ChaNoWriMo - Demon Lord

[Dwayna DragonFire]

With ChaNoWriMo having been moved to January and my sudden inspiration to write, I've decided to give this challenge a try. Here's the first installment of my story, and I hope you enjoy it as we go along.

Chapter One

Two planets of the same size rotated around a giant sun , in different orbits, but they seemed to be always opposite each other. Neither world ever saw the sun, for one was too cloudy and the other had ash-filled skies. They both seemed to be created exactly opposite one another, and that might have been on purpose, for their inhabitants could not be any more different from one another.

The blue planet that crackled with a lightning-like energy hosted a people that called themselves Angels. First there was their creator, whom they called Angelus, that was essentially their God and All-Father. From Order and the energies of the planet known as Vehn, he breathed life into new beings as his direct followers, calling them the Order Angels. Sometimes the souls of the dead would come to Vehn to rest, and those Angelus called the Lesser Angels.

The red planet that blazed with fire was home to a people that called themselves Demons. Their creator was called Daemonem, their God and All-Father, whom breathed life into his direct followers from Chaos and the energies of the planet known as Vehl. These were the Chaos Demons, and the souls of the dead that came to rest here were the Lesser Demons. They were both treated differently from one another, the full Demons and Angels seen as more powerful than the Lessers.

The similarities between the planets were like an interesting duality. Both had All-Fathers, both had their own factions of Demons and Angels. The Chaos Demons were sorted into two groups, one with the namesake of their people and the other being Demon Lords. The Order Angels were the same, having those with their namesake and those called the Archangels. The Lessers of both were knights and pages of their respective planets, defending their realm or spreading the word of their Gods amongst other realms respectively.

But being so named, they soon found themselves as fighting forces, neither greater than the other and ultimately no winners of any wars. Sometimes there would be calm between them, but it seemed to only be for recuperation in wait of the next attack. Sometimes the Angels started the battle and sometimes the Demons started the battle, but whichever side had started the fighting was lost in time, perhaps alluding to the fact that both had started fighting at the same time.

In the times of recuperation, both Gods breathed life into new followers and collected the souls of the dead. Angelus created the Order Angels with blue eyes, white wings, and the powers of Lightning and Light. Daemonem created the Chaos Demons with red eyes, black wings, and the powers of Fire and Darkness. Both looked human, both had pale skin, and both could have any hair color – though it was more likely for the Angels to have lighter hair and the Demons to have darker hair.

Vehn had blue skies, with just enough cloud cover to barely see the sun. Their planet boasted wide mountain ranges, beautiful flowing rivers and solid white rock that often looked like clouds from a distance. At the entrance gates of Vehn, there were silver gates and Angelus, who waited outside and judged the souls of the dead. In Vehl, there were red skies, with enough ash in the air to keep the sun from shining on them. They boasted many volcanoes, molten lava rivers, and obsidian floors as black as space itself. The gates of Vehl were also silver, Daemonem waiting outside to judge the souls of the dead that came there to rest. The souls of the dead were naive to this fact, thinking both men to simply be the Gatekeepers of either realm.

What nearly everyone on either planet was naive to was the gates that lead to their realms from another world. Sometimes the Gods would send their children to that world for enlightenment, but whomever left their humble homes did not often come back. The gates led to the same place, a world called Terrater, where peace was known to all and greed was slim to none. There is the only place where the Angels and Demons would not war with each other, and would instead have bitter resent for each other, for there were laws in place on Terrater that if they brought ill-will towards the planet, they would never be allowed to come back to the beautiful sanctuary.

It was a period of recuperation, for the last fight had again taken its toll again. The Gods created new followers, each breathing life into new souls for their ongoing war. What the followers of Angelus and Daemonem didn't know was that the Gods did not want to fight one another, for they were brothers, just with different powers of creation. That is why they both sometimes sent their creations to Terrater, in hopes that any souls with the right mentalities would learn the lessons they both wanted of their creations – to live together in peace and harmony at last.

But peace and harmony was not in the hearts of many of their followers, and some often could not tell what the differences really were between the Angels and Demons. Peace and harmony certainly seemed to be absent from the heart of one of Daemonem's creations, whom was formed to be as what was considered as a male of their species. The traits of the Chaos Demon showed through, glowing red eyes peering from beneath short locks of black hair. The pale figure was given a black coat with red trim and the symbol of a pentagram on his back, and Daemonem gave him the name Sebastian.

As was tradition in Vehl, when new souls were created they were often put under the study of the older souls. As a new Chaos Demon, Sebastian was put under the command of a Demon Lord, he who was called Destro. This Demon Lord was insane with his power, the greed in his heart overwhelming, but he kept this well hidden from all eyes – except for Daemonem. Nonetheless, Daemonem placed Sebastian under the command of Destro, in hopes that he would learn how fruitless it was being evil.

Instead, Sebastian relished in the lessons he was taught by his Lord, training with him to slay those who were 'unworthy of Daemonem'. Little did Sebastian know that one fateful day his perspective would shift, and he would become a very different man indeed. Destro grew mad with power, enough to try to access all of it at once, to demonstrate what 'true' power was. His eyes lit up like the fires that claimed his soul, his teeth changing to rows of sharp fangs and his black feathery wings spreading outwards – as if to encompass the very world around him.

But the creations of Angelus and Daemonem were not perfect in their design. They could not access all of their power at once, for it was too much for either Angel or Demon to handle. As Destro grew in power, flames left his body and leaped towards the land, his cackling madness consuming him. But then the fire started to come back to him, and Destro let out a great scream as his own fire consumed him, and he exploded and shattered into the very ash that covered the skies.

Sebastian had been called to Daemonem beforehand, though the God was originally unclear of his intentions. From afar, the Chaos Demon watched his Master succumb to his power, the devastation caused by his lust for power imprinting itself forever on his mind. Though many of the teachings of Destro stuck with him, Sebastian now had rules of his own, for greed was insanity and to be truly evil was folly. Daemonem smiled upon his creation, setting him forth upon Vehl to find a new calling for himself, perhaps under another Demon Lord who did not lust for power. Unfortunately, the quota for souls created had filled before their time again, and another war surfaced between Vehn and Vehl.

Though Daemonem was initially reluctant to send Sebastian into the war to help his allies, he ultimately decided that his creation had learned its lesson. The God sent him to the battlefield between the space of Vehn and Vehl, the only place where the sun shone on both Angel and Demon. For the still new Chaos Demon, it was an exquisite sight to behold, the blazing yellow star that sat between both worlds, but never shone on them except in war.

Looking back, he saw what Vehl really was, a planet that seemed to seethe in pure fire. The energy reached out towards the sun and out into the space behind it, as if to try to touch the space around it and the other orbs of blazing fire. The largest flame spread upwards towards the sun, and as Sebastian moved, he saw the other sight that it seemed to be pointing to.

The blue planet rested upwards from the sun, diagonally from its opposite, orbiting in tandem with it as it twisted and turned around their shared sun. Vehn looked to be breathed in a blue lightning, one that sparked out in all directions like its counterpart, to touch everything around it and in between. The largest sparks were leaping in the direction of Vehl, as if to try to touch the fires that spread towards it in kind. It was as if the planets themselves longed to touch each other, but were always just out of reach of being able to do so.

Sebastian did not have much more time to admire the scenery, for the legions of Vehn that had come to fight were swiftly approaching. The Demon Lords and Archangels on the battlefield both lead their charges behind them, the Chaos Demons and Order Angels coming swiftly together. For a short time, Sebastian was able to admire and relish the battle around him, still enjoying the pain of his enemies, but not letting it consume him as it did his former Master.

An Order Angel swiftly approached his position, a beautiful woman with white wings, a halo and eyes breathed in blue lighting. The same blue appeared in arcane markings dotted around her body, her long blonde hair flowing as if wind were pushing it backward, even though there was no air in space. He let his power take him as well, his teeth sharpening and his eyes becoming pure fire, his hands becoming like shadowy claws and horns sprouting from his head.

He almost lost himself then, his fire blasts becoming more supercharged as he fought his foe. But the woman overcame him in the last moment, her power greater than his, though they seemed to be on the same level of hierarchy – he a Chaos Demon, she an Order Angel. Surprisingly she stopped, stilling her angelic powers to become her regular self as his power left him, as if to equal herself to his new, diminished level.

“Chaos Demon,” she said accusingly, her tone stern. “You have fought admirably, but I have beaten you. The reason I have spared you my wrath is because I have seen your true alignment.” She left off there for a few moments, looking over at the rest of the ensuing battle, and used her powers of teleportation to bring the both of them somewhere else. The angelic nature of the transfer surprisingly did not harm him, but he was still angry at his foe.

“Why have you spared me, woman?” he bit out, his dark tones belying malevolence. “We are enemies! I would have slain you had I gained the upper hand!”

“I don't believe you would have,” she replied. “I am known as Justice, a name gifted to me by my creator. I was blind with rage at your people, but then I took a good look at you during our battle. I saw you with True-Seeing, and I have seen that there is still a spark of light within your darkness.”

“I suppose I've no choice but to exchange pleasantries,” replied Sebastian, less better but no less dark. “I am called Sebastian, but I do not know of what you speak. I am evil, for there is not but a light in my darkness, not a wink. If you speak of my views towards power, my former Master taught me that it was worthless to seek power and greed. That does not make me any less likely to slice you down where you stand because you are my enemy!”

“My eyes do not deceive me, Sebastian,” replied Justice, “Nor would you be deceived as such if you took a look at yourself. But if you are so convinced you are evil, I shall not continue to argue otherwise. I have spared your life and wish you to return for me but one favour.”

“Unfortunately for me, I was taught the values of honor,” he spat at her. “I will do this task for you and nothing else, for I owe my enemies nothing.”

“All I ask,” replied Justice, after giving a glimpse of being amused for a few moments, “Is that you bespeak your creator. Show him with your True Seeing what I have told you. It is there you will begin the true path of your destiny.”

With that said, Justice faded away into white ash, indicating she had teleported away again. Sebastian growled and used the last of his power to teleport himself back to his domain, his body dissolving into the black ash of Chaos Demons, only to reappear fully-formed in his home. It is there where he rested, letting the fires of Vehl wash over his body and recuperate him.

It took several days, but when he was up again Sebastian bee-lined towards Daemonem's chamber. The God met him with a smile, and being all-knowing of his creations, could see the troubled mind before him. The man floated from his mediation mat on his throne down to the ground, his feet touching the floor with no sound. The dark-haired man looked at Sebastian with warm, red eyes, a smile spread across his lips.

“What has brought you here, my child?” said Daemonem, his voice dark but pleasant. “I can see that you are troubled by something. Tell me, what did you see on that battlefield that has you caught up in your own thoughts? Show me with your True Sight, Sebastian, and I will judge this memory.”

Sebastian's eyes burned as he focused on the memory, pushing it outwards from his person towards Daemonem. The battle with Justice was replayed with every blow and scratch, with Sebastian's fall and Justice fading to her regular self without power. It showed how he was whisked away, how he had spoken to her and what she had said to him, a particular focus being put onto the light she mentioned to him. As the vision ended, it recounted what she asked of him, and he faded back to normal when the memory ended.

“It seems this Justice has imparted a great wisdom upon you,” said Daemonem, his smirk turning into a full-blown smile with fanged teeth. “You have learned a valuable lesson from not only her, but your former Master's actions. I urge you to think on these lessons, for they will shape you into a new person, and perhaps you will one day see what she saw in you. But for now, I will keep you here, for there is another purpose you have yet to fulfill.”

“Anything for you, All-Father,” said Sebastian, kneeling before the God with humility. “Please, help lead me towards better enlightenment. What is my purpose, what is my destiny? Why did this Angel show me mercy, if not just to bring me torment?”

“All in good time, my child,” replied Daemonem, in the typical cryptic ways of the Gods. “One day you will be shown the enlightenment I have always wished to impart upon my creations. You are yet to be formed in the ways that I wish you to be. The only way to give you the enlightenment you truly seek is for you to learn from another.”

“Am I to be assigned to another Demon Lord, All-Father?” asked Sebastian, albeit reluctantly and bitterly. “I would not wish another Destro to impart their thoughts on me. But if that is what you wish of me-”

“You misunderstand my intentions, Sebastian,” said the God. “I do not mean for you to learn from another Demon Lord. I wish for you to learn from a pupil.”

Sebastian's eyes grew wide at this, his mouth opening slightly and closing in quick succession. Daemonem smiled at Sebastian and touched his shoulder, at which he felt his power grow significantly. For a moment, he outstretched his feathery black wings as if to encompass the room around them, but they quickly shrunk back to a more reasonable size. The fire in his eyes burned brighter for a second before it faded away, and his new wings folded by his side. He fell to his knees again before his God, bowing his head as if being unworthy.

“You have honored me, All-Father,” said Sebastian. “I do not have enough words to thank you properly for this great privilege you have given me.”

“You have earned it, my child,” replied Daemonem. “I will make for you a pupil as soon as I can. For now, you may rest upon your new powers and think on the lessons you have learned. Now go, and make me proud that I have given you this honor.”

Sebastian rose from his place, bowing before Daemonem before leaving. He left to his chambers to lay down again, only to stare at the ceiling of the cave that was his home. Somehow, he had learned the lessons needed of him to become a Demon Lord under Daemonem, but he had no idea what it was that he had learned. He did not know what to think of, so he quickly fell into a deep slumber to let his body get used to the new power surge that was coursing through his veins.

During his slumber he had several dreams, each more cryptic than the last. The memory of the battle flashed before his mind, the conflict with Justice replaying itself second by second, over and over again. Her words played through his mind, with visions of a small light shining in a dark cave, which he felt far away from but still close to at the same time.

Another dream, this time of a person with crimson hair that smiled and laughed at him. She spent much time with him, but eventually left to another place, only coming to visit rarely, for she had found a secret. He yearned to learn this secret, wanting to grasp it in his hands as he reached out towards her before she faded away.

The last vision was of a large planet with four suns and four moons. There were strange creatures rampant all over, flashes of green, silver, blue and pink flashing before his mind in a blur of several people. Silver eyes stared at Sebastian from an unending darkness until he saw the light again. It came closer to him, forming into a white shape that he had never seen in his entire life, looking white like the clouds of Vehn were rumoured to be. It had six sides and a beautiful pattern, and it seemed so unique from everything else that it would almost bring a person to tears, even someone like him. The visions faded as he plunged again into darkness, and that was the last thing he knew.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Chapter Two

When Sebastian woke again, he felt the vibrations of his new power, but he did not succumb to the temptation for more. He flexed his new wings slightly, partly to stretch them out and partly to affirm that what had happened was real. The Demon Lord gazed out at the land from his cavern, at all those now beneath him.

A lowly messenger approached his cavern, bowing before him. A black letter with a red seal was given to him, which he opened post haste. The message was simple: Your pupil is ready, Demon Lord. Learn from this new life, that it may temper your darkness and make you anew. Teach this new life the ways of the Chaos Demon, that which you believe to be truth.

There were more sounds from outside his abode, as a petite figure descended into his lair. The female Chaos Demon walked towards him with a swagger in her hips, one that might spark desire in lesser men, but he was not tempted. Her long strands of hair were as red as her eyes, a rare trait in a Chaos Demon, but not unheard of. She wore a suit of leather armour, looking to be stained with blood, even though she was newly made and had not yet killed a soul.

“Master,” she greeted with a playful smile, bowing before him. “I am Aria, and I am here to learn your ways, as Daemonem has commanded. What would you wish of me, my Lord?” She seemed to be the loyal type, but with a darkness about her that was still molding into place. Her demeanour told Sebastian that she would be fun-loving in almost everything she did, even if it involved killing others.

“I am Sebastian,” he greeted back, nodding his head towards her. “I would teach you how to fight, so that you might be better prepared for when we have our next war with Vehn.” There was never an 'if' in these situations, as he believed that they would always be at war. What happened with Justice meant nothing, he thought to himself, even if she seemed to be right for the time being. I have returned her favour as she asked, so we are even and I owe her nothing.

“As you wish, Lord Sebastian,” she replied, all the while her grin never leaving her face. She called the power within her to summon demonic weapons, two daggers that looked sharper than any other blade he had seen before. Chaos Demons already had some mastery over their powers at first, so there was no surprise that she would be able to form weapons of her own.

“A different style than I have,” he said, as a longsword appeared in his hand, “But you may be able to learn from me nonetheless.” Strange that Daemonem would send me a pupil to learn a lesson from instead of the other way around, thought Sebastian. The lingering feeling that he knew that smile of hers from somewhere was at the back of his mind, bothering him to think on it more.

A flash came back to him of the dream he had in his long slumber. The woman with crimson hair who learned a secret on a distant world, one that he would want to learn himself. Had Daemonem blessed him with cryptic visions of the future, if only for a short time? It couldn't be coincidence that he was told he would find his destiny by talking to Daemonem, which meant that Justice had too been blessed by her god.

But he still did not want to look at himself with his True-Seeing, in case she had tricked him. This could all just be a game that the angel was playing with him, but if it was, it was too elaborate for even him to understand. Some game, Sebastian thought with a smirk, perhaps from the irony of 'Justice'.

“Not to interrupt you from your internal monologue, my Lord,” said Aria, snapping his attention back towards her. “But you were going to show me the delightful lesson of combat.” She readied her two blades and looked at him with an almost predatory stare, but he was not fazed. He simply readied his sword by his side and beckoned her forward with his free hand.

Aria pounced at Sebastian, daggers ready to stab, but he calmly moved to the side and whacked her on the back with the side of his blade. She lurched forwards a little bit and stumbled back to her feet, her head turning back around to look at him with fire blazing in her eyes. Her teeth had already changed to rows of sharp fangs, her anger overtaking her senses as she leaped at him again, this time from a different angle. He was just as quick to dodge her daggers as before, again smacking the side of his blade against her back.

This went on for a little while, she letting her anger run rampant and he calmly dodging or parrying her blows with ease. When she finally came down to rest, she breathed heavily with fatigue, glaring at him through tired eyes. Rebellion sparked behind them, but the respect for her Master still laid beyond, as she bowed her head to him in defeat. Sebastian gently touched her shoulder, causing Aria to look back up at him with a wearied face for the first time.

“Do not let your anger consume you so, Aria,” he said to her. “It will only lead to your destruction. Only unleash your anger upon your enemies, for they are the only ones who deserve it.” He still saw the spark of rebellion in her eyes, but it had severely diminished, as if she was thinking to herself. She rose from her place and bowed to him as she left his cavern, supposedly to go to her home to rest after their sparring session.

Sebastian only needed a little bit of rest afterwards, his sleep dreamless, much to his pleasure. When he woke again, he spread his wings and flew around the skies of Vehl, looking at the sights below. The rivers of lava syphoning around the obsidian floors and the smell of ash was nothing new to him. Part of him felt like he was taking in a new experience, but it was something entirely different than the current environment. He took a deep breath and flew back to his lair, to find his apprentice waiting for him there.

“I thought about what you said, Lord Sebastian,” said Aria, her face serious. “I will direct my anger towards my enemies, as you would wish of me. But that does not mean that I can't have a friendly competition with you.” She grinned her playful smirk again, the unwavering grin plastered on her face as she drew her blades and laughed at him. The same laugh that haunted his dream...

Sebastian found himself still able to dodge and parry most of her blows, but a few of them git through. He was left with some cuts, but he had not been as nice as last time either. Real blood trickled from slashes in her leather armour, and she spat blood from a small cut he had left on her lip. She couldn't smile without grimacing, so instead she gave him a satisfied glare.

“We shall recuperate for our next fight,” he said to his pupil, “But we must be wary of time. It has been nearly long enough for another war from our enemies, and I would wish for you to be ready to fight.”

“I shall endeavour to learn as much as I can from you, Lord,” she replied, spitting her words out at him slightly, mostly because she had no choice in the matter. “I hope that we can slay our enemies side by side, as Teacher and Student. Rest well, Master.” She bowed to him again, and he bowed his head to her, out of respect for his quickly rising pupil.

Their routine went on from there, but Aria had let up from before. She was just looking to land some blows against him, and she managed to get through his defences a few more times. Sebastian was impressed when she blocked a few of his blows, smiling at the fact that he had a quick learner on his hands. He relished in teaching her, to the point where he sparred with her once without blades, just using their fists, claws, and fire blasts.

Another war came upon them soon after that, and they both went to fight side by side as they intended. The Demon Lord led his Chaos Demon to battle, in which they slew many foes in the name of their people. Throughout the battle, Sebastian looked for Justice, but he didn't catch sight of the Angel in question, as she was either absent or he was too distracted by their enemies.

He looked to Aria, who seemed to burst with jubilation at the fact that she could battle her enemies. She stabbed her daggers into any extremity that came near her, but not without consequence. Some cuts made their way to her skin, but they only seemed to spur her on all the more, her eyes blazing fire as her sharp rows of teeth curved into the same smirk she always had, but this time haunting and foreboding to those who would look upon it.

They retreated when it was time, both having survived the battle, albeit a little bit worse for wear. Both of them retreated to their caverns for a well-earned rest, or so they liked to believe. Sebastian wondered if Aria enjoyed the view of the two planets as much as he had the first time he saw them, thinking on his pupil before he drifted off into a deep slumber again.

Sebastian dreamed of Justice again, but she only appeared for a fleeting moment before dissolving into nothingness. The cackling face of his pupil turned towards him, her eyes looking toward him with longing. But he soon realized that it was not him that she wanted so, as another face barely swam into his dream. Short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes stared through the darkness back at her, and then seemed to look at him, as if knowing he were there.

The figure become more real, a body attaching itself to the face as the blue eyes stared into his very being. The cloaked figure floated towards him in his dream scape, and no matter how much he wanted to get away in that moment, the figure would not leave him alone. The strange woman with pointy ears and a red headband seemed to look at him from beyond just a dream, making it seem all the more real.

“A Chaos Demon,” she said, in a surprisingly stern tone for someone who looked as she did. “You think this a dream? It is more than that. Your people are able to have vision through your true-seeing, though at best, they are cryptic. For some reason you have seen me in your vision, and as I have magics to help me look through the dream world, I have seen you looking back at me.”

“Who are you?” he found his mind asking back. “What are you? I have never seen someone of such pale complexion, nor one that looks like you. Why do you come to me in this supposed 'vision'? If you can share with me any knowledge, I would be most... appreciative.”

“It is not for me to say why the fates have show me to you,” she replied, “But I suppose it is fair that you at least know what you ask. I am Merenwen Falassion, and I am what many call an 'elf'. I have met your kind before, and I have learned much of them, for I can see through lies as well as I can see through dreams. I have learned that your True-Seeing can tell you of the future, so in the future we may meet because of this. But perhaps I am not as intertwined with your destiny as I am someone near to you. Tell me, what else did you see in this vision of yours?”

As he was inexperienced in this area, he found his memories of his previous dreams flooding into his mind. The fight with Justice was a real memory, so that showed no lies within it. Then there were the fragments with Aria and a strange world, the strange white symbol vividly shining in the landscape of his dram before dissolving into his dream of the longing face of Aria. It seemed to turn toward Merenwen before dissolving into nothingness, and the elf seemed to stare into that nothingness, as if disbelieving the visions herself somewhat.

“It is intriguing that you would dream of that which you have never seen,” said Merenwen, “But I can see where you will end up. The strange world is a place called Terrater, and it is the same place... where your pupil will find her secret.” She hesitated slightly, as if lost in thought again, before shaking her head and paying attention to him again.

“It is there you will eventually follow her, and find this secret you so long for. The symbol of white is called a 'snowflake', and the one you seek will bear the same one on her neck. I can say no more of this, for I fear I would ruin the fates and cause you to instead fall to the same destruction as your former Master. Now go, Demon Lord, and leave my consciousness forever.”

Before he could ask her how she knew anything other than what she saw, he was pushed back into his body, which startled him, as he thought he had never left it. Sebastian woke with a start, his head swimming with thoughts of this 'elf' and her words. Some part of him believed in the words she had said to him, and he was starting to believe that Justice was not playing games with him.

But that did not answer his original question about Justice. Why had his enemy helped him so? Why had she revealed to him a truth that would end up changing the very person he was? All these sorts of questions swam through his head until he heard familiar footsteps approaching. Aria walked towards him, the smile again gone from her face as if to look somber for once.

“My Lord,” she began, her tone matching her face. “It seems my time with you has been limited, and will become limited. I have been chosen by Daemonem to endure a test of willpower, one that will take me far from this place to a land where peace is sacred. I only have so much more time with you before I am made to go, so please make these last lessons memorable.”

Sebastian looked at his pupil in an almost jealous manner, that his pupil would be 'chosen' before him to do such a thing. But he had remembered his vision, the one with the elf that looked like an angel in some ways, who had mentioned this world of peace to him. Terrater, he thought to himself, his jealousy fading when he remembered that one day, he too would be chosen. It is my destiny.

He said nothing to Aria, merely calling his sword to him again so that they might spar. She had become quite adept in her ways, especially since the last war with the Order Angels. Ultimately, he had done a good job of teaching her the rules of combat, and in that he had taught her some of his philosophy, that actions often spoke louder than words. The Demon Lord sparred with his pupil until both of them tired again, and he sent his pupil off to rest so they might both recuperate again.

When she came back to him next, there was no show of aggressive action. Sebastian looked back at Aria, just gazing at her with no emotion. He paced around his cavern slightly, and she left him in his silent thought, her smile faded as she watched her Master walk almost aimlessly in thought. The male only stopped when he had found the words he was searching for, and then he turned to his pupil, to give her his last lesson.

“I would place upon you these three things,” he began, at which she tilted her head to listen intently. “You will come to visit me periodically to tell me what you have learned from this new place. We will reflect on these things, and I will try to guide you along your path.” Aria smiled slightly, a genuine one, before it faded away into nothingness again as she waited for Sebastian to continue his speech.

“If at all possible, you will remain as loyal to me as possible. Other Masters cannot teach you without my consent, but you will follow the rules of this new place. This is so you may survive in this place, so that you may better accomplish the first thing. You may toy with others as you please, but you answer to me in all things.” She nodded again, almost bowing her head out of respect for him then.

“The last thing I would wish of you,” Sebastian said with finality, “Id that you would strike fear into the hearts of your foes. If not fear, then poison them and make them drivel at your feet before you. Show no mercy, and slay those that you would call your enemy. Do this not only for yourself, but to serve me in all things.”

“My Lord,” replied Aria, smirking again with a slightly haunting touch, “It would be my pleasure. I will slaughter my enemies in your name. May their blood stain the ground beneath them and feed your soul from beyond the stars.” With that said, she dissolved into ash with a maddening cackle, and he smiled at the place from where she had left.

That smile soon faded as he realized what he would have to do from this point. He would not walk into Terrater blindly without first knowing what it was truly like. It was time that he forsook his old ways of seeing with his eyes and looked into the beyond with his True-Seeing. Sebastian found the central place in his cavern, and prepared himself mentally as best as he could before his reality faded away and the darkness around him consumed him.

What he saw he didn't want to believe was true, but he knew it had to be, for True-Seeing could never lie. The line between Daemonem and the god of Vehn was drawn only by their creations. The two were twins, with the ability to breathe life into two different species. They yearned to embrace again, as not only brothers, but friends of one another.

Sebastian saw that Justice had witnessed the same thing, and came to her own revelations. When she went to war, she actively searched for a break amongst the Demons, for a soul which she could impact. She had visions of him not long before that fateful day, so when his face appeared into view, it was a matter of destiny, of what the elf had called 'fate'. He had seen enough of that memory for a lifetime, so he chose to skip the truth he already knew, even if it held new meaning.

What he saw next was the light that haunted his dreams, the one he didn't want to believe was real. He was supposed to be malevolent, a creature of darkness, not of the light that often filled the souls of the Angels. It was too much to bear, so the light changed and grew, but this time he knew it was not his that he was looking at. He instead swam through that light, wanting to know who's mind he had fallen into this time around.

Flashes of a familiar smile rushed through his brain as visions of himself and his pupil scattered across this mind scape. A familiar feeling settled in as he landed, and he wondered just what this person had seen themselves. But soon he realized he had landed in the mind of his pupil, and he would use this to his every advantage so that he might see what he was waiting for.

My destiny awaits, he thought, and so does hers.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Chapter Three

Daemonem led Aria outside the silver gates of Vehl, but their presence seemed to be clouded by the souls of the dead. He turned off to the side towards a bit of cloud that looked like it would obscure something. With a wave of his hand, the cloud parted and an amazing sight appeared before their eyes.

A circular disc made of a silvery metal, almost like the gate itself, but different. Runes of an unknown language seemed to be etched into the sides of this strange thing, with five differently colored orbs placed around it. From lower left to lower right, the colors were: red, blue, purple, yellow and green. They seemed to hold some sort of significance to them, but the meaning was currently lost on any whom were present, save perhaps Daemonem.

“Through this gate,” said the deity, “Is a world of peace. If you learn the lessons there, you will be better for it in the end. Follow their rules and you will find no issue with these people. You will see wonders before your very eyes that you could never imagine, but they are not your enemy. Watch your actions closely, that they may not destroy you, my child.” That is when the deity looked at her, but his eyes looked beyond as well, to find the man that rested there, watching.

“So you have decided to look when I have said you are not meant to yet,” said the voice of Daemonem. “But I have seen that you would, Sebastian. She knows of your presence now, and will try to impress you for it, which will bring about situations you cannot hope to control. You can look as long as you like, but when you are looked at by what you will consider as the wrong person, you will not find what you so desperately seek.”

With that said, the god disappeared from Sebastian's vision, and his perspective returned to that of his pupil's. He felt her eagerness to go through the gate, to prove herself to her master, and he was powerless to do anything about it. He could not even leave or send a suggestion her way, as he now felt himself blocked from his powers. Daemonem had limited him to only being a spectator to whatever destruction he had unwittingly brought upon this world for looking before he was supposed to. It was a punishment, and he would have to accept the consequences.

The strange gate seemed to slide open at the wave of Daemonem's hand, the gems shining and the middle disappearing into the sides to reveal nothingness. In a moment, the inside seemed to fill with a strange substance, like clear liquid moving about even though it was upright. Sebastian felt the excitement within Aria grow as she stepped forward, looking back only once to get an assuring nod from Daemonem. She smiled her haunting smile and turned back towards the portal, stepping through without hesitation.

The awareness of moving a great distance was within her mind, but Aria made it through the portal smoothly. She looked up first, as her attention was drawn to the thousands of other portals in this structure. Above floated a metallic being that looked female in body, with wings that spread outwards like a Demon Lord or an Archangel. The being floated down towards her, landing before her without a sound, staring at her with nothing but a solid white light in the middle of her 'face'.

“Welcome to Terrater,” said a feminine voice, seemingly coming from the being in front of her. “I am the Gatekeeper. Daemonem made arrangements with the queen to open the portal, so I am to assume you are the arrival we have been expecting, Chaos Demon Aria. Please wait whilst I assign to you a guide whom will show you around, as per tradition.”

The Gatekeeper floated back upwards, which left Aria to look back down and see her surroundings. Her mouth opened slightly at all the strange beings that she had never dreamed of, the strange arrangement of different features in the people milling about. Some of them looked similar to her build, but they did not have the eyes or the aura of a Chaos Demon. She could tell from what she could see that everyone had something different about them, and it wasn't just their appearance, either.

She breathed in the air, finding new energies filling her senses and making her feel more alive. Aria smirked with a sense of the new world around her, her glowing eyes darting from face to face, as if to try to choose someone to prove her skill to. Sebastian was silent to her, so he could not tell her to stop looking for enemies where she didn't need to find any.

A girl with long blonde hair approached her, wearing what looked to be a long white coat. Since it was done up, all that was visible was her peach skin tone and a blue pair of pants made from a strange material. There was a blue cloth tied to her upper right arm with a blue gem on it, as well as a device on her head that – by the two dark circular bits - looked like it went over her eyes.

“Aria?” asked the girl, to which the demoness nodded. “My name is Rosalina. Since this is your first visit, I'm told that you are generally uninformed as to what species is what and how things work around here. First off, I'm what is called a 'human', and my gift is to see auras of people. The air that you're breathing in is pure magic, which often changes people whom are not previously 'magically inclined'. Since you are considered to have magical powers, you don't have to worry about having any extra abilities you don't know about.”

Rosalina then went on to explain that Terrater was a world of peace, and that the wars of Vehn and Vehl weren't present here. But that was the point that Aria started to ignore her, generally just listening to little tidbits here and there. There was a single leader to the entire planet, which was nothing new to her, and she would have to meet this 'Queen' at some point to make sure she was good enough to stay here – which weren't the words the human was using, but that was what Aria interpreted them as.

“If you have any questions, ask them now,” said Rosalina. Aria asked some general questions about what the other people were called, to which the girl answered bluntly. There were dragons, dragonborn, elves, goblins, orcs – too many to count. Aria took in as much as she could, trying to memorize as much as possible so she would know what to call them if she did not know their name.

“If you like, I can show you around town before we go meet the queen,” said Rosalina. Aria agreed to the tour beforehand, following the human out of the portal room into the actual lobby of the building, where there was another human female sitting at a desk dealing with the line in front of her. They moved past the desk and out of the building, into fresher air and new scenery.

The sky was currently red, so in a way Aria felt right at home, but there was a large visible sun in the middle of the sky that was turning slowly away from her. The beginnings of darkness seemed to follow in its wake as it moved, the human describing it as a 'day and night cycle'. It was described as having four suns and four moons, just like the 'vision' Sebastian had.

Rosalina led Aria into the streets, where the demon was able to look at the many different structures around her, called 'buildings'. Each design of building had a different name, and it was intriguing to see so much diversity amongst the people. It was hardly a surprise to her ,what with the many different sorts of people who seemed to make their homes here, or at least visited from other worlds.

Aria was lead towards a large park, away from the looming shadow in the distance to be shown the districts where people lived. Past that was a sector that was labeled as 'Science and Religion' according to Rosalina, neither words meaning anything to the demon in question. She stepped forward, and that is when Sebastian's perception of time seemed to slow as his pupil stepped forward.

The reason why soon became apparent, as she glanced to her right. At that moment, another human with pink hair glanced back up at her from beneath 'spectacles', their silver color penetrating through her mind to look at Sebastian from what had become almost total darkness. Quickly realizing that this human female was the one Daemonem had warned him about – and also the silver eyes from his vision- he braced himself as he felt Aria almost force her head away from the woman in question.

Why he had been warned appeared not a moment later, as his pupil gazed upon the face of another. This time it was a male figure, but it was not just any type of male. Aria started to seethe as she looked at the blonde-haired male, his eyes glowing blue and white wings outspread. He stood just in front of the door to a building, beckoning people in underneath the cross of Angelus.

Aria would impress Sebastian by defeating this Order Angel, time still seeming to slow in his perception as she drew her blades. It sped up again just as the girl Rosalina reached out to stop the Chaos Demon, only to be punched in the face. The crowd around her was startled by this action, but some who were brave enough dared stand in her way.

The people in question swiftly met the business end of her blades, for if they would fight with an Order Angel, they too were the enemy. Her master was powerless to stop her, so he had to watch as the peace of this world was broken by her actions to get at the Order Angel in question. The male had looked at her, somewhat bewildered at first, but in the end he didn't seem all that surprised. His expression turned to one that seemed almost reminiscent of an old life, as if the war of Vehn and Vehl had long since faded from his soul.

She was stopped by the business end of another blade stabbing through her gut, pain shooting through her mind as she fell forwards spitting blood. The sword was removed and the wielder stepped into view of Aria, one that looked to be of the 'dragonborn' species. Her skin tone was crimson, the color running into long ropes of what was akin to hair. She wore what looked to be golden armour, with a red 'soulgem' looking to be embedded in the top part of the armor. This circular disc revealed her to in fact be a 'transformed dragon', which Sebastian knew from actually paying attention to Rosalina.

The knight in question forcibly grabbed the Chaos Demon and put shackles around her wrists, saying that she was under arrest by the law of Terrater. Aria came down from her adrenaline high and looked around at the carnage she had caused. Many people were crying over their bleeding loved ones, Rosalina herself looking to be nursing what would become a black eye. She bowed her head in remorse, glaring once more at the Order Angel before being dragged away by the authorities.

She was brought towards the looming shadow in the distance, which quickly shaped itself int a gigantic structure. Rosalina had told her something about the queen's castle, and she guessed that this would have to be it, the emerald building shining silver even in the light of the red sun. It looked like it could fit a full-scale dragon in it's halls, from what she had heard of the dragons. Flags with a strange symbol on them – called the 'Star Axis' – were placed upon major towers in plain view. Broken and bleeding, Aria, hung her head before the castle in shame as she was lead towards it, a single tear shedding down her face as she began to fear what consequences would come of her actions.

Instead of going through the front gate, she was lead around the side of the castle to look at a gigantic graveyard. A statue of another transformed dragon - like the one who had put her in shackles – seemed to stare down at her with scrutiny. But beside the graveyard was another large building, again looking like a full-sized dragon could romp around in it's halls with no problems.

There weren't bars on the windows, but there looked to be some sort of magical shields, some with different colors than others. The outside of the building seemed plain and grey, not meaning to be interesting in the slightest. The large double doors of steel opened and the demon stepped through into a long hallway that branched off into many different directions. The main desk had someone behind it that said hello, but nothing else as the dragon marched Aria down the corridor and to the middle right.

There were many cell doors here, but none of them seemed to be distant enough apart that they could house the creatures that they were supposed to. Eyes stared at her as she walked past the windows, at which she would look away back at her feet. A door opened to her left and she was shoved into it, falling to her knees helplessly as her 'magic' had somehow been taken from her the moment the shackles had gone on her wrists.

“The name's Scarlet,” said the dragon in golden armor, with a stern, cold tone. “I'm head of the Police Force and part of the Royal Knights. You have been found guilty of disturbing the peace, as well as harming many civilians. We have dealt with your kind before, Chaos Demon, so we know why you acted out against our laws without knowing you were wrong. You must face the consequences of your actions by the ruling of the Queen of Terrater, and your sentence will be given to you within the next few days. In the meanwhile, you are to remain here, suffering from the wound I gave you as a punishment to the crimes you have committed, as is my authority.”

The dragon turned on her tail and walked from the cell to leave Aria to her fate. Luckily Sebastian did not have to experience her excruciating pain, but the emotions now attached to it were enough to cause his mind to be unsettled. She felt regret for acting out so rashly, for hurting so many people in her conquest. For failing you, she seemed to whisper to her mind, but he knew it was meant for him.

A day passed, as she watched the night sun rise and fall into the 'early morning' sun, the 'morning' sun, and finally the afternoon sun again. Her kind did not need sustenance, so no meals were delivered during the time she spent there. Aria was regenerating, but it was at a much slower rate then in Vehl, so it was a punishment that Scarlet had put some foresight into. The door was opened and another woman stepped into her cell, this one with the same scrutinizing eyes as the statue from before.

The female that stood above her looked human, but the small soulgem at her neck told Aria better. This woman was a half-dragon in disguise, her long strands of brown hair flowing down around her pale face. Her emerald green eyes stared at her sternly from behind a pair of glasses, the pupils further revealing her draconic nature. Her clothing and her stance revealed a sort of nobility about her, and a sudden realization came into the demon's mind.

“Yes,” said the woman in front of her, as if to answer her silent question. “I am Dwayna DragonFire, the Queen of Terrater. I have come to judge you directly for what you have done. None of the people have died from your wounds, but one is severely wounded and in intensive care of our healers. You have harmed my citizens in your pursuit to continue your war in a place of peace, because you did not know what peace would truly mean. Am I to execute you for your crimes against my people, Aria? Or do you wish to redeem yourself?”

“If I can make amends for what I have done,” replied Aria, not bothering to ask how Dwayna knew her name, “Then I would gladly do so. I would not only atone for my own actions, but for failing my Master. If this means I am to be executed, I will die to make things right.” The demon bowed her head before the queen, waiting for the execution order to be placed upon her head.

“I can see you wish to atone for what you have done,” said Dwayna, “So I will place my judgement upon you. Instead of death, you will spend the next few months atoning for your crimes against my people. During this time you are not allowed to visit your Master, nor are you allowed to disobey the people you have wronged with your actions. I will send you to a healer so that they might mend your wounds, but only so that you can be in working condition for these people.”

Aria raised her head towards the Queen, astonished for a moment that she had not been sent to death. Her smirk spread back over her face, silent laughter racing through her mind at the fact that she was still allowed to live. She rose from her place as instructed, freed from her shackles but not yet healed. The pain of her wound struck her again as she stretched upwards, but she was glad to be lead away from the jails, glad that she still had a life to live.

She was put under vigilant watch, but she did not again act against the people. Aria was brought before healers, and although looked at with scrutiny, her wound was mended by their power. It was a strange sort of surge that coursed through her body, and she realized that it was the magic that touched her as she was healed. She thanked her healers and was soon given a list of people to do things for and the places they stayed.

Aria headed out towards the residential district, making note to avoid the Science and Religion sector, for fear of losing control again. She did her best to ignore her surroundings, simply looking for the houses in question so that she might begin to atone for her mistakes. The demon began by knocking on the door of the first house, and greeting the person inside with an apology. Though they were not happy with her at first, they seemed to lighten up at the fact that she had been sentenced to a task of servitude for them. Just before she stepped outside, she looked out of the corner of her eye briefly as a figure passed behind her.

The symbol of the snowflake that haunted Sebastian's dreams flashed briefly before his eyes beneath a mane of white hair. He wanted to leap towards it, to try to get a better look,but he was not only limited by the powers of Daemonem anymore. The silver eyes of the pink-haired human stared at him from the darkness again with an unending gaze, and from them came a feminine voice.

“You are not meant to see that one yet,” said the voice, “Your god has commanded it of you, and now so have I. You will not know that person's face until it is time for you to come to Terrater, as it has been fated. I will taunt you at every step of the way if you try to bypass my protections against this True-Seeing of yours. When we meet in person, you will recognize me and ask of me the one question you have been wanting to since the start of your journey towards your destiny.”

The silver eyes disappeared, and he was finally shoved from his perspective inside of Aria's mind back into his own. He woke from his meditation with a start, letting out his rage only as much as he would ever allow himself to so that he would not be destroyed. This girl with the silver eyes was teasing him with mere glimpses of the person that held his destiny in wait. But he could not dwell on such anger, and he would wait until it was his proper time, as he was meant to.

Consider that a lesson learned, Sebastian thought, knowing Daemonem would hear him.

 

[Cycloneblaze]

I am amused that you would use your own name in this story, and as the queen, no less! I guess it's only natural. It's not a bad thing, either - I know Valin has done the same thing. I was also amused by your use of the name Rosalina. Someone been playing Super Mario Galaxy?

Anyway, I like the story, it very interesting. Keep it coming!

 

[Linkachu]

I am amused that you would use your own name in this story, and as the queen, no less! I guess it's only natural. It's not a bad thing, either - I know Valin has done the same thing.

Dwayna isn't her real name, though. It's only her screen name, which is likely based on a fictional character. So really... it's not strange at all for her to use it in a fictional story. ^^;

 

[Valin]

I am amused that you would use your own name in this story, and as the queen, no less! I guess it's only natural. It's not a bad thing, either - I know Valin has done the same thing.

Dwayna isn't her real name, though. It's only her screen name, which is likely based on a fictional character. So really... it's not strange at all for her to use it in a fictional story. ^^;

Well, it's not like Valin is my real name either. It's a name of a character I'd used several times in my original works, and adopted as my handle on this site.

 

[Linkachu]

I wasn't referring to you Valin, sorry. I just didn't remove that part of Cycloneblaze's quote. :x

 

[Valin]

I wasn't referring to you Valin, sorry. I just didn't remove that part of Luckii's quote. :x

I wasn't upset or anything (maybe it just came out worse than I meant it to). I was just throwing it out there.

 

[Cycloneblaze]

Dwayna isn't her real name, though. It's only her screen name, which is likely based on a fictional character. So really... it's not strange at all for her to use it in a fictional story. ^^;

Well, it's not like Valin is my real name either. It's a name of a character I'd used several times in my original works, and adopted as my handle on this site.

Um. I knew that. I can't imagine why you'd assume I'd think Dwayna was her real name! ) I never said it was strange, anyway, just amusing.

I wasn't referring to you Valin, sorry. I just didn't remove that part of Luckii's quote. :x

Luckii hasn't posted in this thread...

 

[Linkachu]

I wasn't referring to you Valin, sorry. I just didn't remove that part of Cycloneblaze quote. :x

Luckii hasn't posted in this thread...

What? I didn't write Luckii! >> <<
... You can't prove it! D:<

*Ahem* Anyways, I was hoping you wouldn't think Dwayna was her name, but I couldn't be sure... XD

P.S - Sorry for spamming your thread, Dway! Keep it up! Still two weeks to go.

 

[Secad MS]

I've loved the stories that show classically extreme characters such as angels and demons in a more neutral light, emphasizing the effect one's choices can have on one's outcome. Thus, this story reminds me a bit of the webcomic Slightly Damned.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

No problem at all, Katie. Here's a clarification: Dwayna (yes, taken from Guild Wars, I liked it that much) DragonFire is my main character, and Terrater is the world I created long ago. But this story isn't centering on her, else the title would have something to do with dragons or some-such. Being called 'Demon Lord', this story focuses on the character Sebastian. (None of the other characters are influenced by gaming in any fashion.)

Chapter Four

Some time had passed, but finally Aria was able to return from Terrater to come visit him. There was something different about her, like her aura had almost changed in some way. But she still had that smirk of hers, one that most men would find either alluring or cynical. She bowed before Sebastian in greeting, as was the tradition between teacher and pupil.

“I felt it when you left,” she said to him, “So I know you saw my transgressions against those people. Let me say first that I'm sorry for failing you, in the fact that I decided to find enemies in everyone, that they would stand between me and that Angel. I have since learned his name is Ethan, and his reason for being on Terrater is... humorous to say the least.” She smirked even wider then, a silent laugh passing along the connection that still seemed to linger between them.

“I wish to know your experiences after I left,” replied Sebastian, “So we can go over what you've learned whilst there. Show me only what is relevant to you, as I fear I must not know the smaller details until it is necessary.” He pursed his lips a little bit, but by now he was many over the fact that his destiny would take patience and time.

“It would be my pleasure, Master,” replied Aria, her eyes flashing as she centered on their connection. The both of them slipped off into a trance, darkness overwhelming Sebastian's sight as her memories started to fill his mind. Flashes of people and different places passed by his eyes, until the chaos finally stopped and he seemed to be right where he left off when he was pushed out of his pupil's mind.

She was made to work for several different families, doing for them small tasks until the damages to their loved ones were repaid. Aria did her best to avoid the Order Angels, but there seemed to be a good amount of them here, just as there were Chaos Demons. Those memories flashed by, signifying that she had learned the lesson of peace, but they weren't all that significant to her.

The memories slowed down when she approached the Rosalina again, the perception now in her mind that at least two 'weeks' had passed. Whilst working off her debt, she had learned how the people involved perceived time here, which seemed to be measured in different increments, the smallest being a second to most. Rosalina – who made Aria do some paperwork for giving her a black eye - had explained to her that there were even smaller increments of time, but those were usually calculated for scientific purposes.

Aria had learned that there were five elements that were most prominent here on Terrater: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. It was because of the last one that the dragons were so famed, for they themselves were called Spirit Dragons, for the mastery that the 'Mother of the Spirit Dragons' had over it. Even on a planet full of fantasy, they had their own legends about the great Obsidian, who spread her influence across many different worlds – but that legend proved true in some of the people they had found in their explorations.

Being an explorer was the most revered occupation on Terrater, as it was not only dangerous for high pay, but one would be sent to the portal room to different worlds. Aria asked about the first exploration to Vehn and Vehl, and the truth was told to her at last. Angelus and Daemonem had come to Terrater at the same time to negotiate with the monarch at the time, which was the same transformed dragon whom had a statue in the graveyard. The 'Great King' Orn had lead many missions in which the explorers would rescue people or sometimes fight for the greater good.

She learned that Orn had saved a group of humans from an Earth realm that had suffered an apocalypse, and that one such human became his mate. That would explain the half-dragon queen, but the feasibility of their breeding was lost on Aria. It was probably better that way, as she didn't want to know how everything worked.

But he had died to the betrayal of his own family member, and Dwayna was left to claim the throne from its usurper. Not long after that, there was a war with a shadowy people known as the Ayx, whom began their conquest after trying to manipulate the queen directly. The war was won, but not without great consequences, as many lives were lost and the queen was left broken. It astonished Aria that she was even able to keep a calm mind after all that had happened to her.

The memories flashed by again and she approached the Science and Religion district, all her work done save for one thing. The Order Angel from before was standing at the same door he was before, welcoming people into the church of Angelus. Aria took a deep breath and approached him slowly, walking towards him as he turned his head to notice her. His face didn't change very much, as he seemed to be generally grumpy all the time.

“I'm told you are called Ethan,” said Aria, almost spitting out his name, even still. “I have made transgressions against the people of Terrater in my conquest to slay you. I will not make the same mistake again, as I have since learned that disturbing the peace is not allowed on this planet. I've been told that I am to apologize for my attempted murder on your person due to our... grudge.” Aria seemed to seethe a little bit at that, pursing her lips and simply looking at him with contempt.

“You don't seem very sorry at all,” replied Ethan, in a strangely calm sort of way, “But I have the ability to forgive... Even a Chaos Demon.” He pursed his lips even more, if that was possible, and he looked towards the inside of the church before turning his head back. Thoughts seemed to be racing through his mind, and if she listened long enough, Aria might have been able to hear them.

“I have learned the same lesson of peace that you have in coming here,” he said to Aria, “but I was not as aggressive as you were. Not on Terrater, anyway.” This intrigued her quite a bit, in so much that her iconic grin appeared on her face.

“Might I ask just what you mean by that?” asked Aria. “Obviously some aggression happened in order for you to mention it in the first place.” Ethan seemed to pale slightly, but he sighed and hung his head slightly, as if knowing she would not just leave the matter be. He must have some wisdom, thought Sebastian despite himself, Even though he looks absolutely pathetic.

“I criticized Angelus on his conduct,” he replied which made Sebastian think again on the mans wisdom. “Needless to say I was reprimanded by him. I was supposedly sent here as a punishment, which I didn't quite understand. I learned quickly that it was a beautiful world of peace, so why would I be sent here as a punishment?” Ethan pursed his lips and glared at her, his lightning blue eyes meeting her fiery red ones for the first time.

“Then I learned that there were Chaos Demons here,” he said, in an almost foreboding manner. “I learned that I was meant to be at peace with my greatest enemies. I could do nothing to harm them, else I become the enemy, and the powers here are far greater than either Angelus or Daemonem – and before you criticize me for blasphemy, I suggest you really get to know the things that live here. You will swiftly find yourself overwhelmed.”

Aria laughed a little bit under her breath at his blatant disregard for his own deity, but she was a little bit curious as to what he had seen to warrant this judgement of the All-Fathers of Vehn and Vehl. Before Ethan could say anymore, she opened her eyes to True-Seeing, looking into Ethan's memories with little regard for his privacy. He did not bother resisting, and it wasn't as if he could anyway, for True-Seeing was something that could only be stopped by Angelus and Daemonem.

“Why do you send us to war, if you wish to embrace your brother?” asked Ethan, the face of Angelus standing before him. The deity was much like Daemonem, save for the traits of the Order Angels, white hair, and small arcane markings like blue triangles underneath both his eyes. The deity seemed to be pacing back and forth in front of Ethan, as if lost in thought.

“I do not send you to war, Ethan,” replied the wizened voice of Angelus, “The Angels and Demons have been given free will by both myself and Daemonem. In their own choices, they moved against each other in the same moment, and have been at war ever since. As such, we believe that it will be their own choices that determine our futures, whether or not we can look upon each other in sadness or happiness again, whether or not we can embrace as brothers instead of wasting away in this war.”

“I am thankful that we were made with free will,” replied Ethan, “But I should think that being Gods, you could choose to work together despite our actions. What is it about this war that keeps you from embracing your brother? Surely there is more to it than what we have chosen to do.”

“No, Ethan,” replied Angelus, “We feel that we must try to support our children's choices, even if that means that we can never smile upon one another again. If there ever comes a time where Vehn and Vehl are not at war, we will be able to see our creations and smile upon them together. But ultimately, that is up to Fate to decide.”

“Is this 'Fate' really so much more than your power, that it could stop even you?” asked Ethan angrily. “If you are Gods, you should have the power to change things. Instead you leave things as they are, for the support of your children, instead of lecturing them on their wrongs. You would damn your own brother to an existence of sadness for what we have done, and in doing so you have damned us to eternal war.”

Angelus frowned then, the two arcane markings beneath his eyes beginning to glow in such a way that would make him look like he was crying. He turned and looked out at the skies of Vehn, his stare seeming to go on for eons. Ethan immediately started to regret what he had said in his anger, but it was too late to turn back on what he had said, for he saw that look in Angelus' eyes.

“I do not expect you to understand,” replied a saddened Angelus, “But you have made your hasty words against me, as I knew you would. I may not be more powerful than Fate, but I am powerful enough to teach my children the lessons they seem to miss. You have wronged me with your words, so as you have wished, I will give punishment where it is due. I will send you to Terrater, a world of peace, a sanctuary amongst the worlds, and you will learn how powerful Fate truly is.”

The memories flickered by, of Ethan entering the portal at Angelus' command, of him greeting the king in the traditional manner. King Orn at this point was still alive, and he gave Ethan a place as priest of the church of Angelus. He would welcome people into the church and give sermons to those who would listen, some of the beliefs colliding with those of the humans from other worlds. Any who wished for a seat in the church was welcome, and Ethan wondered about the punishment.

It was then he realized that the church of Daemonem was just across the street, that the Chaos Demons were literally on the doorstep of the building. But he soon learned that they often just ignored his building, almost as if it didn't exist at all. The only thing that seemed to assure him that it was all real was the occasional glare or menacing look from the Demons.

Ethan learned through time that there was a strict mandate of peace, so he lived with this fact as time started to pass by. The memories flickered again, to the castle exploding from the betrayal of Orn's family, to the queen battling the culprit who was trying to usurp the throne. Then the memories slowed again, and Aria gasped in fright as the scene unfolded before her True-Sight.

Dark shadows clouded the sky of the once peaceful planet, forming into soldiers of darkness that slew almost everyone in their path. The true warriors of Terrater stood fast and held their ground amongst the onslaught, and the shadows were pushed back, but only momentarily. They combined together in a large ball of darkness, that struck the planet with such force that the earth beneath it shook.

The person that appeared from that darkness had taken upon a striking resemblance to the queen, with black hair and glowing purple eyes. Black shadowy wings outstretched from her as she cackled with true madness, and the darkness of her wings spread outwards like arrows. Any unfortunate soul whom found themselves in the path of said arrows fell dead, and the bodies of the dead began to dissolve into the same nothingness that she was.

But a light shone in the darkness above the skies, the strange metal beings around Terrater – the ones that looked like the Gatekeeper – flying into the sky towards the darkness. The queen herself faced the being in question, and almost lost to the shadow-being, literally losing an arm and leg. But whatever those 'Androids' – that's what the people called them – were doing, they managed to stop it just in time, and the shadow screamed as she was ripped apart at the seams.

The Androids came back with a glowing box and carried the queen away, and apparently healed her as good as new several days later. The toll of the war had been taken, and the people were left to fix the destruction around them, banding together in unity to once again bring about the peace that had been there previously. The last memory was an image of a planet made of pure darkness, crumbling to pieces in a strange light before turning into a newly made spirit, the same light in the Androids box.

Aria gasped as she came out of this reverie, simply looking at the face of the man who was once her enemy, whom was simply hanging his head. He was right that the powers here were unimaginable compared to Angelus and Daemonem, that they seemed to be small Gods compared to the ones that seemed to reside here. She gained an all new respect for not only the queen, but for the Gatekeeper and her people.

“I believe I understand now,” she said to Ethan, “But that does not make me laugh any less at you. You damned yourself in that moment and I am almost happy to be your punishment. However,” she said, causing him to look up at her again, “I do not think of you as much my enemy anymore... So perhaps Angelus and Daemonem will smile on us a little bit more.”

She smiled her iconic smile at him, and for once he lifted his grumpy expression a little bit. A light seemed to encompass Ethan, at which a power surge seemed to occur within his person. Suddenly, his wings became much larger, his arcane markings rapidly spread around his body, and a halo formed itself over his head.

“What?” he asked in surprise, as the power surge dimmed and he looked at his hands in disbelief. “I... You...” He looked at her in surprise, and then that seemed to fade into a neutral expression. A single tear fell from his face, as he had been given a great blessing, and seemingly all for helping a Demon. Ethan looked at her with a new sort of respect, his wings retracting back to normal at his will.

“A Demon making me an Archangel...” he said, still in an understandable disbelief. “As much as I dislike saying so... Your presence this day has been a blessing. You are forgiven for your attempted transgression against me, Demon... Aria.” As he corrected himself, he gave her the warmest smile she had seen from him yet, and she grinned back at him.

“Congratulations on the promotion,” said the demoness, “But let's not get too ahead of ourselves. This doesn't make us friends, and I will still make fun of you for defying your God to his face. But... we are not enemies either, and I will be lenient on you in that respect if you ask it of me. Goodbye, Ethan.” She turned on her heel, but stopped for a moment as he cleared his throat.

“I noticed your daggers,” he said to her, “If you like blades, I think you should visit the bladesmith. Her shop is called Falassion's Forge.” Sebastian immediately recognized the name, but said nothing. That damned elf, he thought, It seems destiny will meet her as well.

Aria took the cryptic statement to heart and went to the market district before returning home. She looked all over, and noticed a large building with a hammer and anvil covered in 'elven runes'. There was the human speech 'Common' underneath it reading 'Falassion's Forge', a red ribbon siphoning through the letters. She walked inside, to be met with the familiar smell of fire and brimstone.

“Welcome -” said the voice of Merenwen, before she was cut off as her blue eyes met the face of her newest patron. “So, it seems you have made your way to Terrater at last. When you return to Vehl, give Sebastian my regards.” When I come to Terrater, he thought to himself, I will give you mine. A smile crept over his lips, which could be considered by some as sinister, but he had learned from these visions that he was not to disturb the peace.

“You know my Master?” questioned Aria. “I do remember seeing flashes of a face similar to yours in my dreams. That must mean that you hold True-Sight as well?”

“Indeed,” replied Merenwen, “But mine goes a bit further than those from Vehn and Vehl. Anyways, what might I do for you, since you've come to visit me? You seem to be well equipped.” The elf motioned towards the daggers, and Sebastian could see by her face she was trying to shove away the memories of his pupil looking at her with lust.

“An... acquaintance of mine recommended I visit,”Aria replied. “If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look around.” The elf nodded and motioned around at the walls, and the demoness looked around. The blades there were beautifully crafted. The perfection of the blades indicated the hard work put into them, for blades were not summoned here like on Vehn and Vehl. Each blade was engraved with elven runes, meaning there was some sort of magical property to each of them – and from what Aria knew of elven magic, those were placed there by the powers of the elf in front of her.

Aria looked at the woman in front of her with the expression of lust from his visions, as she truly admired those who put lots of work into things that they cared about. The memories faded to black just after the elf blushed, the connection between Aria and Sebastian dissipating. The atmosphere of Vehl overwhelmed their senses again, and the demoness left with the same blush on her cheeks.

 

[Cycloneblaze]

One question. Is Aria lusting after the elf, or her crafts?
I, by the way, would have thought the latter, but it's a bit unclear.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Cycloneblaze, the whole reason for leaving things off on a cliffhanger is to explain stuff in later chapters. But I can tell you that it is a little bit of both. Hopefully this chapter will satisfy your curiosity for now. (Yes, I powered through five more pages to get this out today, as it means I'm finally half-way through.)

WARNING: This chapter contains talking about sex in a round-about manner. Viewer discretion is advised.

Chapter Five

Both Aria and Sebastian had recuperated from the tiring task of memory transfer, but Sebastian was the first to recover. He was left to piece together what happened in those visions, and why his pupil had left things off where she did. His light footsteps filled his chamber as he paced, deep in thought about what had happened.

There was a certain sort of passion in Aria's eyes when she looked at Merenwen, which was strange enough as it was. This thing called 'breeding' was unknown to their kind, but from what Sebastian had understood, it happened between males and females, often of the same species. It was a blessing that the humanoids had been given their own powers of creation, but according to the jumbled thoughts he had gotten related to the subject, it was a natural occurrence.

But obviously those of the same species sometimes did not breed with each other. The half-dragon queen was evidence enough of that, and he was sure there were many of those with mixed blood on Terrater. Why would such things be looked down upon? He thought to himself, and decided to look further into that when his pupil would visit him next.

The concept of male and female was not lost on his kind entirely, but they were created solely by their All-Fathers. Therefore, even though they had the right parts, they weren't known to have children of their own. Some would often get together solely for the pleasure of the experience, but Sebastian had never chosen anyone to have the experience with. He had been much too focused on the war against Vehn to really think about that sort of thing.

Then he remembered the last vision of Aria's memory, where the two females had blushed at one another. The concept of such relationships was not unheard of on Vehl, albeit it being somewhat uncommon. Perhaps she thought that he would not approve of her liking towards this elf in such a way? It was ultimately up to her whom she chose to enjoy, and he would not step in the way of her desires.

But he could sense there was something more to the matter than just the lust for the woman in question. Merenwen had effected his pupil in some way that was lost on him, and he couldn't figure it out at all. What was so different about this passion that Aria would not want him to see into her mind any longer?

It was then he realized that she had started to learn about 'the secret' in his visions. The one I will long for... he thought to himself, cursing under his breath. It seems I have much to talk to her about.

As if on cue, familiar footsteps were coming towards him, and the now sheepish face of his pupil appeared before him. Sebastian glared at 'Aria in scrutiny, damning her with merely his eyes. How dare you keep such secrets from me, he thought, How dare you disobey my command!

“I'm sorry, Master,” she said to him, knowing his anger from merely his look. “I hid my feelings from you because I knew you would be angry at me for them. But it seems to me now that I am 'damned if I do and damned if I don't.' I will answer your questions as best as I can, but please ask me one at a time, so that I may have time to explain.” Sebastian took a deep breath, calming himself of his anger and collecting his thoughts, before looking to her once again.

“First,” he said, in an authoritative tone, “Can you try to explain to me why there seems to be a problem with this... inter-species breeding thing?” Aria looked shocked at first, but then laughed a bit.

“It is a thing called 'prejudice', My Lord,” she replied. “Some would see such things as abhorrent. Think how happy you would be if an Angel and Demon shared pleasure between one another.” The point was put across merely in that statement, as he realized that he would usually think that as an abomination. But perhaps not so much anymore, he thought, turning his eyes back to her.

“Second,” said Sebastian, “Why did you go against what our people have chosen to stand for and become more friendly with that Angel?”

“That is simple to answer,” Aria replied. “It is what our Gods have wanted all along, is it not? Daemonem would smile on us better if we were at peace with the Angels. This we have learned, so why not start on a world where we are forced to be at peace anyway?” It was a good answer indeed, one that he was quite proud of, as she stood up for her own ideals.

“Finally,” he said, at which her face seemed to fill with knowing dread, “What is it that you are so keen on hiding from me that you think would make me angrier than you hiding it from me?”

“It is my passion for Merenwen,” she replied flat out, knowing she could not lie to him. “It is more than just the base lust of the Demons. I felt something that made me want to stay there with her, and never return. It would make you angry because it made me feel like I would forsake my allegiance to you, if only to stay in that moment, where I would admire her forever.”

Sebastian was at a loss for words, for he had never heard of such a thing. Passion so great, that one would forsake their Masters, and perhaps their own God? He realized that there was no specific rule of Daemonem's that would tie her to him indefinitely, but he would indeed be betrayed of her loyalty. Such a thing would infuriate him, and his temper started to spark again despite himself.

“You would forsake your own master for that... elf?” he shouted. “For this thing that is more than lust, more than passion? Such a thing cannot exist, else we would know of it, so do not give yourself away to such foolish thoughts.”

“But Master,” she replied, “Even though we were given the gift of knowledge from Daemonem, we do not know everything. If we were meant to, we would also have known that he was the brother of Angelus, and that they wished to smile on each other and end this war.”

“Fine,” he replied to her, still fuming. “If you would forsake me so easily, then go back to your safe-haven on Terrater, with your elf.” A voice in his mind was trying to remind him that this was the secret he was supposed to be learning, but that voice had dissolved behind a wall of anger that he refused to lower until she redeemed herself in his eyes.

“As you wish, my Lord,” she replied, albeit reluctantly. “But I am still loyal to you. I will follow your other tenants always. I will still slay my foes in your name, and if you would still wish it, I would visit you. But if you truly do not wish for me to be your pupil any longer, you must give me your Rite of Passage, if you have prepared it for me.”

“Very well,” he said to her, still with a bit of malice, though most of it had gone. “I did prepare for this moment, for I knew it would come. I, Sebastian, Demon Lord of Aria, release my bonds to her as Teacher and Master. She has learned all I would have to teach her, and now she must learn on her own right. May the Fires never fade from your soul. So may it be!”

The connection between them left, and he swiftly turned from his former pupil, leaving her to herself. Aria shed a tear of her own, but left nonetheless, free to be a Chaos Demon of her own right. The familiar footsteps faded for what he believed to be the last time, the anger turning into a furious sadness not long afterwards.

He made his way to Daemonem's chamber, finding the deity deep in meditation, as was the usual. The All-Father opened his eyes, looking towards Sebastian with the sympathy of a parental figure whom had just lost their child. The God floated down from his place above and came to his feet in front of the Demon Lord, who was again troubled by his thoughts.

“It seems time has passed by so quickly,” said the deity, “Aria has already learned a lesson you could not teach her, for you haven't learned it yourself. From her thoughts, you have learned that I am not all-powerful, as many would assume. My brother and I are but simple creation Gods compared to the scale of Terrater's deities, and this has no doubt left you in conflict with not only your faith in me, but your faith in general.”

“If that were completely true, All-Father,” Sebastian replied, “I would not have come to you in my time of desperation. You are still my creator, the one who breathed life into me, and I still respect your power over me. However, I am... conflicted, to say the least.”

“I thought you might be, my child,” said Daemonem, “So I will do my best to quiet your mind for the time being. Ask, and I will reveal what I am meant to at this time.”

“That's what I wanted to talk to you about,” said Sebastian, “All this talk of my 'destiny'. I don't even believe in destiny, and yet I seem to be effected by events that are out of my control. My pupil has left me for what seems to be a foolish reason, but the previous conversations I have had have lead me to believe that what she has found might not be so foolish. How am I supposed to know what to believe in, when an all-defining force like this 'Fate' has a say?”

“Fate is indeed powerful,” replied Daemonem, “But the outcome of Fate is defined by our actions. You have been given a glimpse as to what your future can become, if you follow the right path. Because of your gift of True-Sight, you have already learned many lessons that will lead you down the right path. Whether you follow in the same footsteps of Destro or make your own footsteps is your choice, but Fate will decide the outcome of those footsteps.”

“I guess it's nice to have some say in the matter,” replied Sebastian, his anger finally fading. “It is also good to know that I'm learning the lessons I should be. But still there are things called Fate and destiny standing in my way, and I cannot yet learn this strange secret.”

“That is because you wish to learn it for the wrong reasons,” said the deity, “Unfortunately, that seems to have left my own foresight. You merely wish to learn the secret for the sake of learning the secret, not because you are in genuine thought doing so. There are two more things you must do before going to Terrater to learn your destiny.”

“Please,” replied the Demon Lord, “I will do anything, as I find myself longing to know this secret, as has been predicted. I want to long for this secret in the right way, so show me the light. Yours is the truest of sight, even if you are not perfect in your ways. I would know whatever you will tell me, so that I may embrace this destiny instead of running from it.”

“That is what I wanted to hear, my child,” replied Daemonem, with a fanged grin. “First, let out the anger you have harboured inside of you. Perhaps when the next war comes, you will be able to find an outlet, though it does not have to be through fighting. There you will find someone you have been longing to talk to.” Justice, thought Sebastian, nodding his head in understanding.

“Second, you will wait for your former pupil to return,” he said to him, holding his hand up to keep Sebastian from speaking. “She will come back to you, although it will be on her own time. Let Aria share her experiences with you, and she will ask something important of you. It will not only affirm her loyalties to you, but you will ask if you can finally join her there, and it is then that I will let you embrace your destiny.”

Sebastian took a deep breath, and nodded his head again, albeit a bit bitterly at the moment. Part of him regretted forsaking his pupil so rashly, but she had been the one that was so willing to forsake him in the first place. That damned elf... he thought to himself again, I long for the moment we will meet in person, so we will finally have words.

“Thank you, All-Father,” he said to Daemonem. “You have given me some hope in this time of uncertainty. I will wait until the next war comes upon us and look for the signs you have told me of. I hope to learn the lessons you would want me to.”

“It is not only me who will want them,” replied Daemonem cryptically, “But to say anymore would be to give away too much. Go, learn your lessons and find your Angels.” Why he made such a statement a plural was lost on Sebastian, but he figured it might have just been a slip of the tongue. He bowed before his deity and left, not seeing the knowing smile behind him.

Some time passed, but the next war came, and Sebastian went to the battlefield again. For some reason, when he looked up at Vehn, he felt different feelings stirring within his person. It wasn't so much hatred anymore as it was contempt, and perhaps that said enough about it in the end. He stayed back and watched, to see if any signs would come to him, as he figured destiny could come to him for once.

A white and blue streak appeared across the sky from behind the legions of angels approaching, and he felt compelled to follow it, as that sort of thing had not happened before. It went to an area outside the battlefield, out of the line of sight of the Angels and Demons, and stopped to turn towards him. The face of Justice slowly smiled as he approached, looking at her a bit differently than before. It was strange, that someone who was once his enemy could become... An acquaintance of mine.

“Sebastian,” said her calming tone. “So much time has passed, but looking at you like this, it seems so little. You have grown so much already, and I see you took my words to heart. It seems Fate has made us meet again, so I assume you have words for me. Whether they be good or bad, I will hear them.”

“I do have words, Justice,” he acknowledged, albeit reluctantly. “I wanted to... thank you. For turning my life around in the right direction. I may not know all of what destiny has in store for me, but... I know the value of honor. My former pupil expressed to me that getting along with your kind is what our Gods truly want, so I suppose I can let some of my hatred go for an Angel who has helped me.”

“It is good that you have begun to see the errors of your ways,” replied Justice, in a different sort of tone. “But the actions we take can change the direction of Fate. I sense that you are no longer as hateful towards my kind. Perhaps I can push that further into liking us?”

“How do you propose doing so?” asked Sebastian. “Perhaps I don't hate you any longer, but that does not mean I should like you so easily.”

“Ah, but we are not so different,” replied the Angel, in a tone laced with a little bit of lust. “We have the same sorts of physiology also. I can show you what you've given up on all these years to focus on the war. We can experience what would be considered forbidden pleasure, and you could choose whether or not I would effect your life from then on.”

Justice gently touched his chest, her blue eyes looking deep into his red orbs. For a moment, he thought about giving into such things, to forsake his hatred for a moment that could define the future of Vehn and Vehl. But then he remembered his supposed destiny, the symbol of the snowflake shining brighter than the memory of the light in his soul. Sebastian reached up to grasp the hand on his chest, but only to pull it away and drop it from his person.

“Something inside of me is telling me that you are not the one I am meant to give that honor to,” he replied. “I do not think I could ever feel passion towards one who had once been my enemy. Consider this my refusal of such an offer.” Sebastian pursed his lips, but Justice seemed to smile at him even though she had just been rejected.

“Then you have learned the lesson you were meant to learn from me,” she affirmed. “You want the secret that your pupil has learned after all... That thing that is more than passion. Maybe even more than your loyalties to Daemonem.”

“My loyalties to him will never change,” he growled. “This thing that is more than passion will not effect me so much that I would forsake my creator. That is what I did not agree with when my pupil left me, and I will not change my faith in the All-Father or anyone else whom I would care about.”

“I admire your convictions, then,” replied Justice. “But your former pupil did not betray you. She found a secret that you chose to call her foolish for, and she stood by her beliefs. Is that not what you wanted of her, and what you would be proud of? If Daemonem and Angelus would want to smile together, I would think Daemonem would want her to have this emotion, for Angelus would.”

“Siblings do not always agree with each other,” replied Sebastian. “But I can see that they would want that sort of thing. I never realized before, but... the reason you defeated me in the first place is because you are an Archangel. You are of the closest ranks to Angelus, and you seem to know him well. Can you give me some insight on this subject?”

“Both siblings can see Fate weaving its lines, and both have an influence in advising their children which of Fate's paths to take,” explained Justice. “They do want a peace between our people, but they would rather we work towards it on our own free will. I did not come here by pure chance, Sebastian. Angelus commanded it of me, and told me I was to give you guidance. If you had taken my offer, you would have gone down a different path of Fate, and ended up somewhere else, where you might not have wanted to be. But by the lessons you have learned, you chose the different path, the one that will end up making you happy.”

“Thank you,” he replied, wholeheartedly. “Just one more question. Do you know what this emotion is called? Or am I not to know yet?”

“Aria would have told you,” said Justice, “But I am your loophole, and it is called 'love'.”

 

[Cycloneblaze]

and it is called 'love'.”

I thought so.
Now I want to read more =o
This chapter was a good one. I'd like to see how Sebastian will react to his (former) pupil loving that elf he hates so much right now.

Anyway, you're making good progress! Keep it up, I'm sure you'll finish before the deadline.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Thanks, Cycloneblaze! I appreciate the support.
I'm powering through these chapters now to meet the deadline. Here's hoping I have enough inspiration to finish my story before the end of January.

Chapter Six

Sebastian parted the battlefield after thanking Justice again, many thoughts filling his mind. It wasn't as if the word 'love' meant anything to him, but the emotion it seemed to be attached to was baffling, to say the least. It would make some willing to sacrifice their previous ties, but Aria had merely said that she felt like doing so. She didn't say she would betray him, and he realized he had acted rashly.

But if he really thought about it, it wasn't really his fault for reacting like that. Up until that moment, in his culture nothing was more than passion, but some who enjoyed in each other did stay together. There was nothing keeping them from leaving each other, however - or so he thought. If something like love existed, then maybe there was more to those relationships than he previously believed.

He had not experienced such pleasure, so how was he to know for sure what it was like? If Sebastian didn't even know what it was, how was he right to judge it in the first place? Those are the thoughts that filled his mind, attached with lectures to himself about how he could be so... prejudiced.

But then again, there was the fact that his former pupil had this 'love' for the elf that had alluded to more of his destiny and come into his dreams. From what she had said, however, it was him who had come into her dreams, and she was merely responding to the intrusion. Merenwen seemed to have the wisdom of many years upon her, or so humans would have said.

There must be more to it, he thought. Surely it could not have been so simple as an admiration for her handiwork. In a certain way, he was hoping Aria would return, so that she could tell him what it all meant. Sebastian had given her the Rite of Passage, so she was not his pupil any longer, but she had said she would come to visit.

It took much more time before the familiar footsteps came down his cavern, his former pupil approaching with a neutral look on her face. As she approached, he noticed something different about her attire, albeit being small, it still had a strangely familiar aura to it. On her neck, there was a small golden chain with a white sphere of what looked to be stone in it, a stark contrast to anything that would be on Vehl.

“Sebastian,” she said, after some hesitation, “I have come to ask you something of importance.” So this was indeed the moment he had been waiting for, but he would not indulge in that knowledge just yet. He had to know some things to be fully prepared for going to Terrater, wanting to know just what had happened in however long it had been, for it looked like Aria had also been gone for some time now.

“I must ask of your time spent on Terrater first,” Sebastian said to her, “But first let me ask your forgiveness for my rash actions. I saw Justice again, and she told me that a such thing as 'love' existed, and suddenly I felt ashamed for my reaction.”

“I have already forgiven you,” Aria replied with a smile. “I would be happy to share with you my experiences on Terrater, including what I left out from last time. It has been at least a few years since I last saw you, though that means nothing on Vehl. It seems that now I have become the teacher.”

She smirked at this, and he rolled his eyes slightly, but nonetheless there seemed to be a new understanding between them. They both sat on the ground of his cavern, Aria's eyes blazing a little bit before closing. The memories started to flow into his mind again, flashes coming before his vision.

The flashes organized before his vision, and Sebastian found himself back on Terrater, supposedly not long after Aria had met the elf for the first time. Some time had passed since they saw each other last, for the demoness had walked out of the shop in confusion. As she walked back into the shop, she nervously began a new conversation.

“I admire those who put a lot of work into things,” said Aria, “Forgive me if my expression was inappropriate. Chaos Demons only know base pleasure, so my lust got the better of me.” But it feels like something different, came the thought, like a whisper that resounded in her mind. The elf seemed to clear her throat a little bit, the blush still noticeable on such fair colored skin.

“I didn't know that Chaos Demons were so open about that sort of thing,” she replied, “Some humans see such things as wrong. They would think your lust an abomination.”

“Why?” Aria questioned. “I have seen how they act in this society, so why is my lust any different than theirs? I should think that in a world like this, people would be more accepting of each other.”

“They usually are more accepting,” replied Merenwen, “But there are flaws to every race. It is not the lust that would be looked down upon, it is whom you would lust after. It is not a well known thing to happen in elven culture either, let alone lusting at all.” Her face seemed to redden all the more again, as if this subject was embarrassing or taboo, which it could be considered in her culture. Elves didn't exactly have a lot of excerpts about pleasure in their literature.

“You mean that a demon cannot lust after an elf?” asked Aria, “But I have seen so many different species together.”

“Cross-species relationships are actually sort of new here,” said the elf, “But it is not that either. It is the fact that we are both female. Humans have a fascination with breeding, even if it is inter-species. Usually that can only happen between a female and a male, so...” She left off there, hoping Aria could fill in the blanks.

“So because we cannot feasibly breed,” replied the demoness, a sudden epiphany coming to her. “Such a thing would be looked down upon.”

“More like frowned upon,” said Merenwen, “This is an accepting society, after all. It is mostly a human thing, but some other cultures have the same sort of prejudice. But here on Terrater, by law one can get married to someone of the same gender.”

“Married?” asked a perplexed Chaos Demon. “What is 'married'?”

“Marriage is a union of two people who want to stay together forever,” said the elf. “When people come together out of more than just lust and have a ceremony performed to tie them together, that is when they are married. It can come of a feeling that is more than passion, which here is called 'love'. Since your kind only has... base pleasure... I'd imagine such a concept is foreign to you.”

“Indeed,” replied Aria, “I didn't even know such a thing existed. But I can see it now... why even after fighting, someone would still remain in the presence of another person. This thing called 'love' is a powerful emotion to do such a thing, to make one forget their anger and reconcile without further note of their quarrel.”

“Not only that, but they can have several fights,” said Merenwen, “It is their tenacity to get through the tough times together that keeps them loving each other. If they cannot survive, then people usually separate and try to move on. Getting married is a serious commitment to another person.”

“I can see that now,” said Aria, with a nod. “It is an interesting concept, to say the least. Thank you for explaining it to me. I realized that I don't exactly know your name. Mine's Aria, if that helps.” The Chaos Demon grinned her iconic grin, but the elf didn't seem too fazed by it.

“My name is Merenwen Falassion,” she said, “But you can call me Meren for short.”

“I've noticed that there is a trend with having more than one name,” said the demoness, “With Chaos Demons, we are usually only given one name. Why do you have two?”

“In many cultures, people have what is called a family name,” replied the elf, “You were made directly from a deity, so you consider him your All-Father. Those who have children often give their names to their children, so they will be remembered. To differentiate between two people who have the same first name, there is usually a last name as well, so people know who's who.”

“Efficient,” remarked Aria, “I like this system of different names. Tell me, are there others with the name Aria?”

“I have met a few, yes,” replied Meren. “Why do you ask?”

“Perhaps I should make myself different from them,” said the demoness. “Am I allowed to make for myself a 'last' name?”

“I suppose you could,” she replied, “It would certainly be interesting for a Chaos Demon to pick another name for themselves. I know the Order Angels also have just first names, and Ethan picked a last name for himself... Torke, I believe.”

“What a strange name,” said Aria, with a giggle. “I think I shall search for this name, and return when I have found it.”

As Aria turned on her heel, the memories flashed by to her walking around in a strange sort of area. It was filled with what was known as 'trees', and because of that was called a 'forest'. Eyes peered out from the darkness, which were defined as 'dryads', a people who were connected to some of the trees in the forest. Sebastian decided to ignore some of the facts flooding into his mind, as he was sure there was a point to being here in the first place.

Aria liked the soft ground beneath her feet, a startling change from the stone floors of the city and the ground of Vehl as well. She bent down and found that she could take some of the ground into her hand. The strangely soft substance was amazing, and she was in awe of everything around her.

“That is called earth,” said a feminine voice, at which Aria started slightly. She turned to see a female dryad, who's skin was brown like 'tree bark' and hair as green as the 'leaves'. “Your world is absent from this form of nature, so it is small wonder why it is so startling. Try not to take too much of it, for the soil is enriching to my people, as is the light of the four suns and the water that falls from the sky. What brings you here, child of Daemonem?”

“I was trying to find a name for myself,” replied Aria, a little bit intrigued that a dryad would know the name of her All-Father. “A last name. My name is Aria, but I wanted to be different from those of the same name. I came here and I was amazed by the trees, but I am more amazed by this... 'earth', as you call it.”

“I am the eldest of the dryads, and the dryads have another name for it,” replied the woman. “I am an 'Earth Explorer', so my people call me Terradora. If you like the earth itself, then perhaps you would like the name Terra?”

“It sounds good to me,” said Aria, the memories fading again as she flashed her iconic grin. Aria appeared before Meren again, after she had spoken with Sebastian about her feelings. She had thought much of the elf during her search, confused as to why, but nonetheless intrigued. Maybe I am feeling this thing that is more than passion, she thought to herself. Maybe I love her.

“You spoke with Terradora,” said an astonished Meren, “She not only came to you of her own will, but she actually told you to call yourself after the earth? Do you know what an honor that is, coming from a dryad, a creature who is one with nature?”

“She said to pick that name if I liked the earth so much,” replied the demoness. “I didn't think it meant any more than that. But I don't know the dryads or how they work, just that they are – as you said – one with nature.”

“Perhaps I have misjudged you, then,” said the elf. “Terradora is an extremely good judge of character. If she told you to name yourself after the earth, then it is a great honor that she has given you, albeit your not knowing that. Forgive me for sticking to my old prejudice.”

“It's hard for me to believe someone such as you would be prejudiced at all,” replied Aria, “You seem very accepting of others.”

“I may seem that way, but I in fact don't think much of people these days,” said Meren. “I am several million years of age and I still hold true to what I am and where I came from. I was a paladin of my world, a holy soldier if you will. I fought in the name of my god, and strove to wipe out all evil. In that setting, those who would call themselves 'demons' were considered evil, as the world was held in a never-ending war against the forces of darkness. I judged you for your species, and now that I have seen the light inside of you, I would ask your forgiveness.”

“Of course I'll forgive you,” said a smiling Aria. “Sometimes our past can come back to haunt us. I do not hold a grudge against you for judging me so. I admire you for standing up for what you believe in. I did so to my Master, and I am now his former pupil.” She still seemed saddened by this, which Meren seemed to notice.

“Might I ask the reason behind this sudden change of heart from Sebastian?” said the elf. “Why would he set you free from his bonds so rashly?”

“I expressed to him some emotions,” replied the blushing demoness. “I cannot lie to someone with True-Sight, so... I believe that I am feeling something that is more than passion for you. Since such a thing does not exist on Vehl, he shunned me for something that he thought was foolish. If you don't care for me in the same way, then I will mourn for two losses, but I will move on eventually.”

“It is still uncommon,” said Meren, who was also blushing, “But... I will think on it. It has been long since I had such emotion towards anyone, especially one such as you. If you truly feel that way, I ask that you wait for my response.”

“I will,” replied Aria, nodding her head slightly as the memories jumped themselves forward again. Flashes of different wondrous worlds came and went, indicating that she had gone exploring into the portals. Sometimes Meren was there, watching her progress from afar, admiring the steps that Aria had taken to become a respectable citizen in Terrater. The memories slowed again and the elf approached the demoness, with a blush on her cheeks.

“Two things,” said Meren. “First, I've decided that I would like to try to get through things together. In human terms, this would be considered horribly informal, but...” She stopped and produced two pendants, seemingly crafted by the elf herself. When one looked at the back of them, the same elven rune was attached to the pendants.

“I've made these to connect us together,” she said. “Put your pendant on and it will fill with the energies of your soul, as will mine. When they are finished connecting to us, we will trade pendants, essentially giving each other our essence. When we wish to see each other or call on each others aid, all it takes is a press of the button, and we will be able to come to the others side in an instant. It is a symbol of attachment in my culture... of what would be considered to some as 'marriage'.”

“I'm honored,” replied a blushing Aria, who put the pendant she was given around her neck. Hers changed to a silver pendant with a black stone in the middle, and Meren's was the golden one with the white stone that Sebastian had seen. So that's why the aura seemed familiar, he thought, and then focused back on the intriguing exchange. The two swapped pendants after the transfer was finished, and were connected together in the elven way.

“You'll be more honored when I tell you the second thing,” Meren replied, after fixing her pendant around her neck. “I think that the way you handle yourself is spectacular, so I've referred you to the royal knights. You have long since been forgiven of your criminal past, and my word is greatly considered in the queen's court. It means you'll not only be working for Terrater, but also alongside me from time to time.”

“I would still serve Daemonem as well,” said Aria, “But I would love to join the royal knights, if Dwayna would accept me. Is there a ceremony involved?”

“More or less,” replied the elf. “Dwayna herself would be knighting you, and I would be there for moral support. If you want to bring anyone else, that's up to you. Maybe invite your former Master, if he's willing to forgive you.” Aria looked a little bit sad to be reminded of such a thing, but a new sort of resolve filled her.

“It would be nice if he did,” said the demoness, “But there's no guarantee to that. I will ask him all the same, and see if Daemonem would allow such a thing. We must have permission from our All-Father to come here, after all.”

“Good luck,” said Meren, “Obsidian guide you.” That must be the God she serves, thought Sebastian, as the memories faded with a chaste kiss between the two. Vehl came back to them again, but this time Aria looked upon him with a smile at the information she had shared. She bowed out from his chambers, so that the both of them might rest before he made his decision.

 

[Linkachu]

I'm powering through these chapters now to meet the deadline. Here's hoping I have enough inspiration to finish my story before the end of January.

How many words are you at now, Dway?

I think you've already surpassed everyone else around 'Charms for writing a quality story this quickly, but definitely rooting for you to hit that 50 page mark and finish! Gogogo!

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

I'm pretty sure that this chapter will put me over 20,000+ words, Katie. I don't know how I do it, I just do. >>;

Anyway. THREE MORE CHAPTERS. THREE MORE DAYS. LET'S DO THIS.

Chapter Seven

When Sebastian woke next, his thoughts returned to Aria and her request. It was his destiny to follow through with what Daemonem had said, but he also had the power to change his own destiny. He could remain on Vehl, alone and forgotten, or he could go to Terrater and see for himself what he had only caught glimpses of. It was an easy decision, so he got up from his place of power, turning back only once to keep the memory of his home intact.

He made his way to Daemonem's chamber, a new sort of resolve filling him as he went. There was no hesitation as he entered, looking at the deity as he paced from side to side. Daemonem turned to look at Sebastian, a smile spreading over his face with a knowing look.

“It is time,” said the deity, “Aria has made her request to me, and I am ready to let you go into Terrater. But I must tell you something before you go. You think yourself malevolent and unforgiving, but you have proven to be the opposite many times. Terrater itself would destroy you if you truly held the tenants of Destro in your heart, but you have seen the light. I would trust you to go to this peaceful world, but only if you want to fulfill your destiny.”

“I've thought about it at length, All-Father,” replied Sebastian. “I will embrace my destiny and go to Terrater. I will uphold their standards of peace, but that does not mean I will always be so amiable. I am filled with darkness, and the light that resides within me is small, but it will be good enough for this world. I am as ready as I think I will ever be to go, so send me along to my destiny.”

“Remember what you have learned,” said Daemonem in a stern tone. “I will be in your heart always, but it is Fate that will guide you on Terrater, whether you like it or not. The events that are meant to take place will come crashing down around you if you try to escape, so if you think yourself truly ready to embrace them, I have no further quarrel with you.”

As Sebastian was lead towards the portal, a small part of him thought that he wasn't ready after all. I can no longer run, for Fate will not let me, he thought. As loyal as I am to Daemonem, in the long run his guidance will only be the words that he has already told me. Fate is the one who will guide me on Terrater, and whether or not I believe in such a thing, it exists.

The portal was opened before him, and he had to take a deep breath before stepping forward to collect his courage. As soon as he got out on the other side, he felt a sudden welcoming presence that dissipated as he breathed in the magical air. The pure energy of it filled his senses, making him feel invigorated, but he had learned enough of controlling his emotions to not let it overtake him.

The Gatekeeper was hovering overhead, just like in the visions of Aria, but she did not come down to greet him. His former pupil was standing just outside, smiling at him in a pleasant way. Something about this place made his eyes gravitate towards her belt for a second, where he noticed an addition he hadn't seen before. It was a silver circle with a red stone inside of it, and he felt that it had a connection to this place.

“It's my mark of citizenship,” said Aria knowingly, which made his eyes flick back to her face. “I'm happy that you came through safely. Those who are truly dark do not survive the transfer or are blocked from this place. If you want to be staying here, you'll need to get one of your own, but the tradition is to see the queen for that sort of thing. If you like, I can take you there right away.”

“Please do,” said Sebastian, “I've seen enough of this place from your mind to not need a tour.” Aria giggled softly at that, but nonetheless beckoned for him to follow her. He took one last glance at the portal room, seeing that it was indeed more startling than the visions had portrayed. It must be a matter of perspective, thought Sebastian, as he left the building with the demoness.

It was morning, so the sky was blue and the yellow sun was up in the sky. The outside was what many would consider beautiful, but Sebastian barely knew what beauty was. In the simplest of terms, he was as much in awe of the place as he was when he first saw the view of the warring planets back in his dimension. The humongous shadow of the castle was in the distance, which soon turned to it's emerald and silver colors as they approached.

Sebastian soon found himself inside the throne room, which was a bit strange. It was as if he had been deliberately distracted by the sights around him so that he wouldn't be paying attention. He furrowed his brow and pursed his lips slightly, looking a bit dissatisfied with himself. I have already fallen to Fate's whim, he thought with a grimace.

Dwayna looked to be in a bit more royal attire this time, a silver tiara with emerald gems placed on her head. She wore a long green dress, which complimented the draconic attributes she had suddenly grown. She obviously had inherited the ability to change herself like the dragons, for she was not the human vision Sebastian had seen from Aria. She had scales on patches of her skin, draconic ears, a pair of wings and a tail.

“Welcome to Terrater, Sebastian,” said the queen. “Well met. Since you are here, I may as well tell you my decision. Aria will become a royal knight under my court, as per recommendation of Merenwen. We are all here, so I will begin the ceremony. Step forward, Aria Terra, Chaos Demon.”

As Aria stepped forward, Meren stepped up to stand beside Sebastian. The elf gave him a knowing glance, a small smile appearing for a moment before she turned to look at the demoness. Emotion crossed her face, but since Sebastian did not understand just yet, he did not know what such a look could entail. It was different from passion, but it had passion in it, so it must have been a loving glance, one that he might give in the future. He shook his head slightly from the impossibility of such a thing, and turned to watch the ceremony himself.

“It is my great honor,” said Dwayna, “That this day, I invoke my right to reward this servant of my throne. May your Spirit live on always, and may your presence never fade from our memories. By my right as Queen, I hereby induct you into the Royal Knights of Terrater. May Fate guide you to victory.” It seemed more like ritualistic words to say rather than ones she would make up on the spot, which was the difference between this ceremony and the unique Chaos Demon's Rites of Passage to their pupils.

Dwayna produced a green shape that came to his memory as being called a 'diamond'. She pressed it to the waiting Aria, who stood with respect, but still with her iconic smile. Sebastian was a bit curious, so he looked to Meren, at the same place over the heart. There was a pin with a silver diamond being held by two different dragons, one green with a silver eye and the other black with a purple eye.

Sebastian was too curious for his own good sometimes. He decided to look at the pin more closely with True-Sight, and the weight of millions of years suddenly hit his mind. He only caught glimpses because of the elf's protections, but he did catch some things. Her God was in fact a Goddess, a black dragon with purple eyes and soulgem, and the green dragon was her son - the Great King Orn.

He looked then, to Dwayna, who was half of Orn's blood, as was now obvious to him. It seems we are not unlike each other, in that respect, he thought. We are both descendants of deities, though our deities are very different from each other. Meren gave him a knowing look, but said nothing as Aria bowed before the Queen and turned to walk towards the both of them.

“We can consume food,” said an excited Aria to Sebastian, “So we're able to go out and celebrate with Meren. Would you like to join us?” He thought about it slightly, but then he remembered the two sharing the chaste kiss in the vision. I probably shouldn't disturb them, he thought, shaking his head.

“Go,” he said, giving a knowing glance back at Meren. “Celebrate with your elf. I have other business to attend to.” Aria seemed to shrug a little bit at that, as if it wasn't any big loss. The demoness turned and left, the paladin giving him a warning glare before leaving herself. He turned back toward Dwayna, who greeted him with a smile.

“I assume you wish to follow through with the wishes of Daemonem?” she asked him, chuckling slightly at his startled expression. “Yes, I have spoken to him about your arrival. Those who come to Terrater from Vehn and Vehl rarely go back, for the ongoing war is undesirable compared to the peace we offer. I mean no offence to you, of course.”

“None taken,” Sebastian replied. “But I am a little bit confused by your statement. You said that Daemonem had wishes?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “He told me that Fate has guided you here, that you are meant to fulfill your destiny. Fate guides many here, but it seems that it has been focusing much on you throughout your life. You're meant to learn many lessons, so I would invite you to live amongst my people, as a full citizen of Terrater.”

“It would be my honor,” he said, with a nod of his head out of respect for her authority. “It does not make me any less loyal to Daemonem to be a citizen in your land.”

“By all means, be loyal to him as well as me,” Dwayna said with a smile. “Daemonem is a friend of Terrater, as is Angelus. I know of their struggle and hope that one day, Vehn and Vehl can be at peace.”

“It will be a long way off,” he retorted, but she didn't seem to mind. She handed him a necklace, silver and green like hers. The presence that seemed to come from it reminded him of this place, but he felt his True-Sight blocked from such things. Whatever the presence was, it was powerful - and from what he had seen of the Archangel Ethan, he believed that.

“This is your mark of citizenship,” she said to him. “It will bind to your spirit, and you will become one with Terrater and its people. After that, it can become any clothing item or accessory you wish. Just think of it, and press the button.” He nodded in understanding, putting the pendant on, in which a strange power rushed through him and gave him a vision.

It was a woman who looked like the dryad Terradora, the brown skin of earth and green hair of leaves. The features seemed to be a combination of the monarchs he had seen – Obsidian, Orn and Dwayna. The large black wings of the dragon Goddess seemed to wrap around the feminine figure, whom opened her eyes to look at him. Her ever-changing eyes were what some would call a beautiful sight, a small welcoming smile coming over her lips before the vision faded.

“Terrater has welcomed you,” said Dwayna, motioning towards his pendant. There was a black stone instead of a green one, but the chain had remained silver. Sebastian was still reeling from the fact that the planet itself was alive and seemed to have a mind of its own. Aria had said that the planet destroys some people, he thought, glad to be spared of the planet's wrath.

“I'll be happy to send someone by to help you find a place to stay,” the queen continued. “For now, your pendant also serves as something we call a 'personal bank account'. Here on Terrater, you can earn something called money for doing work, and if you get enough you can buy things. But you can worry about that sort of thing later – just stay at one of the local hotels until I send someone over. Don't worry about telling me where you'll be staying, the pendant records everything for our systems. Good luck, and welcome to Terrater, Sebastian.”

Dwayna had answered basically any question he might have had as he thought them up, which meant she either had great foresight to plan her speeches, or she had some True-Sight in her as well. She was also protected from his gaze, perhaps more so than Meren, but he had seen enough from Aria's visions. She gave him a black diamond, which signified 'great favour' on her planet. He bowed his head again in thanks and turned on his heel, walking back out of the castle and into the streets of the main city.

Sebastian asked around for recommendations and got mixed results, but eventually he picked a hotel to stay in. He had decided to change his pendant into a little pin on his chest, putting it opposite his black diamond pin. The man at the front of the hotel greeted him kindly, putting a device up to it that gave off a strange light. A key and a room number was given to him, and he was told where to go when he asked it of the man.

He went to the room, which was different than his cavern in Vehl, but it would have to do. He laid down in the 'bed' and rested his mind from the startling vision he had earlier. But it was more than just a vision, Sebastian thought as he went to sleep, Terrater welcomed me itself, and I am one with it and its people.

The Demon Lord woke the next morning, having recuperated quicker than he thought. Back in Vehl, it might have taken a few days, but the air here was more than just invigorating. It is made from magic itself, came the voice of Rosalina from his memory, Those who are not magically inclined are changed by it, and some are cruel enough in their minds that Terrater judges them unworthy of such power. Those who already have power and would misuse it would find themselves restricted.

It was then Sebastian realized his pendant was glowing, and he felt inclined to press it. When he did, a strange metal case appeared in front of him and opened, a display screen shining before his eyes. The white light that came from it was reminiscent of the strange metal beings – the Androids inner light – and it was small wonder, for this looked to be something that would come from them. The white light formed into the face of his former pupil, who smiled at him.

“Hello,” she greeted, almost comically. “This is your communicator. You can fiddle around with it to contact people you know in Terrater. Dwayna gave me your number, so I thought I might call you to see how you're doing.”

“Fine,” Sebastian retorted, “Especially since I'm confused more and more by the minute. But I expect I'll be told how everything works eventually. The queen mentioned something about work, and getting a place to stay, but I don't know what it all means.”

“Not to worry,” said Aria, “All in good time. For now, just sit back and relax. Let them come to you when they will. Think about what you might like to do to help around here, whether it be exploring to other worlds or something mundane like cooking or cleaning.” Such words were foreign to him, as Chaos Demons had no need to eat or hygienic problems to worry about.

“There are orientations as well for those who are a bit lost on that subject,” explained the demoness, at which he was relieved. “You can always look around and see what you might like to do. Maybe try out some food while you're thinking. It's simply divine, and the fires inside of us just burn it away. I happen to know a good place not too far away from you.”

Aria gave him directions to follow, and he decided he might as well give such a thing a try. He walked out of the hotel, nodded slightly to the man at the counter and headed out in the direction She had told him to. Sebastian found the place soon enough, a place called the 'Black Rose', having a black symbol on the entryway which he assumed was the rose in question.

When he walked in, the atmosphere was strangely warming. He felt right at home as someone led him to an empty table, sounds playing in the air that some had called 'music'. It was a changing vibration of noise that sounded invigorating one moment and sad another, as if speaking to him about a war long since passed.

Sebastian ordered the first thing he saw, being something called 'pork and rice'. Whilst he was waiting, he fell into the sound of the music, almost feeling himself drift off peacefully to sleep. Then the noise sped up again, and some of the people around him started clapping along to it. Beyond the sea of hands, he couldn't see where the music was coming from, so instead he turned to his meal.

The pork was brown and he could cut it with the sharp knife provided, the other metal thing looking like several small knives sticking out of a curve. It was described as a 'fork', which he could use to put the food into his mouth for consumption, as well as the small white things that was the rice. He took a bite of each, finding that they melted into his mouth in a way that he had never experienced. Sebastian was told that the feeling was described as 'delicious', and he definitely had to experience more of that.

As he was savouring every bite, the clapping suddenly rushed into action, the music having stopped. After the noise of people's hands dissipated, he took a moment to look away from his meal as the next song started. A melodious tune met his ears, and familiarity seemed to set in when he looked at the source of it.

A feminine figure was pulling a stylized stick with a wire over several other wires, her other hand moving to touch certain places on said wires. The woman in question was wearing a pink dress with black detailing, a strange contrast that seemed to work. A pink collar with small spikes and a black rose symbol rested on her pale neck, matching the pink hair atop her head. Behind her glasses, her eyes were closed at the moment, but it was obvious by the look of her that she was a changed human. Pink wasn't exactly a natural hair color to have, after all.

Whomever the woman was, she played music well with the brown thing on her shoulder. She seemed really into the soft intonations of the song she was playing, and some of the people around Sebastian were moved by the sound. The song ended with more clapping, and she finally opened her eyes, looking straight in his direction as she did so.

His mind flew into near rage as the silvery eyes that had blocked him before looked into his red orbs.

 

[Cycloneblaze]

I am amused by Sebastian's reactions to the mundane things around him. Delicious indeed! Heh.

But keep going Dwayna! You can do it! =D

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Thanks, Cycloneblaze! Only ten more pages to go. ^^

Chapter Eight

The woman was done for the night, so she approached Sebastian slowly, as if to let him collect himself. He took a few deep breaths, remembering where he was, but he was still angry. Her black boots clunked lightly against the floor as she came next to him, stopping only for a moment as she beckoned him to follow her. His anger was almost enough that he would have refused, but he steeled himself and remembered that he had a destiny.

She lead him through the streets to the residential district, turning down to the left. The street seemed to branch off in many directions, and down one of the right paths was one of the largest houses he had ever seen. It was blue in color, the black rose symbol engraved into the very gate itself and resting above the wooden doors. As she opened the door, he realized that when he stepped underneath that black roof, he would be in this woman's house.

The inside was much bigger than the outside, and he began to wonder if it was really this woman who owned it. But it wasn't completely her house, as she bowed quickly to a woman who was moving past them just then. She wore a long blue dress that hugged her figure, and her dark blue eyes seemed to have an icy sheen to them. She gave a small fanged smile as they moved into another room, as if knowing that he would be arriving here.

“I'd imagine you have questions for me,” said the pink haired woman, as they sat in chairs opposite each other. “I know the many possibilities of what you would want to say to me, but I don't know which you will choose. Let me begin with an introduction; I am Elizabeth, and the woman you passed is my Mistress Nerezza.”

“You already know my name, human,” Sebastian spat at her, “You blocked me from seeing my destiny ahead of time. I'm no longer curious as to why, since I was not meant to see it then. What I am more concerned with is how. Surely you are not so powerful -”

“I will let some of my protections go,” Elizabeth replied, “You have not felt the need for True-Sight on me until now, so my power should be unquestioned. If that is not enough, I urge you to take a look for yourself, as I have now allowed you to see enough that will explain everything.”

Sebastian was a bit mistrustful of the girl, but nonetheless he was curious to see what she had in her arsenal. He entered his vision state, centring his mind on her, and found himself whisked through hallways of memories that went by too fast to see. He suddenly stopped in a large chamber, and looked up in awe at the sight before him.

The same girl was floating before him in the air, but there was definitely more power than he thought. Pink and black tendrils of energy seemed to stretch out, and if he looked hard enough at one or the other they seemed to stretch on for eons. The idea that they were attached to time itself popped into his mind, but apparently that was too much, for the tendrils retracted into a changing aura around Elizabeth. Her silver eyes shone like a beacon in this place, but that dimmed too as she floated down to greet his subconscious.

“I am a Seer,” she said to him. “I can see the future, the past, and how both can affect what happens in the present. I see the lines of Fate, but since it is uncertain, I also see the different paths. I see what lies before you, in the many paths you can take throughout time.”

“Quite a gift,” said Sebastian, impressed even despite himself. “So you saw that it would affect me greatly if I had seen what I wasn't supposed to. You saw that it was Daemonem's punishment that I watch those events unfold before me, and you helped him further his goal. You saw that you needed to look at Aria at just the right moment so she would look away and betray the rules of this world.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth replied, “I also saw how things would have happened if I hadn't intervened. Ultimately, I made the right choice for all of you, and now you are here. Now that you know I can guide you down certain paths, you will want to ask me questions. Fate will not let me reveal everything, but there are some things I can tell you.”

“I am curious,” he said, “But I would first ask for clarification. You said Nerezza was your Mistress? What does that mean?”

“It is a similar relationship between a Demon Lord and his pupil,” she said. “I follow her wishes, and do as she commands me to, but I still have some freedom. She knows of my power, and I told her of my visions of you, so that is why she wasn't surprised. You're wondering why she has fangs, and I answer that she is a species known as a vampire, cursed beings who must subsist on blood or die.”

“That must be... unnerving,” said Sebastian, “Doesn't that mean she needs to hurt people for her own survival? That doesn't seem dangerous to you?”

“I have seen that she will not harm me,” replied Elizabeth, “She gets blood supplements every week so that she does not die. If times got desperate, I would give some of my own blood willingly, for I am her willing servant in all aspects.”

“I admire your dedication,” said the Demon Lord. “I suppose that answers that question. What was that thing you were playing at the restaurant?”

“It is an instrument called a violin,” replied the Seer. “I chose it because it speaks to me in much the same way it did you. There are many other instruments to play, and if you wish, you can learn to become an entertainer yourself. It would certainly give you a line of work, where otherwise you may be lost to the winds.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” he said, “I can't think of anything else, other than to ask how you might be able to guide me.”

“Two immediate paths lie before you,” said Elizabeth. “You can disregard anything I tell you and you will not fulfill your destiny as planned. The other option is to take the advice that I give you and go from then on, perhaps to a better future.”

“An easy choice to make, Seer,” said Sebastian, grimacing again. “As much as I hate to admit it, Fate has taken its hold on my life here. I have been heading towards my destiny, trying to embrace it, even if part of me still doesn't believe. I would wish to ask of you to guide me in this endeavour, as much as Fate will let you.”

“I can see that you have learned your lessons,” she replied. “You have earned small glimpses into the future, but I do not think you should seek them all right away. Take things slowly, and you will find yourself more ready to accept whatever fate brings you.”

Before Sebastian could do anything else, a very sudden transfer of images came into his mind. A musical instrument store, a cheering crowd that he was looking down upon. Something called a flower falling into his vision, the white petals bending out and changing into the snowflake symbol again. Dancing with someone, holding a small humanoid, and nothing more.

He was thrown back into the world of the living soon after that, a very jarring feeling since his methods were much slower. The air of Terrater seemed to ease his mind, and the feelings of fatigue and panic seemed to wash away into nothingness. Sebastian looked upon the face of Elizabeth, to be met with her silver gaze again.

“Go, then,” said the Seer. “Make your way in this world, and the rest will come to you. Consider it my apology for blocking your True-Sight. I'll show you out.” Elizabeth got up from her chair, and Sebastian had no choice but to comply. It was her Mistress' mansion, and she had already given him all the information she was able to. He thanked her just before he left, and was given a small smile before she shut the door. That such a woman could smile at all is a feat, he thought. She carries quite a burden, to see all that can be.

First thing was first, since it was still daytime and he had fresh ideas. He headed to the nearest musical instrument store, which had some strange looking things in the window. One looked like a larger violin, another looked like a long pipe with many holes in it. Sebastian stepped inside, a light ringing sound meeting his ears as he entered. A man at the counter looked up at him, awe filling his expression as his eyes met the Demon Lord's wings.

“A Chaos Demon, right?” said the man, at which Sebastian nodded. “Cool. Never seen one of your kind come into my store before, but there's a first time for everything. I assume you're looking for an instrument to play. Have you ever played an instrument before?” Sebastian shook his head, and the man in question scratched his beard a little bit in thought.

“I think a guy like you would like an electric guitar,” he said, moving towards the left wall. The guitars were like violins, but they had much longer strings stretched along what Sebastian would call the 'long throat' of the instrument. The ones that weren't electric had a large hole in the middle, supposedly for the sound value, or so he suspected. The ones that seemed to look electric had knobs on the lower part of the guitar, which the shopkeeper twisted before plugging a cord into a speaker.

The sound that came out of it was much more harsh than the violin, but it seemed to strike a chord in him that made him catch his breath. Sebastian felt invigorated by the music, imagining triumphant battles in his mind as the man played his song. He clapped a little bit and took the guitar for himself, feeling that it was actually quite light for a larger instrument.

“I do like it,” said Sebastian. “I would take it, but as I said, I don't know how to play.”

“I know a guy who can teach you,” said the man, who smirked a little bit. “He's standing right here in front of you. I'd be glad to give you lessons, if you want.” Sebastian didn't even have to think about it, nodding in agreement and giving the man a fanged smile. The man, who called himself Mike, smiled back at him and began to teach him. Over the next few months, Sebastian learned to play the electric guitar along with musical notes written on a piece of paper. The chords were more complicated, but eventually he got the hang of it. During that time, Sebastian never forgot the visions he had seen, finding that he was now striving towards accomplishing the goals Elizabeth set forth for him.

“I hope you planned on being an entertainer,” said Mike, “Because you've gotten pretty good at playing. The electric guitar - and your look - is usually good for rock or death metal bands, and there's always some people who are also aspiring entertainers. Look it up on the database in your communicator, and maybe you'll find some people who want a guitarist.”

Sebastian thanked Mike for everything he had done, and walked out with the guitar stored in his pendant. It's amazing how many functions it has, he thought, as he brought out his communicator. Time to figure this thing out. He opened it, and a hologram of a woman he had never seen before appeared before him.

“Hello, Sebastian,” said the woman. “This is the automatic activation protocol. My name is Ellen, the default personality for the communication device. Since you only used my program to answer a call before, I did not activate. I would be happy to guide you through anything you want to know about the device, including if you want to change my settings.”

“Intriguing,” said the Demon Lord, “Such complicated things did not exist on Vehl. If you would guide me, I must ask about this 'database' Mike told me about. Supposedly it can help me find an aspiring band who would like a guitarist.”

“Of course,” replied Ellen with a smile. “It has been recorded that you have been working with Micheal Page the past two months. I would be happy to help you find other aspiring entertainers.” The woman disappeared, and a screen with text appeared. There were a few bands looking for a guitarist, but only one actually stood out to him.

“I'll go talk to 'Prophets of Chaos',” he said, and the screen faded into another one with directions. He headed over to the address that was given, finding that they were already practising. There was the beating sound of drums, a bass guitar, and a female singer who seemed to be in charge.

“Enough for now, guys,” she said, and the sounds stopped as he approached. “Looks like we have a visitor. We got a message that a guitarist was going to swing by. I'm guessing you're him?” Sebastian nodded, looking at the other two as he had seen enough humans for a lifetime. The drummer was an orc, a green-skinned, muscled humanoid with pointed ears and the only hair on his head put into a ponytail. The bassist was a dark-skinned elf with silver hair, once described to him as 'drow'.

“You certainly look the part,” said the female human, smirking a little bit at his wings. “The name's Erin. Our drummer is Calin, and the bassist is Welvimar.” She motioned to each of them in turn, the orc nodding slightly and the drow just staring at him. “We're the Prophets of Chaos. Introduce yourself, and then let's hear how you sound.”

“I am Sebastian,” he replied. “I'm what is called a Chaos Demon, which is why I was interested in your band name. It is an honor to meet you all, and I hope I am what you desire in a guitarist.” He bowed ever so slightly, and then brought out his guitar. He played a little bit of a song that Mike had taught him, and Erin seemed thoroughly impressed. The orc was smiling with his tusks, and the drow seemed unmovable but all the same enthralled.

“Pretty good,” said Erin, “We'd be glad to have you on our team. Here's the music we've made. Learn it, and we'll be in business before you know it.” Sebastian looked over the sheets she gave him ,the notes and chords playing in his head as he read them. He nodded slightly, and they went to work.

The next month was filled with practising the songs that the band had made. Once he had shown them his Chaos form, which they were thoroughly impressed by and asked him to activate during a certain song they would perform. He learned that Erin's gift was the power of voice, and the other two were magical races of their own right. The orc was all about honor, and the drow had been saved from a culture that was all about murder and torture.

There was a Battle of the Bands coming up, so they put the finishing touches on some of their songs. He helped in some regards, putting in influence from his own life in Vehn and how he had been sent here due to destiny. Sebastian was as ready as he ever could be as the day came around, and they sat backstage with other bands around them.

A chart with the band names were set up, putting two bands up against each other at a time. As each band went up, they could hear the music being played, and some of it was really good. Out of every two, a winner was chosen for that round and moved on to the next round to face off another winning band. They were somewhere near the middle, but time seemed to fly by quickly, for their name was called before they knew it.

“The next band to play will be,” said the announcer dramatically, “The Prophets of Chaos!” The curtain opened after they got on stage and took their places, the cheering crowd from the visions in front of his eyes again. At the whim of Erin, they launched into their first song, which was about battlefields and war, as agreed by the band.

They won against the country band they had been pitted against, and moved on to play against a death metal band. The music was like pure noise and screaming, which made Sebastian glad he had chosen a rock band to play with instead. Prophets of Chaos won that round as well, which to him was small wonder, considering Erin's voice and the fact that they weren't just pure noise.

“We'll save your Chaos form for the last round,” said Erin, confidence lacing her tone. “I have a feeling that we're going to go really far.” It seemed that she was right, as they went through the semi-finals against a classical music band. Erin's face filled with worry as she saw the other finalist, a techno band called Turnabout which so far had sounded extremely awesome.

Turnabout went first, bringing the cheering crowd to new heights just before they went on stage. Erin launched into a song about destiny that Sebastian had contributed to. When it was time for his solo, he let his power overtake him, his wings spreading wide as his eyes blazed with fire. Horns grew from his head and his sharp rows of teeth spread into an evil smile as he gave the song his own flare. The crowd went wild for his transformation, and he suspected it would be a close finish.

“The judges have voted,” said the announcer, as both bands stood on stage, “The winner of this month's Battle of the Band is... Prophets of Chaos!” Him and his band members rose their hands into the air as the crowd screamed for them, throwing gifts at their band. Suddenly, his perception of time slowed as something fell past his vision.

Sebastian caught the white flower, remembering the vision from long ago. He used his True-Sight to see the girl who had bought it to look nice for the concert, only to throw it in appreciation of his band. Time twisted as his vision looked to a flower shop not too far from the hotel he had been staying in all that time, the monetary prize of the event probably helping him pay off his debts there. He vowed to check it out in the morning as he put the flower in the front pocket of his cloak, waving once more to the cheering crowd as the curtain closed.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

It's the final countdown.

Chapter Nine

The band agreed to have a week off before they would get together again, which gave Sebastian time to recuperate. He rested and dreamed of fulfilling his long sought after destiny, the flower shop the most prominent vision in his mind. Just before he woke up, he dreamed of the snowflake, the memory of the reverberations of Elizabeth playing her violin through his mind before fading away.

He found the shop from his dreams in short order, the three different flowers clustered together on the sign in some sort of paper. Flowers in such arrangements were displayed in the windows as well, but he didn't find any of them as interesting as the one from the other night. Sebastian felt hesitant to go inside, thinking of the irony that after so long, he would become afraid in this moment, the one that would end up defining his life.

Fear dissolved behind his bravado, and he walked in to see many different plants around him. The contrast of different colors was startling, particularly the roses. The main color seemed to be red, and the black that Sebastian remembered from the restaurant was rare in comparison to the whites, pinks, and other shades. But he didn't linger, as the white one from the other night - and that had transformed into the snowflake from his vision – lay in front of him. He stared for a while, almost as if lost in thought, but really nothing came to mind.

“That's a lily,” said a feminine voice behind him, and when he turned towards the source, he stood for a moment in awe. The human had the fairest complexion he had ever seen, almost as white as her eyes and hair, which she kept tied in two long ponytails that draped over the front of her shoulders. White hair, he remembered, and flicked his eyes briefly to her chest, covered by the uniform green dress that hugged her body. Just as Meren had said before in that one dream, he thought, as there laid the snowflake from his visions on a silver chain.

“My mother named me after the lily because of its white petals,” said the girl timidly, as if she didn't notice that he was looking at her so. When she did look at him with hr white eyes, she blushed with shyness, a strange contrast to her white skin but somehow... It is nothing like I have ever seen, thought Sebastian, a little bit confused at her sudden look of recognition.

“I remember you,” said Lily. “I went to the concert the other night. You were that demon from the Prophets of Chaos.” A somewhat frightened expression came over her face, but there was a fire behind it that did not go unnoticed by him in the least. “Why would someone like you come to a flower shop?”

“Destiny,” he said bluntly, at which she seemed surprised and confused at the same time. “My name is Sebastian. Contrary to popular belief, Demons aren't always the bad people that the humans think us to be. I came here to find out more about this specific flower, for I have seen it in some of my dreams. If I am not welcome here, I can always leave.”

“No!” she suddenly shouted, her face turning a bit more red at that. “I'm sorry. My mother always told me bad stories about demons when I was little... I'm sorry. Stay as long as you like.” Lily bowed to him by crossing her legs and lifting the edges of her dress, perhaps a custom in her culture.

“I can forgive you,” replied Sebastian. “But perhaps I am mistaken in my destiny. Good day.” He turned from his place standing in the shop, away from his supposed destiny. Fate can apparently make mistakes, he thought, That timid human cannot truly have an influence on me.

“Wait!” came the sudden shout, which seemed to make him rethink her timidness entirely. “Please. I'm willing to change. Terrater would not have allowed you here if you were truly evil, so I respect its decisions. I want to make up any offence that I have made towards you.” Sebastian thought it over, and he supposed if he was going to be in a forgiving mood, he would allow such a thing.

“It is my understanding that humans need to eat sometime,” he replied. “Perhaps we could talk over dinner and learn more of each other. I would also be getting over old prejudice – and forgive me if this offends – you look like an Angel.” For some reason, the girl blushed all the more at that statement, but seemed to give him a look of understanding.

“Agreed,” said Lily, nodding her head slightly. “Let me say that it is far from an offence. Let's exchange communication information, and meet me tomorrow when the night sun rises.” Her citizenship pendant was the snowflake on her neck, and when he looked closer he could see a small black jewel in the center just like his pendant. They ended up standing very close for a moment as the pendants both shone, the closeness not seeming to bother Sebastian but making her nervous. She backed away as soon as it was done, waving to him shyly when he raised his hand in farewell.

Sebastian didn't sleep that evening, his thoughts consuming him as he laid in the bed at the hotel. Fate has chosen such a shy thing for my destiny, he thought. I do not think of her as more than passion, let alone think of passion at all. Still, she had a fire inside of her despite her personality, which was impressive on its own. Not to mention that redness to her face looked... how to describe it... interesting.

He supposed he could save his questions of her past for the dinner with Lily the next day. One memory had described such a thing happening as a 'date' but those were usually things for people who were already lovers. Sebastian did not yet love her, but there was something stirring inside him that he had never felt before, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Before he knew it, he had woken up from a slumber he had unwittingly fallen into. Sebastian jolted awake and looked out the window, to see that it was already afternoon. He had to hurry, so he quickly got the directions to Lily's house from the communicator and rushed out of the building. In a flash, his wings spread to their largest size and he took to the skies, navigating overhead as he went.

Lily's house was a nice little cot made of brick, looking like it could withstand the longest of winters. The door opened just as he landed, the girl wearing a slightly different dress. It was a long black one that hugged the upper half of her body and puffed out in a circle at the bottom. She wore long black boots underneath, the dark color a startling contrast to her pale white skin. He remembered the Black Rose where he met Elizabeth for the first time, and decided that would be a good enough place to go, motioning for Lily to follow him.

When they got there, he ordered the pork and rice again, and she ordered something called a 'salad'. It was plants that had been freshly cut from the ground all mixed together in a delicious bundle, or so Lily had described. His glowing red eyes flicked up at her from the dim of the room around them, and her white orbs looked up shyly to meet them.

“I suppose I should start, since it seems only fair,” she said. “I come from an Earth Realm planet, and the reason I don't look like a normal human is because I'm what's called an 'albino'. Back on Earth it was a serious birth defect, so I was ridiculed for it, and my mother was ridiculed for having me sometimes.” She hesitated before continuing, and in that moment he felt sorry for her.

“Our world was on the verge of collapse due to our neglect of the planet,” she continued. “There were too many of us than the planet could handle, and it was running out of renewable resources faster than it could regenerate them. King Orn and his people came to my planet to get anyone who would want to come, but only select few actually believed their story. My mother Tempest was one of these, and she brought me along with her.” He took a deep breath, a calming look coming over her face.

“We were changed by the planet when we came here, where my mother was granted with the power of lightning and I... I asked for the planet to change my defect into something beautiful, and for the knowledge of what I considered to be beautiful. I was given a new look, the power to know what plants did just by looking at them, and ultimately immortality of age.” The look turned to sorrow suddenly, and he could see where the story was going with that look.

“The war came to Terrater,” said Lily, confirming his suspicions. “My mother was called to battle and she lost her life to those... demons. So it was more of an underlying hatred of the word than of you. After the battle I joined up with the flower shop, and have been working there ever since You are not the Ayx, and I should not judge you for what they did to my mother.” She hung her head slightly, but he tempted Fate and lifted her chin with his finger slightly.

“I too have seen war,” Sebastian began. “I'm what's known as a Chaos Demon from a world called Vehl, and our nemeses are the Order Angels of Vehn, or so I used to think. Over the past few years or so, I've learned that our creators do not want us to fight – in fact, they would wish peace between us. But as long as there is a grudge between us and them, they will never again embrace as the brothers they are.”

“Here I was thinking I had a sad story,” she said, smiling through some of her tears. “You were saying something about destiny yesterday... What did you mean by that?” He thought before answering, but in the end he figured it would be best to tell her the truth.

So Sebastian told her of his old Master and the day he met Justice, both who made him rethink himself. He told of how he was given a destiny when he didn't even believe in one, how Daemonem had given him a pupil to learn from as well as teach. The Demon Lord told of the events leading up to his coming to Terrater, and the people he had met along his journey.

“... and through all of that, the vision of your snowflake has bled into my mind,” he said. “I was sent here to fill a destiny with you, but I don't even know if it will come true. I thought you should know what Fate has shown me, so that you might be able to control it yourself.” Lily just sat there, in awe of everything he had told her, and how honest he had been. The point seemed to hit home with her, and her face turned the reddest shade he had ever seen from her.

“Wow,” she said simply. “I've never had Fate step into my life before. It is supposed to be a great honor in this place, for the guidance of the Spirit Dragons is infinitely sound. Normally as a human I would think on this... but I am no longer entirely human, am I.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, her mouth curving in a slightly sad manner before flicking back to a smile as she looked at him.

“I would see where Fate leads us,” said Lily. “If you will let me.” Her small, pale hand closed over his one the table, and this time he did not push it away. He felt his heart thudding away in his chest, he felt more invigorated than he ever had before, and he knew it was because of her. Sebastian closed his hand around hers, squeezing it gently as he tugged her up from the table and out the door.

It was a cold evening, so he gave her his cloak, having equally black clothing underneath. She looked strangely cute in the over-sized apparel, the bottom puffing out with her dress. He lead her back to her door, where she took it off and handed it back to him.

“Thank you,” she said, and all of a sudden she was leaning towards him. Her lips touched his very lightly, but there was still something like a vibration that went through him. Sebastian felt like he was breathing Lily into him, and the part of him that knew only pleasure wanted to fulfill his desires. But it was so little of a feeling that it dwindled, for something seemed to matter more in that moment, and that was if she would agree to such a thing.

Considering that Lily turned and entered her house without him was answer enough. Not tonight, he whispered to his mind, a soft smile spreading over his lips. It was strange to actually smile at something for seemingly no reason at all, almost like it was reflexive. The smile faded as he realized he had to go back home and wait until she called him again.

Over the next few weeks, his band practiced and he barely got any time to himself. He heard that they might actually have some shows coming up in some other regions of Terrater over the next year, which meant he probably wouldn't see much of her at all. When he was given a break, he decided it was time to tell her these things, to see where Fate would take them.

“The life of the entertainer is a busy one,” said Lily, when she greeted him. “However, you'll be given you're own mobile home. There’s nothing saying that you can't bring me along.”

“What about the flower shop?” he asked. “Don't you have a job to do there?”

“I can sell flowers as we go,” she replied, “There are often those who would want to buy such gifts for their lovers. I myself have had enough of flowers for a lifetime for them to be as such to me.” Sebastian made a mental note not to get her flowers in the future, nodding slightly in acceptance of her proposal.

“If you think you can live with me for a year,” he said, “Be my guest. Let me know at any time if you want to go home.” Let me know if you want to leave me, he thought to himself. She seemed to smile at him knowingly, and seemed thoughtful for a moment. She opened the door to her home a bit wider, beckoning him inside.

“Let's watch a movie or something,”she said to him shyly, as they sat together on her couch. Lily turned on a film about romance, and the words of the movie were not lost on him. Sebastian looked to her every so often for visual cues, but she seemed thoroughly engrossed in the movie.

Her actions seemed to speak louder than words, as she seemed to be inching ever closer to him. It wasn't long until she was laying against his chest, and his arms were wrapped around her. He was gentle with her, simply holding her there and watching the rest of the movie with her until it was over. There was more kissing, but it was getting late, and he needed to rest before the big day.

“Be sure to drop by my place tomorrow,” said Lily, at which he nodded. He wouldn't forget to bring her along with him, not in the slightest. Sebastian left to rest for the night, only to dream of Lily. Their relationship seemed to be going well, but there seemed to be an underlying doubt still within him. There's no such thing as destiny, said a distant memory that seemed to haunt him in that moment. You'll end up crashing and burning, forgotten and alone.

Those thoughts whisked away into the visions from Elizabeth, and he remembered the small person in his arms. Impossible, he thought, I do not have the power of creation. Still, it seemed to be a prominent vision in his mind, and Elizabeth had said that it was a possible future for him. He didn't understand how such a thing could be, but there it was staring back at the part of his subconscious that had previously been trying to discourage him.

The dream changed to one of his desires being fulfilled, passion intermingling between the two as it finally boiled over. The details were lost on him as he had never experienced such a thing, but he still got the gist of what was happening. He woke with a start, a blush on his cheeks as he fought off the remainder of the passionate feelings for the time being.

A few days later, Sebastian headed downstairs and the receptionist told him that his transportation had arrived. Lily had sent him a message saying that it was okay with her boss to go abroad with him, so he walked in with a mind to tell the driver where to go to pick her up. But as it turned out, the seemingly small van had no driver, merely a spacious inside with a small amount of furniture.

“Welcome,” said the voice of Ellen, and he turned towards a glowing screen on the dashboard of the mobile home. “The route that you are taking has already been plotted. If you would like to take some stops along the way, please be sure to tell me where you would like to go.”

“I'll need to to make a stop right away to pick someone else up,” he said. He gave the address, the computer programmed it in, and the car started by itself. On the way there, he took a look around, finding that there was a fridge, a couch, a screen to watch movies and other such entertainment. Sebastian looked in the back and found only one bed, but it seemed large enough... For two people. The van stopped before he could think about it clearly, and the door opened to let Lily come in. She was wearing a red dress that time, which seemed to match the light blush on her pale cheeks.

“Welcome, Lily Masate,” said Ellen, which he realized were the two names that she was given from human culture. “It has been recorded that you will be doing business abroad. You were going to be given transportation of your own, but once Sebastian registered your address, there was no need. Enjoy your trip together.” The hologram shut off, leaving the two to look at each other instead.

“So,” he said, deciding to get straight to the point. “As it turns out, there is only one bed in this temporary home of mine. I am confused as to what we should do about that. The couch seems to be able to support one person, so I can sleep out here and you on the bed.” Her face turned the same shade of red as her dress, but she seemed to look at the couch in deep thought before looking back at him.

“It's very sweet of you to offer that,” said Lily, “But I think it would be nicer if there was room enough in that bed for the two of us.” There was, and part of him was happy that she had offered such an option to him, for he felt nervous to ask her himself. He remembered that he was supposed to be a courageous Demon Lord, so he steeled himself and showed her around the mobile home.

They watched another movie together, holding each other close as they passed the time. There was another room that he hadn't explored before, but it was more for Lily than him, for he didn't have the same basic needs of a human. As they laid down to sleep for the night, Sebastian realized that he was simply content to just hold her in his arms. Though the underlying thoughts of passion were still there, he did not need to give in to them and they would not overtake him.

It was then that he realized that even if he hadn't thought so before, he was already in love with her.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

I'm finished! =D

WARNING: May include more roundabout sex talk as well as other stuffs. Viewer discretion is advised.

Chapter Ten

The next year seemed to go by in almost a flash, the different things they saw along the way amazing him every time at the diverse culture of Terrater. There was a large desert full of different communities of people called 'tribes', in which the Prophet of Chaos played for the ones that got along with each other. They went to the deep forest and the cold tundra to other large cities of note within the lands. They even had a concert on the water with a portable stage, in which the creatures of the sea were welcome to gather around and listen.

All the while, the relationship between him and Lily was going well. It was not always perfect, as they had some arguments and she would go out for a while. She would always come back to him though, sorry that she had left in the first place, and they always seemed to be able to reconcile. Sebastian was glad that she would always be there for him, and they would get through all of it together.

They did not share passion with one another along their trip, as she wanted to wait until marriage to indulge in such things. Even though he ached for her, if he had gotten up to that point without worrying about it, he could wait a little bit longer. There were other activities that they enjoyed in the meantime, breaking any awkwardness they would have towards one another when it finally happened.

Sebastian introduced her to the band, and she always went to their shows. Fans of the Prophets of Chaos would sometimes go to her to purchase floral arrangements, and he was glad that she was part of his campaign. Erin seemed to dislike her for a while, perhaps because of their clashing personalities, but with time they seemed to warm up to each other and become friends.

“She wanted you,” Lily told him one time, at which he was surprised. “You were everything she wanted in a man, but she realized it was futile when she heard of your destiny. Her feelings lingered still, and she got jealous of me, but she realized that Fate had stepped into our lives. She now seems to have a thing for the drow.” She rolled her eyes slightly and giggled, the Demon Lord smiling at the fond memory as she slept in his arms.

They occasionally had the time to go on dates, which always felt like good times together. There was a few times where she went o the library by herself, but he didn't think to ask. When they got back from their trip abroad they went to the Black Rose again, where Elizabeth was again playing her violin. Her silver eyes almost seemed to flash in their direction, but it could have just been an illusion of the light.

“I wanted to ask you something,” said Lily as they were walking back towards the hotel he had stayed in since he arrived on Terrater. “We've been together for a year now, and I know you didn't have your own place to stay. Since we ere essentially living together already, I wanted to invite you to move into my place.” Far be it for me to refuse such an offer, he thought with a smile, nodding in agreement.

Sebastian told the hotel owner about his new housing arrangements, at which the man congratulated him. He had apparently already been offered a place to stay, but now that the information would be registered that he would be living with Lily, he didn't need to accept said offer. He walked her back in the cold of the evening, entering her home and realizing that is wasn't just hers anymore.

“There's one more thing,” she said to him, her face turning red, which made him curious. “I suspect you'll want to know why I was going to the library all those times whilst we were out. I know that you never asked, but I wanted to ask you something important.”

“You can ask of me anything, Lily,” he said to her, his curiosity mounting. She seemed hesitant, but she opened a box with a scroll in it, held together with what looked to be a draconic seal. Sebastian remembered that scrolls often had prepared bits of magic on them, and his eyebrows raised all the further in surprise and confusion.

“We've been together so long,” she said to him, “I began to think about what it would be like to be with you forever, because I have come to love you. Both of us are gifted with immortality, so we will not die of old age. This is a scroll inscribed with the most sacred draconic magic, the Spirit Binding. When dragons mate, they do so for life, and this would make us one with each other in their eyes... essentially as married. We would be connected to each other for all time.”

“Then you are offering me what I have most desired from you, for I love you also” Sebastian replied with a smile. “But there is more to it than just marriage. I know humans have specific rituals for such a thing... So I suppose I should get straight to the point. Why dragon magic?” Lily seemed hesitant again, a finger brushing over the purple seal as if it would offer her guidance.

“Spirit Binding does have another side effect,” she admitted, her face turning that dark shade of red he so loved. “Since Spirit Dragons are considered asexual, the only way they can breed is through the Spirit Binding. Which means...” She took a deep breath, but he came to an epiphany of his own.

“Which means that only for our night of passion, I would be blessed with the powers of creation. I do not know of any other Chaos Demon who has had such an honor, for it would be like becoming Daemonem. But it would not only be part of me... you would be the recipient. You wish to bear a child from our union.” Lily nodded wordlessly, closing her eyes and shaking slightly from either fear or anticipation. That she would give me such a blessing... he thought, and needed think no more.

“I will accept this honor,” he said in response, covering the hand that held the scroll in question. The timid woman looked up at him with a tentative smile, still bashful as ever. She kissed him then, afterwards pulling him to the bedroom, where he sat across from her. Lily broke the draconic seal and unraveled the scroll, taking a deep breath. She began to speak in a different language, but strangely enough, he seemed to understand every word.

“I give my soul to you,” she said, even though the harsh language of draconic was passing through her lips. “In the eyes of dragons, we are one. In our mating, we will breathe new life into this world. Let the fire in our spirits live on forever, beyond death itself.” She handed him the scroll, and he seemed to be able to repeat the words, even if he had no previous knowledge of draconic.

“Si majak sia sepa ekess wux,” he said, but the words still seemed to make sense to her, as it was the exact same thing she had said to him. “Persvek wer saurivic di darastrixi, yth re ir. Persvek hesi rumagir, yth geou frahr z'ar tobor sari nomeno treskri. Origato wer ixen persvek hesi navnikic waph shafaer malrak, putole marfedelom coinah.”

A purple light seemed to flow between them, and the scroll dissolved into nothingness. Sebastian could hear her thoughts even though he was not looking at her with True-Sight, and he felt that she could do the same. Lily and him were now bonded together in a way he never thought possible before. This type of magic doesn't even exist on my world, he thought, and he realized that she shared in that thought. Terrater is full of wondrous things, came the reply, It has given me the love of my life, and with the power of the dragons, it will give you the power to create life with me.

“The child,” he said aloud, worry written on his face. “Are you sure it will be compatible with your system? It will be part Chaos Demon, and as I said, no one I know has ever had this honor before me.”

“I'm more than willing to take that risk,” she replied. “I trust in the dragon's magic and Fate to guide us. It had lead us this far, why would it now lead us astray? Let us through caution to the wind and give into what we have both been waiting for, now that we are married.” Preferably in the next twenty-four hours, came the thought, The Spirit Binding that will allow such a thing to even happen will wear off by then.

You need not wait that long, he thought back, as they descended onto the bed together. They let their passions overtake them, and they finally experienced their desires being fulfilled in their whole. The energies of the spell whirled around them again as they went to new heights, the light flowing into Lily when all was said and done. It was the greatest feeling he had ever experienced, and the fact that he knew she felt the same way without asking was... What was that human saying... Icing on the cake?

It is nice to know what you're thinking, came the reply from Lily, But some of us appreciate privacy. Luckily over time we'll be able to control it better, so there aren't as many underlying thoughts. He did hear the buzz of many other things going on in her subconscious, like many voices speaking to him at one time.

“If everything has gone to plan,” she said aloud, “I may feel ill within the next month or so. Just to be sure, I'll go to see the doctor in a week. Since I am the recipient and I am human, it will likely be a human birth. Which means that we would have to give it time and patience to grow.” It won't just pop into the world and know things, came the underlying thought. We'll have to teach it how to do everything, if life was even breathed into me.

Sebastian didn't want her going off on a sad tangent of thought, so he kissed her and told her to rest. They fell asleep together, and he dreamed again of the small person in his arms. The gender was undefined, but it was alive, and that's all that mattered to him. Though part of him worried that it was just another possibility, he hung onto that vision with all that he had.

A week later, Lily went to the doctor and he nervously sat at home. What if something went wrong? came the thought. I didn't even know about dragon magic until this point. How could she know for sure that such a thing would work? Why put so much faith in a thing like that?

He took some deep breaths and reminded himself that he was supposed to be the strong one in the relationship. Whenever she broke down, he needed to be there for her, and he wasn't allowed to slip. He sucked in some more courage and felt the pull of his bond to her yet again. This could only mean one thing – she was home already, and from what he could tell, she seemed nervous.

As soon as the door opened, the woman fell into his arms and began to weep. Sebastian almost felt sad for her, but the emotion of joy passed through the barriers between them. It was then that he allowed himself to shed a tear of joy as well – Fate had blessed them both with the gift of life. It was a while before she calmed down, but eventually she was able to talk.

“The doctor told me that with such a union, the baby may grow extra appendages,” Lily said, touching his wings lightly. “It may be a difficult birth, but he had high expectations. He even said that although the baby might be helpless, it might be born with some extra skills than usual.”

“That would probably be because Chaos Demons are born with a lot of knowledge already,” he replied. “I'm happy that the transfer of energy went well. But I sense that there is more to the story than you're telling me, as there is underlying worry.”

“I cannot hide anything from you anymore,” she said, almost sighing at the fact. “He also said that there might be more complications. I'll probably need some shots of medicine to prevent.. miscarriage. But other than that, because my genetic defects dissolved with Terrater's power and you're a being of pure creation, there's a high chance of success.” As long as I get a check-up every month and a few blood tests, came her thoughts, I should be fine. Hopefully.

Lily was already set up for a blood test at the end of the month, but she had felt ill a couple of times since the first doctor's appointment. She hated getting her blood taken, but Sebastian was there to hold her hand. It was another two weeks before she was called into the doctor again, and he decided to go. The facility was a boring white color, but there were some purple markings about, probably because the element Spirit was associated with healing.

“I have good news and bad news,” said the doctor, who was a transformed Spirit Dragon. “The bad news is that you'll definitely need some preventive healing, as you have a few magical fluctuations due to your unique binding. The good news is that's the only thing we seem to be concerned with at the moment. Terrater blessed you with extremely good health, Mrs. Masate.” Sebastian had forgotten for a moment that they were married, and supposed he was now 'Mister Masate', as he hadn't previously picked a last name for himself.

“Thank you, Doctor Irisvar,” said an excited Lily, who squeezed Sebastian's hand. “Will I be coming to you for the healing, or will I need to be sent to a specialist?”

“It is dragon magic that caused this, so it is possible that I could help you,” said Irisvar, scratching the scales on his chin. “You and your mate can discuss it, but I would be willing to help you as best as I can. However, it might be better to see a specialist in these things, since my expertise only goes so far. If you were to see a specialist, I recommend Arcaniss, for she is far more practised than I at the element of Spirit.” It is a draconic name, so it is likely to be another dragon, thought Sebastian.

He was right, but she was untransformed when they first saw her a month later. The colossal-sized quadruped was covered in snow white scales with purple edges, the giant soulgem on her chest the same color of purple. Arcaniss opened similarly purple eyes as they approached, and she bent her head in greeting to them as they entered.

“I see the sacred bond between you,” said the dark feminine tones. “You have breathed new life into this world. But I also see why you were sent to me. Come closer, I must look at the Spirit of the child.” Lily approached the large white dragon, who bowed her head and closed her eyes again. The soulgem glowed purple, tendrils of energy reaching out towards Lily, creating a gentle glow around the human for a short period before dissipating again.

“I have mended the fluctuations,” said Arcaniss. “I will need to mend them again after your pregnancy. If you have any concerns, please come directly to me for guidance.” She gave Lily the due date and things to look out for like bleeding or sudden extreme fatigue. The both of them thanked Arcaniss, who bowed her head again before going back into a meditative state. She is a very dedicated doctor, thought Sebastian. I guess that's why she's a specialist.

The months seemed to fly by, each one seeming shorter than the last. Lily was getting a little bit plumper, but that was mostly because of the baby. Sebastian didn't mind, especially when he leaned his head down and listened to a faint heartbeat for the first time, happy to know there was something alive in there after all. He even got to feel the baby kick its feet against her stomach, at which she didn't seem too uncomfortable.

Lily still had periodic check-ups, but everything seemed to be going fine. They got a picture of the development of the little thing, in which they could see the outline of a humanoid body. Tiny wings were also pointed out, which didn't seem to bring up a large concern. Any feathers that they would develop would grow in over time.

Sebastian realized that in this sort of case, his child would probably be considered a Lesser Demon, but one that hadn't died. Because of his influence, after the child grew up it would likely have an immortal life of age just like its parents. Lily didn't want to know the gender ahead of time even when they were offered, deciding to leave it up to a surprise. He wasn't too happy with that choice at first, but he came to accept it just as much as he accepted waiting for her.

Nearing the end of her pregnancy, she woke up in pain, and they rushed to the hospital. They did a quick scan to make sure the baby was in the right position, and they got her ready in a room. Over the next several hours, the contractions got closer and closer together, until finally the doctors told her she was ready. Lily went through blood, sweat and tears, and Sebastian witnessed the miracle of life.

“It's a girl,” said Arcaniss, who had become transformed to birth the baby. “Congratulations. I will tend to your mate, and you may hold the new life in your arms.” The scaled hands wrapped up the baby in a soft blanket and held her out to her father. She was crying a little bit, but it was small wonder, for she had come out of a place so warm into the cold of the air around them.

The white dragon healed Lily in Spirit again, but the woman was still thoroughly fatigued from the workout. She held out her arms to take the baby from him, deciding to give the baby its first meal. For that he gave her some privacy, and when it was done the baby went to sleep for a little bit.

“She looks like an angel,” said Lily, at which he looked somewhat surprised. “No offence meant. In human culture, angels were seen as beautiful. I have seen that demons can be beautiful too, and it is likely her wings will turn the same color of black as yours.” Right now, there was no feathers, just the same color of hair that seemed to be sparsely stretched on the little one's head.

“We didn't really decide on a name beforehand,” she said. “Have you got any ideas?” They both seemed to think on it for a while, many different names running through their minds. But Sebastian was the first to come up with an idea, the fact that he had showing on his face.

“You said she looked like an angel,” he said, not needing to say anymore as a knowing smile spread over Lily's face. It was almost appropriate, to name his daughter after the woman who he would not have been here without in the first place. Justice, he thought, the name resounding through their bond as they both looked at the little baby, who Lily gave back to him. All the visions that Elizabeth had shown him came true, all the words Daemonem about destiny and Fate were more than just words. He had learned the ultimate lesson from his pupil, and was strangely thankful for the elf, too.

“Fine with me,” replied Lily, “But her middle name is Tempest.” They laughed a little bit together at that, and Sebastian swelled with joy, for his destiny was now fulfilled.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

D'awww... :'D Such a beautiful end to such an amazing story! This was a great read from Chapter 1. I've been at a loss for words all month on how much I liked this story and I still am. Congratulations on finishing Lady Dwayna!

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Thanks for the compliment, Brian, and thanks to everyone who supported me throughout. I'm happy that I could finish my story on time and that you enjoyed it. ^^

 

[Cycloneblaze]

Oh, you did finish before the deadline! Well done Dwayna. I've already said how much I liked the story, it was a lovely read. It also wasn't too long (some fics I'm reading I will have to re-read when they finish, because I've forgotten them =o) But great job!