Lucifer stood next to Edward, watching his newest recruit from a distance. He watched William sit next to Vincent at the fountain in the Second City of the Lost, but neither he nor Edward were able to tell what the men were discussing.
"Do you think he's nearly ready for the next step, my lord?"
"I think so. Do you want to take him over, or should I send Vincent to take over for Adam?"
"Vincent hates going to the Aether, and Adam has his own…we have not taught him how to speak with Adam. I will take over for Vincent once you determine that William is ready...but my lord, are you sure you want to take him away from the commander? He is much more skilled at training than I am."
"For most things. But Vincent is right-handed, and I need a left-handed swordsman to train a left-handed recruit. I've observed how William learns, and he will do much better with someone who holds weapons the same way he will." Lucifer gave an approving nod as he watched the two demons by the fountain continue to talk, glad that his newest convert was seemingly finding a sense of belonging.
Edward's long fingers twirled a dagger between them as he watched William and Vincent with his master. "Should we go inform them of the change in mentors?"
Lucifer paced a few steps forward, before retreating. "No. Not yet. Give them time. We will take William from Vincent tomorrow."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
William thought about asking his master one day about the erasure of the mottled silver scar across his neck that marked the end of his life. "You know, Vincent, I don't think I will ask Master Lucifer about removing it. I think I want to keep this."
Vincent rubbed his chin, and gave his pupil a knowing glance. "I understand. Edward and Hellena had their scars removed, but Adam and I chose to keep ours. It's entirely your choice."
The newest demon peered into the gold fountain, curious about the font. He dipped his fingers into the liquid gold, watching the metal drip from his hands. "I would have never thought this would be something I would do in my life…my death…er, it's fascinating to be impervious to the heat."
Listening to his student stutter over the semantics of his existence, Vincent placed his hand on William's knee. "It is okay, William. We are dead; it is okay to be dead. But here in the UnderKingdom, the demons and I, we still say that this is our life with Master Lucifer. So yes, we are deceased. I've been dead for over a thousand years. But this is my life too, a second life, if you will."
"How old were you, you know, when you died?"
"Twenty-eight."
"What were you in your first life?"
"The same man I am now. I have always been a commander, a trainer, a leader. I came from a city called Panax, I was the commander of the military. I rose to the rank of commander at twenty-five, and led my men to many victories. The Panax military was a formidable force, and I marched my battalion through every trial and we emerged victorious on the other side. Every single order from His Majesty, I followed without question"
"Then came the slave children. I found the slave traders putting chained children onto a ship, trying to take them to another continent. I killed them; I killed them all. I took the children, they were put under military care until we arrived back at Panax. I brought them in to the palace, before the king. I sought his sympathy for the stolen children, and I wanted proof that I had killed the slave traders for a good cause. I normally would have never killed outside of a battle. I feared for the loss of my rank, but it was for the well-being of the children."
Seeing William's shock at the concept of stolen children, Vincent continued. "His Majesty was furious. As it turns out, the king was running a slave trading business with another country, selling the stolen children to fund his lavish lifestyle. I tried to leave the palace, go back to my army, but the royal guards caught me, kept me captive. The king declared that I had committed treason, one of the worst sins a man could commit, one of the worst laws a man could break. The declaration was made private, kept hidden from the public. Everything was done in secret; the two royal guards that had caught me were killed to prevent any chance of them speaking of the king's secret slave trade. The verdict was made to me and to me alone. The royal executioner was not told of who I was or why I was to die. The executioner was told to rip out my heart. The hood was placed over my head, and then there was pain. And then the dark pathway came, the one you took as well."
William sat in silence at the edge of the fountain, listening to Vincent's story. –How could a king be so cruel? I understand that he was brought to the UnderKingdom for murder of the slave traders, just as I was brought here for murder too. We both thought we were doing what was right. But in the end, Master Lucifer thought we were both worth saving.–
"...did the children ever make it back to their families?"
"I do not know. Likely, they were caught again by new slave traders and sold. I can hope they made it back home, and that my death was for a good cause, but I know that the world is cruel. After I had been Master Lucifer's first convert, he took me back to the Mortal Plane. We waited until the throne room was empty, save for the king. That was how we learned that new demons take time to develop control around humans; I approached the king, asking him if he remembered me. Of course, he did not, given that my hair and skin had turned snow-white, and my eyes had turned deep red. He was so terrified, seeing a demon before him. I lost all control and killed him, drained him of all his blood. Master Lucifer seemed to not show much remorse about that, he simply transported us back to his realm, the blood still dripping from my hands and mouth."
"You were able to get your revenge on the man who ordered your death?"
"In a way. But what use was revenge? The children were still stolen and sold for years. So many broken families. I suppose the only good that came of it was that he was unable to continue his slave trade. He had no heir, and the kingdom fell not long after the king was killed."
"I understand. I was so determined to get my revenge on the man who murdered my son that I lost all sight of right and wrong. And once I had killed him, I couldn't live with myself after. I understand exactly the feeling of useless revenge."
"We are two of a kind, William. We understand each other. Shall we return to the Master and inform him of your increasing success?"
William kicked at the ground, hesitant. "Before we go…you said new demons take time to learn control around humans…how long does it take?"
Vincent looked upward, deep in thought. "Ah, you had friends, didn't you? Unfortunately, it does take about a century to be able to be around humans without their emotions calling out to you, sending you into a frenzy. Even long-converted demons struggle with it if the human is experiencing an extreme emotion; their blood tastes so sweet when they're terrified, when they're angry, when they're devastated. It is why the master did not chastise me for killing the king. You belong with us now, William. It is a better way to be a friend to the people in your old life by leaving them behind."
"Okay. Thank you, Vincent, I understand. I do miss the people in my old life, but I cannot risk bringing them harm, either." Disappointment was clear across William's face. "Let us go speak with the master, you did tell Hellena that he would be pleased with our news."