Chapter 9
The sun hung low in the sky as Caelan, Zaimond, Elden, Richard, and Velldora Rul began their journey northward, where the shadow of Varus K 10, the weakest of the Demon Kings, loomed over their thoughts. The air was crisp, with a biting chill that grew sharper the farther they ventured.
Caelan, always the one to fill silence with his restless energy, looked around at the newly-formed group and realized something: this wasn't just the three of them anymore. They had grown—now five strong, with a dragon lord of legend and a mysterious merchant who sold bread during an apocalypse. They were becoming something… bigger.
"Guys," Caelan blurted out, breaking the silence. "I've got it."
Zaimond, who was busy munching on one of Richard's lavishly seasoned roasts (finally some real food), barely looked up. "Got what?"
"Our team name," Caelan said, a huge grin plastered on his face. "We're not just three lone wolves anymore. We're like… a unit! A force! Heroes of light and justice and—"
"—annoyance," Elden cut in, shaking his head, though a faint smile played on his lips. "Don't even say it, Caelan."
"I'm serious, hear me out!" Caelan continued, undeterred. "I'm thinking something like… The Luminary Squadron! No, no, wait… The Legendary Light Defenders of the Realm!" He threw his arms out dramatically as if they were already in some sort of heroic battle pose. "It's epic, it's flashy, it's—"
"—too much," Elden finished flatly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're not naming ourselves that. Ever."
"Too extra," Zaimond agreed through a mouthful of food, sounding surprisingly lucid despite the meat sticking out of his cheeks. "Besides, 'Defenders of the Realm'? C'mon, man, we're not in a comic book."
Caelan rolled his eyes. "Well, someone else come up with something, then! It's not like I hear any bright ideas coming from you two."
Richard, who had been quietly listening to the banter, chuckled softly. "Why not something simple? Like… Absolute Idea."
The group fell silent for a moment.
"That's… not bad, actually," Elden mused, rubbing his chin. "It's got a nice ring to it. Strong. Focused. Not like 'Squadron of Blinding Light' or whatever nonsense Caelan was going on about."
"Hey, the Squadron would've been cool," Caelan muttered under his breath, crossing his arms. "But fine. 'Absolute Idea' works."
Zaimond, finally pausing in his endless mukbang of Richard's stockpile of gourmet rations, looked up with a sly grin. "As long as there's food, I don't care what we call ourselves. Absolute Idea sounds legit. We'll be the coolest bunch of misfits this side of Rasdogh."
Richard nodded, the ghost of a smile still lingering on his lips. Despite his cold, detached demeanor, he couldn't help but feel some satisfaction. These travelers, as strange and quirky as they were, had accepted him into their fold. He wasn't alone anymore, at least not for now.
In the back of the group, Velldora Rul walked quietly, his imposing form towering over them all. The Dragon Lord, with his long white hair flowing behind him and his purple horns gleaming in the fading sunlight, looked ahead with a calm intensity. He hadn't spoken much since leaving Rasdogh, his thoughts turned inward, but he was watching them all closely. Caelan's energy, Zaimond's brilliance masked by his eccentricity, Elden's calm resolve—there was potential here. The kind of potential that hadn't surfaced in the world for centuries.
These weren't just any wanderers. These were future legends, champions of the light. Velldora could sense it in their very souls, and for the first time in what felt like ages, hope stirred within him. Perhaps… perhaps the world wasn't lost after all.
"So, we're really doing this, huh?" Caelan asked, breaking into Velldora's thoughts. "Heading north, facing down Varus K 10, the weakest of the Demon Kings?"
"That's the plan," Elden replied, adjusting his sword. "But don't underestimate him just because he's the weakest. He's still a Demon King."
Zaimond nodded, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah, plus, we've got to be careful. The northern lands are crawling with shadow beasts, not to mention Varus' legion. And I haven't even told you guys about the other Demon Kings."
Caelan shot Zaimond a curious look. "Other Demon Kings? We know about Varus, but… how many are there?"
Zaimond stopped walking, the playful grin leaving his face as he grew serious. "There are ten. Ten Demon Kings, each with their own territories. Varus K 10 is just the tip of the iceberg. The other nine… they're stronger. Way stronger. We'll have to deal with them eventually."
Elden frowned. "What about the legendary knights from the ancient times? The ones who were said to have fought the Demon Kings during the Age of the Empty?"
"That's the thing," Zaimond said, lowering his voice. "No one knows what happened to them. They disappeared. Vanished without a trace. Some say they died, others believe they were sealed away. But what's certain is that none of them are around to help us now."
The group fell into a heavy silence at that, the weight of their task settling over them. But Caelan, ever the optimist, grinned and slapped Zaimond on the back. "Well, good thing we've got the Absolute Idea now! We'll figure it out. One Demon King at a time, right?"
Richard smirked, though his eyes remained calculating. "If there's gold in it, I'm all in. Just don't expect charity. I don't do 'favors' for free."
"Yeah, we get it, man," Zaimond laughed. "You'll make your profits. Trust me."
As they continued their journey, the northern landscape began to grow darker, the light fading as if it were being devoured by the encroaching shadow of Varus K 10's domain. The cold bit harder, the winds howling like distant wails of forgotten souls.
But despite the gloom, Caelan felt a strange sense of excitement. They weren't just wandering aimlessly anymore. They had a purpose, a team, and a ridiculously cool name.
"Alright, Absolute Idea," Caelan called out, his grin wide. "Let's go save the world. Again."
Zaimond stuffed the last piece of roasted meat into his mouth, Richard adjusted his bag of goods with a quiet sigh of satisfaction, and Velldora, for the first time in a long while, felt the stirrings of something he hadn't experienced in centuries: hope.
As the group pushed forward on their journey, the darkness of the north closing in around them, Zaimond, ever the eccentric, decided it was time to break the silence with something a bit unexpected. He turned around to face the imaginary audience (yes, you—the reader), his usual mischievous grin plastered on his face.
"Alright, alright, break time!" Zaimond announced, making the others stop in confusion.
Caelan raised an eyebrow. "Zai, what the hell are you doing?"
"Talking to our adoring audience, of course," Zaimond replied nonchalantly, as if this were a normal thing. He clapped his hands together dramatically and addressed the unseen crowd. "Ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between, gather 'round because I'm about to tell you something real important. You ever wonder what we eat in a world that's, y'know, basically falling apart at the seams? Like, what do a bunch of heroes munch on when they're trekking through lands crawling with shadow monsters and, let's be real, hygiene is optional?"
Elden groaned. "Oh no."
Zaimond leaned in as if he were sharing some forbidden secret. "You'd think maybe we've got some magic food or luxurious meals, right? Maybe, I dunno, roasted griffin or enchanted elven bread that never goes stale?"
Caelan chuckled. "Yeah, keep dreaming."
"But nah," Zaimond continued, "when the world's gone to crap, you eat whatever you can get. And let me tell you, it gets weird. Like... weird weird."
Richard, adjusting his bag of endless supplies, raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'weird'?"
"Well, back when we started this whole 'saving the world' gig," Zaimond said, pointing his thumb at Caelan and Elden, "we had nothing. And I mean nothing. So, what's the most 'human' thing we managed to scrounge up?"
"Don't say it," Elden muttered, looking as if he wished the ground would swallow him whole.
"Demon cow meat!" Zaimond exclaimed with an exaggerated flourish. "Yep, you heard me right, folks. The most edible thing we could find when the world's in full apocalypse mode was—wait for it—raw demon cow beef!"
Caelan facepalmed. "We were desperate, alright?"
Zaimond grinned even wider. "Desperate, yes. But also, let me tell you, that stuff? Actually kinda tasty. Sure, it's got this weird aftertaste that makes you wonder if you'll grow a second head or something later on, but when you're starving, you take what you can get. And hey, demon cows are plentiful when you're wandering through cursed lands!"
Richard looked skeptical. "Demon beef? Sounds like a terrible business proposition. I'd never sell that garbage."
Zaimond nodded. "Yeah, well, that's where your high standards come in handy, my friend. We didn't have the luxury of being picky. But now that we've got you and your five-star portable kitchen, we're living like kings. Real food, spices, actual flavor? Chef's kiss, Richard. Seriously."
Caelan chimed in. "To be fair, we've come a long way from eating raw demon cow. Thank God."
Elden, who had stayed quiet through most of the exchange, finally spoke up. "I can't believe you're telling this to the readers. Can we just… not talk about that phase of our journey?"
Zaimond patted Elden on the back. "C'mon, man, it's part of our story! The people need to know the truth about what it takes to survive in a world full of shadows and doom. Besides, it's kind of funny in hindsight, don't you think?"
"No," Elden replied flatly.
"But hey, fun fact time!" Zaimond said, changing the subject with his usual hyper energy. "You know Velldora over there? Our grumpy dragon lord?"
Velldora, walking a bit ahead of them, didn't respond but subtly raised an eyebrow.
Zaimond continued, still addressing the audience. "Yeah, so, fun fact about ol' Velldora Rul: his life is dark. Like, real dark. You think we've had it rough, right? Nah, this guy's lived through more tragedy than a thousand bad soap operas. I mean, he's basically been in emotional exile ever since his wife was killed by humans. Talk about trust issues."
Caelan shook his head. "We really need to work on your delivery, man."
Zaimond shrugged. "Hey, I'm just saying, when you've lived through literal centuries of loneliness, you probably have every reason to lock yourself up in a cave and never talk to anyone again. The fact that we managed to get him out at all? Kinda a miracle, if you ask me."
Velldora let out a long sigh. "I can hear you, you know."
Zaimond winked at the audience again. "And that, folks, is the story of how we've been eating demon meat and managed to recruit a world-weary dragon lord with a tragic past. Stick around—this adventure's just getting started."