Thana's Point of View

Unknown Location

Tor had reported to my forces as I went to the lab where I created my Wraith. Even if it was enough to get that damned Arthur to lower his guard, it would have been worth it. Now, all we needed to do was wait. Not even I would be able to survive against such poisoning. After thousands of years of holding onto that boon from Obsidian, it has finally aided me. I am glad I waited to use it. Even if it was a huge risk giving it to a mere Ghoul.

However, as I saw in my lab, I couldn’t help but feel anxious. “Why was he so confident?” My mumbles were met with no response.

My fingers tapped at my desk in a quick rhythm as I was lost in thought. It wasn’t until his dead body flashed through my mind. All my movements froze as my finger stopped as a realization came to me, and the memories flooded to the forefront of my mind.

“’Why would the Ghoul go after Arthur if he is already dead…’” I whispered as my eyes widened. “His own people declared him dead, and he came back. He came back…” With that in mind, I immediately teleported to my decrepit throne room, which started many of my Demon Lords that were present. “Tor, halt all our movements regarding Lestrania and Arthur Pendragon.” I ordered.

“May I ask why, my Queen?” Tor inquired. “Arthur Pendragon has inhaled all of the Demon Stone powder, has he not? His insides must be a mess by now.” He stated. “Even if his healing prowess is significant, if we can force him to-“

Cutting him off, I replied. “Arthur Pendragon died once before…” Many of the Demons went silent at that. “His own people declared him dead, and yet somehow, he was able to not only repel a reasonable force of Ghouls, but he also even pushed you back.”

The silence was almost deafening. “Her majesty is correct. Arthur Pendragon is dangerous. Perhaps he does not fear death because it works differently for him. Thinking of all the attacks he does near the edge of defeat, in the past against our Queen, and even on the Island when Sulva and I approached…” Flare trailed off as he looked around the room before turning back to me. “Maybe we should just monitor him for the moment?” He offered.

One of the others scoffed. “Who could we possibly have monitor him? Those eyes of his always give us away.”

“Not to mention he probably wouldn’t be too keen on seeing some of us.” Tor said with a mocking grin. “There are more a few familiar faces amongst us that would probably get attacked on sight.”

Arguing started to break out, but they quickly went quiet as my mist started to fill the room. Many backed away slightly before they turned back to me. Cowing a room full of powerful Demons was nothing new, but it did get old. No matter how many I make, it never seems to be enough, and some do get a little too haughty for their own good. Wisps moved around the necks of a few while others merely were caressed on their cheeks.

“It doesn’t matter. Stay away from Arthur’s immediate proximity. Send a few to Lestrania and even the East. Instruct them to keep their eyes and ears open.” I ordered. “We know that Arthur Pendragon is powerful. What worries me is that he isn’t any known race…”

“Does that matter?” Flare inquired. “Even if he is some sort of unidentified race, he still struggles with most Demon Lords.”

“You say that, but he soundly defeated the Wraith I sent. While it may have been a new experiment, its power was real. Given its abilities, at one point, it was likely stronger than even me.” That got frowns out of my Demons. “He was able to critically wound me, Tor was forced to flee twice, and he fended off not only the traitors Pestilence and Credo but also Flare and Sulva once they arrived.” Crossing my arms as I felt my muscles tighten and my teeth grit, I continued. “That’s after he forcibly removed the Demon implanted in Elincia and was forced to keep several Demon Lords at bay.”

Moving to my throne, I sat down and stared at them for a moment as they kept silent. I leaned to the side as I rested my elbow on the armrest. My hand moved to my forehead as I tried to think of what to do. How could we proceed without risking too much?

As my fingers moved back and forth across my forehead in thought, my Demons watched me. “We cannot risk another confrontation. Not with everything that has happened. If we do, we risk everything we have spent the last two thousand years rebuilding.” Caressing my lower lip with my finger, I spoke. “Too many unknowns continue to hinder us. We must deal with them individually or pit them against each other.”