In Sworis...
General Zai walked through the castle where the Sultan of Sworis resided. She had a bandage on her arm covering the wound she had obtained from fighting on the battlefield. She took a quick glance at the injury as she walked, feeling a small sting. Considering how intense the battle was, she was lucky to come out with just a small wound. The same could not be said for those who encountered her on the battlefield.
A lot of their men had been injured after the battle, some even killed. But the main thing was that they had won. She would have thought the battle would have lasted longer, but they had been able to wipe out most of the enemy in a single clash. Although they had also suffered great losses, it was their victory nonetheless.
Now it was time for her next step—and King Jai's next step. Speaking of King Jai, she had heard some rumors on the battlefield about how he wiped out the enemy's commanders single-handedly. Most of them spoke about him fighting a massive skeleton and General Khan.
Facing that damn archer was troublesome enough; she knew adding General Kyle of Eru to the mix was a serious challenge for anyone—even a God Sword.
"How in the name of Kokou did he survive?" General Zai wondered.
There was definitely something up with the King. She had always wondered what it was. Sometimes, he would suddenly go quiet, whispering to himself. Then there were times when he acted like a completely different person—like he was possessed by something.
She had thought it was normal at first, but then... it was becoming far too frequent and happening almost all the time.
"Maybe this war is driving him crazy," General Zai thought.
She got to the roof of the Sultan's castle, where Jai was waiting for her. As soon as she got close, she bowed and spoke.
"You summoned me, Your Majesty."
"Yes. Come," Jai responded, standing close to the edge of the roof.
General Zai stepped closer, staring at Jai's back.
"Even his entire presence feels off," she thought.
Jai turned towards her and spoke.
"Ah, Zai, it's you," Jai said with a smile.
"He seems like himself again," General Zai thought.
"Report," Jai said.
"We lost more than half our forces, and many were wounded in the fight. We barely have Five thousand men left. As you ordered, the men didn't give chase to the survivors, although we spotted the Sultan of Lyokis amongst those escaping."
"Oh… Nadia," Jai said. "Hmmmm, well, it's just a civil war. There's no need for more than five thousand men—it's not as if we are dealing with an entire nation. As for Nadia, we will have her head soon enough. There's no need to rush. Any news from Bintan?" Jai asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. General Hammed is almost done with the subjugation of Bintan. It's a matter of time before General Khalifa surrenders or dies trying to defend the city."
"Well, knowing her, I think the latter is most likely," General Zai said.
"Hmmm," Jai replied. "That's good news. But still, I promised to burn down Bintan by myself. It won't set a great statement if I don't make good on my promise. We'll go there at once," Jai said.
"Then I'll prepare the men and some steeds," General Zai said.
"That won't be necessary," Jai replied. "Only you and I will go, and we'll go now."
"But..." General Zai tried to speak, but Jai interrupted.
"You have been with me for how long now, General Zai?"
General Zai raised her brow. She didn't expect him to ask such a question, but she replied anyway.
"Eleven years," she replied.
"Ahh, such a long time," Jai replied. "Anyways, you know I barely keep any secrets from you. And although I don't trust anyone, I still trust you enough to reveal some things to you—including what I'm about to share now."
"And what is that?" General Zai asked, suddenly curious.
"What do you know about demons?" Jai asked.
General Zai frowned immediately after hearing the question. Although being cursed in Wize wasn't exactly a death sentence, they were not demon worshippers either. In fact, Wize had been a country that worshipped the goddess of Fate, among other gods, until some years ago. So, it was safe to say they were not fans of demons, especially those that were said to carry their curse.
But still, Jai knew all this. Why was he asking her? She sighed and replied.
"I only know as much as you, Your Majesty. They are beings of immense power that prey on human emotions and weaknesses, cursing them with it," General Zai replied.
"True. Demons prey on your weaknesses and emotions, cursing humans using their trauma as fuel. Demons are terrifying and hateful indeed. But a lot of humans don't know that demons aren't so different from the gods. Where they prey on your weaknesses, gods prey on your strengths. They prey on your cowardice; gods prey on your bravery. They are as much predators as we are," Jai said.
"We?" General Zai said in confusion. She was surprised by Jai's choice of words.
"Oh yes, we," Jai said. But this time, his voice was different—deeper and much heavier. His eyes glowed purple, and a sinister presence filled the room, causing General Zai to yelp.
"Don't be scared, human... I'll be in charge of your transport to Bintan. Allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is Abaddon, the Son of Hearts. One of the twelve Demon Generals."
"A... Abaddon?" General Zai stuttered. She could barely control her fear.
"Are you a curse?" she managed to ask.
"Definitely not," Abaddon replied. "I'm nothing like those rip-offs sent here to the mortal realm. I am a real Demon, and your King is my vessel. Well, a willing one," Abaddon added.
"How is this possible?" General Zai asked.
"Well, I'd love to explain, but your King only asked me to bring you along to Bintan, so that's what I plan to do. Once we get there, you can ask us any questions you want," Abaddon said.
He stretched his hand toward General Zai and asked her to grab it. She reluctantly held on, still unsure what was happening.
"You seem nervous," Abaddon stated.
"Can you blame me?" General Zai asked, her voice still shaky.
Abaddon let out a soft chuckle and replied, "No."
"Now, hold on tight. We don't want you falling off, now do we?" Abaddon asked.
"Definitely not," General Zai replied nervously.
"Hmmm."
Immediately she held on to Jai, two mighty, bat-like wings emerged from behind him, spreading mightily. Abaddon grabbed the General before taking to the skies. Their destination—Bintan.