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Part Forty-Three

Sitting on a small throne made of skeleton bones was a young child. Head down and face covered with yellow hair. On the back of the child's head were two small red horns that curved upright.

The child's small cream colored feminine hands were crossed. Not one blemish in sight, the child's skin was very smooth.

Dressed in a one-sleeved black and yellow kimono that gave the child an elegant feel. Yet the child wore no shoes, no sandals, the child was barefoot.

Looking up, the child opened his eyes revealing two red eyes. Emotionless and cold as they were, the child was excited. The child grinned, it was barely noticeable.

A hissing sound was whispered into the child's ear as a snake appeared next to it. Long and thick, with black scales.

“It’s been a long time Damien. I’ve granted you a new life, which you’ve earned. Do not take it as a reward and slack off, my mission… our mission is not done here.”

A deep voice said inside his head. He knew this voice… it was a voice that spoke, that commanded him long ago.

The child seated on the skeleton throne was Damien. Revived from the dead as if it was magic. Something the humans knew to be impossible, yet, still happened.

He was trapped in this underground temple for a month, but he was burning inside. The wounds inflicted on him during that great war, he could never forget it. Although his body was now in perfect condition, he still felt as if his old scars were there. The slight pain it caused him riled him up.

“Gerald, now that I am alive again I do not plan on returning to that hell. Not ever again. I’ve commanded a great army in the past, but what is in front of me is no army. These are not soldiers fit for war. They are children, some barely a quarter of my age. What do you expect me to do with them?”

Damien responded. He wanted to know what Geralds goal was. The orders of his king were absolute, but he feared death. Damien did not want to die again… at least not anytime soon since he just returned.

Gerald laughed for a moment.

“Do not worry. The humans that you know are long gone, the ones that are still around can’t compete against you anymore. Humans age, they die. We live for what seems like forever, trust me when I say the threats you face are non-existent.”

Gerald paused for a moment as he seemed to think of something.

“When I was first announced to be your king, do you know what I thought. Is this serious? Me, the runt of the litter a king? I could barely order my brothers around yet now I was supposed to order around thousands of men? I laughed, I grinned, I embraced the challenge. Me, a king… me. I was challenged time and time again for my position, and each time I felt as if I was going to lose. I thought about it… the future. Our future. A home, a place where the young can grow up without fighting. A place the old do not have to suffer. A place we can call our own.

With that one thought in my mind driving me forward, I gained strength I never had before. The challenges stopped, my power grew and we became a force to be feared.

The world has forgotten you Damien. The world has changed, but not in a good way. At least… not for us. Those humans were breeding warriors, but now they are raising sheep. Confined, locked up in a cage. They don’t get to see the world until they grow up and walk on their own.

They are easy pickings for us.”

Gerald explained.

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been watching, studying their behaviors. The humans want to be the superior race, but they fight amongst themselves for what? Fame? Religion? Ambition? In the past, they were band together, now they are drifting apart. A war cannot be won when it is fought on two fronts.

Their guards are lowered here at home where they believe it is safe. The small demons that run wild are nowhere near as strong as us. They cannot give the humans what we once did.”

“And what's that?”

“Fear! An emotion so strong it clouds all judgment, makes your body respond slow. Fear is what we’ve lost against them, but we can get it back.”

Damiens' eyes grew as he listened to Gerald talk. He was reminded of olden times he fought alongside Gerald. Now, Damien felt it once more. The fire inside him was growing, raging and ready to burn anything in its path.

“What would you have me do?”

“The barrier is weak, it cannot hold out much longer. The moment it breaks you will rush into their cities, kill their men, take their weapons, and burn it to the ground.

We’ll show them why they should be afraid. Remind them, we are still here. The first battle may have ended a long time ago, but the war is just getting started.”

Damien felt invigorated. This was his king, different from the other kings who flaunt their power out in the open. His king waited and devised a plan. Now with the human's forces weakened it was the perfect time to strike.

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Nick sat with his eyes closed and head leaned against the window. It felt nice to relax like this, but he knew it would not last forever.

Matthew was seated next to him with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He was also enjoying the smooth ride they were having.

It’s been a few hours since they left the academy. They were heading to Ohio where the twelve god tournament would be held.

There were a ton of buses, more than twenty of them carrying students of the academy to Ohio. Not every student wanted to go, so they stayed behind. For the ones that did, the academy still needed a few dozen buses to fit everyone.

The tournament was not only to place a schools ranking but also develop relationships between the younger generation. You could meet people from different states, and form friendships.

The scale of this tournament was so large it was even broadcast on television.

Freya was seated in the row in front of Nick and Matthew. She held a virtual tablet in her hand as she was browsing the web. She needed to update herself on the famous students. If she could gain even a little bit more information it would help her fellow schoolmates out.

She may not be personally participating in this tournament, but she wanted to help in any way she could. Freya took pride in being apart of something larger than herself.

Therefore she started to work on her database of strong individuals who would make an appearance. The freshman from the other eleven academies, as well as the upperclassmen.