The big furry fist coming straight to my round face after I thought to had dodged it, made one thing clear to me. The path to becoming a real Grand Prince is too long and once again beyond my reach with my current power.
But one day, I will have power enough to defeat Zorenyth and fulfill-
I coughed blood as Zorenyth sent me flying.
...
Nowadays you can’t even have a reflection without being interrupted! Where will this world go in this way? I should ask mother to let me create a law to save all the unfinished reflections since the people are rude enough to interrupt them.
Feeling the spring’s rash winds against my tiny body and appreciating the obscene clouds above me - don’t ask me why they are on this way, nobody knows - while I am flying, gave to me a chance to make some deep questions.
Who am I? Where am I going? And how can I be alive after eating mother’s homemade food?
To completely answer the first question is really hard, but I will try. I am Alexander, a disgusting Human with short black hair and eyes dark as the robe I am wearing.
What? Do you want more? Well, in this world, Maroeltha, there are Humans and Demons, and although my body is of a Human - why did I born as a Human? The worst shit that has happened to me in my seven years of life - I live in the Demon’s country as their Prince. The reason to be hard to answer this question is that there is information about me that I don’t know. So bear with it.
The second question in comparison is easy, I am of course going to-
The ground. My head hit it, and as I was feeling the pain of two hard places colliding, the ground rebounded me in the air.
My body spun, not knowing what is left or right for a long time. Until Solaris, my first friend, with all her speed and dexterity possible in her small body, grabbed one of my feet in the middle air.
I stopped spinning and when I was going thank her, she deviously smirked and I knew what was going through her head in that moment.
“Your Highness, don’t worry. I will put you ‘in’ the ground before you can blink.” She said, still suspending me in the air.
I’m fucked up, aren’t I? She deliberately used ‘in’ instead of ‘on’.
Solaris gave a cute yell and brought me down to the ground with all her strength, making me kiss the ground and create a crater around my bloody body.
Who could know that the son of the Holy Demon Queen, Nuala Ophiuchus, would give his first kiss to the ground?
It is time to answer the third question and how I am still alive after being so much beaten up.
…
I seriously don’t know! I don’t think being capable of manipulating Essence is enough to maintain me alive until now.
I groaned as I stood up with my body bleeding and screaming to me give it some rest.
“Solaris, after I finish my lesson you can heal Alex. Go back to your chair.” Zorenyth, Infarcerio’s clan leader, said with his golden slit eyes criticizing Solaris’ decision of daring to leave her place in the classroom.
Zorenyth had a golden mane surrounding his face with horns at its sides and together with all his blond fur and muzzle, he is normally compared to a lion by Mother. Even though he wears the noble dark robe only available to the Arcanum’s users and clan leaders, he everyday calls poor demon children to his garden in the Infarcerio’s mansion to teach them about Essence and the world.
You can say he is a strict and sometimes a too prideful Demon, but when near any person in need he is the noblest and caring Demon that I know. He mounts a classroom and plans his class with his utmost effort, not forgetting to give food to the children that show interest in the lesson.
Although if you are a Half-Demon you will immediately die if you get near the mansion’s gates. And I don’t even need to say what will happen if it is a Human, however, it is impossible to one get near here, since they are all slaves in this country.
Of course, with exception of me.
“Tch! Stupid lion.” Solaris quietly said while playing with her scarlet long hair and short horns. “Fine, I will heal him later.” Solaris without fear of Zorenyth’s power, she calmly strolled back to her chair in the middle of all the poor children.
Zorenyth ignored her and continued his lesson as I suffered to go back to my place in the class, at Zorenyth’s side. “What I and Alex showed to all of you was a combat application of the Essence. For the ones that are new I will explain again about it, Essence is an energy that is everywhere, in our bodies and in the space around us.”
“Unfortunately, even with years of training, it is only possible to use Essence to do Augmentation, the process which you strengthen a part of your very ‘being’.” Zorenyth raised his right hand. “To do anything beyond it, you need of an Artifact provided by the Army if you decide to enlist in it. But even so, you will never be able to manipulate the World’s Essence, the energy from the planet.”
A mighty white fire appeared on Zorenyth’s right hand after little red sparks made of the World’s Essence touched his hand, the heat and pressure emanating from it threatened to burn mine and everyone else’s own existence. “The only ones capable of manipulating the World’s Essence are the Arcanum’s users chosen by one of the twenty-two Arcanum Artifacts. And of course, it is impossible to a filthy Human use it or steals it like they stole the mean to use the Essence within one’s own body.”
The white fire disappeared and I and the children let out a sigh of relief that I didn't even know I was holding on. “Any questions?”
A boy with chestnut hair in the front row asked. “My parents always told me to hate Humans and how filthy Humans are, since they can’t speak the Holy Tongue or become an Arcanum’s user. So, I… would like to know…” The boy stopped himself from uttering any more words with fear of angering me, a Demon Prince.
I smiled at how timid he was and made a signal to Zorenyth urge the boy to continue, a ruler can’t govern without knowing the thoughts of the more humble part of his subjects. “Fret not, you are in the presence of me, this country’s General, I have permission to even kill princes or princesses if they bully any of you.”
The confidence in the Peasant General seemed to won over his fear and the boy looked at me with determined eyes. “Why a Human is wearing the Noble Robe and is a Prince? Why all the uncles of the stalls friendly greet him and even give to him things for free?”
“Hmm, could be you are seven or six years old?” Zorenthy and all the rest of the children curiously looked at the chestnut boy.
I thought he would question something more interesting to answer, like ‘why that filthy imitation of Prince is here?’ or ‘Humans killed my parents! I don’t want to be near one! Why he is still alive and without a collar?’.
“How did you know?” The boy strangely looked at the General and the other children.
“Then I can’t blame you for not knowing or your parents for not telling you, they probably got too used to Alex’s existence that they might have forgotten Alex is a Human.” Zorenyth made a contemplating expression. “Did you perceive what language Alexander had used when I and him fought?”
The boy widened his big blue eyes and Zorenyth continued. “That’s right. He used the Holy Tongue that not even the Half-Demons aberrations can use. So Our Divine and Maroeltha’s Will don’t recognize him as an invader like the rest of the Humans. And one the reasons for him be a Prince is because Her Majesty had adopted him and the other reason is… seeing is believing. Alex, do it.”
I raised my hand like Zorenyth did, concentrating on the sparse but grandiose energy around me, I called the red sparks and a small scarlet ball of fire appeared on my hand. “I am actually an Arcanum’s user,” I said trying to sound cool to my fellow comrades of near age.
However, I won’t tell them that although my assimilation rate in my two Arcanum Artifacts is one hundred percent, I still didn’t receive any new ability.
I don't want them to have a bad impression of me. My image as a Demon Prince needs to be perfect! So, Solaris. Please stop smiling! Don’t ruin even more my image, do you know how hard it is to rule over a country when your subjects think their ruler is weak?
“The ‘uncles’ of the stalls like of His Highness because the majority of reforms and new laws are made by him, and many of them improved the lives of poor people like you or the commerce of small business’ owners like those ‘uncles’. You can even say he is our actual ruler.” Solaris still had inside of her some compassion and didn’t destroy my image with her explanation.
The boy tried to apologize to me, but I didn’t let him. It was just a curiosity of his and I wasn’t offended by it.
Time passed as I became Zorenthy’s guinea pig to show the children how to train Essence and finally all of them left the mansion with food enough to sustain their family for some time.
“You failed again. At this rate, you will lose the Grand Prince’s position.” Zorenyth approached me while Solaris was grumpily healing me. “How many years have you been trying to receive my approval, Infarcerio’s Seal?”
“Four years,” I said, understanding my weakness and how deplorable I am to still not receive it after trying since I was three years old.
In this country, Stroudor, is relatively easy to become a Demon Prince or Princess, you only need to show a certain amount of talent and you become one. The hard part is to become a Grand Prince or Princess that will be the next to rule over Stroudor, to do it you need to receive the approval of one the twelve clan’s leaders and the acknowledgment of one the Arcanum Artifacts.
I already have two Arcanum Artifacts and I am the closest to become the Grand Prince, but I still don’t have a ‘real’ Clan Seal.
Everyday Zorenyth gives me a different Trial to surpass and I fail in all of them, today was the first time he asked to fight with him.
“Why don’t you use Torest’s Seal to become the Grand Prince? You have it, don’t you?”
“I won’t use that woman’s Seal. I didn’t finish curing her. I refuse to become the Grand Prince in this way.”
Torest’s clan leader gave me her Seal, but how could I use a Seal from someone that can’t even ratiocinate or even remember her daughters’ face? I will cure her no matter how everyone says it is impossible.
Zorenyth went silent while fumbling with his mane and because of it that annoying winged thing’s words became more clear to me. “Run! They are trying to fool you! Lord! Please, open your eyes to the truth! They don’t like you, they will use you and then abandon you-”
Why they always come no matter how many times they are killed? Could be they don’t appreciate their own life? If it stayed quiet, I would probably spare it.
“There is an Angel on my right shoulder.” With the end of my words, Zorenyth used his high speed to grab the small invisible Angel to his eyes. “Save me-” It cried.
“Hmm… what strange feeling. I can’t see it or even sense its presence, but when I use my strength I can clearly feel it.” Zorenyth opened his jaws and slowly ate the Angel while I could see the silver blood dripping from his jaws and hear the blood-curdling screams of the Angel.
“Tomorrow my son will be here, I will give you another Trial based on him. Come here after the sunset.” Zorenyth said after finishing his meal and going back to work without saying goodbye to me or Solaris.
Solaris locked her violet eyes with black slits into mine deep pitch black eyes. “For how much time will you continue this farce? What will do you if someone becomes a Grand Prince before you? My entire life and childhood weren’t sacrificed to you play this stupid game of ‘child’s stubbornness’. In one month we will become eight years old and I will receive mother’s Arcanum Artifact, if you still haven’t become a Grand Prince by then… I will kill you.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I became silent as Solaris gave a punch in my face and ignored me as she left the Infarcerio’s mansion.
Solaris has always been like this, direct and slightly murderous when near me.
A strange coincidence occurred that she, the daughter of the Kahonusk’s clan leader, born on the same day I had born. Since then she became my maid wearing a black dress with apron and never had the right to have a normal childhood or friends.
She was brutally trained to become my shadow and protect me from assassinations of both sides, the Humans and the Demons.
Leaving the mansion after recovering from the punch, I saw Solaris waiting for me together with a carriage powered by Essence Crystals.
Unfortunately, I won’t have today the opportunity of feeling the carriage’s comfy seat.
I can see many Angels and Artifacts’ Essence pulses in the nearby houses’ roofs, in other words, there is a bunch of assassins from both sides waiting to kill me today.
Being inside of a carriage is the worst place to be in this case, I can see myself dying in a street accident or even by the Essence Bomb planted under the carriage.
I approached Solaris and hugged her, whispering in her ears. “There are twelve assassins from both sides on the roofs and I can sense a weak Essence pulse below us, the enemies are in possession of at least middle-grade Artifacts.”
Solaris’ body trembled and she grabbed so strongly her dress that it began to tear, breaking the hug I could see blood dripping from her lips by her angrily biting it and also the pure fury which can, in this case, be called of hatred in her eyes.
She must be feeling exasperated, her whole life was spent and trained only for these moments, but she didn’t sense the assassins or discovered the bomb. ‘Why I suffered so much to learn to protect this dumbass, only to in the end not perceive his hiding enemies?!’, a similar thought to this must be going through her head in this moment.
The hatred maybe isn’t even directed at the enemies but at her own lack of power.
It wasn’t really her fault since these assassins seemed to be a whole level above the normal ones, making me worried at her safety. “Can you take care of them alone? Do you want me to call mo-”
“I’ll massacre them all, don’t even dare to call that tit-monster… just walk to the castle, I will catch up with you before you arrive there.” Solaris’ body divided into numerous ball of flames while letting a dangerous message to me. “If you stay to help me, I will cut all my ties with you.”
Solaris different from me that always have to lie for various reasons, she never did lie in her life. So her warning was completely serious.
I silently went home whilst ignoring the yelling and explosion sounds, not wanting to end my first friendship.
On the way back, after kicking a fallen Human slave - it is me or him, I die if I show any tinge of compassion to Humans - to maintain my image as Demon Prince and buying food to a nearby Demon beggar, I saw a common scene which I didn’t know if I could intervene without dying.
In the alley, Demon teenagers are bullying and kicking a female adult Half-Demon. And by their lascivious smiles, I can see where this is going if nobody interrupts them.
Which nobody will do, all the rest of the Demons were ignoring this common scene, but because I stopped at the alley, they are now looking and judging what I will do.
Normally Solaris handles these cases, but I am now alone. Will I be an exemplary Demon Prince? Or will I disgrace myself by helping someone that can’t use the Holy Tongue?
Because of my one hundred percent assimilation rate with my Arcanum Artifacts, an intense hatred against Humans flows through my blood, mind and even soul. And my Arcanum Artifacts will immediately kill me if I try to help someone related to the Humans.
“@%@(&(&()! @@/* save me!” The woman shouted using the common Human language that I didn’t completely learn.
My Human’s language comprehension is still at the basics, but I could understand the words ‘save me’.
I considered my options, it is impossible to this adult woman had survived to this age without already been used by a nearby Demon, so I saving her now would change anything?
Like it is impossible to end with all the slavery of all the Multiverses, there are innumerable Half-Demons in worse situations than this woman, and what makes her special enough to be saved instead of the others Half-Demons?
Probably... her face? No, it is ugly. Her eyes? No, they have lost their luster. Her talent? No, she won’t ever be an Arcanum’s user.
There is nothing.
So why am I walking to the Demon teenagers?
I am being a fucking hypocrite right now, didn’t that male Human slave also deserve to be saved? Is it because she is a female that I am going to help her? I don’t know.
...
Fuck it all!
I am going to save her because I can!
I didn’t save any slave until now because they had already received Our Divine’s mark, but this woman didn’t.
“My gentlemen, can I ask you to continue this in an appropriate place? Please think about the problem the cleaning’s ‘aunt’ will have to clean this alley.” I warmly approached them with my arms open.
Please, Solaris! I am counting on you to my plan work! I trust in your power, come back to me!
“Demon Prince Alexander, what the hell are you talking about?” The one that seemed the leader with a red skin asked.
“Do you know how hard it is to clean certain ‘liquids’? The person who cleans this alley will have tremendous work to do it.” I talked with them without stopping smiling and with friendly eyes.
“But, do you want to join us?” They ignored the cleaning’s ‘aunt’ argument. How rude of them to not consider the cleaning’s ‘aunt’!
“Sorry, I don’t have any interest in ‘spoiled goods’ and I doubt my penis would be long enough to my ejaculation-” I interrupted myself seeing the teenagers’ puzzled faces.
“Was I being too technical?” I wondered aloud. “The Reformation in the education must the next on my list.”
“Can you make the school fun!?” All of them - even the Demons at the street - asked me at the same time.
“...That is impossible.” I told them the grim news. “School is called school because it is boring. If the school was made to be fun, it would have been called Gaming Place when our ancestors created it.”
Solaris, where are you?
All the Demon’s faces had a defeated look as their tiny last hope was cruelly smashed by a sledgehammer know as reality.
I know I'm exaggerating, but I could use this chance to reach the Half-Demon. “Let me help you guys take this thrash to a nearby hotel, I will pay for you guys. Consider this as my apology for damping the mood.”
“Woohoo!” The teenagers celebrated and the Demons of the street continued with their life after hearing my ‘kind’ suggestion.
Solaris! I don’t want to do something I will regret, please show yourself!
I showed my back to the teenagers and looked at the raven-haired Half-Demon with hollow red eyes. “@! *(#), I &(%)(*) save me!” She said crying and with fear.
My hands went to take her and I slowly said while flashing a smile, and using my basic common Human language. “Don’t, worry, I, save, you.”
When I was close to touching her, a strong hand gripped my head and I never in my life felt so good by receiving pain as my Artifacts would me kill me at that moment because they can't be that stupid to not perceive what I'm doing. My savior has come. Solaris, my bea-
The hand made me kiss the ground for the second time today and as if not satisfied, it burrowed my head so deep in the ground that only my legs were outside of the ground?
If an ostrich saw me now, it would give me a prize for winning the tournament. Which tournament do you ask? I don’t know, maybe at burying heads deep in the ground.
“Your Highness, what do you think you are doing?” From underground I could hear Solaris’ cold voice. “I don’t think molesting females is on your agenda for today, and even if it was I doubt your deplorable excuse of a penis would be long enough to make any woman feel something.” She raised me up by the legs and unceremoniously threw me to the alley’s wall whilst my teeth fell to the sides because of the earlier powerful ‘burrowing’.
I don’t think I will ever be able to forget the concrete’s taste mixed with blood and broken teeth. Note to self: never let your mouth open when you are expecting Solaris to attack you.
“Now, Teenager A, B, C, and D. Do you understand the crimes you are all committing?” Solaris brought up her authority of Demon Princess to show to the teenagers that she no even bothered to ask the names.
“What?! Solaris Kahonusk!” The leader looked to the sides, searching for a way to escape after exclaiming and seeing the Kahonusk’s Clan Seal. “We-”
“You all had broken the Law number 8.666: You shall not abuse of Half-Demons.” Solaris activated all her Artifacts and pointed her finger at the street. “I know there is a police officer watching this, come here do your job before I decide to myself their sentence and yours too by neglecting your job.”
In a puff of wind, the teenagers disappeared while a voice sounded from above. “Please don’t kill me! I will take them to the delegacy, so please don’t report me.”
“Coward, I don’t have time to deal with little insects like you. I need to deal with an even bigger criminal at my front.” She deactivated her Artifacts. “Begone while I still can control my temper.”
“Thank you, Demon Princess.”
When I was going to stand up after rolling on the ground, Solaris stepped on my body and glared at the Half-Demon. “Do you know the number of crimes you committed?”
“You used your body to tempt a Demon Prince! Almost his holy body became tainted by you, and as if not enough you punched, kicked and took his teeth off.” Solaris punctuated all her accusations by stepping on me again and again.
Solaris, no matter how you see, it is you the one that needs to get arrested.
“Your crimes are too big to be paid with your miserable life, so I sentence you to become a slave maid through all your life!” Solaris knocked out the Half-Demon and called the castle’s guards using a short distance talisman. “I have someone that will become a slave maid here, do all the preparations and come get her. I am in an alley at the front of Simon’s bakery.”
It seems Solaris knows well me enough to discover my objective without asking me.
If the Half-Demon continued living her normal life, a similar thing would occur and I doubt she has a good life in Stroudor, being a Half-Demon. But if she becomes a slave maid, nobody will abuse her anymore and she will even have the right to meet her family wherever she wants.
She will be a slave, however, in this case, is a fate that many would like to receive. Although her ‘crimes’ are strange, she will have money, food, security and if she works well enough she can even bring her family to the castle.
Solaris carefully healed me and regrew my broken teeth until the soldiers came and took the Half-Demon with them. “You could have died if your Arcanum Artifacts reacted. Why are you so irresponsible for just a random Half-Demon?” She grabbed my robe with her bloody hands and letting her head down.
“It is because I trust you, Solaris. I knew you would come.” I looked at how her body is full of blood.
Taking out my favorite handkerchief from my pockets, I began to wipe the blood from her tiny hands that have already killed far more people than me.
“Stop.” She shakily held my hand. “I am the maid, not you.”
We walked back to the castle without anything of interesting happening and Solaris tired after the fight was silent through all the way.
Finally, the Holy Silver Castle appeared on our visions, the lustrous castle’s gates were protected by many soldiers bearing Artifacts and its defense was powerful enough to endure an explosion of a high-grade Essence Bomb.
The castle had thirteen towers in a spiral form that seemed to be piercing the heavens, aside from it, the castle didn’t have many decorations or extravagant places like a useless big garden. The castle was built around the pure concept of war, Mother told me it can even fly if needed.
Of course, everything inside or outside of it is silvery white. The obsession with this specific color is strange and I wonder who decided to this glorious and imposing castle be of only one color.
But I never complained it to Mother, since silvery white is my favorite color - actually, I just learned to like it, try to live your entire childhood in this place. If you don’t like it, you will become crazy after seeing only one color for your entire life.
The soldiers saluted us and I saw something I didn’t want to see.
“Hide! Lord is here, enter inside of the clothes.” Angels were embarrassedly trying to fit inside of the Fourth Demon Prince’s clothes.
By the quantity of them, it wasn't a coincidence. What a shame, I liked trading blows with you. Crab, you had dug your own grave. Curse the Hinyn’s clan leader for not being loved enough by my Mother to know about my capability of seeing Angels.
“The Fourth Demon Prince is a traitor. Send our spies to track to what house or city he is going after leaving the castle.” I used my serious tone of voice that Solaris knows she can’t play around with me or injury me until my orders are completed. “In my country traitors are unacceptable. Our objective isn’t his capture, we will slowly kill him until he realizes the deep sin he has committed. No matter who gets on our way, even Hinyn’s clan leader.”
“My King, your wish is my command.” Solaris bowed and left.
You couldn’t lose the chance to say that, could you?
----------------------------------------
Meanwhile in a secret cavern under the Holy Silver Castle
The Holy Demon Queen was hysterically laughing. “Yes! Yes! Only one more push and it will be destroyed, as expected of my Alex. He never disappoints me.”
At her front, the Prophecy Slab received another crack, it was so full of it that you could say the slab hasn’t been destroyed yet by its pure willpower.
“Your Majesty, Zorenyth Infarcerio called and said he decided that tomorrow he will use his son for ‘that’.” Solaris’ mother said.
The Holy Demon Queen took her stupid evil laugh to a level beyond everything that is known. “Call all the others Clan Leaders, with the stupid lion’s decision the slab will receive the final blow. Finally, the prophecy will be destroyed!”
The Holy Demon Queen began to dance and sing. “Celebrate, all my ancestors! Tomorrow will be the most important and grandiose day since our country’s creation.”
She cried. “My little Alex, soon I and you be set free from this ridiculous Fate and Destiny! My three thousand years of effort will be paid off tomorrow.”
She laughed more - will she never stop doing it? It began to become ridiculous - “Everything will change tomorrow!”