The Voice Demon Falls

Eliza Bancroft

(Inspired by Vox Akuma)

The battlefield is littered with the corpses of fallen soldiers. Any of these people could've been the next great warrior, someone who would be talked about for centuries to come. Except they never would.

Standing alone is the great Voice Demon, Vox Akuma, the leader, and now final remaining member of the Akuma Clan. In the distance stands his castle, which will soon be standing no more. Once it stood, wrapped in magnificence and glory, it was now surrounded by flames, forming ashes of what it once was and will never be again.

He gazes at it, admiring it for the last time, then looks out at the endless sea of corpses on the battlefield. These people were once his followers, his friends, and his family. The ones who trusted him enough to follow him into a war, to die for him. And soon, very soon, he'd be joining them. He gazed out at it all, but not fondly, no instead a cocktail of anguish, sorrow and heartache was brewing inside him.

Across from him was Tokugawa, the man who stole it all. The man who ignited that anger inside of Vox's heart. The man who took it all, and gave nothing back. Vox would've been a king, beloved, and worshipped for the rest of eternity.

Except he never would.

He lifted his katana, pointing it directly at his mortal enemy. Its once shiny and pristine metal is now stained with crimson blood. His deep voice rang out across the silence

"Tokugawa, you will now pay with your life!"

A twisted smile fell upon Tokugawa's lips, the same smile that appeared before Vox just days before when he was first offered to consolidate the Akuma Clan and his own together, the first time he was refused. The smile that signalled the end of it all.

Chuckling, Tokugawa retorts the threat.

"Oh Vox, we both know that's not going to happen."

He unsheathed his katana, advancing onto Vox, engaging in battle. A battle of the ages, one that would be swept away by the broom of time, a forgotten Trojan war, unwritten from the history books. O' History, you cruel master!

And hence, the two began their deadly dance where only one could live when the music stopped. And it wasn't going to be Vox.

Just as Vox was going to strike, a voice rang out, one that Vox recognised almost instantly.

"Milord!"

Vox stopped frozen in this place, eyes widened. He turned to see a young girl lying on the muddy ground, holding onto the last thread of life she had. Whatever emotion Vox was feeling at that moment, be it happiness or hope at the prospect of a clan member living, he wouldn't feel it for long. Just as he was going to respond, to warn her to flee, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He slowly looked down to see Tokugawa's blade piercing his skin, blood pouring out, his white undergarment being dyed red. Tokugawa removed the sword, allowing for even more blood to escape.

Vox slashed Tokugawa's arm, distracting him temporarily. He moved as quickly as he could, and although struggling due to the pain, he ran into the burning castle for fortitude. Although it was on fire, he'd much prefer to burn to death in the place he once called home over perishing at the hands of his enemy.

With the last of her strength, the girl screamed his name while slowly lifting herself from the ground to follow her lord, her king, her friend into a fiery demise. Vox, having noticed her, couldn't handle the prospect of his last remaining Kindred dying, especially for his sake.

"What are you doing? You have to get away from here!" his deep voice overrun with panic.

"But if I do, he'd just find me and kill me, as he did to the others," the girl said.

"This place, this clan, it is your home is it not? You must fight for it, hold onto it as tightly as you can, little one. "

"How can I do that if the castle is gone?! If you're gone!"

Vox placed his katana into her hands

"The clan isn't just a physical place, it's a state of being, it's a part of your soul, your heart, your blood, it's a sacred part of who you are, and as long as you're alive, nobody can take it from you. As long as you're alive, the clan is alive too."

"But-"

"Use this for protection, and find Onigiri, he'll keep you safe. Can you do that for me?"

The girl responds, fighting through her tears

"Okay."

Smiling softly, Vox put his hand on her head, patting it softly.

"That's my girl."

Hesitating, the girl turned and ran out of the castle. Vox's smiling quickly turned to weeping as he realised that he'd never see her again. Not in this era anyway.

And there the Voice Demon fell. Surrounded by the memories that he once held so dearly, the memories that were burned away alongside the castle and Vox himself.

Except, just like the Phoenix, he would rise again.