|Ch.113

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Ashen Pendragon,the chosen one by the Nabi Pendragon. 17 years old yet the physical appearance surpassed that of a teenager. Muscles bulging from his body just like his uncle Jungkook,crimson eyes darker than the dirtiest blood yet pure than any crimson colour,gifted divine beauty just like his father,he was already a man who knew a little too much about this world.

He was not a transmigratter like Nabi,but he had his own curse just like her. Nabi was a transmigratter and a regressor but the protagonist she chose painfully happened to be an alternative future that is yet to happen. A future that has not happened but might happen. That is what Ashen is. An alternative future Nabi yet to see but has not seen. You could say he is another regressor of time but this future had not happened in Nabi's time line.

At the age of 7,Ashen possessed his future soul. Was it a coincidence? Of was it all planned by Nabi just like everything else? How in the world a future Ashen ended up in his own young version? Time lines are different but it had suddenly clashed. The future might not even be true to Nabi's time line but nothing can do now.

Ashen dropped his gloves infront of his own father as he watched the astonished eyes of his uncle Jimin and the indifference gaze of his uncle Yoongi landed on him. At the corner of the study,infront of the massive book rack,was his uncle Hoseok,looking unimpressed.

Seokjin,who was sitting on his chair,did not even stand up at the audacity of his son. In the culture of knights,dropping a gloves infront of another knight means asking for a duel. A dual that decides life or death. And his son had invited him for a duel?

"If you do not like what I am doing,take the gloves,you can kill me on the duel father"

".....and you think your mother would allow that?",Seokjin questioned.

Ashen smiled,"Do not change the subject father. I said I want the right to call upon the Pendragon army"

"And I said I do not permit that"

"Why? Because she is your sister that I'm going against? Father,open your eyes! Look at your hands!!",Ashen snapped pointing at his father's hands which are turning into a colour of coal. The Pendragon curse.

Seokjin immediately hid his hands under the table with a glare fixed on his son. "She is probably already dead. We can't do anything"

Ashen scoffed and looked at the floor in disbelief before looking at his father again,"You don't really believe that,do you?"

Seokjin avoided Ashen's eyes as if he was caught in a lie. This confrontation with his son was like having to force yourself to open your eyes when you're keeping them shut purposely.

"Ash",Jimin spoke with a bewildered expression,"Pendragons cannot escape the curse. She must have burnt to death by now. It's been more than 8 years! No body would live that long with this kind of damn curse!"

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself uncle",Ashen sassed back with a little sly smirk. "Doctor Jackson is there with her. Even if a god cannot bring a person back to life,he can blow the life into your lungs! The miraculous doctor in the  Pendragon house,wasn't he?",....."And we shouldn't forget the power of the Hell King Orpheus. Oh,uncle,you will need more than that to convince yourself,don't you think?"

"Even if she is alive,you think you have a chance?",Hoseok asked with crossed arms. "You don't stand a chance against her,no one does"

Ashen,"I'm strong"

Jimin snickered as if he heard the funniest thing,"Oh you are",he commented with a little nod as if he is mocking his little naive nephew. He strode closer to Ashen with a little smirk,"Ash,my guy,have you seen her in a battlefield? How her presence in the battlefield make the battlefield hellish than the actual hell. Oh,you don't know. Sure,let's say she is alive,then that is more the reason to back out"

Ashen smiled patiently,"You wouldn't believe if I said I do know,right? But trust me on this uncle,I know the risk. And that is why I am asking you all to join me. I cannot win without you or the Pendragon army"

Of all people,you could say Ashen knows the best how strong her aunt actually is. He had experienced her brutality in his own time line. She had completely wiped out the kingdom like it was nothing to her. The Queen of the heavens and hell,the ultimate walking calamity,evil Pendragon blooded tyrant,Nabi Pendragon.

Right now,his uncles are still blinded by their love for her that they refused to see the cruelty she had casted upon the innocent lives. Her cruelty had come in the names of Logan and Gaara to the kingdom. Wrecking havoc every single day,they see nothing but blood.

It's time to open the eyes of the Pendragons.

"Uncle Yoongi",Ashen called out to Yoongi who had been silently watching everything. The most reasonable one out of all the crazy beasts in the Pendragon home."How did you say you lost that left eye of yours?"

Yoongi was sitting on the couch when he heard his nephew's call. Looking up,he answered,"A mage thought screwing me up when I was beast hunting. I was careless,paid the price with my eye"

Ashen nodded,"Then what happened?"

Yoongi knew somehow where this is leading. He looked up at his brothers and sighed,"They went batshit crazy"

He didn't have to explain who is 'they'. It was crystal clear who went crazy. The Pendragon men of course. Before Nabi's arrival as 'Hazel' was their time of blood thirst. They never knew how to show their care or affection like normal people,they only knew violence. So,when one of their brothers got hurt,others would seek revenge for him.

Yoongi,"Taehyung destroyed that mage's mana core to bits,Hoseok and Jimin....they beat the crap out of him until he died pathetically. Jungkook murdered that mage's entire family within one night. Namjoon and Seokjin covered their crimes without a word"

Oh they were so evil,weren't they.

Ashen hummed hearing the cruelty of his family as if he already knew. "Father",this time he called out his father. "Pendragons care about their blood ties so much that they despise even the idea of letting any family member getting hurt. Look around father,look how your brothers are getting burnt right now"

Jimin,"Don't guilt trip him! —"

Ashen,"Father! Look at me! ",he showed his own arms which are getting small burn marks. "People in the kingdom needs us. They are begging for our return! If we do not return,they we will all die"

Seokjin had a complicated expression as he looked at his side. "She is dead—"

"Don't fool yourself father. You know it's not true!"

Seokjin scrunched up his face with a painful frown. His heart was aching,the pain he thought forgotten was not actually forgotten. His whole body remembers the pain of losing his sister. And having to kill her.....

Ashen softened his gaze,"She wants us to do this"

Yoongi who had always been the rational one,did not want to be rational in this situation. The hesitation was evident. ".....you think this is enough to convince us? You think Jungkook and Taehyung would fall for this bullcrap? You might think Taehyung would be the easiest to have in your side but I'm telling you,he loves Nabi more than you think. Even this idiot here,Jimin,look at his face,does he look like he is ready to go and kill his sister —"

Sure enough,Jimin had the coldest expression out of them. The bloodlust in his eyes was evident,the thirst to kill his own nephew.

Hoseok,"Enough of this Ashen Pendragon. We can't do this"

Ashen knew it would never be easy to convince these men. They still viewed Nabi as the ten year old child who just came to their home years ago.

Ashen,"Even if it means watching your own children die?"

Seokjin's face twitched.

Just then the door was opened revealing Luca,his father and his mother. Even Karla had some burnt marks on her body.

Luca was fine with no curse marks.

Luca's father,the Duke Harrington had a serious stern face,"Your grace,I am here to announce that my family is joining the war along with Ashen Pendragon"

Seokjin's eyes widened. He looked at Ashen in complete disbelief. His son had already planned ahead of the game. And what surprised him even more was the person who followed after Luca,...Noah. Eva's brother,the lost knight from 8 years ago. The man had aged up a bit but still handsome as ever with a beard. He had lost his teenage soft facial features,a man he is today.

Ashen had a poker face as he faced his father's look of betrayal,"If you do not give me the authority over the Pendragon army,then I will make one"

Seokjin stood up slamming his palms on the table,outrageous. "ASHEN PENDRAGON!"

"Yes father,that's my name. Get angry all you want. I am going to kill Nabi Pendragon with or without your help"

"Luca? Even you?",Hoseok asked with a raised eyebrow seeing the most unexpected person to join Ashen.

Luca had a deep look of expression as if he had come to an understanding. He nodded confirming his decision. It was true that he would have never accepted the offer Ashen given him if he never learned about Nabi's nine life times trying to save them. It was enough. And he does not plan on not seeing Nabi. He wants to see her one last time. Even if it means as enemies in the battlefield. He is not so sure that he would not end up throwing his life away to save her again and he honestly does not care.

"....yes. Even me",Luca answered.

Ashen turned around to leave but paused and looked back with a blank expression,"Ah,but if you plan to change your mind,feel free to join. We are departing tomorrow. The kingdom is waiting for us"

____________

The hell was peaceful compared to the Pendragon home. Too peaceful just like the silence before a storm. In the dark castle surrounded by a lake of lava,an 8 year old,two coloured eyed little boy was staring at an incubator filled with a green coloured liquid. Inside this incubator was his mother who had never woken up even once to greet him. His sleeping mother looked so peaceful and beautiful even with all the burn marks covering almost the entire body.

"Daddy,is mommy dead?"

Behind him was his father,the king of hell,Orpheus. He stroked the kid's black hair softly,"Not yet. But she will soon"

Such cruel words for a little child but Orpheus knew better. His child was not innocent like other children. The child was born to a devil like himself would naturally be evil,and combined with Pendragon blood,the kid is too powerful and smart for his own good.

"Does mommy love me?"

Orpheus,"She does. More than anything in this world"

"Then.....does daddy love me?"

Orpheus had an open mouth smirk,the kid knows too much. "What do you think,I've been treating you well all these years,does my love look fake to you,Storm?"

Storm looked at up at his father with emotionless eyes,"Even your words look fake,daddy. I know you do not love me"

Orpheus chuckled,"You are indeed my child. But I do like you little devil"

Storm shrugged his shoulders,"Then why do you act like you love me?"

Orpheus,"Mommy wanted me to love you"

"....but you want to kill me,am I right?"

Orpheus,"...."

"So it's true. I am part of the reason she had to go into a comatose state. She would have died if she did not take this action"

Jackson entered the room interrupting their conversion. Behind him was Nine,the devil commander. "It's time"

Orpheus took Storm's little hand,"Say farewell to your mommy. This will be your last time seeing her"

Storm had a confused expression,"Why?"

Orpheus,"Do it"

Storm did not throw a tantrum and did as he was told. Orpheus took him to his arms before leaving the room with Nine following them.

As they left the room,Orpheus had a cold glint in his eyes. He strode towards the massive window before leaping into the air with his child in his arms. With his power,he opened up a portal to the human world and entered through it with Nine still following them.

After entering the human world,they found themselves in a dark forest. Storn saw no ending in this forest. Giant trees,the full moon as beautiful as he had only heard from his nanny's stories,it was beautiful yet scary. And in the midst of the trees,was a castle looking camouflage with the environment. But Storm still could distinguish the difference.

The three devils entered through the gates of the castle and now it was more clear to the naked eyes that it was indeed a castle.

Orpheus put down his son on the grounds infront of the water fountain.

"Are you abandoning me?",Storm asked as the quick witted kid he is.

Orpheus,"....yes"

Storm was calm as ever hearing the earthshattering news of his father abandoning him. "For mommy?"

"Yes"

"....oh"

Orpheus looked at his kid's facial expression. A foreign pain hit his heart knowing how devastating his kid must be even though he is mature enough to stay calm. Is this what it means to love his kid? Did Nabi know that Orpheus would gradually grow fond of his kid one day?

But she misunderstood. Orpheus may love his child one day but it could not surpass what he felt for his beloved Nabi. He was a trashy father indeed. And he would willingly sacrifice his own kid to save Nabi but he could not go against what Nabi had ordered him. To never harm their child was her order. To love their child was her request.

Orpheus took out a necklace from his neck,a ring was on it with a massive red diamond. He handed it to Storm,"It belonged to your mommy's father. She cherished this thing more than her life and she wanted me to give this to you"

Storm looked at the ring blankly,"Is mommy going to die?"

"Soon"

"And you?"

"I will follow your mommy to the ends of this world",Orpheus knelt infront of Storm and held him by his little shoulders. "Storm,there are people in this world who will give the love we cannot give. If you want a home,then find Pendragons,but if you just want a house,then stay here in this castle. Either way,you are going to be the next King of hell. You are an immortal. You have all the time in this world to decide whatever you want.......Mommy's advise is for you to be kind and patient,find love and live a beautiful life. But as your father,my advise is......live however you want. You want something,do anything to own it. Live upto your name Storm. Be a storm"

"....then is it fine to seek revenge for my mommy?",He whispered and for the first time his facade broke. The crack in his voice was evident how much anguish he was feeling. When he raised his eyes to look at his father,the rims around his eyes were red. The calmness had vanished replacing the intense hatred for whoever snatching his mommy from him.

Orpheus stood up and smirked,"I said it. Do whatever you want. I'd be pleased to see the results"

Orpheus turned around to leave without looking back.

Nine stood next to Storm,the duty being to protect the heir to the hell.

Orpheus knew what he did would displease Nabi. The seed of revenge he planted on the kid's head,it was too much. Nabi would hate him for doing that but how would she know. She would be gone even before knowing what is brewing under her nose.

Orpheus had always hated this world for giving such a pain to Nabi. Thus he had no regrets. Kingdom be damned.

_________

Nabi woke up from her deep slumber,emerging from the green medicine water Jackson had personally made to keep her alive for 8 damn years.

She was only wearing a short white pyjama dress as she sat up,soaking wet from head to toe. The moment she opened her eyes,the whole hell shook violently with the intensity of her Pendragon aura.

Jackson was on his knees coughing blood,gritting his teeth to bear the pain. The glowing red eyes of the strongest Pendragon made him want to kill himself. He felt like someone was forcing him to stay down to bow to the greatest being in the entire world.

He heard the wet footsteps of hers approaching him. His heart leaped into his throat as he was not sure he would survive the snapped Nabi Pendragon.

"Jackson"

Her call echoed through his ear drums.

"Y –Yes your highness?"

Blood was dripping down from his mouth,nose and ears.

"Tell them I am back"

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