Seeing the young man's mind go into shock, Solomon gave him some time to do a factory reset. In the meantime, Amon came back with a freshly brewed pot of tea, still steaming at the beak.
Amon, waved his hand in front of him, conjuring a table out of nothing, before setting down the golden tray he had in his hands, on which the teapot, as well as three cups, were resting.
As he poured the cups, Solomon looked at the demon with a glint of amusement. He knew Amon hated seeing people drink tea without him, but he would not stop him.
He conjured a third sofa, on which Amon sat once all three tea cups were served. Amon kept his eyes closed all this time, displaying a grace and coordination that belied the use of eyes.
The inhuman elegance he displayed was nothing short of Oscar-worthy.
Astaroth snapped out of his daze around the moment Amon sat down, and noticed the cup of tea in front of him. He absent-mindedly grabbed it, before locking his gaze on Solomon.
"I see you have finally come back to your senses, boy. Good. Now on to my next question. How did you get here? And I don't mean this space. But the one where the ring is hidden away."
Astaroth took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering.
"I was exploring a dungeon, and found a cave that led into the mountain. The cave led me here through a few hardships."
"Hardships? Boy, the traps I set were so the ring can never be found. An infinite space loop, that pushes the trapped person out when they give up. A Gelatinous lake, that drowns its victims, or has them eaten by a giant devourer. You shouldn't have been able to set foot past the first trap."
"To be fair, the space loop was quite annoying. But you left the base of our trap out in the open. Wasn't that hard to figure out from there."
"In the open? It was supposed to be hidden. Hmm. It might have been so long that the trap degraded. But what about the lake?"
"The lake was tricky, since I was at first unable to swim up. But I found a way."
"My last question to you is this. How did you not go instantly insane when you touched the ring? Many other souls assaulted your soul, much stronger than a human soul, or Elven, in your case."
| "Ahh that. Well, it wasn't my first bout of soul attacks."
To prove his point, Astaroth summoned his three soul companions.
Seeing the three soul animals come out, Solomon grasped how the boy resisted the demons' influence. His soul was already stronger than most.
"Hmm. A Soulmancer. I haven't seen one of you in ages. That explains a lot. But Why did you pick up the ring, then? It should have screamed at your senses."
"Hmm? Actually, it was calling out to me. Like a soft melody."
Solomon didn't have to wonder long who called out to the boy through the ring, because the culprit appeared and confessed on its own.
In a vortex of blue light, a winged being stepped out next to Solomon, before bowing down his head and kneeling.
Astaroth almost mistook the demon for an angel, as he fit the typical description people gave of angels. Wings on his back, tall, and handsome.
What belied his true nature was the colour of the wings, and the blackness of his eyes. The demon was kneeling toward Astaroth, not Solomon, which took the old man aback.
"It was I, sire. But I had a good reason. I had a vision, and this boy was in it. In this vision, he fought against legions of our brethren to restore balance to his world."
"Vassago. So it was you who called out to him? But why? You usually only appear to give prophecies. Why suddenly act out and call out to a mortal?"
"The massacre I saw in the vision goes against the justice and balance of the world. I believe he can help restore this balance if given the proper tools."
Vassago never once lifted his head, keeping it bowed down, still kneeling towards Astaroth. Solomon found the vehemence he professed to the boy to be incredibly intriguing.
"And you think the right tools are my seal and Legacy? I fear you are overestimating his capability to bear such a burden."
It peeved Astaroth to be left out of the conversation, and he interfered.
"Excuse me, but if you are going to talk about me, I would prefer you consult me. Don't I get a say in this?"
Solomon hated to be interrupted, and locked his eyes into Astaroth's, releasing his power in full display, wanting to make the boy understand his place in this domain. He sent a soul manifestation directly into Astaroth's soul.
But against his expectations, as he reached deep into his soul, he ran into a strong wall. This wall was formed of multiple golden chains, interlocking into each other, with golden energy between the gaps, glittering under the reflection of what it contained.
Behind that wall, was a nucleus of power, far stronger than what Astaroth had access to. This was the core of the boy's soul, and by how strongly it shone, and how it was locked behind a barrier, Solomon could tell this soul was as powerful as his, if not more.
But the barrier was not something the soul could produce on its own. Someone had set it up. Sliding his hand across the barrier, Solomon garnered its provenance.
"Hmm. Divine essence. Why is a god locking away his power?"
Solomon retracted his soul manifestation, coming back to his body, noticing that Astaroth had barely noticed the intrusion. This made Solomon somewhat wary of the boy.
If he gave his Legacy to the boy, would it unlock his true potential? Or would it simply corrupt him, and unleash a greater evil upon the world?
The risk was substantial. But, then, why would his demon take an interest in the boy if he was potentially evil?
Vassago had proven his good over the centuries. He rarely committed evil, and only did so to restore the balance.
"Vassago. Tell me more about what you saw. Hide no detail from me."
"Yes, sir."
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