Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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The Old Archfae stood frozen like a statue...

Cold sweat poured down his back, his heart pounded in trepidation, and he couldn't even dare to move his eyes or his head to see the person who appeared right next to him without any prior notice.

What intensified his terror was the feeling of his mana fizzling uselessly.

Mana, the very energy that Faes rely on to fuel their magic—the lifeblood of their race—has been effortlessly suppressed by whatever means this person had. Not even a single ounce of mana answered to his will; it moved on its own to keep him alive, but it didn't answer to his wishes, unlike usual.

Furthermore, this man was even more terrifying than he could've ever imagined.

Effortlessly disconnecting his mana from him was one thing; this person's presence was another. The Old Archfae never sensed his approach—not a sound, trace, or even a whisper. He just appeared right next to him, draped his arm on his shoulders, and 'kindly' asked him a question.

But beneath that 'kind' exterior, this creature is anything but 'kind.'. The Old Archfae couldn't remember the last time someone evoked this level of fear in him. What he feels whenever he's in front of the Mystic Fae Chancellor couldn't even come close to the terror he felt right now.

He had this feeling that he should tread very carefully with his next actions. Because if this person became displeased with him, death would be a salvation compared to various means he'd do to him.

And it wasn't just him who was feeling this too...

This person's presence terrified the young and old Woodlanders nearby. And if that wasn't enough, his presence was also felt by all of the Archfae lurking near this place, and his aura completely subdued them into stillness. Like they're not even allowed to move a muscle lest they invoke this monster's ire.

"Who are you, Sir? And why are you interfering with the Mystic Fae matters?" The Old Archfae asked, fighting the urge to crumble under the pressure of Cedric's presence.

"I'm the father of that kid," Cedric answered blandly. "I'm also the one who threw him here so that he could meet with his lady."

His reply chilled the Old Archfae to the bone. Now it makes sense why none of them were alerted when this kid infiltrated this place. As it turns out, he wasn't alone. He brought a monstrous backup with him. One that is particularly very scary to deal with.

"Oh, and before you think that it was his idea to bring me here, I'd tell you that you're wrong. It's the other way around actually." Cedric casually hummed while patting the Old Archfae's chest.

"Alright, I answered your question. It's your turn to answer mine." Cedric's eyes then narrowed as he repeated his question. "Tell me, what were you planning to do with this arm, hmm?"

The Old Archfae swallowed with difficulty.

What was he supposed to say? Something like, 'Oh, this arm? Nothing much, just trying to kill your child to break the last remaining resistance of this lady so that she finally accepts her fate—to become a breeding hare for us Mystic Fae.'?

He'd be extremely lucky if Cedric decides to kill him straight up, which was very unlikely to happen because this was his son they're talking about, and he for sure doesn't seem like an indifferent father to him.

"You know what? Forget it. It's pretty much obvious at this point. I'll do you a solid and change the question. Hell, I'd even give you options to choose from."

The arm slung around the Old Archfae's shoulders suddenly felt heavier, and Cedric leaked out a little bit of his animosity as he spoke his next inquiry:

"Are you going to put that arm down, or are you going to lose it? You have 30 seconds to answer."

It didn't even take the old man a second to make his decision. As soon as Cedric was done giving him an ultimatum, his arm had already fallen limp to his side.

He felt no shame in complying with the monster's demands. Especially not when his animosity caused the weather around the area to turn incredibly gloomy all of a sudden. The fact that this creature, who's certainly not a fae, could cause the climate of their world to change according to his mood was already saying a lot.

While the Old Archfae had his fair share of heroic deeds, he didn't live this long to die when there's a way to survive. He knows when he's outclassed and retreat wasn't beneath him.

Seeing his clear compliance, the gloom on Cedric's face disappeared like it's never been there in the first place. Once again, he patted the Old Archfae's chest with the arm he had slung around his shoulders and smiled, saying,

"Good choice, old man. I like talking to smart people."

Everybody released a sigh of relief after seeing Cedric's mood improving. This applies not only to those who were in the same room as him but also to all other Archfae within the vicinity.

Still, even with this, others found themselves unable to interfere with whatever's happening inside that room. They didn't even dare come close to it.

For a single moment, Cedric's golden eyes landed on the Woodlenders behind.

And the moment they had eye contact with him, every notion of resistance dissipated from their mind. Something within them shattered the moment he gazed upon them. It's their spirit. In that instant, they realized that they will never be able to stand up or even form any rebellious thought against this person or anyone who's related to him.

He more than just put the fear of God in them; he had completely traumatized them for life in that single glance. All of this happened in a snap of a finger too.

Removing his gaze from these two useless creatures, his attention returned to the Old Archfae, saying,

"This lady will come home with us, Old Man."

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that, sir."

The Old Archfae truly wanted to slap his own mouth for saying this because it was stupid. The wisest choice in this moment was to stay silent and allow this monster to take and do anything he pleases so that he leaves as soon as possible. Yet he just had to open his goddamned mouth to cross him despite knowing this.

"Who's we, Old Man? Hmm?"

"T-this..." The Old Arcfae hesitated. "...she is a Royal Fae. We, the Mystic Fae, operate under a strict system to keep our civilization prosperous. As a Royal Fae, and an adult one too, she has responsibilities to fulfill to repay the race for raising her."

"BULLSHIT!" Gilderoy snarled, emboldened by the obvious fear of this Old Archfae towards his father. "Allura doesn't owe the Mystic Fae shit!"

"She never asked to be born as a Mystic Fae. You lot exiled her mother to a lower planet where she married a Beastkin. She never ate a grain of gruel from crusty palms. She grew up in that lower planet and visited other worlds that are not under the Mystic Fae territory!"

"The one time she did, one of your people lusted over her and drove her to desperation. So much so that she was forced to use the old thing that connects her to your ilk."

"You call her a Royal Fae, yet the very first thing you did was to imprison her in this tower to cut off any connections she has outside to break her spirit so that you can mold her into any shape you like, all while the lot of you disgusting old freaks discuss which of your failed son-of-bitches gets to marry her for the sake of 'restoring the clan'! You spout nothing but bullshit! I'd kill you all myself if I was your Chancellor."

Gilderoy ruthlessly tore through the hypocritical mask of the Archfaes all while standing in front of Allura protectively. Every ounce of his accumulated resentment and anger poured out just now, making him feel instantly better but still incensed.

Allura wasn't doing anything better. The weight of her mistreatment weighed heavily on her body, mind, and spirit. She weakly clung to Gilderoy's coat, hiding her trembling body because she refused to let the Archfaes see her weakness.

"Alright, what do you say about that, Old Man? Hmm?" Cedric's arm around him tightened once more, and the pressure the Archfae felt became even heavier. So much so that they found even the simple act of breathing very laborious by now.

Seeing as he wasn't willing to speak, Cedric no longer felt like wasting his time here. So instead, he said this:

"How troublesome. This isn't really my field of expertise. Fortunately, I can call for help. I'm not doing so bad in the 'friend' department, after all."

Cedric then raised his head and called out, "Silas, you hearin' this shit, man? This place is a mess, I tell ya'!"

Everybody in the room stilled, Cedric's children included. A silver mist bloomed, turning to Silas' form in a blink of an eye. And boy, he does not look happy as he stares at Old Archfae at all.

"Indeed. What a mess."