Adam headed towards his designated sleeping chamber still thinking about his conversation with Onvyr and the fate of his people. He doubted the truth of what he was told, the old demon kept his word and spared his life but he was still a demon, an old enemy.
He left too much out, it simply doesn’t add up. I can’t see how humanity would fall to a disease, even one that originated in the demons’ homeworld.
Humanity was too great to fall he thought, they survived wars, famines, and plagues. after the demons invaded humanity was fully united for the first time in history too, how could such a titan of a civilization fall so easily?
We survived 3 world wars, the black death, and the relentless assault of natural disasters, there is no way I’m the last one left. There must be others out there, maybe other phoenix project survivors—what is happening?
The stomping of hurried footsteps and loud angered words sounded from all around him. demons rushed past him one after the other all heading in the same direction.
“what’s happening, are we under attack?”
Adam stopped one of the demons running past him, asking about the cause of the ruckus.
“someone was caught breaking into the grand library, and two guards of the Vu’ul clan died trying to stop her. she might be a part of a terrorist group, so we are sending reinforcement to the library just in case—sorry but I have to go.”
The demon ran off quickly, leaving Adam behind to think about what he was just told.
The grand library huh… there might be something of use there, I should probably go offer my aid too, and maybe scout the place out a bit while at it.
Adam walked out of the building, using the demons as unwilling guides to the library, hoping that can peacefully enter what he imagined to be a massive hall of ancient knowledge, radiating with wisdom and light under the guise of a helpful guard of a friendly clan.
***********************************
The demon lord was nervous and tired. Adam’s trial had just ended and he now had to deal with another issue that couldn’t wait. He called for Onvyr, telling the guard to get him immediately to the throne room so he can get his opinion on the mysterious attack on the library. He fumbled with a piece of parchment in his hand in an attempt to distract himself from the anxiety building up within him.
He sat on his throne, waiting for the door to open and for his most trusted and wisest subject to help guide him once more. This current face of his, the one of uncertainty and indecisiveness was only shown rarely and only to a few very trusted demons. A weak demon can’t be called lord after all.
The door finally cracked open and the demon lord breathed a sigh of relief. his lifelong teacher and companion was sure to know what to do in this situation he thought.
Onvyr stepped into the room and bowed before his lord, showing him the respect he is due.
“I apologize for calling you so suddenly but we have an issue that I need your help with. Someone has been caught attempting to break into the grand library and I have reason to suspect the human is involved.”
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The shock was clear on Onvyr’s face. He knew that it was highly unlikely that Adam had a hand in whatever happened simply because he had no reason or means to.
“my lord that is impossible. The grand library was infiltrated once before by a clever terrorist group that hid amongst the citizens of the capital, it is due to the Vu’ul clan’s lack of caution and security.”
“I would think the same if it wasn’t for the fact that the one who attempted to break into the library has had extensive contact with him in the past.”
The demon lord handed the piece of parchment in his hand to Onvyr. The thin off-white paper held the report detailing the capture of the “terrorist” low-born Shiira, previously a known affiliate of the Ash’ai clan.
Onvyr was shocked by the report. He traveled along with Shiira back to the capital after the fight with Adam. He remembers her as a proud warrior whose spirit was broken due to witnessing the immense power of humanity, not as a scheming, conniving terrorist with no regard for her fellow demons’ lives.
A betrayal from her never crossed his mind, after all, if she was a terrorist with the intent of toppling the empire all she had to do to cause chaos and strife was reveal the truth about Adam’s battle against Onvyr and his final attack. She, however, did not. She held her tongue and went along with Onvyr’s plan, making sure her report of the encounter matched his perfectly.
Why would she betray them now he thought? The report offered no answers, however, only more questions.
“she claims to not remember anything? Not even returning to the capital?”
Onvyr felt the small seed of fear sprouting in his heart. There was nothing he knew of that could induce such a hypnotic effect in this current era, he was by far the strongest living demon as far as he knew, and Adam, while being a human, had no access to the technology of mankind.
Was she lying about her sudden amnesia? But that would imply that he was completely wrong about her and that was very unlikely. A being as long-lived as he is was not one to misjudge the character of those he met, there was no logical explanation…none that would be comforting at least.
“that is the part that worries me the most too, she left after giving her report on the encounter with Moren, shedding her Ash’ai name and embarking on a journey of self-discovery. She harbors no ill will towards us so I can’t see why she would do such a thing, and that brings me to my question. If what she says is true I must know, is there a magic capable of controlling one’s will to such a degree?”
That question was of course expected, but the real answer was complicated and best left hidden to avoid any issues.
“No, my lord, no magic or clan is capable of such a thing.”
Not in this era at least. Clan Or’vei was wiped out by the humans during the war along with many others, no survivors were left…I’m sure of it.
The demon lord clutched his fist in frustration. He had hoped that it was some form of rediscovered magic that a terrorist group got a hold of, it was a much better scenario than the alternative after all. That being the involvement of Adam, the beast who managed to butcher his way through the palace, in a plot to topple the empire.
“the only one who could do such a thing is Moren then. He must have another artifact that can bend demons to his will, there is no other explanation!”
The demon lord slammed his clenched fist down on the armrest of his throne in frustration.
“my lord, he’s been in captivity for almost a week before his trial. It is impossible that he kept such a powerful artifact hidden for so long also the humans never had such power, they can’t use magic so most of their weapons were impressively destructive but not much else beyond that.”
He lied to the person that trusted him most once again but allowed no guilt to show on his face. He was protecting the demon lord and his empire as a whole. The truth of the war and the decline of their society would only create more friction and give ammo to the separatist movements and terrorist groups.
Another civil war was the last thing he wanted, because even if they win there were no humans around to help them rebuild using their technology. Victory would come at the cost of countless lives and the eventual downfall of everything they fought for to begin with.
“that would mean that she is lying…Onvyr, go investigate the grand library. Try to figure out what she was trying to steal from there and interrogate her afterward. I will order the others to stay out of your way and give you complete control of this case. This is of critical importance, do not let anything get in the way of you accomplishing your objective… get to it immediately.”
Onvyr obeyed the command of his lord and made his way to the Library, weighted down by the guilt and shame of his lies every step of the way.