to the ground and smashed through the stone slabs, effectively pinning the creature in place as it tried in vain to lift its own limbs.
“Yeah, that'll do it,” Dariush said before spinning into place and hammering down his axe like weapon, which severed the two beasts in half and right down the centre of where their backs were attached. Then, after only giving the creature enough time to part, Dariush created a portal in front of us both, telling me his plan with just one word,
“Constantinople.” My grin was all the reply he needed after he reminded me of the good old times at war and how we used to fight as one. So we both stepped through with only one destination in mind. This was in between the two severed beasts before they had a chance to turn and fight us once more. Doing this meant we had the element of surprise on our side before we lashed out, kicking their backs at the same time with enough force to send them both hurtling forwards. Then, with a precise spin, we both cut through their arms so as the weight of their weapons wouldn’t prevent them from continuing their forward momentum. This meant that they continued headfirst into spiked walls and became impaled there.
“You know I don’t remember it going quite that way back in Constantinople,” my brother said, making me reply,
“No, that’s because you got us thrown in a jail cell.” He grinned then and as we both turned around, we found the army now facing us, we drew our weapons up and he said,
“Ah, now this I remember.” I gave him a wry look in return and said my usual,
“Indeed.”
Then we both stepped forward and faced the Fallen Seppuku, engaging them in battle. One that lasted only ten minutes before we were walking inside the once gated doors to the keep. Doing so with the last of our father’s men falling to his knees just after his severed head rolled from his shoulders and landed with the rest of the pieces of the Samurai.
“You know, that was quite satisfying,” Dariush commented before rolling his wrist and making the tabar disappear, knowing now, as well as I did, that our father wouldn’t waste anymore of his men. Not when we had passed his test.
Which meant that his royal guard didn’t even flinch as we made our way into the colossal entrance hall. One with a main theme that was black and death, for the floor was a polished black stone, that matched the walls. These were adorned with dark mouldings and carved figures that looked like souls were trying to make their way out of the stone. In fact, the only reason they were seen in the first place, was thanks to the strip of red flames that framed the entire room, casting crimson shadows upright and against the phantoms trying to escape the very walls of the castle.
As for the rest of the room, down the centre was a long, rectangular pool of black water. One that held flashes of white moving just under the surface. This mirrored the walls, for they looked like hundreds of pale ghosts and trapped souls. All of which were trying to escape the surface, only to be teased by being mere inches away from freedom, one I knew they would never reach.
This dark pool was no higher in height than that of a brick and was lined by our father’s personal guard. Imposing figures of great height and strength that were each armed to the teeth. Armour that was shadows of black to match the room, with only their red burning eyes alerting you to their presence.
There didn’t need to be any orders given, for they already knew who it was that we were here to see. However, my surprise did come at not being led into his throne room as I would have thought, but instead to a place that neither I, nor Dariush had ever been in before.
Lucifer’s personal wing of the castle.
A place we approached after some time spent navigating our way through countless corridors, which were one depressing place after another, before arriving at an entranceway that was heavily guarded. I glanced at the two oversized warriors that held giant swords in front of them, and thought back to my own castle. Back to a time when Amelia had teased me with her obvious appreciation for the impressive male forms of the two statues. Ones that guarded