I gazed around the throne room for the last time seeing the eccentric display of wealth that I had gathered over the long years of my life. Woven red tapestry’s with sparkling gold embroidery draped from the ceiling. Each depicting the major events of my rule. Perfectly sculpted statues were placed in key positions. All of me in various positions of conquest. As a quick interjection I would like to say that I was not vain. The statues were in no way my idea, but were placed at the insistence of my most respected retainers. Then there were the heads. Ginormous heads of the beasts that I had defeated in my time. The heads of a Hydra, a chimaera and even my father. His head in particular was a grotesque mixture of red flesh and spiralling horns.

Was I a murderer? No, well not in our culture. It was a custom for the demons princes to attempt to kill their father once they turned two hundred years old. Well that’s how it usually went anyway. My own father had attacked me on sight upon seeing me wake up. But he had been weak. A single swipe of my hand and his head was no longer attached to his shoulders. As for my own sons they were no more. It was only natural. It was upon my eldest son’s attempt that I realised that instead of my father being weak it was just me who was unnaturally strong.

I blinked back to the present. Hundreds of demons stood in a semi-circle around my dying form. It was the first time in history that a demon lord had died from old age. It was even more remarkable that the demon lord had no heir. I weaved my eyes through the crowd, seeing a multitude of familiar faces. My brother, a traitorous bastard who stood with a wide spread grin on his face. Many times during my life he had attempted a coup on my rule, however he was clever and not once had he left enough evidence for me to deal with him personally without attracting the wrath of those close to him. Claw, my most loyal retainer and closest friend knelt by my throne. His dark skin reflecting the light of the setting son outside the palace. The rest meant nothing to me. They were citizens and retainers too weak to hold my attention.

I staggered to my feet, Claw at my heel allowing me to use him as a support. I looked out at the crowd once more before gathering my voice. “Greetings my subjects”. Those around me knelt to the ground except for Claw who was still holding me steady. “As many of you know I have reached the final moments of my life and at such a time it falls to me to name my successor”. However before I could continue I felt a cold touch grasping at my heart. An assassination magic that I myself often used on an unsuspecting opponent. I quickly found the source seeing it belonging to a tiny scaled demon hidden amongst the audience. With my magic I easily reversed the effect on my attacker and I watched heartlessly as he fell limply to the ground dead while the rest of the congregation leapt to their feet. However the damage was done. My body lost all feeling as Claw was forced to hold the entirety of my weight. My last thoughts before my eyes closed for the final time were of my successor. Having never named one I could only imagine the terrible consequences of the action. The room had been filled with demons, each as greedy and power hungry as the other. Even as my eyes closed I watched as the once lovely throne room was torn apart under the ferocious brawl that had begun.

Opening my eyes was difficult. Though when I did I was greeted by flowing moonlight that bathed softly on my face. I tried to focus on my surroundings easing the blurred lines into comprehension. The first thing I noticed was the room. Nothing like the majesty of the palace but instead a modest living area made entirely from wood. No Magnificent embroideries or other works of art were in eyesight, leaving the room dull and bare.  The one window was poised perfectly to see the brilliance of a full moon. I blinked, twice. I had known the gods personally and as such had visited heaven and hell many a time during my life. This place was neither of them. But I had died right? There was no way I could have lived in that brawl. Especially considering the condition I had been in. I looked around for Claw or another of my retainers. Instead I was greeted by a welcome sight of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her face was bright, seeming to be locked in a picture of complete bliss as she met my eyes. He long flowing black hair parted cutely by a pair of small horns that protruded from her head. Her body was lithe, fit but no way muscular and to top it off skin so unmarked she may as well have been a painting. A thin tail emerged from beneath her black one piece dress and shifted back and forth with excitement.

I had never seen her before, frowning to know that such a women had never come to my attention back at the palace. Her race of course was a succubus easily identifiable by both the tip of her tail which curved outwards like a spade, and her natural beauty. Using a small amount of magic I veiled my eyes viewing the different planes of existence hopefully allowing me to see her true form. Succubi were well known for being able to alter their appearance. A unique ability which had greatly aided me in the past. However the one before me seemed to have no need.

I tried to sit up. Urging my body into an upright position. Though surprisingly the women placed her hand on my stomach and pushed me back down. My frown grew darker. For a women of her build to be able to push down a demon lord was unbelievable. I gazed down at my body before jumping in shock at what I saw. I was somehow inhabiting a newborns body. Complete with a single tail that wrapped around my leg. The tip was similar to the women’s however instead of having a smooth tip at the end of the spade, there was a jagged edge much like a knife.

At that moment a voice could be heard urgently ushering someone through the door. The first was a man with androgynous features yet at the same time looked both handsome and beautiful. An effect which utterly confused and slightly intrigued me. No doubt this man was loved by the ladies no matter the race. Another point of interest was a jagged tipped tail that emerged from the suit of armour he was wearing. This marked him as an incubus. The second man was an elderly demon with green skin that hunched over a small walking stick. He was a Kappa. A vampiric like demon. Not something you wanted too close to you. However the first man dragged him towards me lying helplessly on the bed. I quickly checked my magical ability and sighed in relief when I realised that my new body had retained the entirety of my past prowess in the area. In fact as I checked closer my power had almost doubled.

I believe a quick interjection is required here. In my past body I had been world renowned as incredibly powerful. However the before mentioned power came almost entirely from my magical ability whilst physically I was quite lacklustre. To double this power meant that I could well grow into one of the greatest spell casters ever. Suddenly the kappa before me didn’t seem so threatening.

The kappa wearily stumbled towards me. Before kneeling next to the bed. He held his hands over my body and I readied a defence against any mental attack. However all he did was sigh and stand back to face the incubus. “Sir, I don’t know what’s wrong but to me he seems entirely normal”.

The Women sitting by my side however spoke up quickly with a note a panic in her voice. “But doctor, He didn’t cry at all during birth”. Before glancing back to me with a look that stood somewhere between love and worry.

Wait birth! What was this women talking about? But then it all clicked, my newborn body, the incubus tail, my almost human appearance, the succubus and incubus both giving me their undivided attention and the fact that I was nowhere near the castle. Holy shit, I thought to myself. I’ve been reborn!

Three months have passed. Enough for me to train my new body to walk. It was a painful process being stuck in a form with completely functional thought but with no ability to move. Something I sought to correct immediately. I have also leaned many things. The succubus and incubus were my parents. Which leads to a quick interjection. There has always been a common misconception amongst the more human races that Succubi and Incubi were entirely focussed around sexual acts. This is blatantly not true. The only difference they have with other classes of demons would be there lack of dampened emotions. So while they do have a heightened need for love and attention they are also known to be completely loyal to a single person. It is entirely common for a succubus to be in love with a single person for thousands of years. Anyhow, back to the story. My mother’s name was Tear, whilst my fathers was Wrath. A name he earned from years of military service. The name they choose for me was Aare. Simple but unique. It seemed my parents had put some thought into it rather than call me by a single trait. I thought back to Claw at my old palace. On his left hand whilst almost entirely black there was a single blood red finger. I sighed knowing that his parents had not been very creative. But oh well. Demons are like that.

I also learned harshly about our position in society. I’ll put it bluntly. My parents were weak. Even though we resided nowhere near the demon capital we lived by a single code that the strongest ruled. As such my parents often worked with no pay for the demons that lived next door. A pair of Jinn to be exact. Both of whom were able to transform their body into numerous disgusting creatures. I also realised we were in the middle of a civil war. Apparently my death had caused quite a commotion. Many factions had broken from within my personal retinue and had each made a campaign to power. Being out in the country, we mainly escaped the conflict however every once in a while a tendril of turmoil came to our village. Whether it be in the form of a raided supply route or even a subjugation force. Currently our city’s protective force which included my father was enough to hold any attackers at bay.

My biggest regret in my past life had been my physical power. I had entirely relied on my magical abilities and so my first choice in my new life was to strengthen my body. As such from the moment I could walk I made it my duty to move around as much as possible. I didn’t want to overdo it however and stunt my growth. But walking from room to room at this stage was enough. Much to the dismay of my parents who while delighted that I could walk so early found it hard to keep tabs on my location. I made sure not to cause undue worry to them however and instead decided not to go outside. All good things can wait I told myself. Having lived for thousands of years. Waiting came naturally.

My parents ticked all the boxes. While I knew they were weak and being mistreated, they never once complained in front of me, instead they always seemed cheerful. Don’t be fooled though, the tears of my mother could be heard from the other room as I fell asleep. I’m not sure if it was because my body considered them as parents but for some reason I saw them as pillars of strength. Not physically of course but mentally unmovable. They had gained my respect. A task which only two people back in the throne room had even done.

I was also intrigued by my new life. Never in my previous one had I received love from my parents. My mother had died during child birth. My grotesque body had torn her apart. Whilst my father lived in constant paranoia of my usurpation. As he noticed me being stronger this became the case even more. In this life I was thrilled each time they played with me, tucked me in or even read me a book. There weren’t many. But they would re-read them every night until I fell asleep. I paid them back in kind by keeping silent through the night. Allowing them the sleep I knew they needed. They were hard times for them. But we made it through them. I considered helping them out with my own power of course but I did not know how they would react and I was in no way capable of looking after myself should they disown me. Don’t say this wouldn’t happen. Many a time in my previous life I saw fearful parents distance themselves from their children. My father was a prime example and it was only because of the staff in the palace that I survived infant hood.

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Exactly a year has passed since my birth. A few things have been learned. An incubus is naturally physically weak but also incredibly fast, preferring to use speed to win a fight. I also realised that my father was an incredible swordsman having won some serious tournaments in his time, as well as being an instructor for the villages fighting force. I asked him why he bowed down to the next door neighbours and he responded that he held a pitiful amount of magic. Thus was unable to strengthen his blows enough to pierce through the skin of any demon capable of hardening it. I sighed knowing the truth behind this, but undeterred I still got my father to start teaching me the sword in his down time. He was a great teacher always complimentary of the good, and patient with the bad. In my past life I had never really swung a sword properly but I knew many that did. I can proudly say that my new father outdid any of them. It would be quite a while before he saw me as old enough to start training seriously but for now he showed me a few practice strokes with a light wooden sword.

Today was my birthday. I hadn’t been counting the days so it came as a surprise to me when my parents woke me at first light. They told me the day and we had a small celebration in my room. I was given a single piece of cake which unfortunately was all they could afford and they sung me happy birthday. Turns out my parents were good singers. Not that that countered for much in this community. However upon me finishing my small slice the mood turned sour, and before long my mother burst into tears. Seeing my face my father quickly explained the situation. “The neighbours have seen you walking around kiddo”. His face showing the sadness he felt. “They think you are old enough to work. You see, they have a child of their own, and they think you should start early as preparation for him.”  

I nodded my understanding. Not once in my new life had I directly talked to my parents in fear of revealing my knowledge. Instead I used gestures and signals to make myself understood. It made it easier that demons had the ability to slightly feel another’s emotions so I was generally able to get by. Once my father had asked me. “Hey kiddo, can you speak” He asked it innocently enough but both my mother and father stoped what they were doing when I nodded my head in response. “Can you speak for us”? This time he was slow and deliberate. I shook my head once again in response. My parents seemed to be understanding and there was no more talk on the matter.

My Father walked me down the road holding onto my hand tightly in fear of what was to happen. Reaching the Jinn’s house he looked me straight in the eye and told me to be brave before knocking on the heavy door. Unlike our house there’s was multiple stories, with giant stone gargoyles perched on the roof. Like ours however the house was made entirely from wood. It seemed as if these jinn were only a step or two above us.

The door opened ominously with faint wisps of red smoke prizing through the cracks in the wood. Before me stood a tall man with shoulders twice my own width. Muscles bulged from beneath his green tunic and he held a large axe over his shoulder. I saw my father shake and take a step back. Not to act out of place I copied him before veiling my eyes with magic. What I saw in front of me was nothing like the giant man but instead a small child perhaps four years old. He smirked self-importantly before glaring at my father. “Fuck off”, he said simply. The voice had been heavily modified with magic and what came out was a terrifying rumble that matched the hulking man I had seen previously. My father didn’t move instead looked down at me and with a silent prearranged gesture asked if I was ok. I nodded back, I wiggled my lip attempting to act afraid though in reality the boy in front of me whilst scary to my father was but a worm to me. I had killed thousands of his type as collateral damage when fighting those who were stronger. My Father gave me one last look with an emotion I didn’t recognise before disappearing up the road with more than a few glances back to me, each with a face laced with more and more despair. The boy at the door grabbed me by my tunic and pulled me inside. I found myself in a room with two more Jinn’s. All three had light sand coloured hair and a freckled face. None of them looked menacing, instead they were all thin and seemingly malnourished. The boy made me stand in the centre of the room and suddenly all attention was on me.

“What’s your name boy”? The father boomed. His appearance probably matched the voice though I couldn’t be bothered to check.

“Aare”. I replied in what I thought was a whimper. I was surprised by my voice. Being the first time I had ever used it since being reborn. It was crystal clear. I had heard the type of voice before in my previous life. From beings so full of magical power that it crept into their voice without command. It was unnatural and had the family which faced me now known what I knew. They would have sent me straight home and moved as far away as they could.

“Aare.” The mother was speaking this time, a sadistic smile on her face. “I believe we are going to be very well acquainted, this here,” she said pointing to her son “Is Vel. You will listen to all he has to say from now on”. To Vel now she continued. “Why don’t you try it out Vel”.

“I was just about to mother”. The boy said. This time in his excitement he forgot to modify his voice. However with a quick nod from his mother he continued in his before mentioned threatening tone. “Aare, take of your clothes”

I was startled by this, I knew what he was doing. It was a common tactic as a first command. As the act of taking of your clothes could be seen as an act that removed ones dignity. For a four year old demon to be asking this of another meant this was prearranged by the family. Realising this my anger grew. “May I ask a question”? The family didn’t answer so I took it as consent. I continued raising my voice slightly. “Did you do this to my family, no more importantly did you do this to my mother.” I knew my eyes would reveal my anger so I lowered them to the floor.

Most likely the other family say this as a sign of weakness and continued in a mocking tone. “Of course we did”.

I directed my next question to the father. “What else did you do to her” My voice was trembling with fury now. The idea of my loving, caring mother going through this torture almost made me lose control.

“You will learn when you get older” The man had a glint in his eye now, a terrible look I had often seen in my soldiers eyes after capturing a town. I knew what men with power did to powerless women. Especially the attractive ones. My Incubi emotions poured to the surface and I felt a tear drift down my cheek. Perhaps it was the child in me that heard of his parents suffering. Or perhaps it was my own feelings. Never before had I felt such warmth that my new parents had shown me. It all made sense now. The crying at night, the despair of leaving me here and the look my father had given me before walking away. It all made sense.

“How dare you” I whispered.

The other family stopped laughing. “What was that you little brat”? The father growled, looking as if I had just slapped him.

I talked with force now. “You who are merely bugs, you desolate, pathetic excuses for demons. How dare those who are so weak harm those close to me”. The other family started to rise. “Sit” I stated simply, the words were laced with enough magic to control an entire battalion of human soldiers. The Jinn’s slammed back into their seats. “Don’t move, stepping on a bug but not crushing it requires a considerable amount of effort”. I spoke calmly, though each word made the family shudder uncontrollably. They began to grasp the situation and their reactions varied. The parents opened their eyes in shock whilst the child began to cry loudly, opposite to his visage before.

“You all deserve to die, wait, no dying is too easy a way for you. You should suffer, suffer for all you have done”. I waved my hand and the two adults started to scream, bloodcurdling screams only made by those in such agony that they would embrace death. I’m not sure if many have heard this sound but I certainly had, many a time they were caused by me. I left the youngest free of pain as he was only a product of his elders. Even his actions towards me were most likely a scheme concocted by his parents.  No all he had done was be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fear would be enough for him. I twisted my hand and the screaming ceased. As the whimpers of the family facing me stopped I quickly turned and left the house but not before calling over my shoulder. “If any of you come near my family again or if any of what happened here is revealed I will hunt you down one by one and rip your throats from your mouths”.

The result was leaving the two Jinn’s on the edge of insanity. My previous life sometimes left me in situations where certain individuals needed to be quelled. It was nice to know when to stop. I left them with basic cognitive functions and a desire to raise their child. However they were changed. If they were ever able to speak again, which I doubted, their voice would be layered with such resignation that only pity would arise from those who heard it. Perhaps you may think me cruel to leave them with such a fate. I know I certainly berated myself as I left. I had let my emotions rule me. I was smarter than that. Perhaps I had gained more than just the body of the child but its emotions as well. I would never know. All I did knew was that this was the world I lived in. Acts such as this were carried out every day. So at that moment I decided. I will rise to the top. I had been there before and with no system of rule currently in place I could do it again. I looked up at the sky. It had been less than twenty minutes since I had entered the Jinn’s house but my view had changed. The sky looked a lot bigger now.

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