CELESTIAL CONTINENT 1: Ezequiel Nightingale

CHAPTER 3

THE DEMON KING, Dimitri Aetheria, strode into the main hall of Aetheria Palace. His entrance was nothing short of commanding.

Ezequiel could only shake his head. If he hadn’t known the Demon King personally, he would also feel dominated by his powerful aura. But he knew the Demon King well. So, the Demon King’s presence was nothing for him.

Every step the Demon King took as he made his way to his seat was measured and confident, as if he owned the ground beneath his feet, though the Demon King really owns the Aetheria Palace. Dimitri’s head was held high, giving him an air of superiority.

Dressed in an immaculate, majestic black robe, cascading on the floor. Inside the majestic robe, Dimitri was wearing a dark-tailored suit. The fabric was of the finest quality, adding to his overall aura of sophistication and power. Yes, even if they are from the other dimension of the Earth, they have adapted to some modernity from humans. It was quite good, actually.

Emerson sighed. “Can this meeting be over now?”

Theo grinned at the Alpha King. “The meeting hasn’t started yet, Your Majesty.”

“You’re too impatient, Alpha King,” said the Queen of Witches.

Emerson only closed his eyes as he waited for the Demon King to arrive and sit in his seat next to him.

When the Demon King arrived at his seat, everyone inside the hall, except for the other three rules, stood, bowed their heads, and greeted the Demon King.

“Your Majesty!”

“Rise.” A low voice but full of authority boomed the whole place.

Dimitri looked at Ezequiel. “Long time no see, Alpha King.”

Ezequiel just nodded his head.

Dimitri only smiled.

Theo shakes his head. It wasn’t a surprise to him anymore that the Alpha King could act like this towards the Demon King. It’s not because the Alpha King doesn’t respect the Demon King, but because they were childhood friends. And if the Demon King wasn’t around, it was the Alpha King who would take over.

“You dominated the whole hall,” said Ezequiel in a displeased tone.

“Well, I’m the Master of the Continent now, since the Celestial Lord has left. So, I can make everyone feel—”

“Let’s start the meeting. Enough with your boasting.”

Dimitri could only shake his head because of Ezequiel. After not seeing each other for one hundred years, Ezequiel didn’t change at all. He was still the rude Alpha King one hundred years ago and one hundred years later, nothing has changed. But looking at the Alpha King right now, something seemed off. He just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

As the meeting started, everyone spoke their concerns. Everyone was worried about the upcoming war between the Celestial Continent and the Hunters. Throughout the meeting, the Demon King dominated the conversation, offering insightful perspective and making decisions with a confidence that was both inspiring and intimidating. Dmitri’s words were delivered with precision, each one carrying weight and significance.

No wonder the Celestial Lord passed down the power on him to become the ruler of the Celestial Continent. Ezequiel said in his mind while listening to Dimitri.

“If they won’t back down then we will fight,” was the final decision the Demon King made.

Everyone inside the hall agreed. Well, if the Hunters came to kill them, they should fight back to protect their land and their people.

AFTER THE MEETING, Ezequiel was called to Dimitri’s study hall. But Dimitri wasn’t in his study room. He was then guided by the guardian of the Aetheria Palace outside. On the balcony, connecting to Dimitri’s study room, the Demon King was facing the river flowing while drinking his favorite tea.

The balcony overlooking a flowing river is a truly enchanting place.

The sound of the flowing water calmed his nerves. The gentle sound of the flowing water acts as a natural white noise, soothing the mind and drowning out the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Ezequiel walked along the pathway towards the pavilion. When he reached the pavilion, he didn’t speak and didn’t sit… he was standing and waiting for the Demon King’s instruction.

Dimitri smiled and put down his teacup. “You still have a temper, Ezequiel. You didn’t change even after not seeing each other for one hundred years.”

“Save your talk. I’m not here to catch up with you,” Ezequiel said in a cold voice.

Dimitri sighed. “You’re angry.”

“You clearly know I was angry, yet you still ask. Where did you go? You just disappeared after the war one hundred years ago.”

“Have a seat,” Dimitri said in a calm voice.

Ezequiel frowned when he noticed something about Dimitri. He sat on the empty chair and held Dimitri’s wrist. Dimitri tried to pull his arm, but Ezequiel held his wrist firmly.

Ezequiel looked at Dimitri with worry when he felt Dimitri’s pulse. “What happened to you? Why is your pulse unstable?”

“I’m fine. It was just a minor injury.”

Ezequiel frowned at Dimitri. “Minor injury?”

Dimitri sighed. “I’m really fine. I just need to rest.”

But Ezequiel didn’t believe Dimitri. “Is that why you disappeared after the war?”

Dimitri looked away.

“Dimitri Aetheria, answer me,” Ezequiel said in a threatening voice.

Dimitri sighed again. “Look at you. Others were afraid of me, but you were threatening me.”

“I’m not others,” said Ezequiel and stood. He stood behind Dimitri and put his palm behind Dimitri’s back. He transferred some of his powers to Dimitri.

Dimitri accepted Ezequiel’s power. He closed his eyes and let his power run through his veins. “Tell me what happened?”

“I was seriously injured. So, I have to leave.”

“So, you left me in charge of the entire Celestial Continent?” Ezequiel said with sarcasm.

Dimitri smiled. He was already used to Ezequiel’s sarcasm. This was not the first time Ezequiel had spoken with him like this. “Aren’t you still alive? Your body was still whole.”

Ezequiel rolled his eyes and withdrew his hand from Dimitri’s back. He returned to his seat and poured tea into the teacup.

“Thank you,” Dimitri said.

“Don’t thank me. Judging from your pulse, you haven’t recovered yet. Why did you come back?” Ezequiel asked.

“Well, I can’t turn my back on my people. Moreover, we didn’t know where the Celestial Lord was right now. Whom can we count on? They were hunters, not gods. We can fight them.”

Ezequiel sipped his tea. “Celestial Lord…” he looked at Dimitri. “He also disappeared after his battle against the Dark Lord one thousand years ago. And you disappeared one hundred years ago because you were badly injured in the war against the Hunters. I think the Celestial Lord was also injured. Though I haven’t witnessed the war one thousand years ago, I’ve read it through some ancient books. It was a fierce battle and thousands of innocent lives were lost.”

“Ezequiel, we are not yet born one thousand years ago,” said Dimitri.

Ezequiel clicked his tongue. “Why did you call me here?” he asked.

The corner of Dimitri’s lips curled up. “You went to the Human Race?”

Ezequiel was about to sip his tea but stopped when he heard Dimitri’s question. “Yeah.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “The oracle had foreseen that I would meet my mate in the Human Race.”

“Have you met her?”

“I did.”

“Where is she?”

“Run away.”

The Demon King laughed as if he was having the best moment of his life. “Seems like she was scared by you, Ezequiel.”

Ezequiel only clicked his tongue in annoyance. “If not because of this upcoming war, I should have been looking for her now.”

“Then look for her after the war. I’m sure you won’t die in the upcoming war.” Dimitri raised his teacup to Ezequiel.

“I hope so.”

“How about you? When will you get married?” Ezequiel asked.

Dimitri shakes his head. “Get married. Before you ask me that, find your mate first. And I’ll tell you the answer.”

Then Ezequiel became serious. “But I can feel your power. You did not recover.”

Dimitri fixed the hem of his suit. “I was badly wounded in the war one hundred years ago. And it will take me hundreds of years to recover my power.”

Ezequiel suddenly cupped his chest when he felt something.

“What’s happening to you?” Dimitri asked, concern laced in his voice.

Ezequiel felt his chest tightening, but it disappeared after a moment. “I don’t know. I just felt my chest tightening as if I was missing something.”

“Your mate?”

Ezequiel suddenly stared at Dimitri. Realization hit his face. He stood and was about to leave when Amir, the Guardian of Aetheria Palace and Dimitri’s second-in-command, approached them.

“Your Majesty, Alpha King, it’s bad news. The Hunters have crossed the border. They have already arrived at the border and have set up their camp.”

Ezequiel fisted and looked at Dimitri. “Let’s finish this. So, I can return to the Human Race to look for my mate.”

Dimitri nodded. But his mind was filled with questions. A question that never had an answer. One hundred years ago, the Hunters crossed the border between the Human Race and the Celestial Continent.

Originally, humans couldn’t enter the border. Hunters are humans.

How can the Hunters enter the border so easily and attack them?

Could there be someone powerful backing them up? But aside from the Celestial Lord, no one was as powerful as him — Dimitri stopped when he realized something. There was indeed one person who was as powerful as the Celestial Lord. The Dark Lord.

The war one thousand years ago. It was between the Celestial Lord and the Dark Lord. It was a fierce battle between two Gods. The Dark Lord killed thousands of lives. After the war, no one knew where the two Gods went to.

Standing on the cliff, Ezequiel looked at the far distance. He was looking at the group of hunters setting up their camp. As he could see, the Hunters came prepared. Though they are humans, their intelligence is not simple. They were smart enough to kill hundreds of supernatural people in one fight.

“I always wonder. We do not interfere with humans nor have we done anything to harm them. Why do they want to kill us?” Dimitri asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe someone was instigating them. They are humans, but one hundred years ago, they could cross the border. Why can a human like them enter the border easily? Wasn’t it suspicious?”

Dimitri sighed. “Even if it was suspicious, we couldn't do anything but fight against them. I was hoping we wouldn’t have so many casualties this time.”

“But I was sure that we would lose hundreds of lives again,” Ezequiel stated. “And this fight will be fierce and bloody like what had happened one hundred years ago.”