"What is your business for entering the city, sir?" A man clad in shabby iron armor held a pen and a clipboard. He bore no helm, showing his extravagant brunette hair and mustache. At his waist hung a rapier and a dagger, along with several other basic goods, such as the flask of whiskey he never let separately from his person.

A man stood in front of him with a less inspiring outfit. He was dirty and tan from long hours in the sun, and the cart behind him stood to show he was a farmer. His dirty blonde hair was trimmed short and his eyes were a light green. The gloves on his hands were tough and smeared with mud, showing that they had been serving their purpose in recent times.

Behind him on the carriage was an average sized girl with black hair. There was a small braid made from her bangs off to the side of her forehead. She wore a dress that was clean and basic- albeit it was shabby compared to other dresses you could see on the bodies of noble women or princesses.

"I'm here to drop off Count Devvon's share of the harvest, sir." He replied with clear distaste in his voice.

"And may I have your name for the record, sir?" The knight asked. He looked up from his clipboard holding his inked pen to the paper in anticipation.

"Castiel Sol,"

"Very well, you may pass. Hurry along please," The knight signaled to the other knights. Castiel returned to his cart alongside the girl and cracked the reigns. The two horses leading the cart began a trot to the gates of Destiny. The armed guards seemed content with their passing. The walls surrounding the city were hundreds of feet tall and took a few decades to build. Castiel acknowledged the beautiful craftsmanship as he passed through the gates. He eventually turned in the wrong direction and made eye contact with the fierce stare of the raven-haired girl seated to his right.

"Could you have taken any longer?" She flicked him between the eyes.

"Agh!" Castiel flipped his head back in a comical manner. He rubbed his forehead where she hit him. "I was going as fast as I could! You're so mean, Emelia!" He was honest with his words.

"Sheesh. I told you to just call me Emma," The Raven haired girl corrected him. "Besides, I'm exhausted. We've already spent a whole two days just to get here. While you drop the crop off, I'm going to head to the inn m'kay?" Her request for approval was rhetorical.

"Whatever, it's not like me saying 'no' would change anything."

"Doesn't mean you can't just be nice and say 'yes'. Besides, I'm your older sister… Why am I asking you anyways," She sighed and rested her head on her arm. The bumpy ride through the city's paved road wasn't the most pleasant, but it was a much-desired change from the possibility of getting stuck in the muddy roads that lead to the city from their village.

The pair were greeted by the sight of the start of the outer city market. Hundreds of people gathered on the roads to test their luck haggling with the street vendors. There were many kinds of goods that the two saw- jewelry, clothes, food, and drink- just to name a few. Castiel considered himself lucky he didn't see any of the slaves here that were commonly used to do dirty work for humans because of the slavery seals cast upon them.

The demons were often deformed from constant abuse and broken mentally. Castiel shivered when he thought of them, drawing strange looks from Emma.

Most of the buildings on this edge of the city were small and you could get a great view of the distant center of the holy capital. Occasionally you would pass by a larger building which would be your inns or specialty shops.

The hustle of the city was something Castiel and Emma definitely weren't used to, however they had made this trip enough time to know exactly what to expect. The horses trotted on, drawing them closer to the residence of the Count's mansion home.

The count was in charge of all of the outer areas of the city, so he drew up the taxes and rent for the area, collected it all, and sent over the royal's share to the Castle in the center of Destiny. He had told Castiel many times that he had often found the center of the city boring, so he remained in a more ghetto area of the city.

Castiel heard the count had purchased a rare specimen demon as of late and was hoping he could check it out. While he generally disliked demons because of their deformities, he had heard this one was in pristine condition and was from a handsome lineage.

Emma jumped off the cart and fluttered her way over to her favorite inn. It was on the route to the Count's so Castiel had no qualms when she got off. He breathed a sigh of relief now that she was off the cart.

From here on the count's place wasn't far off now. Castiel bided his time and collected his thoughts before he got to his residence.

The majestic building came into view. The road split upon reaching it, each side winding around the sides of the property. The building itself was huge, very wide from Castiel's view, and barely shorter than it was wide. The building was built using styles from other kingdoms, both now and from the past. Six humongous pillars in a semicircle fashion held up the upper stories extending over the courtyard.

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The guards opened the gate in expectation of this familiar guest and led the cart onto the property. He was brought through the pillars and just before the door where he would enter. A merchant would usually come and inspect and transport the good from the cart to somewhere unknown to Castiel. He himself would talk with the count about politics and the like while the process went on. This was a partial reason Castiel went to visit so often- the Count could be considered the man's best friend.

The guards opened the double doors to the grand hallway. A red carpet drew Castiel inside, showing him the grandeur of the building. Above him were large chandeliers lit with undying flame, so the light they produced would never cease. Castiel could see past the chandeliers to the many floors- this time he counted 5 including the first.

Normally a count couldn't have this much property, but the count lived in the commoners' area that the nobles hated, so when he purchased and built his property, the other nobles had no words against him.

A balding, gray haired, middle aged butler greeted Castiel. He remembered this particular butler, for it was Count Devvon's personal butler, Cain Thaddeus Beagle. His suit was a sleek black, and his bowtie shined white. He lit up with joy upon seeing the dirty blonde.

"Master Sol! It's been quite the while since I've last seen you!"

"Cain! It's a pleasure to see you again, let alone be able to step foot in this mansion many more times than the regular commoner would ever be able to." Castiel was just as delighted to see the old man.

"You must be here for the delivery- allow me to lead you to the count, after that, I will make sure your goods are collected before I return to you and the count's side." Cain gestured for Castiel to follow him as he began walking. "He is in his study as usual, though he is with the new demon slave he purchased," The butler informed him.

"I was wondering about the demon… What can you tell me about it?" Castiel asked, making sure to capture the details..

"It's a high imp. The count bought him because he was said to be related to the late demon king."

"A son? Or would he be a nephew of some kind?" Castiel was surprised at the news. The demon king was said to be monstrously more powerful than any demon one could encounter in today's age.

He was said to even have slain a Daemon- a monster who could live forever if untouched, and powerful enough to crush an entire army by themselves. The battle leveled an entire mountain- Heaven's peak in the land of demons. It was a shame to see it's destruction considering the former beauty it held.

"Supposedly his son. I believe he is to turn 101 this coming snowfall." Cain commented.

"Woah…" A son of the demon king could rival his father's strength, which could be problematic- though there were no public statements of there being children of sed demon king. All demons would die before they would betray the late demon king and reveal information about him, though it's been a century since his death.

"However, for reasons unknown, this imp is entirely powerless. He's never used it once while in possession to our knowledge." Cain seemed disappointed by his own words. This disappointment flowed into Castiel as well.

"It's always a shame when one cannot match his father. I pity this demon… Did you ever catch his name?" Castiel pondered.

"He would only tell us his name, which is Beelzebub. He says he's the youngest of the children of the late demon king, but he doesn't know anything about the other children."

"He must have been but a baby when the hero destroyed the demon king's castle- rest his soul," He said those words in respect for the man who sacrificed himself to slay the tyrant demon king.

"Ah, enough about the silly demon, how have you been Master Sol?" Cain shifted the subject.

"I've been doing just fine Cain. There has been no bad harvest this year, and there has been no crime lately in my cozy little village. What about you?"

"Oh, just the same as always. It's quite the pleasure, being able to serve the wonderful young count." Castiel smiled. This old man has been with the count since he was a child since he was adopted by his rich parents which are now sadly deceased. Devvon wasn't particularly sad that they passed away, however. His business went on as usual.

As Castiel walked on he reminisced of the times he used to play around in this mansion as a kid. He and Devvon would run around and play in these halls all the time. Castiel was an orphan like Devvon was, which is why they met in the first place. Castiel was jealous at first when Devvon got adopted, but he learned not all things were bad. While Devvon's adoptive parents didn't like Castiel, Cain always allowed Castiel in to play with Devvon. Sometimes Cain would even play with the boys.

Castiel, at the age of 16 was adopted by a farming family and was sent away from the city. The trio were all sad that Castiel had to move far away, but life goes on. From there on, Castiel only heard news about his friend. Like when he had become count, and when he had decided to sponsor the orphanage that the two had grown up in.

A few years back, however, Devvon appeared in town looking for Castiel to set up a deal. He wanted Castiel to deliver and sell his crop to Devvon instead of his current buyer for a higher price. Castiel accepted in a heartbeat, perhaps for the wrong reason though. He made much more money then he did whenever he sold to his former buyer however, so nobody complained about the pretty penny he brought in. This deal allowed the two to unite again.

Since then Castiel planted and farmed more crops for every season, so he could have an excuse to visit the count more often

The two abruptly stopped in front of two large doors. Cain composed himself before he turned to Castiel.

"If I recall correctly, Beelzebub is in there. Please be cautious. He may be powerless, but he is still the son of the demon king. I've said the same thing to the count…" Cain stopped himself. "My apologies," Cain opened the door and gestured for Castiel to enter. He did so at his leisure.

The room in front of him was dark- unusual in comparison to the rest of the estate. The light shining behind him faded into nothing as Cain shut the door behind Castiel.

Castiel took slow steps forward, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He could see a few lit candles, but they revealed only the boxy shapes they rested upon. As he waded his way through the darkness he felt an unfamiliar gaze rest upon him. He couldn't quite tell from where, but he felt it nonetheless.

Castiel took a few more steps, into what he was sure was the center of the large room. He spun around slowly trying to take his surroundings.

"Devvon? Are you there-" A scream cut through the air, and a sudden brightness exploded in the room.