Chapter 2: All Demons Must Be Expelled!
The sun had risen over the mountain peaks, and the eagles soared through their limits. Niroishi awoke, and Arkon was an early bird. Peasants roamed the streets, while nobles dressed in suits. Luna and his father, Solis Roe Arkonia, sat in the living room and ate their breakfast in silence.
Unlike Luna's pitch black hair and crimson eyes, Solis' hair was like the yellow sun, and his eyes were as blue as the ocean. He had bronze skin too, another contrast to Luna's pale complexion. When Luna was born, many claimed that he was the exact opposite of his father.
"Do you need another servant?" After both finished their food, Solis asked as he stared at his son. Naturally, he knew what Luna did to his servant. He didn't expect his son to be a sadist, but he didn't mind. Their servants were peasants, they were as cheap as grass.
"I wouldn't mind," Luna replied. He had no idea what his father thought of him, but he didn't care either way. With more servants, he could "legitimately" kill them without having to plot in the dark.
Though to nobles, peasants were as cheap as grass, they couldn't kill indiscriminately. That would lead to riots.
"I will give you a few more," Solis nodded and stood up. "I have a few female servants… or do you prefer carriers? I can buy a few."
Luna's face stiffened for a moment. "A man or a woman doesn't matter. I don't like carriers."
Solis hummed and left. He had a lot of paperwork to deal with in his office.
With his father gone, Luna stood up and called his servant, Flaire.
Flaire walked over, her steps careful but not slow. She had been blind for six years already, and by now, she could "see" without eyes. Everything she heard, smelled, and touched painted a picture inside her head. It was as if she wasn't blind, but rather had her world turned into black and white.
She thought it was how blind people sensed the world. If Luna knew this, however, he would see more value in her. Her body was indeed special.
"Young Count," she bowed.
"Call the coachman. We will head to the garden."
"As you command," Flaire bowed again before she left.
The "garden" was several streets away from the Count's mansion. Though it was called a garden, the area was bigger than the mansion. The carriage came swiftly, and with the time to brew a cup of coffee, they arrived at the Count's Roe Garden.
Like the name, it was designed like a bunch of eggs under a massive glass dome.
As Luna and his two guards entered, the servants inside greeted them. Before long, he was in front of one of the "eggs." It was a smaller glass dome, and the entrance was veiled with a special cloth. Three servants tailed them, and when they saw that Luna wanted to enter, one of them lifted the cloth.
Inside, amethyst flowers lined the edges, and at the center was a round table with a pair of chairs. Luna smiled.
These were the result of his efforts.
"Good job taking care of my plants."
The servants bowed in response. None of them had tongues, Luna fed it to the flowers. He didn't plan to, but because the three of them gossiped too much, their tongues ended up as fertilizers. Now, they didn't dare gossip with anyone.
Who would? What if instead of their tongues, they lost their heads instead?
Luna told them and his guards to wait outside.
"The ArchAngel flowers are blossoming well," he sat on one of the chairs and leaned back, his eyes closed. "It won't be long until they fully bloom."
These amethyst flowers were rare, and not many mortals knew they even existed. Their stems were thin like grass, and their leaves resembled feathers. In the wild, they would never flower and peasants would think of them as weeds. But under his special care, purple flowers bloomed.
Each petal was like a thin sheet of amethyst, and the flowers mimicked outstretched angel wings. Once they fully bloom, the center would split open and reveal a gold-like "eye".
The "eye" was what he was after.
"It's a shame I don't have primordial blood," he shook his head. "A mortal body is too fragile. I can't consume too much ArchAngel essence. But, being around them is indeed beneficial."
When he learned of the ArchAngel flower's existence, he was already a "supreme being". There were talks that mortals benefit in the presence of ArchAngel's aura, and now he confirmed it. As for the ArchAngel essence, it helped supreme beings cultivate faster. He once raised acres of them, all thanks to a fortuitous encounter.
"My focus is a lot sharper, and unnecessary thoughts are gone. Even my imagination is more vivid. I have to return during the night and see if I can sense remnant energy better with the help of ArchAngel flowers," he squinted.
"If I can sense remnant energy better… it will help a lot," he took a deep breath and savored the slightly sweet scent in the air. Then, he walked around the garden.
"They're not thirsty yet," he nodded. When he walked toward the cloth to leave, one of the servants pulled it aside for him.
"Tch," his gaze grazed the three servants before he looked at his guards. "Call the coachman."
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"The Count's heir is heading to the temple?" Inside a carriage parked in front of a pastry shop, a young man wearing a blue suit asked in surprise. He turned to his butler, his acorn eyes slightly narrowed.
"Did someone poison him?"
"Young master, there is no such thing," the butler replied, his face steady but his mind incredulous. How did the young man's brain even come up with such an idea?
The young man shrugged. "That guy never talks, I haven't seen him eat or blink. He's pale like a candle, and his body is cold like ice. I always thought he was some demon or something," he snickered.
"Take me to the temple, I want to meet Luna."
"Understood," the butler nodded.
Meanwhile, Luna's coachman was also feeling incredulous. The Count never went to the temple after he inherited his title, and his son was worse. He never even prayed.
Of course, Luna wasn't headed to the temple to pray or offer his faith. He wanted to steal something.
'These Gods mortals worship are funny,' he licked his lips. 'They're just weaklings, how dare they claim to be gods? Ridiculous.'
The Kingdom of Niroishi worshipped three gods in the Temple of Ruishi. The God of Moonlight, Niroishi, the God of Sunlight, Mikoishi, and the God of Starlight, Nafriishi. Luna knew each one of them.
How could he not? All three of them tried to kill him in the past. They failed, otherwise his final battle wouldn't have happened. But even though they failed, he wasn't able to kill them.
'Niroishi is as slippery as a snake, Mikoishi is good at defending, and Nafriishi attacks too often. Killing them was of no use to me, and trying would've been troublesome,' he hummed and rubbed his chin.
'Thankfully, I never killed them. Or this kingdom might not exist today, and I wouldn't have been reborn,' he smiled. 'They were quite useful.'
The Temple of Ruishi was grandiose and humongous. The Count of Arkonia's Mansion was three stories tall, occupying an acre and a half of land. Meanwhile, the temple occupied two acres of land!
The temple was built on the flattened mountain peak of Mount Rishi, faraway from the Kingdom's capital and cities. There was only one road that led to it, and as the carriage climbed near the peak, they encountered a five-meter tall arch made of marble. It was guarded by three animals; a man-sized tortoise sitting at the top of the arch, a snake that coiled leisurely around the entire arch, and a dove as big as a child staring at the road by the left side of the arch.
"They play too much," Luna scoffed at the sight of it. On the other hand, the coachman was about to mutter a prayer when he heard Luna's words. Quietly, he swallowed his prayer and kept it in his head.
'O' gods of Ruishi, please let me survive this journey…'
Luna didn't care whether the coachman prayed or not. After they passed the arch, they finally reached the flattened mountain peak and were greeted by the tall walls of the temple. The entrance was guarded by three men in steel armor, with the insignia of a crescent moon at the center of their breastplates. In the middle of the crescent moon was a four pointed star, and around them was the outline of six sun rays.
"Halt!"
The coachman stopped the carriage, before he hopped off and talked with the guards. Minutes later, one guard opened the two, three-meter tall wooden doors with his bare hands. When the carriage passed through, Luna saw that the doors were as thick as a watermelon.
He narrowed his eyes and peeked through the carriage doors, his gaze stuck on the guards. 'Runecasters.'
Normal humans couldn't open such a large door so effortlessly. Unless, the world today was different than he remembered.
'A strength-type runecaster… What could his rune be?' He wondered, when the carriage stopped once again. This time, the coachman called out to him.
"Young Count, the High Priest wishes to greet you."
Luna rolled his eyes. "Open the door."
As he stepped out of the carriage, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in silver priestly robes. He looked simple, with common brown hair and eyes, and was slightly tanned. But as he gazed at the man, his heart couldn't help but tighten.
'As expected, another runecaster,' he almost grinned. Fear? He didn't know that word.
Right now, he was way too excited!
"May the Gods of Ruishi bless the Young Count," the High Priest greeted. Then, before Luna could respond, the High Priest raised his hand and pointed his palm at him.
Luna's eyes widened when he saw a circular golden pattern appear on the High Priest's palm.
'No way…'
The High Priest sighed.
"I apologize, but all demons must be expelled."
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Another carriage stopped in front of the temple gates. A young man in a blue suit stepped out, and his acorn eyes swept across the area. His soft silver hair fluttered in the wind, which made the back of his ears feel a bit ticklish. They didn't have to talk with the guards, they were simply guided inside.
Unlike Luna, the young man regularly visited the temple.
"Where is the Count's heir?" He asked the priest who greeted him. "I want to see him."
The priest bowed. "I apologize, young master, but the young Count has already left."
The young man frowned. "Already?" He sighed as his shoulders drooped. "What a shame, I had a surprise for him…"
He shrugged and turned around.
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Demons are creatures of the abyss, but humans can also be called demons. When a "holy" power meets a creature it deemed evil, what will the evil be? A demon, a human, or both?
Luna knew the answer. It was both.
Evil exists within every creature that was ever born. No matter how pure they may seem, even the purest of angels harbor a smidge of evil within. However, because of their righteousness, this evil is always suppressed.
Unlike humans, who were born with chaos in their blood. Once evil is planted in a human's heart, they will never be able to look back. As a "demon" in the past, Luna knew the evil in his heart is absolute. Not a single shred of good was left.
'Niroishi's signature attack, Minu-Vin-Niro,' he thought and watched as the golden circle spun in the High Priest's palm.
"Will you confess your sins?" The High Priest asked, to which he simply smiled back. What a joke, no matter what he said, the High Priest would still attack.
Still, he wasn't out of cards just yet.
'As a tier three rune spell, its power is undeniable. Once the High Priest attacks, my soul will be banished from my body. However, this spell has a weakness,' he raised his hand, and under the High Priest's stunned gaze, he pressed his palm against the High Priest's.
"If you want to expel yourself alongside me, then go ahead, expel this demon," Luna challenged. It was a gamble. After all, there were a rare few who were truly selfless.
The High Priest…
"How crafty," the High Priest shook his head gently.
He wasn't a selfless person. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the High Priest, a position obtained after he stepped above the heads of countless others.
"High Priest," Luna waved his head and smiled at the middle-aged priest. "Let's talk inside."
"I already know what you want," the High Priest looked at him. "You want the three Ancient Runes."
That was a few hours ago.
Not long after the High Priest exposed his objective, he was declined. He tried to offer wealth, but the High Priest was adamant. If he stayed a bit longer, he might've been dragged out.
So, he simply left.
'If I had those runes, I'd have no problem with my first rune,' he kneaded his lips.
'Runecasters craft, use, and fuse with runes. Like those guards at the temple, they fused with strength type runes, which made them extremely strong. Before, I fused with an ancient rune, which made my power soar from the depths of the ravines to the high heavens,' he closed his eyes.
Fusing with runes wasn't simple. First, the person must have a soul that can accommodate a rune. A level one soul cannot fuse with a level two rune, otherwise the soul will explode. On the other hand, level two souls can fuse with a level one rune, but it will be a waste.
Because souls have a limited rune slot. In fact, most people only had one rune slot, so why would a level two soul fuse with a level one rune and waste the rune slot?
'If only I can craft a rune…'
As mentioned earlier, runecasters can craft their own runes. But to do so, they must first be a runecaster. He, a boy who could barely sense remnant energy not long ago, was certainly not a runecaster yet.
'Wretched cultist,' he cursed the High Priest in his head. 'Ancient runes are unique. No runecaster can create them, and they are formed by the power of nature. As such, only one copy of an ancient rune can exist at once. Unlike normal runes, which would disappear after consumption, ancient runes can be used countless times. That damn temple is trying to monopolize it.'
As his thoughts rolled, he once again thought of the ancient rune he once used. After his self destruction, the ancient rune was destroyed. Who knew when nature would generate another rune like it?
'For now, I'll cultivate.'