Eight Hundred Million Years Ago | Planet Urisea / Archdemon’s Palace

  “All hail Archdemon Diablo!” The herald shouts to the gathered crowd.

  “For the eternal glory of the empire!” The crowd shouts in return.

  I step up onto the dias. My new golden crown is practically radiant in the dark and gloomy environment. My people aren't the most colorful, that's for sure. My bloodied blades hang at my sides, my arms are tired from the trials.

  Seventy-two Archdemon candidates. One survivor.

  It just so happens that I also managed to set a new record in the ceremony.

  Sixty-six kills.

  I shattered the previous record of twenty-two. My body is soaked in the blood of my brethren. Comrades in arms, school mates, even some of my own blood.

  I slaughtered sixty-six of them.

  They fell, one after another at the call of my blades.

  If it wasn't for some of them stealing my kills, it would've been seventy-one.

  It wasn't even a challenge, anyone who says it was a good fight is horribly wrong. In fact, I probably have grounds to execute them for disrespecting my ability.

  I place my scarred hands upon the podium. A podium that has seen thousands of newly crowned Archdemons standing before it. I feel the grooves in the stone, the notches etched there after countless people resting their hands in the same spots.

  “Bow” I command.

  The some ten thousand gathered bow. Even the strongest are too afraid to defy me.

  “To my people, I have but one mandate to proclaim on this day.

  Let there be peace.”

  After my brief proclamation, I quickly step away from the podium and walk off the dais. I jump high into the air, spreading my black wings and soaring off into the distance.

  The historians say that those four words were what doomed the empire to fall.

  I disagree, those four words were the only chance the empire had to survive.

  Unfortunately, they were not enough.

  Five Years Later

  I, Archdemon Diablo, sit upon my throne.

  Outside my castle, the boom of cannons can be heard. They have at long last come for my head.

  Ever since my proclamation five years ago, everything has gone to hell. Which is saying something, considering our planet is basically hell already.

  I stand up and grab my blades.

  They think that I, the most powerful being to ever grace this planet, am going down without a fight.

  They are dead wrong.

  I launch into the air, going right through the roof. Below me, it is a slaughterhouse.

  My few loyal forces are being slaughtered by the rebels.

  I was the one that caused this. For daring to hope for a peaceful future. One where brothers need not fight brothers for titles or prestige. One where families could live together, happily. Instead of always worrying when the next assassin might be coming for their heads.

  A world where people could laugh and drink liquor together without fearing poison.

  I have heard of underground circles that do this thing known as ‘art’ and how beautiful it is. Oh, how I wish this ‘art’ could have spread around the entire empire.

  Alas, the people chose death rather than give me a chance to make this new future.

  If it is death they desire, I suppose it falls upon me to be their executioner.

  Three Months Later

  I collapse onto my knees. My hair, wings, body, blades, my entire body soaked in blood.

  I am the last survivor of my species.

  By my own hand, the horrific people that my brethren had chosen to become are gone. Wiped from the planet, and reality itself.

  They refused to change, to bend.

  So, I broke them.

  Cut them into three billion pieces.

  I end up wandering what remains of my world for centuries, millennia. I lose track of the time.

  I watch as nature slowly takes back over, taking over the rubble that remains of our once great cities.

  Over time, the smell of blood and rotting corpses faded. Replaced with the familiar and pleasant smell of sulfur and ash.

  I find a nice cliff and sit down on the top which has begun to grow grass once again. I fold my wings in and simply take a deep breath in.

  Peace.

  That is what I have achieved.

  Some Years Later

  I throw some vegetables into a pot of boiling water. Making sure to stir it, I even remembered spices this time.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Once the soup is done, I eat it merrily on a nearby hilltop, singing a merry tune that I only heard once, a long, long time ago.

  It was sung by a young girl, right before she went off to her first trial.

  She did not pass.

  I sip the last drops of my soup as the sun starts to set, painting the sky a thousand shades of green and purple.

  I sit back and run my hands through my hair. I have let it grow out quite long. Thanks to not having to fight, it's not a hindrance to have it longer.

  Peace sure is nice.

  I walk back into my home, which I built myself out of some stone blocks I painstakingly chiseled.

  I walk into my kitchen, and sitting at my dining table is a girl.

  She has beautiful iridescent wings and she faintly glows. She wears a cloak made out of some fabric that I have never seen before. It seems to be extremely sturdy.

  I immediately reach for my weapons, only to realize that I haven't had them around in millenia. There has been no need, the planet is at peace after all. Any wild animals that give me trouble are easily dispatched with my hands.

  “Who are you and what are you doing in my home!” I call out, scrambling my words a bit due to not speaking for ages.

  I pick up a spoon from the nearby counter, bravely brandishing it at the intruder.

  She speaks, in a strange voice, almost as though she doesn't know my language beyond basic study. Even still, I can sense a deep knowledge behind her words, for some reason, I get an ominous impression of her. Almost as if she could end my life with a mere thought.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Diablo was it? I do come in peace, fear not. I would appreciate it if you stopped pointing that wooden spoon at me, though.” She says, letting out a light laugh at her last statement.

  For some strange reason, I believe her. I set the spoon back down. “I apologize, it has been ages since I last had a houseguest. Would you like some tea? It's not the best, but it's at least edible.”

  “Tea sounds nice. This is a really nice planet you have, really cozy and fiery.”

  I start preparing tea for my new guest, “It's a bit rough in spots for sure, but it's home after all.”

  Silence stretches for a few minutes. She next speaks just as I am pouring the tea into cups.

  “There is one thing I find strange about this place.”

  “Hmm, what is that?”

  “How come you are the only sapient being here? People don't normally appear alone, especially not one with knowledge like yours.”

  I set a cup of tea down in front of her and sit in the other chair at the table. I do not know why I made two chairs. Perhaps I somehow knew this meeting would come and require it.

  “That is… a difficult question to answer. However, to put it simply, they are all gone.”

  “That is a difficult answer then. Do you enjoy your life here?”

  “I would say that I am fairly happy here, yes.”

  “Well, that is nice. By the way, thank you for the tea, it is pretty decent.”

  “Oh come on, even I can tell it tastes horrid. No reason to sugarcoat it, it's not like there is anyone to take offense.”

  “I suppose not. But you never know, the universe is a big place. Well, this was a nice chat we had. I am sorry for intruding into your peaceful life, I shall now take my leave.”

  The girl stands up, having finished her tea. She gives me a slight bow and walks out my front door.

  I quickly stand up and rush outside only to find her spreading her wings.

  “Wait! Where did you come from? What is your name? Will you ever return?” I shout.

  She lets out a light, beautiful laugh. It seems to echo about the area and almost breathes a sense of life into it.

  “I am merely a traveller from the beyond. Perhaps some day I will pass by and pay you a visit. Until then though, I wish you a nice and peaceful life, Mr. Archdemon.” She says, with a devilish smile that makes me wonder when next she will return.

  She takes off into the sky and soars high into the air, disappearing into the clouds. Leaving me with many questions, and no answers.

  Also, how the hell did she know my name? Or the fact that I used to be Archdemon?

  Over the next many, many years, the girl appears every once in a great while. I prepare tea, and we drink it together. I tell her some stories of my people, happy ones, the few of those that do exist.

  In return, she tells me of some of the things that she knows. Great metallic beasts that wander endless expanses. Vibrant places that sparkle with life. Happy places full of laughter and cheer.

  I lose track of the years that pass, and the amount of times she visits me.

  One day, the girl returns.

  I am sitting in a grassy meadow, watching a herd of beasts graze gracefully on this peaceful planet of mine.

  My peaceful beast watching gets interrupted by a strange feeling next to me. It takes me a few moments to recognize that it is my friend. A while ago she just started appearing next to me when she came to visit, by some power far beyond my understanding.

  I have noticed that she has been coming more frequently lately, I wonder why.

  Without saying anything, she walks over and takes a seat behind me, leaning against my back. Her much smaller wings pressed comfortably between my own. Her small frame really does feel tiny in comparison to my well-muscled back. Honed by centuries of rigorous training.

  We sat like that for a while. The sun rises and sets a few times, neither of us moving a single bit.

  She breaks the silence, “Diablo, have you ever thought of going somewhere else?”

  I shift slightly, thinking of an answer. As much as I do love this place and how peaceful it is. I originally wanted more. If only my people were not so weak, then perhaps it would have been much grander and happier.

  “Hmm, perhaps a few times. But, this peace has been nice. Plus, it's always been fun and intriguing when you come to visit.”

  “That's nice to hear, I am glad that you enjoy my company so much. How would you feel if I asked you to come with me? I can take you to many places. Peaceful places, lush with life. Ones full of plentiful happy people of many different types. I can always return you here, should you wish for it of course.”

  I pondered her request for a while. Travelling alongside her to other places does indeed sound interesting. Just the two of us, travelling to wherever she wants to take us. That doesn't sound so bad.

  “You really haven't given me any reasons to say no, have you?”

  “I guess I haven't. So, whaddya say? You want to come on an adventure with me?”

  “Sure.”

  Little did I know, that one word would forever change not just my life, but that of billions.

  Immediately, she turns around and wraps her arms around my waist. Before I can ask what she is doing, I feel a weird sensation. Then in the blink of an eye we are in a completely different place.

  I look around, gone is the gray and red landscape of my planet.

  All around me is green.

  Green grass, green trees. Shaggy brown animals. As far as the eye can see.

  The sky is a brilliant blue color, with a red sun shining in the sky.

  “Diablo, welcome to the universe. There are many planets like this one, and many others.”

  She grabs my hand again and takes us to another place. This time, everything is purple, even the sky. A river flows nearby, with giant animals swimming inside of it.

  She takes me to many more places. Some green, some blue, even a few ones like my own. She even shows me a few people, going about their daily lives from afar.

  We end up on a green planet, similar to the first one. In front of us is a small wooden cottage.

  “This is the closest thing that I have to a home at the moment. Do you want to come inside? I should have some good tea lying around somewhere.”

  We head inside and sit down at a table. She makes us some tea, and it is delicious, far better than the stuff I had.

  “May I ask a question?” I ask.

  “Ask away.” she replies.

  “Are all worlds like this, peaceful and full of life?”

  She seems to think over it for a few moments and chooses her next words carefully. “No, some are not peaceful. They rage with wars for all numbers of reasons. Some are consumed by it, and some cycle between peace and war. Very, very few places are truly peaceful.”

  I feel a heavy weight settle over me. I know what I must do.

  “I wish to make more peaceful places. Can you show me how?”

  She lets out a sigh and clasps her hands together on the table. “I can teach you, if that is what you wish. I can show you truths and realities that no one else is aware of. I do like your idea of serving peace, however, I do warn you. The path of peace is not an easy one.”

  “I am aware of the costs of peace, and what happens should I fail. I will not fail again.”

  “If it is what you desire, then I shall teach you the skills and techniques required to achieve your goals. Perhaps one day, you will truly know what it means to experience peace amidst the endless void of this universe.” She says, solemnly.

  “Well then, master. May I ask one more question?”

  “Of course, it is my responsibility to answer them of course.”

  “Well then, what is your name?”

  A beautiful smile appears on her face.

  “Initae.”

  End of Chapter 110

  Next: Chapter 111 | Steamy Waffles

  If you are enjoying the book, you could follow, favorite, rate, or review it, I'd really appreciate it.

  Read Ahead of Royal Road on my

  Checkout the official