On My Way: The Demon King Made Me His

"I.. I.." Volca kept stuttering and exchanged glances between Huo and the guest. "How did you get in here?"

"What difficulty does the memeber of the Star Empire has when it comes to finding matters we hold close?" She smirked. And looked at the two in the room. "What is going on?" The woman asked her. She took the mask and the hat off her head even though Volca had already recognized her. Her heart thumped loud and shivered in shock to see the man standing in the room. The dyed long hair, the handsome face, the bravest and most kind hearted, a true warrior that reminded her of the past that slit opened her heart. 

"Your highness, " she bowed. Huo looked at Volca and then looked the lady wearing a black hanfu. She looked familiar. He bowed with confusion and waited for the explanation.  But catching him off guard, the lady approached him and took his face in her hands. Tears streamed down her face. 

"Huo'er,  how have you been?" she asked him in broken sentences as she cried. 

"Empress Lihua of the Human Realm, from the Celestial Palace, your mother Huo, " Volca finally told him. Huo'er's face charges from the expression of calmness into shock and hatred after hearing the story from Volca an hour back. He let go of her and tried to push her away in the thought of getting abandoned by this lady  before who failed to hold him close as a mother should. He couldn't bare to look at her face and kept avoiding which made Volca satisfying to see how much he is convinced with her story. 

"Your highness, can I talk to you for a minute?" Volca asked the Empress. Yes, Lihua did want an explanation for everything that has been happening and walked to the other end of the room behind Volca while Huo sat on his coat and kept looking at the lady said to be his mother. 

"What story are you going to serve me with?" Empress asked Volca very rudely, not caring to look at her face. But on the other hand Volca who respected the Empress considering her as future mother in law remembered to stay calm and explain the situation to her.

"After his soul dispersed your highness, I searched everyday for him in all the place that could exist. And i found him, I preserved him. It costed me alot of cultivation and energy,"

"Do you want me to pay you for those? I can, the double of it," Empress said.

"Do you think am here it make negotiations your highness?" She asked. "NO," she smirked. "You're wrong, if have done anything for him, it's because I love him, not because I want his gold," she said. "It means that's how much he matters to," she stated it clearly. 

"You," But Volca stopped the Empress from saying anything further. 

"I know you are happy to see your son, but you cannot protect him, besides," she paused. 

"What?" Empress grew tensed. 

"Huo'er is no longer the old self," she said the truth.

"What did you do to him?" Empress asked her in rage, her hands around Volca's thought, strangling her. Volca remained quiet.

"It is not me, it's her, it's her doing," Volca managed to say. 

"Who?" Empress asked.

"Aqua," she said the name for the first time in years. She felt her heart going down to her stomach. 

"What can a possibly dead person do to him?" Empress said it out loud which caught Huo'er's attention.

"His body is being controlled by her Crystals, yes it did bring him back to life, but it is hurting him as well, he has healed from the wounds, but one of his souls are missing and it makes it difficult for him to he himself," Empress gasped as she heard it and had tears in her eyes, she gazed at her son for a moment and looked at Volca's face again. 

"But," before Empress started, Volca interrupted again. 

"Yes, he has no recollection of his past, his powers, his real heart or anything, he lost his memory, he lost all of it." She looked at the Empress with tears in her eyes, pretending to be sad though she was happy he lost it and stayed close to her now. "I don't know if he will be able to restore them," she disclosed everything to his mother. 

"How can that be? That's not possible, he is a dragon,"  Empress Lihua said. 

"So was she, the rare Crystals of the water dragon," Volca made her point and it did seem to be valid. Empress nodded her head and stood, wondering how to solve this issue. 

Volca was aware of the situation all the time, talking to the greatest enemy of her mother, Fiona. The lady who stole her mother's fiance and made a child with him. She kept praying for her mother to not enter the chambers while the Empress stayed. She wished the Empress Lihua left them soon but she seemed to have no plans on it. It was dinner time, and Volca ordered the guards to ask the kitchen maids to bring extra set of meal saying she is starving and need more food. 

Without causing trouble or doubts, Volca managed with the security teams well and served dinner herself for her guest.  The mother was in tears often looking at her son who remembered nothing but believing the story his guardian told him about. He was not sure how to behave towards the lady who claimed to be his mother. Lihua arranged everything she brought with her and served her son with hus favourite chicken soup. He looked at her for a moment and took a spoonful of it. He loved it instantly and it felt like he had already known this taste before. He wasn't sure about like usual and he let go of it eating his fill. Volca's possessivenes killed her inside to see his mother serving him instead of her but controlled her feelings so that she does not get caught in the middle. She wanted the Empress to trust her so that she can keep Huo'er around her for long. 

For Empress on the other hand, she surely cannot take her son back to anywhere in heaven with the death threats that always hung on top of his head. Though Emperor Tai promised her, she can never trust his words. Hence she had no choice but let him find refuge with the lady who was partially responsible for his death. It got Empress really furious but she had no other way but trust Volca for now. The scenes from the battle still flashed before her whenever she closed her eyes. The way she lost three important people. 'He needs someone who loves him beside him for now,' Empress said inside her head and took a deep breath convincing herself. 'Relax and find a way to bring him back.'

Empress Lihua got up from her chair.  "I'm leaving she said suddenly, " 

Neither Volca nor Huo reacted to it and she took off quickly. She apparated back to the woods and sat there for sometime.  It was going to be midnight soon and she had to return back soon before people find out about her disappearance. Her heart acted and her limbs felt numb. Rather than feeling exited to see her son back, she fell into sorrow thinking about his state. It hurt to think that he is no longer himself, he is no longer the toughest dragon he used to be, walking behind Volca trusting her. Empress could find no traces of drugs on him either not spells to say he is under black magic. Empress travelled back to her palace and changed her clothes quickly. She put on the night robes laid on her bed. No one knew about it at all. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief. She chanted some spells and quickly fell asleep, trying her best to not overthink and ruin her life. 

Back in the underground chamber Huo'er finally relaxed and laid across his bed, his arm wide open and stretching his legs. " How could  she spot the place so easily? Why would she come here? Did you not say that this is the most safest place and how people are coming and leaving as they wish, trying to see me, was I that an important figure? Huo'er bombarded Volca with questions again. 

"Oh my god, you are too active and such a chatter box today, what happened? Good mood or curiosity killing the cat," she teased and walked. 

And suddenly Huo acted out of his usual character. Volca was caught by surprise. One moment she felt a hand pulling her back and next moment she was lying on top of Huo, her body pressed against his, and her hands on his chest. She could feel his heart beat. And then suddenly Huo'er took her hands and turned her. "Huo'er, " she called him, but it came out in a very low voice that was hardly audible. "What are you doing?" She found few words to ask him while he pinned her down. Her heart skipped a beat.