Baku and Hannya sat in front of the tranquil gray pond, gazing at the ethereal glow beneath the surface. White, crystal-like sparkles floated in its depths, slowly dancing in a circular motion throughout the dark liquid expanse.
The morning winds blew past them every now and then, causing subtle ripples to appear on the gray surface, scattering the particles to the pond's edges for a moment, as if the slightest touch to the water would swing open the gates of reality leading to the other side. As the winds settled, those gates would close once more, and the reactive sparkles would spread back across its center.
The old devil looked over at Hannya, who was holding three glowing letters in her small hands. The letters were practically breathing with magical particles, emanating a low pink light periodically. Any person sensitive to magic would be able to tell the letter was far from ordinary.
In fact, to Baku's trained eyes, the glowing parchment appeared more like a maliciously rigged explosive rather than a polite greeting message.
'What in the devil's name did she put on those letters!?'
Sure, he was an Acedia exile. That spoke volumes of his lacking intellect compared to others in his clan, but he was far from an idiot. In fact, he considered himself rather cunning when it came to scheming and gathering information.
He doubted this whole lulling virus conspiracy would have been possible without a joint effort of many of the clans working together.
So why in the platform did he not recognize a single glyph or array on those papers?
"Kid, what did you do with those letters? It's obvious there's more than your core desire written on there… you ain't planning on terrorizing people with those bombs, right?"
Hannya laughed at this old bag's boomer words. Bombs? These were the future of devil-tempting invitations!
"Kikiki, the future is now, old man! These are Hannya's hand-crafted, tempting letters! Each sigil serves a purpose, every array a meaning; with these, sniffing out desires will be easier than picking up a man at the arcade!"
Baku scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed; he was really feeling his age talking to her. Were these the latest sigils placed in the spire before the severance? He also had no knowledge of an 'Ah-cade'.
He shook his head, the penalties of living in the backwaters, it seems.
*Sigh* "If you say so, kid. Just toss them in so we can get started." He would brush up on youth interests later.
Hannya nodded and tossed the letters in the air. They soared high in the sky, lighting up like fireworks preparing to paint a magnificent picture. Pink light began to shine as bright as a star as the letters reached their peak in the cloudless blue canvas.
"Go! Take flight, my beautiful little birds!"
Baku smiled at the happy little devil gleefully watching her creations begin to gracefully fall from the sky. Kids these da-
"Find your victims! Let none escape, and none may decline! Kikiki!" She raised her hands in the air and laughed maniacally.
"...."
The letters lit up, brighter than ever. The bright pink shade intensified further, changing to an almost blinding white. Then, they began to descend.
FEEEEW
FEEEEW
FEEEEW
The three enchanted pages shot down towards the pond, letting out high-pitched whistling sounds as they dropped rapidly towards the sparkling waters below. They twisted and turned in the air around each other, like three speeding birds in an elegant aerial dance, racing to the same destination, agreeing to dive at the same time as pink magical lights trailed behind them.
SPLOOSH
SPLOOSH
SPLOOSH
Three muffled splashes could be heard as the parcels submerged into the water, disappearing in its sparkling depths.
"Kid… You're really not gonna kill anyone with those, right?" He asked, a little nervous now.
Grin
"Oi! I'm serious here!" The old devil didn't feel reassured at all from the face she was making.
"Kikiki! Don't worry, Grandpa, those letters are just for deals." She shook her head at this old man's suspicions. Why did he think she was some malicious entity? She only wanted submission and full cooperation from the recipients; it wasn't like she would slaughter them if they declined.
She'd only make their life hell.
Baku sighed deeply. "Well, if you promise this old man, then it's fine. The dream knights protect those in need, kid. Killing the innocent and undeserving is against our code here. That's rule number 1, and you'll be following that from now on here." He said as he looked out at the pond, returning back to its tranquil drift.
"Alright, I've written it down in my heart." Hannya replied as she formed a pentagram across her chest. Though she did that, the commitment behind the gesture was rather lacking.
*Snort* "Then let's begin." Baku stepped further away from the pond. He reached into his sleeve and retrieved a small glass bottle. "Our first lesson today will be understanding the fundamentals."
He uncorked the bottle, and a strange aroma wafted out from the inside. "The fundamentals of your weaknesses." The fortress lord grinned.
As the aroma moved past Hannya's nose, she jumped back a couple of feet, her stance defensive and tense. Her blood was roaring in alarm.
"H-hey! What is that stuff?" The smell was horrible! Like acid melting a fermented corpse. Not only that, it gave her a sense of danger. Her instincts were telling her that touching it would kill her. Her blood was telling her to cut off the hand that held such a despicable tool.
Baku chuckled at the sight. "Kahuhuhu! What, this?" He took a step forward, holding the clear liquid out in front of him.
Hannya took another step back. "Whoa! Stay back! C-chill, old man, weren't we cool? So what's this?" Hannya was beginning to feel a little angry. How was killing her training? They weren't even going to ease into stretches or anything? Straight to a death match?
"Kahuhuhu! Where was that confidence before? Weren't you trying to snatch your birthright earlier? Well, here it is!" He took a couple more steps forward.
"Stop messing around! You tryna kill me!? What is that shit?" Hannya demanded, no longer willing to play this stupid game.
The fortress lord stopped and grinned. "This is simply water. Mixed with light magic and order law fragments. The angels and humans call it 'holy water', the bane of demonic beasts and devils alike." Baku's smile widened as he felt the rumbling blood of his new disciple. At least she hadn't run or attacked yet. At least she has a bit of will to think somewhat.
He understood her lack of recognition; the items didn't matter. The spire only has one rule against the order law.
Run or destroy.
"Even the most common of farmers had a bit of this in Neel back in the day. I'd wager that's no different now."
Hannya clenched her fists in anger. Holy water was this disgusting of a thing? And it was everywhere? She had read of its use a few times, but smelling it and having it so close to her made a world of difference in the experience. Those vials filled with poison were a crime!
'Destroy it! Every last drop!'
A small sword appeared in Hannya's hand. Without a second thought, she unsheathed it and charged forward. It was only a small amount; eliminating it now would prevent it from spreading further!
"Kahuhuhu! Ho? Choosing to charge instead of retreating? A bold move!" The old devil laughed menacingly, but his thoughts were calculating.
'30 seconds before her blood takes the reins.' The imbalance was severe. He wanted to sneer at the Feast Faction; humoring her whims was turning her into the very devils they hated so much. Ironic.
She ignored the old man and darted forward, a pink aura wrapping around her blade.
Baku was impressed. Obtaining sword aura in a matter of weeks, it had taken him months to learn it from his master; the world was truly unfair.
'[Vicious Strike]!' Her blade struck forward with speed, aiming to pierce the vial in a single go.
CLANG
But her small sword was deflected by an even bigger one, causing her to stumble to the side. Before she could even regain her balance, a figure appeared on her flank. The monster chuckled viciously and spoke.
"Kahuhuhu, a failed attempt. Now for your punishment."
DRIP
Ssssssss
"K-KYAAAAA!" A shrill, bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the mountaintop, causing the resting birds in the surrounding trees to jolt awake and take flight. How can anyone sleep to the sound of a tortured animal?
…
…
Hannya lay broken on the ground, Yamcha style. She shivered in the fetal position, mentally scarred from the pure agony she felt from every drop of that cruel, corrosive concoction. Every time a droplet landed on her exposed skin, it felt like hellflame was tunneling down to the marrow of her perfect bones.
Holy water? Nonsense! Why the hell was the book portraying this putrid-smelling, eye-burning, flesh-eating virus like some kind of utility sports drink for the main characters?!
Was she not the dark horse? She was essentially a cripple with that stuff wafting around, and Baku said even fucking farmers carried this shit!
"Kahuhuhu, you still alive, kid?" Baku walked over to Hannya's crumpled form.
"F-fuck you…" she squeezed out.
"Kahuhuhuhuhu!" Baku couldn't help but laugh at the little devil acting tough; clearly, she was well past the point of continuing this exercise. "Does it hurt?" He asked.
Hannya almost passed out right then and there hearing that. Hurt? She wished the pond on the other side of the garden was filled with the stuff so she could just push this hospice escapee right in.
"Of course it hurts! And I've been eaten alive by dread spiders, so that's saying something!" She shouted.
Unexpectedly, Baku didn't laugh at that answer. Instead, a flash of pity crossed his eyes. The venom of a dread spider paralyzes the muscles but not the nerves, worse still, the feeling is enhanced during that state. He was surprised the little one didn't succumb to madness enduring something like that.
He looked down at the weakened little devil. Curled in pain.
Getting eaten for devils know how long, unable to move or scream, immobilized and helpless. He couldn't think of anyone he knew that had to endure a torture like that.
Truly a pity.
'Only a few weeks old…'
Where the hell was the Feast Faction when all this occurred! The old devil felt a small flare of anger toward those people, a careless bunch as usual. A child should not have gone through such a thing.
It seems it was up to him to ensure her safety and growth. As a responsible grandfather should.
He shook his head, a migraine forming at... the irresponsibility. "I'd like to hear more about your journey here later, but let me tell you a secret about this water." He squatted down next to her and uncorked it once more, earning a jolt from the small, dirt-covered devil.
"Kahuhuhu, don't worry. We are done for today, you have to send off your party soon. Just observe." He then held out his hand and began to pour the liquid onto his palm.
Hannya winced at the sight, but her eyes soon went round as she watched no burns or the sound of sizzling happen at Baku's display.
"What…what the…" What was happening? What did he do? She sensed no aura or magic being used, so why?
"Kahuhuhu, impressed, little one?" He asked as the water flowed harmlessly off his hand and onto the ground below. "The pain you felt was far from the reality; consider it more of a reaction than anything else."
Hannya, now dazed as she watched the water flow off Baku, asked. "A reaction?"
The old devil nodded. "Yes, a devil's body is more than a carriage for travel or a hammer to strike down foes. To devils, the body is a true partner, connected to the mind and soul well beyond that of the lower-level species. That is one of the aspects of a higher being, not just being a bit stronger."
The fortress lord stood up and waved his hand. Pale blue chi scattered across the air and gently fell on Hannya. As it did so, the holy water burning her skin began to slowly dissipate, and her healing factor regained its vigor, rapidly healing her once more.
As she healed, Baku spoke again. "As a devil, your body is filled to the brim with chaos laws; as a result, any order law will wreak havoc on the balance that keeps you together. It's why you most likely thought destroying the water in my hand was the most optimal decision, even without asking me the purpose of this exercise."
Hannya was shocked, that's right! Why had she pulled out her sword and rushed a raid boss solo!? A second ago, her decision felt sound. What was she thinking?!
"A devil's body is a complex system; treat it properly and train it diligently, and it will happily cooperate with your wants and needs." The old devil stated, stealing some lines from the book of his old master.
Such information! Hannya never knew such a dynamic existed. To be honest, she just assumed most of the devils from the story were… well, just assholes for no real reason.
With this kind of lore, don't a few things change? If all of this were indeed true about devils…
"That is why, until your body adapts to the correcting nature of order laws, and your body, mind, and soul reach a balance that keeps your thoughts your own…."
But her theory crafting was drowned out as her mind was consumed with visceral indignation at Baku's next rule.
Baku looked at the young devil and grinned. "You are not to evolve, and you are not to step a foot off this mountain."