“All of this… for nothing?” Sebastion growled as he looked around at the bodies strewn across the ground, “What was that ball of flesh? Even for a Demon, that’s not normal.”
“No surprise you haven’t seen it before,” Svend replied with a shake of his head, “That was the power of the Demon Gluttony, a power he rarely gifts out to his few most trusted subordinates. Demons he refers to as his teeth.”
Sebastion paused thoughtfully. “I didn’t even know Gluttony had subordinates. Doesn’t he just eat everything he comes across, Demons included?”
“Under normal circumstances, yes, but under the command of the Archdemon, he was forced to take a select group of Demons without consuming them. At least, not completely. They have been a constant threat to the Seventh Division ever since.”
“And now one of them is under Envy’s command?” I interjected, “You know more about Gluttony than I do but the Demon Seir has served Envy for almost a hundred years. Is it possible for one of Gluttony’s minions to defect given the unique circumstances they are created or was this Demon only recently converted?”
Svend hesitated as he considered the question. “If we were talking about Pride or Greed, it might be possible, but this is Envy. Unless he has grown considerably more powerful since I left the Divisions, I don’t think that is within his power.”
“Whatdo you mean? How are Gluttony's minions created?” Sabastion asked grumpily. It was clear he did not understand the undertones of our conversation and was not happy at being left out.
Svend cleared his throat as he explained. “The Demon Gluttony converts anything he eats into his own disgusting mass. It is much like what we just fought only on a significantly bigger scale. The way he gifts this power to others is by partially digesting them. In effect, converting most of their body into his own. With a body like that, not many Demons would willing to betray their master to serve another. After all, with just a thought, Gluttony could finish the process, forcing the wayward Demon’s own body to consume itself.”
I spoke up, voicing my concerns. “The implication of this is either we unearthed a spy in Envy’s ranks and our little realm is getting dragged into their political battle to become the next Archdemon or Envy is far, far stronger than he was the last time I saw him. Neither situation is good for us.”
Sebastion groaned in frustration as he placed his hand against his head. “Just tell me how to kill the Demon next time he appears.”
Svend answered with the wisdom gained from facing these creatures countless times throughout his long life. “Most of the Demon’s body is fluid, destroying its flesh will weaken the Demon for a time but will not have any long-term effects. However, all of Gluttony’s Teeth have the same weakness. A small piece of their original body still exists. Their original heart moves freely through the body. Destroy that and the Demon will die. Most try to be clever by hiding it in their lower back or foot, making them appear immortal but I assure you, they are not.”
Sebastion nodded solemnly. “Then, next time I will kill it, along with Envy, Gluttony, or any other Demon that dares to threaten my realm.”
Svend chuckled in response. “I look forward to seeing that. Fortunately though, borrowing Gluttony’s power takes quite a toll on the user. It can take days, or even weeks, for the Demon to regain its full strength after using that form. With any luck, that means we will not have to worry about the teleporter again before we reach the capital. In fact, now that we know he has Gluttony’s power, I know a few tricks that might help us next time he shows up.”
Svend began talking enthusiastically, detailing the various methods he knew to deal with Gluttony’s Demons. Much of it was information I already knew, and my attention drifted away from the conversation.
My gaze instead turned to the bodies that littered the ground. Hundreds of people we killed. They were not monsters or demons but humans. Most of them had been deserters. Men and women that had been terrified of the monstrosities they were forced to fight. It was true their actions put their fellow soldiers at risk, but they did not deserve this.
I forced myself to look away from a corpse, its mouth still open in a silent scream. However, the only thing that I could shift my gaze to was the myriad of faces that made up the blood mist. In their eyes, I could see rage, accusation, and fear. It was no better than the bloody corpses at my feet.
I wandered over to a bare patch of ground not covered in blood and sat down. For fifteen minutes I watched as the mist that had been blown away by our combined assault returned to shroud everything from view.
“In the end, the Demonic plague covers everything,” I mumbled. I could feel the weight of my guilt blackening my thoughts as I became more and more bitter with each passing moment. Pausing, I chuckled at myself. I could practically hear my teacher chastising me for falling into such a state. “It has been a long time since my emotions were influenced by a Demon's presence. I thought my will was stronger than this.”
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Standing up, I turned away from the battlefield and spotted a corpse near my feet. To my surprise, I recognized the body, or what little remained. It was the commander that had volunteered to be bait for the Demon. It must have been sent flying by Sebastion’s first attack.
“Commander Okos, I really am your unlucky star. Both times we met; you ended up getting the worst of it.” Reaching down, a wisp of green flame extended from my hand, followed by another blue spark. “Vissna won’t be happy with this, but your bravery deserves a second chance at life. Once you are revived, come join my Immortal Guard. I will save a place for you there.” I moved the body to one of the wagons where the man would be able to revive without being disturbed. Closing his empty eyes I turned back to the army, still on high alert for any possible attack. I pushed back the dark thoughts crowding my mind and clenched my fists in determination. “I will make sure every single sacrifice was worth it.”
Succumbing the fatigue and exhaustion from the repeated battles, I informed General Arthur and retreated from the battlefield. Returning to Dragon’s Nest, my footsteps were heavy. My muscles screamed with every move I made. Even muscles I didn’t know existed were sore and pained.
Before retreating to the familiar comfort of my bed though, I first went to see my mom. Not much had changed here. Charly and the other healers did their best to treat the injuries, but progress was slow. Bone-deep burns like these were beyond what any normal talent could fix.
I sat down in the chair at Mom’s bedside. It felt like the weight of the entire world was bearing down on me as I sunk into the cushions. Reaching out to hold her hand, I spoke softly. “I wish you were here, Mom. I could really use your advice right now.” I closed my eyes. A tear rolled down my cheek. “As Aurielle, I rarely doubted my choices. I was always so sure about everything, even if it was a mistake. It was just simpler for me then. Kill the Demons regardless of the cost. It was how I was raised and even now I know it is what is necessary but… Why does it hurt so much? Why can’t I just shrug it off like I always do?”
I paused to look at Mom’s sleeping face, completely free from the worries that plagued me. I felt the warmth of her hand in mine and even though Mom could not respond it was a comfort to my troubled mind.
“I am tired.”
I held the hand tight as I sat in silence for several minutes. Dark thoughts clashed in my mind as I struggled to stay composed.
“Four hundred years of war… I am tired of it all. I just want it all to end…”
My composure cracked as I leaned over the bed and cried. Tears damped the bed sheet even as I cursed my own weakness.
“I just want to burn everything… Turn it all to ash. No more responsibilities. No more fighting. No more pain… I could end it all and just run away.”
I felt my resistance crumble as these thoughts filled my mind. Some small part of me knew I was being influenced by the Demons, but a much louder part of my mind screamed another truth. All these thoughts were my own. The influence of the Demons only amplified existing emotions. It did not create new ones. No matter how much I normally tried to avoid it, these were my deepest thoughts. The worst part was, I knew I could actually do it. Saving the realm from Envy was hard. Escaping or simply reviving myself again in a new body in a different realm… that would be so easy. I could just hide my family in some hole in the ground until reinforcements from the Divisions arrived or Mare could simply take them out of the realm as she said so long ago. What was I fighting so hard for? Was any of this worth it when victory was little more than a dream?
I felt Mom’s grip on my hand tighten and I looked up in surprise, but nothing had changed. It had just been a reflex. She was still sleeping, permanently sedated until we could help her. However, that small reflex drew my attention to her hand. I felt the thick callouses that had formed from years of arduous training. Mom had never taken the easy path. Born to a life of luxury, she could have had anything she wanted with ease but instead, she ran away to be a common soldier. Even after retiring as a high-ranking commander, she still trained every day so that she could protect some tiny village rather than buying a nice manor in a big city full of maids that could have seen to her every need. When circumstances forced her to draw her blade again, Mom never complained. She insisted on being in the front line.
She never ran away.
I wish I could ask her why, but I already knew how she would reply. She never cared for complicated philosophy. She would probably just say it was because she wanted to.
I laughed at that and the dark thoughts clouding my mind faded slightly. Kissing Mom on her forehead, I let go of the hand and stood up.
“Thank you, Mom,” I whispered with a smile.
I left her to sleep and stepped out of the room. “Mare, I know you are watching me. I have been compromised. I need you to lock me away somewhere the Demon’s aura can’t reach for the next few days.”
Before I could say more, the floor under my feet turned liquid. I did not resist this time as I was sucked underground. Moments later I was deposited in a familiar glass cylinder. Memories of the pain I felt the last time I was here flashed through my head, and I started to regret my decision of asking Mare for help.
Completely unaware of my regrets, Mare stood on the other side of the glass with a bright smile on her face. “Perfect timing, shorty. I have a few experiments I want to try, and you are the perfect test subject for me. I was planning to trick—ask you nicely to be my lab rat but this works even better.”
I felt a welling sense of dread grow inside me as the glass vat began to fill with a strange purple liquid. “Wait! I didn’t agree to this!” I shouted in protest.
Mare put her hand up to her ear. The blatant grin on her face made it obvious she heard me but still, she pretended. “What? I can’t hear you from there, shorty. You will have to tell me after we are done.”
I shouted a thousand curses as the purple liquid started to pool under my feet. It felt like a thousand needles were suddenly stabbed into my skin and I knew this was only the beginning.