THE SUMMONER

The Summoner was residing in the tower. It took much longer to get there if you weren’t flying, but Helios’s wings were still confined and so was his willpower to climb there on foot. He hated to be restricted in every possible way.

The Ruler forbade the Cursed who were blessed with wings to use them because they needed them in order to pass through the portal. Whoever did that without permission and opened a portal without the knowledge of the highest party, was immediately slain on the spot. The system was cruel. The Summoner was the only one who was allowed to open a portal by using the number of victims needed to get the deed done. If by any chance, you decided to do that on your own accord and collected the necessary bodies, you could technically create a portal big enough for you to sneak through.  However, that was only enough for you to enter the world of Living, not to stay there, and usually, the Cursed one who left, was immediately thrown back into the Abyss.

The Executioner was there to wait for you and you got annihilated at the very spot you came back at.

Some Cursed ones managed to get away and collected enough bodies to continue living on Earth for a day or two, and some of them managed to stay there forever. Nobody knew how, it was the mystery that urged the other Cursed ones to keep trying and trying to open the portals and leave this shithole forever. Even if it means death in the end.

Helios couldn’t help but feel disgusted by it. The majority of the creatures in the Abyss had it really bad. They were enslaved, robbed of their freedom, used for labor, and eventually burned for the sake of opening the portal when it was needed. The anarchy was strong here and there was no room for negotiation. He loved that because law and order were the things he appreciated the most. There was no room for compassion inside him, as compassion made you weak and prone to mistakes.

Once the Summoner opened the portal, the Ruler had the power to send you through it without releasing your wings. The wings also made you stronger and wilder. Sometimes it was like they had a will of their own. You were hungrier if you used them and that made you more irrational in the moments you needed to keep your head cold.

Helios was wondering while he walked up the Endless Stairs why he was rewarded with such honor. He grinned deviously for a brief moment just thinking about the Council and their reaction to it. His record was extremely clean, and he was known for his undying faithfulness, but even he didn’t think his wings would be free and that he would be able to use them on Earth.

The Summoner was inside his chamber. He could never leave it without permission for the sole reason he held too much power in his hands. He could easily open the portal himself and annihilate the whole Abyss in order to get a lot of time on Earth.

Once he entered his chamber, Helios quickly looked around himself, trying to memorize the place the best he could. On the walls, he could see runes pinned inside the slots specifically made for them and he knew the Ruler used those runes to subdue the Summoner’s power. Inside this room, the Summoner was simply powerless, having only enough energy to keep himself alive for all eternity. If that was what the Ruler wished.

Only in the presence of the Ruler could the Summoner leave his chamber and be brought to the open field to perform the Ritual.

“You have been sent by the Greatest one.” The Summoner spoke while his head was bent over a table. Helios couldn’t see his face yet, but he imagined it to be terrible and fitting to his reputation.

Instead of that, a human-like persona lifted his head from the papers he was looking at and took one slow step in his direction.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” He spoke again in a tame voice with a dose of a reserve in his tone.

Helios remained silent. He was still stunned by the creature before him. He was wearing a human face instead of his demon one, so it was impossible to depict which Cursed he was.

“The human face I wear intrigues you.” He took another step forward now directing his deep brown eyes into Helios’s red ones. “Very well, I will explain myself if you desire so.”

“I do not want an explanation,” Helios said plainly. “I will not question the will of the Ruler.”

“That’s a very predictable answer for the Cursed one I heard so much about.” It was like he was provoking a reaction from Helios, enticing him to ask more questions and become curious. “Do you not wonder why I carry a human face?” His mouth twisted into a sly smile. “I am sure there are questions inside your head that I can answer with ease.”

“There is no need,” Helios spoke with a stone-cold face, now focused on the flow of his own thoughts. This was all a game, and he didn’t want to fail at the first challenge. “The will of the Ruler is absolute.”

“Very well” The brown hair man replied and turned his back to Helios. “Would you like to know when will the Ritual take place?” He walked to the large window which was spreading across the whole wall, opening a passage for him to look outside.

“The Ruler gave me that order.” Helios was very careful, trying to follow the exact commands he was given. “I would also like to know any details about the mission if you have any to share with me.”

“The rules are simple.” He turned himself towards the Helios again, carrying a disapproving expression on his face. “I will open a portal for you when the Blood Moon rises again, which will be this very evening. As you can see…” He flashed his hand towards the window. “The moon will soon be at the highest point.”

“Is there anything else I need to know?” Helios pretended he was not interested in the conversation. Curiosity was a very dangerous virtue to possess inside this realm.

“There is one small detail we must discuss before you get back to Earth.” He glided his hand over the table and directed his eyes at Helios again. “I will put a Bind on you.”

At that moment, Helios raised his eyes in surprise but managed to keep his posture intact and remain still like a stone. The Binding was permanent, linking his life to the Cursed which cast the spell.

“I suppose you have questions about that?” His smile was now deviant, cunning, and sly at the same time. He was pulling Helios on thin ice and enjoyed every minute of it.

“Does the Ruler wish for me to create a Bind for the sake of the mission?” he asked with confidence lingering in his voice. He put himself under control. Law and order were the things he cherished the most.

“I was the one who suggested that.” He intertwined his fingers together, his smile crippling now. He could not get what he desired from Helios and that made him furious. It was obvious from his actions and facial expression. “You can never be too careful. Half-blooded demons are not to be trusted. Their blood is filthy, and they could easily lose their mind if given too much freedom.”

“Is that all?” Helios asked now, turning away from the Summoner and putting his left hand on the door. His right one was tapping the sword. He did that unconsciously. Pure instinct inside him made him do it as his mind was screaming like he just encountered a serious threat.

“That will be all.” The Summoner said to his back, and finally, Helios left. There was a long way to the place where the Ritual would be held, and he didn’t want to lose another moment inside this room.

The Bind the Summoner suggested was a form of ultimate precaution. Casting that spell means the Summoner will be able to kill him at any given moment if the Ruler sees fit. The Bind gave you no room to explain, to change the course of destiny. It didn’t even give you a chance to explain yourself if the spellcaster didn’t want you to.

But this was too important. He had two years to retrieve what was asked of him and bring the Maiden inside the Abyss. Many things could go wrong on Earth and many other things could get him killed easily if played against his favor. He decided he will not go blindly there, but his devotion will not be questioned.

He was at the end of the staircase now, leaving the castle and walking toward the summoning gate. The portal was to be opened at once and he felt like he was ready, but a series of uneasy thoughts appeared inside his mind. A lot of things could happen while he was away and just handing over the reins of his faith to the corrupted sort was not what he had in mind.

In the end, he concluded it was now too late to dwell on those facts. A lot of things were at stake whichever way he looked at the situation. With that thought in his mind, he slowly walked to the place which would inevitably set his destiny on a course that nobody could predict.

He wasn’t aware of that at the given moment and not even the Summoner, the Council, or the Ruler could have known what the future brought. Some things cannot be controlled, foreseen, or envisaged. If he knew what was to happen in the future, he surely would never approach that portal. But he was blind, the same as everyone else.

They all should have known better. History is not our destiny.