Kellian slowly opened her eyes. She sat up, looked around and found Tyson sitting by her bed, engrossed in a book. "How long have I been asleep?"
"About three hours," Tyson replied, still reading.
"What!? Why didn't you wake me?" Kellian complained.
"Two reasons. You still need sleep, M'lady. Your physical body may be getting lots of rest, but that will be for nought if you do not rest while here."
"Didn't you say I need to be more active here, or else my body would suffer from not being in one place for too long?"
"Yes, but you still need rest, or you will be constantly tired when you awake but unable to sleep because your body isn't tired."
"Ugh, and your second reason?"
"You were just too peaceful. You seriously are elegant, even while you sleep. Just like Lady Lily."
Kellian blushed, "Fine."
"We can now continue. I'll tell you more."
"What!? That's what you meant???"
"Yes. I won't let you fight in your state, so just lay down and listen. And don't worry, I won't be offended if you fall asleep." Tyson smiled.
"I don't want to." She refused and crossed her arms.
"There." He said after tucking Kellian into bed. "Was I telling you about the kingdoms?"
She struggled but could not escape, "This is unfair."
"M'lady seems a little grumpy. Was your nap not peaceful?" Tyson asked.
"I want to train." Kellian pouted.
"I knew it. You had a nightmare. Of course, I'll help you. My explanations shall serve as your bedtime story." Tyson changed what Kellian said to what he wanted.
"You're just going to ignore my protests, aren't you?" Kellian caught on.
"Exactly so, M'lady," Tyson replied smiling.
"You were just finished telling me about the people of the Fairy Kingdom." Kellian frowned but told him where he last left off.
"You're not going to resist?" Tyson was surprised.
"What's the point?" Kellian asked.
"Okay, I'll continue then." Tyson was pleased she was as stubborn as her mother.
"The Fairy Kingdom has quite a bit of history. They have long hated humans and often declared war on any humans that settle near the forest. They also didn't like that werewolves were coming closer to their territory. Since werewolves are incapable of magic and known to be impulsive and less intelligent, they thought they had the upper hand. They did not and were on the verge of extinction when the humans came back for revenge with their newly invented guns. The Fairy Kingdom was in trouble and needed to act fast before all their inhabitants were dead."
"Wow. How did the people of The Fairy Kingdom survive?"
"Their King was wise and surrendered to the werewolves. In the end, they agreed to help each other. The Fairy kingdom needed help to fight the humans, and the werewolves could use their magic expertise to help grow crops. And so the King of that time, your Grandfather, sent a few werewolves to help them. In return, the Werewolf Kingdom received the help of the Fairy Kingdom."
"I see."
"Enough about the Fairy Kingdom, let's move on to the Centaur Kingdom. There's not much to say about them. They're a peaceful Kingdom that has never gotten involved in any wars. They welcome anyone as long as they abide by the rules. They're just nice overall. Their Kingdom is relatively small compared to the size of their territory, but they like it that way. To get there, it takes a couple of days. They call their city Magnesia, but they also reside on Mount Pelion. Both of which are located, in their territory they call Thessaly."
"And the occupants?"
"Well, only two species live there, although they do get a lot of visitors. The Centaurs and Minotaurs. I guess you could also count the Dwarfs, but they live anywhere. The dwarfs like it there because it's peaceful."
"Okay,"
"The centaurs are half-man and half-horse beings. Their upper half being human-looking, and their lower half was that of a horse. In the past, they were known for being barbarians who couldn't control their primaeval instincts. They are extremely gifted fighters. Their weapons of choice are swords and bows. They are quite reckless and quick to anger, so they get in fights a lot. However, their current lead made it illegal to murder so, they may beat you, but they can't kill you. They love drinking can't hold their liquor whatsoever, so a lot of them are always drunk. They're also quite lustful and will flirt with anyone, especially when drunk. They usually live up to sixty years."
"Wow."
"Mhm. Now for Minotaurs. Minotaurs are creatures with the body of a man and the head and tail of a bull. They first lived in the Human Kingdom. Due to their monstrous form, a King made a craftsman and his son create a labyrinth to house the beast. They made annual offerings of youths and maidens to please them before finally deciding to kill them. However, they ran away and found their way to Thessaly. Now they all instinctively find their way to Thessaly."
Minotaurs average over 6 feet in height, and they have muscular and stocky builds. The horns on their head are often used as a natural weapon if they do not have swords. Although being superbly strong, Minotaurs have weaknesses. They are not very intelligent and are constantly angry and hungry. He is also heavy and cannot move as fast as a normal human can. It said that Minotaurs are cursed Humans, but there is no evidence to support that claim.
Minotaurs develop more slowly than humans, reaching full maturity around the age of 20. They typically become acolytes at around 8 or 9 years old, making them among the elder members of their crops. Once they reach maturity, though, minotaurs age quickly, rushing headlong through their trials to complete them before they pass their peak. A minotaur allowed to die of old age would rarely live beyond 40."
"Interesting."
"Mhm. Those two are calmer when in nature hence why they live in their Kingdom and not anywhere else. As for Dwarfs, there's a lot of foot traffic in Thessaly, and the mountains are rich with ore, so a couple of dwarfs have settled down there. Dwarfs are human-like creatures that are short in stature. They grow to a maximum height of about 3ft (91cm). In appearance, they were sometimes beautiful, but more usually, they resembled grave old men with long beards and, in some cases, humped backs. Dwarfs are variously associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting. Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans. But they are considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years."
"I see."
"Next up, we have the Mermaid Kingdom. An underwater kingdom that belongs to the Merfolk."
"So they're real?"
"Yes, and they absolutely despise landfolk. Landfolk being any species that live on land That is because of pollution... And they don't like the way we look."
"I've noticed you've been calling them species... Why?"
"Ah... I mean... I don't have an explanation... I just used to do it a lot... I guess. What do you call them now? Races?"
"That's what I learned. Not to say species is wrong, but I've never heard anyone use it."
"That's because only Lady Lily and that bastard, but let's not talk about him, call them that."
"I... learned it from her."
"I see. Then please continue. Sorry to interrupt."
"Do you mind if I keep using species?"
"Of course not."
"I don't know that much about the kingdom itself, but I do know about the merfolk."
"Merfolk or merpeople are legendary water-dwelling human-like beings. Female merfolk may be referred to as mermaids, although in a strict sense mermaids are confined to beings who are half-woman and half-fish in appearance. Male merfolk are called mermen."
"There are many types of merfolks. There are..."
"Human-Born. Also known as landwalkers or half-merfolk, the most frequent type. Ordinary humans (or other species, but for convenience, I'll only say humans) are transformed into mermaids by some magical object, spell or place. They will transform as soon as they touch water and turn back when they dry off. The moon also tends to affect them strangely, making them act strangely or even become monstrous. Many develop unusual powers, typically associated with water, along with their tails. As they were once human, they don't actually hate humans, and since they are no longer human other merfolk don't hate them."
"Hybrids. Merfolk descended from both humans and mermaids. Most of these are born human. Only gaining transformational abilities at a certain age or upon receiving a magical object. They exhibit the same tendencies as human-born merfolk for transformations, abilities and so on."
"Ocean-Born. Also known as naturals or full merfolk. These are the mermaids and mermen of legend, and some are even immortal. They are born and raised in the sea and grow up in their mermaid form. Sometimes, when they are still babies, they get abandoned or lost and grow up not knowing what they are. Some natural merfolk cannot become human and walk on land without magical aid."
"Sirens. Sirens are often portrayed as evil, which some actually are, but most are just simply heartbroken but trapped in a cruel cycle. Sirens are heartbroken humans who have been cursed to wander the seas. It is a cruel unforgiving cycle. When a heartbroken human goes anywhere near a body of water that is connected to the ocean the chances of a siren appearing are high. Siren's have the power to enchant people with their voice, manipulating them to come closer. Some even have the ability to read a person's mind and transform into that person's perfect person or person that they hold deep in their hearts. A regular siren uses these abilities to pull a person closer so that they can kiss them."
"Why?"
"That is how the curse is broken. By kissing a heartbroken human their curse is transferred to the person they had just kissed. I forgot to mention, they lose all memories when they have been cursed and do not regain them once the curse is broken, but they may retain memories of being a siren. Also, Sirens do not age. They remain the age they were when they were first cursed and continue to age from where they left off when they transfer the curse. And yes it is possible to become a siren multiple times. So you can easily get pulled back into the cycle."
"So that's what you meant by heartbroken but trapped in a cruel cycle."
"Yup. But the evil ones are those that retain memories of their heartbreak because it was so painful that not even the curse could erase their pain. They turn bitter and target people who are; happy, in love or both. They use their abilities to attract people to lure them closer then kill them."
"Yikes."
"Yes, but can you really blame them? It's the person who hurt them who is at fault."
"Why do I feel like you are going to regret those words?" Kellian asked.
"Don't worry about useless things. Next up is the Sea Serpent Kingdom. I actually don't know but about them. They dislike humans that pollute the ocean. They have human forms in which they look exactly like humans but have two horns sticking out their heads. Their hair and horn colour is based on what colour they are in their sea serpent form. People sometimes call the sea dragons. In sea serpent form they are huge. Those who have seen a sea serpent, all tell the remarkable story of how a serpent of fearsome size, 200ft(60m), or even 400ft(120m) long, and 20ft(6m) wide, resides in the oceans. Having seen one I can confirm that they can be that massive. The serpent I met was pretty cool. He helped Cordelia and Lady Lily better use their power. I know cause I helped melted the ice so that they could use water to practice his tips and lessons."
"Next up are dragons. There used to be a Dragon Kingdom. But the dragons went extinct."
"What? What do you mean by extinct?"
"You see dragon scales make good armour, their body parts are useful in some potions and human knights loved showing off their strength to princesses by slaying dragons. With all kingdoms constantly killing them dragons supposedly went extinct. If any are alive they probably are not purebloods and they probably live in hiding. Their territory has been taken over by bad people. It is now the most famous place for heinous crime but no one can do anything about it."
"And finally, The Demon Kingdom, Underworld or the Devildom. It is impossible to get to the devildom without the help of a demon, magic or a portal. Many types of demons and evil monsters reside in the Devildom."
"Another list?"
"Yup. We have..."
"The King. The most powerful demon in the Devildom. Has many powers, women and riches. And no shortage of children it's unbelievable how many he makes in just one month. Where does he even find the time??? Ahem. Anyway, the dude sucks. He's not only rude, egotistical and narcissistic but he also treats his kids like trash."
"The Seven Sins. These are his favourite kids. They gain a title by either being extremely famous or strong. And yes he does force his kids to fight for these titles."
"Succubi. These are female demons that are unbelievably attractive. They can even change their bodies and voices to fit your preference. Why would that have such an ability? Because they need it. A succubus feeds off sexual energy. Sure they can get what they need from holding hands, hugging or even kissing but they can't satisfy. There is a way to get more and they use it. Either by entering the target's dreams or by doing it with them while they're awake. What is this method? They feed of sexual energy, I'm sure you can put two and two together."
"Incubi. The male counterpart to a succubus. An incubus is no different from a succubus aside from gender. Remember that method I mentioned? Too much of it will result in deterioration of health, impaired mental state or even death. So if they like their human or just don't want to kill them they won't do it too often. But most do it too much on purpose because they get the most energy when the target dies while doing it with them."
"Oni. The depictions of Oni vary widely but usually portray them as hideous, gigantic ogre-like creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part, but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd numbers of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin may be any number of colours, but red and blue are particularly common. They wear loincloths made of the pelts of great beasts. All oni possess extreme strength and constitution, and many of them are also accomplished, sorcerers. They are ferocious demons, bringers of disaster, spreaders of disease, and punishers of the damned in Hell.
Oni are born when truly wicked humans die and end up in Hell, transformed into Oni. They become the ogreish and brutal servants of the ruler of Hell, wielding iron clubs with which they crush and destroy humans solely for enjoyment. An oni's job is to mete out horrible punishments such as peeling off skin, crushing bones, and other torments too horrible to describe to those who were wicked (but not quite wicked enough to be reborn as demons themselves). Hell is full of oni, and they make up the armies of the great generals of the underworld/Devildom.
Occasionally, when a human is so utterly wicked that his soul is beyond any redemption, he transforms into an oni during life and remains on Earth to terrorize the living. These transformed oni are the ones most legends tell about, and the ones who pose the most danger to humankind. These oni are the stuff of legends and fairy tales, countless stories of lords and ladies, warriors and rogues that make up human mythology. No two stories about oni are exactly alike except for one thing: oni are always the villains of mankind."
"Familiars. Sometimes referred to as familiar spirits, are believed to be supernatural/demonic entities that assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to records of the time, those alleged to have had contact with familiar spirits reported that they could manifest as numerous forms, usually as an animal, but sometimes as a human or humanoid figure, and were described as "clearly defined, three-dimensional... forms, vivid with colour and animated with movement and sound", as opposed to descriptions of ghosts with their "smoky, undefined forms.
When they served witches, they were often thought to be malevolent, but when working for cunning folk they were often considered benevolent (although there was some ambiguity in both cases). The former were often categorized as demons, while the latter were more commonly thought of and described as fairies. However, both are clearly demons. It's just hard to grasp the idea of good demons. Demon is nothing but other race. It just so happens that most of them are evil. The main purpose of familiars was to serve the witch or young witch, providing protection for them as they become one with their new powers."
"Cambion. A cambion is a half-human half-demon offspring of an incubus, succubus, or other demon and a human."
"Drudes and Mares. They are kinds of malevolent nocturnal spirits associated with nightmares."
"Other than them you have the levels of hell in which humans are punished. And just a bunch of demons with different powers just wandering around or returning from work(torturing the living/making their lives miserable). And that is it."
"That's a horrible place to leave off! Are you trying to give me nightmares???" Kellian complained.
"I'm sorry. Please allow me to read you a peaceful book." Tyson bowed.
"Hmph. You may." Kellian smiled.
"Thanks." Tyson couldn't help but smile after seeing the smile he had missed so much. Although it was on a different face, it was still just as beautiful as he remembered.