The sandy beach that just moments ago bore witness to a horrifying spectacle was now a landscape painted with a mishmash of emotions.
The people of Naiadon Tribe were huddled together in their shared dread, their eyes wide, glistening with horror and disbelief as their gaze was fixated on the spot where their beloved consort had been consumed by the eerie green flames. Whispers of worry rippled through the crowd, their dread palpable, creating an air of anguish.
Standing among the crowd were the Umbralfiends, their expressions a kaleidoscope of shock, confusion and a hint of fear.
Their princess' cherished companion, the baby Kraken had met the same strange fate. Some muttered of devilish magic, their gaze darting towards the eerie dark skies, as if praying to the devils and begging for mercy.
Since both of them disappeared and the royal consort seemed sick, they felt he couldn't have done anything on purpose.
However, amidst this cacophony of emotions, there were two figures, seemingly islands of calm in the sea of disarray.
The first was Rowena, her eyes narrowed and focused on the spot where Asher had vanished.
Despite her initial shock, she remained composed, her faith in Asher's abilities unwavering.
She knew the nature of the flames well and its aura was unmistakably his. And the fact that his Immortal Bloodline granted him mysterious and powerful abilities that were beyond the comprehension of anyone in this realm made her feel that what happened now couldn't have hurt him.
This consoled her somewhat, even as her heart pounded with the anxiety of uncertainty.
The second was Isola, her connection with the baby Kraken unbroken, thus relieving her of the worst of her fears while feeling that the sly consort was also probably alive.
Her eyes were trained on the spot of the incident, her face a mask of confusion and quiet unease. Where did the two of them go?
As Rowena instructed Nereon to quell the rising panic amongst their people while Isola also tried to calm down hers, a sudden flash of ghostly green illuminated the beach, drawing every eye.
Two figures materialized from thin air, standing at the exact spot where the enigmatic spectacle had taken place just minutes ago.
The collective gasp echoed throughout the beach as the crowd beheld Asher, the Royal Consort, in his formidable Hellbringer form, his charred black skeleton aglow with the familiar emerald green flames.
They all knew the name of his mystical, spine-chilling form that even defeated the Hell Maiden.
A wave of relief washed over the crowd at the sight of their returned consort, their faces morphing from horror to awe.
"Thank the Devils!" The people of Naiadon Tribe, fell on their knees, bowing their heads in deference, their hearts filled with reverence and relief.
However, what truly sent shockwaves through the crowd, leaving them completely awestruck, was the sight of the baby Kraken.
It too was ablaze, its body having undergone a similar transformation to Asher, now a glowing skeleton wreathed in emerald green flames.
A palpable sense of relief washed over Rowena, the worry lines on her face gradually smoothing as she saw him in his blazing Hellbringer form, powerful and unhurt.
Her heart, previously caught in a vise of anxiety, relaxed, its frantic pace slowing to a comfortable rhythm.
Isola too, sighed a deep breath of relief as her eyes fell upon the baby Kraken.
But her relief was short-lived, replaced almost instantly by bafflement and concern just as Rowena.
The creature before them was both familiar and foreign, the baby Kraken was wreathed in the same emerald flames as Asher, and its body reduced to charred bones without any flesh.
Isola's voice trembled with concern as she rushed towards it, "Asher, what have you done to her?" She stepped forward, her eyes darting between the baby Kraken and Asher, her mind racing with questions.
Asher merely scoffed, a nonchalant smirk playing on his skeletal face, "Take a good look, princess. Does Callisa look distressed to you?"
"Callisa?" The name 'Callisa' slipped off Asher's tongue naturally, surprising Isola, her eyes widened as she repeated the name under her breath.
She never expected him to take the initiative to name it. Because of that, she had been thinking all day about a nice name to give it and was looking forward to it.
Her confusion was quickly replaced with astonishment as she observed the baby Kraken - or rather, Callisa - snap her pincers together in delight at the sound of her new name. Isola's heart fluttered at the sight, a tender smile forming on her lips.
She also had to begrudgingly admit that 'Callisa' suited the baby Kraken, and so she didn't say anything about it, especially if it was happy with the name.
But what concerned her more was Callisa's blazing skeletal form that resembled Asher's.
Ignoring the eerie flames flickering around Callisa, her hand gently brushed Callisa's pincer. Instead of burning her, the flames felt warm, even comforting.
She felt a wave of reassurance wash over her, even as her mind struggled to comprehend what was happening.
Meanwhile, Rowena could see that the connection between the baby Kraken and Asher seemed to have been fully established.
She didn't understand what exactly happened but seeing the baby Kraken transform like this, she could tell that Asher's bloodforce had definitely influenced its bloodline.
Something like that was quite rare and dangerous, and she never expected it would manifest this way. However, she was glad it did since, at least this way, the baby Kraken would have a strong connection to Asher.
Still, she couldn't help but step closer to Asher, her hand reaching out to hold his, unconcerned by his skeletal form. Her gaze softened further as she asked, "Asher, are you alright? And where did you and... Callisa disappear to?"
Asher's gaze met Rowena's, a spark of something unspoken passing between them.
The flames around his figure died out as the skeletal form of his body began to regenerate, morphing back into his dark elf form, flesh rapidly growing back over his bones while Rowena's astonished gaze never left him. She still had yet to get used to this otherwordly devilish ability of his.
Feeling the warmth return to his hand in Rowena's grasp, Asher spoke, his voice soft but firm, "I have never felt better. You can relax now."
But there was an air of hesitation around him as he grappled with what to share next.
Despite being her husband, he was cautious as ever, a hard lesson learned from past betrayals and losses. His secrets, especially his personal dimension, were his to keep, and he can't let someone else use them against him.
"I'm not exactly sure of what transpired," he began, his gaze flickering to Callisa, who also reverted back to its original form, much to Isola's relief, "I was unconscious for a while, and when I woke up, I was somewhere else, a place full of flames with Callisa by my side. And before I knew it, we were back here. I am not sure how that happened and why," Asher mixed in some truth so that it wouldn't sound like complete nonsense.
Rowena listened in silent astonishment, her eyes reflecting the profound mystery that was Asher.
If she heard this from anyone else, she would struggle to believe it. But since it was him and knowing how his Immortal Bloodline was something beyond her comprehension, she knew there was no point in being more curious about it.
Isola too, felt a similar whirlwind of emotions. His words, his transformation, and his inexplicable influence on Callisa that even caused her to transform - they only added to his enigma. The shocking abilities he displayed in the belly of the Kraken made her wonder if he was really a mortal at that time.
She found herself mulling over his identity, his origins. How was he the only one of his race to exist here? It almost felt like he belonged to a different realm altogether.
Such a notion was absurd to her, and to anyone in Zalthor for that matter. They knew their world to be the only one with life, with the rest being nothing more than chaotic wastelands.
Yet, she was glad to see that Callisa had reverted back to her normal cute form since she wasn't sure if those flames would cause it to become uncomfortable later.
"Let me introduce you to Callisa," Asher said as he held Rowena's hand and brought her forward.
Rowena didn't expect this gesture from Asher suddenly, but she didn't mind and was also eager to get familiar with his companion, just like how Asher was familiar with Flaralis.
But Isola stood there, her brow furrowing as she watched Asher trying to introduce someone else to her precious companion.
She didn't voice out her concern, letting Callisa decide for herself, yet it weighed slightly in her chest.
"Kree!"
As Rowena stepped closer, Callisa waved her pincers wildly, her distress clear for all to see.
Asher was quick to catch the undercurrent of fear in her movements, realizing it was the lingering fear from Rowena's earlier intimidation when they saw each other for the first time.
His lips parted, his voice washing over Callisa like a warm wave, "Callisa, it's alright," he cooed, his voice gentle yet firm, commanding the baby Kraken's attention.
His dark yellow eyes flickered to Rowena, silently instructing her to move closer at a slow pace.
His hand reached out, caressing the hard shell of Callisa's pincer, whispering to her in a comforting tone, "Easy, girl. This woman beside me is someone I care about deeply. So I will be happy if you can get along with her as well."
Isola blinked, taken aback by the unexpected tenderness in Asher's voice. The rogue she had always seen him to be was overshadowed by this unexpected, gentler side.
He surely was a consort with more than one face.
But since he seemed to be nice to Callisa, she was relieved, her earlier worries of him treating Callisa harshly and with indifference lessened.
Timidly, Callisa turned her gaze onto Rowena.
Rowena retracted her aura, her countenance soft and warm to make herself appear harmless to it.
After what felt like an eternity, Callisa slowly reached out a pincer towards Rowena, prompting a subtle smile from her.
With slow grace, Rowena extended her hand, her fingers gently brushing against its huge pincer, making Rowena subtly smile.
The crowd around them let out a collective sigh of relief and fascination, their hearts touched by the sight before them.
The Naiadon people beamed, their Queen and their royal consort's companion getting along was an endearing sight.
The Umbralfiends, however, weren't feeling too happy for obvious reasons. They still were possessive of their baby guardian and were worried that the Bloodburn Kingdom would snatch it away from them as well.
However, standing at a distance was Moraxor and his wife, Narissara, observing everything in silence and with deep contemplation.
Narissara wrinkled her nose upon seeing the Bloodburn Queen getting friendly with their baby guardian and shifted her gaze towards Moraxor, "Do you still think we shouldn't prepare ourselves for the worst?"
Moraxor took a deep breath as his gaze focused on Asher and said with a veiled glint in his eyes, "We can never really know…"
