Chapter Ninety-two: Returning home.

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~~~Azrael Jaesyrian, Fifth Moon, 277 AC~~~

~~~Carcosa, Essos~~~

"Do you think there's a chance that... Amanda's soul and the souls of those Imperishable Horde warriors have gone to the Nether?" I asked Valka as we headed to where she knew we could find Menrico since my guidance wasn't the best.

"There is a possibility," Valka assured, turning to look sideways, "from what I've heard from Essino and Mottaekho, Amanda gained a great deal of affection from you, and I don't want the possibility that what you witnessed and was a hallucination to cause affection towards you," Valka said, tightening her grip on my arm.

I had thought it myself, with that event coming back to my mind every moment, it all felt real, the warm but welcoming air, the light provided by the seas of lava, the faint smell of sulfur and salt, along with the sound of Amanda's voice and the enthusiasm shown by the Dothraki warriors the moment they saw I was with them.

It had all felt real, too real for the mere idea that it wasn't to present itself as illogical, but wasn't the fact that what I saw and felt already illogical? I had never had a connection to the Nether before, never entered that dimension, partly out of fear, and also because I was never presented with any reason for which to enter that dimension.

Another thing was that it could be a kind of lure, one so strong and personal that it made me want to enter the Nether, and so whatever inhabited that hell would come out of it. I knew that I had done something very problematic: to get Endoxes out of the End, not only that but to allow the Enderman to dwell in their freedom.

Endoxes himself had said that Notch existed and that he was the one who had Endoxes imprisoned in the first place, so the fact that what I had seen had been a vision meant to lead me to the Nether as a method of entrapment also crossed my mind. But at the end of the day, the desire to go to the Nether had already been planted in me, and if that would mean fighting to the death with whoever it was, so be it.

"Whatever the outcome, the Nether will be a place to explore in the future, even if it is by the edge of the sword and fire of magic," I replied to Valka, who nodded. "We have arrived," Valka said, and indeed, we had arrived at a field, of what looked like it was made for training.

"Ahh, Your Majesty!" a shout brought me out of my inner thoughts, watching as Menrico Farwan, the sixtieth yellow emperor of Yi Ti, and witch-king of Carcosa, stood out from the crowd of men training on the field, approached me, with Isabella following close behind.

"It is a pleasure to know that you are in perfect condition, when you arrived at my gates, I was concerned for the one to whom I owe much," Menrico spoke, speaking to me with respect and camaraderie, something only war could achieve in a short time.

"It is also good to see you again, Emperor Menrico," I returned his greeting, greeting him with the due respect he deserved, I may not have shared much with him, and what I did share, I forgot, however, Menrico was the father of Isabella, a woman I had grown fond of, and to whom I had offered my help in exchange for something. So respect and formality were not amiss in the conversations about to form between him and me.

"I see the recovery of the castle is taking shape," I pointed to the men and women carrying boards, tools, and other things, as they repaired burned sections, missing parts, or destroyed railings, it was clear that the castle had been subjected to heavy and repeated attacks, and from Valka's account, the Winged Men, as their name indicated, had wings, which quite possibly influenced an aerial countermeasure.

And like the story of my home world, no matter how much infantry, artillery, or armor you had, if you controlled the skies, your wars would result in victories long before you sent forces.

"Yes, King Azrael."

"... Just call me Azrael, I believe you have earned that right," I said, willing to set aside formalities for a moment, but still having mutual respect, ".... Azrael," Menrico corrected, "then call me Menrico. As for the city, yes, repairs have been progressing, thanks to the intervention of your forces and you, Carcosa has been able to take on a momentary air of peace."

I smiled at that, so far, Menrico presented himself as an upright and honorable man, and though I had noticed that he had shown no emotion since I entered the courtyard, that said nothing of his being, especially since I, too, did the same when meeting with emissaries from the Free Cities.

"I am on track to think that this tranquility will last quite some time, Menrico, the city of the Winged Men has been taken by your forces, I have decimated their armies, now all that remains is to heal wounds and move on."

"Father," Isabella, who had not spoken a word, decided to enter the conversation, "before I returned, I shared with Azrael the method that was used so that my mother could conceive me."

"Valka cannot have children, and I hoped that with that knowledge, she would manage to become a mother, it was on that basis that Azrael here lent us his help in dealing with the Winged Men." Isabella made known the reason for my intervention, and Menrico, as intelligent as I think he is, understood that this knowledge was the price for my help.

Menrico looked at Isabella for a few brief seconds, perhaps pondering over the fact that he would be parting with something powerful, for what was more powerful than knowledge to be able to create life? Still, Menrico made the right decision, and nodding, he spoke, "That knowledge was passed down in my family from eight generations, to part with something like that creates a burden on me, as the protector of said relic, but just as I am the protector of that knowledge, I am also the protector of Carcosa, and Carcosa is standing today because of you, and if that is the price to be paid, then it is yours."

Menrico, who I thought at first would refuse, was willing to give me what I was entitled to, and while whether he agreed or not didn't matter to me, since I would have him for any circumstance, the fact that he had agreed lightened things up since I didn't want to end up with the destruction of a city I had helped in the first place.

And yes, it was not a good thing on my part, but first and foremost, Xandar was and is my priority, they may have diverged in some cases, such as Valka's reluctance to be my wife because of the issue of an heir, and while she was right, Xandar knew how to manage, and besides there would be no problems over heir issues at this time, Xandar enjoyed a very united, centralized and focused internal structure, as for something like that to create arguments in the nearest times to come.

And while I had agreed to be with Valka, hopefully, forever. I also understood that an heir was important, so I would leave Carcosa with that knowledge by hook or by crook. "I will bring the grimoires"; Menrico's voice brought me out of my thoughts, noticing how Menrico walked away, leaving Isabella with us.

"Then you will leave," she said, and for a moment, I thought I noticed a sad tone in her voice, "yes, I must return to Xandar as soon as possible, I have very important matters that deserve my attention there," I said, with Isabella nodding.

"Will you come with us?" I asked her, and although I knew the answer already, she shook her head, "no," she said with a strained smile on her face, "I haven't seen my father in a year, I have much to tell him, and he me, I must take up everything I missed in my absence, plus my people need me here, there are still many things to repair, along with crops to gather."

"Here," I said, offering her a Totem of Immortality, which hung from a netherite steel chain, such artifacts were highly prized items among my people, and contrary to popular belief, very few boasted the pride to carry one, and now, Isabella would have one, she, as a strong woman and warrior that she was, would not lack something like this, but it was a measure to ensure the fact that we would see each other again. "Never take it off, this will give you a second chance at life in case you die, always have it with you, besides, in Xandar you are always welcome."

In a small flash, she rushed over to me, she leaned in a little and planted a kiss on my lips, taking me by surprise, but if I had been alert, I would have seen how Valka had an enchanted dagger drawn. "Thank you for your help Azrael, and don't worry, we'll see you very soon." She said, in time for Menrico to return with three rolls of worn parchment in his arms.

"As promised Azrael," he said, handing me the scrolls with utmost care, and at the sight of the two of them, I put them away in the menu, to which to their eyes I seemed to make them disappear. "We will be leaving Menrico, in Xandar you will find a strong and powerful ally, if you need anything, feel free to send a message."

With that said, and the necessary farewells, Valka and I made our way to the outskirts of the castle, being escorted by Isabella, her father, and a group of guards, to the place where the towering figure of Endoxes rested.

It was time to return home, and to create havoc in Westeros.