"Brother, I think I have found the one," Kalel looked at his sister. He sighed and continued reading his book, it was the eleventh time that her Ladyship Kila has declared so. She had been obsessed with finding her soulmate ever since their eldest brother had found his own.
Propped on her elbows, Lady Kila closed her eyes as if imagining her supposed lover. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes belied her true nature--an extremely violent and possessive demon. It is common knowledge that the age of a demon determines a demon's strength. Lady Kila who had been born two hundred centuries before Kalel meant that she is more powerful and that had she been the eldest child of the Duke, she'd have the right to inherit one of the territories. She has always been neutral on the war amongst demons preferring to seclude herself and find her fated partner instead.
"I don't think so, sister. It is irresponsible to fall in love eleven times in two months," he jabbed. His sister scoffed a little bit but didn't appear angry. She returned to mooning over the fangs of the damned vampire. They were just teeth, similar to all other vampires.
People say, the moment a person finds his soulmate, a single minute feels like a lifetime. Kalel, a scion of the 7th Duke, is a realist through and through or so he thinks. There was no time for idle talks, romance, or 'playing around' more so now that the chaos has once again ensued between races. His lovelorn sister continued babbling away at the vampire that had said 'hello' to her in the town market. He sighed for the second time and could not fathom why his sister would waste so much time looking for love at the most inconvenient time.
The country of Helvetti is at war with all its inhabiting demon territories and there seems to be no end to the conflict between demon races. Ever since the fall of His Highness in the Holy War, the Dukes in all the territories had been vying to replace the Dark Prince before he reincarnates in the next 45 years.
He looked at the stars and the vast horizons beyond the walls of his home. It was peaceful and you wouldn't deduce that hundreds of demons are purged every day. This so-called war is pointless. Demons may be reincarnated as many times as possible for as long as hatred, fear, and chaos exist.
Kalel closed the window along with his book, to be picked up at another time. His sister, still pining over the memory of the demon. Preferring to spend his time alone, he left the study and went to his room.
There are 7 Dark Dukes of Helvetti, each having its own territories. Each taking an interest in ruling over the other Dukes for at least 45 years until the Lordship reawakens. Like all demons lords, the 7th Duke of Hesse had expressed his interest in taking the territories of the other dukes. Kalel, though being the youngest of the siblings, is by no means safe from the responsibilities and expectations of his father. Everyone in the family is expected to fight on the frontlines and Kalel is determined to meet his father's expectations.
When his father ordered him to join the Academy, the single neutral territory in the country governed by the advisors of the Dark Prince, he did not hesitate to pack his belongings. Today was the last day he'd be sleeping in his home and quarters.
"Kalel, this a good opportunity to make some alliances from the sons and daughters of other Dukes. You're the only one left who has yet to go to the Academy. War doesn't mean you cannot forge friendships in the halls of the Academy," his eldest brother Kavil said earlier in the afternoon.
Kavil is the most capable of all the sons of the Duke and has already spent 5 years in the Academy more than a decade ago. He was mesmerized by the numerous stories his brother had told him about the Academy. He himself was excited with the thought of finally setting foot at the most acclaimed school in the country. The Academy had always been against discrimination and prejudice towards the other race---a progressive and liberal approach to academics. He thought, there was no way fights would not ensue inside the Academy. Demons are cunning, destructive, and prideful by nature, surely it would be impossible to pacify diverse students. He is sufficiently intrigued at how the Academy manages to do so. He finally has something he looks forward to witnessing when school starts.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leaving his home to finally move into the school housing facilities, wasn't as dramatic as he imagined it would be. In fact, his father didn't bid him farewell, an important meeting has held him up. His siblings on the other hand expressed their concern about going to the Academy and asked if he could just delay for 45 years and wait for the Dark Prince to return. They theorized that since the Dark Prince has fallen, the Academy might not be as safe and neutral as before.
Kalel couldn't care less. He would have been sent away to the Academy even if the country was not deep in war. He's at his prime age to be in an enclosed space amongst equally dangerous demons. Had he been younger he'd be killing fellow demons left and right without consequence. He was petty but now he had calmed down. It's the right time to be with demon peers, improve and challenge himself to prepare for whatever war that may befall their territory.
Demons were never the aesthetic bunch. Modernization made doing things easier but certainly only the Holy races spent their waking moment creating beautiful things. It is enough if something functions as it is expected. Demons never appreciated anything related to art including architecture. The structure of the Academy is the living proof of the lack of demon races' appreciation for the finer arts. The towers, ugly they may be, looked sturdy and can probably withstand any attack. The façade of the main building looks like the jagged mouth of a goblin----ugly as shit.
He didn't spend too much time looking at the facilities of the Academy, they were as sterile and as dull as one would expect of a demon school. He has no idea what a Holy Academy would be like but he assumed that it would be surrounded by beautiful but useless decorations. The trip to the designated room was annoying. Mazes upon mazes surrounded the dormitory as if to deliberately confuse its tenants to prevent them from spending too much time in the sleeping quarters. His brothers had already warned him of the numerous and sometimes absurd activities that the Academy imposes upon the students.
Tiredness from the three hours Kalel spent flying to the Academy with all his luggage in tow seemed to disappear the moment he stepped into the designated dorm room. The room was by no means miserably dreary but Kalel never thought he'd be finding his soulmate so soon when the world seems chaotic and yet here he is standing in his dormitory in the Academy looking at the most exquisite person he has ever seen in his life. His heart raced, wings extended to its full wingspan, and fueled by instinct to claim, he dove with force towards the unsuspecting fellow.
By lawful rights of his race and as per the tradition of the Minokawa--he bit off the flesh of his soulmate. Ignoring the mangled flesh and the pool of blood dirtying the carpeted floor, he continued devouring the rest of the intestines hanging out from his roommate who might also be his partner for life.
"I don't think I like how your kind proposes marriage," his soulmate calmly commented---possibly the prettiest demon to exist though covered in blood and innards regrowing slowly but are in full display.
Anybody would cry murder if they ever saw the carnage.
A loud ringing sound erupted all over the dormitory and may as well to the ends of the academy as a voice so menacingly announce, "Sir Kalel, your presence is requested in the Director's office. Immediately."
Certainly, nobody screamed murder at him but someone must have reported the incident seeing as students started trickling into the hallways and peeking over their room to spread gossip. He hasn't even started his classes and he's already in for the scolding.
Kalel stood up and sighed.
"I will see you later darling," said the person he had marked who bid goodbye with a sweet voice despite his story state of dismemberment.