In one of the dark corners inside Shieldscape City, two men were kneeling for their lives, and blood was pouring down from their heads. Pain could be seen on their swollen faces; even their teeth were broken, and their feet were crushed, making them unable to escape.
"Please! We won't ever do that again!" one of the men said before placing his forehead on the pavement.
"Yes! Just let us go, and we'll turn over a new leaf," the other man concurred, tears flowing from his eyes.
They were begging a woman standing in front of them. Then the white-haired lass nodded and smiled, but her words brought anxiety to the two men.
"I just want to enjoy this festival like everybody else but," she said.
Then she shook her head before continuing.
"What if I'm not strong enough to protect myself from you? Would you still be kneeling on the ground now?" she asked.
"No, you wouldn't. Instead, I will be there crying or maybe dead while you guys are having fun, molesting my body," she said, answering her own questions.
The men were speechless. In fact, they didn't intend her any harm; they only wanted to capture her and ask for a ransom from her family.
However, upon seeing her up close, her beauty bewitched their souls.
Lust bloomed in their hearts, and when they saw that the woman had entered an alleyway, they gave in to their desire to get her.
However, they didn't expect that she was too powerful for them to handle; her frail arms exerted force enough to slam them on the walls of the alley.
"We'll do anything; just let us live. Please!" Pleaded them.
Then the woman leaned towards them, and her black eyes turned crimson.
"V-vampire," one of the men uttered while the other froze in his place; he even wet his pants upon seeing the fangs protruding from the woman's lips.
"You can be my blood bank," she said after touching the man's chin.
The man got back to his senses upon hearing the vampire's suggestion.
"I am fine with that; as long as I'm alive, I will do anything for you," he said.
"Here, take my blood as well; please let me live," the other affirmed.
However, the woman chuckled after seeing their reactions.
"Just thinking alone of sipping your filthy blood disgusts me," she said before raising her arm.
She flicked her fingers, and a sonic blade whizzed into the air and sliced the necks of the two men, separating their heads from their limbs.
The two bodies fell to the ground, and blood sprang from their veins.
Afterwards, the vampire stared at their corpses, and flames ignited from the two men all of a sudden. In just a few seconds, the relentless heat burned them into ashes, but the woman was somewhat disappointed upon seeing the orange flames.
Then she turned around and walked towards the two figures waiting for her in the distance.
"Here, Mistress," the maid extended her hand to give a red hat, while the butler at her side was smiling. He was pleased by the scene that transpired before him.
"Thank you!" She took the hat from the maid's hand and looked at the man standing next to her.
"Lux can we return to the mansion for now and get back tomorrow before sunrise? I'm afraid I won't get any sleep if we stay here for tonight," she asked after placing her hands on her ears to protect them from the raucous rhythms of the instruments.
The butler nodded to her as a response before speaking.
"Aichelle, please lead the way," he said.
Then they left the place as soon as Aichelle opened the portal leading into their home, and the dark alleyway became desolate once again.
. . . . .
Zeno jumped down from the roof. He mingled with the people partying in the city. Drunks were scattered all over the place, and the smell of alcohol lingered in the air.
He walked straight into a pub and found himself a seat outside, at a table at the side of the street. Within a few seconds, a woman dressed in a black and white uniform approached him.
"What can I get for you, Sir," she asked, staring at Zeno's well-formed features.
"Give me a drink enough to surprise me," he answered before handing over two pieces of silver coins.
The waitress took it with delight and returned inside the pub to prepare the order. Zeno peeked at the skit playing across the road. It portrayed the fall of the Demon King, which happened more than a month ago.
"I am Ren Cross, and you will die at my hands today, Cinhard!" yelled a man while raising his sword.
From the angle of his hair, he was using a wig to imitate Ren's appearance.
Zeno looked at the white-haired man standing in the opposite direction of the other man. He was holding a short brown stick.
"Don't tell me; they are imitating Transluscent Inferno with that stick," Zeno chuckled.
Then he shook his head upon seeing that the man had two horns sticking out of his head.
'He's a fox, not a goat,' he thought.
Minutes later, the waitress came back with a large mug; it was bigger than a human's head. Zeno smiled as he smelled the aroma coming from the drink. It was not an exaggeration to say that its smell entranced him.
"This is our best seller; it's an ale made from the yeast of honeyberries. Though the cost is a little bit high, the trees of this fruit only grow up there," she said while pointing into the silhouette of the Mountain Range of Phantasms.
"Please call out to me if you need to order something. Enjoy the festival," the waitress said before leaving.
Zeno took a sip. The taste was to his liking, but he didn't chug the ale like the others did; instead, he enjoyed every second of drinking it while observing his surroundings.
'Festivals of humans are really great,' he thought.
Back in his day, demons didn't celebrate occasions, much less a festival. They were busy thinking about how to gain power to take over the throne. War was an everyday occurrence; it only subsided after Cinhard ruled the place.
He continued to take his time sipping his drink. The night deepened, but the crowd didn't dissipate; it even became rowdier, yet no fights were occurring.
Then a screeching, high-pitched sound reverberated throughout the whole city. The people stopped upon hearing the noise. They were curious where the sound came from.
"Greetings, citizens of Herish Kingdom," a voice echoed inside their heads, and cheers followed as the people realized that it was their king, speaking.
. . . . .
A few moments before, inside Herish's castle, a banquet was being held in a hall with an open balcony as a pre-celebration for the festival. It was a small gathering to familiarize the representatives with each other.
Lex was busy entertaining their guests; he was talking to a man from the Sandbeige Kingdom when applause and words of admiration traveled from ear to ear. And the main subject of their behavior was the Herish Kingdom's princess.
Lexel walked into the room dressed in an elegant blue gown with pearls and diamonds embedded in it. The dress was fitted, and it showcased her body's curves while a slit revealed her left leg. Her black hair was tied in a bun, and a small silver crown filled with blue gems was placed on the top of her head.
Her silver earrings were cuved like a sword hanging on her ear. They perfectly matched her grayish-blue eyes, and they added glamour to her dazzling appearance.
'All of them are looking at me; should I return to my room?' She thought.
She was scared by the people's stares. Then a man appeared beside her; he held and raised her arm, which made Lexel's heart sink from shock.
"C-crown Prince," she murmured.
"Just go with the flow, keep calm, and walk straight, you're beautiful." Kreigster said.
His words were like a furnace that heated Lexel's face.
"T-thanks," she stuttered.
She had no interest in an occasion like this. She believed that a gathering filled with nobles was tedious and boring. The place that suited her more was outside the castle, in the streets, singing with the bards and dancing with the people.
The whispers grew louder as soon as the empire's crown prince accompanied Lexel on her walk. Different reactions appeared in the eyes of the representatives.
Others were cheering for them, while some felt envy upon seeing the pair. Then the atmosphere turned cold when a woman dressed in a white gown with a silver snowflake design noticed Kreigster and Lexel.
The wine in her hand froze, and cracks slowly appeared on the glass surface. Then it shattered before falling to the ground. It garnered the people's attention; they averted their gaze from the two figures and looked at the balcony where the sound came from.
They saw the Frostbloom Kingdom's princess leaning on the railings and looking at the broken glass in front of her.
But she didn't bother herself to clean the pieces; instead, she walked towards the door and she glanced once more at Lexel before stepping out of the room.
Lexel felt chills as she saw the other princess' eyes glaring at her, and she distanced herself from the crown prince.
Then, the representatives talked with each other; even Lex and Lexel joined in their conversations. Most of their discussions were about the prizes in the tournament's events.
They were free to join all of the competitions, but once they won a place, they were not eligible to participate in the events any further.
The chitchat was cut as soon as one of the knights guarding the door shouted.
"All heads bow to the king's presence!" He exclaimed.
A few seconds later, the king arrived and stepped inside the hall. All of the people showed their respect by bowing to him. He walked into a small stage, prepared just for him, and looked at Butler Gil.
His confidant was standing beside the wall, and he nodded to the king as soon as their eyes met. Then he walked onto the stage and put his hand on the king's back.
"Greetings, citizens of Herish Kingdom," he said, smiling while surveying the small group of people.
"And for those who came from other places despite their busy schedules, especially the empire's crown prince, who are here with us to celebrate," he paused and then looked at Kreigster before he nodded.
"This won't take long. First of all, I would like to apologize for the incident that happened this morning. Please accept my condolences; it was all my fault. I failed to protect my people. To those who got their homes destroyed and lost their families, I will do my utmost best to provide support," he lamented, and silence filled the hall.
"But for now, I am Lyzen Herish, welcoming all of you to the City of Weapons, and I hereby declare that the festival to commemorate the founding anniversary of the kingdom officially begins." He yelled, and cheers echoed in the room.
Then different kinds of fireworks exploded and lit up the sky as the king declared the start of the festival.
. . . . .