Chapter 34 - Impending Danger?

"Demons!" one guard shouted as he pointed his sphere. "Why have you come here?" he then asked.

"Now hold on now." Skull said as he pulled back from the sphere that aimed at his neck (it was more so out of reflex than an actual need to do so, since as you may know, Skull was already dead) "We mean no harm. We've come here…" Skull then looked to Emma. Truth be told, he still had no idea why they were here.

"I wish to have an audience with King Roy Regelia." The little girl then pulled the hood that shadowed her face and the guards were left speechless at the symbol within her differently colored eyes.

"A demon lord." One guard whispered from behind.

"No, it can't be. She's got a heptagon in her eyes, not a pentagon. She must be something else." Another guard retorted.

The guard in front, the one that held his sphere to Skull's throat, yelled at them. "Oi you two, stop your blabbering!" and then he returned his attention to the three strange creatures in front of him. "Okay then, if you really wish to meet our King and truly have no intention on causing harm, then I hope that you'd do so on our terms."

The man then tilted his head upwards, signaling three other guards to walk forward with iron cuffs within their hands.

"So what will it be?" the man then asked.

Emma held forward her wrists. "We'll gladly oblige." And with that said and done, Emma and Skull were cuffed and placed to kneel before the King's throne. While Sally was taken elsewhere by a few other guards. And though, the loyal horse squirmed and fought against the guards, Skull calmed her quite easily by telling her – "It will be okay. Don't worry, they will not harm you. I will come and get you when I need to. Take a break in the meanwhile."

After that, the skeleton horse ceased her fighting and was escorted outside to the courtyard's stables. Meanwhile, another guard made his way to the King's personal quarters to inform him of the matters at hand.

~

And soon enough, the King did come to the castle's throne room and made his way to his golden throne as he looked down to the demon and undead that peered up towards him. Of course, the King immediately noticed the little girl's eyes but out of politeness, he didn't mention it and addressed the two on the matter at hand.

"I was told that you two wanted to have an audience me. If that is so, then you are free to rise." The king said from up above.

Both Emma and Skull rose from their knees.

Emma took the lead and replied to the King with fierce eyes. "Yes, that is true. I have come from Hell to warn you of a great despair that lurks in the near future."

At that, King Roy immediately remembered the words of the first King and the peril of which Ronan spoke of. Could this and the girl's words be related somehow?

"What do you mean?" the King asked.

The girl shook her head. "I don't know the details exactly but soon enough, something will happen. The darkness will return to your world. How or when that will happen, I don't know."

"You expect me to believe just that?" the King asked as he raised an eyebrow and leaned to the side within his throne.

"Instinct." The girl said quietly. "Ever since I've been little, I've always possessed an excellent sense of danger. One could make the correlation to that of an animalistic instinct. I don't know why it happens but it does. And though you have no reason to believe me, I would ask that you heed my words."

The King sighed. "I will see what I can do. But planning for something when I don't know what that is will be quite difficult." The King then rose from his throne. "Is that all?"

"No, there is another." The girl said sharply. "And while I don't know if this is related to the darkness I spoke of, it is important." The girl downed her head. "You see, the current overlord is planning an invasion of the human world. I don't know how he intends to do it but with what I've seen, I'm certain of it. He wants war."

"That much I know." Roy said as he walked down from the platform. "But you need not worry about that. I possess a means of keeping Agnos in check. And unless, I return what my ancestors took from his kind, he will not be able to declare any war whatsoever."

Roy now stood in front of the two strange creatures. "That aside, why come all this way to warn me? I haven't mentioned it, but your eyes tell me that you are not of normal blood. So why would you bother to come tell humans of what one of your own wishes to accomplish?"

"I don't want war." Emma replied bluntly. "For Agnos, demons and humans, alike, are nothing but his playthings. He doesn't have any sympathy for the weak or poor whatsoever. He never addresses those outside of his kingdom and leaves them to handle matters of their own. Agnos does not care to consider that war would have adverse effects on both sides. And I am strongly against it."

"I see." The King said as he placed a hand to his chin. He then looked to a nearby guard. "You there, release their cuffs." He ordered.

"But your majesty…" the man argued but a stern look from Roy stopped him there.

"Do as I say." The king commanded. "Besides, if they were anything dangerous, you don't suppose that mere handcuffs would stop them, do you?" the King continued as he made for a passage that would lead him back to his personal quarters. As he left, he told the soldiers. "Prepare rooms for them in the castle. They will stay here as guests. Be it, guests that will be under surveillance at most times."

And with that, the King left the throne room and Emma along with Skull were released. After which, they were taken to rooms of their own where they would stay for the time being.

~

And at the same time, Evan had just returned to the castle. He had spent the remaining afternoon with Teya and Blyke while they travelled around the Kingdom. But with the sun now setting, and Evan being rather tired, he made back for his room. And you could only imagine, how surprised he was to see that Skull Jones was being escorted to a room right beside his own.

"Skull Jones." Evan called. "What are you doing here?"

The skeleton turned around and looked at the small man. He investigated him thoroughly before saying, quite loudly, "Ah! The man of clouds!" he called Evan after recalling the strange ability of the boy.

Evan rubbed the back his head and said quietly to himself. "Well not anymore."

He then looked back to the tall skeleton. "Yes, that's me." He said. "But why are you here?" he asked.

"Well…" Skull rose a finger forward. How was he going to explain this? "I've recently met a companion of my own and through whatever methods, we ended up passing through a Gate and into this world."

"So you're going to stay here?" Evan asked as he tilted his head.

"Well…" Skull looked to the guard beside him. To be quite honest, now that he knew that the little girl would be safe, he no longer had a motive for staying in the human realm. However, if he simply left, that may have been a bit suspicious of him. The King might have thought him as some spy or something along those lines and that may have gotten the little girl in trouble.

Though, he supposed with a bit of explanation, he might have convinced the King to let him go. But it wasn't like he needed to be in Hell right now. The lovable skeleton supposed he'd take a vacation from his grimly home.

"I suppose I will." He replied. "And it would seem that we will be neighbors." He then added, seeing that Evan was heading to his room.

"I guess we will." Evan said and then retreated to his room.

And Skull did the same as well.

~

And all the while, Emma was already within a room of her own, lying comfortably on the luxurious bedroom.

But of course, that hardly gave her comfort. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake the feeling of impending danger. It was as if she were a deer feeling the presence of a great lion approaching. She wouldn't be able to rest well as she were now.

So instead, she got out of the bed and looked up to the night sky dotted with millions upon millions of stars, a sight which she had never seen before.

It was most certainly a pleasant change when compared to the constantly red skies of hell.

Emma leaned over the window's sill and felt the cool night wind blow across her face. She may not have been able to sleep but at the very least, this gave her an ease of mind.