9:00 am
Belo's POV
"Good morning sire. You look very well rested today," Kikimora bowed down after I came out of my room.
"Good morning Kikimora. I did sleep wonderfully as I look forward to this day for a certain reason. Before I tell you what we're going to do today, I must discuss an encounter I had regarding Hunter yesterday," I averted my eyes to my assistant who seemed nervous.
"What is it, your majesty?"
"Hunter told me that during his training, you two had an argument. You mentioned that you wished you left him when he was a child. Hunter came to me and I had to tell him the truth that we are not related. I could lose his trust because I lied to him. I do not expect that to happen again. Do you understand, Kikimora?" I placed my sharp, golden fingertips and clenched Kikimora's chin in slight anger, drawing a tiny amount of blood.
"Y-Yes sire. It won't h-happen again."
I let go and replied, "I hope so. Now, onward to today's agenda. I've decided on an idea last night that will be risky but worth it. This can be a key to becoming victorious once we achieve this plan."
"If I may ask, what is this plan of yours my lord?"
"We'll be having a war against the Boiling Isles soon enough. That is after Lilith and Hunter complete their mission and come back with valuable information. When we go through a plan and stick with it, there will be something extraordinary that no one has ever done. We will tame monsters around our kingdom to help us kill every single knight who steps in our way."
"How will we do that King Belos? They feed on living animals and people. It would be nearly impossible for us to tame a beast if all they want to do is eat us."
"Worry not Kikimora. Blood will shed but it won't be our blood. Instead, we will feed them to prisoners we have captured. Those monsters will gain our trust and will work alongside us. That is why today will be a busy and successful day. This is a project that is bound to help us win a war for me to rule the entire world in a few years."
"I'm excited for you my liege. Surely, your idea will work and make our army the strongest out of anyone else's," Kikimora commented.
"I like your enthusiasm. As your king, I order you to grab Steve and some of the finest, toughest men to help you bring out the prisoners and feed them to the strongest monster you can find. If no creatures obey your orders, kill them immediately."
My assistant bowed before saying, "Right away my king."
I watched as she disappeared out of my sight. The creatures that lurk around the kingdom always hide in the woods whenever there is sunlight. Most are sensitive to it, some are terrified, and some find it easier to hunt in the darkness. Somehow, Kikimora and my guards will manage to capture a couple of them. Whether it be demons, minotaurs, or any other monsters, they'll be on our side. Nothing will stop me, and if anyone gets in my way, I'll kill them.
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Luz's POV
I was extremely excited when morning came by. I woke up next to my adorable girlfriend who was already awake and reading an Azura book. She looked at me and gave me a smile. I smiled back before giving her a peck on the lips. We decided to cuddle for a few minutes before getting up and taking a shower together. Then, we dressed and got ready for the day. Amity and I left the room to eat breakfast when everyone was already sitting at the table.
"Good morning love birds. Hope you slept well last night from all the ruckus noise you've been making," Eda held a sly grin. Both Amity and I blushed a dark red and sat down at the table with the rest of the others.
"S-Sorry about that. It won't happen again," I rubbed the back of my neck nervously.
"Eh don't worry about it kid. I'm glad you both made it on time before we're served. As for Hunter and Lilith, I expected you troublemakers to sleep in."
"Nonsense Eda. King Alador and Queen Odalia allowed me to stay here, and it would be so disrespectful as to sleep in and skip breakfast," Lilith folded her arms.
"I agree with Miss Lilith. They were okay with me staying, so I should abide by their routine from the time they wake up, eat, and sleep," Hunter added.
"Quit it you two. There's no need to copy exactly what us royals do in order to show respect. You may do whatever you like as long as you don't break any rules. Enjoy yourselves here at my palace and loosen up once in a while. I don't want either of you to stress yourselves out. So have fun before our real work begins," Alador gave a speech.
"Thank you Alador. I don't know how we can repay you for all of this," Lilith uttered.
"You already are repaying me just by helping me figure out a plan to defeat Belos. That's more than enough for me." Lilith and Hunter gave a grin to the king before looking down to their plates.
As everyone sparked up a new conversation from each other, we were served a big breakfast for everybody to eat together. While eating and talking, I noticed a lot of things that made me feel warm. There were smiles, laughter, and enjoyment lighting up in their eyes. It all feels like we are one big family. It caught me off guard when I saw Hunter smiling as wide as he could. It's the first time I've seen him smile, and that's something I'll never forget. His friend, Flapjack, had his own little plate filled with seeds and fruits. That cardinal is adorable.
Half an hour passed and mostly everyone finished eating. I was able to know how my mom and Vee were doing as they had so much work to do during the past two days. Luckily, they seemed happy working for Alador. As for Gus, he's been traveling last week from kingdom to kingdom because of his amazing cooking skills. Edric and Emira traveled as well with their lovers to complete some missions for their father and mother.
Alador and Odalia used their time to train their fighting skills and organize a complete plan for the upcoming war. Eda's leg was getting a bit better after the incident. She's been trying to use her injured leg more to heal it quicker. Eda continues using her crutches for support. There's a lot to learn from Lilith and Hunter's background, but so far, they are enjoying themselves at the palace. Amity has improved during her training in a fast period of time. Gus noticed and was proud of her. I was willing to watch and duel the next time Amity trains.
I'm very happy to hear everyone has been doing well with nothing distracting them. After breakfast, everybody left to do something productive. Odalia offered me to take some time off as a guard while she and Amity were to talk about my girlfriend's future as queen. I decided for it and let them go together. The only person left was the one and only blonde haired man and his cardinal on his head. He was viewing a painting hung up on the wall of the Blight family from years ago.
"Hey Hunter. You're not planning to stick with Lilith for today?"
"No. I wanted to get familiar with the palace from inside," he responded.
"Is it different from Belo's castle?"
"It is. His castle feels cold, empty, and lonely. Belos doesn't have anything on his walls. The colors painted are mostly dark red and black."
"That sounds like his castle alright."
"Yeah. It's nothing special compared to this palace."
"What do you think of this one?" Curiosity took over me.
"Honestly, this structure feels welcoming. As if it's a warm and safe place to be at where you can be yourself without having to worry about being punished if you slip up," Hunter furrowed his eyebrow. I was taken back from his answer. Just hearing the response made me wonder what kind of hell he went through over to the Demon Realm.
"What did Belos do to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"From your answer, it doesn't sound like you had fun over there with that man. What has he done to you and Lilith?" I held some seriousness in my voice.
"Why do you care? It's not like we're friends or anything," Hunter states.
"We may not be friends, but I care about you. After all, we're on the same side now, and I'm willing to help you during your hardest times. You can trust me you know," I put a hand on his shoulder to show I was being genuine. He gave me a surprised look as if he didn't expect me to say such thoughtful words.
"Why? After everything we've done to you people, you treat us like we're one of you."
"That's because we have faith in you to change into someone better. We've learned to give second chances, and we are willing to take those risks."
Hunter let out a deep sigh before saying, "I guess there's no need to hide from what I've been through any longer. Right before I left to travel here on my own, Kikimora told me something that made me feel worth nothing. I always thought Belos was my uncle since I was small. I never knew what happened to my parents since Belos said that they just left me with Belos to watch over. It was all a lie when both Kikimora and Belos confessed to me that I was found in the woods with no one around. Kikimora brought me in and Belos decided to keep me."
Hunter paused but kept going, "That was when Lilith started taking care of me and taught me a lot of things with Kikimora. As I grew older and learned how to fight, I was capable of completing tasks on my own for Belos. The thing is, I never had the guts to do what Belos wanted me to finish. Those missions were mainly to kill innocent people. I wasn't able to do any of them so I lied and lied to Belos about finishing my jobs. He believed me until he had Kikimora go along with me. She did her part of the task but I didn't. When Kiki reported to him that I didn't do nothing, he tortured me," Hunter's eyes began to water.
"L-Lilith tried her best to reason with him not to hurt me which made things worse for her. He chained us and beat us for a while until he was too tired to continue on. Neither of us were able to cry because he'd make the pain worse. That's how I received this scar on my jawline. After that day, Lilith swore to protect me and make sure that Belos wouldn't lay a hand on me ever again. She was willing to take all the blame for me. I wish Kikimora left me dead. Then none of this would've happened," Hunter tried his best to hold his tears back.
I never knew someone like Belos would be so cruel and hateful. It's unforgiving for what he has done to Hunter and Lilith. They never deserved to be treated like nothing. Both of them lived in constant fear, not able to express how they actually feel. I don't blame them for the way they have been towards us. They had to save their own skin and satisfy Belos to feel as if they're worth something. I pulled Hunter into a tight hug to show him that he no longer needs to hide his feelings.
"It's okay to cry and be vulnerable. This is nothing to be ashamed of. You don't need to hide the pain you've endured for years. You're safe now Hunter. I'll make sure of that. Remember that I will help you in any way I can." Hunter remained silent for a few seconds before he began to sob into my shoulder. I felt his wet tears drop onto my clothing, holding onto me as if I was the last person in this world to disappear. Flapjack rubbed his head on top of Hunters while I soothed his back and let him cry for as long as he needed. I felt empathy for this man. Even if Hunter was an enemy, he deserves a second chance.
"I-I'm sorry...for e-everything. I just didn't w-want to be hurt anymore. I-I've never been l-loved before so I thought I might as well b-be a horrible person," Hunter said through his sobs. I pulled back with hands attached to his shoulders. He stared at the floor while streams of tears continued to fall.
"It's okay now. You're definitely going to be loved by people here. Not right now because you are still a criminal to them, but you'll switch things around by helping them out the best way you can. Be yourself and follow your heart," I poked at Hunter's chest where his heart is located. Hunter sniffed, wiped his tears, and flashed a small smile.
"Thanks Luz. I really needed that. You're not a bad person at all. I bet a lot of people are lucky to have you in their life."
"And you'll be one of them. Just think about this, once we defeat Belos, Kikimora, and their army, everyone will be bound to love and cherish you. The Blights and my family will too. We'll support each other and work together as a whole. All of us will be unstoppable," I beamed confidently.
"Yeah! Then, I can finally help those in need and be the perfect role model for them. All I need to do is work on my communication skills and look all happy, so I don't scare anyone away," Hunter scratched the back of his head.
"That's the spirit! See? You're already planning out what you want to do for the future. I've never been more proud of you than I already am now," I gave him a soft, playful punch to his upper arm.
"Thanks. Maybe I should do that right now since I have nothing to do."
"Remember that everyone still thinks you're the enemy. We'll need to ask Alador if that's okay with him to let you roam around the kingdom. I'll even tag along with you if the king is fine with this idea."
"Oh, right. Lead the way to the king, knight."
"Sure thing loser," I stuck out my tongue at him.
"Hey!" I chuckled before walking him to where the training room was at. It took a couple of turns until we made it to our destination. I opened the door and entered in with Hunter to see Alador, Odalia, and Amity on their side of the room, practicing.
"Hey Luz! What're you doing here? Did you come to train with us?" Alador used a towel to wipe off the sweat from his forehead.
"Actually, no. Hunter wants to stroll around the kingdom and help out people. I would come along with him of course. We came to ask for your permission and see if you're willing to let us go out."
"I don't mind as long as you keep an eye on him. I'll have Jerbo let the guards know that you and Hunter are together outside of the palace to be in use for my people."
"Thanks King Alador. I'll take good care of this guy here," I nudged Hunter as he scoffed.
"Very well. Have fun you two."
"We will!" I dragged Hunter out of the room and brought him to the exit of the castle.
"That was easy. I never knew King Alador would just allow me to do what I want."
"As long as you don't do anything dumb, you'll be good."
"Pft. As if I would do anything like that."
"We'll see about that," I smirked.
"Dream on Luz. I will prove to you I'm not as careless as you picture me to be. Just you wait."
"Okay, okay, I get it. You'll be handling everything for now until you've done enough work to get people to like you at least."
"Cool. I just need to find anyone who needs my assistance," Hunter walked ahead and searched to see if there was anybody struggling to do something. I giggled at the way Hunter was excited to do some good for anyone that needs aiding. It feels amazing to see him like this.
"Excuse me ma'am. Do you need help carrying these bags of flour?" I heard and saw Hunter asking an old lady who was trying to drag a 50 pound bag of flour inside of her home. She had a cane and used one hand to pull the bag.
"What's a criminal like you doing around here? I will call the guards on you to take you away." That granny is wild.
"Sorry ma'am, but he's not really a criminal to us. Even if he still is to others, I'm here to watch him to make sure nothing is to happen," I barged between them.
"Oh! Why didn't you say so? Get to work blondie because I have loads of other stuff I need you to carry that are heavy. They're all in my wagon," the lady ordered around Hunter.
"Right away madam!" Hunter hurriedly picked up the sack and ran to where the woman's house was at. I want to be of service to get things done quicker, so I grabbed a bag as well. Flapjack was chirping away to the lady as if he was talking to her. She was fascinated.
"My, your bird is one unique fella. I can tell he adores you so much," the woman told Hunter. She offered us drinks as we both relaxed after finishing up loading the sacks into the lady's house.
"He really does. I cherish my friend a lot."
"How nice. Anyways, I thank you both for lending me a hand. You're very kind people."
"No problem ma'am. We just want to help out by acts of kindness. I do want to say thank you for allowing me to aid you," Hunter bowed his head and brought it back up.
"Oh you're welcome dear. You're not as bad as I thought."
"I am willing to change for the greater good. You gave me the opportunity to do so. I am looking forward to seeing you sometime soon madam."
"You as well blondie. Take care, both of you," we all waved before moving on somewhere else.
"I never knew helping someone could make me feel so good. It's like I can do anything," Hunter smiled.
"It is the best feeling, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I want to continue this experiment. Come on. Let's hurry and see if anybody else needs our assistance," Hunter grabbed my wrist and dragged me quickly in search of anyone who calls out for any favors. He really is determined to stick with his idea. It won't be long before he goes back to the Demon Realm. I'm worried about him and Lilith if they slip up, and Belos catches them lying. We'll need a back-up plan if everything goes wrong for those two.
Timeskip
"Well I am exhausted. I think I'm going to feel sore tomorrow."
"We did help tons of people. Most of them were ready to attack you, but good thing I was there to get you out of those situations," I laid out myself down and spread my limbs out on a grassy area where Hunter and I stopped by to relax. He did the same thing except he placed his hands underneath his head. Flapjack was settled on Hunter's stomach.
"I don't blame them one bit. They are not used to an enemy like me just roaming around the kingdom and asking strangers if they want help. It won't stop me from accomplishing my goal. I need to continue moving forward instead of backwards from where I started out. That's the only way to get to where I want to be."
My eyes stayed on the sky as I responded, "Alador and Lilith will look at you and say, 'Wow. You're growing up as a better man. Not many people can do that.'"
"It really is something that they would say. Words of encouragement can change people. Just like how your words inspired me to do good in this kingdom. I do owe it to you guys after all."
"You do, but doing service is a lot for us. I know that from experience. Continue what you're doing, and you will be fine in the end."
"I'll take your word for it, Luz."
I grinned as we remained silent while watching the clouds slowly glide its way around the radiant, blue, ocean sky. The wind, smoothly pushing my hair to the side, brought the grass to swing as if it was dancing. The warmth from the sun lingered on my skin and with the wind added, it made the weather perfect. I let my eyes close and body relax while I allowed my exhaustion to put me to sleep.
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Belo's POV
"My king! We've managed to tame seven demons, five ogres, and two minotaurs so far."
"Looks like it was easier than we thought. How were you able to do so without getting killed?" I interrogated my partner.
"We did what you suggested. We feed them our prisoners. Not only that, but they seemed to listen to what I was ordering them to do. I've been training them to kill the leftover prisoners without the creatures becoming deranged."
"Those are news I needed to hear. Where did you place our new friends?"
"They are waiting outside of your castle, your majesty. I wanted to grab you first and see what you wanted to do with them."
"It appears you've trained them well enough to have the monsters stay by the door of my home. I wonder if they'll listen to me and obey my instructions," I got off my throne and walked down the aisle. Kikimora followed me by my side as we both made it out of the palace to meet up with the spawns. I never feared any of them, but it is the opposite for them. Whenever I come across these species, they cower and hide away from me. The sight of it makes me feel like I'm on top of the world.
When I arrived outside, I saw all fourteen of them standing without moving or making any noises. They were about the same height as each other. Standing at about seven feet tall. I can tell they look satisfied with what we fed them. If they weren't, we would've been attacked. Too bad I can kill them in a matter of seconds without hesitation.
"Welcome, my friends! I would like all of you to join my army and fight my worst enemies until we become victorious. In exchange, you can eat away their bodies once they've become deceased by us. We will make sure to treat you all as one of us and rule this wretched world together. You may invite more of your kind to help out in order for us to give you what you need to survive. So, what do you say for my proposal?" I gave a wicked smile and held my hand out after my speech.
A tall demon who looked powerful and strong walked up to me and grabbed my hand. It shook it before letting go, signifying that they're making a deal with me.
"Very well. I'm grateful to recruit you together. You'll make a fine fighter along with my guards. Hopefully, all of us can work together very well and fast. Soon enough we will be at war with King Alador and his phony, pathetic knights. It's a good thing I have fourteen of you on my side. Now then, come along and make yourselves comfortable at your new home. Please hesitate yourself from eating my guards. My men will make sure to feed you anyone they capture as you stay at my castle," I led them in.
I'm giving the creatures a dark room to stay in for the time being. There's no windows or any openings that can shadow them with sunlight. A single, heavy door is added to keep them in without escaping. Everything is and will continuously go as planned. I'm expecting my two leaders to come back as soon as possible. We have so much to discuss, and they will provide me as much details about the solution Alador has to use against me. Him, his family, and army are going to fall apart.