Seven Devils And A Rose - Chapter 90

Lyria Kingdom

To the north of the Aurora Realm resided the kingdom of Lyria, a prosperous nation that was currently experiencing a long season of winter, with thick snows continuously falling throughout the night while leaving the day clear, warm, and sunny. Of course, this was one of those nights, with the snowstorm raging across the land, which kept most of the citizens indoors and huddling in front of the hearth, which was exactly what Prince Maximus Kavanagh, dubbed the Dark Prince, was currently doing.

Here in the south wing of the magnificent palace, which resided to the east of the grandiose city, the prince sat, comfortable in the leather armchair near the fireplace, a book in his hand, and Isaac—a sinfully black-furred Newfoundland canine—by his side.

Maximus reached his hand out, his long, lean fingers stroking the dog. Isaac barked and snuggled his large head against Maximus’s hand, begging for more.

The Dark Prince chuckled, his deep voice vibrating across the room.

When he returned his attention to his book, his mind suddenly switched to the one he had loved and lost for two thousand years now, since the Great Apocalypse.

Akari Hoshi of Yamato, his young bride, had sacrificed her life during their honeymoon period, just days after their marriage, to save their world.

Once again, he felt his heart crushed in emotional pain as he remembered that first time they had met.

He had been travelling all around Aurora, seeking enlightenment, when he had stumbled across the kingdom of Yamato. In the depths of the woods, he had somehow gotten separated from his soldiers, and the barrier erected to protect that area broke through the magic wolf mask he wore on his face to suppress his dark power. Hence, he had turned into his black wolf shifter form.

For days, he had roamed in those woods, lost, confused, and damned hungry. He had been so insanely famished that he had thought at the time he could devour anything and everything. Then, when he smelled something divine, the presence of one with pure qi, his own dark qi reacted, and he had gone quite berserk to say the least.

In those woods, he had found himself a lovely creature, a girl in a red cloak, strolling along and humming to herself as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

The moment he laid eyes on her, Maximus had wanted her, hounding her as if his life depended on it. Embarrassingly enough, he went so far as to kidnap the woman, who turned out to be a Great Sage of Yamato, in order to claim Akari as his. But of course, he had been beaten quite severely before he had any chance of a nibble of Akari, what with those Yamato elite soldiers with powerful red qi guarding and protecting the woods, which he hadn’t known until too late.

Once again, he remembered Akari’s long golden hair, fair skin, beautiful pale-blue eyes, and rose-red lips. He had tasted those lips countless times, drinking not only Akari herself, but her pure qi, and each time, he wanted and loved her even more.

When that incident happened two hundred years ago, when the surge of pure qi erupted throughout the realm, he had sensed Akari’s aura and had thought that he had another chance to see her once again. But then, on his way toward the source of that powerful aura, which oddly enough was in Yamato, it had suddenly disappeared. Once he had arrived and confronted the Great Sage of Yamato, demanding to know what had happened, the elderly woman simply said that the qi core, which contained Akari’s soul, was gone. For good this time. Where, she wouldn’t tell him, despite how much he had begged.

“It’s too dangerous, Maximus,” she had said. “You do understand that, don’t you? If that qi core, which has my daughters’ souls, were to be discovered, then disaster would follow. Those who want power will not rest until they claim it.”

“Yes, I understand that, but Akari?” he had asked.

“She is safe, or rather, her soul is safe, in another world where creatures’ existence and survival does not need qi, where power itself does not need qi, and where men are humble and do not dėsɨrė magical power. My daughters, the cores I created, are safe there.”

“Then will I ever see her again?”

She had shaken her head at his question. “That, Maximus, I do not know because the stars do not say.”

Despite her words, Maximus had known in his gut that she was not telling him the truth. He could see in her sad eyes that there would come a day when that qi core would return to Aurora and Akari’s soul along with it.

For the second time in his life, Maximus felt so crushed after losing his beloved that he had gone into a depression for years. It had only been recently that he’d gotten better, and now his father, Theodore Kavanagh, the king of Lyria, was urging him to find another woman, produce a few heirs, and settle down. Get ready to take over the throne.

Fuck! How the bloody hell was Maximus supposed to find himself another when he could only love one? When his heart, mind, and soul only wanted and loved Akari?

Maximus rose from his seat then and gave out a big sigh. “Time for bed,” he said to Isaac.

The large canine barked in reply.

Maximus turned on his heel and headed toward the door. Suddenly, he felt his dark qi reacting, surging throughout his body like a fuċkɨnġ raging inferno.

He collapsed to his knees and gritted his teeth as he clutched at his ċhėst.

The dark qi, in the form of black smoke and dust particles, pulsated all around him as he continued to react violently. It was only some moments later that it ceased, and Maximus became breathless.

When he managed to get on his feet, he walked—with unsteady legs—toward the double doors. There, he thrust them open and came out into the snowy night. Across the vast distance, he saw bright white light bursting, pure qi piercing the sky.

“Holy shit!” he swore under his breath.

Then he sensed it, Akari’s pure qi. That was her, all right.

Suddenly, he chuckled in disbelief, tears in his eyes. Two hundred years. The qi core had returned sooner than he had expected.

“Akari.” He whispered the beloved name under his breath. At that moment, he knew that he still had another chance at meeting Akari. When he did this time, he’d claim her and never ever let shit happen to her again.