Second Chance in the Demon Kingdom

“I’m a candidate?” Caro asked, after being told that she, apparently, may have a bigger role than she thought in this life.

“That’s what I heard, according to the His Excellency when he was having a large meeting with the other kingdom rulers years ago,” the kushtaka said.

What he said only served to confuse her even more. “‘Other kingdom rulers’? I thought they’re all divided. King Stephon was the only person, the only race, who began his attempt to bring them all together.”

“I’m only telling you what I know and heard. Believe me, I was just as shocked as you when I saw that meeting. And apparently, no one else knows about it. Not even the prince.”

“Because we felt none of you were ready to know,” came a voice.

Caro and the kushtaka turned and saw the king leaning out the window, looking down at them both.

“When the king of animan said he saw a rodent on my side during the meeting, I didn’t think he meant you,” he said to the kushtaka.

The current otter-form demon looked down nervously at that claim.

“But, he’s right about one thing.” The king turned to Caro. “You are a candidate of something big. Come with me. Both of you.”

******

Caro and the kushtaka followed the king down the halls. Well, Caro was following the Demon King; the kushtaka, on the other hand, rode on her shoulders. As they walked, the human couldn’t help but wonder what it was that his majesty was hiding from them. No, not just him. King Stephon and the king of Beastware, as well as the other kingdom rulers. What were they hiding from the rest of the world? Does anyone else know of what they were hiding?

After some time of walking, the group of three arrived in what may be the deepest parts of the dungeon. There, a heavily locked and guarded door stood before them. Before they could walk any further, a large figure suddenly appeared from above.

The figure was what seemed like a large, dragon-like bird, covered in sword-like feathers. Its beak and legs metallic like steel, and its glaring eyes are more like mirrors, as it clearly reflected the trio.

“Password?” it spoke.

“Lubius Drakulous,“ the king answered.

At his answer, the bird bowed and stepped out of his way. “Welcome, your highness.” It then glared at Caro and the current-otter demon.

As if noticing its glare, the king said, “The two behind me are my guests. Allow them through.” At his command, the bird bowed to them as well and flew off. Once it left, Caro calmly caught up to the Demon King, who placed a hand to the doors. That one simple touch, and the locks were undone, the chains all retracted, and the doors opened, granting them entry.

Past the doors was a very large room. In the center of the room was a table and a crystal ball perched on it, and on the other side of the room was an artifact display case with what seemed like a hilt inside of it.

“I hope you forgive my minokawa. He takes his role as a guard here a bit too seriously,” the Demon King explained

“What is this room?” Caro asked.

“This is where his majesty had his meeting with the other kingdom rulers,” the kushtaka on her shoulder answered for the king.

Caro glanced at the current-otter. ”And just how much longer are you planning on staying on my shoulder?”

“Your shoulder is actually quite comfortable. I doubt I’m getting off at any time soon.”

The king cleared his throat, prompting the two to be silent. “As the kushtaka on your shoulder said, this room here, is where I hold my meetings with the other kingdom leaders. I would show you how, but unfortunately, the only time we can hold our meetings is when the moon is full.”

“Which brings us to the question of how you guys can in the first place when, last I heard- In fact, last anyone has heard, the kingdoms are all separated. Divided. Anything but united,” Caro said. “As far as I know, King Stephon was the only person who attempted to make a union between races.”

“You’re right. In public’s eyes, he was the only king who made an attempt to reach out to another kingdom. However, that is as far as the public knows. The truth behind the matter, on the other hand... It’s because of a curse that has been placed upon the world years ago.”

Caro and the kushtaka raised a brow at the answer. “A curse, milord?” the latter repeated in a questioned tone.

“Yes, my young kushtaka friend. You both are aware of the Great Kingdom War, correct?”

“It’s the very war that took place a couple decades ago. Many races fought to dominate others and take over the land that the other races possessed, all envied at the resources those races have in which no other does. It was because of this that the kingdoms were all divided, especially after the legends of each race gathered their powers together and split the land into islands, making it impossible for another takeover like the Great Kingdom War,” Caro answered.

“Someone has done her homework. I can see what King Stephon saw in you.” The human didn’t know if she should be flattered to be complimented by the Demon King. “Though that is what was written in history books, it is far from the truth.” Hearing that shocked the two commoners. “The truth is... The Great Kingdom War is the war in which many races came together to fight against one fearsome enemy. And it is because of this enemy that the world is as we know it today.”

“What do you mean?” the kushtaka asked.

The king walked to the crystal ball and waved his hand over it. As he did so, it glowed and flashed, causing Caro and her otter friend to shield their eyes from the light.

Once it died down, Caro and the kushtaka lowered their arms and found themselves back in the wasteland of Darkest Nights... more specifically a battlefield. There, they saw many races fighting, not each other, but against dark entities of some kind. Of what both could see, these dark entities were shadows, covered in dark, wispy auras, attacking the other races, while the latter group come together in an attempt to overpower these dark enemies.

It didn’t take long for either of them to know where they were. Or rather, when.

“This is the very Great Kingdom War from decades ago,” the Demon King said, standing right next to them. “Unlike what you were told, in this war, all races were fighting alongside one another, defeating the enemy that threatened to destroy our world. In this war and before it... There was peace between many kinds. We were one country, one kingdom. There were no discriminations, no isolations, no inequality, nothing... Just equality, unity, and peace. True peace, between many races.”

Hearing that brought more confusion to Caro and the kushtaka. If what he said was true, why are the kingdoms divided? Why is there discrimination now? Not just the humans to half-humans and human-like races, but also to the other races to each other and humans? What really happened in this war?

“At first, we all thought we were able to conquer this enemy, and go back to our peaceful ways. But...” The king trailed off, as Caro and her companion felt a large and heavy pressure in the air.

Both looked back to the battle and were shocked when they saw the sky above on the enemy’s side forming cracks. Once enough cracks were formed to make the sky look breakable, a black clawed hand broke through it and grabbed onto the remaining cracks. This was followed by another clawed hand. Then, pulling itself up, many people saw what may as well be a face of nightmares. The face was so thin, one would see the skull, and it didn’t help that some parts of the skin peeled off, showing whatever flesh was under it and some bones. It had long, black hair, positioned in a way that made it even more frightening. There were no eyeballs, as purple gas slowly came out of its sockets. The being let out a screechy moan, causing many to cover their ears from the horrifying sound. That’s not all, coming from its mouth was what seemed like black blood, dripping all over the ground. Once the blood hit, emerging from it were more of the dark entities.

Seeing this, for the first time since she was reborn, Caro felt pure fear for this new enemy. Or rather... what may as well be the leader of the enemy army.

“W-What... What is that...?” she asked shakily.

“As you may think, the source of those dark soldiers, as well as the monster that nearly destroyed our world. We call it the Banshee Reaper. Screechy moans that renders us powerless, while being able to summon out more of her soldiers through her blood-like liquid. And to make things worse...” The Demon King trailed off there, as Caro and the kushtaka watched and saw some of the newly formed dark entities easily overpowering the good guys. And not only that, but after seemingly killing the soldiers, the dark soldiers took possession over their bodies. The two were shocked at the sight before them. “It forced us to fight against our own comrades. One would not even call it a battle. Days passed since its arrival, which turned to weeks, then to months. Next we knew, only a handful of us fighters remained.” As he said that, the scene changed to what seemed like a hut. And in the hut were the Demon King, late King Stephon in his younger years, Caro and Ruby’s masters, also in their younger years, as well as other people from other races.

“What happened after that, milord?” the kushtaka asked. “Surely, you must’ve put an end to this monster, somehow.”

“... I would not call it ‘putting an end to it’,” he answered, as the scene changed to the group traveling in the woods, with the Demon King and King Stephon taking the lead. “Out of all race, there was one race that had not joined us in this battle of conquest. Those of us remaining went on a journey to seek out that one race, for it is the only race that would help us turn the tide, find the weak point of the Banshee Reaper, and put an end to its control once and for all... The seer.” The trio saw the group meeting up with a meditating, eyeless, human-like being. The being held out a hand, which had an eye on the palm, and faced it at them. “Unfortunately... When we arrived and asked her our question, it turns out, no matter how strong we would get, how high our levels and abilities were, or how powerful our weapons may be, we could not defeat that monster.”

Hearing this shocked Caro and the kushtaka speechless, as both turned to the Demon King with wide eyes.

“Then... How did this war...?”

“Though we were unable to defeat it, the seer did inform us that there was one other solution to our problem. If we were unable to defeat such a beast, at the very least, we could seal it away. However, there was only one seal that could lock up a monster as frighteningly powerful as it… One that required a large amount of mana to be used. And as it needs so much, sacrifices had to be made. Or should I say... a sacrifice...”

As he said that, one person from amongst the group walked stepped forward, meeting the two kings and legends. To Caro and the kushtaka’s surprise, stepping up was another Demon King, or at least someone who looked strikingly similar to him.

“My younger twin brother. The greatest mage in the world, the true legendary mage, and the true hero. He was the only one who agreed with this plan, and the only one who was willing to let down his life for everyone else’s. I was strongly against this plan, and the only one who spoke up against him. For the first time in my life, I had to plead my twin to not do something so foolish. I reminded him of the family he was going to leave behind, but he wouldn’t budge. Instead, he accepted the fate that would come in using the seal, and took action.”

The scene changed to the group battling against the Banshee Reaper, its soldiers and their possessed allies at the wasteland once more. Everyone was doing their best to distract the great monster and holding off the enemy, while the Demon King’s brother stood in the middle of a large, white magic circle, activating the seal.

Of what Caro and the kushtaka could see, the monster was ridiculously huge, perhaps bigger than a giant, and had a pair of large bat wings and a pair of black dragon wings. Save for its pale face, shredded face, its body is completely black. Its right arm was so long it was practically being dragged along the ground, sweeping away those that came its way. The legs were thin, extremely hard and had spikes everywhere, spewing out more of its purple, poisonous gas, and its feet had more spikes on the bottom, crushing and piercing through the very earth beneath it and whoever else was under it.

Once the Demon King’s twin finished his chant, he glowed white and shot toward the monster. The guy clapped his hands together and spread his arms out, summoning white, ghostly arms and shooting them at the Banshee Reaper. The arms wrapped themselves around the monster and pulled it to the ground, where a portal opened up and slowly sucked it and every one of its soldiers in, as well as separating the dark entities from the fighters they possessed. As they were getting sucked in, the demon mage latched himself on the Banshee Reaper, struggling to keep his hold on it and keep it immobilize, as it was sinking into the seal.

“At first, when we saw the monster sinking into the portal, the dark entities getting sucked in, and our friends, brothers, and sisters being freed from its control, many of us were more than elated. Unfortunately, fate is not as nice as it should be,” the Demon King continued.

As he said that, in the Banshee Reaper’s eye sockets, red light suddenly glowed from within, making it seem like it had red eyes. Letting out another screechy moan, before it was completely swallowed up by the portal, it raised its long arm. The arm glowed dangerously red and was slammed down on the ground. It was then, the unthinkable happened.

A horrible tremor occurred, and large cracks formed on the ground and spread outwards. They weren’t big enough for anyone to fall into, but the cracks kept forming to outside the battlefield and up the cliffs. The purple gas that had been released from the Banshee Reaper’s body bursted out from the cracks, prompting the few remaining mages to cast a protection spell on themselves and any close by allies, including the Demon King, Stephon, Durandal and Gideon.

Caro and her otter friend, completely sucked in to the illusions, held their breaths, forgetting that this all happened in the past. Therefore, everything that happened here could not affect them.

After minutes of the horrible shaking, the gas dissipated. Caro and the shapeshifting otter gasped for breaths and looked back at their surroundings. To their surprise, the only ones that remained in the area were the demon race. Humans, animen, half-humans, and all other races were gone.

Barriers were brought down, and everyone looked around in great confusion, wondering where their comrades had gone. Unfortunately, before any of them could wonder about it, more shaking was felt, this one far worse than before.

Time later, the shaking stopped at last. Caro and the shapeshifting otter on her shoulder, both whom fell upon the strong shaking, slowly got back up and wondered what happened.

The Demon King of the past also wondered what had occurred, as each of his previously-possessed, unconscious allies all regained conscious.

“Ugh... What happened...?” one asked.

“Are you guys all okay?!” the king back then asked.

“Huh? Your highness!” another demon gasped. “Why are we...?”

“Hey! Where are those damn humans?!” another demon demanded, much to the king and a few others’ shock, those few others being the ones that were protected by the barrier like His Majesty.

“Huh? What do you-?”

“Forget those humans! What about those animen bastards?!” another demon demanded.

“Let’s not forget the giants, elves, elementals, and those other damn races! Where the hell are they?!” shouted another.

The king and his close allies were shocked. Each demon was shouting out their great dislike for certain races, some who were really close to the said races, almost as though...

“No one remembered of the true peace we once had. The peace we had with everyone else,” the present Demon King said to Caro and the kushtaka. “No one even remembered their names, for some reason. Rather, everyone claimed that we, who are not humans, never had names to begin with. Why only I and a few of others remembered, we did not know. But we did know who did.” Scene changed to back in the woods from earlier in the flashback. “I alone went back to the woods where the seer was to be, while the others went back to the the capital, and convinced the people that the war has ended, and we are at peace... for now. Along the way, I met back with Stephon and several other of our friends, all with the same problems with their people. We all had the same goal in mind; to find the seer and find out what happened to our people. But when we returned to the woods she resided in, she was gone.”

Caro and the otter watched as the group widen their eyes to see the seer gone. Instead, a note with a rock placed above it was there, as well as a familiar hilt in a glass case. “The only good news that came from that journey was that she left a note with answers to our problems... And more worries. As it turns out, that gas the Banshee Reaper released... It was not poison; it was a memory alteration gas. As it stands, only the infants were unaffected, as they don’t remember much from that age to begin with. But because of that gas, everyone who breathed it were affected, and forgot of our true history. What they remember about other races, the only thing they do remember of other races, what they believe they remember about them, was the conflict they had with them, the difference in power they had, and the resources produced in their part of the land. Similar races were more or less on the… friendly side, but all others are practically their natural enemies. They either despise other races or fear them for reasons that don’t exist. Of course, as you know, human, some people don’t mind too much of other races, for in their eyes, they are people just like them. However, depending on the people they are with, such a thought makes them outsiders, traitors to their own kind.” As he said that, the scene changed back to that large empty room in the dungeon.

Caro couldn’t help but think back to when she and Ruby attended school in the royal capital. A prodigious school, where practically everyone, students and teachers alike, all bullied Ruby, just because she was a half-human. While the students were more physical, teachers all overlooked the bullying and constantly gave Ruby questions that made her uncomfortable or was unreasonably out of their grade level and nothing of what they were taught. There were even times during the practical classes and exams where the teachers gave Ruby a broken or fake staff, aware of her lack of control for her magic power.

Did Caro do something during those times? Of course she had. Was she given the same treatment as her best friend after that? She wasn’t, due to the fact that she was Stephon’s adopted daughter and human like them. It was when Durandal and Gideon both visited the school one day and saw potentials in them that their time at school got brighter. But wait...

“If that were true, then what of Durandal and Gideon? If I recall, they were with you when your twin sealed the Banshee Reaper and had a barrier protecting them from the gas. Why weren’t they treated as outsiders when they helped non-human races?” Caro asked.

“Because they are known as Legends, people who are always in the right, who always fought for their kingdom. At least, that was how many saw some of those who returned. Besides, only those foolish would ever try their luck against those obviously stronger than them.”

Caro nodded in understanding at the reason. “Okay. And what about the issue with the names?”

“Remember what I said earlier? About names having power? That is exactly why. Not only did their memories get altered, but when I sparred with a few of my men, the same ones who fought in that war with me, they weren’t even at half their strengths. With the erased names and altered memories were also their stolen strengths. With how things are now, if nothing is done, all is for naught.”

The pair caught on to that last part he said and had worried looks on their faces.

“Your majesty... You can’t possibly mean...” the kushtaka trailed off, not at all wanting to finish the question.

“The seal locked up the Banshee Reaper... but only for a limited amount of time.” Caro and the otter were shocked to hear this news. “According to the note the seer had left, the seal can only last for a few decades, at most. It’s been twenty years since then. Once the seal expires, the Banshee Reaper will return, and our world will end. However, there is a way to end that monstrosity.” The Demon King walked to the encased hilt. “This hilt... This weapon... Despite what it looks like, according to the seer, this is the only thing that could actually kill that monster.”

His guests were confused enough hearing that the hilt was still considered as a weapon, but to also learn it is able to kill off a monster that almost destroyed the world?

“And just how is that possible?” Caro dared ask. “And if it is something that can kill that thing, why didn’t she give it to you earlier?”

“Because it is not us that chooses who will wields it. The hilt, itself, does the choosing.” Cue the increasing surprise and confusion. “Only those with a pure heart, those who truly understands the meaning of life and death, and those who possess true strength is able to reveal its blade. All others fall. The seer had told us that ‘we’ weren’t able to defeat that monstrosity. However, that didn’t mean someone else in the future could.” The Demon King turned to Caro. “Before he died, King Stephon said many great things about you, all summing up to you being a candidate hero.”

Caro raised a brow at that. “‘Candidate’ hero?” she asked.

“You’re not the first we’ve scouted out these past years,” the Demon King informed. “Many came before you, all who are of different races. And of those many, none had live to see the next day.” The human raised a brow in confusion at that information. “Of the many that came before you... all died just from grabbing the cursed thing.”