by A P Gore
“Let's talk inside.”
Noah followed Roderich, and the door closed behind them automatically.
Roderich prepared two cups of tea for them. The tea tasted like ginger and herbs.
Congratulations! You have stepped on the path of becoming a herbalist. You have gained +1 to Herbalism. Now you can smell herbs and gain common knowledge about them.
Noah was surprised by the notification but pushed it away and focused on the high mage, who was seeping his tea.
“It all started a hundred years back when our town was called Drakonia. It also went by the name Merchant City of Sumara. You must have seen the signs of wealth everywhere, on the gates and the broken houses. Now the only remaining buildings are Blacksmith's Inn—which is still standing because he was the most devoted pupil of Goddess Sumara—and the grand hall, though it's buried under heavy stones.”
“What was the reason behind this? Is the curse of Sumara related to this?” Noah asked.
“Let me come to that, human.” He paused to sip his tea.
Noah suppressed the urge to yank that cup out of his hand and throw it away. A teatime story wasn't something he wanted here. Hard facts. He wanted hard facts.
“Have you seen any female demons in town, other than the girl you brought with you?”
“No.” He had seen no girl or woman in the whole town. But why?
“The curse lets no woman live if she visits the town. All our wives, daughters, and mothers died in the event that destroyed the town.”
“Damn!” Noah felt sick to his stomach. Putting his cup down, he grabbed his knees and took a deep breath. “What was the reason for the curse?” Noah asked after a long pause.
“I can't go into detail, but know this: the girl you brought into town is suffering the same symptoms every other woman suffered back then. I have something that will prolong her life, but you will have to part with her soon.”
Noah jumped to his feet in shock. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” The high mage was literally telling him that Thia was going to die soon.
33. Aftermath
Sumara
S umara walked along the red and blue marble pathway. The two colors had been mixed by the most qualified mason that ever existed in BlackFlame Online when the pathway to the greater god’s hall was created. She hated this pathway, its eternal silence, its dust free environment. She hated everything about it.
Sun and moon light, mixing with each other and forming a pattern of warm and cold light, illuminated the gold and silver statues placed across the pathway. Those were the greater gods, banished from the game realm thousands of years ago. In game time, of course.
The coldness in the air grew sharp, then lethal, as she walked deep inside the hallway. The statues accompanying her on either side had turned into diamonds and rubies by then. These were the most dangerous higher gods that ruled over BlackFlame ages ago. Their existence was erased from the hearts of any living being. Even the immortal dragons didn’t know about these gods.
But Sumara could never forget one god’s name.
She stopped in front of a statue, a man with a firm chin and ruby eyes that were so real, anyone looking at them would fear they would move at any time.
She wept silently, kneeling in front of her love. Lucifer.
“Why are you crying, my love?” A deep voice echoed in her mind.
“Every time I walk here, the statues… They remind me of the pain, suffering, embarrassment you went through, my lord. But I promise you, I’ll free you from this eternal prison soon.”
The voice in her mind chuckled. “A few more millennia, my dear. Then I’ll be free from everything.”
“I can’t wait in this rotten prison for few more millennia. Isn’t the hundred years we’ve spent here enough?” she asked furiously.
“That’s nothing when we count real-world years, is it? Remind me again what’s your term of events? My memories are slowly fading in this state.”
Sumara eyed the statue sadly. This was all because of her. One mistake in the real world, and they were both put into this prison for 500 real-life years. She was a demon, and Lucifer was her lord. They were a power to be recognized in the 21st century, but two thousand years after the Earth perished, their power dimmed to nonexistence, and they had to live as messengers of the new gods. One single mistake, one single fucking mistake had put both of them in this virtual prison. She could at least live as a god in this game, but what about her love? He was living the life of a greater god, never to be reached by any creature.
But everything was about to change. Everything would change, and she would have her freedom. Her lips twitched in a cunning smile.
“I can sense your cunning smile from here. What’s the reason, Sumara?” Lucifer asked in a serious tone.
“Everything gonna change, my lord. For the first time, I’ve got a follower. A real follower, in Drakonia.”
“Didn’t you destroy that whole empire?” Surprise was clearly audible in Lucifer’s voice.
“I did.” Sumara paused to laugh. “It was of no use back then. Prayers from the virtual demons were fucking useless for me, or you. But now everything is changing. One human has set foot in Drakonia and has already pledged his faith to me.”
“That’s interesting. But how did you get him to come to this side of the continent? I remember you telling me this side was inaccessible to the humans.”
“Well, frankly speaking, I got some help from an old friend and made his first spawn look like a bug…” She laughed like a maniac. “Just a few more years, my lord. I’ll make him grow strong, suitable as your vessel to roam in the real world once again. Our return to the real world is not far away.”
Tia
Real World — Thema — Mage Academy, planet of Spectra 33.
The cafeteria’s warm air was no good for Tia. Her five-foot-five slender body shivered with anger as the man in the black suit turned his back on her and walked away. He had chosen wisely. One more minute of his intense perfume or his stupid proposal, and Tia would have blasted his face with a fire orb.
“What was he doing here?” Visaka asked her.
Tia pulled her stare away from the tasty vegetarian burger in front of her and looked at her friend, wiping her tears with the cuffs of her gray robe, a common uniform of the mage academy. It was her final year in the academy, and she hadn’t expected news about the man she hated most. “He was talking about my dad.”
“Isn’t he in a magical coma?” Visaka crooked a brow. She wore a pristine white robe, contrasting with her deep black eyes. She looked like—and was—a princess of Spectra 33. Beautiful, elegant, but down to earth and, hence, Tia’s best friend.
“The man said Noah is out of the coma and playing in some fantasy game. He also asked if I want to meet him in a month’s time—in the game.” The words evoked another wave of anger inside her core. How could he ask her to meet him?
“What did you say?” Visaka rubbed her shoulder. She knew about Tia’s past and her hatred for her father.
“What should I have said?”
“You should meet him once.” Visaka’s voice was empathetic.
“I can’t. I hate that man, and I’d never meet him in my whole life.” Tia stood and walked away, sobbing. Noah had been out of her life for the last twenty years, and she hadn’t missed him a single day in those years. But hearing his name again opened many wounds buried deep inside her heart, and they would hurt a lot for the next few days. Until she managed to forget that Noah even existed anymore.
To be Continued ….
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