Page 170 of The Princess and Her Grand King

"It's inconceivable to think…" Emeriel's voice was hushed with awe. "I mean, you'reyou. I used to think you were the oldest being alive."

His chuckle was a low rumble in his chest. "I'd hope not, dearest. Then I would have already gone to deep sleep."

"How does it work, this deep sleep?"

"When one reaches a certain age, the desire for slumber grows stronger. But unlike normal sleep, deep sleep doesn’t last for a single night. It’s longer and more magical," Daemonikai explained, his voice taking on a distant quality. "One might lay down in their coffin-bed and awake a hundred years later, or two, or even three. Elders grow weary of the world, you see. They use deep sleep to pass the time.”

"Wait." Emeriel's eyes reached her hairline. "Coffin-bed?"

"There's so much you do not know about my kind, Emeriel. Our knowledge is vast and deep, as long as our age, as old as time itself."

"But I thought only vampires used coffins," she said, embarrassed.

Daemonikai's smile widened. "You may not have noticed, Riel, but we also drink blood."

“Oh… I almost forgot that for a minute,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Vampires are disgusting.Theircoffins are literal, while ours are beds designed to resemble coffins.”

"Ah." Emeriel nodded, understanding dawning on her. "So, how long has the Oracle been asleep?"

“Seven hundred. She sleeps longer than most.” A shadow of sadness crossed his face. “If she were awake, the eclipse moon night may not have ended the way it did. The Oracle doesn't interfere. but she sees all. The past, present, and future… she may have given hints."

"But deep sleep is vital for the old," he continued with a sigh. "It keeps them sane, relaxed… whole. The only thing one can control is when they enter the slumber. How long they remain there is beyond their will."

“I understand.” And she did.

"I miss her, you know," Daemonikai confessed, his gaze drifting towards the embers in the hearth. "She's like a mother figure to me… to many of us. We are all her children."

Emeriel was captivated. "I hope one day I get to meet her. She sounds like a force to be reckoned with."

"She is," Daemonikai agreed. "The only force the entire Urai respects more than the grand throne."

A thought crossed Emeriel's mind. "Have you ever considered deep sleep?"

Daemonikai shook his head. "I've never had a reason to. I had a fulfilling life before that dreadful night. Afterward, I lost myself and only just my sanity."

He paused, thinking about it. "I suppose if you weren't here, if I didn't have this… now would be the time I might have started considering it."

Emeriel's heart swelled with love. "I'm glad I'm here," she whispered, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "I'm glad you did not go to sleep."

His smile softened, the lines of worry on his forehead easing. "Me too, Emeriel." he squeezed her hand. "Me too."

***

IN A CAVE, LOST TO TIME AND MEMORY.

They always looked as normal as the rest of their kind, but they were not. That was the thing about dark mages–their appearance was utterly deceiving.

"Repeat your request, ruler," the dark mage rasped, his voice echoing in the cavern.

"I want you to sever the consciousness from someone's mind," Zaiper stated, leaning casually against the rough wall. "Completely."

The mage turned slightly, a subtle shift in the folds of his black cloak. "Who is this person?"

"Daemonikai Vipertheriov Naelzharoth."

"And your name?"

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