Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) (28 page)

“
Dekko
…”

Wilhelm and Phoenix exchanged worried looks. They knew they’d have to deliver this bad news eventually. Wilhelm had been ready for it, and so he explained.

“That boy, Dekko was it? He was taken into medical care immediately, but I will not lie to you: the boy suffered a terrible injury. If he survives, there will likely be some brain damage.”

“I see.” Tears started to flow down Shiva’s cheeks. “
Brother
…”

“Shiva…” Phoenix said meekly. Before he could add to it, Wilhelm cut him off.

“What your brother Darko did was
not
acceptable,” Wilhelm said. “If it weren’t for Phoenix here, you could have been killed.”

“Thank you, Phoenix…” Shiva whispered.

“Oh, uh, it was nothing!” Phoenix stammered. “Let’s just call it a favor. Now you owe me one, okay?” Phoenix laughed nervously, but Shiva’s mood did not change.

“I’m going to have a very long talk with your father and brother,” Wilhelm continued. “I’ll make sure this never happens again.”

“Don’t punish brother!” Shiva shouted. “It’s not his fault!”

“Shiva…” Phoenix uttered in disbelief. He couldn’t believe she would have any sympathy for the brother that just beat her nearly to death.

“But Shiva…”

“No! It was only a sparring match. Brother was just trying to teach me. It’s my fault for being too weak… I couldn’t keep up with him, I wasn’t ready yet. I was too weak… I
am
too weak.”

“Shiva, listen to me very carefully,” Wilhelm said as authoritative as he could. “What happened today was not your fault. Your brother should have known better than to fight with you. And you should know better than to pick a fight with him. You
cannot
fight with him again, do you understand me? He beat you till his knuckles were bloody. If no one was there, he would have killed you.”

“I made brother’s knuckles bleed?” Shiva asked, horrified. “I need to apologize.”

“He should be the one apologizing to you!” Phoenix said.

“Shiva, why did you do it?” Wilhelm asked.

“I just wanted to show him how strong I am,” Shiva said. “I wanted him to know I can be valuable…”

“You’re his sister. Of course you’re valuable to him.”

“Not if I’m this weak…” Shiva rolled over in her bed, ending the conversation.

“I’ll be back this evening to check on you,” Wilhelm said, leaning over and planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Please listen to your grandfather,” Phoenix said. “He loves you a lot. And I’d be sad if something else happened to you, too.” Phoenix nudged her shoulder tenderly. After pausing to see if Shiva said anything else, the two left her alone in her bedroom. As Phoenix and Wilhelm walked the halls of the castle, they talked openly.

“The Prince has lost his mind,” Phoenix said. “I will no longer associate myself with him. Furthermore, I feel a sense of responsibility that if something like this should happen again, I
will
be the one to put a stop to it.
Permanently
.”

“Shouldn’t you watch your tongue, boy?” Wilhelm asked. “You are not only speaking of Royalty with a treasonous tone, but in the very presence of the former King! Surely you wouldn’t want to say something you might regret?” Wilhelm cocked an eyebrow, as if saying
how will you answer that, boy!

Phoenix kept his eyes forward as he walked and talked. “A royal man is still a man like any other, but with one major distinction: a royal man must lead his people to prosperity. That is the one constant key rule that must be met in order for the people to believe in that man as their ruler. You did a fantastic job at it. We’re still waiting to find out about your son, the current Satan. But I can already see how a future under the rule of your grandson will be. I simply do not anticipate it.”

Wilhelm stopped in the castle lobby, just before they reached the front gate. Phoenix continued walking and the Royal Guards posted at the gate door began to open it for him. As he patiently waited for the guards to open the door, Wilhelm approached and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I have some friends I’d like to introduce you to, Phoenix Dawnfall,” Wilhelm said with a smile.

* * * *

The King, furious with Darko for almost depriving him of future grandchildren, sent the boy off to be locked in his room for a full week of isolation. Darko spent the time meditating and honing his soul power. The King hoped that this experience would motivate Shiva to step down from all the fighting and focus on other, more Princess-appropriate activities.

After a brief recovery period, Shiva returned to her duties in the Royal Guard. People stayed even further away from the girl now, fearing another attack from her brother. Shiva ate all her meals alone. She went back to training alone. She patrolled the Kingdom alone, and never spoke to anyone else when put on guard duty. Aside from actually being alive, Shiva showed very few signs of life.

The years ticked away as the girl’s loneliness and bitterness got the better of her. She started to see the other men and women of the Royal Guard around her as obstacles, constantly in the way of her becoming stronger. Her brother’s strength was like a light at the end of the tunnel, one that she was constantly moving towards. Everyone else was only in her way.

She became known as a competent fighter, albeit one that nobody wanted to be around. She learned how to use her status to boss people around to get what she wanted. At the sound of the demon invasion siren, she’d drop whatever she was doing and charge out to fight. She kept to herself in battle, and tried not to interfere with anyone else. Eventually she adapted to her loneliness, wearing it like a badge that no one could see.

Phoenix tried to remain on her good side, at least for the first year after the incident. They saw each other less and less as the girl become more of a loner. One day, Phoenix sought her out and delivered the news that he’d be quitting the Royal Guard and taking up an apprenticeship under Lord Wilhelm. Shiva tried to act happy for him, but she’d forgotten how. The two said their goodbyes quickly as Shiva rushed off to the sound of the siren, her one and only joy in life.

Her lonely life came to an end years later, however, when Goddard brought a strange human boy back from a trip to Earth. Shiva of course had to check the boy out while he slept, deeming him a ‘waste of anyone’s time’. Goddard summoned her with the unusual request that she look after the boy, which of course turned into something entirely different and life-altering for the girl.

Shiva would never say it, but this one request changed her life for the better.

* * * *

Back to the present.

Ash and Aura sat in a silent awe as Wilhelm wrapped up his granddaughter’s tragic life story. They sat a while without speaking, letting the old man’s words fully sink in. Shiva had lived a bizarre and sad life thanks to her brother and father. The boys had never suspected Shiva was so unhappy all those years before they met her. The first one to speak was Ash.

“I see,” he said. “So that’s why she trains nonstop. That’s why she’s always pushing herself harder and further, and why she expects so much from us.”

“That’s probably why she’s marrying Phoenix, too,” Aura chimed in. “They
do
have a lot of history together.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Ash muttered with a glum look in his eyes.

“I know you have had your doubts,” Wilhelm said. “But I can assure you that Phoenix is the best man to marry my granddaughter. They will be very happy together.”

“I just have one more question,” Ash said. “Those people you introduced Phoenix to, who were they?”

“Oh my, did I say something about taking him to meet someone?” Wilhelm asked, shocked.

“Yeah dude, you talked for like an hour straight. The sun’s all gone now!” Aura said.

“Oh, I must have gotten lost in my story, I apologize. You know how us old folks like to reminisce, right? I do hope I haven’t kept you too long.”

“So who were they?” Ash repeated. The boy mistook a twitch in Wilhelm’s eye for a sign of agitation. What would he have to be agitated about? It was only a simple question.

“
The people I introduced him to
,” Wilhelm repeated as well. “Ah yes! I took him straight to the best scholars in all of Hell! The ‘Educated Council’ we called ourselves! From there, Phoenix blossomed into the wonderful, knowledgeable,
dependable
man he is today!” Wilhelm stood up abruptly. “I hope that answers all your questions.”

Ash and Aura nodded.

“Well then! I should be off to bed. I’m usually sound asleep by this time! I do hope you boys will exercise a little more caution around Shiva now that you know what she’s been through. You don’t have to treat her any differently, but…”

“We get it,” Aura said, standing up. “She’s cool with us.”

“Thank you boys. I’ll see you at the wedding,” Wilhelm said, exiting the private courtyard. The boys followed behind him, before eventually splitting off and going their own way home.

Ash couldn’t help thinking about the boy named Dekko, who had once been Shiva’s closest friend. He wondered if being friends with Shiva would eventually lead
him
into a showdown against the mad Prince. No matter what he did, it seemed like Ash would have to fight Darko one way or another. Like Shiva, he knew that he too must become strong enough to stand against the Prince some day and keep his life when the battle was over.

The day before the Royal wedding snuck up on everyone. Ash and Aura spent the off day loitering around the Kingdom in search of something fun to do. The city was extra lively with all the last minute preparations being made for the big wedding tomorrow. The boys stayed far away from the castle where all the action was going on. They walked the streets instead, taking in the sights of the morning shuffle. For being Hell, it sure had its moments of undeniable beauty. Fireballs danced in the sky as more and more people joined the foot (and air) traffic. Some pushed carts full of weapons or trinkets, and others hauled livestock or clothing.

Ash always felt like he was walking through a well-designed, realistic video game world every time he left his flat. The mornings were always chilly, so of course Ash was eager to retrieve his peacoat from Gio already, if he wasn’t too busy working on Shiva’s dress. Their walk led them past the building they now recognized as the noble’s newspaper facility.

Glebeck was standing on his platform shouting headlines for the gathered crowd to hear. As the boys passed by the only headline they caught was “The Royal wedding! All the details you need to know!” The boys smirked, seeing the rebel graffiti had spread to the Noble’s building finally. The words ‘FIRST TO GO’ were being painted over by an unenthusiastic-looking servant. Ash and Aura ignored the icy stares of Machmann and Glebeck as they passed by the stage.

“We’ve got the entire day to ourselves,” said Ash. “Probably our last one for a while, too. Who knows what our days will be like after the wedding… Maybe we should go see your dad and sister.”

“I’ll make time for them after the wedding,” said Aura. “I just want to relax today.”

* * * *

Shiva spent the day hiding in her room. With the door shut and locked, no one was able to reach her for any more silly questions about flower arrangements or seating charts. At one point, there came a knocking on the door and Goddard’s voice could be heard. The Royal Advisor dropped off the girl’s wedding dress, straight from Gio. The girl opened the door and snatched the dress, locking herself in again as fast as possible. She held the dress up in front of her while staring into the mirror.

Shiva’s reflection resembled the only picture she had of her mother, a hand-drawn sketch of her and the King on their wedding night. That picture sat framed on the nightstand next to the girl’s bed. Though her mother appeared happy in the picture, Shiva had always wondered if that was truly the case with her. She was a good deal prettier than Al after all, and Shiva had never heard the story of how the two had met. Most likely, her mother and father’s marriage had been an arranged affair; much like what Shiva would have had to go through if not for Phoenix.

Across the castle, Phoenix, Wilhelm, and Leona were seated at a large table inside of a meeting room. Papers were scattered before them as the various vendors came in to fill out the final order forms for flowers and food and decorations and so on. Commander Stryd was even forced to wait in line to speak with them about the security for the event.

After hours of this, the group had to take a break. Phoenix stepped out into the hallway to stretch his legs. As luck would have it, Shiva was out of her room and heading down the hall towards him. She almost looked shy for a moment, as if she was embarrassed at seeing her fiancé. She gave a small wave and felt like a dork. Phoenix smiled.

“I needed to get out of my bedroom,” Shiva said. “I guess I could bear to help you guys out for a while, if you still need me.”

“Actually, Leona and I are just about done with the preparations,” Phoenix said. “But you’re more than welcome to sit with us.”

“Oh,” said Shiva. She didn’t expect them to have everything wrapped up so soon. “That’s just fine, I didn’t really want to help anyway…”

Behind her, Phoenix could see Prince Darko moving down the hall in the opposite direction. “You go on in,” he told her. “I just saw someone I need to talk to. I’ll be right back.”

Shiva let him go and went inside to greet her grandfather. She took a seat next to Leona and watched the servant work. After a moment of being observed, the servant girl stopped moving. She stood and addressed Wilhelm.

“May I be excused?” she said, her voice almost inaudibly delicate.

“No, sit,” Shiva said. “Pretty soon you’ll be
my
servant too. Why don’t we talk?” The servant girl sat once more and kept her face staring straight at the wall. Shiva continued. “Once Phoenix and I are married, he will have access to the entire castle staff. That means he won’t really have any more use for you. But don’t worry, I can put in the good word and get you an easy job in the laundry room.”

Wilhelm watched on edge as Leona clenched her teeth listening to Shiva speak. Shiva cast a curious glance at her grandfather, who flashed her a dopey smile. She continued talking to the servant.

“Or if you’d prefer, I could probably get you assigned to my team. You could be like our secretary. Who knows, maybe you’ll even fall for one of Draxler’s dumb pickup lines and fall in love with him-”

Leona stood again. Without permission, she walked to the exit. She paused as Shiva stood up and called out, her voice trembling with irritation. Leona was about to turn around and say something, but Wilhelm butted in.

“Dismissed,” the old Satan said. Leona took the hint and departed quickly. Shiva shot her grandfather a questioning look. “Leave that girl to Phoenix,” he said. “She’s
his
problem.”

* * * *

Phoenix took off down the hall following the Prince. It seemed like Darko was heading to his own bedroom, which was beyond the Royal Chamber and Phoenix would not be allowed to go there. He quickened his pace. As Darko turned down the hall that led to the chamber, Phoenix approached him. 

“Darko,” Phoenix called to him. The Prince stopped and turned to listen. “If you’ve got time later, I thought we could meet tonight at the old spot for a little discussion.”

“Is this a challenge?” Darko asked. “It’s been a long time since we last sparred. I don’t think you’d do so well against me now.”

“I just want to talk,” Phoenix replied. “Think you can manage that?”

“I talk with my sword, you know,” Darko said with a smirk.

“Then I’ll listen with mine,” Phoenix replied.

Darko stared the man up and down. With a gentle sigh, he shrugged. “Yeah, I can make time, I guess. For
you
. I’ll see you tonight then, at the old spot. For your sake, I hope you’ve gotten stronger. It takes a lot more than a simple seal to stop me these days.” With that, the Prince continued his journey to his bedroom, leaving Phoenix standing in the hall alone.

* * * *

As the sun dissolved, leaving the Kingdom to depend on torches to fend off the darkness, there was little the citizens of Hell could do about the overwhelming coldness that came with it. Most devils lit fires in their own homes if they were lucky enough to live in a home with a fireplace. Sometimes, families would have to resort to lighting small fires in barrels inside of their homes. Every so often, a barrel-fire would blaze out of control and burn a house down.

Phoenix arrived at the private courtyard after the sun had fully dissipated. Although he’d gotten used to training with his new team there, he couldn’t help but think of the old days, when he was a young boy going to spar with the Prince. Just like old times, Darko had arrived first and was already sitting in the grass meditating. As Phoenix marched nearer, the Prince surprised him by suddenly leaping up to his feet.

“I thought you wouldn’t come,” Darko said.

“
I
invited
you
,” Phoenix replied. “It would be rude of me to not show up to the meeting I arranged.”

“So then,” Darko said, reaching for the hilt of his sword strapped to his back. “What do you want to talk about?” The Prince pulled out the big blade Infernos, holding the sword at his side.

Phoenix was not without his own sword, which he pulled from its sheath. He held his katana at the ready in a defensive stance. “I’m worried about you,” he said.

Darko leapt forward swinging his massive sword. Phoenix jumped aside, missing the blade completely. Darko was prepared for that however and didn’t miss a beat as he swung his blade to the side. Phoenix was forced to block with his own sword, but wasn’t prepared for the power of the Prince. His katana shook violently and his footing slipped. He jumped away, knowing that if he stayed locked in a struggle for power he would likely lose.

“Worried? About
me
?” Darko asked. “How so?” The Prince continued his assault, swinging down again on Phoenix. The two traded blows evenly, but Phoenix knew the Prince was holding back. He knew Darko would want this to last as long as possible.

“I fear you may have been driven to madness by what happened
that
day,” Phoenix said while deflecting a blow.

“
That
day?” Darko repeated, sounding clueless. “I’m afraid I don’t know what day you’re talking about!” Instead of coming at him with another sword swipe, Darko dropped low and knocked Phoenix’s legs out from under him. The man rolled along the ground fleeing from Darko’s sword jabs.

Phoenix stopped rolling away from Darko and swung his legs, knocking the Prince to the ground as well. “You know what day I’m talking about,” Phoenix said as he jumped to his feet. “You were so young and it was such a tragedy, but I really think it messed you up more than anyone cares to admit.”

“Me? Messed up?” Darko sat on the ground and had a good laugh. “No Phoenix, I’m the only person who really understands this world we live in.” Darko jumped to his feet as well, leaning on his giant sword for support. “I figured it all out on
that
day. What it takes to survive here, and what gets us all killed. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least!”

“What kind of world will you create for us devils when you take the throne?” Phoenix asked, breathing heavily. “Why did Goddard bring the human boy here?”

“Who knows?” The Prince replied casually with a smirk. “I don’t really care about the throne, or that pathetic human boy. All I care about is getting stronger, strong enough to slay any opponent!”

“You’ll have to forgive me for speaking so casually, but those don’t sound like the words of a leader,” said Phoenix. “Do you really think that’s what your mother had in mind for you when she spoke her last words? When she was murdered right before your young eyes?”