The Demon Phoenix

Chapter One "He'll arise under the full moon next month. Let's strike on that day" Vickyo said in a sour and cracking voice. He never bothered to clear his throat. It would never be clear anyway. "Who would arise?" The human king, Gasho, asked in a deep voice under his breath. He sat mightily on his throne as he stared at the demon bowing down in front of him. His brother, Marco, stood beside him. He listened with rapt attention to the conversation between his brother and a rebellious demon. "The Phoenix! The Demon Phoenix... The mystic creature that dwells in any demon he wishes to dwell into. The Al'shatra's saviour! We can't let him arise and grow. We should annihilate them all and restore the antique" " It's not an antique! It's hope" King Gasho said dreamily as he demonstrated the shape of the item with his hands and acted like he grabbed it whereas he just grabbed the air. His brother smiled at him. "Something that would grant us eternal authority among the earthly races. Who knows? We might even gain utmost power and dominate the whole of the no-universe!" he laughed hysterically at his own joke, more like a dream to him. The two in the room awkwardly joined the laughter just to please him. "My...my Lord" Vickyo said in his cracked voice " I hope you keep in mind to grant me a great territory after we overcome Al'shatra" " Do you doubt me?" Gasho said. " No... No, my Lord. I dare not" He smiled secretly "I dare not" " In a few days, Al'shatra would become just one of my forts" Gasho said as he laughed loudly. Vickyo and Marco joined the laughter. ******************* "War!" The harbinger cried. He was stabbed from behind, groaning in utmost pains, he fell and died. Dark and surreal. Deadly and the present view blinded by blood and the sweats streaking from the tussle to survive. Cries from excruciating pain and the loud thud that followed. The atmosphere was unfriendly as everywhere reeked of the smell of ash like blood. The demons died and after what looked the thirty minutes,their bodies wither. For they weren't humans, they faded away from their awfully decapitated bodies. "Evacuate the kids and women!" General Lod cried out to the soldiers. However, the screams and thuds were still simultaneously happening. The soldiers thrived to establish a safe convoy for the demons to lay low as it seemed they were losing the sudden battle against humans. Yes, humans. For the first time, Al'shatra, the demon kingdom was falling! There wasn't time for the easily lost battle to be of shock to them. For neighbouring kingdoms, it was a feat worth trembling in fear for. They couldn't believe the humans would be able to demolish Al'shatra within days, they marvelled at it. It came as a shock to them because the humans were no match for the demons. Moreover, the demons were peaceful people who always dish out new agendum day by day in order to maintain the peace among races in earth and make the harmony among them flourish all the time. The humans successfully overcoming the demons easily was a huge shock that threw them into disbelief. In the whole of the no-universe, the demons were the third most powerful race after gods and angels. However, among races that dwelled on earth such as the demon race, human race, elves, trolls and the demonic human race, the demons had proven to be the most powerful. Hence, they had been in possession of the Ruby of Chaos and Order that held ultimate power on earth. Given that the demonic human race are gifted with the ability to control the Ruby of chaos and order, which the demons were not even able to, the demonic humans known as the igamas lived in together under one kingdom making the kingdom more stoic than ever. Naturally, many races lusted after the ruby but due to the strong and carefully strategized defense from the side of the bearers, they dared not make an attempt to steal away the ruby. The last race that did so were the Rashama race also known as the rebellious demons which was led by Al'shatra's Lord's brother. Afhan, who was the demon lord, had sent his own half-brother, Vickyo, on an exile after he attempted to stash away the ruby of chaos and order. He had lured the priestess guarding the ruby away from her territory and ordered one of his subordinates to steal the ruby. Unfortunately for him, the priestess understood his trick from the start and had reported to Afhan who ordered her to play along. Vickyo and his cohort were caught and punished. After being sent on an exile by his own brother, Vickyo tried to associate himself with other races but they all avoided him like a plague. No one wants to have anything to do with a traitor, until he submitted himself to King Gasho who in turn promised him to snatch a large territory from Al'shatra if he could draw a plan that would give them an easy win over the demons, and also an easy access to the ruby. Just like the demons had suspected, there was someone among the humans that knew everything about the them. Their attacking strategy and their weaknesses. The humans even possess some sacred items of the demons. It seemed like they have prepared every weapon to match the demons superpowers. For instance, demons have the ability to perform telekinesis but the humans were in possession of The Demon's Rejection Stone. It was a sacred stone that belonged to the gods. One of the gods who visited earth misplaced the stone and before he could find it with his powers, his time on earth was up and he had to go. No one knew where the stone was for thousand years and the demons dominated peacefully without a weakness to being them to their knees. Soon it was long forgotten until the human folks, guided by a fugitive from the demon kingdom, discovered that it was buried behind a mountain just outside the border of Al'shatra. Technically, the demons knew of the existence of the lethal object and was the reason they kept its whereabouts hidden knowing fully that other races would attempt to steal the stone in order to lord over them and eventually be in possession of the Ruby of Chaos and Order. They kept the stone outside the kingdom because if the stone appears anywhere in Al'shatra, every demon will lost their abilities and become an ordinary mystic creature with fangs and green eyeballs. With the stone already buried somewhere in Al'shatra, it seemed like a futile dream for the demons to ever think of survival or a tiny chance to victory. Hope was lost for them. The Four Creation Generals were unable to put a halt to the attacks. The four Creation Generals were a group of the most powerful demons in Al'shatra. It comprised of General Afhan who was the leader, General Lod, General Vashu and General Mikr. They all led the southern, nothern, western and eastern parts of the Kingdom respectively. Though they had a Lord, there was still a division of labour among them making it transparent to see the harmony and the zero greed for power among them. The four of them had thought of the fight to be a long time war that was going to take away a lot of things from them, it however turned out to be a skirmish in favour of the humans. They had everything prepared and well equipped. The apple doesn't fall far from a tree, it was possible because someone from the kingdom was drawing the plans. Just in the middle of the pandemonium, a great deal of demons were down. Al'shatra had suddenly became desolate. Desolate with faint tears before painful deaths. Faint heartbeats under dying and fading souls. Three demons from the Four Creation Generals were gone, leaving just General Afhan behind... ****************** "It's a male!" The midwife cried. In the palace which was the only place in the whole of Al'shatra that the humans haven't invaded, was the demon lady who just gave birth to a new child. A male. Despite the joyful event, Vennaire couldn't keep her mind off the calamity befalling them suddenly. Though the Demon's Rejection Stone was still buried somewhere within Al'shatra draining the demons' abilities, she was still capable of using the rest of the strength in her to feel what was happening in the open town. She gasped in fear. She could feel and hear the clanks of swords and the thudding sounds of ponies. Blood sloshing every nook and cranny of the city subsequently followed by loud cries from pains. Some demons gasping for air and some praying to just die. In some end, their bodies wither away. The corpse of demons don't remain when they die, they rather turn to ashes and fade away. Trepidation overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes wide and kept her mouth opened too. Her breathing unstable. She wish she could fight in the war but she just gave birth and was weak to the bones. Her eyes were still blurry and the dim light in her palace wasn't helping as she made to rub her eyes to get a better view of her surroundings. Tears streamed down her eyes as if to tell her to keep up with her sight at that moment. She could hear the stomping feet of the soldiers, that were stationed by her husband just outside her palace, patrolling endlessly; looking out for possible dangers. She recalled her husband, General Afhan, assuring her that the other three generals would take care of the 'mere' humans. However, things didn't turn out the way he expected. He was shocked to receive news that generals were down. That was the moment he realized that the humans weren't rash about their decision to rebel against them. They actually came prepared. "I'll be back, alright? Born our baby" he had said to her when he was about to leave for the battlefield. "Will you be back?" she had asked him. His mouth were shut primly. His lips trembled as if he was searching for the right words. "I'll be back. I promise" he finally said and turned to the royal midwife "Help her conceive our second child" The woman bowed "As your lordship pleases" Afhan made to stand up and leave when she grabbed him. "You'll be back, right?" she asked again. This time he couldn't reply. With a wide smile on his face, he nodded in assurance and brushed his wife's hand off his arm softly. He took few slow steps towards the door. His sword fell from his tight grip. Weakness of a warrior. It was clear that he was worried he might not return and father his second child. Without turning back, he had picked up his sword and headed out. He commanded the elite soldiers to guard the palace tightly and ordered the rest follow him to the battlefield. "What should I name our child?" she remembered what question she asked him last. Vennaire shifted her body a bit and finally attempted to sit up. The midwife rushed over to her with the baby carefully wrapped around her arms. "You do not need to sit up yet, my lady. You still need more rest" " What rest do I have to enjoy when my people are probably almost wiped out completely!?" The royal midwife sighed. She gazed at her lady pitifully. "There is hope, my lady. The Demon Lord is there already. The humans would stand absolutely no chance against the army he leads" "I still have fear in me. They were able to kill three out of the Four Creation Generals. The only demons that led the war to fight for our place on earth. They battled gods! How... Just how could they be taken down merely like that? It still doesn't make any sense to me" " Do not get yourself worked up, my lady. Let's put our faith in the Demon Lord and await his victorious arrival" Suddenly, a young lady rushed into the palace. She was about twenty one years old. She was dressed royally but not in her magnificent robe shining effervescently, she was dressed in armour. She held a sword. "Mother!" She called rather restlessly. "Si-Vennaire, what's wrong?" "They are almost here!" " What? That's, that's not possible. They must have collided with your father on the way. Did they defeat him?" "No, mother! Not that way, but a different way" " What?" " They are coming through a secret tunnel. The largest one leading to the palace!" " What? The tunnel even you don't know about?" " Yes, mother" Realization dawned on her. It was clear. Only three people knew about the tunnel. She, her husband and her brother in-law, Vickyo. It became clear to her who the betrayer was. She almost couldn't believe it, but considering the conflict and bitterness between him and his brother, he could do anything. A man who lusts after his kin's Kingdom would do anything to gain it. Vickyo was the traitor. "Only three people know about the tunnel. I, your father and..." "Uncle" Si-Vennaire said. The midwife was also shocked. " So, that means Prince Vickyo will.... We must leave your majesty! " " No! " Vennaire said. " Mother, there is no time to be adamant. We have to leave" " I won't. We won't. We must stop him. His desire was to sit on that throne. But for once, I would never let him feel the joy of sitting on that throne" " Mother, it's uncle. Now that our abilities are draining because of an unknown cause, we can't be a match for him" " Isn't he a demon too? His powers must be unstable too by now. We will both have to rely on our skills" " You're weak your highness" The midwife said " For the sake of the new baby. Let's flee. The guards would protect us as we evacuate" Vennaire felt that was true. She recalled when she had asked her husband what she should name their child. "Sind'rat" That was what he told her "Sind as in hope, rat as in future. He's our future hope. Protect him with everything" Sparing the life of a mere traitor just to save him is worth it, she thought in the end. "I've made my decision. Let's flee" Si-Vennaire and the midwife smiled slightly. They started packing a few things before they could ask the guards to escort them. Suddenly, the started hearing the sound of swords clashing. Si-Vennaire went to take a look. "They're here, mother" she said in fear. Vennaire and the midwife gasped in fear. " Get me my sword" Vennaire requested. "No! We have to find a way to flee!" "Do not question me! That's a order. He will find his way in here anytime soon. We can't delay ourselves any further" " Y-yes, mother" Si-Vennaire said and got her her sword. Just immediately, Vickyo marched into her palace with sixteen human soldiers. He had a sly look on his face. Typical traitor. "What is this madness?" Vennaire said "Did you know you've committed treason?" Vickyo smiled wickedly "So? Your husband betrayed me first" "You caused it! You are the one greedy for power and wanted everything evolving around you alone. All the glory and grace" "What? Really? I can't believe this. We fought the war five hundred years ago to dominate the earth. Afhan, you, Lod, Mikr, Vashu and I led the war. After the first demon phoenix, Lord Kraton, sacrificed himself to hold the gods off and terminated their abilities to intervene into the the affairs of the earth. Hence, we fought the war without the intervention of the gods making us the leader of earth! But your husband became the lord, you became his wife, the other three were part of the Four Creation Generals! What about me? " "You became his most trusted kin, Vickyo!" "Did I want that? I wanted a more powerful position, but he gave me nothing" " You wanted to become the lord. You wanted all the power for yourself" " I wanted all the power for myself. The ruby of chaos and order is the most sacred item on earth, yet your husband included it in his daily harem. He held it everyday in his staff. He increases his power with it. Both of you, I know your plan. After giving birth to Si-Vennaire, you intentionally waited till now and calculated everything just to give birth to the next demon phoenix" Vennaire was shocked at Vickyo's revelation. It was an order. ******************** Background Story. After the gods and angels took over heaven, the earthly races left fought a war to figure out everyone's places. The Ruby of Chaos and Order was represented as absolute power on earth. Every race including the demons, humans, elves, trolls, vampires, werewolves and others all fought a war for seven years straight so as to win the ruby as theirs. The demons won the war because they have the demon phoenix, Lord Kraton, on their side. Though they won the ruby, they still couldn't unravel the mystery surrounding its uses. Lord Kraton married two demons and a human. The demons gave him one child each. He named them Afhan and Vickyo. The human remained fruitless for years. She was always ridiculed by her rivals until she was forced by the mockery and she fled. She got married to another demon. They gave birth to a child and named her Vennaire, making her the first igama ever made. A demonic human; half human, half demon. It was soon discovered that Vennaire's strange gene made her capable of controlling the ruby of chaos and order. When the news got out and reached the other kingdoms, they panicked. They knew the demons would be invulnerable now. Years later, they launched an attack on Al'shatra. Afhan, Lod, Mikr and Vashu who were then known as the Four Creation Generals, also Vennaire and Vickyo, led the war. However, it wasn't possible for the races to overpower the demons considering their extraordinary abilities and what they have in possession. Only the werewolves came close. The humans stayed at the lowest. The ruby was revealed again to the world. Vennaire performed a magic using the ruby as a clear message. "I am someone who has the capability to control the Ruby of Chaos and Order and I am an igama. Half human, half demon" That came as a shock but nobody dared to talk until the first human king, Ouida, spoke out. "Don't you think it is hypocrisy to support the demons alone when you're also human? You are supposed to be neutral!" He said. " I am raised by demons!" " You're still a human" Ouida said " You shouldn't take sides. Just pray for the order of the world" "I can choose which side I want" "But life doesn't want you to. Just drop it, stop turning against a side for another side when you are from both" Vennaire was short of words. Lord Kraton intervened. " You've lost. Just admit defeat. Stop trying so hard to play victim. You launched the attack first" he said," From now on!" He continued further "The demons would dominate earth. We shall possess the ruby of chaos and order since we won already" " That would've gone down well with us if nobody is able to control the Ruby yet. It's dangerous now that someone can control it. It contains absolute power" " So? We won the battle and we are entitled to be its possessors!" " In your hand is a great power that'll cause conflict in the future. An item that will have your Kingdom be at the brink of going into extinct; a threat to the existence of the no-universe. An impending danger crawling in, never ceasing to take a break. Though you have won, you still have to guarantee us of the safety of earth in order to convince us and submit ourselves to you" " Hmph! " Lord Kraton exhaled sharply " And how do I do that? " "Destroy the ruby" Ouida said. There was a loud murmur among other creatures. Just as he mustered courage to speak out for them, they followed each word he uttered and agreed with it. But now, they seemed not to agree. How can one destroy the ruby of chaos and order? Earth will become bland if that happened. Without chaos and order, earth cannot be called earth. Every thing on earth was made out of its light. Destroying the ruby of chaos and order is equalled to placing every race at the same level. No hierarchy, just earthly beings. It was quite a good resolution for the other creatures but they did not seem to agree. "Is he crazy?" "How can he speak of destroying a sacred item from the heaven itself? " " He is wacko!" Ouida caught fling of everything they said and was disappointed on his part. "Seeing that you don't want to have the ruby destroyed" he said to the other creatures "You are still greedy for the possibility of being in the possession of the ruby in the future and that is why it has to be destroyed completely! You still dream of launching another attack in the future so as to obtain the ruby! That is why we should think carefully. This item brings nothing but malice and of course, a***e of power. Destroy it, demon phoenix!" "Don't let him confused you father" Afhan said but Lord Kraton signalled to him to stop talking. "You want me to destroy the ruby?" Lord Kraton said. Oiuda smiled slightly "Yes" "I won't!" "Why?" "It belongs to the gods. It was given to us to show superiority and we have earned it. The world is not bound to having a sole head anymore, just the most powerful ones win. Give up and stop trying" he said. "You and I know the ruby is not supposed to exist, blame a god that went astray. I'll never get ruled over just because of a god's mistake that turned the order of the world into topsy-turvy" "And I will never destroy the ruby because of what the order of the world was supposed to be" " What if the gods intervene?" " What?" There was an uproar again. The demons were starting to look worried. "I have a bell that can summon gods. You are more powerful than anyone on earth, not anyone in heaven. A god will stop you. The order of the world must return to normal" " What if I stop him? " A loud gasp followed. What audacity? " Can you?" "What do you think?" There was a long silence mixed with various emotions. Tension being dominant. "I can't" Lord Kraton eventually said. Ouida suddenly looked relieved. "But..." Lord Kraton continued again throwing Ouida into another worry "I'll banish the gods from intervening into the matter of earthly creatures forever" " W-what! You can't even control the Ruby and General Vennaire can't stop the gods even with her ability. She is not that strong, that I know" " I'll end it myself" Lord Kraton said. " Father, don't tell me..." Afhan said. "Of course I am" Lord Kraton said and smiled "Instead of using the ruby as a lead, I'll use my own heart" Gradual ululation erupted among everyone. It was confusing already. What was he trying to protect so hard that he'll rather sacrifice his own life? "Why are you doing this much just to protect what's not yours!? " Ouida said clearly hurt. " Since we got it, we are never going to get dominated" Lord Kraton said and with that, he spread his magnificent wings, blue colour and green flames. Hot like fire, he flew to the sky and summoned his inner energy. There was a large storm and few thunderstorms. Soon, the sky became clear and Lord Kraton dropped down to the floor with a huge thud. "Father!" Afhan and Vickyo said and they rushed over to him. Lord Kraton was dying in Afhan's hands. "You... I'll kill you!" Afhan screamed and was about to move over to Ouida but Lord Kraton held him back. " Don't. From now on, find a way to win them back. Lord over them peacefully for that isn't our position" " What? " Lord Kraton moved closer to Afhan and said into his ears, Vickyo just looked on, wearing a worried look though. "The humans are the dominant creatures on earth. That's the order of the world. A god's mistake made it into the survival of the fittest. The most powerful rules. Also, look for the Demon's Rejection Stone. That is our only weakness. Become king, marry Vennaire and give birth to me again" "What? " " Yes, I'll be back in 500 years. I want to come as your own son. Be guided" he said. " Father please... " " I'm coming back!" Lord Kraton said loudly for everyone to hear " Probably as a saviour in times of adversity! History will repeat itself and everyone shall panic. A great battle, a b****y revenge that threatens to follow. A slow discovery and gradual fuelling desire for revenge. A day a hero will be questioned of what side he needs to choose when he didn't notice that coming. Torn between two... I'm coming back... " Lord Kraton died and turned into ashes....