Forgotten Wife Let the traitors kneel Down (by Patricia Maradiaga) novel Chapter 354

Part II: The Truth About the Keepers

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Liona stared at the high–ceilinged cavern to which Cira had brought her. It seemed different from all the places they had been. The lighting was very dim, giving the impression of an immense space lost in

darkness.

A ball of fire appeared in Cira’s hand, illuminating the space, and Liona stifled a scream.

Before them stood a huge figure made of bones and skulls, with a cloak covering what should have been

its face, and a kind of black iron ring behind it.

There was also a stone table. It rose to chest height, rough and irregular. It seemed to have been carved

from lava. A wide circle carved into the floor surrounded it.

On the table was the skeleton of a person, with ankles and wrists bound by chains fixed with iron rings to

the stone legs of the table. A metal bowl, splattered with disturbing marks, was at the height of what must

have been its heart, with a black knife embedded in the chest.

Liona looked around; there were more skeletons with hands and feet bound to the walls. Liona had seen

many monsters and many horrors, but none of those things frightened her. Yet, in that cave, she felt her whole body screaming at her to run, to flee from that place.

“What is this place, Your Highness?”

“This was an altar used to worship the darkness, to worship the dark king.”

“The dark king?”

“Yes, that’s why we will open the gates of Hades, to let him in so he can transform this world, to eradicate all our enemies from the face of the earth and finally be free. But to do that, I need the keys to open the gates of Hades, but this body cannot withstand its lethal power, so I need to find a way to strengthen it

and take the key I lack.”

“But the other key is with Princess Abril.”

“They are only guarding it. When I can reach the key in this cave, I will take the key she has.”

Cira began to walk, and Liona followed her, as that place gave her goosebumps.

“Please, Your Majesty, don’t leave me behind.”

“Are you scared?”

“No, I just don’t want to get lost; this place seems very large.”

Cira ignored Liona’s response and continued to walk down a long corridor, which was illuminated by her fire, until they reached a large room with several shelves full of books.

“Is it a library?”

“Yes, there’s a book here that can answer any question you ask, but first, you have to find it, so start

< Part II: The Truth About the Keepers

opening books and ask it how to take the key with a mortal body.”

There were thousands of books in that place, and Liona felt overwhelmed.

“We have to search through all of them.”

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“Exactly, so stop wasting time and start searching, and remember to ask the question I told you, because you can only ask it one question, then the book will disappear.”

“And what if someone has already used it?”

“The book is still here, no one has used it yet, so start searching.”

“Yes, princess.”

***

Alessandro had been entering the guardians‘ room for some time, to speak with the first guardian, but he kept telling him that he wouldn’t talk until he said his name. So he decided to say random names until he

guessed his name.

“Tomas, Saul, Barto, Ulises, Frederik.”

“What do you think you’re doing, brat?”

“I don’t know your name, and it seems none of the other guardians do either, so I decided to say random names to guess what your name is.

“That just makes me feel even more offended.”

“Then tell me what I want to know and I’ll stop bothering you.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then I’ll keep coming back until you tell me, although maybe next time my brother Cassian will come

since I can’t be in this room all the time.”

“What?”

Alessandro saw that the name Cassian caught the first guardian’s attention.

“Wait, is your name Cassian by any chance?”

“No, although it’s similar.”

“Hmm… Castiel?”

The first guardian looked excited, as if he were about to reveal his name. So Alessandro started saying names similar to his brother’s until he guessed the first guardian’s name.

“Cassiel…”

The first guardian’s face lit up upon hearing his name, and a tear rolled down his pale cheek.

< Part II The Truth About the Keepers

“It’s been a long time since anyone called me by my name.”

“That’s because you didn’t tell anyone.”

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“It’s not that. Everyone knew my name. I repeated it to them over and over, but none remembered it, as if they denied my existence and only remembered what I had done, not who I was. I suppose that’s my punishment.”

Alessandro had no idea what Cassiel was talking about, but that wasn’t what interested him, so he ignored

1. it.

“I’ve said your name. Now tell me the full story of the guardians and Hades. Tell me who you really are.”

“It’s been a long time since I last told my story.”

Cassiel stared into the distance as if he saw beyond those walls.

“My story and the dark king’s are similar, as we were both expelled from heaven for disobeying God.”

“What?!”

“The dark lord has had many names throughout time and realms: Satan, the prince of demons, and the dark king, but the name he had as an angel was Lucifer, when he walked on the holy mount of God and was anointed to serve God as a guardian cherub, among the highest ranks of angels in God’s holy army, only surpassed by the seraphim. He was, at that time, the closest to God; but his heart became proud because of his beauty, and his wisdom was corrupted by his splendor. He wanted to be equal to God and thus rebelled against Heaven; Lucifer was cast out of Heaven along with his followers. It was then that he realized he did not have the power to directly take the throne from God. Instead, Lucifer turned his attention to dominating what he loved most, humanity, his precious creation, which is why he dominates every realm and destroys everything he touches.”

“So, are you also an angel?”

“I was indeed, a long time ago, but unlike my brother, my punishment was not for rebellion, it was not because I refused to bow to humanity, but because I could not love it more than my Father. I was deeply punished for this; expelled from Heaven and forced to live on Earth.”

“You mentioned earlier that he had conquered many worlds.”

“There is more than one realm, because every time the dark king consumed a world, God created a new one in which humanity lived, and some of the inhabitants of other worlds, like fairies, sorcerers, and elves. Although I never loved humanity, I was already tired of seeing how he destroyed what my Father loved so much, so I locked him up by stealing the Keys to Hades, preventing him from entering this world. But I lost almost all my divine power in doing so and became human, which is why, despite losing my physical body. I cannot die, nor can my descendants. That is why all the guardians live between this world and the other; we are in charge of watching over the dark king, which is why the guardians are the only ones who can touch the Keys to Hades, as well as the doors, without being corrupted by darkness,”

Alessandro had imagined he would hear a crazy story, but he never imagined a story like that.

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< Part II The Truth About the Keepers

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“Why don’t the other guardians know they are descendants of an angel?”

“I chose for it to be that way, so they would not feel superior to humans, nor to any of the other races. That is why no other guardian knows what I really was. Now that you know, you will have to carry that heavy burden.”

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