Enkansh?"

"Sulking somewhere. I don't know."

Syryn raised his brows at Drevin.

"I'm getting engaged."

The mage said a prayer for the siren's broken heart.

"Take him with you, Syryn. Enkansh has no place to call home. Maybe you can help him find that place."

Rowan glanced at the mage. Here we go again, he thought. Another one for the manor.