Chapter 33 - The Denerias Incident (1)

 

Music Inspiration

Chapter 33

The Denerias Incident (1) 

"Welcome, we have been expecting you." said a voice behind them.

Everyone turned around. Lysander and Dexter stood before them.

"Lysander! Dexter!" Marianne hugged both of them. "How is this possible?"

"Sedalia," said Dexter. "Sedalia's phoenix power. We suspected the moment would come, so she marked me with a phoenix sign," explained Lysander. "I didn't expect Dexter. Just before the final explosion, I rammed my right claw through the ship's wall and grabbed him. That also gave him the phoenix sign. Thanks to Sedalia, I was able to feel him."

Marianne tried to process what she had heard. It was a bit too much for her.

"It brought us here, where we waited for you," said Dexter.

"How did you know... I mean, why here and why now?" asked Marianne.

"Ascendary," Lysander pointed to the griffin.

"He is not an ordinary griffin. He is magical to the core. His mother was not just any griffin. She was the queen of the griffins."

At Lysander's words, Ascendary proudly raised his wings.

"Thanks to this magic, Ascendary can anticipate things. However, he cannot communicate that. For that, creatures gifted with magic like me or Sedalia are needed."

"I understand. But what does all this have to do with me?" asked Marianne.

"You are the daughter of General Denerias," Glenervan said.

"And?" Marianne shrugged questioningly.

"Show her," Dexter said.

Lysander nodded and pointed to the armies gathering below for battle. At the forefront of the griffin army, two griffin knights in special armor could be seen: Duke and Glenervan.

"It's strange looking at yourself from up here," Glenervan said. Next to them were two riders on horses.

"General Denerias and the King," Dexter said, standing next to Glenervan with his arms crossed. "My men and I were still on the way."

On the opposing side, a dark army of malevolent demons could be seen.

"It was the decisive battle," added Glenervan.

A horn sounded, and the armies began to move.

The king and General Denerias stayed back while the griffin knights charged forward on their griffins.

Marianne looked down in shock.

The battle was fought very brutally.

Many griffin knights fell, but they took many demons with them.

"And now watch out," Lysander said to Marianne.

A demon broke free and flew directly at the king.

Duke disengaged from the fight and rode after the demon. He threw a dagger. The demon crashed down dead, pierced by Denerias's sword. The king had his hand at his throat. He was gasping. Blood ran down his hand. The dagger was lodged in his throat.

The king fell from his horse and was dead before he hit the ground.

General Denerias pointed his sword at Duke. "Murderer! Traitor!" he shouted.

Duke was completely surprised and shocked.

The INQUEST appeared in the sky. The Inquisition was here. Dexter appeared next to General Denerias and stared in shock at the dead king.

"I saw the distinctive dagger of the leader of the Griffon Knights in His Majesty's throat," said Dexter. "The death of a king during a battle makes the highest general the new commander-in-chief. And he immediately implemented that."

"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" shouted General Denerias, Marianne's father. "KING KILLER!"

"NO!" shouted Duke and turned his griffon around to warn his men.

Dexter made some gestures and the INQUEST opened fire on the battlefield. On everyone. "The INQUEST had just been launched, this was their first deployment. It was a game changer in the war." Dexter lowered his head.

He couldn't watch the carnage.

Not again.
Marianne stared at her father.
And one thing became clear to her.
Her father was the exterminator of the Griffin Race...