"Finn," called Damian from the shadows of a long hall carved into the rock; the arch he stood beneath was known as the Queen's Arch, and the name of every queen had been carved into it. "Viserra has woken," added the taller demon; for a brief moment, his dark eyes landed on Allegra, huddled and trembling on the steps of the throne room. The despicable woman hadn't spoken a word since she was dragged kicking and screaming to their realm. Finn nodded, a shadow of a grin appearing across his lips as he left the immediate area, forgetting his duties as king if only to attend to his queen.
"Are you okay?" asked Finn, noticing how quiet and focused Damian was. Upon closer inspection, Finn noticed a thin but shallow scratch beneath Damian's right eye. One he was sure hadn't been there before. The king soon put it down to coincidence; the scratch had likely come from training the lower-level demons to control themselves. Trying to get them to remember their lost humanity was always the worst and one of the most difficult challenges. Qimir had yet to do so, even after a year of being a demon. It was like hiding from something, hoping he'd never have to face it again. Nonetheless, a lump still formed in Finn's throat; what if it wasn't a lower-level demon? What if Viserra was the one who caused the scratch? What if she was the one who had attacked?
"She's suffering," quietly replied Damian, his voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. "She doesn't understand, so she's lashing out," he added, recalling her quick and sudden temper change. It had caught everyone off guard, even Jeff, Taker, and Alexa, the three gifted with foresight. "She's hiding at the moment. Although I warn you to be cautious, not even Kane could restrain her."
The words Damian had quietly spoken hadn't done anything to settle Finn's growing nerves. Kane was gifted in fire and strength; he could not keep the queen contained and prevent her from lashing out at others. Silently, Finn regretted his decision to ignore the old laws. The same laws stated that a demon should never be created using the king's blood, not because of the unpredictable nature but because of the limitless power and often unforeseen consequences that followed.
"I just wanted her to be my equal, put to rest the division," spoke Finn, like Damian. His words were quiet as if he was speaking to himself rather than those around him. "She's the true queen; those who would rebel needed to know it. I didn't mean for her to suffer," added Finn, but this time with an echo, as if Balor was speaking through the man again. "Tell me someone is with her?"
"Dexter and Dean," voiced Damian, thankful that the Queen had not rejected everyone amid her struggles. "Bray sent them, said they were the last two she seen when her mortal life ended, thrust she'd trust them more now she's transitioned," he added, recalling his horrific transition centuries prior. The pain still haunted him, but he could remember struggling to trust those around him except Bray, the demon who had turned him in the first place.
"I would suggest caution," came the voice of Aleister from the darkness near the Queen's chambers, shaking his left arm to regain the feeling and rid himself of the burning pain. "She's volatile, one minute normal and the next vicious rage, worse than Dean's last year," added the Demon so often referred to as the Devil. "I'll admit we probably deserve it this time," he added as he stepped aside, his icy eyes landing on Jeff, hidden on the opposite side of the grand door, his eyes pale and void of their usual peacefulness. Once more, the kings of the past showed him what was to come.
With a light knock on the vanished wooden door, Finn entered Viserra's chambers. However, he was not the king he was known to be; he was the concerned man, still deep down. He could hear Balor's thoughts fall silent as he entered. The small living space, however, was abandoned, a fire lively burnt in its pit, but the two comfortably velvet chairs on either side remained empty; the table between them was still decorated with the finest wine and small crystal pieces, just as the desk hidden in the corner was still strewn with parchment and ink as if waiting for Viserra to return.
Only when Finn stepped through the rounded arch to the left did he find any sign of life. Dean stood on the furthest side of the room, at an identical rounded arch, yet he was not facing the king; instead, his back toward him, his focus on something hidden in the next room. With cautious steps, Finn drew closer, noticing the damaged furniture and destroyed gowns hanging in the closet, each with thin but long bloody claw marks. The path of destruction only seemed to grow with every step Finn took.
When he was about to reach for Dean, Finn heard a loud screech akin to a banshee's fatal scream; tears of pain followed it. Two voices followed that, Dean's and Dexter's, as they attempted to comfort their suffering queen. Only when Finn truly stepped into Viserra's bed chamber did he see her, and she saw him. The moment she did, she cowed away from him, terror written across her pale features as she scrambled into the furthest corner, trembling as if a child afraid of the monsters hidden beneath her bed.
"Her hands," whispered Finn, noticing how bloody her fingers were, specifically the tips. It was as if something had gnawed through them, chewed at them until only the bone remained. Yet despite Finn's immediate concern, Viserra didn't seem to notice, not even register the pain that would surely accompany such injury. Cautiously, he stepped toward her again, ignoring Dexter, silently reaching out to stop him and ignoring Dean's calls for him to stop. After all, Finn could only see the innocent woman she had been before, injured and needing help. Dexter and Dean, on the other hand, could see her mortal form melting away, replaced with Devitt's demonic form that was waiting to attack.
Only when Finn was close enough did Viserra lash out, wrapping her clawed hands tight around his wrist and twisting until the king yelled out in agony; even then, she didn't stop, releasing one hand but tightening the grip of the other. Her sapphire eyes were now purple and black, void of emotion, and her neatly braided hair was now dreaded. Gone were the sweet-scented roses, and in their place were the silver charms that crowned a queen, which were synonymous with Devitt. The dress she'd previously worn was now in tatters, showing the ancient words on an encantation tattooed onto her pale skin. But what got to Finn more was the combination of sharp-edged teeth and the bone claws she so willingly weaponized.
"You did this to me," accused Viserra, her voice with a haunting echo to it, as if Devitt, too, was blaming him for something. A tear slipped down Viserra's cheek, leaving a shimmering track as she spoke. "You broke your promise," she added, twisting Finn's arm as if to force him to feel some of her pain and share her suffering. "Why?"
"You're my queen," Finn replied, hoping that by answering, she would release him from the death grip she had locked him in. "I wouldn't have turned you if I had another choice," he added, yelling out upon the pain, increasing, burning even until he felt his wrist joint pop out of place, his elbow followed it mere seconds later. Yet, Viserra refused to let go, as if she could sense he wasn't telling her the truth. "This realm needs a queen, and I need you," yelled Finn as his shoulder joint popped out of place with the same sickening pop as the other two joints. The moment the words left his lips, the pressure released, and Viserra vanished back into the corner she'd previously hidden in.
Once more, her mortal form had returned, as did her fear and the suffering that had previously been alight behind her eyes. Tears shone in her eyes as she pushed the balls of her hands into her temples, refusing to look at him or anyone else who entered the room. Instantly, Finn knew he was the reason she suffered, even more so when the words Jeff had once spoken rang through his mind once more, echoed in Balor's growled voice as if his demon was reminding him of what he'd forgotten. His queen Viserra would be but a tormented one, damned to eternal suffering. Destined to be torn between two worlds.
"I'm sorry, Viserra," called Finn, reaching for the woven blanket Dean held out. Once more, he stepped toward his quivering queen, terrified and suffering. Carefully, he wrapped the blanket around her trembling form, sitting next to her and pulling her into himself. "If there was another way to save you, believe me, I would have taken it," he whispered honestly. However, he never worded his year-long search to find an alternative way to save Viserra from her cruel fate, to prevent her rise as the true Demon Queen, all so he could keep to his promise and allow her to die as the mortal she wished to remain as.
"What ... what happened to Snow ... Lucian ?" asked Viserra with a shakey voice. She at least wanted to know Prince Lucian had survived, if only so she didn't lose anything else, lose another she cared for. Already she suspected her the men who had followed Giuseppe were dead, destined to remain nameless and forgotten. This only brought the question of what happened to Allegra, Giuseppe's precious princess, the woman who believed herself the rightful queen even when no one else did. "Allegra."
"Lucian's fine; most likely has a scar from the ritual, but he'll live," reassured Finn; he knew the love and care between the prince and his queen went both ways. "We made a deal: the stones Snow created will remain in Umbara until the Iseult line ends. They'll be hidden within the tomb of the Lost Princess, your tomb. In return, you keep watch over the family, like their guardian demon, and peace will remain between our kinds as long as an Iseult sits on the throne," he explained, at least displaying that not all hope had been lost and his willingness to do what was right by the queen. "Snow was arrested; he's set to be executed for his crimes at the order of King Matthias. As for Allegra, she's here; she didn't like the reunion with Qimir despite her demand for it."
"What will happen to her?" asked Viserra, seemingly calm now, despite the unbearing pain that wracked her body and the worlds constantly colliding within her head.
"Whatever you decide," spoke Finn, believing it was only right the person who suffered most because of Giuseppe and Allegra's actions should decide the fate of the latter. "Whatever you choose to do will be final," he added, recalling the others who followed Snow had met their justice; the massacre at the old Snow Family Resident would be one that would go down in history but a deserved fate for those who suffered the bloody end. "Sleep now, my queen, regain your strength, you and Devitt are going to need it," whispered Finn when Viserra fell into a somewhat peaceful slumber, doing what he wished someone had once done for him all those centuries ago.
When he was sure she was comfortable in her bed, Finn turned to Jeff hovering near the rounded arch; Dexter and Dean replaced Finn at Viserra's side, resting with her. No doubt the pair suspected they, too, would need their strength with the trials and training to come. Neither would dare say training Viserra to control her power and unpredictable demon would be easy just as it was unclear how she would react to the mortal kind, even more so when she had been forced to pay the price for one man's unyielding hatred, a hatred that had also created a weapon sure to bring devastation eventually.
"How long?" asked Aleister, grabbing Finn's shoulder and pushing the joint back into place. He repeated his silent actions twice with the king's elbow and wrist. Afterward, Bray offered the king a healing potion to dull the pain and quicken the process. "How long does the peace last? Before Finn's desired wife and the Queen's love join us?" asked the Devil, plainly displaying his hope the Queen wouldn't be denied love, even if she feared it.
"When the conquerer comes, and a king of cruelty takes the throne, a Prince will rise. Torn between two worlds like our queen, loyal to her like no other, the man who will one day stand against Balor," began Jeff, seeing the pride shine in Finn's eyes, most likely at finally meeting his match. It had been a long time since anyone stood against the ruling demon king. The Black Prince had been the last, but his legacy still remained and terrified many. "A wife will come, a warrior from the lands of times past, descendant from those who swore us an enemy. Powerful she will be, a queen to many, rise she will when war begins and the new age dawns."
"That's impossible," whispered Finn, noticing the concern alight in the Undertaker's eyes. One of a few who remained who had witnessed the Black Prince's reign. "There can only be one queen; the protectors of the past decide; they chose Viserra for me," he added as if to shake away the uncertainty bubbling. Never in history had a king had more than one queen. For a new queen to rise the previous must fall. It scared Finn to think he'd one day lose Viserra, even more so when he'd just truly gotten her, thrust he questioned if gaining a wife was worth the price of losing his true queen.
"When she falls thirteen go with her," whispered Jeff, his words only heard by Bray, Aleister, and Damian, all three taking it as the warning it was. It wouldn't just be thirteen random demons, nor lower-level ones. It would be thirteen among the most powerful, those who showed loyalty to their queen despite the challenges that awaited. "A curse is on the horizon, one that will haunt a bloodline for centuries; only a sacrifice of love will end it."