Chapter 8 - Drowned

Capital city of Lancaster, Alterion, Therian Continent

When Ellis returned, he was shunned by the people of Lancaster for his deeds, even though he saved their lives. Walking down the crowded street, he paid no mind to any of them, flaring out his massive amounts of mana to scare them off. The Chairman of Theria was harsh, unforgiving, and would rarely consider any viewpoint but his own. In his eyes, the enemy was something to be destroyed no matter the cost, not something to be reasoned with or to hold back on.

Mika came to realize that, in this way, the mentality of her and her master could not have been more different. Due to the way she'd been raised and her warrior's path, she always tried to protect the innocent. Ellis was not privy to such viewpoints; to him, civilians only got in his way most of the time. No matter the scenario, if he had to go all out he would, placing the destruction of his foe at top priority, even over the safety of the people he was supposed to protect. Ellis was powerful because he lacked all of the weaknesses of an honorable person, and the things evil usually tried to exploit. Sure, he'd won, but it was this mentality that landed them in the situation they now faced.

Half of Lancaster was missing after the latest battle. A decisive victory by the Dragon Guard and their all powerful Chairman, but not one without losses. After only a day, plans to reconstruct the city were ongoing. With the main gate and the three residential districts surrounding it turned to a crater, it would be necessary for the Guard to pay out a small fortune in reparations for the crisis; as such, Ellis and Mika arrived at the city council meeting, a crowd of protestors beside them every step of the way.

Not only that, but the news of the king's death had also spread like a wildfire, with his son immediately recalled to take his place. That combined with the battle had many citizens blaming Ellis for the death of their king. As with any massive event, new rumors sprung up by the hour, and new things to blame him for. It was all nothing but a nuisance in his eyes.

Ellis had passively put a mage shield around himself to protect from the variety of thrown objects. Bold citizens hurled rocks and tomatoes, while others threw dangerous things like pitchforks and knives. Mika, as his accomplice, was also forced to shield herself. Unfortunately, in situations such as this, it was impossible to charge any one person, or you'd have to toss hundreds of citizens in a prison cell.

Despite the apparent mood, the weather was beautiful in Lancaster and the surrounding county. Ellis had his eyes closed and turned up to the beating sun, ignoring the screaming around him. He'd reclaimed his black trench coat and tie, which absorbed all of the sun and heated him further. His relaxation only further enraged the crowd as they neared the citadel.

"Rowdy bunch, eh Haji?" Ellis mocked.

"Certainly, my lord."

"Weaklings have no place in criticizing the strong. These fools are alive because of me."

"I believe it might be best to avoid provoking them any further, my lord."

Ellis looked back at Mika, confused. "You think so? You are far too kind for this profession."

The citadel where the fiasco had begun just a few days before stood in front of them, and they paused in front of the gate. Loitering too long meant that the people surrounding them had better aim, and they found their shields barraged by enough items to threaten the stability. The guards behind the iron barred gates seemed to deliberately take their time to open them so as to torture the duo.

Once the gates opened, the guards immediately rushed forth to hold back the crowd, sparing Ellis a dirty look beforehand. He stepped past and into the palace gardens. It was here where they seemingly planned to persecute him for saving their city from a final-grade threat as if they could've done it better themselves. He clenched his hands into fists and forced himself to quell his emotions lest his mana leakage show bloodlust.

Bushes, trees and flowers galore surrounded them, infinitely unfolding like some sort of art piece. Hundreds of workers were in the gardens alone, rushing around as if trimming another bush was the most important task of their life. None of them wore outfits appropriate for garden work, instead donning suits and ties somewhat similar to those of Dragon Guard officers. It wasn't a surprise though, as Ellis knew that the royal family took appearances very seriously; it was a stigma in royalty that badly dressed workers could reflect badly on the royals themselves.

Through the front entrance, they'd go straight into the court of the king. Last time they'd entered through the servant's door, a much shabbier entrance. Ellis found himself quite impressed with the architecture of the front, with its mosaic windows depicting great battles in Theria's past and the reaching vines around that seemed to perfectly compliment the aesthetic. He brushed his hands along one of the bushes, savoring the soft feeling of leaves on his hands before ascending the staircase to the king's court.

An unfamiliar figure also in a suit and tie waited to receive him at the top of the stairs, him and another servant standing on either side of the gigantic wooden doors. Ellis ran his hand along the golden trim and made an impressed grunt.

"Lord Englund, are you ready to enter?" the small man asked. Something was strange about this particular butler, Ellis noticed. He spoke casually, completely unafraid of the powerful mage before him.

"You the king's personal butler?" Ellis countered.

"I am, my lord."

"What happened to Wesley?"

"Went missing two nights ago. No one's seen him since then. Seems he abandoned his post."

Bullshit. With that confirmation, Ellis believed that he'd grasped exactly what the kingdom of Alterion hoped to achieve in this matter. He took a deep breath, realizing he'd gained the upper hand in the coming conversation. A smile broke across his face, and at that point he turned to Mika, who was standing clueless.

"You need to leave."

"What? No! We're not doing this again, it's just a meeting with the council!"

"It may be too late for me, but it isn't too late for you. Go find your sister."

Mika punched him in the chest, not intending to hurt, but out of frustration. "I'm not going to run away again. I'm coming with you."

Ellis sighed. "You didn't run away last time. You saved yourself because I told you to. There's nothing wrong with that. Do you understand me?"

"My lord…"

"You aren't your sister, Haji."

The girl frowned, an arrow shot straight through her heart at the words.

"But with time, and with your potential, you can be," he finished. "You deserve to reach your potential, not to be lumped in with whatever they intend to charge me for. You are not an accomplice. You will be if you walk in there by my side. I'll ask again, do you understand me?"

Mika Hajimori, a first grade mage, was tired of being treated like a weakling. Of course, when hanging around with a final grade all of the time, that was her only reality. She bit her lip. Did she really have the potential that so many spoke of? Was it wrong to want to step up and help her friends even if it was clearly out of her league? Now, more than ever, lord Ellis would need help in defeating the elves. Perhaps that was all the more reason for her to leave and get stronger.

"I understand, my lord. Still, it pains me to leave you."

"I'm sure it does. Not to worry, I'll be fine. I was last time."

"I'll find Tanaka. Next time we meet, I'm beating you in our sparring match."

"I'm counting on it then. Be safe, Haji. Report to the Guard about what's happened here today."

"You too, my lord. Give them hell in there." Mika began making her way down the stairs. Ellis watched her go, a determined look on his face.

It was a shame to leave the beautiful daylight behind, but there was yet another battle to win. With the knowledge of the coming conversation, Ellis saw no use in entering with a kind demeanor. He spun on his heel and built mana at his fingertips.

"Lord, I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate your blade before you enter," the butler said.

Ellis raised a brow. "Want to try and take it from me?"

The man closed his eyes in shame and contemplation. "No, my lord."

"Wind technique: blast."

Ellis' hand was outstretched, letting out a powerful blast of magic wind that beat against the double doors. The lock snapped immediately under the pressure and they swung open in unison, the storm that came from his palm immediately sweeping the room and blowing out all of the candles. The chandelier swung once and twice and then finally came to a stop. Ellis Englund stepped into the king's court.

The walls were full with portraits and pictures of the late king and his family. Two daughters, one son, and of course his wife. There was a red carpet that ran the length of the room, shifting beneath Ellis' feet as he moved. Three chandeliers above his head threatened to fall, gently rocking from the windstorm he'd just kicked up. Before him at the end of the carpet was the throne of pure gold, and the usurper atop it.

Ellis swiped his hair away casually, a hand on his sword. Despite being in the presence of royalty, he did not kneel. No nerves to speak of were present in his stance, only pure unbridled confidence. He shifted his legs to make it clear that he was ready to lunge and strike at any moment. This was a vicious and unchained creature, a murderer full of sorrow and regret; yet, not a single ounce of self-doubt.

King Lark Windermere Alterion III was not unlike his father in his hatred for Ellis Englund. The twenty year old was merely a prince two days before, now a king atop a throne built on corpses and slaughter. The boy with short brown hair leaned back on his throne, a sword across his lap. A red cloak was around his shoulders, and the crown Ellis had recovered before sat atop his head. Even in Ellis' company, power much greater than his own, he was smiling.

"Don't you know that the Chairman of the Dragon Guard exists to serve the continent?" Lark asked. "He is not above it. Kneel to your king, Chairman."

"Kneeling is reserved for a show of respect, not a manchild on a throne." Ellis crossed his arms. "How about we get down to business?"

"Kneel, servant," Lark said again, growing frustrated.

"You intend to prosecute me for the assassination to ease your ascension to the throne, right? Which would be quite the splendid tactic if we didn't have elves running around killing us all–"

"Kneel!"

What the hell is this pressure in my chest?

Ellis' knee hit the floor with such force that it cracked the wood, and he realized he'd made a severe miscalculation. Of course a foolish boy king wouldn't execute a plan of such bold magnitude of his own volition. The power of a child king would never be capable of making Ellis Englund's knees touch the ground. He had a benefactor, and an impossibly powerful one at that. Ellis gritted his teeth and tried to force his body to stand to no avail.

"The king told you to kneel, you kneel, peasant," a dark voice said.

It was only then that Ellis felt his mana; he felt it only at the moment his enemy chose. The elf stepped out of one of the two side doors that led further into the palace. His hair was short and his outfit was clean and smart. He had two distinct wrinkles that ran up his cheeks, speaking of thousands of years in elf time. Hands crossed behind his back, he took two strides forward and came to a stop beside the throne. The gravity magic that held Ellis down had been released long ago, now he just held still in fear.

Could it be that the elf he fought before was just a small fry? The one that pushed him to his utter limits? This elf moved with such dignified strides, so threatening and yet not threatening at all. Even if he chose to fight now, he couldn't win. Every fight or flight response in his body was going haywire. This was a lever above even a final grade mage that could only be attained by those thousands of years of life granted to elven kind. This was true terror, true malice, true evil.

In an instant, the overpowering bubble of mana dispersed, and the elf smiled. "I am Edel, the lord of the elves. You are Ellis Englund, lord of this continent and one of the mightiest of the humans." He took a breath. "Eredin was one of the weakest among us; still, defeating even him is not a feat possible by a regular human, no doubt. I would like you to know that, regardless of what may come, you have transcended the power of your race. You have my respect."

Ellis scoffed. Regaining his nerves, he spat on the floor and stood up. "The clause of non-interference by the high council is not absolute. You kill me, you're no longer exempt from their judgment."

Edel made a curious look. "To still be so defiant… Did you overcome the might of my presence so easily? I've never seen another human do such a thing." He stepped down the staircase that led to the throne and threw away the jacket he'd been wearing. He knew well that, even if he seemed to bear no ill will in his approach, Ellis would undoubtedly still attack. This was the nature of a Chairman with the continent's best interest at heart.

Ellis drew his sword instantly and dashed. Immediately at full power, he was a blinding flash of light as he moved, using lightning magic to power up the muscles in his legs. He swung his sword, going straight for Edel's neck. It stopped just before hitting, Edel's bare hand effortlessly stopping the blade with a thin veil of mana protecting it. The movement was quick and efficient, clearly designed to conserve energy.

"Not bad–" 

Ellis was punched across the face before he could continue talking. He stumbled, his eye instantly destroyed and half of his skull fractured. The next punch went straight through the center of his chest, sending internal organs spilling out of the hole as Edel pulled away. Blood leaked from Ellis' lips as the elf grabbed him by the collar and weakly threw him across the room. The man rolled to a stop and held still over a growing pool of blood, coughing repeatedly.

The raw strength of Edel's punches was unbelievable. Ellis wasn't cocky; just from the approach of the man he knew not to underestimate his opponent. Three mana shields were casted to protect his head, and after that wasn't enough, he stacked five to protect his chest. Still, with a bare fist, Edel broke through a stack of shields without losing velocity. Of course, Ellis wasn't a defensive mage, so this was the best he could manage. Judging by the fact that he couldn't react to the punches either, it also seemed he was overwhelmed in speed.

This battle was all but lost, Ellis knew. Even so, losing a fight didn't mean losing per se. Sometimes a battle has other winning conditions, if perhaps your goal was to protect something or to allow someone else to get away. If Ellis could find that condition, something to screw over his opponent even as he lost the fight, he would win. This was just one of the many thoughts that ran through his brain that verged on shutdown.

"I'd assumed you'd know something like self heal, but this is far too slow. You may die before you can heal those wounds fully."

Edel sensed a slight deviation in mana at the very last moment, his hand raising to block a foot to the side of the head; the bone in his forearm snapped clean in two from the impact, his reaction granting him little time to protect himself. He stumbled, but Ellis' next attack hit mana shield after mana shield, a flurry of punches hitting brick walls. Edel smiled as the dead body on the floor faded away.

"An illusion? And to think I couldn't sense your mana at all. You're incredibly strong, Ellis Englund; not even I had the talent and potential you so clearly possess. Unlike you though, I had time." He canceled his shield spell and pushed through, grabbing Ellis by the throat with his already healed arm. He squeezed, crushing the air out of the man's windpipe until the illusion vanished.

"I don't need compliments from you or your kind." Ellis stood behind the throne. "If I kill your scapegoat, you lose, don't you?"

 He'd found the win condition, his sword instantly cutting Lark in half. Having been spectating like someone watching sports from the stands, the boy didn't even see the move coming. Lark didn't even have the time to make a surprised face before he died, half of his body hitting the floor while the bottom half remained seated. The chair slid off of itself and clattered down. Then it all vanished, the throne remaining.

"Indeed, that would put quite a wrench in the plan; exactly why I wouldn't be so foolish as to bring the dear king here to you."

Ellis couldn't help but chuckle. "So, shall we start playing it straight?"

Edel tilted his head. "I think you know as well as I do that there is no playing it straight in warfare. Simply winning and losing." He raised his hand and built up mana. "With that being said, I suppose I'll stop playing nice and subjugate you now before you use any of your more troublesome abilities."

Activating his magic once more but this time with much greater intensity. Ellis was thrown to the floor on his stomach and forcefully held there. His arms fought back but were restrained by a gravity multiple times that of Earth. In an instant, the second the elf had gotten serious, Ellis was defeated. Edel had managed a spell so powerful without a whisper from his mouth; an impossibility.

Ellis grew angry when he saw the face of Lark, regenerated and smiling devilishly from the throne. Was he, Theria's strongest, seriously going to lose in such a pathetic place? He fought against the gravity with all of his might and yet still couldn't move an inch. He was defeated, forced to listen to Edel talk down on him. Tears welled up in his eyes as his enemy left his view and set a foot on his back.

"You–" Ellis said.

"You're correct in your assertion, Ellis Englund. I can't kill you… Yet." Edel took Ellis' sword and casually snapped it over his knee. "The high council and the gods made a pact at the moment of creation that they shall not significantly interfere with mortal matters. This pact came with a few conditions, and I assume they're running through your head at this moment."

"You can't attack me!" Ellis yelled.

"The pact is void in three different scenarios. First, when a god is attacked by a mortal. Second, when a subsidiary of the gods, I.E. the Dragon Guard, are unlawfully attacked. Third, when the world is under significant threat, this being defined as when the scale is tipped further towards evil." Edel crouched in front of Ellis, a smile overtaking his face. "You're right, ordinarily the gods would have interfered the moment someone of my status dared to raise a fist against you. Not now though. You, Ellis Englund, were found guilty just yesterday. King Alterion and King Rocha of Eisendrach overruled the vote of Nespia's King. Over two thousand counts of murder. High treason. Assassinating a king. Do you understand the severity of these crimes?"

"You fucking bastard!" Ellis writhed around on the ground. "They'll get you!"

"Sure, I can't attack you unlawfully. This idea of unlawfulness doesn't apply when I take the law into my own hands. Do you understand? I win, Ellis Englund."

"You sacrificed one of your own just to frame me? You're pathetic. Fight me yourself!"

"It seems you've realized that the only hope for your side is your own death? Do you hope that, in death, the scales will tip just enough to send the gods bearing down on me?" Edel laughed. "Where you're going, you'll wish you were dead. Truly, sacrificing Eredin was worth it to witness this glorious moment."

Lark's image stood beside Edel now as if to mock him, looking down on Ellis with his arms crossed. "In this moment I declare, officially, that we the people revoke your status as Theria's Chairman, Ellis Englund. As a position of protector, and one voted on by the kings and councils of Theria, I announce that the position shall be passed on to a more suitable candidate, by a vote of two to one."

"You can't! How is this in line with the rules!?" Ellis cried in desperation. "Mira! Is this the world you wished for!?"

"The candidate has been named," Lark said.

"Stop! Mira! Florian! By the gods!" Ellis bashed his hand against the floor until it bled.

"Lord of the elves, Edel, shall be the new Chairman of Theria."

"I'll kill you!" 

"Sealing technique: demon king's court," Edel said.

Instantly, Ellis Englund was plunged into an infinite darkness.