In this chapter, kindly read carefully that what will happen to Theron if he accepts the curse. That way you will know why Esther couldn’t let him accept it and took a decision on her own.
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What happens when the summoner doesn’t wish to accept the Devil’s demand?
The young man’s heart was furiously pounding as he read the nearly faded words written on the paper yellowed with age.
[Only when the person who had summoned the Devil surrendered himself to the curse will it be lifted from its previous carrier. Be warned, however, accepting to bear the curse does not eliminate it but merely transfers it to the summoner.]
At first, he was worried that it would take him a long time to search for the answer he needed. Upon seeing the contents of the book however, King Theron lost some of the tension on his stiff shoulders and the breath he didn’t know he was holding was released.
‘There is truly another way…I don’t have to sacrifice Esther…’
King Theron wanted to laugh, and despite the fact that a sacrifice was still required, he felt an odd sense of relief after realizing he had found the answer now. He made sure to read the texts carefully, not missing a single word.
[The summoner has to call for the Devil once more and offer him to be punished for not accepting the demand, offering his body and soul as the price to pay for his disrespect. The calamity born out of the curse will thus be carried by the body of he who must be punished, freeing the previous carrier from the curse, and the soul of the summoner will thus belong to the Devil, to be taken to the Realm of Hell.]
[The soul will remain in the darkness never to see the light, where the soul will be imprisoned in the Cave of Undying Flames, chained to the Prison that Swallows Nightmares, to experience despair for the next one hundred years.]
King Theron let out another laugh as he moved onto the next page, where he saw detailed illustrations of the punishment described in the texts. In those images, there was the man seemingly imprisoned in a dark place with his limbs were pierced with barbed chains deep into the bones, his body shackled to a rocky wall where disgusting insects were crawling. The floor was nothing but raging fire, and the feet of the man in the illustration was nothing more than charred bones, and his eyes were nothing but black holes as he cried tears of blood.
The soul was undying, so regardless of the torturous methods inflicted on the bearer, death would never be the end. There would be nothing to look forward to, no relief after the soul received its due punishment.
Pain? The torture awaiting the one who refuses the Devil’s demand seemed beyond the word ‘pain’ could handle. It was a punishment that delivered agony and cruelty beyond any sane human could possibly handle.
That was why King Theron could not help but laugh. Perhaps he was being foolish, or maybe he was nothing but a madman at this point…but he was not fazed by the warnings. Despite seeing all those bloody violent illustrations, he didn’t waver from the decision he had taken. He merely moved on towards the next page and written there—
[Once the time comes for the curse to descend on the mortal realm after a hundred years, the body will be freed from carrying the curse. However, though the price of refusal was paid, those that entered his realm can never return. He who belongs to the Devil will remain belonging to him for eternity. As per part of the agreement, the summoner’s body and soul will continue to remain under his possession in hell, neither living nor dead, doomed to never find salvation for the rest of his existence.]
Eternal damnation, a punishment worse than a death sentence. No wonder none of those who had summoned the Devil in the past tried the alternative path and simply accepted the initial demand made to them.
‘Doesn’t matter, as long as I can save my kingdom and moreover the one I love,’ he smiled bitterly as he closed that book.
After closing his eyes for a moment to regain composure, King Theron came out of that ancient library into the main hall where he found the old priest and the apprentice of the High Priest were waiting for him.
Hearing his approach, the old priest turned in his direction with a weak gaze. For some reason, those eyes that seemed unable to clearly see him made him feel uncomfortable.
“You look determined to sacrifice yourself,” the old man drawled in a slow yet solemn manner. “She was the same. Alas, fate is truly cruel.”
King Theron didn’t know what this old priest was talking about. He merely bowed his head in gratitude. “I thank His Holiness for allowing me to enter the library. I apologize for the abruptness, but I must take my leave now.”
The old priest merely nodded.
The young king then turned towards the High Priest’s apprentice. “I thank you for bringing me here, priest. Once you go back to the Temple of the Divine, kindly extend my gratitude to the High Priest as well and let him know I plan to do another summoning ceremony as soon as I come back from the royal palace. For now, we can part ways since I want to first return to my family.”
King Theron turned to look at the darkening sky outside the ancient temple. ‘A few hours, at most. After this, I will never get to see my loved ones again. Father, Mother, Keiran, Esther…I need to see them for the last time…. There is no need to let them know what’s going to happen. It will be all right to spend a couple of hours with them and just disappear from their lives…’
Just as King Theron and the apprentice turned around to leave, they were greeted by the sight of numerous lightning falling all at the same time. The thunder that followed caused even the mountain where the ancient temple was located to shake.
The hoarse voice of the old priest echoed from behind them.
“She has truly summoned the Devil.”