The Boy open his eyes, its deep purple. It glitters like a sea of stars, yet the underlying dehumanizing savageness is still there. Though no matter how glittery it is, it's still empty of everything
Hu Mei was flustered for a second, not expecting the boy eyes to be so magnificent.
'Woah'
Truth be told, Hu Mei loves reading, and she especially enjoys 'bold' story, and it always include a dreamy man. In fact, the only difficulty she has with the Seven Bird Descend Trial is the fact she can't read anymore of her story
Yet her awe quickly turned into a wariness, knowing what this Unholy thing is capable of.
The boy rise, his face remained still.
He then gazes at the 5 guards and going to Hu Mei. He locks his gaze at her which prompted her to avert her gaze, flustered. Zaujan dare not to laugh.
He then shifts his gaze towards Zaujan where it lingers for a moment before going to the Demon King himself.
They both lock their gaze, one an unending sea of blood, the other an empty galaxy of supposed stars. "Intriguing, this brat dares measures me!?" The Demon King said with a cruel jeer smeared across his face
The boy then stands up, causing the guards to tense up, ready to strike. But The Demon King refrain them from doing so.
The Demon King moves forward from his seat.
"Boy, do you know where this is?" he asks
But the boy didn't answer and is busy observing the surrounding. He completely ignored the Demon King which caused the Guards, Zaujan and especially Hu Mei to be filled with rage for a second before calming down
"You are rather rude aren't you boy?" The Demon King said with an amusing look, clearly enjoying his defiance. After all, a submissive toy is only fun in the beginning.
"You're strong, who are you?" The boy finally speaks. His voice is soft, yet it was filled with danger as if one words could slice. Hu Mei clenches her fist, displeased by his blatant disrespect towards the Demon King.
"The 21st Demon King, Wu Zhu-ba Raijoo" The Demon King said, with jeering smile as he finished the rest of the cup
Some of the Guards hand moves towards their weapon, clearly irritated. On a second note, all the guards ARE irritated. But the Demon King ordered all of them to go far away and they immediately comply.
"Now, I have given you my name, whats yours?" The Demon King ask
"…My name?" the boy asked as he tilted his head and tried to wriggle out of the restraints. But The Demon King ignored his struggle.
"Yes, your name" The Demon King ascertain with kindness.
"…I don't have one" the boy said, with complete detachment as he struggled to outdo his restraint
The Demon King face drop into neutrality, "Are you saying you forgot or that your parents never took responsibility and abandoned you?" He said, his grip tightens in the arm of the chair, cracking it.
"…I don't remember" The boy said, spent as he cannot seem to outdo his restraints. He then sits in a lotus position to conserve his strength
"How cruel…" The Demon King face turns rough, furrowing his brow as he sighed very deeply which caused Hu Mei to flinch
"Heaven is fair, yet their inhabitants are the unfair one" The Demon King accursed those he never met, yet he comes to despises so greatly.
"Well, it's a bit uncomfortable calling you without any name…" The Demon King frowned his brows and rub his chin as if thinking.
"White… beauty… Serene" The Demon King face turned serious, while the boy's face tilted.
The Demon King growls as if thinking very deeply, Zaujan and Hu Mei awaits what kind of name he had come out with
"Naming is hard, forget it…" The Demon King said in irritation, Zaujan and Hu Mei felt slightly down that their assumption was proven wrong by the man himself.
"Anyway. What do you think of those who had died?" The Demon King suddenly asks with plain face.
Zaujan remembers this question, The Demon King always ask that to whoever he just met. Doesn't matter if they are an Emperor or a beggar. And none seems to have the answer he was looking for.
"They are dead, what's more to think about?" He answered instantly, his face is innocent as if it was a common sense to think like that
Zaujan was disturbed, while Hu Mei thinks that he might be just a normal boy after all. But then she remembered his rampage and decided to discard those idea.
"Moving on, what do you think of birds?" The Demon King asks, the boy took his time to think
"Enviable…" The boy said
"Oh, why is that? Because they can fly?"
"Because their only limitation is their own ability. They are unrestrained to go wherever they like as long as their wings are strong enough"
the boy unexpected answers seem to surprise Zaujan as he leans in closer. Absorbing every word
"They can go wherever they like, unrestrained until dead"
The Demon King repeats his word before smiles lightly, as if he had found the answers. He then rises and walks towards the boy
"Until death, so ultimately their freedom is meaningless" he asks once more, challenging the boy ideas
"So? Why does it matter? Their purpose is to fly freely, even if it ended up meaningless, they still live their life to the fullest" The boy said, undisturbed by the Demon King approach.
The Demon King was amused by his response, he had never heard of such an answer, it was very interesting.
he then continues his question
"So, you are like the bird" he asks
"No, im not" The Boy refutes, but The Demon King was satisfied and decided to head back into his seat. He then ordered one of the guards to come
"Get this boy a room and a clothing, treat him nicely" he said
"At once!" the guard then picked the boy up and vanished alongside him
"Oh, I forgot to give him a name… How clumsy" The Demon King face was plastered with satisfaction, but Zaujan doesn't seem to understand why that boy answers manage to delight The Demon King so much, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.
Hu Mei then asks The Demon King which caused Zaujan to sigh a breath of relief silently, knowing that he didn't have to ask the question himself.
"Mas—Your lordship, I do not understand the meaning behind your exchange…" She asks with curious eyes
The Demon King smiles, before laughing lightly.
"Well, I too, don't understand at all" he said
"What? But…" Hu Mei was confused, but the Demon King decided to clarify his meaning
"His answers is Bullshit, so does my question. Who ask for what they think about the dead and then suddenly, it jumped to a question about birds… It doesn't make sense" The Demon King explained, but Hu Mei is still confused.
"Basically, it's not a question, it's a test. I hate Hypocrite who thinks that they are more then what they are" He explained while ruffling Hu Mei hair
She was about to deflect his hand but remembers he was her monarch and decided to not do it.
"So, your lordship wanted them to be honest and said that they don't know rather than arguing their own philosophical viewpoint?" Zaujan asks
"Exactly, but that boy answers are so impressive that I even forgot why I was asking that in the first place" The Demon King said with satisfied smile, he then decided to walk back to his own Pagoda, Zaujan and Hu Mei soon follow
"What an interesting child" The Demon King mutters, he then looks at Hu Mei and seeing her a bit down.
He decided to cheer her up a bit even though he doesn't really know why she was upset
"Little Mei, why does birds fly?"
"…" Hu Mei was totally unprepared for this, but she remembered the Demon King explanation and decided to be honest
"I don't know your lordship" she answers
The Demon King Chuckle lightly
"Because they can"
"…"
"…"
Crow feels like she was just being played on, while Zaujan just felt pathetic that he was managed to be riled up by what essentially, two people Bullshitting with each other
But really, he didn't mind such a carefree leader who can still joke around like this
Along the way, The Demon King Chuckles can still be heard
.
.
.
The Boy assigned room is a medium size room made from Darkwood. The furniture is a bit lacking, consisting of just 1 table, 2 chair and a bed. But it does have its own bathroom, and the bed covers is comfortable
The Boy gaze at the bed before eventually sink into its bedcover. It was soft and welcoming, like a warm cloud as its softness invades his figure while it wraps around his form completely. It's very comfortable
Just yesterday, he was sleeping on mud. Blood covered ground and waste laden dirt. Now, he was sleeping in something even a noble would find luxurious.
The boy eyes flutter close, weeks of fatigue finally catches up to him as he closes his eyes and sleep.
"I hope mother has a good night sleep too" he mutters, before correcting himself "…Mother is dead"
.
.
.
In a certain courtyard, a young boy was strolling. Black robed, black hair and red eyes. He gazes the stars, seeing it flickers around. How he wishes to take one of them back.
His reasoning is simple, 'So that the dawn could no longer swept them to the shade' he thought
"Chen" a soft voice spoken out; it was from a lady wearing a white robe, her skin are milky smooth, face as divine as the heaven and hair as silky as the Snow Silk Spider Thread. She was accompanied by a dozen of guards who each wears a veil and is all female
The young boy smiles as he saw the lady, he then rushed towards her and hugged her tightly. "Mom!" he said as he laughs in glee. The lady is also smiling warmly as she ruffled the boy's hair
He smiles in glee at her attention.
Then, all the sudden. The guards that have been following them all bowed at once.
"We greet the Demon King!"
they all said in unison as the Demon King appears from seemingly nowhere. He walks silently, yet each step carries volume. Such are the weight of the ruler whose steps determines the path.
"Hello dear" The lady said while smiling. Her smile is enough to even flutters the Demon King who had to avert his gaze. He instead gazes at the young boy.
"My little Chen, how have you been?" he said in glee as he smiles warmly towards the young boy
The boy recognizes his father and smiles while he runs towards the Demon King. "Father!!" he said, the Demon King then pick him up and spin him around while the young boy laughs gleefully
The Demon King smiles is warm, but then he told the guards to leave with a stern face that could kill.
"Yes, your lordship Demon King!" they all said, then they all vanished into the air, leaving nothing but a slight distorted space
"What brings you here dear?" the lady asks, putting her hand on the Demon King broad chest
"Come on, do I even need a reason to visit my beloved wife" he said as he takes her hand and kiss the top, the lady was flustered and had to avert her gaze at his brazen attitude, especially considering how he acted when they had just met
"hmph" she pouts, which makes the Demon King smiles
"Forgive me for not being here for the last 6 months, those damnable bastard from the Mugeong Family and the Western bastard is taking away my very precious time for you"
The Demon King cursed at the Mugeong Family. Because for him, any time spent with his family is well spent, any time he doesn't spent with his family is wasted. Though his irritation caused the young boy Prince Wu Chen to be curious and decided to ask his father about it
"Father, why did you hate the Mugeong family so much? Is it because they forced their daughter to marry me?" he asks with gullible expression, befitting that of a kid. Unlike the other one whom the Demon King come to know of just recently. The contrast is so large that he wonders what would happen if they met.
But he knows that its just a guise of him, how clever of the young prince.
The Demon King, chuckles lightly before picking Wu Chen up and smiles
"You silly goose, the invader is the Western Army, and they have been dealt with by Little Mei and the Claw, the Mugeong bastard is just a bunch of old farts who don't know anything about propriety" The Demon King said with a slight wary smile, though the prince acknowledges it as simply that his father is annoyed and doesn't ask further on it
"Big sis Mei sure is capable. Father, when will I be able to finish the Seven Bird Descend Trial?" The prince asked, he had really wanted to finally use his Martial ability.
"Soon my little goose, you have to finish the academy first" the Demon King said, but the prince suddenly pouts the same way as the lady
"Im a Vermillion bird father, not goose" he said
"Hahahaha, forgive me Vermillion bird" The Demon King then said, he was really enjoying his time
All three of them then visited the Pavilion overlooking the city. They all laugh together, chuckles together and is generally having a fun time
The Demon King and the lady especially spent a lot of time just hugging and touching each other, each time with a flustered look, this has happened so many time that the prince become bored and decided to sleep in the Demon King laps. But then the Demon King told her about the mysterious boy
"I have seen this boy, his hair is white, and his face is gentle. But he had an aura of an unmistakable warrior and fearsome terrorizing dragon" he said with interest, drawing a worried look from the lady
"Oh, that boy must've experience a lot… How old is he?"
"About the same as Little Chen and Yuen"
The lady face turns even grimmer at the revelation. 'How could this be? That boy must've suffers through a lot. What kind of circumstances force the boy to be like that?' She thoughts
"So, what are you planning to do with him?" she asks, the lady has known the Demon King for a long time, after all, she is his childhood friend. Even though he is kind, demon is still a demon and wouldn't act without something in return
"…Compassion or fear?" he asks with a slight dejected and indecisive face
"Compassion of course, if you choose fear. The boy must've had some kind of experience dealing with it. If you wish to manipu—"
"I don't want to manipulate him… I do not wish the same to befall other" he looks at the lady with a serious face. The lady was then shocked for a moment before turning it into a warm smile. 'Perhaps I judge you too soon my dear' she thought
"Then do what you think is best, the boy is still a child after all" she said with a smile
The Demon King serious face also turned into a smile and thought that she doesn't help at all. But at least he was certain that what he planned for in the end is indeed the best course of action
They then finish the night with a long-awaited reunion as they melt in each other embrace until dawn