Teal hummed quietly.

Inside the black carriage sporting an inordinate amount of crusted gold, Kieran rested his head against the window with his arms crossed to hold his overcoat in place. The red marks had faded on the second day but he still felt the throbbing. Though it wasn’t as intense as before, it lingered at the forefront of his thoughts, ruining his sleep. On the first day, he had the city to keep his mind occupied. Its sights he could only marvel at from his window were now within reach.

The colosseum was off to the left, out of the way of his destination. Still, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from it. People wandered about on the streets going about their lives like in his previous world. If it weren’t for the occasional demonic trait that passersby had out, he might’ve mistaken it for a medieval movie set.

One thing that struck him as odd was their apparent lack of concern for the current war. He didn’t expect them to be hiding or rationing food but he thought a few of the public speakers would at least mention it. 

His brother, the fourth prince, was sent to the eastern front where his first and third brother were already stationed. Their second brother was the odd one out in the north. He held a special role akin to a High Demon and operated more as a strategist than a commander like their eldest brother. It was an impressive achievement since both the second and fourth princes were still only Upper Demons, but the fighting in the north was on a much smaller scale than the east.

All of his brothers already went through their fifteenth birthday, marking them as adults. The oldest of his brothers was twenty-five and had been a part of the war effort since Kieran was born, so he barely knew him. The fourth prince had turned seventeen less than a month ago. Kieran rarely saw him either.

A dozen or so guards accompanied their carriage. Two of them carried the halberds and armor he’d grown accustomed to inside the palace, marking them as royal guards. One of the two royal guards fit the usual tough and grim description but the other, the taller of the two, had a more youthful face. The taller one scribbled on a piece of parchment whenever he had free time. The rest were men sent by the Loftus Household. They wore a variation of leather and scale armor, which looked like they were made of actual animal scales. Spears and crude iron shortswords were their weapons of choice.

Lilith and him shared the same side. She was asleep after having a couple of rough nights. Teal’s eyes were closed and she hummed her song. Alexandra also had her eyes closed but she seemed ever alert. 

He gazed out his window after their carriage hit a bump. A number of trees deeper in the forest had the inner parts of their trunks exposed. His first thought went to deer or bears. They often marked their territory with bucks rubbing their antlers and bears clawing or biting the trees. He struck down the idea the further along the path they went.

The bark wasn’t simply scratched or bitten off as he could now see. The missing chunks of bark looked more like craters and the splintering of the wood resembled the horrific aftermath of a cannon ball tearing through a ship’s hull. Dozens of trees were destroyed in the same way. Some were toppled over completely. The rampage left a clear trail, ending at the mutilated carcass of some unfortunate animal. 

One of the younger guards retched at the sight while the older men stared. Like the trees, entire chunks of the animal were gone. At least half of the rib cage had been broken off, crushed, or eaten through. The skin around the skull was in shreds. Whatever killed it had shattered the snout while tearing through to the brain. Even the legs of the poor animal were eaten. Not stripped of meat, but devoured in whole.

Kieran grabbed a blanket and wrapped it over his shoulders. It stifled the chill. 

No one else in the carriage seemed to notice the carnage outside. Alexandra, perhaps, but she made no move to tell him.

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A few minutes later, they arrived at a village. Its inhabitants eyed the carriage with mild curiosity. Men and women walked through the streets, carrying baskets of harvested grain and buckets filled with water. The state of the village and its people were, in what he could imagine, good health. 

He opened the sliding slot separating them from the driver, “Can we stop for a bit?” 

Teal shuffled in her seat, “Are we there?”

“No. The Loftus Manor is ten minutes beyond this village,” Alexandra answered, startling both Kieran and Teal. Lilith slept through their noise.

“I just wanted to stretch a bit,” Kieran said.

The two royal guards stood suffocatingly close as he exited. The villagers further away from the center, whispered to each other. The closer ones dropped what they were doing and lowered their heads. Some pulled their sleeves over their hands. Some covered their foreheads. Others spun so they faced him.

“It’s so nice to be outside,” Teal said as she walked up beside him.

A collective gasp came from the villagers. Their hushed voices mixed together. They slowly moved their hands away from their heads revealing their horns. People hiding their hands were next as claws emerged from their sleeves. Tails came from the ones who turned their bodies away.

Teal, who had cheerfully basked in the open air, cupped her horn after following his gaze. Her face was ashen.

The ground shook as the two royal guards slammed down the end of their halberds. 

“You dare?!”  Alexandra’s voice boomed.

Villagers dropped to their knees, covering their claws and horns as they slowly retracted. The children ran to their parents. In a matter of seconds, the Blessed became indistinguishable from the humans he had known. No one would meet his eyes.

“I’m feeling a bit tired, Young Master. I’ll be waiting inside,” Teal said.

With her hand still over her horn, she disappeared into the carriage. 

“Do you wish to explore the village?” Alexandra asked. Her neutral tone made it seem like nothing had happened at all.

He felt uneasy watching them cower. “No, I just want to get to the manor.”

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The Loftus Manor was a gargantuan thing, four stories high and somewhere around half a football field long. It reminded him of the houses celebrities owned. The carriage guards opened the black metal gate and they were greeted by what seemed like an endless number of servants.

Did I just trade one palace for another?

Both ‘palaces’ were blinding white but the area surrounding the Loftus Manor was brimming with life. From the hedgeways leading up to the door, large areas of grass to play on, and a fountain and stream at the heart of it all, the Loftus Manor seemed much better than the stone hell he came from. 

I wonder if I can get even a little bit tanner here.

Kieran glanced at his companions in the carriage. Alexandra had her eyes closed, like she did for much of the ride. Teal was twiddling her thumbs as she glanced at the servants and the manor. Lilith peered out the window with an expressionless face.

When it came to a stop, Kieran was the first out. Two people stood waiting for him dressed in much fancier clothing than the servants. 

The older of the two, a gray bearded man stepped forward. The pupil in his left eye was a faded white, a deep scar running through it. With a bow he said, “I seem to have good fortune. I came to visit Overseer Loftus and now, I also get to see the fifth prince. Greetings Your Highness, I am Overlord Kaal’un Palewing.”

Kieran returned the greeting.

“I would love to stay and speak with you but there are some matters I must attend to.” 

The Overlord left in a carriage off to the side of the pathway.

The other man, tall and strong shouldered, bowed with his gloved hand to his heart. The fancy silver clothing he wore strained to keep itself together around his arms and chest. He looked similar to Lilith despite her lingering baby fat. His voice was as deep and strong as he looked.

“Welcome, Your Highness, to Loftus Manor. I am the master of this household, Overseer Lucian Loftus. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is all mine” Kieran said, reciprocating the bow. “Your home’s impressive.”

Lilith’s father nodded, “Your words are too kind, Your Highness.” He turned to Alexandra, “It is my honor to invite the Blood Demon into my home as well.”

Alexandra gave a small curtsy, “Pardon our intrusion.”