Subdued in a moment

Zevan and Elion gawked at the imposter while they exchanged dumbfounded glances. To know the Prince's truth was one thing. But to hear the imposter himself confirm it was a different matter altogether. Although they had prepared themselves for the truth, they were still petrified to face it and accept it. 

"You do not have to look at me that way." The man stated perfunctorily and pushed his robe behind him. He looked around the room, studying everything inside with curiosity. "I mean no harm to you two or even Prince Jarett. Did I forget to inform you that your Prince is alive? He is injured but alive." He paused and looked at the two men who were frozen in their spots.

"You and your Lord have already killed more than two hundred people and our Prince is missing. Now, you expect us to believe you mean no harm." Zevan was exasperated and he glared at the imposter with hatred. "Your Lord has promised to end the entire world and you say you mean no harm to us. Are you not being hypocritical?"

The man gave Zevan a look he could not fathom. There was pain, anger, frustration and many other emotions hidden in his eyes. The air around them had changed completely and both Zevan and Elion sensed the bloodlust radiating from him.

Elion took a step forward, shielding his disciple behind him. He stood still, prepared to defend if the imposter were to attack them.

"Hypocritical you say?" The man chortled all of a sudden but neither Zevan nor Elion let their guards down. "I wonder what you call the people who promise to support you all the time but leave in the moment of danger. Are they hypocrites as well?" He folded his hands and quirked a brow at the two men.

While Elion did not understand the meaning behind his words, Zevan's eyes flashed with recognition. The man he had spoken to in the abyss had mentioned something similar. His experiences aligned with what the imposter had mentioned and for a moment, Zevan wondered what they had experienced in life for them to turn out this way.

"Well, let us just say the entire world condemned us and pushed us to the brink of death even when we were innocent." The man replied to Zevan's unasked question and Elion glanced at his disciple immediately.

"As for the details, it is not necessary to you."

"Is it necessary for you to destroy the entire world?" Zevan softened his stance and tried to reason with him, silently hoping for him to listen to him. "Although I do not know who wronged you, it is not right to harm the innocent."

"And do you think I was not innocent when I was harmed?" The man shot back immediately, not hiding his resentment and rage. His eyes had turned dark and the room had become colder than before, sending Zevan to refresh his memories of the abyss. The imposter's temperament was similar to his Lord's.

"Was my Lord not innocent when he was abandoned by the whole world in the time of need? Your words sound fanciful and nice since you have not experienced what we did. You will sing a different song altogether when you go through all that we went through."

"I will never choose the path you followed irrespective of the situation. Never." Zevan stated with resolve, his eyes unwavering while Elion frowned in confusion. He could not comprehend where this was going and what the two men were speaking about.

"We will see, Zevan. We will see. My Lord's offer remains still until you have chosen. You may take your time in deciding." The man smiled wickedly all of a sudden and Zevan's heart dropped when he discerned what he had done.

His abhorrence towards the imposter increased all the more and he took a step forward, only to be stopped by his Master.

"How do we know Prince Jarett is safe?" Elion diverted the topic, ignoring Zevan who was staring him him inquisitively.

"I have no reason to lie to you. But if you still wish to see it yourself, here it is." The imposter pulled out a talisman and threw it in the air. The next instant, the talisman caught fire in the center.

As the fire tore the talisman into two, leaving a clear gap in the middle, Prince Jarett's unconscious face was revealed before them. While Zevan held an inscrutable gaze, Elion's face paled in horror.

"Your Highness!" He cried and stepped forward. But the talisman turned into ash immediately and the Prince's face vanished with it.

Elion was overcome with fury and he charged forward like a madman. Before Zevan could stop him, he had directed his powers at the imposter. However, the man remained unfazed by it as he stood in his spot with a small smile on his face.

"Lightening rope." Elion raised his hands and two ropes that resembled lightning shot from him and attacked the imposter.

However, with a wave of his hand, the imposter directed the ropes toward the table that held the sand map of the kingdom of Meadel and its borders, reducing it to smithereens. The sand flew in the air and Zevan had to squint his eyes to see everything around him.

Not giving up, Elion used the lightning ropes again while directing huge fireballs at him at the same time. But the imposter once again saved himself and a transparent barrier appeared before him. 

Zevan rushed forward to stop his master when he noticed the anomaly of the barrier. Unlike the barriers he had seen that would only repel the attacks, the one before him, instead, consumed them. And while doing so, the barrier was slowly draining out his master's energy. His attacks too became unstable and eventually, he collapsed to the floor.

"Master, careful." He shouted and rushed towards him. However, before he could get to him, the imposter stared at him and Zevan halted immediately. His eyes dilated when he met the man's gaze and the next instant, he kneeled before him.

"I do not wish to harm either of you." The imposter averred as he looked at the two men before him with an apathetic gaze. While one remained kneeling, the other was sweating profusely while all his energy was being drained out of him even though he had stopped attacking a few moments ago.

"My Lord has taken a liking towards you, Zevan and you deeply respect your Master. Unless otherwise ordered I will not harm you two. But that does not mean I will tolerate you attacking me." The man showed his stance on this matter clearly. "I am sure my Lord will understand once I explain. So, do not test me on it. You are in no way capable of dealing with me, not yet at least."

Elion groaned in anguish and coughed out blood. He felt his entire life force being sucked out of him and dark spots appeared before him. The imposter just glanced at him before returning his focus to Zevan who was completely under his spell.

"And do not reveal my identity to anyone. If you do, I am sure nobody will believe you and even if they do, it does not matter much to me. Remember! The real Prince Jarett is in my hands. If you want him alive and if you are smart enough, you will know what to do." The imposter threatened and Zevan lowered his head in acknowledgment.

"Good. Now that the purpose of my visit here has been accomplished, I will take my leave. I will visit you again soon."

With that, the imposter disappeared from the place. Zevan snapped out of his daze immediately and Elion lost his consciousness completely.