The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 222: The Answers You Seek 2 ()

As Zariah ventured down into the underground basement, she was immediately engulfed by the pitch darkness and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness so she could descend the rest of the stairs without tumbling down.

It took more than a moment truly, considering Zariah was not as gifted as she used to be.

Lucas was behind her, he had shut the trap door from within, cutting off the only source of light into the dark basement, the darkness was all the more overwhelming, but Lucas seemed to know his way just fine.

Navigating around Zariah, he led the way down now, knowing Zariah could not find her footing.

They soon got to the end of the stairwell and it was then the platform in the center of the vast basement became visible to Zariah,

And the sight of it sent a chill of horror through Zariah’s veins as despair gripped her heart, sending it sinking right to the pit of her stomach.

Her feet were fixed into the ground and Zariah froze up, unable to move any further.

A gasp of horror escaped Zariah as her eyes settled on what...or who was on that platform.

Chained down like some heinous criminal was Askel, with heavy cuffs clasped around his wrists, ankles and neck...all made of pure silver.

Silver... the damned metal that burned through the flesh of wolf shifters. The air was thick with the stench of burnt flesh and Zariah could still hear a sizzling sound as the silver relentlessly did its work.

Wolf or no wolf, Zariah could smell silver from miles away, she had enough experience with it that the smell of it was etched into her memories, never to be forgotten or gotten rid off.

So much so that those memories sometimes came along with an almost life-like reminder of the burning pain as skin and flesh were scorched through, over and over again, haunting Zariah’s every waking moment.

Askel was completely chained, in such a cruel manner it gave Zariah a sense of Deja vu, reminding her of the terrible feeling it was to be in this exact same position... chained down like some sinner.

But in the same manner she noticed the chains, Zariah also took notice of the fact that Askel was much different than she knew him to be...so much different.

"Askel suffers from a condition... I cannot tell you the cause of it but there is a darkness in his mind, manifesting as another presence with as much existence as his wolf...but none of its stability."

"Askel calls it, ’the beast’. With a mind of its own and a madness and bloodthirst beyond anything we have ever seen before, it ravages Askel’s mind in his vulnerable moments and seizes control, causing Askel to act in a most primal manner..." Lucas trailed off, his tone pained.

Zariah recalled the event at the cave, how she looked into Askel’s eyes and could not recognise what she saw in them.

In that moment, Zariah realized she had not been staring at Askel at all but something else entirely... something dark and evil, but yet intertwined with Askel so deeply that it was difficult to distinguish one from the other.

Zariah recalled the rumors about Askel, she had always thought the rumors originated because of Askel’s short temper and violent wolf side... perhaps that was all everyone else knew of and tagged ’the darkness’ within the Ethereal king.

How could Zariah have expected that there truly was an entity within Askel’s mind that was neither him nor his wolf? A beast that preyed on Askel from within?

"More often than not, Askel has found his own way to contain it. I cannot even comprehend how, but he has been plagued by it from childhood and learnt to control it... however when Askel experiences any extreme negative emotion, that thin strand of control he holds onto is snapped and the beast rises to the surface."

"It was for times like that this place was created, to keep Askel from hurting his loved ones when he loses control. In a few days, he would contain the beast and return to his usual self and no one knows of this but a few elders, Declan, myself, the High Oracle and Queen Sancia."

"However... Askel has never been out of control for this long..." Lucas trailed off again.

Meanwhile Zariah’s gaze was still fixed on Askel, her hands trembling by her sides.

There were patches of fur on different parts of his skin and his claws were fully extended. He seemed to be asleep but each of his breaths sounded more like an animalistic growl, heavy, ragged and drawn out.

It was a state Zariah could neither liken to a wolf nor a man, Askel was in partial shift, a condition Zariah had only read about in tales and experienced once for herself across two lifetimes, when she had been injected with the serum that turned her forsaken.

How it was possible, Zariah did not know. It made absolutely no sense, yet the reality was before Zariah’s eyes and everything Lucas had said sounded terribly similar to what Zariah had passed through herself in that short period of time.

Askel looked exactly as Zariah imagined she had looked at that time, savage... bloodthirsty, nothing but a wild beast with not an ounce of humanity.

But Zariah knew better, she had been in this same position herself to know that beneath all of that was the true Askel, terrified and tortured.

Beneath all of that, his true consciousness remained, calling for help yet there was none to give it, as there had been none for Zariah herself.

Zariah shook herself out of her shock and dashed across the hall, dropping to her knees by Askel’s side.

Askel’s head twitched slightly and his breaths became heavier, which told Zariah he was very much conscious and aware of her presence.

However Askel kept his head down, perhaps he did not dare to look at her or perhaps he did not wish to see her anymore, Zariah was not certain.

But in this moment, she could not bring herself to care.