The King's Beloved

[Music Recommendation: "Somnus" by Yoko Shimomura (instrumental only - FFXV OST) - available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in a loop while you read this part to experience the true atmosphere of this scene ~

Elliot and Rania didn't need to be geniuses in order to understand what Avarus just said. From the word itself—undead—it could only mean one thing. Their hearts ached in sadness and burned in anger at the same time. There was just no end to Avarus' evil deeds. What would it take him to stop?

Avarus continued to laugh, delighted to see the expression on Elliot's face.

"I managed to discover something really interesting, you see," he added. "When you combine the Exsorbeos to weapons, they make the weapons stronger. But then… if you were to combine an Exsorbeo to a Magi… the Magi becomes all the more powerful. Although, we had to be careful with the combination, and most of all, they have to be dead first, of course."

Elliot gnashed his teeth in his deep rage.

"Disrespecting the dead… turning them into experiments… playing with life… How could you be so evil?! It's not enough that you killed thousands of lives to create Exsorbeos! You even used those dead people to experiment with them and what? To make them your personal army! HOW COULD YOU?!!!"

Earth began to shake once more. Thunders roared in the sky and the wind blew strong like an impending typhoon. Noticing this, Rania quickly went over Elliot's side and held his hand to calm him down. Feeling her touch, Elliot turned to her. Rania shook her head and he understood that being angry wasn't the way.

Elliot tried to calm down—to not lose rationale just as Avarus wanted him to be. But then… was there even any sane person who could not hate this vile person? He was EVIL himself! The very embodiment of all wickedness! Like the devil who only sought to kill, steal, and destroy!

Deep hatred began to accumulate in Elliot's heart. He wanted to be understanding—to capture him, hear his piece, maybe there's a reason why he did all those things, any justification at all! But seeing him enjoy the catastrophe he brought, he began to doubt if he had any redeeming quality at all. Or was it that he was just entirely evil? Because if that's the case then… he shouldn't live at all.

'Yes, he should just die… and die a miserable death! After all that he's done! After all the sins he committed! After all the lives he took! How could he play God?!' 

Such were Elliot's thoughts brought about by his fury.

But then he thought…

'No… No… I'm angry that's why I'm thinking this way. No matter how much I despise him, he should be captured and properly set on trial. Then he can pay for his crimes all of his life. Yes… that's how it should be.'

Elliot felt conflicted. If it was like that ruler he met before in the Ninth Gate… if he was at least repentant of his wrong doings, maybe he could find it in himself to have mercy and forgive. But as he looked into Avarus' heart, he lost hope. There was nothing but pure evil in him. He could only imagine what brought about such evil in his heart. It seemed that… not everyone could be redeemed.

And so, Elliot breathed deeply and left it all to the Supreme's judgment. In his heart, he prayed and asked the Most High.

'Supreme, what is your judgement for Avarus?'

This time, he heard no answer. Only a gentle stirring in his heart… like a ripple in the still water signifying nothing but merely a feeling—a feeling that's asking him to be still and let the Supreme handle it.

Elliot finally calmed down. As he did, Avarus' hooded knights began to attack him and Rania at the same time.

CLANNKK!!!

SLAAASHHH!!!

SWOOSSSH!!!

Elliot and Rania fought back. The hooded knights were truly stronger than the rest. With all of them attacking at the same time, they had a hard time keeping up. Their clones helped in fighting them but with the number of Avarus' followers plus these hooded knights, Elliot and Rania were outnumbered. Elliot could try to create more clones but the whole area would be too crowded to fight. What's more, Avarus was suddenly nowhere to be seen! He managed to escape!

While fighting the hooded knights, Elliot concentrated and tried to locate Avarus, searching far and wide all throughout the whole Floating Kingdom. After a few minutes, he finally managed to locate him.

"Rania! I found him!" he shouted to Rania who was on the other side fighting with her magic.

"Take me with you!" Rania shouted back. For some reason, she kept on having an ominous feeling in her heart. She didn't want to leave Elliot alone with him.

"Alright. Let's go."

In a snap, Elliot and Rania vanished from the throne room. The hooded knights were unable to follow them since they left their clones behind. The battle continued on inside the throne room and all throughout the Floating Kingdom. Meanwhile, they teleported to none other than Avarus' very own office inside the Grand Palace, much to their surprise.

"This is… his office, right?" Rania asked Elliot.

"Yes, this is the one Ducis' showed us—where he spoke with Sanguis."

The room was dark and they could barely see a thing. Rania cast a ball of light to illuminate the room. Once illuminated, what welcomed them was a huge table in front of them—the same one Nefastus saw when she sneaked into her father's office.

Rania and Elliot noticed the small figurines standing on the map. Their eyes widened realizing they were people they all knew… the late king and queen, Calum, Azalea, Selena, Clavis, Illuminaire, even Zeid was there, and many other important people.

"Hah! He really has everything planned out since the very beginning!" Elliot scoffed, unable to comprehend Avarus' evil mind. "What is it that he really wants for him to do all these things?"

On the other hand, Rania's heart continued to thump louder. Such goosebumps… she wasn't sure what it meant.

Then, beyond the huge table, they noticed a faintly glowing magic circle drawn to the floor, in front of a portrait and what seemed to be… a secret door.