After their stay at the spring, the beastfolk had an easier time through the Dark Forest. It seemed like someone was helping them and redirecting the rogue creatures away from their path. It did not take them another day to reach the bottom of the hill that leads to the abandoned castle. All of them stood in awe at the shadow of the building the loomed above them. Some of the beastfolk only heard of the castle and never actually saw it.

Now they stand in daze as they look at every spire, at every inch of the outer wall, and at the grand keep that stands higher than the walls. Peering over them as if it is inviting them in. But they could also smell the scent of the creatures from the inside. It was mostly sinister, but they can also catch a hint of milder scents. Maybe there are some that they can speak with.

It was Dimitri who first stepped towards the castle and everyone followed suit. The beastfolk felt their hearts becoming lighter with every step. Despite the unwelcoming aura of the castle and the growing stench of the creatures inside, they are anticipating a new life in a new home. The pilgrimage through the forest made them weary but entering the palace and climbing up the hill actually gave them the strength to continue further.

“What is happening?” one of the beastfolk women said as she noticed multiple shadows moving from the castle walls.

The rest of them stopped walking as they also saw the dark mass moving towards them. The gates opened and they saw creatures walk out of the gates to meet them. There was no hostile feeling. In fact, the snake people and the harpies looked at them with reverie. But the look was mostly directed to the boy who was walking ahead of them: the creatures were looking at Dimitri like he was some sort of an important person.

The creatures stopped at some distance, possibly noting that they startled the beastfolk by their sudden appearance. Only the representatives of the snake people and the harpies continued onward and smiled towards Dimitri. When they were about an arm’s length, they suddenly bowed down before him and the other creatures followed suit. Gasps from the beastmen could be heard as they observed the unexpected greeting.

“We have been expecting, My Lord,” the snake person said without lifting her head, “The prophecies spoke of your arrival in the castle. We have kept this place good enough for you and your people to live in.”

“What do you mean you have been expecting Dimitri?” Dimitri’s mother asked. She suddenly felt defensive.

“I am sorry, Mother of the Lord,” the lamia replied and this time she looked at Dimitri’s mother. “But our ancestors spoke of the day when the next Demon King will grace the walls of this castle again. And he will hail from the same race as the previous one.”

“You mean, you think Dimitri is the prophesized Demon King?” Dimitri’s mother asked. She knew that there was something about her son, but suddenly being told that he is going to be Demon King is just too much.

“The Prophecies never lie,” the Lamia replied, “and we knew it right when we felt the Lord’s presence. He is the King that we have been waiting for.”

The Lamia turned to Dimitri this time, “My Lord, we have been waiting for you all our lives, please allow us to serve you for the rest of it.”

Dimitri looked at his mother who nodded, and then he looked at the strange woman whose lower body was that of a snake, and the other woman who had wings for arms and talons for feet.

“Serve me,” Dimitri finally said, “but make sure to serve my people as well.”

There was a sigh from among the creatures this time. The harpy was tearful while the lamia almost jumped for joy as they were given the opportunity to serve the new Demon King. They promised to serve the rest of the beastfolk as well and they gathered around to escort their new king and his people through the gates.

There were shouting in the streets and jubilant cheers as the creatures welcomed their king and announced his arrival. Years of waiting finally paid off and they could die knowing that they have finally another purpose in life. There was a feast in the large square that night. The servants prepared large amounts of meal and the best liquors were taken out. The beastfolk women also helped in the cooking and preparation and the mood suddenly turned festive.

If they had fun in the mini festival at the lakeside, the beastfolk had even more fun in the town square. They will be able to eat their fill after days and they could finally enjoy some wine and sleep without worrying about being attacked anytime. Even Dimitri had a lighter mood and by the latter half of the festivities, he started to have fun with the children the way they used to do in the village.

“You are finally getting closer to making your dream come true,” Alex said as he finally caught up to Dimitri.

“This is a happy event but this is not enough,” Dimitri replied.

“I know. There are still a lot of things to do,” Alex countered and smiled at his Alpha, “but for now, we just need to enjoy the night and eat as much as we can. We have a lot of things to do tomorrow.”

Sure enough, they had a lot of things to do the next day. The creatures and the beastfolk had to be introduced to each other and they needed to come up with a structure regarding the administration of the palace. Not to mention the needs to assign beastfolk families to rooms and houses. They would also need to know what jobs are available for the beastfolk and if they can do their previous jobs in the village. Generally, it was a happy event for the beastfolk and they thought that it was going to last forever. That was when the first signs of the curse appeared.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“I can feel it . . . a champion has once again been born . . . the fragment speaks . . . a new vessel has finally come. . .” a voice reverberated in a dark place – A different dimension. A part of the world but is also detached from it. Far from the warmth and comfort of the upper planes. Deeper then the deepest trench. The Void.

Nothing can be hard but the clanking of chains and the high pitched gasps of someone who has long been imprisoned and chained. Unmoving, breathing but barely alive. At some point in time, the prisoner was a promising one. There so much talent and curiosity. But that was a story for a completely different time. Right now, the prisoner lives off on the whatever negative energy that would somehow make its way towards the void.

And quite recently, he was able to cause quite the stir to make the creatures above feel just the right amount of negativity to sustain him. But now that a vessel was born and the fragment has returned to its rightful place, the prisoner is once again hopeful. He tried to move around and the chains, although still tightly bound around his limbs and torso, feel even just a bit looser.

There was a deep and low laugh. It came from the prisoner. Many a lifetime ago he was put in this prison because the others did not agree with his ways. And all those years the prisoner has slowly built up his strength. And quite recently, the mortals have grown to become closer to evil. Corruption, betrayal, treachery, unfaithfulness, and all the other sources of grief, despair, anguish, and rage have fuelled the prisoner.

But it is not enough. He needs more – an even bigger form of betrayal. And he needs a vessel. He has just thought of the perfect plot. He might have lost his former strength, but he has never lost his talent. He was, after all, the best when it comes to coming up with plots and schemes. His time of reawakening is drawing near, and he laughs at the thought.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“So that was how you came to live in the castle, then?” Amanda asked as she noticed that Alex was finished.

“Yes.” Alex replied, looking like he was not satisfied, “Well, at least that was how we left the forest to run away from the humans and ended up in this castle with the people who were actually waiting for Dimitri. But that really wasn’t where the story ends.

“Because you got the curse after that?” Amanda asked, thinking that she might have poked a hornet’s nest because of the question.

“Yes,” Alex replied and did not seem to mind it, “I mean. We did not really get the curse right away. It happened a few months after. There was a sudden outburst and we went to check. Someone just spontaneously turned and became wild. We thought that the person just had a bad month – we often get that – but it usually just stops when the transformation ends. But the transformation never ended. That person never returned to her human form.

“After that incident, more and more of us turned without reverting back. It came to a point where it would happen to a lot of people at a time and it took us everything just to subjugate all of them. That was when the servants suggested that we took them here. We can’t just kill them. We needed to know what was happening.

“That was when I started hearing whispers about a curse. I don’t know where the whispers came from. I just suddenly hear them from time to time. It was like the voice was talking to someone about how to dispel the curse. And that was when I suggested it to Dimitri. He would not believe me at first. But I know that he was just denying it.

“You see, he stopped believing in gods after what happened in the village. He used to hear whispers calling his name to. But he stopped talking about it after that night. I don’t know what happened but he seemed to just completely stop believing in such things.”

“And you went to our village to ask for sacrifices?” Amanda asked with sine hint of bitterness.

“No.” Alex replied defensively, “You see. That was the funny thing. Because we never went to your village. We did not even get out of the castle even once after living here. The Servants told us that the village was actually already sending female sacrifices even before we came here.”

“So how come the sacrifices were the cure when you weren’t even inflicted with the curse yet?”Amanda wondered.

“No,” Alex replied and started to explain what his take on this whole incident was, “I think the curse was already in place even before we came here. Maybe something put in place to stop strangers from coming in? Dimitri and I never suffered from the curse after all.”

“I see,” Amanda replied, now understanding a bit about her captors. “So that is the reason why most of your kin are living in the houses by the inner wall.”

“Yes. They are fine as long as they do not enter the keep,” Alex replied with a soothing look.

“And is his- is Dimitri’s mother living in those houses too?” Amanda asked. Then she suddenly wondered why she did.

“No. Remember when I told you the about the first one who was affected by the curse?” Alex did not continue. Then Amanda gasped it hit her.