Private Training Room, West Wing, 5:00 p.m.
"Again!" a calm male voice called out. In a cold and dark red velvet room where barely any light was visible, two figures stood, one four shoulders above the other. "Our night vision grants sight second to none. Use it. Steady your breathing and posture." The voice was distinctively male.
"Yes, Father!" The smaller of the two figures immediately replied, the voice being female.
The room lit up as the female put mana into both gauntlet bows, which started to glow. The bows are ornate in design, with a red jewel encrusted in them, with the primary colors being black and red with gold accents.
The two were father and daughter, Matilda and Edgar Dunkel. These two have been training in this room for the past hour and a half, the room being right at one-degree Celsius below freezing, in nothing but the bare minimum of clothing.
Matilda, the smaller of the two, barely stood at a height of 5 feet 3 inches, her hair being purple, and it was shoulder length. She had two side bangs that went down, curving along her chin. Two small horns sat atop her head, barely four inches, and she had a thin spade-shaped tail. She also has soft green and almond eyes.
The father's tail swayed about in eagerness, waiting for his daughter to make a move.
Her father was wearing swim trunks. Standing at a height of 5 feet 8 inches, he had round, blue eyes with spiky blonde hair swept to the side. His horns are large and 20 inches long, and he has a long spiked spade tail.
He stood at attention behind his daughter with his hands behind his back, not two feet away from her. He had a warm orange aura around him that seemed to be giving off heat as steam erupted from his body.
Haggard breathing can be heard from Matilda as she steadied herself and gained some ground in steadying her posture in this freezing hell. 'We live in a warm climate, Father. How could you ever think this was proper training?' She thought to herself. Nonetheless, it took time until she gained a foothold and took aim. The mana she just charged should be enough.
She pulled the trigger, and three arrows launched, hitting dead-center on two of the target dummies in front of them, of which there were a total of five. Ice erupted from the target dummies, spreading to the left and right of them and encasing the other three completely. After a minute or three of waiting, the ice cracks and breaks completely, leaving nothing but mist in its wake. The dummies were left unscathed.
Heavy breathing came from Matilda, her posture crumbling before she eventually started to fall. Before she can hit the ground, her father catches her.
Looking up at her father, she couldn't read his face. He was stoic like that. "So, did I pass?" She asked, knowing full well that she didn't.
Edgar looked down at his daughter before uttering a solid word. "No." He continued to critique her. "Your ice is still brittle. Your posture is full of openings. It takes too long for you to charge it. Also, it still takes a lot of mana out of you to even use our Pure Dunkel Techniques. For now, you are better off using our ice javelin techniques."
Matilda took every critique like an arrow shooting at her. "Yes, Father." She said it dejectedly. Oh, she knew the words would hurt her, but it was hurting less and less every time. Is she getting used to it? She doesn't know, but she picks herself up even after his comments anyway. He is always like this: direct, true to his words, and very blunt. He holds no remorse for what he says.
But that's fine for her. She just has to try her hardest to earn the approval of her father. Her older siblings had to earn it, and she will not be mocked as the runt of the litter. But she wonders how and when she'll earn this approval. On his deathbed? Sacrificing himself for the good of the demon realm? Or when something happens to her? She doesn't want to know and doesn't want to find out anytime soon, so she hopes at the very least it'll be while she is going through school.
Private Training Room, West Wing, 5:20 p.m.
Matilda and Edgar sat across from each other. A maid with red hair tied in a cap served them an assortment of meat dishes along with vegetables on an intricate dining table that sat them in a corner of the room.
The room was no longer under freezing conditions and had properly been warmed up to their liking.
For a long time, neither one spoke. Matilda cut into her steak demurely, not feeling like eating after what she had gone through that afternoon. To her surprise, her father was the first one to break the silence.
"Akudol is at the end of your first semester, correct?" Edgar cut into a piece of roasted potato.
"Huh?" Matilda stopped eating dead in her tracks as she was about to cut a small piece of steak lathered in barbecue sauce. She blinked at him a couple of times before she regained her composure. "Uh, yes, me and some friends are going to give it a go and try to win it." She said it tentatively.
"Do not try." The first words made Matilda flinch back a little. "Win at all costs. That's always been the Dunkel creed, and Akudol will be no different. Do you hear me?" Edgar pressed the last bit of his words into her.
"Yes, Father!" She barely managed to squeak out a reply. However, when she looked at him, her father showed a candid smile that looked like something out of a superhero comic she always reads. If she was honest, it made her heart beat a little.
"Good. Then I have high hopes for it. This year, both your mother and I intend to attend. Don't tell her I said that because she loves to rub it in." A small sigh was followed by a small smile on his lips.
Matilda nodded at his every word, as she had never before heard his voice in such a positive light. It was refreshing to hear. "Yes, Father! I promise to give it my all." She declared. The mood suddenly lifted, and they both went back to eating in comfortable silence. Both of their tails were swaying back and forth.
Inner Courtyard, East Wing, Training Ground, 6:00 p.m.
In the innermost sanctum outside of the Dunkel estate, among a vast field of grass much like an archery range and surrounded by large trees and bushes that lined the mansion, the clang of metal can be heard. "Hah!" Matilda's voice and another could be heard training.
"Again!" This time, the voice was much harsher with words. Esther Dunkel had purple hair much like Matilda's; the only difference was that she was much shorter, and she had bangs that covered most of her forehead and two more curving around her chin. Esther also has green almond eyes.
Matilda was on her knees. Ice armor covered her body completely—her armor was stylized like a cat, tail, and all. Again, Matilda was only wearing a sports tank top along with sports shorts. The same is true for her mother. She launched herself at her mother with blinding speed, but at the last second—an inch from Esther's face—her mother knocked her down harshly while barely lifting her sword. Matilda created a dirt trail as she tumbled past the bushes and into a stone wall, making a crater.
"Argh!" She grunted in pain as she held her ribs. She looked towards her mother and prepared herself in the same stance as before.
Her mother stood over her, the sunlight glinting off her horns. Her mother's tail was waving back and forth, telling the truth about the smile on the older woman's face. Her mother had always been the more ferocious of the two when it came to her parents; she loved battling just as much as any warrior.
"Good, I did not have to yell this time." Her mother commented. "Combat is not nice. War is not nice we Dunkel's are on the frontlines our ice prowess is formidable even the best-laid sieges crumble and crack before us. So I'm going to make sure you are in tip-top shape before you even step foot into that school." Esther also got into a guard stance; her small shoulders stood a width apart from each other as both her feet were two inches apart from each other. Esther is holding her sword with her right hand and her left behind her back.
And they continued training for another hour.
At exactly seven-thirty, they stopped training. Esther stretched her arms upward with a small yawn before she continued to do a variety of stretches to get her body more limber. She looked at her daughter, who was bruised and battered; however, there was not a single cut on her body from the training, and a small smile could be seen on her face.
That wasn't to say Esther didn't get out unscathed; she had small nicks and cuts across her body from Matilda's claws. Satisfied: "Get up, go take a shower, and dress yourself. We will be at the Central Gazebo in fifty."
Matilda could only groan and grunt in pain, as she could barely lift herself. Satisfied with the amount of effort her daughter was putting in, Esther smiled to herself before leaving through one of the many side entrances to the large mansion behind them.
Eventually, with much effort and pain, Matilda pulled herself up and went after her mother.
Inner Courtyard, Central Gazebo, 8:20 p.m.
The full moon was above an enormous, vast meadow covered in plenty of roses. In the center of the meadow was a white gazebo with gold embellishments. It included two small tray balconies with headboards for personal goods and a triangle-shaped steel roof. A round stone table and two white chairs were placed in the center.
The mother and daughter were seated facing each other. Matilda wore black shorts and a low-tank top with her family's crest, an ice dragon coiled like a snake in the middle. Esther had a similar outfit, wearing just shorts and a T-shirt.
A magnificent tea set adorned the table in front of them. In addition to a tower of bite-sized sweet treats, they were both drinking milk tea. As her mother was speaking, Matilda reached for a tiny piece of cheesecake and began to eat it.
"You know you're lucky." Esther said as she threw a letter across the table to her daughter. Instantly recognizing the red seal, Matilda quickly but carefully opened the letter. Esther observed her daughter with a sly smile on her lips.
"Why didn't either of you two tell me sooner?" Matilda asked
"Of course, we wanted to surprise you. Your father's communication skills can be lacking at times." A little giggle escaped her. "First-year students rarely get chosen. Take pride in being a member of the crown's class, and show that Dunkel's ascension into the thirteen was not a fluke. We're depending on you." Seeing that her daughter wasn't paying attention, she rolled her eyes and narrowed her own. Well, she'll grant her this momentary joy while she reads.
Esther was going to do something to catch her daughter's attention, but she didn't need to. Sensing something was up, the butler—a young gentleman with blue hair that was slicked back with red eyes—and an older maid with red hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes deftly and skillfully snatched the tea set just in time.
Esther used her tail to grab the plate and cup and hand them over to the butler, just as Matilda jumped over the table into her mother, sending the both of them into the ground.
"Thank you, Mother! I know I'll make you and the whole of the Dunkel clan proud, I promise." With tears streaming down her face and snot dripping down her nose, Matilda thanked her mother profusely for a good minute or two.
After a while, Esther had enough and used her foot as leverage to toss Matilda overhead, straight through one of the gaps in the gazebo. She got up and began dusting herself off. Sensing something, Esther reached out her hand and stopped Matilda, who was already covered in full cat-ice armor. Stone and dirt kicked up from the ground beneath her feet as Esther slid a little.
"Hoo." Esther hummed in delight. She had a ferocious smile like that of a warrior, ready for another round. "You are going to be sore tomorrow. It's the weekend; don't you want to enjoy it with family instead of lying in bed?" She knew full well the answer her daughter had.
Matilda gave a mischievous glance back to her mother, uttering a single word. "Nope."
"Heh." Her mother laughed and maneuvered her hand to catch her daughter's wrist, tightening her grip. "Don't regret your choice tomorrow!" She tossed Matilda into the mansion wall.
Inner Courtyard, Central Gazebo, 8:30 p.m.
Both the servants sighed together, looking at the ongoing battle.
"I'll prepare clothes and the bath." The maid said
"And I'll clean up the mess." The butler added
The maid left for the mansion, yawning as she went, and the butler cleaned up the surrounding area and waited well into the night for his lady and her daughter to return.
Author's note
Hello welcome to an Syoc I had thought of it a long time ago, but it was never written out due to my doubts about my writing skills. So here it is: Welcome to Demon School, Iruma Kun! Syoc It is going to be non-canon with no canon characters appearing or mentioned, but it will have the original canon and lore systems placed within it, so if you know the lore of this series, then don't hold back on my account. I love a good read.
So with that, I'll leave you guys to your imaginations. I can't wait to see what kind of characters I'm going to get. Oh, the character sheet will be on my profile along with my Discord stuff as well, if you prefer it that way. The deadline will be 11/30 I'm giving you guy's four whole weeks, that should be plenty of time.