"HAHAHA! OH, MAD STAR. RULER OF THE CRAZE, MASTER OF ALL REWRITTEN. LET US CREATE PARADISE!" He then shook his head. There I felt him try to pull away. As if he had suddenly been ripped back to his senses. "The mad star burns all unworthy of gazing!" He then turned to me, body shaking violently as cracks of white light formed on the surface of his body. "No...this is wrong... It is not a star! AND YOU ARE NO DEMON, NO PRINCE, NOT EVEN A HUMAN! YOU ARE--"
I grabbed both his wrists with great force, digging my nails into his flesh. "Your punishment for taking and talking too much. Just like all others. Like the council. Take and take and enforce what they took as if it was theirs to begin with!"
As a prince of a fallen kingdom, I felt obligated to carry my duty. For the sake of my people. Although I felt more compelled to finding out the truth of everything rather than get caught up in a useless fit of revenge driven by mindless anger. But a vision came across my mind as quickly as light.
It was a rather blurred vision of my trial. But I wasn't me. I was within the crowd, watching the members of the council point their fingers and argue. Attention towards the Mirrikhian Prince, standing before them with horns softly glowing and aura waving unsteadily at every word the council threw at him.
'What an unfortunate fate, Demon' I thought with a hint of disappointment. To pursue a legend-- only to become one at the end.
Such a thought provoked the urge to look down inside my glove. Right at the coin sitting with my bracelet. It had your people's insignia embedded on its rough surface. It reminded me of the countless dreams your people had. Such simple desires and nightmares.
But you wrestled with the countless desires inside your head. Scared, angry and confused. Dreams of achieving greatness but also of the massacre. Continuously playing in the perspective of a witness. As if you didn't commit the massacre yourself. As if your dreams weren't tainted by blood. As if you weren't the stone cold murderer with that cursed sword!
The vision-- the memory disappeared and I was left fuming in this bundle of anger I felt was valid at the moment. So I used it, digging into his flesh until Ezephyr's bloody cries ripped into the realm like a ripple of endless echoes.
The deeper I dug my nails, the more light seeped from the wound.
"I saw your memories just as you saw mine. And you were disguised among the crowd of bystanders at my trial. Watching and judging in silence as I was prosecuted for a crime I had not committed!"
Images of the massacre suddenly ran through my mind--
Bloody bodies of my people slain on slabs and wooden planks of broken walls and floors. Hands of families gripping each other in desperation before their final breath was taken. And the sky was red. Tainted by anger and sorrow. But most of all, twisted joy as a laugh ripped into the dead atmosphere.
I had only realized this twisted vision was Ezephyr's doing when I pulled myself out of it.
"You enjoy playing sick mind games, Dream Master?! You like showing me massacres?!"
"No! Y-you brought it onto yourself!" Ezephyr cried through his teeth as he pushed me back. "You doomed your kingdom from the start by seeking out that damned rift! By killing that kingdom and Baal! Everyone knows of it!"
"FILTHY LIES!" I shouted in return. "All of you lie! Such filthy lies..." A quick draw of breath before I continued, "I may be blinded by the desire for the truth, but you bloody ingrates are corrupted by something far worse."
How could you? Were the only words you could see dancing on Ezephyr's face.
Either he meant it for me, or for himself. A face so foolish to put on when he was about to die.
But he had brought such a fate to himself. Persecuting me in the first place to confirm mere suspicions by taking my memories, nightmares, and dreams. All just to call me a demon!
Dreams are just dreams.
They will always stay as just dreams.
But I promised the council to be more than that.
More than just a nightmare to be forgotten upon waking up.
I promised to be a reoccuring nightmare that consumes and corrupts as I search for the truth.
"Let him go, you bastard!" Augusta's voice thundered, breaking my focus.
I relocated my attention from worn out Ezephyr to her. Only to find myself blocking her incoming magical attack.
"Spheres of Hellish Flames!"
Once I dodged the series of fire balls, she went ahead and changed her position with Ezephyr's cane now in her hand, positioned in front of herself like a sword.
"No! Stay back, Augusta!" Ezephyr warned, grunting heavily. Before he could move, Sun caught him.
"I'm sorry, Prince. She's tougher than I gave her credit for." He informed, holding Ezephyr's head between his arm.
I couldn't help but huff in disappointment. "I'll deal with you later. Just focus on holding the fairy." I instructed and turned back to Augusta, who had fury in her once calm eyes.
Based on memories and dreams from Ezephyr, Augusta had a tight father-daughter relationship with him. Killing him now could trigger uncertainty. Like a magical awakening, if that exists here. Imagine her turning into a super saiyan! Let's just hope this world didn't take such a concept from my mind.
"Ez warned me of you, Dream Warper. Planning to bring the same destruction to all just like with your own kingdom."
I clenched my teeth, growling softly. "All lies."
Her next attack felt larger and more powerful. Just by observing the shape of her aura, which went from being small and round, to a more unstable and bigger shape. Before I could react, she had already summoned a chain of blue flames with a spiked flame ball at the end standing roughly about the size of a teen giant. Except it had this mouth constantly chomping at the sight of me. Which she begun to swing around herself quickly like a light whip.
This was nothing like the title people gave her, "The Crow Witch". Unless she was hiding.
I dodged and jumped and spun at every snap it made for me. Going from chopping after the area I last was at, to attempting to predict my path.
No wonder Sun had trouble with her. Their fighting styles differed as hers overpowered his purely by class. Since Augusta focused more on long range and Sun focused on close range, one side loses more. And her impressive speed contributed a lot to overpowering. Because in the blink of an eye, her sentient fire flail turned into a row of blue blades aimed at me.
I quickly glanced at the space behind her. Directly at Sun and Ezephyr. The two exchanging conversations. I found it concerning.
I leaned against a random pillar, moaning in pain as the burning blow to my arm made my entire body twitch in pain.
As a Mirrikhian, it was common knowledge that we were the only kind of demon immune to magical projectiles and control attacks. But I was not fully Mirrikhian. I still had a bit of that human in me. Leaving me vulnerable. At least mentally. And Augusta seemed to know.
"So what Ez said was true." She stated with a grin. A cocky grin that gave her an overload of confidence in defeating me.
It was good. Show the enemy a weakness you know could be controlled, and then use it to reveal an opening. In this case it was her overly human desperation and ego.
Tossing the cane aside, Augusta then spread her open hands. Ready to invoke as eyes glowed a soft blue. "I BEG OF YOU, GODDESS ARALAINE OF DREAMS AND MEMORIES! PLEASE, BESTOW UPON ME THE POWER TO VANQUISH THIS DEMON!" And after her chant, her eyes turned a lighter hue and a glowing grimoire appeared before her eyes.
"Quickly. Tune yourself to the mana around us. Draw it out like the Mirrikhian Demon you are and draw upon the power locked within you. Just like she calls upon her Goddess, call upon the God of Hunger. Say his name. Say MY name."
I wanted to question this mysterious voice, but my situation forced me silent. Then I suddenly felt confident as Sin's magical instinct took over. Commanding me to follow the voice of the ancient and forgotten minor God who took opportunity of my situation. Just as the other part of me understood and knew the rules needed.
With hands hovering over each other palms open vertically, I slammed my hands together. Then slowly closed my eyes, feeding off the loose magic that the realm constantly expelled. Sucking it into my hands.
Demons are notorious eaters of magic and mana. Bound to my body like a series of strings.
As soon as I knew I had enough, I interlocked my fingers and yelled out.
"I CALL FOR YOU, YOLJIS. DEMON GOD OF HUNGER! I BEG OF--"
A noisy screech broke into my mind. Vibrating my entire skull like an electric shock screaming angrily.
The Mad Star is a jealous God!
Within the darkness of my closed eyes, were bloodstains. Visions of the massacre. Causing me to jolt out from my state of focus in cold sweat. Not just that, I was severely exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. Lungs sharp with every breath I drew.
Seemed that the fool of dreams infected the most vulnerable part of my mind and that the Gods I had looking over me were more than discontent.
I was out of it. Body reaching its limit. And a single thought occured when I watched Augusta summon a turnado of blue fire and lightning from her grimoire.
Am I doomed?