The chirping of the birds, the fluttering of the wind and the relaxing sound of the water flowing through the river passed through Azure's ears,
'I guess, I am back to where I belong' Azure thought cheerfully,
"Yes, you are~~" Arzatious said cheerfully,
Azure opened his eyes, only to find Arzatious in his human form, grilling fishes on a campfire.
"Hey? What are you doing?" said Azure with a hint of irritation.
"I'm grilling fishes, i thought you were smart enough to atleast know this~" Artazious continued, without letting Azure talk. "A pinch of salt for taste, little bit of coriander for fragrance.. that's it"
Arzatious proceeded to give one of the grilled fishes to Azure.
"Why are you doing this?" Azure said with a curiosity and irritation.
"Why do you grill fishes? To eat~ ofcourse." Arzatious said cheerfully while munching on one of the grilled fishes, he continued "Hmm, looks like even a 1000 years of imprisonment couldn't rust my cooking skills~~"
"No, I mean like.. What now??" Azure said while taking the grilled fish that Arzatious offered him.
"Nothing, just live your life as you do~~ what?" Arzatious understood that Azure wasn't satisfied with his answer, so he added "Do you want to go on a killing spree and murder the whole country?" he continued with a smile, "I mean it would be fun~~, but i just came out of the prison after 1000 years so let me enjoy the world, for sometime na?"
Azure took a hesitant bite of the grilled fish, the flavors unexpectedly rich and well-balanced. He wasn't sure what annoyed him more—Arzatius's carefree demeanor or the fact that the fish actually tasted amazing.
"You're surprisingly good at this," Azure muttered, begrudgingly taking another bite.
"Surprisingly?" Arzatius feigned offense, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm ancient, dear Azure. I've perfected everything worth perfecting, including the art of seasoning fish."
"Right…" Azure rolled his eyes. "And here I thought ancient devils spent their time plotting the downfall of kingdoms, not hosting riverside barbeques."
"Oh, I've done plenty of the former," Arzatius said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But let me tell you something, little one—watching empires fall gets boring after the first few dozen. Sometimes, it's the smaller things, like grilling fish or watching you squirm in confusion, that make eternity worthwhile."
Azure threw the fish bone into the fire, leaning back on his hands. "You're impossible to understand, you know that? One second, you're this terrifying monster locked away for a millennium, and the next, you're acting like a camp counselor."
Arzatius chuckled, his golden eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, but isn't that the beauty of me? A little chaos, a little charm. Keeps things interesting." He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he studied Azure. "What about you? What do you want to do now that I'm back?"
Azure hesitated. "I don't know. I didn't exactly have a plan for what would happen after freeing an 'ancient devil.' I figured you'd… I don't know, raze the world or something?"
"How predictable of you." Arzatius sighed, looking almost disappointed. "You mortals always think in such linear terms—good, evil, destruction, salvation. It's so tiresome. Why not embrace the unexpected? Let's do something different, something fun!"
"And by 'fun,' you mean?" Azure asked warily.
Arzatius grinned, the kind of grin that sent shivers down Azure's spine. "Oh, I don't know… How about we play a little game?"
"What kind of game?"
"The kind where we pick a random kingdom, infiltrate its upper echelons, and subtly manipulate its rulers into making the most absurd decisions imaginable," Arzatius said, his voice dripping with excitement. "We won't destroy them outright, of course. Where's the artistry in that? No, we'll unravel them slowly, one ridiculous act at a time."
Azure stared at him, equal parts fascinated and horrified. "You're serious?"
"Deadly so." Arzatius leaned back with a satisfied sigh, tossing another fish onto the fire. "Imagine it—kings decreeing that all citizens must wear shoes on their heads, nobles engaging in duels over stolen pastries. The chaos, the hilarity! And the best part? They'll have no idea we're behind it all."
Azure rubbed his temples. "I don't know what's worse: the fact that you came up with this, or the fact that I'm considering it."
Arzatius laughed, a rich, melodic sound that echoed through the forest. "Oh, my dear Azure, you'll find that life is so much more enjoyable when you stop worrying about what's worse and start asking, 'What's the most fun I can have?'"
For a moment, Azure didn't respond. He looked at the fire, the golden flames reflecting in his eyes, and then at Arzatius, who was grinning like a madman.
Azure suddenly realized, 'What happened to dad?, he's still not here..'
"What? Dad? But I don't sense any living human nearby," Arzatious said, his tone laced with curiosity and just a hint of playful intrigue.
Azure proceeded to explain about the soul and his relationship with it.
"ha, ha~ i get it" Arzatious continued, with a grin on his face, "but, i cant sense any soul either, will have to wait for some time, and i think~~"