Ningen, Mazoku, Kami... Anything, anyone that can hear me, please... I don't want to die now!
I felt the eyes of the Golden Dragon's in the air upon me; those monstrous slits of pleasurable emerald satisfied with my suffering. They flew away to join with the other members of their Karyuoh tribe, assuming me dead, and glad of it too. I wished I had been dead then as well, but they had just left me there. Left me there alone with nowhere else to go. Why didn't you bastards just kill me? Do you like to see this pain? Are you just as evil as the Mazoku? I suppose you are... Killing my friends, my family; banishing them to the afterlife. I don't want to be alone and I don't want to die! We had lived together in peace for so long... Why now? Why us? Why couldn't we just have gone on like we had? I don't want to suffer anymore...
Scars ran all over my back and chest, over my arms and on my cheeks. Blood trickled from my lips and mouth, making me shiver even in the intense heat from the flaming sun above me. The rays of its light burned on my wounds, making them sting as much as moving. I tried to sit up on the sand dune, using all the power I had left in my arms to do it. I gritted my teeth against the razor numbing pain sizzling down my chest and legs, only letting out a soft groan that should have been a relieving scream as I was finally able to crack my bones into place and move. But I didn't even have the strength to scream... All I could now was sit and wait here alone, wrapped in my own misery and loneliness until I, too, died and joined my kin.
Ningen, Mazoku, Kami... Anything, anyone that can hear me, please... I don't want to die now!
But it was Mazoku who answered my silent calling...
Through the blood lightly running down into my eyes from the bangs of my aquamarine hair, I saw a tempest of sand arise with the wild wind passing by. Focusing on my sight instead of the pain from the wind whipping my long hair against my back, I saw a figure slowly approaching me within the cloud of sand. I wiped the blood away from my eyes trying to focus my unclear vision. Everything was spinning around me, making me dizzy, but I could finally see some of the details of the one before me.
His expression, that twisted, evil smile, was one I had never seen before. He had long red hair that flowed almost to his feet with a long orange overcoat covering him. His eyes were a shade of dark midnight blue in a slanted, almost sadistic look. A sword was connected over his back, long in its hilt. He was certainly strange looking. Mysterious and tall. I wasn't sure what to think until I felt his magical aura smash into my own. Not human, not dragon, but Mazoku...
"Hey, you there, alive?" His voice was gruff and loud, trying to catch my attention over the howling of the wind. I actually smirked at him, smiling slightly. I don't know why; perhaps it was just my own hidden Mazoku blood within me that snapped my subconscious into it...
"You Mazoku have come to kill us too?" It came as a surprise to myself that I could still speak in my pathetic condition. It hurt, though, sending shocks of pain down my throat.
"Seems the Karyuoh have already done enough, wouldn't you agree?" He examined me carefully, taking in my details, seeming to be in deep thought. I suppose I didn't mind his staring only because I just barely noticed it... I couldn't think about anything but the pain going through every nerve in my body. "Amazing that you survived! The rest of the Mazoku were hoping that the Golds would take care of all of ya' for us."
"I expected that... Mazoku and Dragon are opposing tribes... You wanted us to die just as much as the fucking Golds..." I choked on those words, coughing up more blood. I was blurting out all of my whirling emotions, not even thinking before I spit them out, but I didn't care... I was going to die. Nothing mattered anymore... But the Mazoku seemed amused watching me...
"Amazing that you survived, but it looks like you won't last for long." That was true... I probably looked so pathetic, so helpless, especially in the eyes of a Mazoku. I tried to prove him wrong by attempting to transform into dragon form, to show that I did have some life and power left within me... But that just made it worse. Even using every ounce of strength left within me I could just barely grow my wings and change my arms into their other shape. After that, though, the wounds stung like the flames of hell itself, making me scream so harshly that it forced my stomach up and forced me to spit up more blood. It hurt so much that I could have sworn that death had invited me into its door just then... But it didn't...
My wings and arms reverted back into my weak human body that I couldn't even lift up to sit now. I just had to lie there, drowning myself in pain and desperateness, and this Mazoku wasn't showing any indication of leaving. Why had he come anyway? The only reason I could think of was that the Mazoku were extremely sadistic and they were our opposing tribe. I suppose they would have loved to see us die, dropping down from the skies like flies with arrows stuck through us. But still... I didn't want a Mazoku to watch my death... I hate them, the Mazoku... So, why did I ever-
"You have no power left in that pitiful body of yours, Valteria." He already knew my name? Strange, the Mazoku.
"It doesn't matter..." I whispered, feeling the taste of blood left in my throat sizzle with a warm shock of pain. He just smiled even larger at that remark even though he had been grinning the whole time. Damn sadistic Mazoku...
"Oh, it doesn't does it? Oh, I've been watching you, Valteria. You have a tremendous dark light flaming inside you, one that can rival with one of my kind. I'll give you another chance. A chance to finish all those things the Karyuoh took away from your tribe by starting this war. Join me and be my recruit and I will grant you power and a position in the Mazoku ranking." His words were hard to hear over the razor spinning headache pulsing through my brain but somehow I understood and was able to respond in my weak condition.
"And why would I want to be Mazoku?"
"Well, you can always just sit here and die," he mused in a laughing voice. "I'm giving you the chance to start over with a new life as a Mazoku that will help you fulfill everything that you weren't able to." I wanted to ask him why he chose me of all people, but I knew my time was running short. I had to choose: To die here and keep my honor as an Ancient, or live and betray them by joining our greatest enemy. And I betrayed them....
I slowly stood, ignoring the pain because I knew it would soon all be taken away. I wouldn't have to suffer from it anymore, and that too clouded the judgement of my decision. I limped to him, feeling too helpless to ever be of any use to a tribe like the Mazoku, but he chose me... Grabbing my bangs with a fierce grip, he stabbed his blade through my stomach... And I could feel everything drifting away into an endless sea of black. Until a sharp pain pushed my eyes open and a dark force surrounded me, making me scream from the pressure. Something growing on my head, pulsing harder and harder...
"Now you're one of us! Your name is now Valgarv!"
"Wake up sleepy head! You're going to be late!" Filia urgently opened the door to Valteria's room, dashing in. Valteria lay on his back, tossing and turning in a vivid sleep, groaning loudly. "You don't want to make a bad impression and show up late for the first day of school do you? Valteria-chan, I mean it! Get up right now!" She put her hands on her hips in annoyance as the child just rolled over onto his stomach and pulled his pillow over his ears, moaning now that she had awoken him. After thinking for a moment she finally broke a grin to herself and began walking out. "Fine. Then Jiras-san, Grabos-san, and I will all eat breakfast without you!"
"Ah, Filia..." Valteria sat up slowly, giving a long yawn as Filia left the room giggling. Morning sunlight poured in through the windows around his room, hurting his tired eyes as he stood and dressed. It was his first day of school and Filia was making such a huge fuss over it that she even had a special outfit laid out for him. A long sleeve blue shirt with green pants and his brown boots. After thoroughly brushing his shoulder length aquamarine hair, he emerged into the hallway and finally to the kitchen where Filia stood over the stove in her white apron cooking breakfast while Grabos and Jiras sat at the table waiting.
"Well, look at who finally decided to get out of bed!" Filia said in a laughing voice, just barely looking up from the pancakes she was preparing. The scent was wonderful. "Did you sleep well?"
"Well, sort of... I had a scary dream..." Valteria sat down beside Grabos, who was smiling cheerfully, as he always did like Jiras, seeming anxious for breakfast to be served.
"Getting your beauty sleep is important in your youth. Try not to lose it." Filia opened one of the cupboards, taking out a plate and stacking the bunch of finished pancakes onto it. After closing it, turning off the stove, and removing her white-laced apron, she returned to the table and served them. "Excited about school?" She sat down beside him.
"Yep!" By the time he had answered, Jiras and Grabos had already gotten first grabs on breakfast, hastily and sloppily eating the pancakes, maple syrup running from their mouths. Filia had always taught him to be perfectly proper mannered and polite, but 'Uncle Jiras' and 'Uncle Grabos' made it difficult without their support in being good examples. Valteria picked up all he needed from Filia, though, quiet and low tempered. If Filia had ever lashed out like before he was born, her tail sticking out, drawing her mace from underneath her pink ruffled dress, that would have changed things. But since Valteria hatched after the journey to defeat Darkstar, she calmed herself into a state of motherhood.
After a breakfast of pancakes with butter and maple syrup accompanied by a cup of tea, Filia helped Valteria prepare his small leather book bag with all the things he would need for class while Jiras and Grabos began cleaning and opening the shop. Filia just gabbed on and on about all the things he would learn, while at the same time re-brushing his hair and washing his face, insisting that there was still syrup on it and wasn't clean enough. No one could tell, except for the fact that Valteria didn't resemble her, that Filia wasn't a real mother because she acted so much like one. And it wasn't as though she was acting like an actress in a play, the worries and motherly lectures came completely naturally, as though her subconscious.
"Okay, you two watch the shop while I walk Valteria to school will you? And I'll be back as soon as I can." Filia said cheerfully as she helped Valteria into his navy blue jacket while putting on her own pink one.
"Sure thing, Filia. Have a good day, Valteria-kun!" Grabos waved as the two approached the door, followed by Jiras who was sitting behind the sale counter.
"I will! See you later Uncle Jiras, Uncle Grabos!" Valteria called over his shoulder as Filia led him out, keeping a firm grip on his hand as they emerged into the busy streets.
The smells from the morning bakery were carried by the slight breeze passing. A magnificent scent. Villagers passed by, all greeting Filia with several "hellos" and "good mornings". Valteria, as always, kept silent. He hated attention, being the focus, being in crowds. It made him nervous. He particularly liked to just blend in, not being noticed. Filia seemed to want him to friendly like her, but some reason it was hard for him. He didn't know why. He just felt so different from everyone else, so distant. After all, how many people on Dragon's Peak had aquamarine hair?
She led him up a steep hill, supporting him so he wouldn't stumble. At the top, a large stone building could be seen, dozens of children his age and older swarming around it like bees on honey, screaming and playing loudly. Already he felt a sense of distance. He wasn't going to fit in here either.
"Come on! Come on!" Filia tugged him down the hill excitedly, leading him to where the crowd of kids squished through the small doorway, all pushing and shoving each other. All of the children seemed to know her and buzzed with many enthusiastic greetings. She smiled and replied back happily, making Valteria feel sheepish for staying silent. She finally pulled him all the way along with many other parents who seemed to be on familiar terms with her also. His heart ached with a strange loneliness.
As he and Filia moved into the doorway of his classroom he felt himself set on a sea of nervousness. He had acted excited about starting school for Filia's sake but he wasn't. He had heard what kids in town would whisper about him behind his back, and he knew it wouldn't be any different here. In fact, he expected it to be far worse from the torturous words he had heard in town.
"Hey, is he Filia's son?"
"Nah! I heard that he was an orphan so Filia took him in."
"Poor Filia. Having to take care of some weird kid who isn't even hers."
"Have you seen his hair?"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"No wonder he's an orphan. Who would want him anyway?"
The voices rang in his ears, in clear vivid memory. Painful memory. 'Orphan'. That's what everyone knew him as. Nobody wanted him except Filia. She must have just pitied him or...
"Valteria-chan!" Filia's voice broke over his tumbling thoughts, making him face her and pay attention. "Snap out of it! Your teacher said that your seat is over here." He had been dazing so deeply he hadn't even noticed that Filia had spoken with his teacher. Deep, powerful thought and imagination. She led him to his seat at the far right corner of the room, beside the window. This brightened his spirits a little and he broke a smile as he sat in his seat and adjusted his book bag on the back of his chair, covered by his jacket. Filia giggled with pride.
"I have to go back to the shop now. Now that you know the way, I trust you to walk home by yourself. Have a good day, make lots of friends, and study hard!"
"I will." His voice was obviously a parody of happiness, but Filia acted like she didn't notice, pulling up his bangs with her soft, gloved fingers and kissing his forehead with her cool, soothing lips.
"Okay. I'll see you later." Valteria watched her exit the door, glad that she didn't exchange any more words with his teacher. She had long; curly blonde hair ran down her back in tight spirals. Her lips were painted with a lavender red lipstick that made them the most noticeable part of her face. She wore a white laced short and blouse with a silk black skirt. Very pretty.
The class was deafeningly noisy before the teacher, Mrs. Merrium, called the class to an attentive silence. She talked about herself for a short while before going around the class from front row to back row, asking each child to say something about them. Valteria shielded his ears away from the voices around him and was absorbed in the view outside, wrapped in his own thoughts. About his dreams...
"Valteria," Mrs. Merrium's stern voice cut him away from his fantasy world. "Tell us something about yourself." That was a killer question. He didn't know anything about himself. With a shrug, he said the first that came to mind.
"I like to draw." All of the children giggled. Already the strange one, already the outcast. The damn 'orphan'.
"Oh? You'll have to draw me something sometime then." Her voice was cheerful but it didn't help brighten his spirits. He only nodded.
"Okay."
Pain. Going from his cheekbone down to his chest, sizzling everywhere. The bruise left there felt like a dent in his face, hurting so much that he couldn't think. The pressure made blood ooze from his nose and mouth, shocks of unbearably warm pain running to every nerve in his body.
"Go for it, Vistal!" Cheers from kids were cramming into his ears on all sides. Loud roars, making his ears ache like a drum being pounded. Why did it have to be him? And he had to just sit there on the ground groveling... Couldn't fight it, couldn't lash back out and hurt his opponent. Helpless, completely helpless... Just like that man in all of his dreams...
"We had better beat it before the teacher comes out and finds us." He could recognize that voice even through his clouded thinking. Vistal. Stupid Vistal, picking a fight over something like that. Although, he may have been right. An outcast, an outsider, an enemy of the Karyuoh... Just like...
After the footsteps of the retreating students could be heard trailing off into the distance, Valteria used all of his strength to lift himself up from the ground and surprisingly he had just enough power left in his limp body to make it home. What would Filia say? What would she think? He didn't really care what anyone thought of him at this point. Why should it matter? But it did.
As he slowly entered the shop, Filia and his two "uncles" were already shouting at him, wanting an explanation to why he was home so late. It had been late evening by the time he made it home, the sunshine fading into a crystal red, purple, and sky blue sunset across the horizon. After noticing all of his scars, however, they didn't wait for an answer and immediately rushed him to the back of the house and closed up the shop to tend to them. He sat down silently on the couch as Filia ran a towel, wet with steaming water on his cuts... It hurt...
"How did this happen to you?" Her voice clouded with worry.
"I fell." A brave lie, that was fairly obvious, especially to Filia.
"You can tell me later." She wiped all the blood off of his face, then slipped his tattered shirt off of his wounded chest. The heat stung so much that he didn't even have enough energy to scream from it. Finally the pain subsided into a razor thrumming in his head with that terrible, pounding headache. She ordered him to lie down, and he obediently did so. A gleaming light grew at her fingertips that dazzled his eyes like diamonds. Magic. The most intriguing thing he had ever seen and heard of.
"Where did you learn magic, Filia?"
"From Saichro-sama."
"Can I learn it?"
She didn't answer him, only gave him a stern look that forced him to look away from her eyes. The light was relaxing over his scars, making him sigh enjoyment, absorbing the power in. He wished he had magic. Then he could show Vistal who was weak! After the spell had engulfed all of his injuries into its light, Filia let it fade and seemed exhausted. Jiras and Grabos came in, offering to put Valteria to bed for her so she could rest. She gladly agreed, and stumbled to her room. Good, he didn't have to explain what happened for now at least.
Valteria changed into his pajamas and brushed his mangled hair then climbed into bed where Jiras and Grabos gave him a simple kiss goodnight before blowing out the candle on his desk and leaving. He was relieved that the wounds no longer pained him, but he wished that he could have had the chance to thank Filia before she left. He felt like such a burden. A problem weighing her down. His worries and whirling thoughts thrust him back into a deep sleep.
I sat silently at the window, watching the dark shadows of night leak down into the sunlight like spilt ink on paper. I felt the Mazoku's eyes upon me, but I didn't care. He hadn't said a word to me since I had come to a few hours ago. I felt like I was in a dark closet locked away from humanity, screaming at the top of my lungs for release, and no one even noticed. All of the pain had gone away except for a slight sizzle of shock running through my head. Probably from growing that horn. I knew that I wasn't completely Mazoku because of it, though. He had left half of my Ancient Dragon blood within me as though it would help ease my guilt. It didn't help at all. I had betrayed my family, my friends, and my kin. Gomen nasai, mina...
"Oh, come off it!" My ears shot up in surprise as his serious voice met them. I hesitantly turned around. "Stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself."
"I know... I chose this path..." I spoke the truth, gulping hard. I didn't know at all how to speak to a Mazoku, and now I was one of them. So, I decided it was best to change the subject. "Where are we?"
"In a fortress made for all of us Mazoku. I suppose that all the rest are having a party to celebrate the death of your race. We'll return to my own fortress soon." He looked amused at my dull reaction. My face was clear of any emotion, dragon or Mazoku. I felt like an angel who was just forced into the clutches of an evil devil. But I was the one who let the devil catch me.
"Well, that's where you've been." My Master and I both looked up in surprise and noticed a dark figure leaning in the doorway. "Skipping out on the party, Maryuoh-chan?" A tall woman emerged into the candlelight of the small room, illuminating her slender form from the shadows of the dark doorway.
Her long tanned legs ran up in fishnet stockings, showing off most of the flesh. It looked as smooth and as pleasurable as silk, setting off a desire to touch them. Her black skirt was so short that you could see her lingerie panties underneath. Her shirt was tight, and short, showing off her breasts almost as though she was wearing no shirt at all. Her eyes were like two twin amethyst orbs, peering out in cruel slits of violet. Her lips dressed in pink lipstick made them seem so seductive, as though they were just waiting to be kissed. Like candy waiting to be eaten. Her long golden hair ran down her back, gleaming in the candlelight. She was tall, too, despite the fact that she was wearing high heels, and perfectly slender. An intriguing woman... Sexy, seductive, desirable...
"Xellass, why are you here?" My Master snapped angrily as she approached him followed by another figure. His eyes were a complete match with her's, his hair hung at his shoulders in gleaming purple strands. He was dressed in pure black with a long black cape drifting behind him at his feet.
"I was wondering why you weren't out with the others. Who's your friend?" Her voice rippled out in cruel, deep sounds that drew me in. Her darkly beautiful eyes fluttered over to me, who sat behind my Master. My Master whose name I had not yet gained. But she had called him 'Maryuoh-chan'. Probably taunting him. How did they know each other anyway?
"Go away, bitch." A simple reply from my Master, leaning on his sword, eyes flaming with anger.
"My, my! Aren't you in a bad mood!"
"Seeing you always puts me in a bad mood."
"Because I intimidate you with my power."
"What?" He clinched his teeth holding back a razor surge of hate. "You listen to me, Xellass, I have a higher position than you of Shabranigdo's Generals. Nothing will change that. And you there," his eyes shifted to the one behind her. "Don't think you have any power over a Master like me just because you have powers from both General and Priest positions. You're crazy doing something stupid like that, Xellass. It's against the rules."
"I may do whatever I please. Xelloss-chan, here, will have more power than any one of your pathetic recruits." She smirked seeming amused. Her companion merely continued to smile at my Master and I, but I felt his eyes seeming to flame past Maryuoh and at me.
"Oh, you think?" I wished he hadn't pointed the focus on me just then. "This new one will be able to defeat your little Xelloss easily after his training." Two enemies using their companions as weapons of choice...
"So, he's one of your new allies?" Her exotic eyes rolled over me. She purred. "Nice looking but he'll never have any power over my Xelloss." She then turned to the one behind her, grinning admiringly.
"We'll see about that."
"Indeed we will. Have fun training something so useless. Come Xelloss, Love. The rest of the party must be missing our company." She casually turned away from us, her golden flowing behind her as she began exiting. Her companion just sat there, still staring at me for another moment.
"Nice meeting you. I'll enjoy our match." That voice. So cruel and rippling with playful, dark pleasure. Like melted butter, so sweet, yet tainted. Then he too turned his back on us and followed his strikingly beautiful Master out. She was breathtakingly gorgeous and she was an enemy of Maryuoh?
He looked at me straight in the eyes, seeming annoyed, still cooling off his anger from the words of the woman Mazoku.
"Wish someone would damn her to hell, that Xellass. She has no right to call herself 'The Beastmaster' or whatever. Shabranigdo made a bad choice in creating her, and she made an even worse choice picking up that Xelloss. It's against the Mazoku rules to change humans into Mazokus. They're supposed to be purely created from the Lord of Nightmares dark energy." I hardly understood a word of it, but he sounded so serious, as though it was crucially important. I could only think of one thing to say.
"You changed me into a Mazoku..." I blurted out hastily, almost wishing it weren't true.
"And I broke the rules."
Why? Why would you do that to make something useless like me into one of your kind? Why me?