Demon Chronicles
Chapter 7
"Devils Never Cry"
"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone." Rose Kennedy.
'I was given a book by the exorcist. When I peeled back its covers, it revealed to me the past of someone I know. Someone who has become very close to me. But nothing could've ever prepared me for what would have been revealed to me that fateful night when I would learn of the root of darkness' These were the thoughts of a young girl when she witnessed the beginning.
Thunder rumbled in the night while spears of lightning pierced through the clouds and roared throughout the lands, witnessing the unfolding conflict.
A group of six men dressed in black attires and armed with swords were surrounded by giant purple humanoid fiends, growling viciously and ready to strike. A tall man that had a snake-like dragon tattooed on his left arm and seemed as the apparent leader smirked at the monsters in front of him, confident of his soon-to-come victory.
Meanwhile, back in a nearby village, a woman was inside what looked like a prayer room brightened dimly by a small candle, muttering prayers quietly as an incense stick burned and filled the room with its aroma.
It was a sunny day, clear of any clouds. Birds were chirping in nearby trees as the air swept by the village, enriched with the aroma of mountain nature.
A white cloth caught in a tree branch was flickering with the wind when a small hand—likely that of a kid's—was reaching to grab hold of it. After some attempts, it was caught and retrieved. "Got ya! Hey mom, look at me!" The boy said as he held on to the tree he climbed. He had white short spiky hair swept backwards with some forelocks on his face, bluish green eyes and looked about five years old. He was wearing a red shirt with a black tribal sun in the front as well as black pants and sandals.
He had the energy a kid his age would have, but his enthusiasm and drive to do things were certainly outstanding from the rest. He was in a small patio of a large Japanese palace that was founded halfway up a mountain. It was very old, but with the appropriate cares and restorations, it looked as if it was just finished. "Ashura, didn't I tell you that was too dangerous? I always tell you not to be reckless, but you're never going to listen, are you?" A woman said in a calm tone as she watched over the boy who happened to be her son.
His mother was a beautiful woman and wife to the lord of that small village. Her eyes were red, her hair was black, long and flowing-her complexion was pale but greatly beautiful. She was dressed in an intricate silk kimono that dominated with rich reds blacks and some whites. It also included a magnificent golden dragon pattern on it. She was also wearing a gold headdress in the shape of a sprig. She was sitting on a wooden corridor and near her were two servant women dressed in white kimonos, watching over her and the boy as well.
Ashura got down from the tree and ran to her mother. He handed her the piece of fabric with an animated expression. "But I'm alright, see? There's nothing to it. Besides I know it's very important to you, so I had to get it back." The little child said as her mother gladly accepted the cloth and rewarded him with a warm smile.
"Well, aren't you the little hero." A man said near them, drawing their full attention. The man was tall and was the spitting image of Ashura, except his eyes were green. He was dressed in simple black body armor and leg protectors; under it he had a black plain T-shirt and pants while a dark blue cape hung behind his back. His name was Yasha. He was the lord of the village that rested under the shadow of the mountain and fatherly figure to the little boy.
Following him were four men; three of them were dressed in a black ninja-like outfit. They were soldiers. The fourth man was dressed in a grey suit that had a black snake-like tribal dragon on its back. A forelock of his hair was tied with a white band and a patch covered his left eye. He was the royal advisor, Mifune.
"Father, you're back!" the boy shouted excited as he ran to the tall man and embraced him. Yasha wasn't really the boy's true father. His real father died in a great battle many years ago. Since Yasha was the warrior's only best friend and trusted ally, he was asked to look after Lilith and the boy.
"By yourself, I see you've been as naughty a kid as ever, huh." The man teased his son. The boy snarled at his father's words.
He knew his father knew it upset him whenever he called him a kid. "Hey, I'm not a kid!" the boy said. His father certainly enjoyed teasing him like that, but he never did it with band intent.
"Getting mad like that certainly proves you are." He said as he looked at him slyly.
"It does not!" the boy replied. His father then began to laugh as the boy's reaction, which irritated the boy. "Quit laughing, father!" the boy protested. His mother, who was watching everything, smiled as she saw the childish interaction between father and son. At times, she believed that she lived only for moments like this.
The blue day turned to an orange color as the sun began to set. The soldiers were sent to rest while King Yasha, Lilith, Ashura, Mifune and some maiden servants entered a room right next to the patio. Yasha was sitting on the wooden floor while his son was sitting on his lap. Lilith was right in front of him and behind her were the maids. The advisor was sitting in the middle as if taking a mediator pose.
"Thank goodness you made it back safely. I was beginning to grow worried about you." The boy's mother bowed as she greeted his husband back. The maids bowed as well.
"I would've been back sooner, but some monsters ambushed us at the border." The man replied, and then he instructed the maids to leave, leaving only them and the advisor.
"This was my entire fault, Yasha. I was unable to keep the protective barrier stable enough." She berated herself as her heart filled with concern for the man she loved.
"Don't blame yourself, Lilith. Here in the country of Japan, we are destined to struggle against these monsters; not only them, but the humans as well. We are, after all, the only dragons left. Our territory is not the only one threatened by them and you are not to blame for it." Yasha said as he tried to lift the guilt from her beloved Lilith.
The little boy had already heard stories of how men hunted the dragons to the brink of extinction and managed to trick mankind into believing they were all dead at the last moment. They managed to survive and, little by little, the land of Tartarus was born, protected by the queen. They all learned to keep a human form whenever they are within human territory. Eventually, they let in some humans as servants under the belief they were another village, and became about half of the village that was at that time. The servants who were ordered to leave were human as well, and every day the king, queen and everyone who was a dragon had to follow strict rules so as to not be discovered.
The boy then spoke up, trying to understand the reason of the monsters' assaults. "I don't understand that. Why the monsters are always out to get us?" he asked.
Then Mifune chose to answer that question. "They're hunting. It is said that the country of Japan was once inhabited by a god. Because of this, the land has been saturated with the god's power. That power is what the monsters seek. It is why they attack." Mifune enlightened.
The little boy was left with his mouth open in awe, and then the advisor continued his statement. "However, there's nothing to worry about. The seal of the queen has the power to protect our land. Her barriers prevent the monsters from entering our territory, and here at the palace, we are especially secure." He spoke in a tone that gleamed with wisdom.
Lilith then spoke humbly, "My power's not as absolute as you make it out to be, Mifune. If I fail or weaken in any way—"
"—then there's still nothing to worry about. If the monsters do enter our territory, we will be safe." Lilith was cut off by Yasha. She stared at him, noticing a confidence in his eyes that could challenge any evil spirit and the smirk in his face reinforced that thought. "That is the reason I'm here, after all." Yasha's words managed to ease the worry out of Lilith and her face lightened up.
"It is." She responded softly.
"And I'm here too!" Ashura said as he jumped off his father's lap and started throwing punches.
"Well, looks like some kid's preparing for battle." Yasha commented jokingly and, as he expected, made Ashura turn to him and throw a tantrum.
"I told you I'm not a kid!"
Yasha snickered at his reactions then chose to give the boy a small challenge. "Alright, then let's see you climb to the top of that tree there." Yasha pointed to the tree the boy had just climbed to reach for the cloth.
Ashura didn't hesitate to accept his challenge, "I'll show you!" he replied confidently as he ran to the tree and started to climb.
Lilith then grew worried that he might hurt himself and tried to stop him. "Wait, stop!" but as she tried to get up after him, she fell and began to breath faintly.
Yasha then picked her up, "What is it?" he asked worried. Ashura then turned his attention to his mother and the lively spirit he had was blown away. It hurt him to see his mother like this.
However, he was not ignorant as to why it happened. He knew that his mother always pushed herself too much in order to keep the protective barrier around the village strong so that Yasha or anyone else wouldn't have to risk their lives fighting the demons.
This eventually caught up to affect her health. Because of the lack of good sleep and even not eating properly—if she didn't skip meals- only worsened her condition, she couldn't get too excited. If she did, things like fainting or shortness of breath occurred to her. Nevertheless, she never let things like that get in her way; she was a strong woman with an iron will. But be that as it may, even she knew that she had a limit that could lead to the ultimate price.
But she would keep on protecting the city, for the sake of her son.
A new day had come.
Ashura was in a pond near the palace with four other kids—two were girls and the other two were boys. All four of them were human. They all were being watched over by Mifune, who was under the shadow of a nearby tree. "Come on, Ashura!" a boy in a brown outfit said.
"You can do it, young lord!" a girl with pigtails encouraged him.
Ashura was there in order to catch a fish. When a fish got spotted, the other boy pointed it out. "There's a big one, right there! Go for that one!" Ashura spotted the fish and got into position. When it was within reach, he shot his arms into the water and caught it. When he brought it up, it revealed a plump dark blue fish, but the fish was moving so fast, it slipped off his grip.
Ashura tried to keep it from escaping but it was in vain and lost his balance. The fish escaped and he fell in the water. "Are you alright?" the girl with pigtails asked.
"Don't worry; I'll catch it next time!" Ashura said as he stood up and got ready for the next one. Mifune simply smiled at the scenery which reminded him of younger days when he used to go to the rivers and see other children play in the rivers. Ashura kept it up all day trying his best to catch a fish.
When the sun began to set, the other children went back to their respective homes. Ashura stayed and continued. Eventually, his strength was all worn out. His clothes got filthy plus some dirt stains got in his hands and face. Mifune proposed to return to the palace and Ashura agreed. The night came to the village and they both got home. But Ashura's welcoming was not a warm one.
"What were you thinking staying out so late, huh!" Yasha shouted to Ashura as he sat on the grassy ground near the tree from earlier. Ashura was doing his best to hold back the tears, but didn't look at his father in the eye. He never spoke a word, which made Yasha conclude that it was pointless to keep scolding him any longer. "If you're not going to tell me, that's fine. You'll just have to sit here all night." He spoke with a strict tone as he walked away.
Ashura stood in the very spot he was. His intentions for staying out were good, but he felt that his father would dismiss it like nothing. He kept quiet.
Yasha watched his son from the edge of a corner. He felt bad for scolding him that roughly but he knew he had done it so that he wouldn't be so hasty, not hurt him. He sighed quietly at his actions and closed his eyes. "He reminds me a bit of another boy I used to hang out with." Mifune said slyly as he held a paper fan near his chin. Yasha then remembered the times when he and Mifune went out on adventures like hiking and traveling through the forest. These and many more memories passed him in a brief flash.
He growled lightly under his throat and went straight to the point. "Is there something you needed?"
Mifune then dropped his joking tone and responded calmly. "There is, sir." Both of them went to attend their business.
The moon brightened the night sky as some clouds hovered over the village. Ashura remained quiet as he sat. He kept his eyes on the green foliage until he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up to see his mother sit right in front of him. "Mother…" he uttered. Her warm smile was present as she extended her hands to dust off the dirt in his clothes.
"I see you got your clothes filthy again." She said as her left moved to rest on his right cheek.
His eyes locked on his mother's. They were beautiful—like priceless rubies. "Ashura, please listen to me carefully." She spoke kindly. "I know your father spoke harshly to you, but it was out of love. He was only angry because he was so worried. It's hard, but do you understand?" Ashura, in a way, understood her words. Indeed, it was true that one can act like that out of worry. It was a twisted way to show love and care, but still a way to show it.
Ashura couldn't help to let a tear show. "Come, let's go take a bath." She said and they did.
Once in the bathing room, steam came out through a ventilation window. Dim water sounds could be heard from the inside. Ashura and his mother were inside a warm bath with three candles lighting the room. "Mother, you like father a whole lot, huh." Ashura spoke.
"Of course I do." She stated. Yasha may not have been the warrior she came to love and gave her the son that was now Ashura, but still she cared for him.
"And you like me a whole lot too, right?" the boy spoke again.
"Yes that's right." She affirmed.
Then, Ashura asked her a very difficult question. "So which one of us do you like better, is it me or father?"
He eyes opened up in surprise to such a question while Ashura stared at her with expectant eyes. She was in a dilemma. This was probably just a childish jealousy tantrum that emerged on occasions, she resolved. "Oh dear, I don't know how to answer that."
"So, what answer did you give him then?" Yasha asked entranced after Lilith told her what had just happened.
She giggled at his question and answered back. "Now it looks like you're the one who's being childish." They were in Ashura's room, with the little boy sleeping soundly on his futon while two candles on tall stands on opposite sides of the room shone just enough to give a view. The bath was so relaxing for him, it made him want to go to sleep.
"He loves you more than anything, and he will continue to, until he finds a woman of his own to love. That's just how we men are, I'm afraid." Yasha commented.
His mind then traveled to another subject: his harshness towards the boy. Just as he finished his business with Mifune, an elder man arrived to the palace in order to explain why Ashura was in that pond for such long time.
"He was down in the village trying to catch a fish. Apparently, he heard from a fish merchant that the fish in the pond there were especially nutritious. I believe he was trying to catch one for you, because of your health." Yasha explained. The young boy's kindness never ceased to impress her, but today was a very special blow out. To go that far and endure Yasha's severe scolding just so that her health would improve even if just a little meant worlds to her.
She smiled warmly at the image of her sleeping son, who just so happened was smiling in his sleep. Oh Ashura, you have your father's heart…
Deep in the woods of the mountain, Yasha was training his battle skills and Ashura accompanied him to witness his talent with the blade. Three battle dummies were in front of him and he got in a battle stance. "And now…" he raised his blade and shouted his attack "…Dragon Strike!" He slashed down and as he did, an intense surge of energy burst forth in the shape of blue lightning spears, annihilating the dummies along with some trees and raising a cloud of dust. When it settled down, there was a huge area cleared away of any grass or trees.
Ashura was left awestruck at his father's power. "Wow that was great! How did you do that, father?" Ashura asked enthusiastically as he ran up to him and hugged his left leg.
Yasha then looked at him. "If you train hard, you can do it too. Do you want to be stronger?"
Ashura's eyes widened and responded excitedly. "Yeah, I do!"
"For what reason?" At this point, Yasha wanted to see if his goals for obtaining strength were worthy of becoming truly strong.
"What would you do with your strength?" Ashura let go of his father and the latter moved his body so that he would face the boy dead straight. "Would you seek it merely for the sake of being strong and nothing else? Would you become strong and use that strength for yourself alone, for your own glory?"
When Yasha finished speaking, Ashura went deep into thought for a moment, deciding the real reason for which he wanted to become as strong as his father, if not stronger. Yasha kept his eyes on the youngster, analyzing him and making sure he'd tell the truth when he responded.
"No." Ashura answered after a while.
Yasha's attention got aimed solely to his words, carefully listening. "I would use it to protect all of our people, dragon and human alike. And especially to protect the people I love, like mother and you!" Ashura spoke with firmness and truth, his eyes enforcing the power of his statement. Yasha was pleased with the boy's honesty. "I couldn't' have said it better myself."
He started to mess with the youngster's hair, making him start another fit. "Hey, what are you doing? Stop it!" Ashura quarreled.
A few days later, Yasha began to instruct Ashura in the many arts of the blade—both single and twin swords—as well as many other weapons like the staff, claws and others. Exhaustible days of training went by, but Ashura never gave up. Through hard training, his body became stronger, his legs became faster and his skills grew greater. He would climb from the top of the mountain to the bottom and back again for leg improvement. He would lift rocks progressively heavier than him—almost five times his own weight and up—for strength build-up.
These and many other training methods, after three years of intense work out, gave him great strength, agility and stamina. After this, Yasha deemed him ready to learn the Dragon Strike. Ashura began weak and with some mistakes, which could be expected from the first times. But after many times and undying commitment, he managed to perform it properly after a year. Though it wasn't anywhere near Yasha's Dragon Strike, its power would soon reach its true potential and maybe even surpass him.
His father then revealed to him a secret for this technique: its power could only be used when his heart has in it the will to protect someone, and the greater that desire is, the stronger that attack will become. Yasha's admiration for this boy seemed to meet no end. At the step he was going, he was sure Ashura would soon surpass his power, even his true father's. There was certainly no doubt that he was the son of that admirable warrior he came to know as his best friend.
When his wings had developed enough, he learned to fly on his own. Since Yasha wasn't a dragon and his mother was too weak to show him, he did his best to discover his flying abilities. It didn't take him long and quickly became able to soar through the skies with an ease similar to walking. Yasha then advised him to fly only at night when everyone was asleep or on very cloudy days.
When Yasha complimented his achievement, he asked him if he would like to learn other techniques—techniques that were of great power. Ashura gladly accepted. Yasha then took him to a par of the castle that contained special items stored, items that possessed great value.
Yasha pulled out a box that contained six scrolls. When Ashura asked what they were, Yasha explained in great detail what each scroll was. They were Elemental Arts, arts that had been within the family since times of old. Each came with a different element: fire, ice, lightning, wind and darkness. They were the Art of the Inferno, the Flame Phoenix, the Ice Storm, the Inazuma, the Wind Blades and the Piercing Void.
Ashura took it upon himself to master each and every art so as to gain power to protect the village, but most importantly, his mother and father. He was instructed that these arts should only be used as a last resort. Although they were very powerful, they required massive amounts of energy and Ki, which was the source of the arts' strength.
This took him almost two more years to execute, but he still had to perfect his mastery. Now, after eight years of arduous training, Ashura was a strong protector of the village next to Yasha and the village was never safer. Any fiend or monster that went beyond Lilith's barrier faced the might of Yasha or Ashura, when his father was away. Eight years passed and the little boy had grown to be an exceptional twelve-year-old and a fierce combatant.
In the middle of his practice with these arts, many demons started appearing at the border and regions near such. Yasha had to travel a lot since, and Ashura's training in this aspect was left incomplete.
One day, Ashura was walking through a bamboo field. Dressed in what resembled the soldiers' attire - black pants, boots and wristbands, a brown long-sleeve shirt and right-arm samurai style armor along with a black headband with a small red dragon in 'S' shape at the center - he explored the grounds near the village. Out of the blue, a giant purple fiend with a sick humanoid shape, strange protrusions on its arms and front-swept horns jumped out of as if to ambush the boy. Ashura drew out his sword and jumped towards the beast. As he descended, he unleashed the Dragon Strike on it, wounding the fiend, but not killing it. The fiend then threw a fist, but Ashura dodged it and sliced it in half at the stomach and finally killing it.
"Nicely done, young lord. You've learned much." Mifune said as he approached the young adult.
"It's not enough. I need to be able to defeat them with one blow. I want to do it like father does. But he's… been so busy lately, huh." Ashura realized. This was somewhat disappointing, but it had a reason and a valid one at that.
Mifune then revealed a piece of news that might lift his spirits. "The master has asked that you look after things here at the palace, young lord. If you can, he believes he will be able to fight the monsters at the border with an easier mind."
Ashura turned to look at the advisor with a surprised face. "He wants me to rule in his absence?"
Mifune smiled approvingly and provided a bit of advice. "You must be prepared for your future duties. Soon you'll take the master's name. The day you rule this land may not be far off." His words were, in a little way, cold. But they were true. The life of a warrior could end at anytime at anyplace.
Ashura nodded in agreement. Day came to sunset. When he arrived to the palace, he was carrying a round wooden basket. Inside it was a fish along with some water to keep it alive. It wasn't just any fish, this one came from the pond where fish there were very nutritious and ever since his skills improved greatly, Ashura always made sure to bring one to his mother so that her health would improve.
Two servant women were near the entrance to greet him back. "Greetings, young lord." Said one.
"Welcome home." Said the other.
When Ashura approached them and handed them the basket. "Please see that my mother gets this." he requested.
One woman took the basket and the other said, "Right away sir."
Lilith was resting in her room, under a warm cover. Ashura came in to see how she was doing. Because she kept forcing herself beyond her limit over the years to keep up the barrier's power, her health took a devastating toll. The faints got worse and her strengths were diminishing slowly but surely. Today she collapsed on the morning, most probably because she skipped her morning meal to attend the prayer room. She had been asleep all day. When she woke up, she found her son sitting right next to her. It was a pleasant view to see her soon when she woke up since it was him who mostly carried her to her bedroom.
Ashura noticed her eyes open. "Mother, how are you feeling?"
she heard his voice and replied. "Oh Ashura, I'm glad you're back. I'm fine but I need to continue my prayers." She started to get up struggling.
"Mother, stop!" Ashura protested her mother's actions. "I wish that you wouldn't push yourself too hard. The prayers are important and I understand that, but you need to take care of yourself." Ashura persisted, but it seemed his words fell on deaf ears.
"I have to keep the barrier strong. If I don't then all of our people are going to suffer." She said almost sounding like she didn't care for herself.
Ashura was getting tired of her mother being so careless about herself, even when he understood her motives. "Mother, you shouldn't have to suffer as well. It's not fair!" Lilith's appreciation of her son's concern for her was something wonderful, but there were times when she felt he didn't understand why she pushed herself. Nevertheless, she always kept on going.
"Ashura, you certainly have your father's heart. I see so much of him in you." The young man sighed in frustration at her recklessness, then gave in to her request and took her to the prayer room.
When she was in, Ashura decided to sit near the door in case he heard her hit the floor again. As he waited, he closed his eyes and remembered back to when her mother talked to him about his real father.
His name was Sparda and he was a fierce and honorable warrior as well as a very powerful devil. But what made him different from all demons was that he didn't fight for reasons common to any fiend. He fought for justice and the protection of mankind. This was little over two millennia ago. When he defeated Mundus, the king of demons, he realized he had become much too powerful and sealed his powers away in hell. Another demon, Yasha, and other sorcerers helped him fight off the remaining demons that escaped the closing of the Great Hell Gate.
But sealing away his powers came with a cost; Sparda had lost the virtue of immortality and after two millennia of hunting down all remaining demons, he was left with only ten years of life. And yet, he found it to be a reasonable price to pay. He succeeded in restoring peace to the human world and thus gained the title of Sparda, The Legendary Dark Knight.
Shortly after this, Sparda and a dragon named Lilith fell in love and witnessed the birth of their first son who Sparda came to name Ashura. But this happiness was not meant to last as Sparda had to depart a year after that. When asked why, he said that many demons had found out about him and his family and were bent on coming after them. In order to protect Lilith and his son from harm he had disappear and confront the demons on distant lands; so he took his sword and left a man he could trust—the now King Yasha—to look after things if worse came to worst. After this, Sparda was heard of no more. So in honor to Sparda, Yasha created the Village of Tartarus, and Sparda's symbol became theirs as well.
What they didn't know was that Sparda had raised another family in another part of the world with a woman named Eva, who gave her two sons; and yet, Sparda never allowed himself to forget about Lilith and his other son. He wished he could go visit them but he couldn't, for fear that the demons might know about their existence and endanger them. He kept all about them a secret, even from his new family. And the rest, as many would say, was old history.
Ashura opened his eyes and walked to the middle of the yard under the night, unsheathed his sword and held it high against the moon. I will make myself stronger, enough so that mother can rest, so he can be healthy again. I must do that quickly. I'll be strong for her… these thoughts became his primal goal and were carved in his heart: to grow as strong as his legendary father and earn his mother some rest.
On a brand new day, Ashura had traveled towards Mount Fuji in search of a special herb he heard of in the village. It was known as the Herb of Spiritual Life and could heal illnesses in a matter of days. He had spent most of the day searching and found none. 'I need to find that herb.' he thought as he searched through thick forest. As he kept looking, he came out of the woods and stumbled upon the sight of a village that rested under the mountain's shadow. He hid against a rock and peeked carefully so that he wouldn't be noticed.
He saw a village almost the size of his. And halfway up the mountain was a monumental structure that looked like a castle. Near a waterfall there was a big place that was spacious and was highly decorated. It was probably a shrine or temple. Out of the blue, he felt a hand on his left shoulder that made him react by jumping away and flicked his sword from its scabbard.
"Relax, it's just me." Yasha spoke and Ashura noticed him and calmed down, then sheathed his sword and returned back to his hiding spot.
"I see you're back." Ashura pointed out.
"Yes. What are you doing here?" Yasha asked. Ashura explained his purpose and how he ended where he was now. The youngblood then asked his father if he knew about the village down there and the latter responded he did.
Yasha explained that what was down there was the Hayabusa village, inhabited by the Dragon Ninja clan. Their heritage traveled back to ancient times and then he told him about the time where the dragons and that tribe joined forces to seal away a very powerful demon known as Vazdah, the Archfiend within Mount Fuji.
After that came the calamity of the evil Dark Dragon, who annihilated almost every dragon in the east and brought forth great chaos. As a final act of hope, a dragon deity lent his power to an heir of that bloodline in order to bring down that evil being. But the Dark Dragon's soul was restless and was trying to resurrect by any means. In order to prevent that from happening, the Dragon Lineage forged a sword out of the bones of such dragon and sealed its soul within it. Up until this time, they have succeeded in keeping it that way, and the sword remained inside the shrine.
The dragon god's power was also immortalized in the form of two sacred items. One was known as the Dragon Sword, forged from the fang of that god and was handed down to the head of each generation as a symbol of leadership. The other was a priceless teardrop-shaped jewel known as the Eye of the Dragon, withholding the soul of that undying divinity. Both items combined unleashed a force to be reckoned with all around the world. Also, they inherited the fighting and elemental arts that both Ashura and Yasha came to master.
Ashura was impressed that such a clan existed. He was amazed that an alliance of enemies had joined forces in ancient times to fight off a common evil. Maybe the humans had some worth in them after all. Ashura asked his father how he knew all that. He responded that it was a known legend throughout the Dragon culture, but was almost forgotten. Yasha then noticed that someone was coming. "Well then, let's go back home. Your mother must be worried sick about us. Besides, I got a surprise for you." Ashura nodded and they managed to get there with daylight still over them.
Lilith was in the main dining room with a banquet set for a particular person. Actually two, if she counted a return, which she did. Yasha and Ashura entered the room and the boy was slightly surprised as to why there was such a feast laid out. "Welcome home, both of you, and happy birthday Ashura." Lilith said as she greeted them in. Maids and soldiers, among many others, came in to congratulate him on his 13th anniversary.
Ashura laughed quietly for a moment as he shed a tear. "What is it, darling?" his mother asked.
"Oh mother, you don't know how thankful I am for this." he said in a glad but broken tone. "But there's a little problem."
At this, Lilith's eyes opened in shock. "Why do you say that?" asked the mother.
"Because my birthday is tomorrow." Ashura said with a smile that depicted both happiness and sadness. This astonished everyone there. But none was more than Lilith.
How could she have misplaced her son's anniversary? How could she have made such a careless and foolish mistake on something as important as this? The answer was not so distant.
Due to her weak health and fainting spells, she often lost track of time. She could faint one day and awaken the next with the belief it was the day before that one. But this time was possibly the worst of all. It crushed her beyond limits she didn't know. "I'm…I'm so sorry Ashura…"her voice started to break as her expression got overwhelmed with sorrow. Ashura immediately tried to cheer her up, but how? How could this be mended up?
It would be tough, but not impossible. Ashura had to pick his words very carefully.
"It's nothing to worry about, mother. Besides, it sort of makes me feel older and that's what I've been wanting all along: To be big and strong in order to protect you." he said. The boy kneeled next to her sitting mother, placed a hand warmly on her shoulder and bought her face to meet his with the other. "You could never let me down. Quite the contrary, I could never be happier to have you as my mother. You always do your best to protect not only the village, but me and father as well from the enemies that come near. Repaying you by trying to earn you as much rest as you can get it nothing but a great honor to me, and I'm not alone there." Ashura pointed to everyone in the room. "All these men and women are pleased to serve you, take care of you and call you the queen of this village, just like I'm proud to call you 'Mother.'"
She could tell in their eyes that they agreed to the young lord's words. Then she turned to face her blessed son, who spoke so divinely of her. "Oh Ashura, thank you very much. You are a blessing embodied." She embraced her son as warm and affectionately as she could.
"Anything for you." the boy uttered near her ear. Yasha was also touched by those words. This boy had truly grown into the man he expected him to become, possibly even more than him. And that was something a father could be the proudest of his son.
"Well then, enough with the tears. Let's celebrate!" Yasha shouted and everyone cheered in unison.
Everyone there enjoyed the feast, jokes were told, and after a couple of hours, Yasha summoned everyone's attention. Then Lilith brought out a medium sized wooden black box tied with a blue cord. "This is for you, son. I hope you like it." Ashura undid the knot and opened the box, revealing a black garment. Ashura pulled it out and saw a black long coat with red details and the dragon that represented his house clan was on its back.
"Wow, mother, this is so cool. I love it!" the boy exclaimed as he admired his present and thanked her with a warm embrace.
"I'm glad you liked it." She retorted.
Yasha then approached him and sat next to him. "I also got something for you. And it comes from a very special person." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small black bag.
From it, he got out an amulet made of black steel and a fist-size ruby embedded in it. "Wow, it's awesome." Ashura said as he took the amulet Yasha then told him about the amulet. This kind of amulet used to be worn by the ancient dragons and that only a few remained. Sparda had used two of them as a key to lock the Main Hell Gate. The one Ashura was given was a very special one. It belonged to one of the very first thirteen dragons that brought down a demon that nearly destroyed the earth eons ago.
The youngblood was amazed at the gift he was given. "Thanks, father. By the way, who was that special person you meant?" Ashura inquired.
Yasha smiled at the thought, and then spoke out his answer. "Your true father, Sparda; He wanted you to have it on this particular birthday as a memento."
Ashura was even more stunned by the origins of the jewel. This was a treasure worthy of protecting for countless generations since it came from the father he never came to know but heard great stories of. "I'll treasure it forever." The boy stated.
"I expect nothing less from you, and I know you will." Yasha said.
After this, everyone kept celebrating until the food lasted.
Far away from Tartarus, a massive, four-armed werewolf holding a giant scythe was standing at the center of a demolished village, burning and corpses covering its grounds. "This bores me." he said with a snarling tone of voice as his eyes gleamed in a fearsome yellow.
Another one was sitting calmly on a large boulder near the latter. He appeared as a larger-than-life, almost effeminate man with pale flawless skin, horns, and diaphanous wings. He commented the latter's statement. "Yes, Volf. It almost makes it a waste of time to slay such puny flies." He said in a poetic cold tone.
A fire behind them grew larger and another four-armed fiend appeared from those flames. His appearance adhered closely to the western image of devils. He had a bat-like form, with red eyes, black skin, large teeth, and red leathery wings. He approached the other two. "Hey Elizabeth, remind me again why we're attacking flimsy human villages." he asked in a complaining manner in a snarling tone and frustrated manner.
At that moment, a Caucasian brunette wearing a blood red leather coat and pants along with a demonic bustier and chain belt approached them and answered the blaze fiend's question. "We need to wait while our powers return. If we attach the Dragon Ninjas now, we'll surely be killed. Those are the orders of High Infernal Priest Dagra Dai. When he deems it fit, we'll strike at them."
She then sounded out an evil cackle as she remembered the previous moments when they were destroying the village. Yasha appeared with ten of his strongest men to defend the town, but despite Yasha's remarkable strength, he was defeated and injured. "Zedonius, Volf, Alexei. Why don't we follow the foolish man that tried to take on us and destroy his village?" the woman proposed.
"A tempting thought. It would certainly bring more entertainment than sitting here doing nothing." Alexei said.
"Then let's get going." The female commanded as they began to follow the path of Yasha's retreat, but not before the werewolf summoned a powerful storm.
A storm came to Tartarus and lightning roared across the land. Today was, by technicality, Ashura's birthday.
Ashura ran straight to the room where his father was after hearing the news of his defeat. "Father!" he shouted as he opened the door. He saw Yasha with blood on his face sitting cross-legged with six soldiers behind him and a broken blade in front of him. He picked it up with a shocked impression on his face. "It's broken. Is the monster you're fighting really that strong?" the boy asked.
"Yes. But it's not one, but four of them, and they're wickedly strong." Yasha pointed out. "But let's not tell your mother about the sword or that I was injured. It's a bit embarrassing, after all."
Two servant women were near Yasha, cloths ready to clean and dress his wounds. But despite their insistence, Yasha never let them place a hand on him. "We must tend to your injuries sir!" one of the maids said.
"Not now," Yasha stood up, "I'm leaving soon."
Ashura then protested, "But father!"
The door from a different room opened up and Mifune entered holding a long object covered in a red cloth, then bowed and held it to Yasha, who took it. "What is that?" the boy inquired.
Yasha unclothed one end of the item, revealing a red and black hilt and a partial golden dragon head hand guard. "The sword I forged alongside your father. The almighty blade, Sounga." Yasha enlightened, confident of the blade's power. This wasn't an unknown subject to Ashura as his stepfather had told him this story before.
Yasha once told him that he and Sparda forged some weapons together for when they fought the demonic hordes. Since they were in Japan at the time, they decided that the weapons they would forge there would be of that style. Sparda forged with him a sword out of rare demonic metals and, at a time when he was entering a relationship with Lilith, a rare black dragon bone. They named that sword 'Sounga' after the dragon bone used to make it, said to have been part of an ancient evil dragon from the depths of hell.
Another weapon they forged together was a sword as well. This one was made with equal metals as Sounga, but instead of dragon bones, it was imbued with a tremendous amount of Sparda's dark energy. This resulted in a blade that was able to cut through anything – even dimensional barriers - with little to no effort. Because of this ability and others it possessed, Sparda, Yasha and Lilith came to name it Yamato, after a mythological Japanese ruler of the underworld.
A last one was made in resemblance to medieval European swords. It was designed with a skull bones and ribs handguard. This one became a representation of Sparda's revolt to the Demon world. He came to call it Rebellion and just like the Yamato, it was imbued with tremendous magic.
"You're rushing out to battle opponents so strong you have to use Sounga?" Ashura asked.
"I am, these monsters are tougher than most. Even so, I'll beat them." Yasha said with great conviction in his eyes.
"You can't go." Lilith said as she was at the edge of the door, barely able to keep herself up. Yasha and Ashura turned their attention to her. "If you need that sword to defeat those monsters, you're going to need my power as well."
Yasha turned his head a little in futility to his plans and closed his eyes for a moment. "I should've known that you were never going to change. You've always been hopelessly reckless." He said.
Lilith chuckled lightly at his comment and retorted back slyly. "I'm not alone in being accused of that fault."
Yasha opened his eyes and turned to face her, looking her in the eye. "Perhaps you're right." He uttered. Without a doubt, recklessness was one of the traits Lilith and Sparda had in common, just like Yasha. This was possibly one of the things that made faith bind them together for so much time.
The soldiers and Mifune formed nest to the door and kneeled. Yasha was in front on them in the same position, and then he unsheathed the sword, revealing a long blade of bluish gray steel that rang as it came out, holding it horizontally in front of Lilith. "The great Sounga is going into battle. May it have the queen's blessing?" Yasha spoke.
Lilith then closed her eyes and raised a hand, holding it near the sword's blade. "I call on the dragon, protector of Tartarus that glides in the sky. Watch over this man as he bears your sword to protect this land. I ask that you heed my prayers and watch over us all." Ashura watched as his mother blessed the weapon.
A moment after that, Sounga began to glow a pure white and small orbs of energy sparkled out before the glow banished. Yasha got up sheathing the blade. He took a lock of Lilith's hair and kissed it. "Thank you for your blessing." He said softly.
"May you fight well." She said back. After this, Yasha, Mifune and the soldiers left the room.
As they were near the exit, Ashura caught up with them. "Father, wait. I'm going too!" he shouted.
Yasha then declined his statement. "No, son. You stay here."
Ashura persisted yet again. "Let me come! I've trained and I've gotten a lot stronger. I can fight with you now!"
Yasha smiled lightly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you have become stronger. Nevertheless, always remember, strength is not for yourself, but to protect the people that you love." Yasha said to him.
"Alright father." Ashura said. Yasha could tell in his eyes that his words reached deep in the boy's mind. But more importantly, his heart and soul. With this in mind, he left to battle. Regrettably, Yasha's words to his son at that place and time would be his last.
Ashura, as he watched him leave, tried to understand why he wasn't allowed to go. If Yasha had trained him all these years to become a protector, why did he not allow him to fight with him? As he debated this in his mind, short screams came from the room where his mother was and immediately ran there.
Lilith collapsed on the floor as the maidens were next to her. Ashura got there and saw the scene. "What happened to her? Quickly, call a doctor!" Ashura ordered.
"No. I need you to take me to the prayer room." Lilith said as she struggled to get up, finally sitting weakly and placing a hand on Ashura's right arm.
"Mother, you're not strong enough!" the boy protested.
"It's my duty to pray for success and to maintain the strength of the protective barrier. So please, take me to the prayer room quickly." She begged.
The young warrior was facing an inner struggle. Heed his mother's request or refute it. It only took a moment for him to come to a conclusion as he placed a hand over his mother's in his right arm.
A loud bestial roar was heard over the battlefield as Volf viciously annihilated a soldier with his scythe and Zedonius burned two with his flames. As those three other soldiers suffered agonizing death, the remaining four, Mifune and Yasha stood a good distance away from the fiends.
"Master, are you sure? Perhaps it's time to retreat and return with help!" Mifune said. Yasha wasn't planning to do that. If he did and let the monsters take a step closer to his village, everyone would be in mortal danger—especially Lilith and Ashura.
As he glared at the demons, a question popped in his mind. There're only three of them here. Where is the woman?
The three fiends laughed evilly as they approached the remaining warriors to deliver the final strike. Yasha then charged at them with Sounga firmly in his hands and a fierce battle roar that echoed through the land, all of this being witnessed by a full moon floating high in the sky.
Lilith was in the candle-lit prayer room, chanting the prayers silently and coughing lightly. Ashura was keeping guard outside in case she fainted again. It was a little cold outside, so he put on the coat he got yesterday.
Unnoticed by her, a roof board got removed and a bony tail appeared from above her and aimed a sharp end at her back—specifically her heart. With deathly accuracy, it sprung out to its mark. Lilith simply gave out a short gasp as she felt something pierce through her. Moment later, she fell.
The sound of her collapse made Ashura storm into the room, only to find a gruesome scene: his mother lay on the ground in a pool of her own blood while out of a hole in the roof a bony tail bathed in the same red liquid squirmed in the air.
"Mother, no!" Ashura ran to the dreadful member but it pulled out back in the hole at swift speed. A light laughter could be heard moments after the tail disappeared. Ashura stopped next to his dying mother and kneeled to check her wound. "Mother, please. Somebody please help us!" Ashura called out.
He then felt a hand nearing his face; it was his fading mother's. He took her hand quick and softly. "I… couldn't…" she uttered shakily. Ashura's tears started to come out as he saw his mother breathe her last breaths. "I… cant… save you…" after Lilith said these last words, her hand fell off his son's, she stopped breathing, and she stopped living. She had died.
"Mother…" the boy uttered as he saw the now dead eyes on his mother's face. Her expression was vacant and full of regret. This only made the boy's tears to start pouring out like there was no tomorrow.
"MOTHEEEEEEEEEEEER!" Ashura started to weep loudly over his mother's corpse. His cries of pain could be heard throughout the palace. But his screams were not the only ones around.
The four giant fiends had found Tartarus and they had killed everyone in the village, leaving behind only the memory of blood and fire in their path. Now they were storming the palace, killing everyone they found. Bestial roars, fierce flames and swift lightning flashes could be seen and heard near the prayer room.
Moments later, a giant black leathery hand enveloped in flames pierced through one of the walls on Ashura's right, tearing it down and revealing the monstrous being Zedonius. The massive fiend made sniffing sounds before it spoke, "Hmm, You look a lot like the pitiful monkey that tried to fight us…" the demon's eyes glowed a hellish red as hi leered at the boy and the corpse near him.
A huge blue lightning struck near it and Alexei appeared. "It would appear so. One could say it's his son. And my, oh my, what a beautiful woman is that. Such a shame she's dead." He said with a very mocking tone. .
Out of the blue, a giant claw fell near Ashura, nearly crushing him. After the dust it raised dissipated, it showed a bestial brown arm with white hair over the wrist area. Ashura turned to see where that arm came from and saw a giant four-armed werewolf. It was Volf, growling as he approached the scene the other two demons were watching.
But the monster carried something in its mouth. When the boy focused on that point, his eyes opened in utter astonishment at what was between the beast's bloody fangs: Yasha's severed left arm, bloody at the exposed flesh and his hand still holding Sounga.
Not you too, Yasha…! Ashura thought as lightning flashed above them and shoed the boy it was no illusion. Yasha had been defeated, killed and devoured.
A cackling laugh broke into the grim scenario and Elizabeth came from the roof to look at the boy. "What a waste of time this proved to be. We came expecting a good fight, and only find weak and puny scum like that woman." She said smugly as she stylishly passed her right hand through her hair.
Volf then raised one of his arms to separate the sword from the arm and ate the bloody limb. "You seem to be that simpleton's son." Elizabeth said as she took the sword and nailed it on the floor near Ashura.
"What should we do with the boy?" asked Alexei.
The woman then looked at Ashura's traumatized face with tears on it as well as his eyes. She obtained a sick twisted pleasure as she saw they were overflowed with shock and horror, just like she liked their blue tone. "Leave him. He's too deplorable to kill. Besides, it was far more entertaining killing the stupid king who came at us. And to think I actually expected more." She said as she turned his back on him and walked away.
Ashura stood up weakly and shakily grasped Sounga's hilt and taking it out of the ground. As a final act of logic thought, Yasha's final words to him came to his mind. Remember, strength is not for yourself but to protect the people that you love. How was he supposed to protect anyone now? His mother had just been killed, likely by that woman because of her recent confession regarding his mother, and now Yasha's death being confirmed by that severed arm.
All my training has been for nothing. I couldn't stop all this from happening… he thought with remorse. The regretful sense of failure towards Yasha and his mother along with the scent of her mother's puddle of blood destroyed all rational thought in his mind, leaving nothing but one thing. One word. One feeling…
Wrath.
This dark sentiment quickly evolved to a madly burning bloodthirst and savage cravings for revenge. This maelstrom of fury began to turn into a monster—a monster that was now alive, seething and breathing fire within him.
Gritting his teeth, he growled in response to the killing emotions. The wrath in his heart also forced changes in his body. His eyes turn red and pupils became slits, his silver hair turned to black and red. His grip tightened around the sword and Sounga began to flicker red sparks. The blade and the dragon's head slowly grew a darker and the eyes slowly shining blood red.
Elizabeth got a weird sensation and turned around to see the boy. But by the time she turned to look, she saw Ashura jumping at her with swift speed, sword in hand and a wrathful roar. She didn't have time to dodge or block. The enraged boy swung Sounga at point blank from her and unleashed an immense and widespread Dragon Strike that hit her right in the abdomen area completely decimating it, leaving only her bare spine. The other three fiends got struck by the attack as well and got severe injuries. Elizabeth screamed in pain as she was blown away the furthest by the powerful attack.
The other three then tried to cover her and got in front of the infuriated youngblood. Zedonius lashed out his flaming claws at Ashura, who managed to block almost all of them. In a low blow, the fire demon slashed his stomach, knocking him on the ground. Without his scythe in his hands at the moment, Volf immediately stepped in and did the same as he slashed and punched the boy deeper into the ground, leaving him bloody and heavily injured. Alexei then struck him down with a powerful lightning, which rewarded him with an intense long scream of agony that he enjoyed with sick pleasure.
Elizabeth, still bleeding profusely from the strike Ashura provided her, got up and went to the boy. She saw him all beaten and decided to pierce him through the stomach with her tail. She got a pained scream from the boy as she brought him to her face. The beaten boy couldn't summon strength to fight or even remove her tail from his body. He managed to raise his head to look at her with the uttermost hatred and an oath that he would hunt her down until her blood bathed his hands and blade.
Elizabeth noticed the emotion in the boy's eyes and simply grinned mockingly, "You do not have the power to kill me boy. Now I will show you not to mess with the Greater Fiends." She summoned her claws and slashed him in the face. Ashura barely summoned strength to evade most of the claws but one reached his left eye, wounding the area around it. After that, Elizabeth whipped her tail with enough force to fling the boy away near the prayer room; the boy fell unconscious due to the impact.
"We must go. We need to recover." Alexei said as he carried Elizabeth.
"I've got to hand it to that brat; he did more in one blow than his father in two fights. Still, the outcome was the same." She said as they left the destroyed village to an unknown destination.
Ashura woke up hours after the fiends left. He got up struggling and noticed the palace had been burned down like the village. Luckily, nothing happened to his mother's body. The wounds in his body, although they stopped bleeding, still gave out horrific amounts of pain. But no amount of physical pain could compare to that of his soul and sense of ineffectiveness to protect the village, Yasha or his beloved mother.
Trying not to become besieged by that grief again, he immediately began to dig a grave for his mother under a tree. This took him about an hour. After this, he carried his mother to the grave, where he closed her eyes so that she could take on a more peaceful rest.
He then placed her carefully in the pit in a decent position, followed by Yasha's broken blade which he found among the palace debris. You've earned this rest, mother. Please find peace in the afterlife…He then proceeded to fill up the grave and placed a gravestone with both their names carved on it.
During the whole burial process, the guilty emotions devoured every ounce of his soul. It was just too…unbearable to see a loved one die like they did—especially a mother and a beloved stepfather. When Ashura was finished, he kneeled in front of the tomb. "G…goodbye mother..." he said quietly as the sentiments of failure kicked into overdrive as his tears flowed once again. "I'm sorry, father…" Slowly, his crying grew. Tightening his fist, he inwardly berated himself for not being strong enough to protect her, for not being more persistent to assist Yasha in the fight, for being so…ineffective.
His cries grew to howls of sorrow to the sky, to the full moon above him; cries of woe so painful that even the sound of them could shatter any being's heart. Clouds from the recent storm hovered near that area and overshadowed the mourning boy, and just like the night replaces the day, darkness shrouded everything, until nothing remained visible.
Drip.
The director and ruby heard the sound of a falling drop. Ruby went to see what was it and it was Kairi. Her eyes were wide opened and completely overwhelmed by some strong emotion. Tears were streaming down her face as she made soft crying sounds. "Oh, Kairi!" she exclaimed.
"That's enough. Take the book off her hands and separate the others." the chairman said as he got up to approach her. Ruby took off the hands of Ryu, Dante and Vergil from the girl, who was still inside the Primordial Tome's magic.
As their senses kicked in and returned to the current flow of time, most if not all of the doubts about Zenaku were cleared when the information given to them by the Book was processed by their minds. "Now it all makes sense." Vergil said in short words, as his way dictated him to, having discovered how his half-brother came to be in this world, as well as the origins of his sword.
"I agree." Ryu commented, immediately realizing that the style he claimed Zenaku used to fight were only the ancient ways of fighting.
Trish and Lady didn't say anything; they were still too stunned after seeing such a horrible way of parents being killed in cold blood, especially Lady, who got a brutal reminder when her mother was killed by her father, and could, somehow, sympathize with Zenaku's deep torment.
Nero was as stunned as Lady and Trish, unable to utter words at the moment. And came to understand the words Zenaku told him when he stabbed him back in Fortuna. Still, he hadn't forgiven him for what he did. But a dialogue might be able to calm things down a little.
"Well, that was intense. I never realized our old man had another son." Dante commented as he too processed the info. But it would seem like an inevitable fate for every Sparda to lose their parents in such morbid forms.
"Maybe this means that the mystery surrounding our father's life only deepens." Vergil commented. And he was right, the more they found out about their father, the more shadows enveloped his past.
They saw Ruby trying to remove the magic book from Kairi's hands to no avail. "What's happened? Why won't she let go of the tome?" Ruby asked worried as she tried to remove said object.
All of a sudden, the door to the room opened. Everyone turned their attention to the entrance and saw Zenaku, wearing the coat Kairi fixed for him over his bare, scarred torso. He approached the group and saw Kairi and the condition she was in.
He walked around her until he was in front of her; Ruby stepped away from the male in fear that he might hurt her if he were to find out what happened, jus as she saw that when Zenaku was next to the others, he measured taller than the ninja by at least three inches and just about one or two inches below Vergil and Dante. Zenaku then saw the book in Kairi's hands, shining and seemingly in possession of her.
He placed his left hand on the book and it shone brightly for a second. Kairi let go of it and began to fall but Zenaku caught her by the waist with his other arm. Everyone else was a little jumped when this happened. Weakly, Kairi's senses came back, her vision was blurry and her strength almost spent due to the shock and the book's magic.
She saw that Zenaku was holding her and his eyes were looking at her in the same manner as they always did since they first met: cold and emotionless, but for a brief moment, she saw the eyes he came to have as the happy boy he once was—when they used to be so full of life.
"I'm…sorry…" Her eyes let go of one last tear as she spoke these words, her voice impregnated with throbbing anguish. "…Ashura." She whispered his real name and passed out in his arms. The pronunciation of his past name tugged his heart for a bit as it reminded him of that past. But just as easily as that sensation came, it was discarded away. It would appear that, for Zenaku at least, Ashura died back then.
Zenaku looked at her figure for a moment before she turned to the chairman and placed the book on his desk. "What happened here?" he inquired as he glared at the man in white.
The director simply broadened his smile before he answered calmly. "She knows now, Zenaku. Just as they. They know how it all began." Zenaku then analyzed the man's words for a moment before he deducted what he meant: Kairi had just been revealed his past.
This made him look at her sad unconscious self. Can't say I didn't warn you, kid, he thought.
In a distant land, among the ruins of an ancient castle of gothic structure, the Legion of Doom planned their next move over Youkai Academy.
"Are you ready, Zedonius?" Elizabeth asked to the fiend. "Yes, I shall strike with might and no mercy." He said with deep bloodlust in his tone. A man in a black hooded coat walked to them. "While I don't doubt your potential, you will take some backup with you." the mysterious man said as he snapped his fingers.
Then, a powerful flame burst from the ground and a giant centaur with a lion-like, scaly lower body, a humanoid upper body with a pair of wings made of fire and a lion-like face topped with bull-horns, all covered in flames and carrying a huge zweihander-like flaming sword walked to them. "His name is Berial, the conqueror of the Fire Hell." The man said as he presented the flaming demon.
Then another one came. This one was in a heavily armored dark knight suit of armor, closely resembling a Samurai. On the left side of his waist was a katana known as Kitetsu. Where his face was supposed to be, there was only a glowing purple flame. "I am Doku, Lord of the Greater Fiends of the Vigoor Empire."
Zedonious and Elizabeth looked at him for a moment before the devilish woman spoke, "I've heard your name echo in the underworld."
Then, another one came. This time it was a tall man with long blonde hair dressed in a police-like black uniform. "I am Kuyou. I will also accompany you to that school to settle scores." He said with an evil glee in his eyes.
"I, Zedonius, do not require any help whatsoever from fallen weaklings!" he protested. Berial and Kuyou were about to protest Zedonius's words when the man pulled out a black orb from his robes, which he held at the demon. The orb glowed in a black light and a purple oval jewel appeared in the middle of his chest. Then the jewel inflicted great torture on Zedonius and he began to writhe in pain on the floor.
"You will do whatever I order you to; besides, you aren't fighting just the Dragon Ninja this time. You're also fighting the sons of Sparda. This jewel, when you are vulnerable, will increase your strength tenfold." The man said in a cold tone.
"He's right, Zedonius. Remember last time, that boy alone nearly killed us, lest we forget that cursed Dragon Ninja who's killed us already." Elizabeth enlightened.
After the man stopped inflicting pain in the greater fiend, the latter got up panting. "Very well, they can come. If our objective is the same, it will be easier to kill that filthy Dragon Ninja, and the boy." Zedonius said as the three fire demons departed.
Zenaku cradled Kairi in his arms so that she would be cradled in them. He turned to face Ryu, Dante and Vergil, as well as Nero and two other women, who looked back at him. "I take it you all saw my past."
"Yes, all of us did." Ryu answered.
"Well, now you know how I came to be. I don't expect any pity, sympathy or any kind of sentiment like that from any of you." Zenaku requested. The three men nodded. "Well, let's get out of here." Zenaku stated and they did so.
They walked through the woods until they reached the apartment complex entrance. "Ok guys, I'll be taking some shuteye." Dante said as he left with Nero and Trish following him.
"Me too." Ryu said and did the same.
"What will you do with her?" Vergil asked. Zenaku didn't know where her apartment was and was considering letting her rest in his place until she woke up.
Then, Lady approached Zenaku. "Here, let me take her. I know where her room is." As Zenaku looked at her eyes, he could tell she was shocked by what she saw, though not as much as Kairi.
"Very well then." Zenaku said as he handed the unconscious girl to Lady, who then went to the apartment complex, while Vergil and Zenaku headed for his apartment.
They arrived to the building where Zenaku's place was. "I can get there by myself." Vergil said as he used his air trick to climb all the way up. Zenaku spread out his wings and flew all the way up. Once there, they entered the residence. Vergil took off his coat, hanged it in a perch and went to sleep. Zenaku placed Kairi on the couch and covered her with her coat.
'You weren't supposed to know that part of me…' Zenaku thought as he replayed the image of Kairi's words as she fell in his arms. He then fell on the couch and took a comfortable position to sleep.
A last thought crossed his mind before he fell into slumber. 'Mother, Yasha, I promise I'll kill those who took your lives. But I need more power to do so. Elizabeth, next time we meet, you'll be the one left for dead permanently. I WILL have my revenge…'
Well, Chapter 7 has been served. What will happen now? Will the Youkai Academy be able to fend off these mighty fiends of fire? To find out, keep reading Rosario + Vampire: Demon Chronicles!
