Second Chance in the Demon Kingdom

After getting caught up with what happened in the real world, Caro looked around the dungeon, shocked and quite terrified at the damage she caused.

“I really… did all of this?” she asked. “Even… Even those dead demons…”

“It’s not your fault. You did all this unconsciously. Well, sort of,” her kushtaka friend comforted.

“For once, I agree with the kushtaka,” the Demon Prince said. “You’re not at fault.”

Caro looked at him with a raised brow. “For someone who hates me so much, you are the last person I expect to agree with him.”

“The truth’s the truth. No matter how unbelievable it is at this point.”

“Well said, my son,“ the Demon King agreed, as he approached the group of three. “Caro, have you done it?”

The human simply raised her new weapon and had it form into a sword at will. “Does this answer your question?”

A smile formed on the royalty’s face. “Finally… After all these years… All hope is not lost.” Next thing they knew, to the demons’ shock especially, the king went down to his hands and knees and bowed before her. “I may not have a right to ask you of this, not when it has been pushed into your hands, but I ask you, Caro… Please, save this world from the danger that is to soon come.”

“Father, what are you doing?! Even if she is the chosen one for this quest, it is unbecoming for you of all people to be bowing down to a human!” the Demon Prince exclaimed.

“Such a thing does not matter. Especially not when we’re so little on time right now,“ the king said, increasing the confusion in the room.

“What do you mean, your highness?” the kushtaka asked.

The king picked up his head. “I told you and Caro that we are on a time limit, that we didn’t have much longer until the Banshee Reaper makes a return on our world.”

The atmosphere in the room turned serious.

“That’s right. You did say that. If I’m not wrong, we should still have some years left,” the kushtaka recalled.

“Exactly. But for all we know, ‘years’ could become ‘months’. Though the Banshee Reaper is sealed, that doesn’t mean it won’t try everything in its power to quickly free itself from its prison. The prison my brother sacrificed his life to make…”

“Then we must prepare ourselves for that day to come, don’t we?” the Demon Prince said.

“Unfortunately, we lack the time to do so.” Everyone was confused when he said that. “As I said, ‘years’ could turn into ‘months’. The other kingdom rulers- at least, those I am able to come in contact with- and I have reasons to believe that the Banshee Reaper had already begun to hasten its escape.” Hearing that surprised everyone.

“How can you be sure of that?!” one of the demon soldiers asked.

“I had told you all before, did I not? How I was in contact with the other rulers?” the king asked. “Two years ago, tragedy struck on one certain kingdom that changed everything. Another there who also knows of our true past reported the incident to all of us.”

Caro knew exactly what event he was referring to. “You mean King Stephon’s death? Of Harlan.”

“That’s right. At first we thought his son was starting a foolish rebellion for his own gain, but another there, Harlan’s Legendary Mage… He had sensed great darkness in the boy. Darkness that does not belong to him, and the very darkness we had faced before.” Those words were making the demons and Caro feeling uneasy with where he was going. “For that monster to sneak a small portion of its power out of its imprisonment, it’s only a matter of time until it makes the boy do something even more stupid than he has already done. Namely breaking its seal.”

The room was filled with dread when he said the one thing they did not want to hear. If it took their king and many others united to try to get that beast to be sealed, they would stand no chance against it. Especially not when their world is divided.

“So far, we have reasons to believe Greg has already begun preparations for its revival,” the Demon King said. “These past two years, he has sent his men to kingdoms near Harlan and declared war. I may not know what is needed exactly to break that seal, but this action will only serve to split us all further apart than we are now. And once the Banshee Reaper returns, no one will be able to stop it.”

“But wait, you said this hilt, the Cardiac Blade, will be able to stop it,” Caro recalled.

“Yeah, that’s what you told us, Your Majesty,” the kushtaka agreed.

“You two have seen that monster’s power. Can you truly tell me that you are or will be ready to take it down alone? Without back up?” the Demon King questioned.

Caro knew he was right. Even if she does have the only blade that can kill that monster, she may never reach it if its underlings stop her from advancing.

“We not only have to prepare you for its return, but we also must bring all the kingdoms, all the races together, just as we once were years ago. It was hard enough before Greg’s rebellion, when Stephon was the only one trying to reach into the hearts of many, both in his kingdom and out, but now…”

“Couldn’t we find the rulers of those kingdoms when we get to their warring land?” the Demon Prince asked.

“If it was that simple, I wouldn’t be worrying. Unfortunately, as I have said, we’ve lost contact with those other rulers, ever since Greg had declared war on multiple kingdoms. I wouldn’t call them weak, but something must’ve happened to them. Either that, or the fool of a king managed to get them too busy to be contacted.”

With every spoken word, Caro clenched her fists tighter. Brainwashed or not, she could not believe Greg was stupid enough to declare war on multiple kingdoms, especially when his father’s wish was to unite them.

“At this rate, even if we do give Caro the training she needs, we will not be able to unite in time for the Banshee Reaper’s release,” the Demon King said.

Everyone all looked down, feeling that all hope is lost. And all because of a foolish human.

“… What if we can still unite them in time?” the kushtaka spoke, grabbing everyone’s attention. “If we only focus on Caro’s training and ignore the war outside, we won’t be able to help anyone. But what if we go to them? What if we help those kingdoms? Not only will we show them that not all humans are bad or that races can be trusted, wouldn’t that also unite us together? And as we go out and travel from kingdom to kingdom, we can still do Caro’s training during rest spots.”

Many demons took that idea into consideration. If anything, it was a really good idea. Rather than just training the human girl and worry about being unable to bring the other race together, they can just have her go to them, assist them however she can, and gain some more training in between.

“If that is the case, as it is now, it is too dangerous for her to go out alone,” the Demon King said, indirectly agreeing with the plan.

“Hang on. Don’t I get a say here?” Caro asked. “I understand that this is of great importance, but I really think you should come up with another plan.”

“Are you saying you have no confidence at all in your combatant abilities if and when you face against that king of yours?” the Demon Prince asked in slight mockery.

“Far from that. Greg has never beaten me in any of our spars. I only have high doubts that they will ever lend an ear to a human outsider.”

“So you say, but I heard you managed to unite Harlan with Beastware before Stephon’s death,” the Demon King pointed out.

“I was only a messenger back then. And we were met with some conflict at the beginning. Not only that, it all happened during a time when things were peaceful as can be. You’re telling me to make peace with them all during time of war. Plus, I know from first-hand experience from, not one, but two races that the moment I even try to interact with a non-human race, I will die before even meeting the ruler. I was given a second chance. I’m not wasting it.” Caro turned to the exit and walked towards it.

“Where do you think you’re going, human?” the prince demanded.

Not stopping her tracks, she answered, “Need some air.”

The demon prince and the soldiers did not take the response nor the tone so well.

“Hey! You do not get to-!”

“Enough,” the Demon King called out, stopping his son and men.

“But father-!”

“I said, enough. She just got herself out of a life-and-death situation and was suddenly asked to do a big task only she could do. She needs time to think. We can grant her at least that.”

“You’re only saying that because she’s in possession of the one weapon that can save our world. Speaking of, why did you not tell me of this much earlier?! The truth of our past is one thing, but to know we are in possession of the most powerful weapon?! Why hide that?!” the prince demanded his father.

“And risk you dying on a whim? You and I both know you’re too proud of such a thing,” the king reasoned. “Besides, it is not my call of who gets to wield such a weapon. You saw for yourself how dangerous it is before she managed to pass the trials. Or do you think just because you’re a demon you will fare better?“

“Our race is far stronger than the human race! Of course I would’ve fared much better!”

The king was not having his son’s ego at this very moment. “You think all other candidates before her were human? The previous candidates were of other races as well. Half-humans, elves, animen, spirits, casters, even demons… candidates of all race and age were carefully sent here in secret. However, no matter how much potential they were shown to have, no matter how high their level or stats were, none of them even passed the first trial. She is the first and only one we know by far who is actually able to even hold that weapon.”

To hear that even their own kind wasn’t able to do what that human did shocked his son and the other demons. Just exactly who is this human?

Meanwhile, no one noticed the kushtaka and Kagero following after Caro as she left.

******

When Caro left the dungeon area, she went back to the rooftop of the castle. As the girl lied there, she stared at her newly obtained weapon. She didn’t know what she couldn’t believe more. That she passed those trials? That she was alive and not dead? That she overcame her past? No… It was none of those.

What she couldn’t believe, was that all this time, Ruby was still looking out for her.

Her eyes laid on the beast ear ring around her left wrist at the thought of her best and childhood friend. These past two years, she had thought the wolf half-human was just another enemy in disguise, but that was not at all true. Not only that, but in her previous life, she had gotten herself killed for a possible misunderstanding. Realizing that now and thinking back on it, she couldn’t help but stifle back a laugh at her predicament.

“Huh. So you do know how to smile,” came a familiar voice.

Caro flinched slightly, her stifled laugh turning back into a frown, as she turned to see the kushtaka in his otter form and Kagero looking down at her from the window.

“You’ve never heard of privacy, do you?” she asked, turning away from the demon and monster.

“Don’t say that,” the kushtaka said, joining her on the roof.

Kagero wanted to follow, but decided to stay behind, in case a demon shows up in search for her master. And she couldn’t fit through the window.

“So, how does it feel to be the chosen one?” the otter demon asked Caro.

“In all honesty? A weird dream, if anything,” she answered. “I know my level is abnormally high, due to how hard I had been training since I was a child, and I had spent the past two years surviving and fighting against monsters of this land, but to think this would ever happen to me…”

“You never thought a human such as yourself would truly be destined for the greater good…”

“It’s not just that.” The kushtaka tilted his head in confusion at that. “It’s just… You know how I said I would rather die than to keep living earlier, right?” He nodded at the question. “I had gone though so much hardship in my life, more than anyone of any race had ever gone through. I practically gave up on life ever since the day I arrived here unwillingly. And yet, for some reason, I still clung onto survival. At first I thought it was because I didn’t want to die a death as foolish as being eaten alive or dying out in the middle of some wasteland. Now, not only did I find out my best and only friend still cares about me, but I am chosen to save the very world and the many races that have some grudge against me, be it for my race, my actions, or for some form of amusement, from this great evil that is to come. I just… I’m not so sure if this world is really worth fighting for. This world and the people in it.”

The kushtaka stayed silent, as he listened to her ramble on about her troubling conflict. “… Well, I can’t say much to make this decision easy for you, especially as this is your life. You should be the one to decide what to do. But what I can say is, instead of asking yourself ‘are the world and the people worth fighting for’, ask yourself ‘is the people living in this very world worth fighting for’? Specifically the people you care about who care about you.” Caro looked at him when he asked that. “You said it yourself. Your best friend still thinks about you. Not just her…” The kushtaka looked over to Kagero guarding the window. “There are other people who see you as a friend. Surely you know that from the Contract, don’t you?”

When he asked that, it made Caro think. He wasn’t wrong; Caro still cared about her. However, for all the wolf half-human knew, she’s dead.

’No… that’s not at all true…’ Caro knew better than to ever think that. Especially after the promise she made. It may not be to the real Ruby, and the message may never get to her, but the fact remains that Caro promised she will see her friend again. Plus, as the fragment and the kushtaka had said, she is no longer alone; she has allies she can rely on now, friends she can trust.

The mere thought of it was enough to bring a smile on her face, in which the otter noticed.

“By the look of that smile, I’d say you know what to do,” he stated.

Slightly annoyed with the smart mouth the little guy had, Caro playfully messed with his head. Or at least, she planned to, when she suddenly hugged the demon close to her the moment she placed her hand on his head.

“Whoa! What was that for?” he asked in shock.

“You’re soft. Shut up,” she muttered, petting the demon, to his delight.

******

After being comforted by her kushtaka friend, Caro went back inside the castle to look for the king, with Kagero and the demon in his human form with her. According to a servant they bumped into, his majesty was back in the throne room. As they made their way to the room, the trio noticed some of the demons giving them weird looks as they passed, specifically to Caro.

The human couldn’t blame them. For all she knew, they must’ve heard about her fate, how a human, of all races, is destined to save them from impeding evil. It could’ve been any other race; an elf, a fishman, an animan, even a weakest demon of their race or a half-human would be fine. But a pure human? The weakest race of them all? That’s practically asking to have a death sentence of sort by the human they were to rely on.

Once the trio arrived at the throne room, they saw the king sitting at his throne, with his son and several demon soldiers standing before him.

“Have you made your decision?” his majesty asked.

“I won’t fight for people I don’t know… But I will at least fight for those I treasure,” Caro answered.

“Then you’ll help us?” Caro nodded in confirmation, bringing a smile on the king’s face. “This is excellent news. We must not waste time; from this moment forward, every second, every action counts, if we are to save our world from the monster that is to be released soon. For tonight, we feast and help our hero prepare for her journey. Tomorrow, a few of you here will be chosen by our hero and depart with her to assist her in uniting all the races around the world and prevent the coming tragedy from happening. This is not like those simple missions with the monsters out in the Sturmland. Not only will you be going to other kingdoms, you will be in the middle of war in each and every single one of them, making your way to the ruler of each kingdom and help them convince their people that their enemy is not with each other, nor was there ever a conflict between them or any of the other races outside their kingdom in the first place. To say this mission is difficult will be nothing but an understatement, and you will undoubtedly meet up with powerful adversaries. However, I have faith that you all will return this world back to how it once was. Return the peace that we all once had. The connection and memories that was lost to us all.”

No words were needed for the Demon King to know. Not only will Caro truly do everything in her power to unite all the kingdoms, but his son and soldiers as well; they wouldn’t like it, nor would they ever, but they would do everything they can to help the human achieve this goal, for the sake of all they treasure.

******

The next day, a trio of demons stood in the hidden meeting room in the dungeon, waiting for the arrival of their new human master.

“She’s taking quite a while,” Caro’s kushtaka friend stated.

“She’s supposed to be the hero to save us all, and yet she’s late? What a human…” the demon prince scoffed.

The third demon with them simply sharpened her arrows with a whetstone, uninterested in her fellow demons’ conversation. This demon was a female with sandy-brown hair and cat ears-like appendages on her head. She wore a green tunic, yellow shorts, brown leather vest, and a forest green cloak. She also had on goggles with black lens over her eyes and white bandages around both her feet with ankle sleeves.

“Sorry for the wait,” came Caro’s voice. The trio of demons looked up and saw the human, their king and some of the demon mages approaching them, the former in a new attire.

Gone were the clothes she had made and wore during the two years in the Demon Kingdom; now, she had donned proper clothing, consisting of a black tank top, leggings, chainmail and a purple coat over it. Over the clothes were violet armor, covering her chest, shoulders, forearms, and lower legs. The armor wasn’t heavy, nor was it too light; just enough to give her great defense and not limit her movement. There was also an eyepatch on her face, covering her left eye, but not big enough to cover the scar the prince gave her, and Ruby’s ear ring was on her wrist.

The kushtaka let out a small whistle at the Caro’s new appearance. “Looking good there, Caro,” he commented.

“You better not come crying to us if you need help, human,” the demon prince scoffed.

The cat demon said nothing, as she put away her arrows.

Caro looked at the demons, her comrades, before her. “Lex, Ruben, Belle. And of course, Kagero.” She looked down at her shadow, where a set of six eyes were seen staring back at her. “Let’s go… To the next kingdom.”

The demons all nodded in confirmation, and followed their master to the magic circle in the center of the room.

“Listen well, all of you. This magic circle will transport you all to the closest kingdom from the Demon Kingdom, as well as the one of the very few kingdoms whose ruler I am still able to contact, and the one kingdom that somewhat accepts all races. There is a chance that the kingdom you will be sent to has also gotten into a war like many others, but I know you can help resolve the matter peacefully. I believe you can help end whatever pointless conflict has arose in the kingdom, and bring the civilians there together. Once you arrive in that kingdom, you must find the ruler and tell her I sent you. Initiate the transport.“

On cue, the mages gathered around the group, staves held out, and chanting the spell. “Spirits of light and dark, heed our call. We ask for guidance to the place where war has yet to arise. Take thou to the destination we seek! Take thee to the destination where things are not as it seems! Grand Teleport!”

Once the chant was done, Caro and her team of demons disappeared, transported to a whole other location.

The moment they were gone, the demon king couldn’t help but lower his head, praying for their success. ’I hope you truly get the deed done, young ones,’ he thought.

“Your majesty. If I may… it’s been on my mind for quite a while but… what happened to your eye?” one of the mages asked.

The king knew exactly what the demon mage meant, as he raised his hand to his left eye, covered by his hair, recalling what happened just the night before.

******

It was after the feast. The Demon King had asked Caro to follow him to the infirmary room, in which the human had accepted.

“What are we doing in here?” she asked. “If it’s to help me recover from my injuries, I am sure the demons I had attacked while I was possessed need the treatment more than I do.”

“This has nothing to do with your injuries. For the most part,” the king answered. “As I had said, we must prepare you for the journey ahead. As such, I don’t think you’ll be able to fight well with only one eye.”

“I can adapt. It’s not the first time I had to fight without relying on my eyes.”

“Even though, I refuse to let you out there unprepared. Plus, it was my son who made that eye useless; I wish to right that wrong.”

While she was intrigued with what he was saying, Caro was also a bit worried with where he was going with this. “What are you saying?” she asked.

“While a contract grants you an ability unique to the ones you’ve made a contract with, it does not return what has been lost. Be it a limb or a sense. Even if at some point you make a contract with someone who has the Regeneration ability, by then it would make no difference, for it does not restore what has already been lost. As such, I wish to give up my sight for your’s.”

******

The king let a small smile form on his face as he thought back to that moment, feeling no regrets for his decision.

“Let’s just say… I had done my part in ensuring her safety in this mission. What happens next is up to her,” he said.

******

With Caro and her team of demons, as soon as they got transported out of the Demon Kingdom, they found themselves in the middle of the woods. Unlike in the Sturmland in the Demon Kingdom, not only were there obvious signs of plant life, but there was also sunlight in this kingdom, and the first sunlight Caro had seen since she was sent away from Harlan Kingdom.

“So this is the sunlight…” Lex the kushtaka said in awe, stretching his arms out as he bathed himself in the sun. “It kind of feels nice.”

“Says you… It’s too bright for my taste,” Ruben the demon prince groaned, bringing an arm up to block the light from his eyes. “Also, I thought my dad was sending us to the kingdom’s capital. Why are we here?”

“This happened to me two years ago,” Caro informed. “Plus, as your father said the other day, time is of the essence. And as much as he could’ve told the ruler of our coming here, unfortunately he can contact them only on the day of the full moon, which had occurred several days ago, from what he told me. We have to make our way to the capital on our own from here.”

“If that’s how it is, it can’t be helped,“ Lex said. “Okay, master. Which way do you suggest we go?”

As if life making the decision for her, a scream was heard from the distance.

“We do need a guide. Let’s go!” Without another word, the group of four rushed to the source of the scream, officially beginning their journey together.

The End