A dark space welcomed and enveloped Kaelen.
He turned his body around to look at the dull space around him with disinterest. That wasn't his first time using a teleport.
The only thoughts that ran through his mind were regarding the death of his father and Ash.
'She didn't have to sacrifice her life yet she did. What does that mean?' Kaelen couldn't understand Ash's decision.
Demons only showed care or pain when they had something to lose from a particular event.
Even his anger over the death of his father wasn't about his actual death, but more about the benefits that came with being royal.
But not only had Ash gotten herself killed, she had done so so that he'd live. Something that didn't benefit her.
If she had wanted, she could have given him up and secured a seat among Tron's highest-ranking officials.
Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.
"Now, how do I gain power to get revenge?" Kaelen asked himself aloud.
He needed items to raise his power. "Allies, perhaps?"
A wry smile spread on his face, "Of course, I'll eliminate them once I gain the throne. Father's failure has been a massive lesson."
Golden lines of energy flashed across the dark space and the former prince snapped his head to the source.
The lines were slowly covering the entire space.
Kaelen closed his eyes and accessed part of his royal bloodline ability.
Each person who gained the throne, either through contracts or slaying the current king, was given a special bloodline ability and horns.
His father had been fortunate enough to get an ability that dealt with space.
Kaelen's eyes turned a dark purple as he looked at the lines.
The glowing, asymmetrical lines seemed to convey a unified intent. To carry him to safety.
A low hum left him as he understood the origin. Ash had used her life force to power the spell.
The residual energy seemed to carry on her will and even filled the dark space.
A bit of reassurance filled Kaelen as he knew that he would be brought to the safest place in the Demon Realm.
"With my Darkness ability and Royal Space ability, I should be able to rise to power within a few hundred years, nothing too much." Waves of joy filled him.
"Perhaps I will even get a second bloodline ability."
A sudden tremor ran through the dark space.
Kaelen froze for a second, unsure about what he had felt.
His eyes darted around when another tremor shook the space again.
It started to vibrate and pulse, sending shivers down his spine. This had NEVER happened before.
He watched with wide eyes as the space around him collapsed, killing him on the spot.
_____
A cold darkness unlike any other covered Kaelen. His eyes remained shut and he cursed his luck.
"Did I die?" His mouth moved, but no sound came out.
"If this is death then it's far too boring. I was hoping the underworld was real. At least that way, I would enjoy a bit of torture." He laughed sardonically before inhaling deeply.
Waves of pain slowly started to fill his body, or soul… he really didn't know.
He slowly peeled his eyes open. Damp, moss-covered coddlestone walls filled his vision as he lay against tarred ground.
Kaelen tried to move but another wave of pain hit him. His breath hitched as a strange but vaguely familiar feeling filled him.
Hunger.
"That's impossible, I ate lavishly before-" His voice came out in a breathless whistle tone.
He coughed, but his throat remained dry, and his lips dry and injured; even trying to stand proved near impossible.
His eyes darted to a rotting apple core a few inches away from him.
Though he didn't know what it was, it looked edible.
Saliva pooled out of his mouth as he looked at it. His hands reached for it and brought it close to his lips.
Kaelen caught himself before he ate the compost.
He gritted his teeth, 'I would rather die than eat this food for peasants. I am a fucking prince.'
Hunger pangs hit him as if his stomach knew he had rejected a free meal.
Squeaking drew his attention and he saw a rat the size of a small rabbit grovelling in some trash away from him.
'If I don't eat, I will actually die.' Kaelen cursed himself once more.
He let the apple core go, shifting it slightly toward the rat.
The rodent's nose twitched slightly as it smelled an edible snack.
It approached speedily, black beady eyes locked on its meal.
As soon as it got close, Kaelen reached for the pest and gripped it firmly, refusing to let go.
The rat squealed and bit his hand. Kaelen opened his mouth and bit off the head of the rat before spitting it out.
'I can bite too!' He thought triumphantly as the blood ran down his lips.
He closed his eyes, imagining the best delicacies as he placed the carcass in his mouth.
Kaelen chewed quickly, feeling bones pop and the thick hairy skin.
Holding back puke, he swallowed whole, nearly choking.
He lay face down and looked at the baby blue sky.
'What part of the Void Realm am I in?' Kaelen had never seen the parts of the realm with blue skies. There were many parts he hadn't seen.
Some had red skies, orange, and even brown.
'Next on my agenda is finding a bunch of disposable cohorts. Surely, me being 300 years old won't be a problem.' He waited in silence for his 'meal' to digest.
Hours passed and digestion took place with Kaelen having nothing on his mind but plans.
Once he gained sufficient strength, he stood up and fully saw where he was.
He was in an alley tucked between two run-down shacks made of cobblestone.
His eyes found the road attached to the alleyway and he moved to exit the alley.
The real journey had now started.