Slightly shorter this time.

Looking around the site I realised that my chapters are absurdly long.

One last thing. How do I make a link to the next paragraph at the bottom of the page? (Would appreciate help here :3)

Anyway, here is the chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

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Upon catching sight of the human city we allowed ourselves the first sighs of safety and relief. It took a few hours though eventually we made our way to the fringe of its borders where the surrounding landscape was full of farmland for miles on end, so naturally we made it a priority to avoid the farmers that we would often see stumbling towards us who were sometimes friendly, other times hostile. Finally we made it to the city itself.

A towering wall stretched out over the horizon as we arrived at the gates. Though by far the most noticeable features were the two grand white spires that reared before me, blocking out the sun as they stood like great tears in the sky itself. These towers had long acted as a symbol of both salvation for humans, and terror for demons. The city that faced me was the great Tesuit, named after its founder. I knew it from my last life as it was one of the few cities that had always held strong against my crusades. Because of the city’s record for being impenetrable, these towers had gained an impressive reputation and were purposely made to be seen for miles so to boost the morale of any soldier about to face a demon army.

Of course today there was no demon army, so the grand gates lay open before us to cross the threshold with the steady stream of caravans entering and leaving the city. Red and I had already decided to lie low here, though our original appearances were a problem. Being an Incubus, I easily fixed this for myself by shrinking any of my non-human endowments though Red’s situation was slightly more complex. To hide his most obvious features such as his wings and bird-like limbs, we stole a coverall robe from the back of a cart. Nothing fancy, but made well enough so not to attract the attention of every soldier in the city. To hide his face which took the form of a noble eagle I put in place a small illusion spell. Nothing that wouldn’t be uncovered by a skilled magic user, but I prepared for this by making Red’s temporary face horribly disfigured. The details of which I won’t bore you with, but rest assured that the average human wouldn’t look twice. Too disgusted by what they would see. Certainly they wouldn’t look long enough to cast any true sight spell.

Surprisingly Red didn’t at all mind his new look, apparently things as insignificant as “form” were beneath him. In my past life I had known a few demons who did not care for the material but usually these beings were older and surer of their own actual capability. For Red to be so despondent at such an age was a pretty mean feat.

The guards at the gate acted as I had thought they would. They waved me past quickly and surrounded Red’s covered form suspiciously. With a barked command they ordered him to lift his head, though one quick glimpse of my illusion ended the inspection as it made the guards cringe before they quickly averting their eyes, evidently in a manner that they thought would be polite. I have never understood this. When humans gaze upon disfigured others they try to quickly avert their gaze so as not to stare. They consider this to be polite, but often this insistence can be far more noticeable than an open stare. Red later informed me that he could see every glance others made when they thought he wasn’t looking. As a result even Red was quiet for the night. I can only imagine the reaction of one who cared about their appearance.

One thing that did escape my planning however were people looking at me. Having become a being who didn’t care about his appearance myself, I hadn’t noticed that I had grown rather attractive. How so I couldn’t say, but enough to gain the attention of multiple females through the streets, some who were beautiful themselves. It was weird to know that a seven year old could have this effect though I guess I was a similar case to Lye, where even I had faltered upon meeting her. At first I didn’t mind though it became annoying when we asked a group of kids for directions who could only stare open mouthed at me until finally the leader of the group pointed us in the direction of a nearby inn. Before turning the corner I summoned my blank red mask from a spinning flame and placed it over my head. Of course this attracted a few glances though nowhere near the number as before.  

Finally we arrived the inn pointed out to us by the human children. It wasn’t much, just a two floored wooden house with no windows or outside decoration. Mealy a simple sign labelled, “The grey rabbit”. This was good though. I certainly wanted to move somewhere more comfortable but for now it would be best to stay somewhere which wouldn’t attract attention. However this can be difficult when you have the appearance of a seven year old.

As we entered a musky smell filled the air, torturing my hypersensitive nose and causing my eyes to water.  The room was filled with round wooden tables though less filled with people, maybe ten altogether.

I left Red at the door telling him to keep his eyes down. A slight nod of agreement was all I needed before I confidently paced across the room towards the old lady sitting behind the bar. The women waved her hands slowly making the dirtied mugs containing remnants of alcohol, glide through the air, from the water filled sink to the shelves where they fitted themselves in an organised fashion. I barely looked twice at such a common display of magic though many around the room clapped openly at her performance.

I frowned, I had known the level of magic in the human kingdom was far outclassed by demons, but not to this extent. I didn’t matter though, it just meant I needn’t have worried about Reds facade being revealed by the common guards. Better to be safe than sorry I thought to myself, Red’s figure would stay this way for a while more at least.

Though before mentioning different races and their affinity to magic I believe I have some explaining to do. The lowest ranked would be the races that relied purely of brute force such as the Goblins, Hobgoblins or Orcs. Humans placed slightly above them, having a great understanding though lacking the magic pool required for the more complicated magic. Humanoid counterparts, such as the Elves or Dwarves were next, with the intelligence to grasp the concept and the pool to activate it. Dwarves are a special case however, while they have no magic themselves they are able to channel it through runes and glyphs that act as a sort of power source. They are very secretive with this technique however and as of yet no other race is capable of doing so.

Talking of races the Heteromorphic races, meaning races that are part human and part animal come next in the ladder of magical dominance. This is because they are magical creatures, able to tap into the supply that binds their two parts together. Demons are placed above them as with a long lifespan for exploring the possibilities, they can use their naturally high magic pools in a sort of trial and error to improve. Celestials come next, the very apostles of the Gods who use power granted to them by a single benefactor. The ultimate users of magic are the Gods themselves. I have met a few in my time and the power that each of them possesses is staggering, with single spells capable of levelling entire continents. However enough of the explanation and on with what’s actually happening.

The women behind the bar, noticed me approaching and ceased the movements of her hands, allowing the unfinished mugs to drift onto the bench. I whistled appreciatively at her display. It was always a good idea to complement someone before you ask them for a favour. She smiled at me confirming my thoughts before saying a few simple words. “Why the mask”?

“Personal reasons” I replied, cocking my head to the side slightly. I had still been unable to modify my voice so it came out crystal clear, heavily filtered with magic, fortunately this meant nothing to the women.

“Aren’t you a little young to be here alone”? She asked quizzically.

I shook my head in response, refusing to join her in mindless chatter. Instead I said, “Twenty nights please”.

My directness made her chuckle slightly before placing a heavy arm on my shoulder. “That will be a silver and two bronze coins, do you have that kind of money”? She had a grip on my arm now, had I been a normal child I would have been unable to get loose. But I wasn’t an ordinary child. Instead I just waved a hand under her nose. Instantly forcing my will inside her mind.

“Will this be enough”? I asked, layering my voice with more magic than usual while holding out an empty hand. Her Eyes sparkled before greedily grabbing whatever she thought she saw in my hand. After perhaps several minutes of gazing in wonder at her empty hands she once again noticed my presence.

“I don’t have enough change for something so valuable”. She spoke softly still not entirely grasping her situation.

“How much do you have”?

“Only five silvers……”

“That will be fine” I cut her off mid-sentence and held out my hand expectantly. Within moments the cold feeling of metal embedded itself in my palm, and finally. With a quick signal to Red, we ascended the stairs and for the first time in days, fell asleep.

Twenty nights passed quickly. I never intended to stay in the run down inn for long and set out each day looked for a more permanent abode. I only paused briefly to eat, sleep and occasionally spar with Red, whose difficulty of moving around without attracting attention was becoming more than limiting.

The Inn keeper stayed out of our way, seemingly terrified that I would take back whatever “treasure” I had given her. Either way things were going well. In this manner it wasn’t long before I had a desirable home picked out. An enormous mansion built directly next to both the barracks and the first of the two grand spires. It belonged to a women in her early forties who made a living as an influential senator. Her husband was also well known as a Hero sent from the Human capital. The pros of such a place was that it gave me a direct link to both the city’s army and politics. The cons were that a Hero was bound to some level of telepathic defence so forcing my way into their lives could prove difficult. It also required me to know that I could do it on the first try. I knew that if I messed up, the entire city would be at my neck in minutes. I asked Red if he thought it was a good idea but he just replied instantly. “I trust you, so I’ll follow”. We both smiled then, knowing that we could possibly be the only ones that cared for each other. For me it was one thing, but next to me was a seven year old capable of discarding everything in order to live. At that moment he gained my uttermost respect. Something only my parents had achieved in this life.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

With that decided we would go to the manor tomorrow night.

----------------------------------------------Change of view---------------------------------------------

Shirley woke in a cold sweat. Her body lay sprawled across the bed having writhed out of her expensive but beautifully warm sheets. She didn’t know why but she felt terrible, like waking from a bad dream. At ten years old she could still count the days between now and her last nightmare, though this time was different. A terrifying icy sensation ran down her spine, causing her to arch her back and leap out of bed, before striding across her room to tear open the curtains covering the single window.

Light blurred her vision, the sun’s rays simultaneously warming her front and erasing the former feeling of icy dread. Though what relieved Shirley the most was the great white spire situated right outside her window. For ten years she had looked upon it as a marvel of human engineering, seeking the protective feeling that it emitted. Her Father would say that it was the city’s soldiers that won their battles but Shirley knew that it was the walls that the soldiers hid behind that made them safe, and these spires symbolised the security those wall gave them.

Shirley blinked, it should have been early in the morning though it seemed as though the sun was setting, marking the end of the day. After perhaps ten minutes of anxious observation Shirley confirmed her suspicion. She remembered going to sleep the night before and nothing had seemed wrong then, though if what she actually saw was true it meant that she had slept for the entire day. “Why didn’t mum wake me” She groaned exasperatedly. Fortunately it was a public holiday so she hadn’t missed any prearranged events, but it was still annoying that an entire day had just gone past without her knowing.

Opening the door, Shirley made her way through her home becoming increasingly baffled as the normally crowded areas were completely bare. No one, servant or family was present in the living area, any of the four kitchens, the great hall, the stairwells or even the library. As a last resort Shirley made her way to her parent’s room. Earlier that year she had been banned from entering, the result of a sudden effort from her parents to make her grow up.  But that didn’t mean anything to her now, she just leaned against the wide rimmed wooden door before hearing its hinges crying at the applied pressure. Inside she saw her parents, a picture of serenity curled up in each other’s arms.

It took almost twenty minutes to wake them up as apparently they had suffered a similar fate to her. The result was that both woke with their nerves in tatters, similar to Shirley’s when she had woken up. The reactions varied, the mother unsure of the situation immediately dropped into a silence, trying to rationalise the unusual house wide absence. Which was a stark comparison when compared to her father who jumped up and drew a long sword from the base of the bed.

Shirley felt her Father was over-reacting. So they had overslept, who cares. But the look in his eyes told her not to say anything. “Honey”, the father whispered into Shirley’s ear, “open the window now”. His usually upbeat tone had darkened into not quite a panicked one but close to it. Shirley complied without complaint, unlatching the studded window and made to push it open, but it wouldn’t budge. “Dad”! She was worried now, what was happening.

For his part her dad just stood there, standing stock still in the centre of the room. “Who’s there”! He shouted suddenly. The lack of movement and emotion that accompanied his scream made both women in the room flinch.

A complete absence of sound was all the answer he received and it stayed this way for several minutes before muffled footsteps resounded from downstairs. The family froze as they came close before finally the door for the second time that night creaked open. The father gave a gasp of alarm as a demon child stepped through, allowed the door to slam shut behind him.

It stood tall, His eagle head cocked slightly as if looking at those beneath him, red feathers covered any skin that was visible under his grey robe. “You woke early”. The demon said simply. “Should have dealt with you earlier”.  

Though Shirley’s father wasn’t listening. Before the Shedim in front of him even finished his sentence he was flying across the room, his sword becoming the deadly thrust that had marked him as a hero in the capital. Countless humans had been felled by this attack, some demons as well, such was the power and before him stood but a child. A demon true, yet still a child. Something like this should have been an easy victory. Yet what happened next was beyond the family’s calculations. The demon caught the blade mid-trust, simply plucking the sword from the air, and with all its superior strength ripped it from the hero’s grasp, before throwing it across the room. Allowing it to fall to the wooden floorboards with a sickening thud.

Despite being momentarily surprised the Hero didn’t flinch. Instead with an impressive flurry, two blades appeared in his grasp before his long sword had even left the demons hand. The brawl continued with the blades darting in and out of the Shedims guard, causing light wounds where the sharp edges would slice through its hardened skin. The demon was on the defensive now, seemingly surprised that the small knives could actually cut his flesh, it was like he had never seen an enchanted weapon before.

The two clashed, each showing the other countless attacks, parries and guards. Though eventually through a mixture of experience and the simple fact that he was armed the hero won. An opening was all the Father needed before he slipped the small dagger up into the demons armpit and severed the tendon. Without any control of his arm the demon could only watch as it was spun behind his back and his face was pushed roughly into the floorboards.

“Why are you here”! The Hero’s composure was gone now, replaced only by fury at the demon beneath him.

“To live” The reply was without emotion, just blindly stating the fact.

“Bullshit, if so then why attack the home of a soldier”.

“I didn’t attack, you did. We just wanted to live”

“Who’s we? Why did you come here”?

“Because he told me too”.

“WHO IS HE”!

“That would be me”. The voice came from the door and the family spun around each searching for the new voice. By the door, which now lay wide open, somehow opened without a trace of sound stood a child. He looked like a doll, petite and crafted to perfection. His face had androgynous features, yet somehow they made him look both handsome and beautiful at the same time. Shirley found she couldn’t drag her eyes from his gaze but it didn’t seem to matter. His voice still rang in the air, echoing inside her mind seemingly telling her to relax. It was a light voice that had something like an ethereal tinge to it. His eyes were a piercing blue that captured your attention and stood out in stark contrast to his eerie black hair that swept half way down his back. “Please forgive our intrusion but I beg you to understand that we had no choice”. His tone was that of an elder, attempting to explain something to a youngling. Yet his voice showed to hints of sympathy or pity. “My name is Aare and my companion that the Hero is stepping on is Red. You should remember that by the way, as we will most likely become very close over the next few years, do you have any questions? Or should we just get down to business”.

The Heroes attitude changed here. The Shedim had been dangerous that was no lie, but the demon in front of them had the air of something far worse. He thought about jumping in like he had earlier but his instincts told him he wouldn’t have lasted very long. The Hero trusted his instincts, they had saved his life many a time before and he wasn’t going to ignore them now. However should the demon attack he would have to fight. After all, there was no running with his family in the room with him.

Seeing the sweat rolling down the Hero’s chin Aare gave a small chuckle. “Don’t be so tense, no harm will come to anyone in this room, in fact I would be surprised if any of you even remembered this little incident come tomorrow.” The Child smiled and waved his hand through the air which shimmered in his trail. Both women fell to the floor instantly, knocked cold by the simple gesture. The hero, however stood standing for a few seconds. Conscious enough to realise that the top class mental defences he had installed into his mind over the decades were being –almost casually- ripped apart by this….. Thing. How something so powerful had slipped undetected through their walls scared him. Though with that thought he dropped to the ground, in a similar fashion to his family.

Two hours had passed before Shirley woke again. She didn’t remember the events earlier that day. In fact, nothing seemed amiss to her as she woke up to the smell of dinner. Her favourite stew, boiling in the kitchen placed her into a trance that made her walk down the stairs. Her mother stood over the pot, wooden spoon in hand as she tasted the stew while her Father idled next to her going through his plans for the week. Another member in the room was a small child sitting at the table waiting patiently for the food he would soon be served. “Smells great Mum”! Shirley said, augmenting the praise with a little spin that made her nightgown flutter in a circle around her.

Upon her entry the boy looked up, and gave a smile that would have melted the hearts of all who saw it. “Morning sister”, he said calmly “did you sleep well”?

Shirley stopped in her tracks for a second. “Aare, how many times have I told you to call me Shirley”? Her cheeks puffed out slightly showing her annoyance.

In response the boy chuckled softly as if he had a private joke with himself. “Oh course Shirley”. He mocked openly. Though if one looked closely a bead of sweat could be seen lancing its way down Aare’s neck, and coupled with a small sigh a careful observer could have sworn a huge weight had been lifted from the boy’s shoulders.

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