Sold by my Alpha, bought by my Mate Chapter 154: The familiar path

Mildred

"We have to keep going down, be careful of the steps in the dark," Constantine said as we descended through one of the passages.

Duncan didn't let go of me and led the way. And when we reached the dungeon gates, I knew that we would either be protected or completely imprisoned.

"You must all stay here," the king said firmly, and his men immediately obeyed.

"I'll go in with you," Duncan said.

"Beta..."

"I promised my Alpha to stay with her, and I will," he said, and we heard approaching footsteps, surely enemies.

"I prefer to stay with the Luna too," said Jessica, frightened.

"We may need them," I said to the king, and he nodded.

"Go inside, we'll take care of it," Constantine said.

"Be careful, Constantine, and don't let anyone in," Maximus said.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, go!" the advisor said.

As soon as we entered, the door closed with a resounding bang. We heard several locks being bolted; the advisor was really making sure we had the privacy we needed.

"All right, let's get to work," the king said as he approached the demon's cell.

The creature looked emaciated; but was agitated, as if he sensed that its brethren were nearby.

"King Maximus... To what do I owe this honor?"

"Shut up, demon, we didn't come here to talk to you," Maximus replied sullenly.

"Really? Because I have no doubt that there's a war out there, and surely you've come to ask me to help you defeat my brothers. And if that's the case, you're sorely mistaken,"

The king reached a hand inside the bars and grabbed the creature by the throat, causing it to gasp.

"You're going to help us, creature, whether you like it or not! Get him out," the king said to Duncan, who seemed to be quite adept at handling the demon.

Soon we had him sitting completely bound in the middle of the room that seemed to be used for interrogations. He didn't look very strong after so much time in the dungeons, but he was a demon... after all.

"You won't succeed, you won't be able to defeat us!" he kept saying. When I approached, the demon didn't take his eyes off me, and they widened.

"The Luna... you will help us, you don't know it yet, but you will," the demon said, and Duncan punched him in the face.

"Is there anything else you need, Your Majesty?" the Beta asked, gagging our enemy.

"No… keep and eye" the king told to Duncan. I sat down in a chair in front of Maximus, and he took one of my hands.

"I think you're right, Luna. You've been right about a lot of things. Everything that has happened since your mate found you, even since the prophecy was born and you came to this world... everything revolves around this moment," the king said.

"Remember to do what we've practiced" he adds.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I concentrated on the feel of the king's skin; I felt how it increased my strength and at the same time gave me security and certainty.

"You're in a good place, Luna, just concentrate a little more," he said.

I began to hear shouting outside, but I tried to ignore it. I knew I would be overwhelmed if I thought about what was happening outside. Suddenly my mind emptied completely and I found myself floating in nothingness.

"Don't resist, demon!" I heard the king's voice in the distance, fighting the creature.

Unexpectedly, I felt a jolt of electricity in my hands, and I guessed that something was being done to the demon. In the vision of emptiness that I had, suddenly a light appeared, a snake-like light that became more and more tangible, and I realized that it led to a path.

"You must follow it, Mildred. I can see some of what you see, but I don't know how much," Maximus told me. For me, it was as if he were holding my hand, though invisible, but I knew that in the end... I was completely alone.

The path began to open before me, and I see stone tiles and a dry, dark path opening beneath my feet. I had no idea if there was a gate to hell or how I was going to enter, and part of me told me not to worry.

Soon I found myself under an arch of stone leading to a building. I felt it was very ancient, much more than the world, and at the same time, there was no life; only smoke, ashes, emptiness, and something else that couldn't be seen or heard: sadness, pain, sorrow, anguish, hopelessness.

"Continue," I heard the king's voice as an echo.

I was surprised to realize where I had to go, where I had to continue. I had dreamed of this place, visited it countless times, even sometimes didn't even remember it. But I had been here before, I was sure of it.

The Final Circle presented a haunting spectacle of desolation and despair. Here, the air was heavy with the stench of sulfur and the acrid smoke of eternal fires, shrouding everything in a perpetual haze.

The ground below seemed to writhe with unseen torment, while jagged rocks protruded like the gnashing teeth of some infernal beast.

The landscape was a vast expanse of charred earth, devoid of life or any semblance of hope. Lurking shadows danced and flickered among the ruins of ancient structures, their twisted forms casting eerie silhouettes against the fiery backdrop.

As I ventured further into this nightmarish realm, I could feel the weight of centuries pressing down upon me, as if the very essence of time itself had been warped and twisted by the pervasive evil that permeated every corner of this forsaken place.

The feeling was overwhelming, filling my senses with a deep sense of dread and foreboding. It was as if the fabric of reality had been torn asunder, revealing the true depths of human suffering and depravity.

And yet, amidst the darkness and despair, there was a strange allure, a primal fascination that drew me deeper and deeper into the heart of this infernal abyss.

But even as I pressed forward, I could not shake the feeling that I was being watched, that unseen eyes were peering out from the shadows, following my every move.

When I heard footsteps approaching, I hid behind a wall. I was terrified they might realize I was here, although I had no idea if it was a projection, a dream, a vision, or if I was here in flesh and blood.

But apparently, all the demons were very busy with their own things. I saw them all different: some with long tails, others spectral, some with horns. They didn't see me, and I sighed.

Apparently, in the center of the circle, there was a large wall that almost reached the ceiling of this temple-like structure, although I couldn't see the end. There was only smoke and fire, and the ashes clouded everything.

It seemed to be some kind of important monolith from which power emanated, and I realized that I had to go right there. I continued unnoticed, small and inconspicuous, and when I reached the end, I realized there were small, very old inscriptions on the wall, with details that seemed like dates and some memories.

"These are names... this is what I need. But how do I know which are the names of the Whisperers among so many?" I thought, touching the inscriptions with the tip of my fingers. I had come to the place I needed, but I had no more information.

Then I heard a cold voice.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"