Chapter 148 The devil returns

Chapter 148 The devil returns
ELARA’S POV

I stepped back and felt Beros’ arm grab me, stopping me from moving further back. I turned to look at him but his eyes were trained on the figure in front of us. It was Nyxar, in the flesh. He had finally decided to reveal himself after everything.

But it was too early, too soon, we weren't prepared, nothing was ready, how had he come so soon?…. I realized I was beginning to spiral so I willed myself to calm down, overthinking wouldn't solve anything. Nyxar was here now, and we had to brace ourselves for anything.

He stood there, his eyes flickering between Beros and I, if I had thought the black magic would make any visible change in his body, I was wrong, he hadn't changed a bit, his features still looked the same. The same black hair, only much shorter now, same jawline. He was handsome, extremely good-looking as all the deities were but the darkness that clouded his heart made him disgusting to look at. 

“What do you want here?” I finally gathered myself enough to speak, while slowly leaning into Beros, I didn't trust myself to fight him now. 

After everything I had planned, after wanting to do everything myself, seeing him here again, in the flesh, after 3000 years was not what I had expected.
I felt the human part of me rising again, slowly injecting fear into my veins, I quickly quenched it before Nyxar could smell the fear radiating from me…but I was too late.

“Ahhh, what is that smell?” he finally spoke up, taking a deep breath as he looked to the sky “oh, the sweet smell of fear” he bared his teeth at me in a crooked smile.

“I can smell you from all the way here” he looked at me before his eyes flickered to Beros “and your pitiful lover? He's just the same, you both reek of fear” the last words sounded demonic? His voice sounded as if it was spoken by many entities.

I couldn't even begin to think about the level of black magic he had inside him.

Beros and I remained speechless, I felt Beros’ arm tighten around me, he knew not to act rashly too? We didn't know what Nyxar was capable of, especially seeing he was in possession of some moon essence. 
“You won't say anything?” he asked again, looking between both of us, before breaking into a horrible laugh. It sounded like legions of demons laughing, the sound scratched at my brain.

He stopped as quickly as he had started. “I said, what is it that you want? Why are you here?” I finally asked again, gritting my teeth together, I was getting tired of his silly antics. He hadn't changed, not once bit, he had only become stronger. I was dumb to have thought I would be able to defeat him alone, looking at it now, that was impossible. Nyxar – the aura radiating off him, was too much, I could barely stand in his presence.

“I see all you have for me are questions, but they will be answered in due time” he turned away from us? Not caring if we would attack him when he wasn't looking. He was cocky, too confident, but rightly so, he knew our powers combined could t do anything to the black magic he had amassed in his pitch black corrupted soul, my mouth grew bitter at the thought.

“You’re surprised I’m here early, aren’t you? Did you think the abyss would be able to hold me?” 

I wanted to reply to him, but then I realized he hadn’t moved his lips, he had spoken right into my head, broken through my mental walls and spoken right into my head.

I gritted my teeth again “GET OUT OF MY HEAD” and I threw my mental walls back on, reinforcing them. 
That was one of Nyxar’s cunning powers, he could get into your head and see your plans without you even noticing, that was why it seemed he was always a step ahead. But I knew I had reinforced my mental walls, his breaking though my walls must have cost him a great deal of black magic, and he wouldn't be able to do it again for a while.

“I can see you're not the only one that has gotten stronger, dear moon goddess” he mock-bowed at me “and oh mighty deity of war” he shifted to bow at Beros too. He was mocking us.

“You haven't answered our question” Beros’ chest rumbled as he spoke from behind me.

Nyxar took his time, glancing at us from head to toe before choosing to answer.

“Oh, didn't you miss me too?” he glanced at me “as you can see, I have called off my hounds” he waved his hands and the hounds disappeared into thin air.
“Dear Beros, we wouldn't want anyone to go missing for another 300 years would we?” Beros attempted to move beside me but I stopped him. It was clearly rage bait, we couldn't fall for that.

“You still haven't answered the question Nyxar, what are your doing here? You shouldn't be here, be gone”
And then, his tone changed, the jovial mocking expression he had on his face suddenly changed to one of black fury. Ah – there was the devil I knew.
“You can't stop me from going where I want, or breaking through any ward” he smirked, he knew how easy it had been for him to break through my wards. 
“There's nothing anyone of you can do to stop me, not even the abyss can stop me”

He continued “you're shocked, aren't you? You must be wondering how I got out, right?”

I didn't move or say anything, Nyxar liked to talk about himself and brag about his achievements, at least that hadn't changed. 

“Lets say a little birdie helped me, and to that, I am entirely grateful” he must have seen the shock that crossed my features because he mirrored it almost perfectly. 

“Oh, you're shocked around you? Come on Elariana, you must have known I had help, some sorry if help. Or did you think I was the only one that had a grudge against you?”

I couldn't hold back any longer, my wolves were watching from the sidelines now that they were not being attacked by the hounds.

They could hear and see everything and I couldn't show weakness in front of them.

“Who helped you? Tell me who did and I'll make sure to end the both of you when the time comes”
My statement didn't bring about the reaction I wanted from him, he only laughed at me in a mocking manner, buckling so hard from the laughter.

“Oh Elara, I see you haven't changed too. But tell me one thing. Where were you? I know I was in the abyss, I lived the whole 3000 years in that horrible place, wondering when I would break free, but where were you?”

It was a question I wasn't expecting and to be honest, one I didn't have an answer to.

“That's not what I asked you”

“But that is what I asked you, where do people go when they die, where were you before you were reborn”

“I do not know what answer you seek, or what knowledge you wish to acquire, but I cannot tell you where I went, because I do not know”.

He smiled a knowing smile at me, as if he knew something I didn't know.

“Oh, but you did, you do know where you went, and I'll tell you how”