"Demons. Monsters. Half-Breeds. It doesn't matter what they call us. Words are nothing in a world where power decides everything. After 120 years, I know that truth all too well. The real demons are those who smile as they stab you in the back, preaching about unity and loyalty."
"Humans, always scheming. Always destroying everything they touch."
I continue wistfully, "Not all of them, though. Hiromi... she was different. Generous beauty, that's what her name meant. And for a while, she was..."
I then snarle angrily, "Until her father ripped her from me."
"I'll kill him. And when I'm done, there won't be anything left of his kingdom but ash."
I take a deep breath. My fists unclench slowly.
"Apologies. This is no time to lose control. There will be time for that later."
---
It was cold that day. The kind of cold that gets into your bones. I should have been inside, preparing for my wedding, but I was outside, training. Strength doesn't care for special occasions.
"Another round, Master?" Uzah asked, gripping his trident tightly. There was something new in his eyes—an edge I hadn't seen before. "I'm close to a breakthrough."
I felt a familiar smirk tug at my lips, but it didn't reach my eyes. "Then let's go another round."
Uzah and I had trained together for years. We knew each other's every move, every trick. He was more than my head guard—he was my brother. We had bled together, fought side by side for as long as I could remember. But there was something different today. A tension in the air I couldn't place.
He moved into the Eagle's Hunt stance, his body coiled with readiness. I summoned a dagger from the armory, barely paying attention to the magic as it formed in my hand. My mind was elsewhere—my thoughts creeping back to Hiromi, to the weight pressing down on my chest.
Focus. There's no room for mistakes.
"Think you'll find that breakthrough in such a short duel?" I asked, my tone light, but there was a sharpness underneath it—something cold, almost mechanical.
Suddenly, Uzah lunged.
He was faster than normal. Too fast. But it's nothing I can not handle. I quickly get into a loose defensive stance, and ready a spell in my off hand.
His trident sliced through the air with blinding speed, as if he was flying through the air. And for a moment, my body moved on instinct alone. I bent back, feeling the cold rush of wind as his strike missed my shoulder by inches. My off-hand crackled with lightning, and I shot the bolt toward his blind spot.
He shouldn't have seen it coming. He'd never been able to before. I disable him and then we share a laugh, that's how it normally goes.
But this time, he did. Almost as if his perception has been enhanced.
Uzah twisted at the last moment, his body reacting faster than I thought possible. He dodged the lightning by jumping backwards, landing gracefully a few feet away. His eyes were wide, his breath controlled. He was surprised—by me, or by himself, I wasn't sure.
"I wasn't expecting that," he muttered, more to himself than to me.
I straightened, my face blank. "You've finally broken through."
He looked down at his hands, flexing them like he didn't recognize the power they held. "It feels... strange," he said slowly. "The power—it's there, but it's not complete. Something's missing."
My fingers curled tighter around the hilt of the dagger. "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own," I said, keeping my voice steady. Inside, though, I could feel the tension winding tighter. Uzah had crossed a threshold I hadn't. The gap between us had grown. He was stronger now.
One step closer to his eventual break through, now that he is at the finish line, only he can cross that final threshold in his own way.
For the first time in years, I felt a flicker of something I hadn't felt in a long time. Doubt. Was I losing my edge?
Uzah chuckled seeing my expressions, breaking the silence. "Still, we can't focus on that today. We've got a wedding to prepare for, don't we?"
I forced a smile. "Yes, we can't keep Hiromi waiting. She'll kill us both if we're late to rehearsal."
His laughter echoed through the courtyard, but it felt distant to me. Hollow. The weight in my chest was heavier now, pressing down with each passing moment.
---
After the rehearsal, we walked back into the mansion, the warmth of the interior barely registering. Uzah went off to handle the guard detail, while I returned to my office. The reports were there, like always. Problems. Borders. Trade. But none of it mattered right now.
My thoughts kept returning to Hiromi and our special day. But they also leaned to her father.
I never have trusted him. The man had hated me from the moment we met, and the feeling was mutual. His sudden support for our marriage made no sense. The man who had spent years waging war against my kind, and spouting gospel demonizing my kin. Now, so suddemly, eager to unite our families?
It was a trap. I could feel it in my bones. But what choice did I have? Hiromi... she was the only thing that had ever made sense in my life. If marrying her meant peace, then I'd take the risk. But the doubt wouldn't leave me. It twisted in my gut, a silent warning that something was wrong.
I stood, pacing in front of the window. Outside, the sun was setting, casting everything in shades of blood red and gold. The curtains—deep crimson with royal purple accents—matched the light perfectly. Hiromi would probably want to change the colors once she moved in. I could almost hear her laughing at how serious I was about them.
But even that thought didn't bring me comfort. The weight didn't lift.
I pressed a hand to the glass, feeling the cold seep into my skin. As I stare at the sunset, basking in the glow it shares.
Something terrible was coming. I could feel it.