100 years after the fall of the evil and tyrannical demon king who oppressed the human race, everything was prospering for the victors. No more great war had come, and crime had seemingly halted for a short while. The hero had sacrificed himself in his final battle with the demon king, and many grieved for him, but in the center of the holy capital of Destiny- the city of which he had been birthed in- a large statue was built in his memoriam.
That being said, the generations now were weaker than those who had been through the war. However, they could not be put to blame, since there was no greater threat looming in the distance at all times like during the times of their ancestors.
The benefits of winning the war were great, to say the least. The demons had been put to work, and most of the slave demons today had actually fought in the war a millennia ago since the average life of a demon greatly exceeded that of humans. However, for that reason, powerful sages and priests of the humans could use magic on themselves, to delay aging.
Many people today lived normal lives and paid their rent on due time. But invisible changes were occurring in the countries. Tensions had begun to rise among the human kingdoms again. Berizal- the country housing the holy capital- had begun to politically feud with other human nations. The Morelz Oligarchy to Berizal's south-east was ramping up its tariffs from other nations, and the Pantheon Empire to the North- which boasted the largest army on the continent- was slowly encroaching sed armies onto the other Human nations.
Even though the lands to the far east which had been conquered by the Alliance of Nations, the areas were still highly uncivilized. This area was deemed no-man's land. The territories were distributed to the several nations within the alliance, and only a small few had been able to effectively make use of the lands still inhabited by many bands of demons.
The times have definitely been changing since the demons were struck down. This was the time when Humans began to become the 'Demons' themselves. Corruption between noble and royal families was now a common sight. Human slave trade had recently been discovered in a few noble families in the kingdom.
Though things had been looking down in the large cities, the many villages outside major cities were starting their golden age. Production was now at its highest and any signs of the destruction that occurred a millennia ago were now almost completely gone. In fact, most of the villages that had been destroyed, were more prosperous than they had once been a long time ago.
That said, there were a few ghost villages that had been completely wiped out. Nobody had moved back or finished construction on these villages, which led to them being a common sight during long distance travels on the outskirts of the nations.
The several nonhuman races had recovered a long time ago and were now mostly maintaining their former levels of activity. Though when the Dwarf king died two centuries ago, his three sons began a short civil war which led to the splitting of the nation in the mountains. The brother born second had died towards the end of the war after being overcome by the two other factions.
A pang of unexpected guilt came over the other brothers and they came to an agreement that their new two nations would then ally themselves, though they would remain separate. These Nations were the Thovion kingdom to the North, and the Danian kingdom to the south. The names of the kingdoms were just the names of the brothers. One could simply say the dwarves had bad naming sense. They both came together and built a monument on the border in memoriam of the middle brother. This became a hot tourist spot for travelers from all nations, dwarves, elves, humans and the like.
The Elves had their own nation, though it wasn't as civilized as other nations. It was on the western side of the Forest of Eden. The hero once had to pass several trials from the Elf Mother in order to peacefully make his way to the resting place of the legendary holy sword. The Elf Mother was still alive in this age, though she was reaching the end of the elf life cycle due to her age of 872. Most Elves died at the age of 400 or sometime before. Elf Mothers generally died at the ages of 900 or around that.
The elf nation consisted of several tribes and they generally kept to themselves unless they had to trade with another tribe. Once a year the Elf Mother organized a ceremony to keep the peace between the tribes. There were many kinds of food, and each tribe gave gifts to each other and the Elf Mother.
The elves had possession of the holy sword before the war, but when the hero died, the sword was lost to this day. None knew of why it was lost or where to look for it. But since then,
The dark elves lived in the eastern edge of the forest, and they once sided with the demons in The Holy War. They were shunned by other races, though they were left alone since the end of the war. There were no specific regions that were recognized by other nations as more than 'territory'. No other races lived in groups or the like.
Despite the large amounts of peace, they would all be plunged into war within a century. All of the oracles showed signs of demon uprisings led by a new demon king which led to unrest between the higher ups of the nations, yet no demons knew of any demon which would be one such demon king. A very few amount of demons revealed information regarding children of the former demon king, yet their locations were widely unknown, and they all believed they had died when the great castle of the former demon king had collapsed due to incredibly poor structural integrity from the fire that ravaged it in the 'final battle' of The Holy War. All of them except the youngest- Beelzebub, who was a mute. He was a slave in the outskirts of Destiny to wealthy noble.
Though the oracles showed a new demon king, they also showed a new hero would take up his sword against the evil king. None of the oracles could quite see any possibilities which would end the war before it began, and they also couldn't tell the outcomes of the war either. Because this news would surely bring panic everywhere, only those who led noble families or had Royal blood were allowed to know of such things. The nations thus began their new struggle to find any who shared blood with the former hero who slew the former demon king.
They had no specific way of finding this hero, but they would try to find such a man who held the blood of the former hero. They held no doubts the demon armies could be stopped and that moral would be high; IF they had the hero on their side, otherwise the war would rage on for a long time before completion.
Of course, finding this man was not a high priority, since the noble families had other matters to attend to. Notions of 'demon armies' attacking had no meaning to them after all. Royals felt this was another matter though, and tried somewhat to find their hero, but to no avail. After a few failed searches, they moved on to other more pressing matters, still occasionally inquiring for information.
They all felt that this hero would rise up to protect them when the time came so they all eventually completely gave up on finding him. The dwarves felt the same, and though the Elf Mother pressured the human nations to find him- they paid her no mind. The hot months had ended, and the coldest months of the recorded year, 1219, were only just beginning.
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[Wake up...]
There was no response.
[Wake up!]
"Mmmh…" Why is it so bright?
"What… Where am I?" A black haired man opened his eyes covering them with his hands. His hair was long, and his body was frail. His only noticeable trait was the two small horns proudly sprouted from his forehead. His clothes were dirty, shredded or burned, and were barely hanging on to his body. On his right index finger lay an engraved ring. He was an adult imp, a generally weaker species from the class of demons, though his particular class resembled that of humans- with the exception of the horns on his forehead.
[Mmm? Good. Now that you are awake, tell me your name.]
A voice resounded in the man's head. What was it? He opened his eyes the best he could in the beaming sun and he looked beside him. There was no person, but a particularly big sword beside him. It seemed to glow in the sunlight. It was very beautiful, even the imp could not deny this fact. He drew his attention from the blade and onto where it lies. He realized he was in a small clearing in the forest. The leaves and branches around him whistled as the wind blew through.
"I-My name? It's… My name is Satan Nyx Furcas Bael; everyone always called me 'Prince Nyx' though… Who are you?" He felt a tightness on his body as he stumbled through his thoughts. Satan was a common name among, though most demons only held one name. Only those born of great power could hold more than one name.
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[I am the spirit of the holy blade beside you. You may call me Aleecia- perhaps I should changeth form so that you may understand what has occurred.]
The Sword seemed to glow brighter before the Imp. Upon seeing this he quickly struggled to sit up and back away from the sword. All demons knew that holy swords would be their demise should they be struck by it, hence the reason the prince backed away.
He tightly shut his eyes and averted his head when it seemed the sword had grown brighter than even the sun above him. His arms instinctually followed suit, rising to protect his head. He waited for several seconds- biting his lip in fear that pain would come. No pain reached Nyx- instead, he heard a voice.
"Is this grander? Canst thou eyes not yet look upon me, prince?" It was a beautiful and young, yet proper and ancestral voice. Nyx peeked between his arms. Before him was no longer a sword. There was a rather childish looking girl, in a pure white, stainless- almost see through- gown. She was very pale, almost pure white with the fairest skin, and was no more than five feet tall. Her hair was golden and her eyes contained a few shades of silver, speckled with a light blue. Her eyes could be misinterpreted as diamonds if they were the only part of her that was visible.
"W-woah," Nyx seriously thought his eyes were playing tricks upon him. Strangely, no woman he laid his eyes upon in the past had looked as pretty as the little girl before him. Many of the women his father brought about had a strange vibe around them and wore strange garments. Even Nyx's lovely little sister Levi stood no ground with this child in terms of beauty.
"Hmm…" Aleecia seemed to think for a moment, further drawing the man's attention to her. Her lips seemed too soft to be able to speak words to Nyx. "T'would seemeth that thy body has grown frail from rest in purgatory…" Nyx looked to his body.
Frail? I look a lot larger than I remember looking, but I am pretty skinny... What happened to me? And what does she mean by purgatory?
Nyx thought to himself, inspecting his body. His long bangs interfered and he struggled to fix them. His the rest of his hair seemed to almost make its way down to his elbows. His royal outfit was in tatters, and what remained was constricting his frame.
My clothes are really tight… I need to change. How long was I asleep?
"Umm, is there a change of clothes around here?" Nyx stretched his ligaments and met solid resistance. He struggled to stand and found his legs were barely able to support his weight. Aleecia paid his struggles no heed and continued to think.
"Nyx is it?" Aleecia drew his eyes once more. "Ther is not a change of robes round this area- This area beeth the Forest of Eden." Her lips moved but Nyx struggled to understand.
"The Forest of Eden? Why am I here?" Nyx asked in confusion to the little girl. She paid little heed.
"We art here for I have madeth it so. Would thy perchance prefer freefall? Perhaps buried alive might suit thy tastes more grandly. We art close t'mine pedestal so I may have ample rest after a millennium in purgatory." She explained. Nyx was starting to understand her.
"And who are you?" Nyx looked at her in question.
"Nevermind that. What dost thy remember? Can you remember your wish to me?"
Nyx perked his eyes open. He didn't remember a wish per se, but he remembered his father's corpse in his throne. Everything must have been destroyed back at the castle…
"Thy eyes showeth that thee doth not recall. Then I wilt remind thee of't the events." Aleecia took several steps towards the Prince. He paid attention to her every step. Her gown fluttered and her hair swayed slightly as another gust of wind rushed by. Her toes didn't seem to get dirty by the moist dirt and grass.
"Canst thee bend ov'r to match thy bodily length?" She asked of him. He hesitated slightly but performed the requested action. He bent his knees and arched his back, placing his hands on his knees. He looked her in the eyes, now face to face. She brought her left hand up in a strange position in front of his forehead.
"Tada!" She flicked him between the eyes. Memories flowed into his head. The hero storming the castle and defeating plenty of monstrous and demonic guards sworn to protect his majesty, the Demon King. His father's final retaliation, claiming the life of the hero threatening his child. The beautiful sword soaked in blood. His own desperate plea for happiness and peace.
'I-I don't have a wish… I don't know. I just want to be happy again…'
Nyx remembered it all now. Questions flooded in next, and he grew confused and saddened. He tried to work a few things out but he couldn't match any pieces together. Aleecia took her opportunity and continued on.
"Now that thee recall thy wish, what would thou has't me doth to accomplish it? What would maketh thee joyous again?"
"I'm not sure… I think I will definitely be happy if I could be with my family in peace."
Nyx didn't know how to live on his own like this. It was too sudden a change for sure. His father and mother were gone now, and who knows what happened to his siblings. His younger sister 'Levi' Aurora Bael, his younger brother Lucifer Amon Bael, and lastly his baby brother, Beelzebub Valefor Astaroth Bael. How were they faring at this point in time in the world?
"Oh? Doth thee mean to taketh me as thy wife then? Hehe, how quaint!"
"Wha- No! That's not what I meant!" Nyx stood back to his fullest height, wobbling slightly, and turned to face the trees behind him. His hands brought themselves to a face that was most surely tinted red. Seeing him like this brought a bitter joy to the spirit.
"I jest, good prince. Thou means resurrecting thy's corpse father, no?"
Nyx nodded, taking his hands from his face, though he was still focused away from her.
"While the former is most assuredly in mine power, fear me that thither is no magic to revive the dead as no more than exsufflicate husks. Those bunch would be'est what you call... zombies, methinks thee calleth those undeath. Thy is certain that living with zombies is not a way for thee to gain the happiness thou desires."
A small moment of silence was brought between the two of them. A gust of wind bristled through the trees was all that was heard. These moments were suddenly interrupted as Nyx turned back to face her, or at least the ground beneath her feet. Aleecia frowned but stayed silent seeing his watery eyes give life to a downpour on his cheeks. He was still a child at heart, though his body had aged quite some time. Grief was but one emotion this 'child' has gone through in these moments with her. He must have been too shocked earlier to cry.
She was unsure of what to do for him- She never needed to comfort a child before. Of course, all of her wielders experienced some sort of pain and grief, but they focused on getting revenge rather than getting some other form of emotional relief, so she never bothered- in addition, it never interfered with the wishes she granted them. But revenge had already been had by the prince's own father, taking the anger from his sorrow. The demon prince took the pain in a way that none of her other wielders had before. Nyx was just going through the motions.
Sure, the hero who wielded her before was valiant and strong, but he wished not for freedom or peace for the races of the continent. He sought to avenge his loved ones who were taken away from him by the demons. One could argue that there is nothing wrong with his reasoning, but it turned his soul black with hate. That was the way things were with Humans.
"Can I ask you something?" Nyx's lonely voice filled the air.
"Hmm? Of course, little one. Ask away."
"My father, he… he died while staring at you right?"
"Yes, he did."
"He seemed so focused... Did he, by chance, make a wish as I did?"
" He could no longer speaketh words from his dry lips, but he indeed made a wish upon me- a wish nobody has ever wished to me. Twas the very first time a demon wished upon thyself."
"The first one?" Nyx's father was the first to do many things, with his abstract thoughts that put him a league above his competitors.
Aleecia nodded. "And thou would turn to be the second to wish upon thyself." She smiled with a warm radiance.
"May I..." Nyx hesitated. "May I ask what that wish was?"
"Sadly, wishes art a private matter. If't be true that thy telleth someone thy wish, methinks it might not cometh true, Prince Nyx."
Nyx smiled, though his eyes were still puffy and flowing. His father didn't usually talk to him, but he was a proud man and Nyx respected him for it. He remembered some of the words that his father told him when he was barely old enough to talk.
He told his boy, 'Listen up. The world is not a happy place. I'm not sure it will ever be. But I want to make a place for you, a place where everybody can coexist, without hatred or malice. That is my goal in life. I want you to have a strong goal too. Make it your sole desire to succeed where I have failed. I believe in you, always,'
Nyx wiped away his tears, though he still couldn't stop crying.
"Making a world where everybody can be happy, not just oneself…" The girl tilted her head at Nyx's words. Nyx understood that though it seemed selfless, it was a very selfish desire. Nyx didn't want to outshine his father, though he also wanted to make his dreams come true.
How strange of me…
"A-Aleecia? I think I know the best way for me to be happy is now," The Imp turned to her.
"What would that perchance be, dearest Nyx?"
"I want to unite all of the world. A wholesome and final sign of everlasting peace for demons... No, all of the races that exist on this world."
"You silly boy," Aleecia laughed. Nyx was taken aback, staggering and blushing again. "Pick the wish thine can actually give, say, a joyous death. Thy has thee's father's wish to grant as well, you know."
It only took a few moments of consideration for Nyx to reply. He wiped the last of his tears away and smiled widely. "Then, if you will. When I get old and it is my time to pass on, I had better be happy,"
"Then it shallt be that which I grant thee." She returned the smile the prince gave her. They remained happy for around half an hour before Aleecia decided to lead the way to her resting place.
-The pedestal for the holy sword.