“Then, was it the crown or the aspect that was responsible?” Viressa questioned, skepticism dripping from her words.

  “The answer may not be so simple,” Lioren interjected.

  The elven king, Calenvir, nodded his head once. He lay against the floor, barely moving, while Viressa, Lioren, and I stood around him. I elected to have the rest of my companions stay outside and only include my wisest and most… intelligent friends to assist me in discussing the fate of the elven king.

  The man had collapsed to the floor shortly after Isarion and the other angels had left, and we chose to move the barely conscious king to the warg den where he could rest.

  “Did Isarion give him the relic the same way he gave me Finnlen?” I wondered aloud.

  “It wouldn’t be out of the question,” Lioren answered.

  Viressa considered the situation with a careful hand against her chin. “Is it also possible that Calenvir found the relic on his own? Those adventurers mentioned that the world dungeons were over in elven territory, right?”

  “Yes,” I began. “That is true as well. We won’t really have a way to know unless we check them out ourselves.”

  “Will the king be able to provide us with any information should he wake?” Lioren asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I turned, facing away from my companions and towards the small lake at the center of Mount Boom. Small blinking green and yellow lights danced across the surface like fireflies in the night, the remaining forest spirits of which I knew little about. I would have to ask Sylva sometime what purpose the creatures served. “However, based on what he said before he collapsed, the king may not be aware of his own actions.”

  Lioren and Viressa regarded me wearily, glancing back and forth from the unconscious man before them.

  “Please inform me should the man wake; if he becomes aggressive for any reason, do not attempt to fight him. Eztara will stay here,” I gestured with my arm to the wraith standing guard just outside the den. “In case of that.”

  “Understood,” Viressa replied, and Lioren nodded with his massive, golden mane shimmering in the air.

  I stepped outside, turning my head slightly to address the wraith in white. “Eztara. You are the only one here who has a chance of defeating the king in a fight. I place my trust in you.”

  “Whatever you say, demon,” Eztara replied nonchalantly.

  I smiled at the grumpy wraith, but was suddenly interrupted by a hurried call from Cedric. “Lucivar! Lucivar! Come quick!” The tiny demon appeared beside me, grabbing the dagger that he had thrown only a moment before.

  “What's wrong?”

  “The prince! He’s coming!”

  “Alone?”

  Cedric met my eyes, his gaze filled with a wild fear, then he shook his head frantically. “With an army.”

  “Good seeing you again, Lirien,” I called out, standing face to face with the elven prince. “Your father has already surrendered, and the aspect working alongside you has been taken away. We have no reason to fight,” my words were calm and measured, but my stance was anything but, poised and ready for battle.

  “No reason? How about all of the men that you killed?” Lirien spat, now with only a single arm.

  I shrugged, never allowing my gaze to waver. Behind the elven prince was an army of what seemed like every elf in the entire world, and I also spotted the still mysteriously still alive elf commander, Valthir, as well as the elf captain Iseldrynn beside him. “And the lives of the ones you took first meant nothing?”

  “That was business between me and Ossara, nothing more. My father hardly had a say in that matter. If it weren’t for you butting in, I would have had no reason to come after you,” Lirien continued angrily.

  Then, was his attack on the forest simply related to the history between Ossara and the elves? If so, why wait so many years?

  [He’s a petty bastard. Let’s kill him.]

  I’d love to, but I’d rather not make Calenvir angry if we don’t have to; the elves could still be our allies.

  [Lame.]

  I met the elven prince’s gaze with my own, blinking a few times as I thought of what to say next. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough that it felt as if I could see it with the naked eye.

  Calenvir offered this; perhaps his son would be no different?

  “Why not settle our differences with a good old duel, then?”

  Lirien froze, then looked away. I could see him begin to reach for the arm that I had taken from him. It seemed the wound was permanent, and I briefly wondered how healing worked for races aside from demons, considering I was able to regrow limbs fairly easily. “I… I accept.” The prince finally said.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Lirien! There is no reason to honor the demon’s request! With but a word, our armies could—” Valthir began from behind the prince, but he was cut off by a deathly glare.

  “Are you insinuating that I would lose to him?” Lirien seethed.

  “My prince, I mean no disrespect, but the last time—”

  “I hadn’t received my brand yet,” Lirien interrupted, and I felt my gut sink at the words.

  “Brand? Don’t tell me—” I started.

  “Shut up!” Lirien roared, drawing his sword with an elegant flourish. “No one interrupts my duel. If you do so, I will have your head.” He whipped his gaze around to meet mine. “I assume you have at least the honor to guarantee the same from your soldiers?”

  “Lirien, we need to talk, Luminarch is not—”

  I gritted my teeth as a silver blade suddenly crashed into my claws, drawing hot sparks that flew down into the tall grass below me.

  “I’m not in the mood for talking.”

  I took a few steps back as I parried the flurry of lightning-fast strikes from the elven prince. He wasn’t nearly as powerful as Calenvir, but he still had frightening speed and strength behind every blow.

  Three blood lances appeared above me, and I willed them forward with a thought as Lirien jumped backwards, parrying the attacks repeatedly with silver flashes of his curved blade as the lances tried to land a hit.

  Now.

  I rushed forward, seeing an opening in the elf’s guard, managing to graze Lirien’s arm before he recoiled, sending his blade towards me at the same time. I barely managed to block the strike, letting my long claws grind against the silver blade as we locked eyes.

  “I am not your enemy,” I said through clenched teeth. “Luminarch…”

  “Shut up!”

  The prince suddenly began to glow with a blinding white light.

  [Back up, dumbass.] Joshua warned.

  I heeded his call, jumping backwards hurriedly as Lirien activated his skill.

  [Light’s Call]

  A beam of light shot down from the sky, encasing me in a brilliant white.

  [Move!] Joshua yelled in frustration.

  I dove to the ground as the beam of light incinerated the ground directly where I had been standing, but a second one was already there. I attempted to shuffle out of the way, but the attack managed to clip me on the arm.

  I allowed my eyes to move downward, and I realized that my arm had completely disintegrated.

  The pain followed.

  [Let me out, Carter.]

  I can beat him.

  [Sure, bud.]

  I stepped back, forging a swarm of blood lances that zipped forward like a hundred angry bees as Lirien was forced to retreat. Then, I opened up the menu that I had chosen to put off until Calenvir had been moved.

  Three choices, and I knew absolutely nothing about any of them, just like when I had originally chosen the Vessel class.

  Which one, Joshua?

  [Top.] He responded quickly.

  Bottom it is!

  [Asshole.]

  [You have chosen the Symbiote Class!]

  [Parasitic Nemesis has evolved into Parasitic Echo]

  [Split Soul has evolved into Twin Souls]

  [Willing Host has evolved into Invasive Host]