Queen Of Adis

Years flew by and Trium Regum was starting to move on from the tragedy of war. Although many villages across the land were still starving for food, especially the dark citizens of Umbra, Adis and Ilyas focused their attention on assigning each realm with tasks according to their land assets. Since the realm of Lumine and Atlantis had healthier lands compared to Umbra, Adis decreed that the agriculture and food production shall be the two realms' main focus, while the excavation of golds, precious stones, and other minerals would be Umbra's source of livelihood. Umbra will exchange their goods for food and clothing, thus trading began to exist.

To enforce equality among the citizens and control over the nobles and elders, Ilyas proposed numerous laws and Adis proficiently approved all of it. The two worked non-stop until they could see results in each realm. Soon, deaths, crimes, and starvation were greatly reduced and the citizens were starting to have a small smile on their faces again.

However, while they were still working on the problem at hand, they encountered another one, and it was even worse than they could handle. A disaster that almost marked the end of the world.

"Your Highness!" Alfred unceremoniously barged in the royal study again.

The brat had never learned his lesson since the first time and Ilyas was itching to reprimand him again if not for his dreaded and panic expression.

Alfred ran towards his desk and, with a trembling hand, gave him an envelope. "A soldier from Eremus mountain came. Please come with me immediately."

Ilyas creased his forehead but still did as he was told with great haste. As soon as he stepped on the palace's facade, he saw a lone soldier shivering as if he was in the middle of a winter storm. The soldier's skin was almost blue in shade and his hair, beard, and clothes were frozen stiffs.

Ilyas' eyes budged out in astonishment. Even if the soldier came from a snowy field, the frost around him should have been melted by the scorching heat of the desert, not to mention that the soldier in front of him was a *salamander.

As if the soldier could feel that his fire was about to wither, he started heaved his words with difficulty. "Your... Highness...run. Now! The... survey squad...all annihilated. It's... coming!"

Ilyas moved closer to the salamander as his voice was dwindling. "Who's coming? What happened to the survey squad? Where is Acheron?"

Acheron was Ilyas' competent royal aide and at par to Fang's when it comes to proficiency.

"Dead!... He was... killed by... *Nuckelavee." After the soldier mentioned the monster, his entire body gradually turned to ice and the already weak fire on his tail had finally died, leaving a faint speck of smoke.

Ilyas' lips trembled as he swallowed a lump in his throat. His breathing became erratic as he looked at the direction of the Eremus Mountains. "Nuckelavee? Impossible!"

The once-proud mountains known for its flaming steeps and ridges during summer had become white and covered in snow. Dark clouds could be seen on top of it from a distance and ghostly howls of snow wraiths could be heard from afar.

During the Great War of Yore, the late King, together with Triton and Camus, fought a catastrophic monster called Nuckelavee. It's a being that caused plagues and drought throughout the land. It cursed the soil of Umbra to be rough and incompatible for the cultivation of grains and root crops. It also brought endless blizzards and snowstorms. More importantly, every attack it made had a spell that could kill any immortal beings. No one knew how it appeared in Trium Regum nor how to end its life, so the late King sacrificed his immortality to seal the monster into the dark abyss of hell. Only those who have the blood of the Royal Family could unseal and free it.

Now that the abomination was out again, it only means one thing -- total annihilation!

Ilyas rigidly turned to look at the servants around him with a look of utter despair. He stated his commands in a low, trembling voice. "S-sound the clock tower... Announce the evacuation of the entire citizen of Eremus. Prioritize the children, women and elderly. All the soldiers must maintain order and calm the citizens. No need to bring anything. Everyone... must be moved out before sunset."

The servants trembled in fear, but they were all trained well by the prince so they must not falter. They all nodded and swiftly dispersed to their own tasks.

"Alfred," Ilyas called out.

"I-I am here, Your Highness." Alfred stood straight despite the obvious fear in his eyes.

He turned to Alfred and firmly held the young man's shoulder, digging his fingers on his flesh. "You have grown so much in these years. This prince is very proud of what you have become. As of today, I am promoting you as a royal aide."

Alfred's tears and snot fell uncontrollably but he still stood straight as he clenched his fists on his side. "T-thank you, Your Highness. I owe it all to you!"

Ilyas' smile softened. "Now, go to my two princesses and bring them to the teleportation tower. Tell Millie and Hannah that I want them to stay in the Dark Palace for a while. Adis will take care of you there."

"B-but what about you, Your Highness? Let's go together, I beg you!"

He shook his head gently and looked to the distance again. "My duty is to keep the storm at bay," he softly whispered as he remembered his words to Adis. "Someone has to welcome our vengeful guest. My palace shall not show discourtesy up to its last breath."

"B-but, Your High--"

"Are you disobeying my command?" He suddenly yelled out. "Don't make me repeat myself. Move your a.s.s and leave. Now!"

Alfred bawled his eyes out as he shouted back. "P-please forgive me for leaving, Your Highness! This servant shall be forever indebted to you!" He made his final bow as deep as he could, then finally ran out towards the palace harem.

As the sunset had finally arrived, the once lively and boisterous Eremus became dark and deserted. When the first frost wraith drifted to its boundary, it had literally become a ghost town. The warm air suddenly dropped and the sand slowly froze. The dark clouds expanded through Eremus' sky and the evil cold crept into the city and further deep into the Desert Palace, freezing the ground and the walls along its way.

Ilyas, with his eyes closed and sword between his t.h.i.g.hs, was waiting silently while sitting inside his dark throne. "I never thought that I would personally see the downfall of my own kingdom. And it all happened in a matter of hours." He sneered at himself. "I have always longed for death as much as I longed for my freedom. And yet, I never expected that I will die alone tonight."

His monologue stopped when he felt the decline in the temperature. As he exhaled and felt the cold breath formed on his face, he slowly opened his eyes. Gone was the trace of panic and devastation. His demon eyes had its usual ruthless and murderous glint, unafraid of the scent of death that's looming over him.

The door creaked eerily and black long claws slowly coiled on the door frame. Soon, a ghastly monster appeared and breathed eerily.

"Ah, welcome to my humble abode, your honorable hideous monster. I have been waiting for you. And to make our first date even more intimate, I even chase out all my people. I hope I have met your heart's d.e.s.i.r.e."

When the Nuckelavee saw a warm living being, it gave out an ear-piercing shriek as though it longed for the scent of a massacre. "I can smell... the wretched blood... of that demon in you. So you are still alive... King of Delacroix!" The monster's voice was as grave and guttural as it was sinister.

Ilyas scowled as he sniffed his armpit. "Although I agree with you about his blood being wretched but are you telling me I smell like Adis? That was the nastiest compliment I've ever got." He calmly quipped and brandish his sword over his shoulder. "Hey, ugly, old man Delacroix is already dead for decades. If you want to exact revenge for your hundred years of confinement, go and chase after him in the afterlife. That way, this perfect prince doesn't have to spill his blood for you."

The nuckelavee just ignored his explanation, the horse part of the monster's body neighed loudly as it lifted its two front legs higher. The human part growled that caused the walls of the palace to rumble and cracked. Then, it moved towards Ilyas at lightning speed. It hacked and slashed with an overwhelming force that made his limbs trembled and the ground beneath his feet broke.

Ilyas created a summoning circle on the ground and immediately called his familiar. "Agni, come forth!"

An enormous lion with scarlet punitive fire all over its body abruptly came out from the circle and roared with great valor. As it saw its master being attacked by a malevolent creature, its fire ablaze even more before it pounced on its target.

Ilyas fiercely pierced his sword on the ground as he collapsed and held his c.h.e.s.t. His entire body was already covered in ice and snow from that brief close encounter with the nuckelavee. As it moved, its body emitted cold curse that slowly crept into his organs and freezing his heart.

The monster lived up to its reputation of being vicious and powerful. Even the punitive fire of Agni was slowly diminishing from its cold curse. The monster gave a blaring screech then pierced its sword through Agnis' c.h.e.s.t.

Agnis' growl shook the entire palace before its body turned stiff and became a huge block of ice.

"Noooo!" Ilyas cried out, his veins popping and his eyes reddened at what happened to his brave familiar.

Before he could even recover from his loss, the nuckelavee turned to him and gone for the kill. Its hooves thundered towards him as it prepared its weapon for his final strike.

Ilyas closed his eyes tight as he braced himself to face demise. He suddenly saw his life flashed in his eyes, visions of his younger years, the Delacroix clan, the wars he fought, his Millie and Hannah and then... his good friend, Adis. The corner of his lips lifted as the feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed his fears. A teardrop fell on his cheek as he awaited the pain of death.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" A snide as cold as frostbite was heard throughout the walls of the palace.

Ilyas' eyes flew open and saw the gloomy back of Adis facing him while a dark barrier enveloped them and stopped the monster's attack. Then, he felt a warmth sensation on his back.

"Brother, I think big brother Ilyas got the cold curse. We need to bring him to Fenghuang." Zen, who was now a young a.d.u.l.t, was using his light magic on Ilyas' back to deter the curse.

The monster gave a blood-curdling howl as Aquarius cast elemental magic against it. Fortunately, it has a weakness -- freshwater. The attack made the monster shuddered and collapsed, creating a huge dent on the ground.

Ilyas couldn't contain his emotions any longer and suddenly hugged Adis' h.i.p.s as he bawled. "Adis! You came for me! What took you so long, you idiot? I was really scared!"

Adis was struggling from his grip and pushed his head away. "If you are that afraid of dying, then why did you act heroically in front of your servants? You should have run too, idiot!"

"Because... someone has to put the storm at bay, remember?"