Seiran felt his blood beating in his temples. His vision was blurring, and he could hardly realize what was happening right in front of him. His best friend had just taken his lover hostage and threatened to kill him if he didn't do as he said. No matter how many times he repeated it in his mind, he couldn't fully realize the situation.
-Eviris," he began in a dull voice. "Let go of Niris at once."
The guard responded by exerting pressure on the angel's neck, causing a thin trickle of blood to run down his prisoner's porcelain skin. Niris flinched. He hated this sensation more than anything.
-EVIRIS!" cried Seiran, desperate to stop the drama that was unfolding without him having the slightest control over events.
-Do as I say or I'll take his life! Crown Prince or not, nothing will stop me!"
Seiran clenched his fists. Panting, he tried to think of a solution, but his brain was paralyzed with fear. While he gradually understood that the situation was critical, the overload of information was causing his brain to lose control. And in all this information, there was one he couldn't integrate: Eviris was betraying him.
-Give up the idea of saving Lord Aroslan and follow me calmly. I'm going to lock you up until this is over, and then you'll be released," ordered the demon.
-What the hell are you talking about? We had planned to help Niris and his father free the slaves... Why are you attacking Niris? What's going on here? Is someone putting pressure on you? Or have you been forced too..."
-Wake up, Prince Seiran! Can't you see what's happening? "
Eviris lost his temper. Seeing the Prince lose his composure in a situation like this drove him mad. He who had spent his life by his side and dreamed of seeing him become the powerful and respected prince that all demons hoped for was deeply disappointed by the emotional weakness of the one he admired so much.
-You've sunk so low that you're willing to sacrifice the honor of your people, to forget all about our past, to make close friends of our natural enemies? You want to forget our past and pretend it never happened? To wipe the slate clean of the humiliations we've suffered for as long as we can remember, and ask us to make angels our allies?"
His eyes blazed with anger. For the first time, Seiran saw his friend express his hatred and desire for revenge. He had thought he had a faithful confidant who shared his ideas, but now he was dumbfounded. He had been deceived in the depths of his flesh, in the depths of his soul. How could he have failed to see the corruption in the soul of his closest friend? He couldn't have! Eviris couldn't betray him like that, it was impossible!
-I thought you'd be different when you saw your father killed by his peers, but it only strengthened your resolve! How could you be so blinded by those beings who corrupted you and your father into acting against the will of your own people? You made your choices with pride and vanity! Demons like you don't deserve to rule!"
Seiran swallowed. His hands were trembling. He wanted to answer, but his words were stuck in the back of his throat. For a moment he met Niris's gaze, which was as hard as stone. He was surprised to see the angel so calm in such a situation.
-Eviris, I...please, let Niris go! I'll do anything you want, I'll listen to anything you have to say, but let him..." he begged his guard.
-All you think about now is the safety of this angel? Would you lose your throne to protect an angel? And your people? Have you no dignity as crown prince?"
Eviris fulminated. All that anger he'd kept inside him all these years, pretending to adhere to causes he disapproved of, was suddenly coming out, like an explosive volcano erupting. The rage that had built up inside him with the strength of a patient to keep it from ever coming out was now free of all restraint, surging out of him, uncontrollable.
-All these years, all this time spent with you, I'd hoped you'd understand how useless your quest was. I hoped... no, I was convinced deep down that if I showed you that you were wrong, you'd give up and admit your mistake. But I was wrong! You're even weaker than I thought. You really aren't fit to rule. We need a true ruler, someone strong and decisive to lead the demons, not a weakling like you who falls in love with the first angel who comes along!"
Seiran felt his legs wobble. He resisted, trying as hard as he could to keep his strength up. In a desperate effort, he forced his body to stand up straight and look infallible. And just as he was about to speak, he was cut off by a voice he thought was already dead.
-What a bad joke...Eviris, are you having a teenage crisis? Aren't you a bit too old for this sort of thing?" Niris railed with a provocative look at the demon who was still holding him in place with a firm hand.
Surprised, the latter looked at him for a moment before tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword, drawing a little more blood from the open wound on the angel's neck.
-You're pathetic, Eviris."
Before the demon had time to realize it, the angel had placed his hand on his wrist. Less than a second later, Eviris felt his muscles immediately relax and his hand loosen on the hilt of his blade. The angel had interrupted the circulation of his natural energy in his right hand by pressing on one of the neuralgic points of the body's natural energy flow. The demon recovered a second later, but it was too late.
Niris had taken advantage of the demon's relaxation to break free of his hold. Without the guard being able to do anything, he was now at Seiran's side in a defensive position. The action lasted a fraction of a second and left Eviris dumbfounded. There was nothing he could have done. He couldn't have done anything anyway. The speed and agility with which the angel had acted were out of this world. He frowned, lowering his sword. He had to be on his guard. This angel was extremely powerful.
-You talk about strength and weakness as if they were obvious things, but to me you're completely wrong. You call Seiran weak because he lives his emotions to the full and assumes his sensitivity because you consider that strength lies in controlling emotions. But you've got it all wrong. Love isn't weakness, it's strength! Unfortunately, those who hate will never understand. It's easier to give in to hate than to respond to love."
Niris displayed an Olympian calm that made the guard realize just how wrong he'd been about him.
-The weak one here is you, Eviris. Rather than acknowledge your own wrongs and those of your people, you prefer to wallow in this false truth that lulls you into delusion, blaming others for your faults. In so doing, you leave to others the heavy burden of changing the course of things, without asking yourself for a single second what the weight of this burden represents for those who decide to take it upon their shoulders. Courage is going against the grain in a monotonous crowd that follows a single path, not the other way around."
The guard watched the angel intently. Tense, he had regained a firm grip on the hilt of his sword. Giving little importance to his speech, he tried to assess his opponent's strength. The blood had stopped flowing from the wound he'd left on his neck.
"Instant regeneration?" he thought.
Niris seemed to have extremely advanced internal control over his natural energy. A level attained only by very high-level fighters. It seemed improbable that such a small, seemingly fragile being could conceal such strength. There must be something to it. Perhaps he was so good because he had specialized in this area? In that case, he must have developed some healing skills and must not have been very good at fighting.
After all, the first thing healers were taught was to free themselves in the event of a hostage situation, and to heal themselves. The death of a healer usually meant the failure of a team, since few warriors knew how to heal themselves. Eviris smiled inwardly. He knew this angel wouldn't be a serious threat. And anyway, he was unarmed.
-Niris..." said Seiran as he moved a trembling hand towards the angel.
With insecure fingers, he wiped away the blood that had begun to dry on his partner's white skin. He was reassured and amazed to see the wound completely gone. Niris smiled at him.
-Don't worry, I'm all right."
He grabbed his hand and pressed it between his slender fingers. Suddenly overcome by relief, the demon smiled and breathed normally again. He raised his other hand to brush away the strands of hair that had scattered across the little prince's forehead.
-I thought I was going to lose you...I was so scared," he admitted in a breath.
Niris closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself go against the demon's hand, before opening his eyes again. He stared firmly at Seiran.
-I'm not that weak. An opponent like him is no threat to me."
The demon gave him a weak smile. He knew his lover was powerful, but this was the first time he'd shown his strength directly. And the feelings that bound him to him made it harder for him to judge his strength.
-Sorry to ruin your moment, but I don't have all day. If you won't follow me quietly, I'll have to force you.
The demon began to move slowly towards the couple, who turned to face him with a serious expression on their faces. Niris was about to step forward when Seiran stopped him.
-Let me talk to him," he demanded sternly.
His furrowed brows showed that he had regained control of his emotions. Niris hesitated, then let him. He remained alert, ready to pounce at the slightest slip.
-I don't know what made you think that way, Eviris, but you're still my best friend. We grew up in an environment that conditioned us to hate angels, so I understand that it's not easy to question all that and that I think differently from the majority of angels. But I know that the Eviris I know is not that kind of person. I know he's open-minded and warm. You can always..."
-The Eviris you knew? I think there's something you're missing, Your Highness. The Yagar is a member clan of the imperial family. We serve them and their interests. I've protected you since childhood because it's my role, because you're the future emperor of our country. I've been loyal to you because I recognized you as capable of fulfilling such a role, even when you decided to deceive your mother after your father's death. I told him you were incapable of dealing with pain because you were overwhelmed with grief and acted out of anger. But when I saw that you were determined to go against her, that you fell in love with an angel..."
The demon glared at Niris with disgust. The angel didn't flinch.
-I understood then that you'd be unable to overcome your pain. I also understood that you were deeply convinced of your thoughts, and that your father had had too great an influence on you and that it was too late to make you change. That's when I decided to act. I accepted the fact that you were a traitor to your own people and not fit to govern."
-Why do you consider me a traitor? Eviris, we're friends! You can't decide for yourself whether I'm a good ruler or not!" Seiran tried desperately to bring his friend back to his senses, but to no avail.
The latter suddenly prepared to launch an attack against the man he had served only a few hours before. Niris prepared to parry the blow.
-Because you go against the will of your people! Because you're a disgrace to the generations of demons who lived before us! And because I serve the imperial family and its interests, not you individually! You're the only one who thinks we're friends!"
He finished his tirade with a violent sword thrust that should have opened the demon's shoulder, but was stopped halfway by a thin katana blade. Stunned, the guard opened his eyes wide at the man who had parried the blow. It was Niris.
Keeping his distance to protect himself, he leapt back to analyze the situation in depth.
"A creator?" he thought, trying to figure out where the weapon the angel had conjured up seemingly out of nowhere had come from.
He squinted. The katana didn't seem to be an energy weapon. It looked very solid, very real. Energy weapons had a different structure to so-called real weapons. They may look the same to most people, but an expert could tell the difference. And this katana certainly looked real. Where would the angel get such a weapon? He clearly didn't have anything to hide it in.
Niris took a step forward, shielding Seiran with his body against a potential new attack. He had to remain on his guard. Eviris' attack was powerful. He had every intention of hurting his protégé. Behind him, Seiran seemed completely stunned. The attack had made him realize that his friend's betrayal was real. Niris turned his murderous gaze on Eviris. He couldn't bear to see his lover in such a state of shock. The angel was absolutely furious.
-You talk about the people as if you knew what they wanted. But you're not the people, Eviris. You don't speak for the people without first giving them your opinion. And even less so when you're not a political figure.
The guard frowned with disgust.
-Your vision of politics is totally different from ours. We don't have the same culture, so you can't judge us with your own vision of things."
-You're wrong to dismiss controversy. Change is something inherent in all living beings that allows us to improve ourselves. Those who fear change because they overvalue tradition are wrong. Fear of the future and of diversification, of difference, only embitters the mind and narrows vision. We need to accept the world's evolutions and adapt to them, rather than fight them by force. Above all, we must never speak on behalf of a majority, even under the guise of elected status. No one is more wrong than the person who appropriates the opinion of thousands of people."
Eviris seemed to think for a moment. He now understood why angels were said to be peerless manipulators. He had witnessed it first-hand in the person of the Crown Prince of Egea. His presence and charisma when he spoke were such that he gave off an aura of power simply by speaking. His choice of words and mastery of intonation gave an impression of wisdom all his own. Anyone would have drunk his words if he hadn't had some knowledge of angels' particular ability to master language.
-Your fine speeches have no effect on me," replied the guard, his gaze straight and unyielding. "You talk about things and people you don't know, applying your own analysis without questioning whether it's the right one or not. You can't judge all situations in the same way, as if you knew better than others what is true or false. Doubting is something you embrace, but we demons prefer certainties because they're more tangible than your so-called concepts."
Niris didn't reply. Eviris' answer was clear. He rejected debate as he rejected questioning. Even when confronted with the ongoing personal struggle of the prince he was supposed to have served and protected for years, he persisted in his course without wavering. It was futile to try and change his mind, so convinced was he that Niris represented evil.
The angel didn't like to think of anyone as incapable of reason, but he had to admit that Eviris' attitude was impossible to change at the moment. He turned his head to see Seiran still behind him, without taking his eyes off Eviris.
-Seiran, go and find the interdimensional portal while I take care of him," he said.
Without giving him time to reply, the angel activated an unalterable dimension of natural energy, isolating him and Eviris from Seiran.
-NIRIS!" the latter shouted.
But Niris had made up his mind. Eviris would not change his mind through discussion. He was determined to go through with it. He was convinced of what he was doing.
The angel was poised for the offensive when Eviris interrupted him.
-There's no point in Seiran going alone, you've got to go too if it's going to do any good," he finally said, regaining his composure.
-What do you mean?" reacted Niris, who didn't understand what the demon meant.
But his opponent didn't reply. Tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword, he too positioned himself for attack.
-You'll see what I mean when you get there anyway. But there's absolutely no point in Seiran going alone - he won't be able to do anything."
Faced with the demon's incomprehensible words, Niris decided to ignore them and concentrate on the fight that threatened to start at any moment.
-Seiran, please..." he asked without turning around.
-It's out of the question! I'm not leaving here without you!" protested the demon, who didn't let him finish his sentence.
Niris closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn't convince the demon. Besides, he didn't know how many allies Eviris had, how many people would betray Seiran. It was risky to leave the demon defenseless in the palace. He had to at least wait for Inja's return before sending them to find the interdimensional portal.
For now, he had to deal with the rebel guard, and ask him all the unanswered questions. That was his priority. He needed to understand what was going on before he could act. According to his analysis, the demon was powerful, but no more so than he was. His greatest asset was undoubtedly his gift of sensitiveness. But he didn't know how well he had mastered it, or how much he relied on it in combat situations.
There were still many unknowns surrounding the demon's real skills, making the situation potentially dangerous. The angel couldn't take him lightly, or risk losing. He was going to have to fight hard from the start. At least he had the advantage of being used to fighting sensitives, thanks to his training with Inja. He wouldn't be caught off guard by the demon's gift.
Taking a deep breath, he concentrated. Relaxing his muscles, he fixed his gaze, ready to attack. Opposite him, the demon did the same. Time stood still for a few seconds. Then it suddenly slackened. The two combatants pounced on each other. The fight had begun.