"June 16

Dear Diary,

I have been in this town for only a few days and already, my quest to destroy Koh's life has come to a temporary halt. Koh has gone into the Tower and will be gone for the next few days. Although I burn to kill him now, I must find a way to destroy Koh's mind before I kill him. Such an injury will be much more satisfying than merely ending his life. He will rue the day his father came to challenge me!"

Beldo leaned back and flexed his long fingers over the desk and the small book lying open in front of him. He picked up his quill and bent over to continue writing.

"Yes, although Koh is not here in town, I can keep busy by continuing at least, to compile my files on the red-haired demon boy.

"I have discovered that, in addition to owning most of the property in town, it appears Koh holds the admiration of the entire town, especially the ladies, though why this is, I cannot say. I have deduced that there are seven girls who seem to be closest to the boy. I plan to…"

Beldo swore as his candle sputtered and the room fell into darkness. He rummaged around for a match and when his search failed, he sat back in his chair and pouted.

Beldo's room was an abandoned house on the other side of town from Koh's mansion. It was no bigger than Koh's house used to be, which irritated Beldo greatly. "To be lowered to such a pathetic state," Beldo had muttered while he picked the lock in the house a week earlier, "The son of a pauper lives in a mansion while I am forced to commandeer a peasant's second-hand hut!" Now, Beldo sat in darkness in a stolen house with his diary lying open, his quill in his hand, ink dripping on his pants leg, fuming over how far he had fallen.

Beldo had come to Monsbaiya fourteen years before, hoping to find his fortune. Beldo was the only son of rich, doting parents back in the Western cities. As a child and as a teenager, Beldo was happy and kind. He made friends with everyone and was valedictorian of his university's graduation class..

When he came to Monsbaiya, Beldo was swept aside in the coarse world of the monster tamers. The city boy wasn't very interesting to any of the older tamers and no matter how hard he tried, it never seemed to be enough to win their respect. Beldo risked his life over and over in efforts to win glory and attention from the veteran monster tamers, most of whom he admired greatly. In his journeys into the Tower, he amassed his own large collection of precious swords and eggs, the largest in Monsbaiya history.

But for every rare item Beldo returned with was a better item held by a poor son of desert traders named Guy. Guy was the same age as Beldo, was tall, good-natured, and handsome with flaming red hair.

And he always managed to outdo Beldo in everything. When Beldo entered a race at he local pool, Guy was there, just beating out the blue-haired boy. When Beldo returned with a beautiful new sword from the Tower, Guy managed to find a sword that was just a notch above Beldo's. When Beldo took a girl out for dinner, she spent the entire date talking about Guy or staring in Guy's direction until Beldo let her go in defeat.

But the worst blow, the stroke that finally pushed Beldo's hatred over the edge was related to the tower and a pretty face. In the year or so since Beldo had come to the desert town, a local girl named Wreath had caught his attention. While the other girls of Monsbaiya scorned Beldo's attention for a chance to secretly gaze at Guy from behind pots and trees, Wreath continued to associate with Beldo. By this time, Beldo was beginning to lose interest in his appearance. His once clean-cut hair now fell nearly to his shoulders and as often greasy from lack of showering.

Beldo's personality was beginning to change, as well. His once-genial manner became bitter and cynical after a year in Monsbaiya and he often took jokes or statements as personal insults, lashing out at the speaker.

Yet Wreath was kind to this poor creature. She was kind to everyone, yes, but she would sit and chat with Beldo about his travels in the Tower when they met at the restaurant where she worked in into town. Beldo grew attached to Wreath and as their friendship grew, Beldo regained some of his old habits. He bought Wreath gifts and told her stories of the Tower that made her laugh and gasp in suspense.

With each passing day, Beldo's affection for Wreath grew until one day, he woke up and realized suddenly that he was in love with her. After that day, he journeyed in the Tower only for her. Though he kept putting off his actual confession of love, he worked every day to earn enough money to ask her to marry him.

One day, Beldo returned from a long excursion in the Tower. Under one arm, he carried a large blue egg and under the other, a glittering Sword. He had found the Tower's greatest secrets, short of reaching the fabled top floor. He carried the legendary sword Kyrie-Eleison and the egg of a Dragon monster. Certain his newfound treasures would persuade Wreath to love him, he strode confidently into town only to find himself face to face with disaster.

A large group of townspeople stood clustered in front of the pond in the center of town; Beldo guessed the whole town stood there, laughing and dancing. As he drew nearer, he caught bits of their conversations.

"…so glad he finally asked you! I had been expecting it…"

"Hey, when's the date? Late May?"

"You'll make a beautiful…"

"Wreath you're so lucky!"

Beldo's blood ran cold as he heard Wreath's name. In his heart, he knew what was going on, but as he told himself he was mistaken, he sheathed his new sword and carefully hid the egg in his bag before drawing nearer. He could always use them to grab the crowd's attention in the need arose. He pushed his way through the crowd until he had a good view of the cause of the crowd's merriment.

The townspeople were gathered in a circle around a young couple holding hands in the center. The woman was Wreath, blushing and beaming happily in he arms of Beldo's worst enemy, Guy. Beldo felt his stomach churn in fear as Guy slipped a gold wring on Wreath's finger and they kissed tenderly.

Nothing, not even Beldo's treasures could save his situation now. He had lost he only thing that had battered to him and there was nothing he could do to fight back. He stumbled blindly away from the crowd and toward the inn where he lived, desperate to get away from the happy cheers that marked the end of his life.

Guy and Wreath were married six weeks later. A year passed and Wreath gave birth to a healthy baby boy. They named him Koh and he looked exactly like his father, a miniature portrait.

As guy and Wreath's happiness grew, Beldo fell deeper and deeper into darkness. Any friends he once had, he alienated with his short temper and vicious outbursts. His hair grew long and unkempt again and his fingernails grew into long claws. He began spending more time in the Tower, returning every month or so under cover of darkness to sell his discoveries and to buy more supplies. In the Tower, he honed his skills as a tamer, training his familiars and developing his own skills in the art of forbidden dark magic. Every day he woke, he renewed the oath he had taken on guy and Wreath's wedding day: to have his revenge on Guy. When Koh was born, Beldo's pledge was extended to include the little boy as well.

"Yes," Beldo murmured to the darkness in his little hut, "How the mighty have fallen. But not for long. For soon, my plan with take effect and I will triumph at last over the son of my mortal enemy!" he laughed wickedly for a while, then fell asleep, his head resting on his open diary.

"Dear Diary,

Koh has returned early from the Tower. I am hoping it means he ran into trouble, but am thankful that whatever trouble he ran into did not kill him. That honor is reserved for me.

As for my situation, things are not going so well. Somehow, Koh must have been alerted to my presence, for I have not seen him at any of the popular monster trainer locations. The citizens at the bar refuse to talk for me, the reason for this remains a mystery. Perhaps it has something to with when I threatened to vaporize that irritating trainer a few days ago…but no matter. He deserved it and I am finding sufficient information by eavesdropping ion conversations and talking to townspeople who have not yet earned my vengeance.

One such person is the girl who owns the general store. A skinny thing, but what girl isn't in Monsbaiya? This Fur Gotts, as she calls herself, is obsessed with three things apparently. She refuses to tell me the first, but the second and third are money and talking. I have managed to extract much information from Fur by buying new furniture and useless items in exchange for gossip on the town and Koh. The girl may prove to be a useful informant in time, with the proper training.

In the meantime, I have directed my efforts into tormenting the one girl I have so far confirmed as being close to Koh. Her name is Selfi Rode, heiress to the mighty Rode fortune in town. Apparently, she trains to become a sorceress, but according to Fur, she is not very good. All the better for me, then."

Hiding inside a large pot, Beldo felt his knees seize up and begin to go numb. He resisted the urge to shift his weight and returned to peering out of a small peephole in the side of the pot.

Beldo had been hiding for a five hours, waiting for the Selfi girl to emerge from her house. The thought crossed his mind that the girl could be in the Tower, but he quickly lost the thought as shooting pain ran through h his legs. He bit his lip, trying to keep his mind off the pain when he lost his balance and the pot rolled to its side, crashing loudly into the stone wall surrounding the rode house.

Beldo lay stunned for a moment, then quickly jumped to his feet to look for people who might have spotted him. No one was in view, except for a small mangy dog that stared at Beldo curiously, head cocked to one side. Beldo frowned at it and waved his hand, "Get away, dog. This does not concern you!" The dog, taking this as an invitation, wagged its tail and launched itself at Beldo. It was an amazing jumper for such a small animal and landed squarely on Beldo's chest. When Beldo tried to push it off, the dog began licking Beldo's face excitedly and try as he might, Beldo could not get the dog of.

Finally, Beldo gave up. "All right, Dog. You can stay with me, but under one condition: you do exactly what I tell you to do when I tell you to. Do you understand?"

The dog barked happily, bouncing a few times before replaced its expression of dopey bliss. "For your sake, Dog, I hope that is a yes," Beldo said, eyeing the dog doubtfully.

Beldo sat down on the grass under a tree in the corner of the Rode yard. He crossed his arms across his chest in a sheikh-like position. The dog plopped its rump down next to Beldo and adopted a serious position, as serious as the furry ball could manage.

For he next half an hour, neither man nor dog moved a muscle. At exactly thirty-one minutes, the dog sighed and rolled onto its back, begging Beldo for a belly rub.

Beldo raised an eyebrow critically, "If you think I am going to pet you, you are sorely mistaken. Although," he said, rising, "You do have a point, Dog. If the Rode girl hasn't come out, I'll have to go in after her."

The dog barked and hopped in the direction of the Tower. It barked again and nodded its head toward the Tower.

Beldo waved his hand dismissively, "Dog you are the newest addition and it hasn't even been decided if you will be permanent. Therefore, your opinion does not count. Furthermore, you are a dog. I am a man. Who do you think is in charge?"

The dog ran in a circle and hopped once.

"No," Beldo sighed, "Not you. I am in charge. Now, I am going in. You stay here." Beldo turned on his heel and strode toward the white mansion.

After just a few steps, Beldo tripped over the dog, which had dashed ahead and jumped into his path. Beldo glared at the little animal as it ran ahead a few feet, turned back to face Beldo and barked.

"Remember the condition, Dog?" Beldo hissed through clenched teeth. He was trying his hardest to control his temper and not attack the dog, "You must obey me, no matter what. You. Stay. Here."

The dog barked mockingly and ran in a circle around Beldo. Beldo watched the dog run for a minutes, then grabbed it and lifted it off the ground. The dog struggled momentarily, then barked and grinned at Beldo, its tail wagging furiously.

"I'll come back," Beldo said to the dog, "But only if you don't follow me. Understand?" The dog barked and squirmed again, which Beldo took as a 'no'. He sighed in frustration and gently lowered the dog into a nearby pot.

The dog bounced and yipped, trying to push the large pot over. When it realized the pot was too heavy, it contented itself with jumping against the side of the pot and sliding down to the bottom. It yipped happily as Beldo rolled his eyes and walked toward the house.

Beldo pushed the front door open a crack and peeked in. He saw an empty dining room, dim in the late afternoon sun. He opened the door the rest of the way and quietly slid into the room.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Beldo jumped and whirled to face the speaker, a butler dressed in a black tailcoat. The butler repeated in a snooty accent, "Can I help you, sir?"

Recovering quickly, Beldo snapped, "Yes. Get Selfi Rode and bring her to me or I will tear your nose from your face!"

The butler raised an eyebrow dubiously. He sighed as if being threatened were an everyday occurrence and said dryly, "I would, sir, but Miss Selfi is training in Tower at the moment. Would you…"

"Damn!" Beldo said, "That blasted dog was right! Now I'll never live it down…"

"Sir?" the butler interrupted.

"What?"

"Would you like to see Master Ghosh instead?"

"Ghosh?" Beldo asked, "Who is Ghosh? Tell me!"

Master Ghosh is…"

"Wes! Where are you?" A blonde boy dressed in a purple cape charged down the stairs toward the butler, "Wes!" he shouted, "What did you do with my sword!"

"This is Master Ghosh," he stated in an emotionless tone, "Miss Selphi's brother. Master Ghosh, a caller for Miss. Selfi. I will go find your sword." He left through the door Ghosh had entered from, leaving an astonished Ghosh facing Beldo.

"Who the hell are you?" Ghosh sneered at the blue-haired man in his dining room.

"I am no one," Beldo sneered back, "All that matters is that I find Selfi Rode. Go bring her back to me."

"No one orders me around," said Ghosh, "Least of all a…" He paused and peered at Beldo for a moment, as if really seeing him for the first time. Suddenly, he gasped in surprise and fell to his knees before Beldo, prostrating himself on the ground.

Beldo was flabbergasted. He stood there, his mouth hanging open foolishly. But what Ghosh said next completely shocked Beldo.

"O great Beldo," Ghosh said, his voice hushed with awe, "O great monster tamer, sword master…I am not worth to stand in your presence!"

Beldo couldn't believe it. Even in the height of his monster trainer's fame, he had never actually been worshipped, like this boy was doing now. He swallowed a few times and said tentatively, almost afraid to hear the answer, "You know me?"

"Of course I do!" Ghosh's head shot up, eyes alight with joy, "You're my idol! I have tried to model every aspect of my life around what I've heard about you!"

"Why?" Beldo asked reflexively. Before Ghosh could answer, Beldo interrupted, "I mean…it is good that someone remembers me, but really, kid. Live your own life. Now, bring me Selfi."

"Selfi?" Ghosh said, ignoring everything Beldo had said prior, "Who cares about Selfi? I'm finally meeting my hero face to face! Do you know how hard it is to find information on you? I've asked every trainer about a hundred times!"

Beldo glared darkly at the boy. He was getting more irritated with him by the second and he didn't want to lose his temper and kill the boy. Aside from the obnoxious butler, the boy was the only connection Beldo had to Selfi. Beldo clenched his fists and said testily, "Boy, do not try my patience. Trust me, you will regret it. Bring me Selfi."

"Oh, I know!" Ghosh edged toward Beldo on his knees, clutching at the hem of Beldo's pants, "You should teach me!"

Beldo recoiled sharply, as if Ghosh had suggested he swim in a tank of live cobras.

"Yes!" Ghosh continued, following Beldo as he backed away toward the front door, "You could show me everything you know! I could spend every waking moment with you! We could train together, eat together, fight together…"

Terrified, Beldo chose that moment to turn and bolt for the door. Ghosh jumped to his feet and chased the blue-haired man, both their capes streaming behind them, as Ghosh shouted, "Wait! Come back! I love you!"

The two men ran out of the Rode house, barreling down a girl in a skimpy purple dress and a pointed witch's hat of the same color. Selfi stepped out of the way of her screaming brother and the strange man in blue. She adjusted her hat, shook her head and said, "Boys are such a mystery…"

Ghosh chased Beldo for another ten minutes before Beldo ducked behind the carpenter's shop and in the shadows of a stack of boxes. Ghosh searched for another few minutes before giving up and going home after the demoralizing chase.

When Beldo was sure that Ghosh was gone, he got out and nervously returned to the place where he had left the dog. The dog was still hard at its sliding, tirelessly running up and down the pot's sides. When it noticed Beldo, it barked happily and jumped up and down on the bottom of the pot.

Beldo reached down and picked up the dog with one hand, holding it at arm's length. "I have seen a glimpse of Hell, Dog," he whispered hoarsely, "And for the second time in my life, I am frightened."

He dog barked twice and licked Beldo's hand encouragingly.

"After much deliberation, you will be allowed to stay," Beldo sighed. He shook the dog gently, causing its ears to flop, "But you will obey my rules."

The dog grinned, blissfully ignoring Beldo's last sentence and wagging its tail until all that was visible was a blur of brown fur.