Asura's mouth tugged at the corners as he let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't help but cross his arms, irritated by the figure's demand. If he returned, then his fun would end.
"Look smoky. I ain't coming back here. Ain't nothing to do."
The being shifted around him while Asura headed to the gates.
"Quit following me."
The hot sand shifted beneath Asura's feet. This feeling was nostalgic, leaving him with a smile as it reminded him of home.
"You must guard this place. Yet you're letting them invade the land. They will soon ravage it and take it for their own. Killing all that remains in this barren realm."
"Everyone's dead. I am the only one left... You know this. Quit pestering me about useless shit."
The figure watched as Asura's eyes darkened. The ogre never liked to discuss the topic revolving around what happened to the ogres. Whenever he tried to remember certain details, the constant headache lingering in the back of his mind would flare up.
"Only the king remains on that shitty hill over there. No one else walks here but one. Someone I can't even kill. The place is boring as hell. No one to fight anymore. Just get lost and leave me alone."
Miles away stood a figure on a dune, too far away to make out any details. From this distance, he looked like a speck of dust in the desert. Asura knew though, who it was. It always was him. That hill is where he has been for hundreds of years, never moving, never helping, just a useless piece of crap. Asura spat on the ground as if it were to insult the figure on the hill.
"They crave power, so they want this land. You once protected it by keeping others at bay. You must return to it."
Pointing at the rifts, Asura told the figure.
"Go screw yourself. Even if I did fight them, it would be boring. I want new fights, and I'm getting them where I am."
"You know the battles are just an excuse. Whether it's the monsters or the humans, it is irrelevant. What you are running from is the real issue, the one you hide from. Continue this path, and it will only lead to more loss."
While floating in front of Asura, the figure expanded, becoming a large, dark, wispy cloud. The purple lightning within seemed to get more violent, crackling and weaving itself through its body.
"No means no asshole!"
Approaching too close, Asura began to swat at the smoke, but it was futile. With no resistance, the dark cloud consumed Asura, hindering his vision. In every direction, the lightning began to thread itself into a beautiful cocoon that surrounded him. The ogre resisted, punching at the electric current coursing through the air.
Desperate to break free, he repeatedly sent blow after blow, punching with all his might. However, his efforts were fruitless. The lightning remained unharmed as it spoke its final words,
"You will return and reclaim what is yours. The beast king is restless, so beware. For he desires to rise in the ranks of the kings. I will give you some departing advice. I advise you to heed. When you remember my name, call, and I will come. I will answer. Do not be afraid to accept tomorrow but rather learn to forgive what you have done."
Asura thought about his words. "Does he know this thing? Whatever," The ogre thrashed around in the smoke. He did not want to return here, and this thing wouldn't make him.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Abruptly, Asura fell off his bed, smashing onto the floor. He thrashed around like a child having a bad dream. It took the ogre a few seconds, but he began to realize he was back in the room instead of being returned to his realm. Pressing his fingers against the wood floor, Asura smiled, "Thank you Judex Divinum, for letting me stay! Woohoo!"
After rising off the floor, Asura scanned his bedroom for the wispy figure. "Hm, must have been a dream. I don't see him..." The figure's words echoed in his ears, recalling the vivid dream. Just what did he want with him? Why did he care whether he returned? "The dream must've been caused by the shadow, but how did it get into his dreams? Last time I checked, Shadows couldn't manipulate the land of dreams." He thought.
Asura couldn't help but rub his body to ensure he was awake. Pinching himself occasionally, the pain assured him he wasn't. However, the weird sight of watching the ogre rub his body creeped Wain out a little as their eyes met. Wain was also awake, with wide eyes and a single brow lifted, and he couldn't take his eyes off Asura.
Weirded out by this, Wain could only ask,
"You, okay?"
Asura stopped rubbing his chest and coughed into one hand, hoping to play it cool,
"Yeah, I'm cool. Just a nightmare."
"Monsters can have nightmares?"
Asura stretched his body as far as he could, lifting his arms over his head.
"Yup, there are unpleasant things that even monsters don't like to experience."
While Wain listened, he prepared for the day, putting more herbs into a bag. Asura watched him move the cigars into his bag's pockets. Each cigar was labeled with a color band around its body to notify which flower it was created from. Then suddenly, Wain stopped and turned to look at the ogre. Something the ogre said earlier popped into his mind, making him curious about the monsters. The abrupt movement startled Asura, making him jump a little.
"Why do we call your races the monster races?"
Asura was taken aback by Wain's curiosity for the other realms and races. To find a human who wasn't racist was one in a million, but a human that was interested in the realm's history? "He's a unicorn!" Asura thought as he pondered the human's question.
"The same reason we are called demons. Humans want to separate us from them. Dirty bastards hate everything different."
"Really? Humans decided that?"
"Yeah, from what I know the king's great-grandfather started it."
"King?"
Asura lifted two hands up and did air quotations with his fingers as he spoke,
"Oh, sorry, your little 'Knight of God.'"
"His great-grandfather started it?"
"Yup, he wanted to isolate the humans, and I will admit it's not fully wrong, but it is offensive. We are different, but there are far too many races to be objectively put together."
"How many races are there? I read a book recently that talked about all the different creatures within the beast kingdom. They can not all be from the same race, right?"
"No, but it's fine to call every beast a beast rather than a monster. It would be an insult otherwise."
"An insult? Why?"
"Well, think of it this way... In the Ogre kingdom, there were orcs, ogres, goblins, and cyclops. It's called the Ogre Kingdom, and we were the race that ruled over the others. The other races hated being put apart from the ogres. It is like a family thing if you really think about it. More like the Ogre Family Tree. Ogres were considered royalty, so if you called an Orc an Orc, they would think you were targeting them, specifically removing their royal heritage. The correct way they loved to be addressed was an Orc of the Ogre Race."
Asura scratched the back of his head,
"Don't ask me why, but most of the others prefer it that way too. Like a Frost Giant of the Giant Race. An Elf of the Faerie race. There are a few exceptions like dragons, they don't give a shit if you call them their race. Call them a dragon or their specific name, and they wouldn't bat an eye. They think everything is beneath them anyway. Just don't insult them, their pride is all that matters."
"You sure know a lot..."
"Meh, been around for a bit."
Wain couldn't help but be stunned by how much Asura knew and talked about. It always surprised him when his demeanor changed, as if someone else took over the arrogant buffoon's body. At one point, he could spit wisdom or solve problems they have been dealing with for a while, but then in the next, he was scratching his butt and getting himself into trouble. Lost in thought Wain became unaware of his surroundings, however, the ogre's voice snapped him from the trance.
"Ash called you weak last time, but after seeing you both, I realized he is way weaker than you. The man got knocked out by an orange, but you can make a wolf from smoke. Or poison shit and make a Banana Wyrm smoothie? How come everyone looks down on you?"
Wain sighed and looked fiddled with his bag's straps.
"I uh. I don't have holy mana. Instead, I got the gift of something called a Pure Heart. Doesn't mean much other than I can go into God's gardens."
"Pure heart? What, are you righteous or something? Never done anything in your life? Never lied to your momma? Virgin boy?"
Chuckling, Wain responded,
"Kind of. I do what I think Judex Divinum wants me to do. I try to follow his laws to the best of my ability. It seems like I'm a religious freak, but whatever. Say what you want, but I'd rather have this gift than holy mana. The Temple doesn't care about people, just about maintaining power."
"So lame. I thought it would be cool or something and be like a flaming heart or, ya know, anything really. Just means you're a good boy, huh?"
"Did he say God's gardens?" Asura thought as he scratched his chin. Not much was known about the Gardens other than the fact they were all prisons for the Angels. To ensure their safety, the beautiful landscapes were guarded by the Archangels. This made the gardens appealing to the monsters. If they could get their hands on the content inside, just how powerful would they become?
"Wait, wait, wait, like God's favored Gardens? The beautiful gardens guarded by the big angel freaks? Arch Angels or something? Big guys that give broken-ass powers away to random humans?"
Although Wain's lips curved slightly into a smile, his heart sank after hearing Asura had become interested in the gardens. Old memories Wain resurfaced, memories he had tried to lock away. "This is how it all starts..." Wain thought as he began to speak,
"Yeah, one of those... I'm able to go in them. I usually don't do much but tend to the flowers. It's quite beautiful. I am, however, able to gather some flowers from them. That's how I get these herbs. They are how I use holy mana. I roll them myself and can smoke them to gain some powers. I usually grab four types of them, and the Angel guarding the garden allows it."
"Wait... you roll 'em and smoke them? Like a blunt?"
Wain pondered the comparison for a moment before replying,
"Yeah, kind of like a blunt. I don't get a high off them. Instead, I just gain something like a blessing. One flower is called the flower of creation. It allows me to form things with the smoke like you saw. Another is called the flower of time. I can see the future a little and can predict stuff. The green one you saw is called the flower of decay. Any monster that breathes it mutates and deforms. They end up dissolving and being poisoned."
"Wait, the green one? Didn't I breathe that in, in the factory? How come I didn't fall down and die?"
Lifting his shirt, Asura frantically checked his body as if he'd start dissolving suddenly. The ogre vigorously patted his body with his four arms to ensure his precious parts were still solid. It was only when abrupt laughter broke out from Wain that Asura stopped. His friend was laughing at him, clutching his belly in tears at the sight of the ogre panicking.
Asura couldn't help but laugh a little as his friend wiped tears from his eyes. He was glad his silliness brought Wain out of his depressive mood. The ogre noticed the subtle shift in Wain's eyes when he spoke about the gardens. "It must have been linked to the abuse he faced in his past." Asura thought.
"I guess it only works on weaker monsters. If it doesn't kill it, the smoke usually slows monsters down or doesn't do much. If I concentrate it into one area, it can become deadly to higher-ranked monsters. But you are a freak even compared to any monster."
"Thanks, I'm freaking awesome right?"
Wain shook his head in disappointment at the ogre's interruption.
"Speaking of which, that lion lady seemed to be a centurion-ranked monster."
"Really? What makes you think that?"
"Well, she could summon about fifty monsters on a whim. She also had some freakishly strong abilities, and it didn't take her long to regenerate from your punches."
The thought of fighting her again excited Asura, sending him bouncing on his heels.
"I can't wait to fight her again then. Hopefully, she will bring more monsters next time... I would get rid of that mindset, though, with ranking monsters."
Wain stopped as he zipped his bag and turned his head to look at Asura.
"What do you mean by my mindset?"
"That whole power ranking system is doo-doo. It's filled with faults. Monsters are more complex than you think. Ranking them will make you underestimate them. You'll be asking yourself how your head was removed from your shoulders by someone you thought was weak. That's all I'm sayin."
Wain finished zipping the top of his bag up and threw it over his shoulder. He couldn't help but grow even more curious about who Asura was. The ogre was rather mysterious and seemed to hold many secrets behind his foolish facade. "What was the ogre's story?" Wain thought as they both left the room and walked down the hall.
"It should be about time for us to leave. We slept until about 9 pm. I think the opening time was a little bit ago. No one came and got us, so I think we have time to eat. Let's go eat before we go... I can't believe we are going to a strip club. How will I be viewed by The Temple now? A sinner? A pervert? I can't imagine the names I'll be labeled with from now on."
"Quit worrying so much. Time to party tonight. Whoop, whoop."
Wain rubbed his eyes with two fingers, pinching the bridge of his nose. Asura's comments were becoming rather annoying. Sometimes, he wished he had the strength to permanently shut the ogre's mouth. Half the time, his stupid remarks just made his worries worse.
"What? I'm only joking."
After walking for a while down the hall, Asura became frustrated by the labyrinth they called a cathedral. Every time they walked anywhere in the building, it felt like they had gone on an endless voyage to find the elusive fountain of youth everyone knew didn't exist. Each hallway had the same number of doors in the same position in every single one. The ogre felt like he could measure the distance between doors, which would match the length down to the centimeter.
"This sucks..."
"What?"
"Finding these rooms and shit. It's like a maze in this place man...."
Wain laughed, remembering his first visit to the cathedral. On his first day, it took him two hours to find the bathroom, resulting in a painful experience of running down the halls, opening and slamming doors frantically. After a while, he began to ask about the building, but the old man always denied that anything was unusual.
However, Wain knew it was somehow magical even if the old man constantly denied it. Sometimes, it felt like the rooms shifted around to new locations as if they were part of a living organism. At first, he thought he was going insane but later accepted his monster house theory.
"We are almost there. You get used to it."
"Just how big is this place!?"
"Not big enough. You should see the other cathedrals."
"Nope, I'd rather not..."
Wain laughed at the ogre's sudden refusal. He was glad someone else suffered just as he did.
"I think this door is the kitchen."
Asura watched as Wain stopped at a nearby door. The door's appearance was the same as the others with no visual markings that set it apart or inform you that it was the kitchen. It was a simple brown door, just like the others, with the usual golden frame the cathedral architect adored.
"How the hell do you know?"
Wain shrugged,
"I guess since I have been here for a bit, it's intuition."
"That's bullshit."
Wain chuckled before opening the door. Guiding Asura inside, he exclaimed,
"Welcome to the cafeteria. Probably your new favorite place, seeing how many pancakes you ate last time..."
The room was massive, leaving Asura in awe. In the middle were four large tables with white tablecloths surrounded by fifteen chairs scattered throughout the room. Above each table were enormous glass chandeliers that hung down, making the room feel like it belonged to an expensive restaurant. That wasn't even the most impressive decoration, either.
In the corners of the room were large statues of the Angels carved from marble. At first, Asura thought the walls were just bumpy, but after seeing the statues, he realized they were the Angel's wings. Each Angel's elegant, perfect wings spanned half the room, overlapping with the others as they met in the middle.
The four angels were sculpted into kneeling positions with their arms raised above their heads, pressing their palms against the ceiling as if they were responsible for holding it up. The gorgeous sight of the masterfully sculpted wings and statues was astonishing. Whoever created these masterful sculptures deeply cared for detail. Even their heads were slightly bowed, giving off the impression of being servants willing to serve their Lord just as the stories depicted them.
Upon their bodies, they wore cloaks that covered their faces, a detail Asura knew was a symbol of not being prideful. Often, in the stories of Judex Divinum, it is written to do acts of kindness without recognition. The sculptor must have wanted to display this story by hiding their identity, throwing away their pride as they submitted themselves to the eternal responsibility of holding the sky up.
The sudden growl from Asura's stomach brought him back to reality. As an ogre, he appreciated the detailed craftsmanship and love put into the sculptures. It wasn't every day he saw such effort put into creating something of this magnitude. One day, he hoped to meet the sculptor and give him recognition for creating such beautiful art.
As Asura looked across the room, he noticed someone's presence in the corner of the cafeteria. It was Ash, and he was sitting towards the wall while eating. The human was defenseless against any attacks from behind due to how he was sitting. Asura smiled sinisterly as an evil plan formulated in his mind.
Wain couldn't help but notice the wicked smile spreading across the ogre's face.
"What's that look for?"
Asura tried to hide his emotions and look as innocent as he could. Putting his hands in his pockets, the ogre looked up at the ceiling, attempting to conceal his emotions.
"No, nothing, just a happy thought. Let's go eat, pal."
The ogre's reassurance made him even more nervous as they walked to their seats. Wain worriedly looked around but kept an eye on Asura as he sat in a chair. Knowing the Ogre was up to something, he ensured they were far from Ash. His plans became apparent after a while as Asura shifted around awkwardly in his seat. "I knew it." Wain thought as he watched him squirm like a child under the watchful gaze of their parents. Whatever the ogre wanted to do, it involved Ash.
Asura gave up after a while, knowing he couldn't escape from Wain's ever-watchful eyes. Wherever he moved, Wain's head followed like a camera, ensuring he didn't commit any crimes. "My crimes wouldn't be that bad... maybe just a little." The ogre thought. However, he might as well give up on it now that he was stuck in this chair.
Instead, Asura returned to studying the room to take his mind off how hungry he was. It was so grand compared to most places he had seen. "Why did they need such a decorated cafeteria?" He thought as he looked around. The kitchen could be seen in the corner, and a chef worked vigorously at the stove in the middle. Asura looked at Wain, asking,
"So, uh, do we get up and go get food or?"
To his surprise, Wain was looking down, which made him curse internally. "Shit, I could've escaped..." Wain looked up at him after fiddling with his bag.
"Uh... no. The chef will bring us something over. You stay in that chair. We don't really get to pick, but it's always good anyway. There's never a reason to complain."
Asura slumped in his chair as the time passed. "This was boring, so boring, incredibly boring, superbly boring... Superbly... Hmm, I don't think that's correct. Terrifically boring? Monstrously boring..." He groaned as his boredom began to eat away at his sanity.
It wasn't until the smell of food filling his nostrils that he perked up, making him shoot up from his seat in anticipation. It was finally arriving. "Food!" Asura spread his arms out on the table like a child would as the chef gracefully put food in front of them both. She gracefully placed two plates filled with delicious food in front of them both. Up close now, Asura could get a better look at the chef.
She was a browned-haired older woman with streaks of gray hair sprinkled throughout her curly locks. Unexpectedly, as Asura studied her face, a lovely smile spread across her face, causing the sides of her eyes to wrinkle slightly.
Her brown eyes seemed to shine in the candlelight, giving off a warmth that comforted Asura's soul. She was smiling at him like a grandma would at her grandchild. There was no hatred, no anxiety, but genuine care for him in those eyes, as if she didn't care that he was a monster. Asura thanked her with his mouth drooling, which made Wain laugh as the two began to eat the delicious food provided.
A chicken pot pie with beans and garlic bread sat on one of Asura's plates. An assortment of food that he only ever saw on television. However, after digging in, he found the taste to be just as immaculate as the smell filling his nose. On the other plate sat a large slab of meat he knew the humans called a steak. Taking a slice from it, he found the taste to be rich and savory, making his mouth water even more as he stuffed his face with it. The caramelized crust and juicy interior were all he could ever wish for. "mmmmmmmm... mmmmmhmm.."
"Quit moaning, man. I know it's good, but stop..."
Asura stopped for a moment, looking up from his food, juices slobbered all over his face. Wain was looking at him, appalled because of the weird noises he was making. "I need to be friends with the cook!" Asura needed to thank her for her work. He would forever appreciate the human's cooking skills. With his mouth full, Asura asked,
"How come she didn't run from me? She smiled."
Wain shrugged,
"No idea, she has always been welcoming to everyone. I don't think I have ever seen her even slightly unhappy. Guess her welcoming nature applies to goofy monsters like you, too."
"I'm not goofy... you're goofy."
Asura mumbled under his breath as he continued to devour their meals. It didn't take long for either of them to finish their meals after being starved for a day. The pancakes certainly filled Asura's belly, but the plastic texture and taste weren't pleasant to consume. This was heavenly compared to the prison food served at the pancake house. The chef was an angel from Judex Divinum given to them to give this world and its inhabitants a taste of heaven!
As the two finished eating, Asura noticed an apple next to them and smiled devilishly again. Wain's stomach dropped after witnessing this. He had hoped Asura's plan had been thwarted earlier, but his smile said otherwise. He tried to reach his hand up and grab the apple before the ogre could stop him, but it was too late.
Asura got into a baseball pitcher's stance again with two arms gripping the apple like the orange he threw earlier. Pulling his arm back, he chucked the apple through the air, sending it roaring through the room instantly. The apple smashed into the back of Ash's head, splitting and shattering into thousands of pieces.
Wain could only sit horrified as Asura burst into tears, laughing uncontrollably. Although Ash was too far away to see the damage, the sound of his head slamming against the table and the rattling of the plates were enough to tell the full story. For a moment, the world around him seemed to stop as he waited for the consequences of Asura's actions.
While Asura laughed and banged his fist on the table, Wain watched Ash rise from his seat. "He's not that mad, right?" Wain tried to convince himself, but Ash's eyes told him otherwise. Turning around, his furious eyes appeared untamed in the candlelit room. Usually, Ash maintained a cool composure, but not this time.
He no longer tried to hide his hatred for Asura. While clenching his jaw, a large massive vein pulsed across his forehead as he stormed towards them. Wain nudged Asura with his elbow, trying to get him to stop, but Asura was unconcerned. The ogre smiled as Ash approached the two. Putting his hands on the table, he provokingly asked,
"What do you think you're gonna do, soy boy?"
Ash had finally had enough. This was it; he would kill the demon here and now. Infuriated, Ash kicked the table the two sat at, causing Wain to fall out of his chair and crash backward onto the floor. Asura jumped back from the table and realized something new about Ash in his fit of rage. His holy mana has increased.
It was almost double what he had before. He certainly hasn't been in the human realm for long, but even amongst monster standards, one doesn't just double their mana overnight. Asura's eyes glowed with passion, with new curiosity and eagerness to fight. He provoked Ash further,
"Ohhhh, big man wants to fight? Last time you got your ass beat, want to make it two and zero?"
Angrily, Ash pulled out his sword and pointed it at Asura.
"There won't be a next time. I'll cut your head off, sending you back to hell where you belong, you filthy demon."
Asura's face twisted in disgust upon being called a demon.
"Still a racist bastard, huh?"
The two charged at each other, prepared to go for the other's throat. However, Wain jumped up between the two, holding each of them back. It was surprising to both of them how strong Wain was as he held the two apart. After letting out a sigh, Wain shoved Asura and Ash away from one another and stated,
"Look, if you're going to fight, go to the training room. Stop destroying the kitchen. The chef doesn't deserve this..."
Asura turned to look at the chef, who was staring at them. Her delicious meal appeared in his mind, reminding him of his love for her cooking. The thought of making her upset made him calm down a little.
"Sorry... I... Yeah, let's go..."
Without a word, Ash put his sword back and walked towards the door. "Wain was right. Let's settle this between the two of us instead of making others suffer," Ash thought. He stood at the doorway, motioning for Asura to follow.
"There's no backing out now. I'm going to settle this once and for all, send you back to where you belong, worthless demon."
"Pfft, like I would run away from you. Also, worthless demon? Best insult you got?"
As the two stormed out to the training room, Wain rubbed his forehead. "There would be consequences later if I allowed them to fight, but what else could I do? Mel and the captain would get angry at me for letting them fight. It might be better just to let them finish their petty argument." Otherwise, they would get nothing done because of their childish fights. Following the two, Wain debated who the winner would be while walking down the halls.
He hasn't witnessed Ash fight Asura yet, but his money would be on Asura. That crazy monster never stayed down. Although Ash was not a pushover, he was skilled with his sword. Wain watched firsthand how deadly that blade could be while on missions.
Arriving at the training hall, Ash pulled his sword back out and faced Asura in the middle. "This was it. He would end it here and remove this stain from the cathedral." Ash stared maliciously at Asura. Both were eager to strike at each other's throats.
Asura's blood pumped, ready to fight once again as he faced the priest. Ash, confident in his new abilities, smiled. He assured himself that the results would be different this time.