The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 97: Contradictory Element ()

’I understand.’ Zariah heard Nile’s final words, she hummed in response as she again lifted her mind block, heaving a quiet sigh of relief as Nile’s presence faded off from her mind.

Zariah had expected Nile’s reaction, sometimes she felt she knew her Crimson Wolves better than she knew her ownself,

And at other times, when Zariah recalled how she had failed to hearken to their reasonable council in the past and had instead doubted their intentions... she wondered if truly she knew them at all.

If she had... if she did, then how had she failed to see the truth in their words? Why had she not believed them? Why did she not trust them?

At times where such thoughts crept up on her, Zariah would immediately mentally reprimand herself.

"It’s in the past now, what matters is that you do not fail them this time around." Zariah reminded herself in a stern tone.

There was a saying ’there was no use crying over spilt milk.’

What was done was done, Zariah had made her mistakes and she would forever live with the consequences of her choices, however the distraction that came along with such demoralizing memories was precisely what Zariah did not need at this time.

Not now when Zariah was doing all she could to make everything right, to make up for all the wrongs she had done and to save all those who she had failed in her previous lifetime.

Zariah sighed as she felt a sharp ache in her head and she swore within her heart she would get back at Nile for this,

Nile could be terrifying when he wanted to be and she could still feel her head pulsing from how he had forced his message through her mind block.

Zariah wondered if truly Nile would have killed the merman if she had given him no response, although Zariah doubted it.

Nile was no killer, not unless it was extremely necessary. In this way, he was different from all Zariah’s confidants and even Zariah herself.

Nile’s bond with the Creator had given him a different view to life, a much calmer, much more insightful view.

And it was for this reason that the entire Crimson Moon looked up to his wisdom and guidance on matters were Zariah could not be clear enough to come to a decision.

The spirit guide did have a terrifying and ferocious side to him, the side of his warrior wolf, a side he had tamed, yet it escaped his control whenever he was angered.

And truly, it took a lot to infuriate a calm personality like Nile Castiel, someone who had attained the Creator’s enlightenment, yet each person had his own weak spot... that one cinch in their armor,

And as much as Zariah wished it was otherwise, Zariah knew the only weakness of the spirit guide of Crimson Moon, the Creator’s eyes, Nile Castiel was her ownself.

His unyielding loyalty to Zariah was perhaps his only flaw, accompanied by his zeal to protect her from anything and everything... which Zariah had figured out the hard way was impossible.

In these ways, Nile greatly reminded Zariah of her own father... protective to a fault... even to their own harm.

Zariah sighed, wondering if she had made an error in judgement to entrust Nile with this mission.

She had trusted in his ever calm personality, that side of Nile who always considered the bigger picture and planned for the future,

The one who was most level headed amongst Zariah’s companions and could maintain a neutral stance in any situation.

But Zariah had overlooked the obvious fact that Nile’s neutrality met it’s limit when it came to her.

However Zariah trusted in Nile’s ability and in his compassion and so she knew he would fulfill his mission and he would bring the merman back unharmed.

___________________

Zariah shivered visibly, pulling her legs up to her chest as she felt the bone chilling cold creeping up on her again.

This was the fifth day, the fifth day since she had been locked up in the dungeons of the Sea Palace, with no protection against the cold and nothing to provide warmth.

Zariah had never planned to tarry this long in the Sea Kingdom, yet it seemed as though nothing ever went according to plan for her.

Forged from the very essence of Flame, Zariah thrived on warmth and detested the cold, if there was one weakness Zariah had... then it could only be how susceptible she was to water.

Or worse, if Zariah were to describe her body’s reaction to prolonged stay in water, she would much rather term it... unusual and intense.

The depth of the Sea...it was a world of freezing cold, moist and damp, all the things that were detrimental to a flame wolf.

Yes, Zariah was weakened by water, all flame wolves were, it was their contradictory element but none as much as Zariah.

Right from her childhood, Zariah had known her body did not take kindly to prolonged contact with water...

It weakened her, destabilized her magic, unsettled her control over her form... and when her magic was at it’s weakest, that darkness locked away in her mind had begun to stir again.

That darkness she had felt the moment she had awakened again, that darkness that had somehow taken resident in the deepest, darkest corners of her mind,

A constant reminder that once...in another time, in another life, she had let herself be desecrated, failing the most sacred vows of the Crimson Wolves...

Once, she had lost herself to the darkness and met her end as a monster...as forsaken.

Zariah had always known of the presence of the darkness within her, she had known from the start that her soul was already damned with no hopes of salvation.

It had already claimed Torin’s life essence, leaving Zariah with just the barest presence of her wolf and someday, Zariah knew, it would claim her also.

Zariah could feel her flame core pulsing erratically within her, the unwelcoming atmosphere unsettled her magic, sending the whisps of power surging through her veins.

Zariah gritted her teeth as she forced her flame energy to calm, shutting her eyes to expel the dim red glow she knew it gave off whenever she wielded her magic.

As Zariah sucked in deep breaths to calm her magic, there came that familiar voice and Zariah felt the raging storm within her settle at the sound of it.

"Mhíjani...are you okay?" King Askel asked in a worried tone as the door to the cell was pushed open and he rushed in, dropping to a crouch before Zariah’s huddled form.

His voice resounded through Zariah’s mind and Zariah swore she heard it much louder and more distinctly than she should have,

Zariah recalled there was one more baffling thing the water did to her... while it weakened her strength and magic, it heightened her senses and made her much more sensitive to everything around her.

It was precisely why Zariah who hardly ever took notice of the cold would feel it grow increasingly more freezing the longer she was within the water.

And this sensitivity was highly unpleasant and bothersome...or at least most times it was...

For the past five days, King Askel had come to her everyday, without fail,

This certainly was not what Zariah had meant when she said the door was open but it seemed King Askel was already way in over his head and Zariah could not bring herself to ruin it.

Or at least that was what Zariah told herself, it was difficult for her to admit that she was slowly but surely growing fond of his company and had even begun to expect his presence. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Mhíjani?" King Askel called again when Zariah did not respond to him.

’What was this? Why did his voice have such an intense effect on me? Is it just me? Or is it still the effect of the water on me?’ Zariah thought as she forced herself to calm.

Zariah lifted her gaze up to King Askel, her lips stretching into a small smile.

"Yes, I’m fine... just sleep deprived." Zariah replied, knowing King Askel would never believe her if she claimed to be completely okay.

"That’s it, King Himan can’t keep you here forever!" King Askel growled out as he made to rise to his feet but Zariah’s hand shot out to grab his, shaking her head slightly.

"Let him be, the Sea King will come to me himself." Zariah said.

"Prince Treyton told me the Sea King came to see you a few days back, you never mentioned it." King Askel said as he relented, lowering himself down to a seat beside Zariah.

Zariah glanced up at him, tilting her head to the side.

"You want to know what we talked about?" Zariah asked knowingly, King Askel shrugged casually.

"Do you want me to know?" King Askel asked and Zariah chuckled quietly.

"I gave him a lifeline...a message from the future if you will, now...it is all up to him." Zariah murmured quietly.

"Are you certain things will all go as you have planned? I am loosing my patience Mhíjani... I cannot bear to see you in here any longer. If he doesn’t make a move, I will..." King Askel said in a pained tone.

"We can never be certain of anything Askel...but that is all right." Zariah said with a smile.

"Because you have me?" King Askel added for her and Zariah laughed quietly.

"Errrh...your words, not mine." Zariah replied with a grin.

King Askel rolled his eyes as he pulled Zariah closer to him, wrapping his arms around her.

Zariah froze up for a moment before she eased up and rested her head against his chest, sighing quietly at the warmth he exuded.

"Why do you feel so cold Mhíjani? Are you sure you’re okay?" King Askel asked in a worried tone, his fingers running through Zariah’s hair.

Zariah bit her lip slightly as her eyes fluttered closed, she shook her head slightly.

"It’s just the water Askel... just the water." Zariah murmured in response,