720 719. The Portal
Desperation and worry for one's own blood fueled General Dalgan's decision. Against the two Supreme Wizards present there, what could they even do? The plan of slowly taking over the Central Continent was now ruined.
"I accept."
Sylvester silently rejoiced. "Wonderful, now lead me to the portal you made inside the Soul Tree."
"What about these?" Julius interrupted, holding the other two generals hostage.
Sylvester sighed and shrugged. "Well, I have gotten what I needed. I'm sure these two have nothing more valuable to offer than what my new friend Dalgan could. So kill them."
"No! Wait!"
"We know things!"
Sylvester maintained an uninterested attitude. "Such as?"
"Where Grand Prince Zorthror is hiding his weapons!"
"Or where he is hiding his family! We know everything about him."
But right then, General Dalgan interrupted. "Even I know that much. Human Pope, these two are hoping to find a chance and slip into the portal, and return home. Please kill them, or else they'll be a threat to me and my son's safety."
'What a brutal man. For his son, he's willing to betray his own comrades and allies,' Sylvester was in awe but also alarmed. 'A man who can't be trusted.'
But instead of jumping to conclusions, he chose to go along with it and acted. "Well, what if you give me wrong information? I won't have any way to be sure. Julius, keep them tied up but close. If Dalgan lies, he and his son will die. And you two, if you find Dalgan lying, you'll take his place and live to lead me into your world."
"Why do you wish to visit our world?" Asked one of the other generals. "You'll simply die there due to the inversed atmosphere."
"I've taken that into account. You don't need to bother with it." Sylvester ignored his concerns and made them stand up. "Let's move to the Soul Tree. The dark ritual you're conducting there needs to be stopped, and that portal must be checked."
"You don't need to be worried about it," Dalgan suggested while meekly following Sylvester, his son hovering in the middle of the air beside Sylvester. "It's a one-time use portal, which means that someone can come out of it only once and also enter only once."
'I don't sense any lies.' Sylvester still glanced at the other two demons.
"He's not lying."
"We haven't communicated with the Grand Prince ever since we came here. We doubt he even thinks we survived the trip."
"What are your names?" Sylvester inquired.
"I'm General Vogthil."
"I'm General Alvath."
"Vogthil and Alvath, why do you think your Grand Prince will even care about you if he hasn't attempted to communicate with you? I reckon you've been on this Continent for hundreds of years." Sylvester slowly tried to sow the seeds of doubt and mistrust. "Do you know someone named General Zama'tar?"
The three Generals stared at each other's faces, and finally, Dalgan spoke. "He is one of the five Supreme Commanders under Empress Mother."
'Five?!' Sylvester was alarmed.
"Are these Supreme Commanders equally strong? What was Zama'tar's rank?"
"First," General Vogthil answered. "He is the most renowned warrior in our world, respected even by his enemies for his strength, wit, and honor."
"Why do you know him? Did he also come here?" Alvath asked further.
Sylvester heaved a slightly calming breath at that information. He was confident enough to defeat Zama'tar alone now, so if he was the most powerful weapon in the Demon Empress' arsenal, he felt comfortable.
"Came and died by my hands," Sylvester revealed. "Perhaps one of the toughest challenges I ever faced, but in the end, he also fell. However, before he died, he pleaded for me to visit your world and meet your Empress."
The fact that Sylvester killed a warrior they could never dream of defeating scared them, and the further mystery amused them.
"Why would he? We're enemies of each other. Every child of Carus knows about this weak, uncivilized world of humans. We were taught from young that it's our grand purpose to overtake this realm and rule it," General Alvath talked with an air of pride in his voice. "It is not only our need to take your world, but also our dream."
'That much I guessed from the start.' Sylvester wasn't even shocked. 'Even our previous Popes often hoped to take over the Demon Realm and wage a Holy War to spread the light of Solis.'
"But Empress Mother has forgotten the grand dream," Vogthil sneered, almost cursing the monarch of his world. "She speaks of a greater responsibility and love for life, while assassinating so many opponents over the years. Only the Grand Prince could stand up to her imperial authority and do what is right!"
'Diana?' Sylvester found that name in his mind again. For a world brainwashed about conquering the humane world, the sudden change in the mind of its monarch made no sense.
"What does this Empress look like? How powerful is she?"
The demons, except Dalgan, held no love for the Empress and revealed everything as if hoping that Sylvester would kill her. They divulged information nonstop, one after another, while the group made their way to the Soul Tree, walking on the Light Tiles.
"She's the strongest."
"Eldest daughter of the former Emperor."
"Defeated all the rebelling lands and conquered the ones that were never ours."
"The old Emperor ruled a joke of an Empire. But the Empress Mother changed it all and truly brought everything under her reign—and the foolish people accepted it!"
"The lies, the promises—that backstabbing…"
The more Sylvester heard them talk, the more he felt like visiting the world as soon as possible. Sadly, he knew he couldn't just leave his duties. "How many years of history does your world retain in books?"
It was a confusing question, and they silently gazed at Sylvester for more information.
But by then, they arrived at the Soul Tree. Quickly, Sylvester made steps leading them down with the Light Tiles. The further down they went, the darker it became. The tree's roots, colossal and sinuous, emerged from the earth like ancient serpents, their gnarled forms weaving a subterranean tapestry. The tree was massive enough that Sylvester had no hope of finding the secret portal on his own that quickly.
"Where is it?" Felix barked from behind. "I say we should start slicing their limbs if they aren't quick enough."
"Agreed," Aurora added.
"Or perhaps I can wound their souls," Soulbreaker chimed in.
That was enough of a nudge to push the three demons to rush their footsteps. Jumping from one branch to another, they slowly made their way closer to the ground. But just before they jumped from the last high branch, the three demons tried to go in different directions.
Clack!
However, an invisible chain of Light Magic held them back. They didn't know about it, and now they knew they had messed up their only chance of survival.
"You three!" Sylvester furiously glared. "We shall go where Dalgan is taking us. If he brings us to the real portal, I'll kill one of the other two. You two can decide which one should die."
"No! Spare us!"
"I was taking you to the fire below—ahk!"
Julius stepped behind the two and gripped their necks as if they were mere twigs. He raised them up effortlessly, "If you dare disrespect the Pope more, you shall receive the same treatment that heretics do."
'Oh!' Sylvester's eyes shined at Julius' words. 'I-Is this the second coming of the Lord Inquisitor?'
In reality, Julius was merely more interested in learning about the whole conspiracy. Initially, believing in Sylvester's words that some unknown two gods want to destroy them seemed too far-fetched. But slowly, as he watched Sylvester and experienced events similar to the ones now, he began believing in Sylvester's words.
"This way." General Dalgan instantly turned into a scared cat. He simply wanted to live and save his son. "The portal is inside the trunk of the tree. We didn't purposefully make it, but rather, we discovered it as if it's always been there."
"How? Where was the entry point in your world?" Sylvester immediately remembered the Void Anomaly.
"Inside Mount Doomsday. It's the highest Dark Energy peak in my world and is said to be the tomb of our ancient God—the progenitor of my species," Dalgun revealed proudly, and seemingly prayed under his breath.
Amused, Sylvester asked for a name. "Ours is called Solis. What is yours called?"
"Nothing, we believe that his presence is everywhere, no matter how far or close, in the air, in the dirt, and the existence itself—
Void, is what we often refer to him as."
'Sounds like something an Eldritch God like Nehilius would call himself.' Sylvester mused over the name as they finally approached the trunk of the tree at a branch's base.
"It's behind this," Dalgan replied, stepping forward to place his demonic claw-like hands on the tree trunk. He closed all four of his eyes and lowered his head while his lips continued to move. From his hands, a few dark red, shining lines came out and made a door-like shape on the bark of the trunk.
'Demonic runes?' Sylvester observed everything. 'I didn't sense any solarium manipulation.'
Crack!
The area covered in the red lines began to crack slowly and eventually chipped apart. However, nothing appeared behind it other than darkness. It was so dark that even pitch-black seemed lacking in describing it.
"MEOW!"
Miraj meowed all of a sudden, grabbing everyone's attention. Demons were clueless, but the Guardians and Felix knew it was Sylvester's guardian angel.
'What's the matter, Chonky?' Sylvester spoke mentally, noticing Miraj's overly excited behavior, standing erect on his shoulder.
Sniff! Sniff!
Miraj's nostrils spewed air like they were air cannons. 'M-Maxy! I feel something…'
'What?'
Crack!
Right then, the last of the cracks fell apart on the tree trunk, revealing an utterly dark passage shaped like a door.
'Maxy… That darkness… I feel like it's my belly!'
