The Damned Demon

In the faint light of a dark, empty cellar that was a bit far from the Dracan Palace, a figure cloaked in secrecy made his way in.

He pushed back his hood, revealing his distinctive moon-white hair, a stark contrast to the shadows enveloping him. This was something he had to undertake alone, having convinced Eradicator to stay behind despite her insistence on accompanying him. 

He can't let others know he was here since he wasn't supposed to be here. But thanks to a certain someone, he got the help and directions to get here in secret.

Leaning against the cold, stone wall, Asher's eyes were fixed on the door, anticipating the arrival of someone specific, someone he was eagerly looking forward to meeting despite the risks.

However, his attention was abruptly drawn behind him as he sensed the space warping.

In a swift, unexpected move, a cold yet soft hand clasped his neck, slamming him against the wall with such force that cracks spider-webbed across its surface. 

A curved bone projection from a dragon-like wing pressed menacingly against his throat, restricting his breath.

"Is this...how you greet your guests?" Asher managed to choke out, his eyes meeting those of Lysandra, who stood before him with an expression of deadly coldness, her grip on his neck unyielding.

Lysandra's voice was low, seething with barely contained killing intent, "What did you do to my son?" she demanded.

Asher, still grimacing from the force of Lysandra's grip and the bony projection piercing his skin, managed to speak despite the discomfort, "I...hnnk...can't answer you if you're trying to kill me," he said, his voice strained but clear.

Lysandra's hand tightened momentarily, the temptation to end this scum's life then and there almost overwhelming. 

Yet, the memory of Agonon's words echoed in her mind, prompting her to take a deep breath and slowly release her hold.

As Asher coughed and rubbed his bruised neck, he eyed Lysandra, as for a moment, he really thought she was going to crush his neck, not that he was worried about it.

He straightened his clothes and pointed a finger at her, his voice turning cold and firm, "Before I say anything, let me make some things clear. If you try to kill me or lay hands on me again, consider your son to be gone forever. I am not one of your people to let you do as you please."

"You..." Lysandra's eyes glinted with cold fury and surprise. She didn't attack him without thinking about it. She wanted to see if fear of death would make a young thing like him succumb to her and tell her everything she wanted.

But she was surprised to see that she didn't even notice a glimmer of fear in his eyes. As someone with vast experience, she could observe just from his unfazed eyes that he had experienced much more.

Her fists that were pulsing with dark mana began to simmer down as she said with furrowed brows, "That will depend on whether you are lying or not," she retorted, her tone calm yet sharp, "You knew I was seeing things ever since you came here. What kind of tricks are you pulling on me, or how did you pull it off? Making it seem like Agonon is still alive. If I don't like the answer you are going to say, the tower is the last thing you should be worried about."

Asher's lips curved into a slight smile, "Tricks? Do you seriously believe that? What if I told you that your son still exists," he offered, his statement hanging in the air like a tantalizing possibility.

Lysandra's eyes betrayed a flicker of vulnerability at Asher's assertion about her son still being alive, but she quickly regained her composure. 

Her tone turned icy as she responded, "You chose the wrong person to play this game with. Everyone knows you..." She paused, her voice chilling, "...killed my son. I don't care if you didn't do it alone or not, but I know you had the biggest hand in it. You even paraded my son's emblem like a trophy to let everyone know you killed him. So now you are telling me that you didn't kill him? Not even a fool would believe that."

Asher exhaled a deep sigh, shaking his head slightly, "I only did those things because...look at me... I am just an alien with no background. I had to do something to gain recognition, especially from my queen, or my life would have been over. And what better achievement than killing the 2nd strongest genius among the younger generation. How else do you think she made me king? Because we are in love? Nah... You know things like that aren't something a queen like her can afford to depend on. It's just politics."

Lysandra's fists clenched at Asher's words, but she remained silent, listening as he continued.

"But your son is still out there. I didn't snuff him out of existence," Asher stated, his tone carrying a hint of sincerity, making even Lysandra feel as if he was telling the truth.

"Then where is he? Why didn't he return to me once the Quest of the Worthy ended?" Lysandra challenged, her gaze unyielding, "Nobody can stay behind once the Quest of the Worthy ends."

Asher knitted his brows and answered, "That's because he is stuck in another dimension... a very nightmarish and dangerous dimension. It could very well be a dimension that exists within the Seven Hells... only the devils could know," he said, his tone grim.

Lysandra's eyes widened, a blend of disbelief and curiosity in her eyes, "What are you saying? What kind of dimension are you talking about? How can that even be possible?" she asked, struggling to grasp the reality of Asher's claims.

Asher elaborated, "Look, Agonon and I did fight each other, and we almost killed each other during the quest. But then something strange happened. A mini-quest dropped, and we both got stuck in that place. We couldn't get out until we completed the quest, and we had to work together, even if we hated it. We made a deal to continue our fight after we got out. At least he was an honorable guy in that way. That I have to admit," His tone carried a note of appreciation, softening Lysandra's expression momentarily as she recognized her son's commitment to honor, a trait she deeply valued and something he inherited from his father.

And since Asher mentioned that, she wondered if he was really telling the truth and continued to listen despite what a part of her instincts was telling her.

"But it seemed like the devils didn't want both of us to escape. The entire dimension came falling apart, and Agonon was injured quite badly. So, he couldn't make it out in time while I did," Asher continued.

Lysandra felt a tight grip on her heart at the mention of Agonon's injury, though skepticism lingered in her gaze. 

She found it hard to believe that her son got injured more than Asher. But then again, she knew about Asher's mysterious ability to transform into an immortal form for a while.

Asher proceeded with his story, "And then the devils gave me a message that I was free to go, but Agonon couldn't come out unless I sacrificed my life force. But why would I sacrifice my precious life force to help my enemy? Even if we worked together for a few days, it didn't change the fact that we couldn't exist under the same sky. So, I returned...alone."

"How could you…" Lysandra's chin quivered as she felt the urge to cut him into two halves.

"What? You would have done the same in my shoes. So don't you be a hypocrite and judge me for doing what a sane man would do. Would you sacrifice your life force for me if I was stuck there?" Asher asked with crossed arms, to which Lysandra closed her eyes to bottle up her anger and frustration. She couldn't refute him since he was right.

But that didn't change the fact that she wanted to punish him for leaving her son behind.

Grappling with the weight of Asher's revelations, she expressed her doubts, "In the history of our world, never has such a mini-quest occurred during the Quest of the Worthy. I still believe you're not telling me the entire truth," she stated firmly and with suspicion brewing in her voice, "Prove to me that something like this really happened. Let me see Agonon again. Then I will find out once and for all."

Asher acknowledged her skepticism with a nod, "I know this sounds unbelievable, but the only way I could let Agonon see you these past few days was by sacrificing some of my life force. I only did it to get your attention, but he was quite grateful to me for allowing him to see you again, no matter the reason. He missed you quite a lot," he explained, watching her reaction closely.

Lysandra's eyes wavered between pain, disbelief, and hope as she struggled to accept Asher's claim. Was he really waiting for her all this time?

But she cleared her head since she couldn't bring herself to believe all this. 

Sensing her continued skepticism, Asher decided to reveal a piece of information, "And since we are a bit closer now, Agonon let me in on a little secret," he continued, his tone taking on a more intimate quality, "He told me... he isn't Drakar's son, and that his real father died a long time ago. Am I right? Or is this not enough to convince you that your son still exists?"

Asher inwardly smiled as his words struck a chord, visibly shaking Lysandra's usually composed demeanor as she took in a cold breath.