The Demon Lord and his Hero

Syryn was in the garden with Levia when a golden carriage pulled up to the gate. The duo hid behind some bushes and spied on the pretty carriage that rolled in with two glossy black stallions at its front. 

A man stepped out and then a woman. He couldn't see their features but could tell that they weren't ordinary people. 

"Hush, girl. If they see you, they might try to take you away," he told the little monster who was making sounds from deep inside her throat. Levia's smooth scaled body twitched in response to Syryn putting his hand around her neck.

He saw Rowan walk out of the kitchen and speak with the newly arrived guests. From their body language, Syryn could tell that Rowan wasn't unhappy with the impromptu late-night visit. 

Together with Levia, he waited in the garden for Alka who was going to reunite Syryn with Blue. After waiting for a while longer, he saw Alka coming towards them. The plant mage was yawning and looked tired from how hard he had worked all day to potting soil and transferring saplings. 

"Syryn, come inside. Rowan wants you to meet the guests," Alka told him with a smile that was on the teasing side.

"Why?" Syryn looked confused. His hand was still around Levia's neck, scratching her under her chin. 

"Why not? It's only natural to introduce you to his friends since you're his significant other," Alka replied.

Syryn nodded, feeling a little nervous. He didn't want to disappoint Rowan in front of his friends. 

---

The manor's spacious kitchen had a roaring fire going in it's hearth. Over the fire was a large pot where Enkansh had tossed in a basket of bitter leaves like he had been asked to by Salem. The smell was astringent but it freshened up the senses of all those who inhaled its mist.

Over at the table, Rowan was sitting comfortably on a chair with his arms crossed and legs stretched out before him. Autumn and her brother, River, were seated across Rowan carrying on a conversation about the upcoming festivities. 

The lady glanced at the door where a young man could be seen entering the kitchen. 

"Ah, Syryn, come here," Rowan patted the chair next to his. The smile on his face was fond. Autumn didn't miss the doting way Rowan spoke to the young man who she couldn't quite look away from. 

Autumn had thought Lillith beautiful but Syryn rivalled her with his androgynous and ethereal beauty. He was like one of the rare and exotic breeds of cats she had seen in Naina's home. In the bright kitchen light, she could see that he had peculiar violet eyes. This was the boy she had seen on that fateful day in Winter Fortress. He had grown taller but his bearing remained the same. Syryn was a graceful and icy beauty. 

"This must be the Syryn that everyone is talking about," her older brother remarked. River had been very curious about Syryn ever since he had heard of the lover that Rowan had been hiding. And he could see why. One look at him and River had decided this was the most beautiful man he would see in his life. 

"Syryn, River, and Autumn," Rowan introduced. "River is a co-worker and a good friend of mine." 

The mage smiled at the lady and gentlemen who weren't being subtle about their curiosity. He sat beside Rowan and greeted the brother-sister duo. 

"Syryn, It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Autumn told him, pleased that she had decided to come along with her brother. She could imagine the expressions on the other girl's faces when she told them about how Rowan and Syryn had held hands under the table.

"The pleasure is mine," Syryn replied, cool but friendly. He was starting to realise that social conversations were not his forte. What the hell was he supposed to talk about now?

Fortunately for Syryn, Autumn was full of questions for him. 

When had he met Rowan? Who asked whom out first? Where was their first date? What did he think about Rowan's posse of female fans? Where was he from? Did they have any mutual friends?

Syryn tried to answer her as best as he could with what little he knew about his past with Rowan. The anti mage filled in the gaps when Syryn had trouble answering her. And as the questions began to get more personal, he smiled and gave vague answers. 

"Why have I never seen you before?" River asked curiously. "You are a very memorable man, Syryn. I would remember you if I only saw you once." 

Autumn cleared her throat. Her brother swung both ways and she could tell he was already charmed by Syryn.

"Syryn likes to wear an illusion," Rowan answered. "He gets too much attention if he goes out looking like himself. It's the difficult part about dating an attractive person." 

Syryn scoffed. "Speak for yourself, Rowan. I've lost count of the number of women who have shown up at our doorstep because of you." Syryn squeezed Rowan's hand as they teased each other. If Red had witnessed the scene, he would have been sickened by it.

River and Autumn were being fed dog food. The brother hid a smile seeing Rowan look so happy. The choosing ceremony was coming up and Elysium was rife with chatter about Syryn, Rowan, and Lillith. He was surprised by the ease he saw in Rowan. How could the man look so relaxed when he would soon have to make a life-changing decision about his future?

"Syryn, the odds are stacked against you but I hope you find happiness," Autumn said in a sober tone. She didn't have to extrapolate because they all knew what she was talking about. 

"Thank you, Autumn. I think I'll be just fine. I have Rowan on my side and that tips the scale heavily in my favour," he tactfully replied. "I'm not worried." 

"Then you're a stronger person than I have given you credit for. Watch out for the ones from Saint's Moon. They have the most to lose if Rowan doesn't go through with the ceremony." 

The anti mage looked up at the young woman who seemed sincere. She was right about Saint's Moon. Rowan had already received a curt summons from them. If they were going to make trouble for Syryn then it was going to start soon.