Languished Life

by Patrik Mielonen

  “You are just a bloody whore!!!” Harrol roars.

  The calm Red Demon says, “War knows no gender.”

  Seeing the gargantuan blade come at him, Harrol slits Tenil’s father’s throat in a panic. A second later, they’re both halved by the largest sword the world has ever seen, red dye spraying through the air.

  “This isn’t about me anymore,” Tenil utters, “and therefore, I shan’t care about my family if it becomes a weakness.”

  Languished Life

  “You defeated the commander you despised the most, and on top of that, you did it honorably. Aside from the King, is there anyone else you want to kill?” Alexiana asks Tenil.

  They’re in the garrison where Harrol and his men had been. Once Tenil brought Harrol’s corpse to the gate, no one resisted. In fact, the soldiers that were left behind to guard the place have merged with Tenil’s division.

  Looking at a pile of maps in the strategy room, Tenil shakes her head. “No, I just want to kill the King now. Such a rotten monarch shouldn’t exist.”

  “Then you won’t mind if we help you with it?”

  “How? You’d take me to the throne room?”

  “Well, that’s one option. I could also ask Louir to go boom boom and have her eradicate the remaining forces. You could just walk back home then.”

  “I’ll consider it. For now, I want to be alone. I’ll rest in one of the rooms upstairs.”

  “Sure. Just remember that there’s a world-eating threat out there. We should prioritize that.”

  Tenil might be just a human, but the one backing her is the Supreme God. Alexiana needs her as an ally, and therefore, she won’t leave the Fourth Era until she’s gotten Tenil on her side, like she did with Louir.

  “I know. But whatever the case, I need to rest now.”

  Not only is she physically tired, her mind is in turmoil too. She didn’t exactly kill her father, but she did cut his dead body. She couldn’t show weakness in front of her knights, so that’s why, she had to do it.

  The moment Tenil’s found a suitable room, she locks the door. Leaving the large weapon on the floor, she sits down on a bed that was used by someone else last night, someone who might’ve been killed by her.

  Eon, Tenil calls the dragon.

  Yeah?

  Come out. In human form.

  Sure.

  Before Tenil even knows it, there’s a young man with a black hair lying on the floor. He can barely stand, much less walk on his own. It’s the Supreme God.

  “By the way, what do you need?” He asks.

  Tenil lifts him, carrying him like a princess, until she lay him on the bed. Ouroboros is flustered and confused. His pride is crumbling like a weak tower, but he is trying to hide it. He did, after all, promise to be loyal, and he’ll swallow his pride, if that’s what it takes. Also, he is being considerate too. The agony Tenil is suffering is far worse than his crumbling pride.

  “You,” Tenil answers the question.

  ***

  “Demon, when will you stop the conflict?” The voice Tenil hasn’t heard in her dreams for a while now is back, asking her. Like before, it addresses her as a Demon.

  “I fight until I no longer need to.”

  “Then you’ll have to fight for a long time.”

  “There is no other option.”

  “There is, in fact.”

  The surrounding space in her dream is like the bottom of an ocean, except that it’s even and empty. The liquid isn’t water, but something else, something darker. The bottom consists of pale sand.

  “And what might that be?”

  “Eternal peace.”

  “You mean death?”

  “No. You know what I mean. The curse is telling you.”

  Tenil is on the same page with the entity. She now knows who she is talking to: the Dark Old One, the eater of worlds. Actually, she is far more knowledgeable about the Old One’s true power than he or she, for the curse has been forcing information into her mind. She knows that there is no way to save the Chain of Eras from the grasp of the eater of worlds, except for one.

  Ouroboros is in the dream too, but he remains silent, unable to speak. He merely sits on the bottom of the ocean floor, silently listening to the voices of Tenil and the Old One.

  “So we should just give up and let you eat us?”

  “If you wish to put it bluntly, then yes. But there is another option for you. Become my minion.”

  “A single Black Demon won’t make a difference.”

  “No, not a Black Demon,” the Old One agrees. “However, a Demon Queen can.”

  “A Queen?”

  “And a Demon King.”

  Tenil can surmise the implied meaning. “So you’re asking me and Eon to become your generals?”

  “Correct.”

  Tenil flashes a smile to Ouroboros, who is looking at her. They both understand each other’s hearts better than the Old One. Ouroboros nods to Tenil, approving her idea.

  “Where do I sign up?” Tenil takes up on the offer.

  A dark humanoid materializes in the dream, resembling a man, veiled by a bizarre cloud. It extends its hands at Tenil and Ouroboros, black orbs held in both.

  “Take these. Eat them, and you will become the rulers of all Black Demons.”

  Tenil eats hers without hesitation. Ouroboros does the same, confidently swallowing his share. At once, they both begin to change, though not by much in visual terms. Tenil’s agony is gone in an instant. She is at last cured of the curse. However, the black blood remains. Ouroboros, in turn, gets the black stripes too, his blood turning black as well. Their skin colors remain the same, but they’re now Demons at the core.

  ***

  Tenil has summoned Alexiana and Louir early in the morning. Alexiana and Louir are walking to the promised place of meeting, which isn’t in the garrison, but in the woods. It’s a rainy day, but it isn’t pouring.

  Alexiana is wondering why Tenil wants to meet them in the woods. Is there something she wants to show? There’s nothing she can think of. Louir is slightly puzzled too. There shouldn’t be any apparent reason for Tenil to summon them to such a place.

  What puzzles Alexiana the most is the ominous air she is feeling. She can’t tell what’s wrong, but she has a suspicion that Tenil has found something terrible. It might be related to the Black Demons.

  “What is it you wanted to talk about?” Alexiana asks Tenil as soon as they get to the place of meeting in the woods.

  Louir is riding on Ti’s back, letting Alexiana to do the talking. Yessika and Embers are waiting at the garrison.

  “It’s nothing complicated,” Tenil says, moving closer to her. “I just thought that...”

  Without warning, Tenil brings down the gargantuan blade, aiming to split Alexiana on the spot. However, out of instinct, she twists her body to the side so that the weapon hits her left shoulder rather than her head. But even if she doesn’t dodge it, it doesn’t matter. Tenil can’t harm her, no matter what tricks she tries.

  “...I’d like to do this!”

  Once the blade has gone through her, Alexiana reprimands, “You know, you can’t... wound me?” Alexiana turns her eyes to her left shoulder, only to find her arm gone. More precisely, it’s on the ground, severed for good.

  Tenil has cut Alexiana’s arm, and she is aiming to strike again. Louir is still confused by the sudden crisis, unable to act properly. Tenil makes use of the confusion to bring the dragon’s fang at Alexiana again.

  However, she disappears.

  “Damn it, she slipped right through my fingers...”

  “What the hell are you doing!?” Louir roars.

  “I’m killing you, of course.”

  “Why!!?”

  “Because that’s what the Old One wishes.”

  Those words cause Louir’s heart to skip a beat out of terror. “You’ve sided with the eater of worlds!!?”

  “That’s right.”

  “You...! I’ll show you the error you
made! Ti, get out of here!”

  Upon dropping off the Wolf’s back, the large beast dashes away as told. Louir gathers Void energy to prepare for a fight, enraged by the fact she’s been betrayed.

  “No, I haven’t made a mistake yet,” Tenil declares. “Eon!”

  And through an anomaly, the black dragon, the Supreme God, emerges. Tenil is planning on letting Ouroboros fight Louir, who is far too powerful for her. On the other hand, a Void Archon most likely won’t stand a chance against Ouroboros.

  “Tch, this’ll be tough,” Louir utters, sweating.

  And suddenly, Louir disappears too, although reluctantly. Along with her, Ti, Yessika, and Embers vanish as well. Tenil knows the culprit, and she also knows where they’ve been taken to. She isn’t really happy about it.

  “Damn, he saved them just in time, eh? Eon, once we’ve gathered an army, let’s go after them.”

  “Certainly,” the dragon replies.

  “Heh, we’ll come for your, Alexiana and Ninth. Just you wait in your Fifth Era, haha!”

  Tenil returns to the garrison soon after the failed assassination attempt. She rides Ouroboros to get back fast. She’ll make the Knights of the Red Flag eat the same thing she did. Not only does it make them the Old One’s servants, but it also enhances them physically. For instance, they won’t need nourishment anymore, and that’s something they’ll need, considering they don’t have infinite resources.

  With the newfound powers, the Knights of the Red Flag conquer the conquered Valoria, pushing the kingdom back, until they’re eventually fighting on the former land of Phyr. Teckton is the first to fall, followed by many others. Since they cannot tire or die of hunger, and most importantly, aren’t weak humans anymore, they win every battle without significant losses. Furthermore, with a Supreme God at their side, there is no way they can lose to mere humans.

  So, at one point, they finally reach Ivymn, the capital.

  ***

  While the Knights of the Red Flag are recruiting more people to the Demon Levy by turning them into Ember Knights, Ouroboros is giving a ride to Tenil. They’ve overtaken the capital of Phyr in one fell swoop. Since the Demon Levy consists of Ember Knights, there is little mere humans can do against them.

  Unlike Oreon, they haven’t become malformed monstrosities. The Demon King and Queen are the reason for that. They’ve personally requested the Dark Old One to only enhance them. Tenil argues that she doesn’t need tentacles and abnormal flesh to win battles. Her proof is her past experience of war. Although it is true the transformation did help her conquer Valoria, it wasn’t the main reason they succeeded. For instance, General Harrol was defeated with nothing but tactics.

  Ouroboros lands in front of the King’s castle. Tenil dismounts gracefully, admiring the glorious building before entering it. It’s a magnificent castle with towers and all. Made of a number of different materials, its colors vary here and there. The entrance is a gorgeous, wooden gate.

  Guards try to stop her to no avail. The Demon Queen turns the soldiers into organic debris in a matter of seconds. She has an obsidian armor protecting her, the helmet resembling a dragon’s head, head which appears to be alive.

  The Queen destroys the gate with the gargantuan blade. She then enters the castle, heading to the throne room wherein the monarch waits. Once in there, she finds the hall empty, except for one old man. The politicians have fled long ago, but the King himself hasn’t. Even now, he sits on his throne, glaring at the Demon Queen.

  “My, you didn’t flee?” The Queen’s voice is distorted, but clear enough to be understood.

  “Where would I? My nation has fallen, and with it, I shall fall as well.”

  “Very well.”

  Each step the Queen takes resonates in the throne room as the obsidian feet touch the stone floor. Just like royalty, the Queen walks on the red carpet, until she stops in front of the seat meant for the monarch only.

  “Your mistake was to try to kill me off.”

  “No,” the King says, “my mistake was to let a monster like you grow under my wing.”

  “You know nothing.”

  The tip of the massive chunk of hulking iron pierces the King’s chest. With no pity in the fiery eyes, the Demon Queen in her obsidian armor walks away in silence. The large weapon on her shoulder, the King’s blood is dripping from the tip, leaving a trail of red on the red carpet.

  Once outside, Tenil mounts Ouroboros. “Take me back home. I need to say farewell to a certain someone.”

  “Will do,” the Demon King says.

  Soon enough, the dragon has taken Tenil to a house she knows all too well. The paved street is the same street Tenil’s walked many, many times. The good old signs are still there, the same shops and so on. Her home is just as she remembers it.

  Still in the obsidian armor, Tenil enters the house in which she grew up. She leaves the dragon’s fang outside, mainly because there isn’t enough space for it inside.

  A middle-aged woman is sitting on a chair. She isn’t even glancing in Tenil’s direction, perhaps because she wants to be rude. Whatever it is, she is ignoring Tenil.

  As if to respond to the silence, Tenil sits at the dinner table, waiting for the woman to say something.

  “Get out of my home.”

  Those words are surprisingly stingy. Tenil clenches her fists as she replies. “Not yet.”

  “Fine. Then tell me why you’re here. Did you come to murder more innocent people?”

  Tenil’s obsidian claws are sinking into her armor. If she keeps clenching, she’ll wound herself. Her mother clearly doesn’t know who is in the armor. Furthermore, her distorted voice ensures she can’t be recognized by her voice either.

  “Revenge,” Tenil replies.

  “Revenge? Is that your reasoning?”

  “No. It’s only a portion of my reasoning.”

  Deciding she won’t get anywhere like that, Tenil stands up, turning to her mother. Once she’s gotten her attention, Tenil seizes her own obsidian jaw with her right hand, and with her left, she grabs her upper jaw. Then, she dislocates them, opening the obsidian maw so wide open her human head is revealed. The upper jaw is hanging at her nape, the lower in front of her chest.

  “I came here to bring peace, even if you don’t believe it.”

  Her mother’s eyes are in disbelief. “Why...!? Why have you become... a monster?”

  “To bring eternal peace.”

  Her mother shakes her head furiously. “No! This isn’t peace! This is madness!” Tears are streaming down her face.

  “I’m not asking you to believe me.”

  “If I’d known you’ll become a monster in the army, I would’ve risked my life to bring you back!”

  “I’m glad you didn’t know.”

  “Glad!?”

  “If you knew what horrors I’ve seen, you’d say the same.”

  “Then what is it you’ve seen!?”

  Tenil takes a deep breath before giving her answer. “The end of all worlds.”

  “The end of all worlds...?”

  “This isn’t about me anymore. This is about our world, Mom.”

  “Then I’m better off without this world!”

  Her mother says no more, for her throat is slit in the blink of an eye. Tenil’s obsidian claws are dyed red by her mother’s blood.

  “If you’re better off without this world, then so shall it be.”

  Tenil comes out of the building soon after that. Ouroboros is waiting for her there. Tenil grabs her weapon before mounting the black dragon. Their actions are being watched by the Dark Old One, forever and ever, until the day they are vanquished.

  “Done already?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What now?”

  “We start building our levy. We need more numbers if we’re going to invade the Fifth Era. Since there’s no Seed in the Fifth, we’ll need all the Ember Knights we can muster.”

  “I see.”

  “Also, since the Supreme God of th
e Fifth Era is alive, we can’t rely on you until that part is solved.”

  “True. I’d like to know how powerful he is before I challenge him.”

  “The Old One will tell us.”

  “Indeed.”

  Before the dragon can take to the skies, a child appears from a corner. “Keep up the good work,” she says. Her clothes are very strange. Tenil hasn’t seen such an outfit before. Emy’d know better, for the girl is wearing modern clothes. Beside her, there is a boy who looks rather miserable.

  “Huh?” Tenil is baffled by the girl’s encouragement. “Who are you?”

  The boy remains silent, but the girl answers, “You’ll never know. All you need to know is that you are my savior.”

  And then, the girl and the boy disappear as if they never were there. Only after that, Tenil and Ouroboros realize their heads ache for some unknown reason. Whatever it is, the mysterious pair of children has to be the cause, they reckon.

  The Demon Levy keeps expanding and growing in numbers over the months, rapidly overtaking the whole world. Many resist, and many more die as a result.

  Those who willingly choose to side with the Demon Levy become part of it. However, most of the victims refuse to become the Old One’s servants and choose death over the other.

  Oreon might’ve been a powerful Ember Knight, but he had a very strong grudge. Without it, he wouldn’t have been peerless. The Ember Knights of the Demon Levy are weaker than Oreon, but even so, they’re unstoppable in the Fourth Era. The only place they don’t dare to attack is Cerphet, the other half of their world, the dimension wherein the astral and spiritual beings exist. Nay, it’s not that they don’t dare, but rather, it’s that Ouroboros will do his part by getting rid of Cerphet’s population. Thus in one year, the Fourth Era has become the Dark Old One’s foothold.

  The dark crusade continues in the Fifth Era, in which they will face the worst cataclysm nature can offer.

  Side Story

  When the Eight Worlds didn’t exist yet, the fates of the worlds were already set in stone. The Bright Old One designed each and every world so that they’d eventually fall to the Dark Old One. They are both the same entity, a two-headed being. The Bright and Dark Ones are the two heads of the same body.