A Demon's Tale

Dust was continuously kicked up into the air as several galloping horses continued their march.

Without falter, they moved as a pack through the vast land with only one destination in mind.

The spot in which they had started to move was a cliffside by an unnamed forest. From there, they traveled to the castle of a royal figure to add more members to their flock of cavalry.

The unit moved as one as they set their sights on the next and final stop within their trip.

Within the carriages of these horses were a group of three. A woman dressed in beautiful white clothing who gazed at the land past her small window. Another who had been dressed in the same color, though her hair was that of mauve and her skin was slightly darker in tone than the former. Finally, an elegant woman dressed in red and black, with hair and eyes that sparkled with a furious red touch and skin of a smooth blue color.

Watching the horses gallop around them, the woman of white spoke with the others.

Shiro: [I’ve never really seen an army like this. I guess it would more so be a collaboration of two different forces, but still, it’s incredible.]

Tequi: [This is just a regular outing for me and Vivi! We get to do this a lot!]

Devi: [We do not. Please do not lie to her. Also I would appreciate it if my name–]

Responding to the energetic voice was Devi, who was not annoyed with the nickname given, but by the lie produced from Tequi’s mouth. However, the nickname itself was not innocent in nature, as it created an embarrassing blush to rise within Devi, one that was only ever seen by the two in the carriage.

Interrupting Devi’s sentence was a tanned finger that waved from side to side, directly in front of her face.

Tequi: [Nope! You’re stuck with being called Vivi!]

Devi: [...But perhaps every once in a while–Hmmm.]

Though she wished to continue speaking, Tequi had now taken on the action of shaking her head in disagreement. This of course forced Devi to shut down the argument she attempted to make.

Turning to face the two, Shiro spoke with them.

Shiro: [I hate to say it, but it seems like it’ll be useless to even argue with her, Vivi.]

Devi: [...But you just…It has been quite some time since I was this confused.]

Noticing the stop that was occurring within Devi, Tequi set her sights on the goddess sitting in front of her.

Tequi: [So, Roro…]

Shiro: [Roro?]

Tequi: [Ah! Well, seeing as we’ve established and agreed upon our naming system–]

Devi: [We haven’t–]

Tequi: [I felt it was only right to provide you with the same! Thus, Roro!]

Surprised by the quickly thought up nickname, Shiro rubbed her chin with her thumb in amazement.

Shiro: [Wow. That was really fast. Kō hasn’t even thought of a good nickname yet and she’s known me for the last ten years…I guess she did call me Shifu on occasion…but that one isn’t good either.]

Tequi: [That’s another person I wanna meet! I’m very excited to see Kōkatsu!]

Hearing the familiar name that she had spoken, Shiro moved her eyes up to face Tequi’s own mauve gaze.

Shiro: [Oh? Do you already know Kō?]

Tequi: [Something like that! We met her a long time ago!]

Shiro: [Wow! Seriously?! She’s never told me about that!]

Devi: [It should be noted that it was a rather complicated meeting. We had met her during that time, but she was not aware of us being at the same location.]

Shiro: [Ooooh, I understand now. Anyways, what were you going to ask, Tete?]

Tequi: [Hm? Oh, right! If you don’t mind, I wanna hear some things about you!]

Shiro: [Sure!]

Tequi: [Perfect! It might be a bit random, but I wanna know, what was your dad like?]

Devi: [Tequi.]

As the question sprouted, a firm call of Tequi’s name was released from the lips of elegance.

Tequi: [What?! It’s not that bad of a question!]

Devi: [I must remind you that it would be wise to keep things formal. There is no need to charge into deeper matters at play.]

Casting her view onto the two, Shiro moved her eyes with confusion rattling her brain.

Shiro: [Deeper matters?]

Devi: [It is nothing to be concerned about, Shiro–Fuloreen. Ahem. Apologies. My throat was rather dry. I believe I will take a quick drink of some water.]

Pulling up a canteen, Devi proceeded to drink the water stored inside of it. Her action was not inherently wrong, but there was something that bothered Shiro.

Though she had known Devi for a short period of time, she could gauge the type of person that she was.

A woman who did not fall.

A woman who did not kneel.

A woman who always remained resolute.

This was a mere fact from the way she acted, to the way she spoke, and even the simple way that she had stood.

Yet, for just a moment, there was a single drop of sweat moving down her face. Devi’s eyes, that were casted away from the two, looked as though they were wrinkled with irritation, like something had bothered her. But most of all, the water she continued to drink had occasionally slipped past her mouth and moved onto her clothes.

It was incredibly odd to Shiro, who had painted such a bold image of the woman in her head.

She had said Shiro’s name, but for some reason, she had stuttered as she said “Fuloreen”.

Though she remained bewildered by this occurrence, a voice rang out to Shiro’s ear.

Tequi: [I’m gonna ask about this because I just wanna know, what was he like, Roro?]

Shiro: [Huh? Oh, right. Well, he was really something. He was incredibly kind to me and my mom. Especially my mom…I guess it’s natural for two people to really love each other, but my parents were head over heels with their love.]

In the corner of her eye, Shiro could see Devi’s eyes focused on her. Before she could turn, Devi quickly moved her eyes back to the end of the carriage.

Tequi: [I see, I see! What else? What did he do for a living?]

Shiro: [Oh, well, he was an entertainer for a while. An incredibly strong one at that.]

Tequi: [An incredibly strong entertainer?]

Shiro: [He’d usually get into this large stadium and wrestle a bunch of different creatures. Tigers, minotaurs, you name it. It led to him having the nickname of Goranio the Goliath. He could defeat anyone, except for my mom.]

Tequi: [Because your mom is strong, right?]

Shiro: [No, no. My mom is just the average mom you’ll see anywhere around the world. My dad couldn’t beat her because his love at first sight was too strong. Though, my mom fell in love with him after seeing him in the ring for her first time as well. It wasn’t his strength or anything like that which made her crave him, but instead for how much he cared for the poor and weak. Apparently all of his fights were for them. He even had the motto of "I always charge forwards, and never back away, all to protect those behind me!" that he would often tell interviewers. The story of how my parents met was rather funny. My mom told me that she had been in town, and heard about a show that was being performed at the stadium. When she got there, it was like a string of fate that made the two of them see each other on opposite sides. According to what some of the managers told my mom, it was the most energetic he had ever been. A few months after they got married, they focused on living with each other rather than worrying about their work, and eventually, after a really long while, they had me.]

Devi: [That’s a beautiful story!]

All of a sudden, a third voice spoke to the two.

Turning their eyes to Devi, they watched as she quickly unfastened her canteen and drank the water inside.

Crossing her legs, Tequi digested what Shiro had told her.

Tequi: [Ah. I remember being young once, and all the love that came with it! I suppose that love hasn’t changed, but there’s something really special about that first time!]

Shiro did not provide a reply to her statement, but instead, released a soft smile from her lips. Noticing her smile, Tequi quickly readjusted her posture and spoke with her chest puffed.

Tequi: [Don’t worry, Roro! You’ll get your own time eventually! We all do! Plus, you seem super kind as is! Although, I guess that stupid broadcast might mess things up a bit. Don’t they know it’s rude to tamper with the image of a pure maiden?!]

Shiro: [No, don’t worry, Tete! It’s not that much of a problem for me! Well, it wasn’t really a problem to begin with considering…]

Tequi: [Hm? Considering? Considering what?]

Before Shiro could respond, the quenched Devi then spoke up to Tequi.

Devi: [I do not mean to ruin your conversation, but would it not be odd to focus on our plan at hand?]

Tequi: [Why do we need to? We already discussed everything, and I’m sure Shiro knows what to do with herself. She’s been surviving on her own after all.]

Devi: [Well…yes…but….Hm. I seem to have misjudged where my focus should be placed.]

Worry started to grow as Shiro noticed the same appearance on Devi’s face as several moments before.

Shiro: [Are you alright, Devi?]

Devi: [I-I’m fine. Thank you for asking, Shiro. It’s just a rather hot day.]

Shiro: [Really? It seems fine to me.]

Tequi: [Devi is good with a lot of stuff, but she struggles when it comes to talking about certain things. I’ve never really been able to gauge whether it’s due to a lack of experience, or just because she doesn’t feel comfortable speaking about that sort of thing.]

Devi: [Th-That’s untrue! I am able to speak just fine!]

Tequi: [Oh, really? Then why don’t we ask her about that stuff?]

Devi’s glare widened as she frantically moved her eyes from Tequi, to the back of the carriage, and repeated this process for several seconds. Eventually, she allowed her eyes to once again rest, facing the back.

Shiro: [Is there something I need to know about?]

Tequi: [Don’t worry, we’ll get there eventually! For now though, let’s switch it up a bit! Ask me a question, Roro!]

Shiro: [Oh, alright! Let’s see…Actually, can I get two? There’s just something I’ve been curious about for a while.]

Tequi: [Awwwwww! No fair! However, I accept! What’s your first question?]

Shiro: [For our whole ride, you’ve been moving your hand around in a weird way. It’s almost like you’re trying to adjust it. What’s with that?]

Looking down at Tequi’s left hand, Shiro noticed an odd pattern of movement.

Throughout their whole journey, Tequi had constantly moved each finger in several different directions. Curling and pointing, she did so without stopping at any point in time. It was almost as though she attempted to make a poorly crafted shadow puppet of a spider.

Turning her attention to her own hand, Tequi deduced what Shiro was confused about and released an “Aaaaaah.” from her mouth while her eyes were closed.

Tequi: [I didn’t explain this, did I? That’s my bad! This is my matōki ability!]

Shiro: [Your matōki ability?]

Tequi: [Before we left, I shot five arrows into the air from a bow of pink matōki, right? Well, that bow, along with the arrows, are a part of my ability. I fire them from my bow, and from there, I can control the arrows with my very own hand! It moves each of the arrows with each corresponding finger in whatever direction I move them in! Right now, they’re creating a nice big barrier around us so that nothing harmful gets through! Luckily, if someone who isn’t bad is nearby, my ability to sense them is good enough that I can stop it just in time!]

Around the large group of horses and carriages were thin lines of light that created beautiful patterns all around. What could only be assumed to be spirits traveling around the party was instead a defensive shield that would remove any opposition presented to it. All provided from a single individual, Tequi Tensetsu. Many would consider this an incredible feat, as such a powerful barrier was only being provided from a simple matōki ability, and not an advanced variant.

Tequi: [Spider Silk Song! That’s what I’ve called it! It’s like one big spider web, or a conduction of music, so I combined it all together and came up with that!]

Shiro: [I had no idea you could do something like that with a matōki ability! Even if it’s simple in concept, that’s really crazy to me!]

Tequi: [Right?! Well, anyways, what’s your second question?]

Shiro: [Oh! I wanted to ask about the Tensetsu family! I don’t know very much about them, so I wanna learn more.]

Tequi: [I see, I see! You have great taste, Roro!]

While the two matched in energy, an eyebrow was raised from Devi.

Devi: [You do not know much of the Tensetsu family, but you know of my own?]

Shiro: [Huh?]

Devi: [Pardon my interruption, along with the possible rude statement that it may sound like, but I’m rather confused by this. When you had spoken with me, Shiro, you were not aware of many details regarding myself. However, when topics involving my family were brought into conversation, you were aware of these things. May I ask how that is?]

Receiving Devi’s curious words, sweat began to fall across Shiro’s face as she struggled to produce a response.

Shiro: [I…Well…It’s simple, really…]

Devi’s face then lit up, causing Shiro’s sweat to fall at a much faster pace. Tapping against her forehead with her palm, Devi released a small chuckle.

Devi: [Ah. Forgive me. I’m rather forgetful today. One of your friends is Silvia Hemobi, who has married my grandson, Alf.]

Shiro: [Y-Yes! Alf! I’ve spoken to him from time to time, and he tells me about your family, so that’s why!]

Devi: [I see. I apologize for making such a mistake.]

Shiro: [It’s alright, Devi. I don’t know what you might be having trouble with, but I can tell it’s rough. Just take it easy for now.]

A small smile was released from Devi. The same kind smile Shiro had started to grow familiar with.

Devi: [...Thank you, Shiro. Truly.]

Snapping her fingers, Tequi prepared to speak while also grabbing the attention of Shiro, who was still focused on Devi casting her eyes away.

Tequi: [Alright! Well first, we have my daughter, Albeera! She’s a stubborn one, but I love her regardless! She was competing for the throne just like Devi’s daughter, Divinia, but she didn’t end up winning. Then there’s her husband, Leonard, who is incredibly kind, just like my own husband, Luther! Both of them even start with the letter L! After that we have my grandson, Brandyear! He’s even more stubborn than his mother, but I still love him! There’s his wife, Noirami, who just like every new member to our family, she’s the absolute sweetest! And then we have my great grandchildren! So far, I only have two! There’s Arumy, who, you might have guessed, is stubborn just like her predecessors! Her name was given to her by her father! And then we have my other great granddaughter, Heiwa, who–]

Endlessly, Tequi continued to speak about her family with Shiro, who felt as though she needed a notepad for all the info provided.

What was once a simple question about her family, had now spiraled into a bizarre history lesson.

A lesson that not only felt but lasted several hours.

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Night had now fallen, and several tents were pitched at a large camp created by the troops. Many had already eaten and were headed off to bed, but a certain individual continued to remain restless.

Looking up towards the stars, she sat alone, pondering endlessly.

Behind her came another restless individual, one who had spoken with her for several periods within the day.

Tequi: [I see you enjoy star watching, huh?]

Turning to meet the joyful eyes of the woman, Shiro smiled.

Shiro: [I guess you could say that. I haven’t done it very often, really. I usually looked up to the sky when I was young, but I didn’t do it at this hour. When I really think about it, there’s only been three times I looked at the night sky like this. Two of those times were special, but one of them…]

As she thought of the past, Shiro’s smile faded. Noticing the change in expression, Tequi calmly spoke to her.

Tequi: [I imagine it wasn’t a good time?]

Shiro: [No, it was nice. The other time I looked up at it was with a friend, when we were still taking on the fourth trial. I saw this very same sky with Nero. To think so much would change since then…especially with him…]

For once, Tequi did not smile, nor did she provide the same energetic energy as she did many times before.

Tequi: [You can’t always stick to the past. Sometimes it hurts, but we all need to learn when to move forward. There’s never really a time where you know what will come next, so you need to live in the present. Dwelling on the past, worrying about the future, neither matter. You only need to focus on where you’re at during this very moment.]

Turning to face Tequi with a regained smile, Shiro wondered where this familiar statement had appeared from.

Shiro: [That’s a good life lesson. Who taught you it?]

Tequi: [Someone very special to me!]

With her own smile now revived, Tequi gave her joyous response. Slapping her puffed up cheeks, Tequi prepared to speak to Shiro again.

Tequi: [Let’s find a way to distract ourselves from all of that worrying! What do you think of these stars, Shiro?]

Shiro: [They’re beautiful…It’s rare that I take the time to look at them, but it’s always incredible to see…]

Tequi: [Have you ever heard of Star Children?]

Shiro: [Star Children?]

Tequi: [There’s this tale of children being born from the stars themselves! It’s similar to the whole stork delivering a baby thing that people talk about sometimes, only instead of a bird, it’s a shooting star that collides with the planet! It’s then revealed to be not a star, but a baby! They say that star children are exceptional in talent! They’re as fast as the wind, they’re as strong as a bull, and they’re skilled at almost everything! Technically speaking, they don’t exist. But exceptional children in the world always get referred to as “star children” or a “star child”! Hm? What’s with the face, Shiro?]

Interrupting her story was Shiro, who did not utter a word, but merely interrupted with her own face. She continued to look up at the stars, but a red blush now occupied her cheeks where her smile extended to. Snapping back to reality, Shiro turned to Tequi in a quick motion.

Shiro: [Hm? Oh, sorry. I was listening. I just enjoyed the story a lot. I’ve never quite heard of something like that before.]

Tequi: [I’m glad you like it! Well, I think it’s getting pretty late. I won’t stop you from watching the stars, but I will mention that Devi might be a little upset if we don’t get some good sleep.]

Shiro: [You’re right. I suppose I could use some rest.]

Standing herself up from off the dimly lit grass, Shiro stretched before turning to her tent.

Shiro: [Have a good night, Tete!]

Tequi: [You too, Roro!]

The two went their separate ways, each entering their own place to stay for the night.

Unbuttoning her overshirt and pants, and removing her dark gray turtleneck, Shiro slipped into her bed to sleep.

Before drifting off, she smiled at the words that occupied her mind.

Shiro: [Star Children, huh?]

Gently closing her eyes and tugging at her pillow, she calmly rested with the same smile still attached.

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