?????'s Point of View

Unknown Location

My realm was one of darkness. Where life is vacant, red clouds hang high in the sky from the light of the three moons above. Moons that are far more ominous than the one in Crevalis. The castle I resided in was similar in a way. A husk of its former glory from before my time.

Cracks ran along the unkempt walls and floors of my throne room. Even some holes existed leading to the outside. Glass stained windows lined the room, but some of them were cracked, and some had a few chips as well. Inside was a simple table, with basic chairs for my generals and candles lighting the interior. It was quite basic in terms of what you would expect of royalty.

While I did love working on my pet projects, they took time, and so, I returned to my throne. A few of my generals walked around the castle, and others were with me, discussing how to move forward with my plans. Almost all of them were different, and none of them came to this power on their own. They were created by me or given power by me, and now they bored me.

That is until Tor's portal opened in the throne room, and everyone went quiet. "Tor." I called out evenly as I expected the mass of shadows to step through any moment. "Tor?" He didn't.

My other generals looked to me, and I made no move to investigate. Eventually, Tor appeared, but not in his usual way. The shadows would normally fill the room or gather into one spot leaving the room empty of them. Instead, a blob of shadows almost seemed to fall out of the portal onto the table before me.

Many of my generals seemed surprised and moved to help him, but I spoke. "Leave us." Was my calm a calculated order.

They all looked to me and were smart enough to heed my command. While many were Demon Lords, all vastly stronger than any Ghoul, they knew Tor was their superior. Of course, all were dwarfed by my power, but Tor was an exception. He was born from one strong enough to rival me and has helped me create some of my other generals. His power was enough to suppress almost anyone, but there were exceptions to this.

"My Queen," Tor spoke as his body seemed to convulse in a shadowy ball. "He has returned." My eye twitched at this, and I waited as his body began to slowly take shape. "The Anomaly…" The mass of shadows took his usual form, but there was no smile to be seen or gleefulness in his expressions. "He lives."

Staring at him with an intensity I hadn't felt in thousands of years, I spoke in a low tone. "Are you sure?"

My shadow demon nodded. "Absolutely. One of his eyes was normal, but his right eye matched exactly. Even his hair, posture, attitude, and facial features were all a perfect match. It's him. Of that, there is no doubt."

Tor paused and seemed to look away from me. "What is it?"

"There was something else, my Queen. The Anomaly is not entirely like you described to me. You said he was a human with gifts unknown to you, but I saw a form that looked anything but."

This was news. "What did it look like?"

"It was almost demonic, but unlike anything I've ever seen. As soon as he transformed, his power increased to an alarming degree. If anything, the Anomaly has become much stronger since his absence." Then he looked at me. "Likely to face you once more."

"And here I hoped it was anyone else. There were several possibilities, but this is certainly the worst one." Crossing my legs, I looked upon Tor more closely. "You were injured?"

"He was guarding the Priestesses…" Tor replied with a hiss. "I didn't expect him to be so reckless around his former student's lives, but he defended them vehemently. The Anomaly sacrificed his own safety to deal a mighty blow to my form. It was something I did not anticipate." He explained.

Standing from my throne, I walked down the dais and stopped in front of Tor. "What did I tell you to do?" I asked my second in command.

The collection of shadows shivered. "You-" He began, but froze when a white mist began to float around him from my hands.

"I ordered you to verify that it was indeed the anomaly and to proceed with caution. While I did order you to get a general description of him, I did not tell you to confront him." I said in a low but bored tone.

"My Queen…" Tor said and trailed off as his multiple eyes tracked the mist that was swirling all around him.

"I'm curious about why you did so and what you might've given away in your arrogance." Coming to a stop next to him, I placed my hand on his back as my mist started to close in on him and cover his body. "If you two fought, it's likely you exchanged words. Tell me what was said." I ordered him.

Tor was quiet for a moment before he answered. "I told him that we suspected he was behind the missing Ghouls."

He said nothing else, and I pressed my hand more firmly into his back. "You spoke of nothing else?" An edge came into my tone as I doubted my demon.

The mass of shadows spoke once more. "I told him that I would not toy with him as you did."

"So, you did mention me…" Trialing off, I waited for him to continue.

"I may have also said that you were gravely injured all those years ago, and this was my chance to take revenge. I also brought up that you hadn't forgotten about him." Tor was smart to continue but foolish to open his mouth to the Anomaly in the first place. "That was all." My demon refused to look at me as if he was trying to mentally prepare himself for punishment.

"You not only mentioned that he was able to 'gravely' injure me but continued on about getting revenge. From how you said it, one might take it as though I was dead." Tor moved slightly to retort, but my fingers clenched his shadows.

Writhing and hissing in pain, the shadow demon dared not move from his spot or retaliate. ���My queen!" He beseeched me in a pitiful tone.

My mist stayed wrapped around him, but I let him go. "Your injuries must've been worse than you let on if that was able to hurt you so." Stopping directly in front of him, he normally towered over me, but he whimpered and lowered himself to the floor. "There are a few forces working against us, and now that the Anomaly has reappeared, he is likely to start again what he did all those years ago."

"I am truly sorry, my Queen. It is true I underestimated him and did not expect him to be strong enough to wound me in such a manner. His power was unnatural, but now that we're better prepared, he shouldn't be a problem!"

Giving a glare to my demon, I put my foot on his head as my mist held him in place. "Do you not remember who it was that halted my invasion all those years ago? Who I slighted and who vowed to see me dead!?" Raising my voice as my anger rose, I pushed down until the stone floor cracked beneath his head from the force I was applying. "Now he's back and stronger than ever, according to you! The fact that he isn't dead gives me enough pause to avoid him for the time being…"

In a strained tone, Tor replied. "We could send others after him. A larger force!"

"I'd go myself, but too many unknowns prevent us from making such a move at this moment!" Groaning in aggravation, I moved from him and back to my throne, where I sat down in anger. "Now we must adjust our plans!"

"My arrogance led to this. Let me make it right. What must I do?" Tor inquired.

"You're far too valuable to risk sending after Mordred alone, and with the situation as delicate as it is, we need to be careful." Releasing my mist that surrounded him, I sighed. "A moment of weakness is not something I will punish you for. Not after all we've been through." I told him, and he bowed.

"Thank you."

Covering my eyes with my hand, I leaned back in my chair. "We must ready our forces to take the eastern continent first. They are weaker than Lestrania or any of the other kingdoms to the west…" Removing my hand revealed my shadow demon waiting for new orders. "The desert kingdom will be annoying to take because of the terrain, but their lack of magic should make things rather simple."

Tor nodded in agreement. "Who should we send to oversee the army?"

Waving a dismissive hand, I spoke. "No one needs to lead such a simple mission. This should be an easy victory, and I'd rather have my generals here getting ready for our main goal. Put a Demon Experiment in charge and have it be someone who is strong against magic. Just in case Lestrania tried to aid their allies to the East."

Tor bowed to me. "It will be done, but what of the Anomaly? What if he tries to get involved again?"

A frown found its way to my lips as Tor brought up a good point. "Move Grog to the sea and separate the two countries. Have him be on the lookout for any eastern ships to destroy but let through any western ships if none of them hold the Anomaly himself." I ordered. "His size alone will allow him to move more freely to patrol the sea separating the two continents but will also give us the chance to kill more Lestranian's before it's their turn."

"I have my reservations that Grog will be able to stop Arthur Pendragon, though." Tor stated, and I gave him a confused look.

"Who?"

"In this day and age, the Anomaly, or rather Mordred, goes by Arthur Pendragon. He is now a Knight of Lestrania and was Knighted recently from what I've gathered." Tor informed me. "Why he has abandoned the name Mordred, I do not know."

My eyes darted around as I tried to fathom what his goal could be. Why settle for being a Knight now? Surely this isn't to amuse or humor the Priestesses… So, if he isn't acting as the leader of Lestrania, but a mere Knight, what is his goal? This was more concerning than I initially thought.

Tapping my fingers on the arm of my throne, I replied. "That is disconcerting. The fact that this, Arthur Pendragon, is acting as a mere soldier worries me greatly." My attention shifted back to Tor. "Grog should be enough, but make sure our forces are masked upon their arrival in the desert kingdom."

"I believe it is called-" Tor began but stopped just as quickly.

Then I made an annoyed and dismissive wave. "Whatever its name is called doesn't matter. The high concentration of druids in the forests surrounding the desert might be an issue, but as long as they are unaware of our plans and our sudden arrival, they shouldn't be an issue." Then I gestured to the shadow demon. "Especially since you will be transporting them all personally."

"That will take me some time, but it will be done."

"Good. Now I need to inform all our spies about the new situation. If the Anomaly has returned, they need to be warned to avoid him at all cost."

Tor looked confused at that. "May I ask why? Wouldn't it be better to use them to get information on his activities?"

Slightly amused, I leaned forward. "With those eyes of his, they'll be dead the moment he sees them. Maybe even if they're anywhere in his proximity. It all depends. Move some of our forces North to keep things moving in the Zugal Clans. That should keep them safe and busy."

"Anything else?" My second in command inquired once more.

"No, but I will want you to surrender your memories of the incident later so I can get a better look at this form you mentioned. If 'Arthur Pendragon' has become stronger, I want to know by how much." Licking my lips at the memories of our battle, I continued. "If he was able to challenge you to even a small degree, it concerns me. He didn't hold that kind of power the last time we fought."

"Our battle was very short, but I will do as you ask. He also surprised me. He still shouldn't be a problem for you. Almost no one is."

Closing my eyes for a moment, I nodded in agreement. "That is true. After everything I've endured and suffered through, there are very few that can challenge me, but victory cannot be attained by strength alone. We need to be careful none of our enemies wipe out our forces that I've spent so long building up."

"Of course. If there is nothing else, I shall be on my way." Tor quickly dissipated, but it was much slower than usual, which just made me more cautious.

"Things are starting to move for the first time in several thousands of years…"

Shifting in my seat, I looked above my throne where a peculiar axe resided. Moving to the weapon in question from my throne, I could still sense some of the magical power inside of it. A foe that I conquered long ago that tried to stop me from taking this territory and land, but it was the end of a longer war than anyone had ever seen.

I picked up the axe and inspected the craft. The double-bladed ace was made of demon stone, which gave it a red and black appearance. A perfect fit for any true demon… Tracing the blade with my thumb, it quickly cut my skin, but I continued along the edge anyway. Demon stone was only found in this realm, and it was even harder to turn into a viable weapon.

"The perfect weapon to kill an immortal…" Putting the axe back, I looked at it for a moment longer. "Not one understands why I do this, but the world will thank me one day…"