The mist finally cleared. Everything could be seen, light travelled into the dead path, illuminating the mundane surroundings. Without any obstacles to his sight, Simon set all of his attention on the man known as Xander.
"So what of this blood? Last I checked, I had average class blood. So I cannot be related to you because of blood colour, it is a mere coincidence." Simon confidently explained to Xander as he pointed to his wrist. The sun shone on him, reflecting somewhat over his mask, pulling attention to his irises of orange.
"Such intensity!" Xander joyfully proclaimed as he walked around Simon in circles.
"Blood of my blood, you smell like my own, so you can not deny the fact that you are a descendant of mine. You are also the sole heir to the name. Only ones that hold the pure blood of Mortaphax can become the heir to his name!" A sudden rumble occurred around the two, causing the trees to shake and the path to crack. The illusion of peace had ended, and a small scale earthquake had just started on the very premises of where Simon was. With every authoritative word that Xander spoke, another crack would appear, this is the power he possessed.
"We may be tens of generations apart, but I know my blood. The blood that melts stone, the blood that is accessed when one is willing to feel pain. My blood is one that is guided by will, are you one of will?" Xander spoke as a sword materialised in his right hand, to which he pointed at Simon. Without another word, the sword radiated with blazing red energy, almost as if it was trying to swallow Simon whole.
"You do not seem to want to listen to what I have to say. I am Simonifirac Crypts, son of Karlus Crypts, Aspiring Knight! How can I have the last name of Beel?" Simon shook his head in disagreement.
'The Crypts household was never born of a Beel house. I don't even know what the Beel house is, I never wrote of it.' Simon inwardly spoke.
"Your tongue works to disagree with the flesh that birthed you. How do you not know my name? I was once the greatest of all devils, the paragon of devil existence. I was Blood Monarch of Annihilation, the grandest the Demon World ever saw, and my descendant doesn't even know that? Have you no memory of when our home was destroyed? Where we sent elsewhere? What happened to my wife?" Xander desperately asked as he started to scratch his face in sadness. As this happened, the ground rumbled yet again, the sky darkened and the mist started to return with fervour.
"I do not know." Simon responded.
The scene darkened as Xander lost his expression and looked at Simon.
"Simonifirac? The Simo means 'to lose' and Nifir means 'to gain'. How poetic. Our lineage was descended from the wise after all. It is a shame that I may never ascend back to my home and see my wife. I hope she stayed as true to me as I did for her."
"Love isn't fickle. A devil knows love more intimately than any human can understand. We are given our partner from a young age and we must learn to live with them and to love them. If we do not, we will never have heirs. Great heirs can only be produced by love, nothing else can substitute. Even your most hated enemy can become your most caring lover." The sound of thunder cracked in the sky as Xander reminisced. The mist had full thickened now, and echoes of strong wind could now be heard from all directions. The voice started to get quieter and quieter.
"During the Adulthood Ceremony, look for love; not lust. Lust will only blind you of the future." The echoes stopped. Simon blinked his eyes once, only to find himself in a completely different area. Now he was in the middle of a citadel, specifically next to a palace, probably in a throne room. The door was open and an unfamiliar face greeted him.
In a grand room with numerous marble pillars, with golden inscriptions a downing each and everyone of them, Simon was kneeling on the ground towards a grand throne. On a luxurious blue carpet, he knelt alone, watched by numerous guards of the expert visionary rank.
"I summoned for a young mate! Not a lower noble with grey horns!" The figure in the throne shouted at her guards.
"Your Bloodness... we put in our efforts to summon only ones of youth. It seems this one is of youth." A guard tried to explain as he bowed on the floor. The silence in the grand room, was apparent, no one wished to anger the one on the throne.
"May I ask why I am here?" Simon respectfully asked.
"Did I say you can speak?" The figure stared deathly at Simon as she stood up from her throne.
"You must have already been through the Adulthood Ceremony, so this is my mistake. However, you have now seen my face!" The figure shouted. As she moved closer, her black horns, crimson skin, and blue eyes became more apparent. Her body was clothed in a regal dress, accentuating her power.
In the room, only one person held power.
"A brat of the 4th rank, and a grey horn. You are probably in your late 20s, nothing special."
"You are too confident in yourself! You are an idiot without any tact! If this is how you treat all of your guests, then I guess I will take my leave." Simon laughed as he turned away from the figure.
"No." A sudden surge of devilish power enveloped the figure as she reached her arms at Simon, sending a large jolt of lightning at him.
"AAARGH!"
"I do not care who you are. After taking a good look, you are only around 16. So you can't really do anything even with your extreme circumstances." The figure said as she stepped over Simon's head, rubbing her feet on him as an insult.
"I cannot wait any longer. Bring this little brat to my chambers."