CHAPTER 5: A MEETING IN THE DESERT, REDUX

***The border crossing of Chersea and Cherflammen***

The demon border guards assigned to the outpost in this part of the human realm stood their ground, as they watched multitudes of knights, gunners, cavalry, artillery and air forces from the united kingdoms of Chersea surround their small force. As their duty was to prevent any unauthorized incursion into the demon territories, their commander issued an order for them to fight to the last demon and to the last bullet, fighting with their horns and teeth if they had to.

At the head of that mighty host was the Human Saint, riding a pure white war steed, in all the splendor of the paladin armor. With one gesture from her, she could command the human armies to obliterate the demon outpost. But, in consideration of Chersea’s amicable relations with Cherflammen, she withheld her forces in time for negotiations to begin.

“…”

The Lady Madelaine watched as her emissaries approached the demon positions under the flag of peace. Her proposals included, the unmolested passage of her armies into Cherflammen, in return for the demon border guards’ lives, and a good word on their conduct to the demon lord. As they waited, she had the artillery placed in several commanding positions for firing, in case the talks failed.

“Maddie!”

“!!!”

The Human Saint’s attention turned towards a familiar voice approaching her from behind. Much to her surprise, it was the Beastman Saint, Ruro, who teleported all the way from the Holy Palatial Gardens after her. The wolf lady asked, “What are you doing? What are these men doing in this place? Didn’t the Lady Seirna and Natasha asked you to stop this madness?”

“I reclaiming what is mine,” she replied. “Please stand back, Ruro.”

“This is not right!” the Beastman Saint insisted. “You’re making the situation for you and for everyone worse!”

“I did not ask for your opinion,” Maddie sharply rebuked her.

Ruro was taken aback. She was not sure if her friend was under the influence of the Seductress, for she couldn’t feel any miasma from the latter. Nevertheless, the Beastman Saint was determined to stop her colleague from walking towards the point of no return, for if Maddie crossed into Cherflammen with her armed contingent, it would mean war against the demon people.

“Turn back at once!” she pleaded. “If you cross now, all of my master’s—your beloved Kuro’s—work would be wasted! Do you even want that to happen?”

“You won’t understand my reasons, Ruro, please stand aside. I don’t want to fight you.”

At that point, Maddie pulled her sword, and though she didn’t point it towards the Beastman Saint, Ruro knew that her friend was serious. But the wolf lady wouldn’t follow the Human Saint’s demands; she blocked her path, in a vain attempt to keep her from proceeding.

“Your Holiness!”

“!!!”

However, the rising tension between them was interrupted when a soldier came in to report the progress of the negotiations with the demon border guards. “Pardon for my intrusion, Your Holinesses,” the man bowed to show his reverence. “The demon commander agreed to our proposals, and would allow us free passage into the crossing.”

Maddie glared at Ruro, who answered in kind. “Tell the generals that we’re permitted to cross,” the Human Saint ordered, without averting her eyes from her opponent, “I and my entourage will go first.”

That very moment, Ruro knew that her attempt to stop them was lost. And, though her heart was heavy, the Beastman Saint had no choice other than to let Maddie continue on her plans, lest she risked disunity among the saints. She could only watch the human armies march into Cherflammen, and into uncertainty. Then, when they already disappeared through the portal, Ruro uttered a teleportation spell…

She has to find Seirna and Natasha for help.

----------

**Kuro**

A gentle wind blew as we stood in the middle of what looked to me as a wide grassy field. The blue mountains from afar as well as the trees that dotted the plain told me that I was in Chersea, for this was the place where Maddie would usually bring me, whenever she wanted time for us together.

“…”

And I knew this scene, for it replayed in my mind for several times now. Maddie, who stood before and her back turned on me, waited. I guess, she’d like me to call her, to pull her to my arms. But whenever I would do that…

“Kuro…”

Her silvery-blue eyes would always look at me with tears on them. She would reach out, try to fall on my chest, but then, she would pass through…like I was a ghost, about to disappear from this mortal realm. Then, as she sat at my feet, Maddie would cry her heart out, as she covered her beautiful face with her delicate hands.

“Kuro…please, don’t leave me…”

It was painful, listening to the sobs and pleas of the girl you love. I would try to touch her, tell her that I’m there, standing before her. But my efforts were to no avail. She wouldn’t look at me; if she stopped crying, she would glance around, as if searching for the man that wasn’t there. And Maddie would weep once again…

I, the man who is supposed to make her happy, stood on my spot, helpless. I can’t even speak to her, for my voice isn’t there anymore…

“…”

I could only despair as I watched her. The girl I love, suffering because of me…

And the vision would end.

----------

At first, I thought…perhaps I was affected by what Alexa told me. After all, it’s been on my mind whenever I’m not lost in my daydreams. The maids of Helfan Palace didn’t have to put a lot of effort in following me; I never thought of heading outside in the first place, preferring to keep myself shut in Princess Noir’s room, reading books to kill time. There were moments where the Usarved demon lord would check on me, but not wishing to worry her, I’d always fake my smile.

Noir’s not a saint. While she may read my actions, she can’t peek into my thoughts.

“…”

And then, I realized, Alexa kissed me, right? And that dream kept on repeating until I knew every detail of what’s to come. One of her god-power was that of seeing into the near future. So, I surmised that…I must be witnessing my own future, or rather, my future with Maddie together.

“…”

I thought to myself, if my student passed her god-power to me, then it must be possible that she also gave me her other god-power—the one where she could change the fates of the people. After all, the Human and Beastman Saints unknowingly passed theirs to me. If that was true, then I guess I could help Alexa in determining the solution to my problem. Two heads are better than one, isn’t it?

However, I had no idea how to do it. How do I change my fate? How do I even see the ‘timeline’? And how can I save myself without creating paradoxes, that might end up harming this world I’m in? Do I even possess that power?

Alexa’s work, as it turned out, was harder than I initially thought. And she was doing this for me…

As such, I don’t want to waste her hard work…and neither do mine.

“…”

But how can I even escape something that even Fate has already decreed? That asshole’s not willing to give me the life I want, and is fighting against me!

“!!!”

My train of thoughts were interrupted when the door of Princess Noir’s room suddenly flung open. I was surprised, for it was the first time in a long while that I saw the Usarved demon lord enter with an annoyed look at her face. Then, she threw herself down on her bed, after hurling expletives in Usarved dialect.

“Hm? What happened to you, Your Highness?” I asked as I sat beside her. “Someone pissed you off at work?”

“Eh…haaa…” Noir let out an exhausted, muffled sigh through her pillow. Then, she told me, “Sir, I guess I need to muster the army again.”

“Huh? The demons are going to war?”

“Well,” she sat up. “It’s not like we wanted this to happen, see? The clans are still tired from the recent conflict, and everyone just wants to have a good time with their loved ones. But, of course, we will never let our sovereignty be trampled.”

“Why? Who offended you?”

“The humans,” Noir revealed. “Not exactly caused offense to me personally, but they are marching into Cherflammen as we speak. A huge army of gunners, knights, foot soldiers, and even gryphon air forces, all from the united kingdoms of Chersea.”

“Eh?”

The demon king nodded, “Yes, Sir. The Lady Madelaine is leading them, by the way. She’s demanding that I return you to her, or she’ll destroy demon cities one by one.”

Honestly, I was shocked by the revelation. I didn’t expect for the events to turn in this manner. Heck, I even accepted that I would remain in this palace for quite a long while, waiting for the results of Alexa’s efforts to save me.

Yet Maddie has already made her move. And I know her; once she sets her eyes on something—or someone—she will do what she has said.

“What…What city has Her Holiness already destroyed?”

“So far, it’s been empty threats, Sir,” Noir admitted. “However, I don’t want to find out if she’s telling the truth, or just bluffing.”

“And neither do I.”

The demon king stared at me, “You’ll stay here, Sir. I don’t want you to come, if going to the Human Saint is in your head.”

“Well, this is the only time I won’t agree with you, Your Highness,” I countered. “If you refuse, I’ll bite my tongue and die.”

“No, this is the third time,” she chuckled. “The first was when you refused to sleep beside me, and the second one was when you resisted my advances.”

“Isn’t that too many to count?”

“A girl never likes being rejected, so those events only count as one.”

I never replied to her. Nevertheless, I’d make sure I won’t be left here.

----------

And so, we return to my present predicament.

“…”

Silence prevailed in the valley as the opposing hosts met. Thousands of colorful banners fluttered in the air. The light reflected from the armors of the knights, gunners, and pikemen standing on the other side of my position blinded me. Adjusting my sight to the brightness, I watched the wide expanse in front of us, as the leaders of the two of the greatest worlds of this land met each other at the center: the spiritual head of the human armies, the Great Saint of Chersea, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth, and the king of the demon clans, Hurion Devras IV.

Filled with dread and anxiety, the two armies faced each other with deafening stillness. Yet, there was a sincere hope that things would remain as it was.

“…”

As the armies stood by, the Saint and the Demon King stepped ahead of their respective parties. Followed by their greatest generals and servants, they gave each other an honorary salute before going down the details of what they wanted to talk about.

It was King Hurion who broke the ice, “I believe this isn’t your territory anymore, Human Saint. What brings you to our lands?”

“My apologies, Demon Lord,” the Saint, Madelaine, countered, “but I think you already know what I came here for.”

“Is that so…” King Hurion was silent for a moment, “Well if we can still settle this peacefully, I can offer you the best of our lands, the brightest of our people, and the bravest of our—”

“I thought I’ve made it clear, King Hurion,” Saint Madelaine’s gentle smile fell in contrast to the seeping pressure she’s exerting towards her rival, “I need nothing else from you. I only want ‘that’.”

“‘That’?”

“Yes, ‘that’.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t seem to understand.”

Oh, good lord! There goes King Hurion on his antics once again, with the ‘playing innocent’ face. He’s deliberately annoying Maddie—I mean, Saint Madelaine.

“‘T-That!’” Saint Madelaine’s face was as red as a beet, and her speech stammered.

“Can you say it right?” King Hurion had a sardonic smirk; he kept on throwing arrogant stares at the Saint as he maintained his dignified posture before her.

I think this is getting out of hand. Maybe I should intervene now—

I was about to enter the conversation when I felt someone grab my arm. It was no other than the Demon King’s servant and part-time general, Shevaun Ilkes. Though silent, she was telling me, ‘No, don’t interfere’. A twisted smile appeared on her face.

These two idiots are enjoying this, huh?

“Muu!” Saint Madelaine was already pouting; she was impatiently tapping her foot on the sand, “I told you, ‘that’!” Pointing towards my direction, I could picture the veins popping out from her head. “I think you’re not that stupid for me to spell it out for you.”

“Well, I can’t grant your demands if you don’t tell me exactly what you want.”

The unease was slowly growing within my heart the more I listened to their talk. My legs were quivering; and deep inside, I wanted to turn back and run. If only I could shout my thoughts right now, I’d tell King Hurion, ‘Don’t play around, Demon King…you don’t know the girl you’re dealing with.’

“…”

Another round of deafening silence echoed throughout the valley once again.

I could see the triumphant smiles of King Hurion and Shevaun; it’s as if they were congratulating each other for pissing off the Saint. Well, it’s their plan. They enjoy bullying people, aren’t they?

“…ro…” the Saint was muttering something incomprehensible. She was trembling, while her face was redder than ever before.

“Ha?” King Hurion kept on playing dumb, “‘Ro’? Who’s ‘Ro’?”

You’re going to get us all killed, Your Highness.

“I said I want my Kuro back, you stupid demon king!” Saint Madelaine began flailing her arms as her servants moved in to restrain her from pulling her sword.

Yep, totally unsaintly.

“Whoa, calm down, Human Saint!” King Hurion was quick to raise his hands halfway in the air and hide his sarcastic grin. Though he had a nasty side to him, the Demon King still wanted to just get along with everyone.

Sometimes I wonder if he’s a Demon King.

So anyway, turning back to me, King Hurion asked, “So what do you think, Kuro? The Human Saint wants you back.”

With Maddie—I mean, Saint Madelaine—glaring at me, the pressure from her saying, ‘Come here!’ was enough to make my heart weaken, and my legs eventually gave way.

But well…

“…”

Turning my gaze to the demon army that stood behind us, I could see their worries. The thought and fear of fighting and dying in a preventable battle was clear on their faces. After all, they only came with us because the demon king ordered them to.

They have nothing to do with this conflict.

“…”

Looking at the multitudes of human forces before us, I could tell our side was at the losing end.

I don’t want to escalate this stupid confrontation any longer. My decision can end this at once!

Without further delay—as well as swallowing my fear, I took a step towards the Saint’s side.

However—

“Where are you going, Kuro?”

It was King Hurion. His eyes were deadly serious, as if he’s about to go on a rampage.

“Well, I-uh…I don’t want to continue this conflict, Your Highness,” I was trembling. It was one of the rare times I saw him having that scary expression.

“I only asked for your opinion,” he rebuked me, “I don’t remember giving you the permission to go to the human side.”

“But—”

King Hurion shot my objections down with his glare; his face was telling me, ‘Don’t go over there; you’re mine’. Even the demon soldiers felt the ominous aura of their king; they retreated from him for a few paces.

And the nose of his servant Shevaun was already bleeding while lost in her perverted thoughts…

“…”

Ahem, forget about Shevaun. Anyway, with a threatening demon king like that, I don’t think I could continue defying him any longer. So, without further objections, I backed down.

“Human Saint, you know that as demon folk, we value our words.” King Hurion explained, “As I am the Demon King, I have to set an example for my kin. This poor human soul here, Kuro, came to my court seeking protection, and as someone who promised him refuge, I can’t betray his trust.”

“So, you are telling me…”

“We, the Demon folk won’t hand him over to you.”

“…”

Still another moment of silence. The Demon King and the Human Saint stood face-to-face, glaring at each other. Both sides were unwilling to yield to his/her counterpart. With every minute passing, the ominous atmosphere between them grew stronger, and everyone in that valley felt the suffocating tension permeating the arid air.

“…”

King Hurion’s commanding presence and intimidating looks could easily cause an ordinary human to faint; that was in normal conditions. However, at this moment, his terrifying aura doubled—no, make that tripled.

You can say that King Hurion indeed looks like the evil demon lord of the legends.

“…”

However, the Human Saint Madelaine Ann Rubinforth wasn’t one meant to be a pushover. Her delicate features belied the fact that she could exert tremendous pressure on everyone around her when she had to. With that polished, intricate armor encasing her beautiful curves, one could mistake her for a holy warrior—something like a paladin.

“…”

The staring contest continued for some time.

On a side note, some human soldiers were already sitting down and fanning themselves to ease the heat. Oh, and I also heard some guys throwing bets on who would win between the Demon King and the Human Saint.

I guess Maddie’s—I mean, Saint Madelaine’s holy aura is negating the effects of King Hurion’s intimidating powers.

On our side, Shevaun pulled her drawing pad and began sketching something while ominously laughing. The other demon soldiers began cooking their lunch, with some even sang away their boredom.

“!!!”

And then, after a moment that seemed to last forever, the Human Saint took a step back. The human side didn’t hide their surprise.

“Seems like I won’t be able to convince you,” Saint Madelaine was all-smiles, “alright, Demon King Hurion, you win this time.”

No one dared to shout. We were all dumbfounded. It’s because the Human Saint, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth, was renowned for her stubbornness. She would not stop until she got what she wanted…

And for the Demon King Hurion Devras IV to defeat her is just unprecedented.

Turning back to me, King Hurion smiled. He had this ‘you’re safe now’ expression as he walked back to our side.

And I could imagine Shevaun, who’s behind me, drowning in her perverted thoughts. That stupid chamberlain’s really into men-to-men stuff.

Anyway, congratulations King Hurion! For defeating the Human Saint, my respect for you goes up a little.

“However!” Everyone froze when a shrill voice rang out; it wasn’t over for the Human Saint just yet.

“We’re only starting Demon King!” There were flames on the Saint’s eyes even as she showed her usual ‘saintly,’ smile, “I’ll ground your cities to the dust with my armies, and utterly desolate your fields because of my wrath. And I’ll leave no trace of your kind for refusing my demands! However, as I am a kind and generous Saint, I’ll make your deaths quick and painless—you’ll never even know what hit you!”

Then she ended that with an ‘evil’ laugh.

“…”

But the Demon King Hurion remained unmoved by her words. He stood before her, unflinching.

Ha! Take that, Saint! That’s a real demon lord for you!

“…”

Wait. He is not moving.

“Ah darn it, Kuro!” Shevaun exclaimed, “I think His Highness fainted while standing!”

“What?”

Indeed, when we checked on him, King Hurion’s eyes were all white. His mouth was foaming as well.

“…”

Wow…now I’m confused who between them is the real Demon King.

“Kuro…” Once again, the Saint’s gentle, and alluring, voice called out to me, sending me the chills, “I told you, didn’t I? You won’t escape from me, no matter where you go. Now please, give it up and return to my side.”

Leaderless, and to avoid further bloodshed, I swallowed my pride and fears. Turning to Shevaun, I told her, “Hey, looks like this is the end for me. Thanks for everything you and your kin did for me.”

The chamberlain began shedding tears. “It’s okay, Kuro. We understand and thank you for considering our lives. If you got time, please visit us, okay?” she hugged me tightly.

“Please take care of His Highness for me!”

“Yes, I will,” Shevaun waved her hand to say farewell, and there was regret in her eyes.

Ahh…this maid is close to me when I’m in the demon land, after all…

“Ah fuck! Now the Kuro-Hurion ship can’t sail anymore! This fucking sucks!” Shevaun screamed at the top of her lungs, and it echoed throughout the valley.

“…”

I wanted to go back and smack her on the head. But then I continued on my way, pretending not to hear that.

“Haa…”

“Stop! Stoooop this conflict at this instant!”

----------

“Stop! Stoooop this conflict at this instant!”

“!!!”

I really did what the owner of that voice was screaming about; stopped halfway through the desert, and into Lady Madelaine’s side. Then, much to everyone’s surprise, we saw the Beastman Saint, Ruro, the Saint of Darkness and my old student, Alexa/Natasha Bellingsen, and the Saint of the Flame, Seirna, stepping out of what seemed to be a teleportation portal, or something similar. They went in between us, especially Seirna, who was holding Natasha, as if blocking my way to reach the Human Saint.

“What happened to you?” I asked the Saint of Darkness, when I noticed that her right arm was missing, and she was full of wounds, like her fellow saint, Seirna.

“A…A l-lot of things are…g-going on, Sir! But…I’m g-glad we came just before anything else happened,” she could barely held herself up, and the Saint of the Flame supported her. But both of them were weak and tired, so Maddie stepped forward and healed them.

“We barely escaped,” Seirna revealed as she tried to catch her breath.

“Escaped? From whom?”

“Master,” it was Ruro, “the former god, Gaius, he’s back! And he’s betrayed us!”

“W-What?”

Seirna ignored my question and sharply rebuked the Human Saint, “Lady Rubinforth! We did tell you to stop this madness and use reason! You don’t even have an idea of our efforts to save everyone; you just do what you think you want to do! Are you fucking insane?”

Lady Madelaine, or Maddie, was taken aback by the stinging rebuke. She did not answer, and she just went to a corner, pouting and brooding.

“Err…uh, so what’s going on?” I raised that point. “It seems that nearly all the demi-gods of this world are all here!”

“Oh right!” Natasha finally spoke. “Yes, we have to get out of here now!”

“Huh? What do you—”

My words were interrupted when it slowly became dark. Every one of us froze from where we stood and looked at the sky; the sun—or whatever it was shining up there—was being consumed by something that looked like a floating snake, or dragon. The scene reminded me of some legends in my old country, where they claimed that the sun or moon was being devoured by a sky monster every time an eclipse happens.

It is an exceptional, yet terrible, sight. I don’t know what to feel…I just stood there on my spot, motionless.

In my silent horror, I turned to Natasha, who muttered, “Damn it…we’re too late!”

Then gunshots rang out. At first, we thought that another conflict started, with the demons firing the first bullets. However, while it was indeed the demons, they were shooting at the dragon instead, having a better eyesight in the dark compared to the humans. Maybe the scene disturbed them as well, and they were trying to scare off the celestial serpent. They used all their weapons—from the ‘bolt-heaters’ to their cannons, they tried to land a hit on the dragon in the sky. However, it was a vain attempt. Not one shot grazed the celestial beast, and instead of shooing it away, the monster even changed its course…with an intent to ram us.

“!!!”

At that point, the human armies—in panic because of what they were witnessing—followed suit. Magicians from their side cast light magic spells, and the scene became reminiscent of those World War 2 night air raids, minus the ominous siren. Instead, many were screaming in fear and disbelief. Some even broke ranks and ran, intending to desert. For many humans, the ‘darkness’ meant their horrors back in the days during the Great Rising of the Undead. There were people shouting that they were seeing zombies from the distance, too.

Well, there are undead here, but I doubt they’d bother eating us. Like their demon brethren, they are also fighting against the dragon.

Before the ‘sun’ was completely consumed, another figure appeared in the skies. While all was busy shooting at the celestial creature, the appearance of that floating man caused everyone to stop firing and watch him as he slowly descended on the desert floor.

There’s no mistaking it. I knew this guy.

Jules…or better yet, Gaius!