Rupture: Rise of the Demon King

by Milo Woods

  She spoke, still stunned: “Wow, you did it! You can feel your spark. Fire. Surprising.”

  “So, can you report it to the emperor?” Seeko said.

  Tenumi looked up at him. “It’s great that you can feel your spark, but a small flame is not enough to do anything.”

  Seeko’s smile faded. “Come outside. I’ll show you more.”

  “If you think it will help.” She rolled her eyes as she rose.

  The two walked outside into a small courtyard. Pointing his hands to the sky, Seeko reached once more for his spark. He closed his eyes and felt its power. He pulled on the spark, and an emerald beam of flame shot upward. The inferno pierced the sky, bright green contrasting soft blue. Seeko cut it short after a while, exhausted from the display. His spark was dim again and he felt weak. I should only use magic if I have to.

  “How?”

  Seeko looked down to see Tenumi, and others, in awe. A large group of soldiers had gathered around them, their comments all the same. They feared him again.

  “I can’t believe it!” Tenumi said. “You beat even me in magic!”

  A smile crept across his face. “So you’ll report my progress to the emperor? And you’ll allow me to leave the city?” he said.

  She straightened up. “Of course. You’ve earned it, hero.”

  Those words reminded him of why he was training: he had to fight demons now. The thought removed the smile on his face. And he still had to find Yoshino, and the reason why he was there. Tenumi left to report to the emperor and the soldiers went back to their various tasks.

  Seeko was left standing there alone, thinking. What exactly was a hero supposed to do? Where was he to go? He walked back inside, searching for the emperor. He entered the throne room but it was empty. Seeko asked a guard if he knew where the emperor was. The response was to try his study.

  He knocked on the wall before entering through the opened door. “Hello?”

  “Enter.” Emperor Physis was rummaging through some papers as he spoke. “Ah, Seeko. Tenumi just told me that she considers you ready.”

  “Yes. So I was wondering if you could tell me what I am supposed to do now?” Seeko said.

  He looked up at him. “That’s what I’m looking over right now.” He looked down and rummaged through the papers on the table. “It was prophesied that you will rid the world of demons, and the only way I can think of doing that would be to remove the necklaces from the portals to disable them.”

  Seeko walked over to the table and looked down at the pages written about him—his prophecy. “What? Necklaces? And what portals?” Could they be portals like the one he came through? He looked through the papers, lost in thoughts and possibilities.

  “I myself do not know of the locations of the portals, but we believe there are five of them. The necklaces are powering them; they are what let the demons through.” The emperor’s response sounded harsh. Seeko sensed that he truly hated the demons.

  “So … I just take the necklaces and destroy them? How do I even find them? Why do they need me to do that?”

  “Others have tried to close the portals, but none have ever returned. It’s a job for our hero. You’ll need surprise and stealth. We used to send large companies to try to wipe them out, but …” He looked away. “My scouts report that there is a portal high atop Mount Pharos. They don’t know for sure, however. I would check there first; it’s more of a lead than nothing. As for the necklaces, destroy them if you can; otherwise, take them. Just make sure you shut the portals.” Physis’s face looked stone cold.

  Seeko nodded and started leaving, but stopped at the door. “I’ll help with your demon problem. It’s why I’m here, after all.” Seeko flashed a grim smile, then left the emperor and headed to his quarters.

  / / / / /

  Seeko spent the next day preparing to leave. He had to be the hero now, whether he wanted to or not. The caravan owners he protected earlier agreed to take him north to Layis, where Physis assured him he would be told the entire plan.

  Raltz didn’t want him to go. He knew Seeko still had much to learn, but they didn’t have the time. Seeko received a better bow, one made of yew, from Raltz, and he took Kazuma’s short-sword, which he had given to him as a gift. Finally, he packed essentials he knew he would need for a long journey. His quest would finally begin tomorrow, and maybe he would find the answers to his questions.

  / / / / /

  Seeko hopped into the wagon that fell in the center of the other two. As he looked back at the castle, he thought, I never found out if Physis is my father. He shrugged and sat back. He had bigger things to worry about now. He watched as the caravan owners climbed into the leading carriage. Then he realized that he hadn’t said good-bye to Mori, either. The owners looked back at the other wagons, checking to make sure their drivers were present. After everything passed their inspections, they signaled to start moving.

  “Wait!” a familiar voice yelled.

  Seeko looked over to see Mori run up to the cart.

  “I–I’m coming with you,” she said, panting.

  “Uh … okay,” Seeko said. He thought he was done with her. Although, he was secretly happy that she was going. “Why?”

  She jumped into the wagon, catching her breath. “You’ll need help on your quest.” She smiled. Her breathing soon returned to normal.

  “What about your duties here? Can you just abandon them?” Seeko asked.

  She looked back at the castle. “I don’t have any duties. There’s nothing holding me back.”

  “Hmm.” Seeko was dissatisfied with her answer. “What about your family? Won’t they worry about you?”

  She shook her head, looking surprised at his persistence. “You just want to get rid of me, don’t you?”

  Seeko said nothing.

  “My family knows I’m gone,” Mori continued. “I don’t live in Asilis. Besides, they chose Yoshino over me.” Mori looked down, frowning.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” he said.

  Asilis shrunk in the distance as they talked. “It’s fine. Who needs them anyway?” She looked up and let a small smile cover her memories.

  A silence fell upon the travelers. For a while, they watched the landscape scroll slowly past. “Where are you from, then?” Seeko finally asked, killing the awkward silence. The sound of the grinding wagon wheels filled the empty air.

  “I live in Merina. It’s really far south of here. If you follow the bend of the east shore, you would eventually find it. It’s a fishing city, with large street markets all along the beach. My father is lord over the port. There is a lighthouse named after him, overlooking the city and the surrounding ocean. It was just out of town, so that’s where I would always spend my spare time. The cool mist felt great, the breathtaking view of the city and of the endless ocean …”

  “It sounds like you miss it.”

  “I do. The ocean is beautiful. I love the warm water, I love swimming in the summers, I love everything about it.” She sighed. “I also miss my dog, Parcel. I couldn’t take her with me. I would have no way to feed her, so I left her with my younger brother.”

  “Younger brother?”

  “Yeah, his name is Zach. Even though I was supposed to take over after my father, they treated him like the heir. But I don’t care—they still treated me fair and loved me for who I was.” She laughed, growing distant. “Until Yoshino.”

  She didn’t really want to talk about her family, Seeko figured. So he changed the subject: “Well, you get to live how you want now. That’s a good thing, right?”

  “I don’t really live anywhere anymore. I’ve been on the move ever since I ran—since I left home.” She cleared her throat. “When I heard that our hero had arrived and he was being taken to the capital, I headed there. I knew Physis would take me in anyway.” She glanced to Seeko, as if studying him. “I’m glad I came to Asilis.” She smiled nervously and looked away.

  What am I going to do with you, Mori? See
ko thought. On one hand, she was so annoying. On the other hand … He stared at her rich red hair, her blue eyes, her revealing red clothing—No! He turned away from her when she saw him staring.

  Silence again, then Mori asked, “Seeko, is there someone special to you? You know, back on Earth?”

  Seeko didn’t answer right away. “No. I wasn’t much of a ladies’ man. My best friend was a girl though, if that counts.” And I hope you’re okay, Winona.

  Mori scooted closer to him. “Oh.” She looked shyly into his eyes and smiled.

  Seeko returned the gaze. “What?” he said after a minute.

  She sighed. “Nothing.”

  The sun was high overhead before they began talking again. They talked to each other about various details regarding their planets. Seeko would explain American civilization and technology while Mori would talk about the creatures that wandered her world. They built a healthy rapport, but underneath it was a strange tension that did not completely dissolve.

  During the conversation, Seeko asked Mori about Emperor Physis: “Did the emperor ever have a son?”

  Mori frowned. “He had a son, but he … he won’t talk about him much. I think something happened to him.”

  Was Seeko that son? “Did he go missing?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure something bad happened if he never wants to talk about it.”

  Yoshino took his son away from him! That’s what happened. “So who is the next heir to the Irenic throne? The empress?” he asked, hoping that Mori might talk about this subject that seemed off-limits.

  “There is no empress. It would go to the lady of Layis, Lady Ludivina, I suppose.” With that, she went silent and turned away.

  They ate in the wagon as the sun went down and Avaroda brightened. The caravan was going to move through the night, they told Seeko, so that they could arrive in Layis by morning. Mori moved closer to him as the temperature dropped, and soon they were actually touching. Before long, she was asleep, leaning on him. He could smell her again, the strong scent of roses. Someone special, hmmm? Did Mori have someone special? Thoughts about her drifted in his mind until sleep took him.

  8: Prophet

  28 Maer, 112 AV: Day 67

  The soft rocking of the wagon was the first thing Seeko sensed when he woke up the next day. The second thing he sensed was the girl on his shoulder. What the…? Seeko shifted away from Mori, who fell to the wagon bottom with a thud. The action woke her, and soon she was groaning with a pain in her side. Seeko looked over to see a city approaching. That must be Layis, he thought while examining the wall surrounding the city. Mori sat up and confirmed his assumption. Farms littered the vast plains surrounding the town for as far as the eye could see.

  “Layis … We’re only a couple minutes away,” Mori said, then yawned.

  The gate into the city was open and the tall stone wall looked poorly preserved, crumbling in some parts. Seeko watched as other wagons poured in and out of the city. “Why is the city so populated?” he asked, looking at the worn-down houses within the walls.

  “Layis holds the majority of the kingdom’s food,” Mori replied. “It’s a major trade hub. I’ve been here a few times with my dad. He’s a merchant, so I would go with him for trade negotiations.”

  In no time, they were inside the city. Buildings were placed haphazardly, with no discernible pattern to their placement. In the center of Layis, past the scattered buildings, was the keep, smaller than the one in Asilis. The owners of the caravan came to a stop in front of a smaller building to unload the supplies.

  Seeko and Mori hopped out of the wagon and thanked the two for their help. Then Mori motioned for him to follow her to the center of town. Unlike Asilis, this town was bustling with people.

  “The people seem content. The war doesn’t seem to affect them,” Seeko said.

  Mori looked back at him with a scowl. “Are you kidding? Caravans are ransacked all the time. It’s demons whenever it isn’t bandits. The war affects the city more that way than the threat of a conqueror does.”

  “I didn’t know … sorry,” Seeko said. A second examination revealed that many people were down on their luck, wearing rags and begging for food.

  Mori smiled. “It’s okay,” she said. “It makes sense that you wouldn’t know.”

  Seeko smiled back, strangely comforted. The duo made their way to the keep. There was no wall surrounding it, like in Asilis. Instead, there was a large park in front of the building. Beautiful trees and a garden of flowers led up to the entrance of the building. A bridge crossed a small pond populated with small, unrecognizable birds. Guards matching the ones in Asilis let the two into the keep.

  “It’s you!” said a voice from down one of the hallways.

  Seeko looked to see maybe an eighteen-year-old girl with silver eyes. Her clean green jacket and brown trousers looked better kept than Kismetian normal clothing. Her light brown hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail that left her eyes shrouded only by her bangs. She must be wealthy, Seeko thought. He concluded his survey of her and then stared into her strangely colored eyes. Was this girl blind?

  “You know who I am?” he asked.

  She walked closer to the two and said, “Yes. My name is Hannet—and I knew I would see you, and I know of your quest.” Her voice was high pitched and airy, and slightly annoying, giving her a continuously distant feel.

  Seeko looked hard at her and then waved a hand in front of her face.

  “What?” she said. “You don’t believe me?”

  “Uh, no, that’s not it …” Seeko looked at Mori, and she shrugged. “Can you see me?” Seeko asked the girl.

  Hannet frowned at him. “Why wouldn’t I be able to see you? I’m not blind.”

  “I just assumed because your eyes …” Seeko looked to Mori again—and she just shrugged again and then looked at the girl.

  “I get that a lot. My eyes are silver because I am touched by the gods.” Hannet took a deep breath and frowned. “I am a seer. I can see the future, or at least parts of it.” She smiled faintly.

  “Really? Can you tell me what I need do to succeed in my quest?” Seeko asked, suddenly intrigued.

  Hannet took a step back and held up her hands. “I can help, but I don’t know everything, so don’t rely on my gift too much. Besides, my visions are sometimes incorrect.” She looked away. “I can only see what might be, not what will be. But I can affect the future just by saying something here, doing something there. I can change what I see.”

  “That’s great and all,” Mori said, “but Seeko has to be somewhere. Maybe afterward.” Mori pulled on Seeko’s arm, forcing him away.

  “That’s fine, I’m heading there as well,” Hannet said, following them.

  Mori continued to pull Seeko, trying to outpace Hannet behind them.

  Hannet laughed. “There’s no need to rush. The future here is not going to change no matter what you do, Mori.”

  Mori froze. “How do you know my name?” she said, twirling to face her.

  “I know a lot of things. For example … Seeko’s feelings for you.”

  Mori blushed and looked away. Seeko nearly did the same. Feelings? There were no feelings. Seeko looked at Hannet. This girl was dangerous. This girl probably always got what she wanted. After all, she knew in advance what she was getting.

  Mori left at Seeko’s silence. Seeko stayed put, staring at Hannet.

  “I’m sorry,” Hannet said, “but Mori is used to getting what she wants. She is a spoiled brat.”

  What a hypocrite, Seeko thought. But what did Hannet want?

  Hannet strode past him, following Mori. “Well, we better not keep them waiting.”

  Seeko chased after her. “Keep who waiting? Where are we going?”

  She looked back, smiling. “Just follow us; you’ll see.”

  Before long, Seeko found himself in a small room with maps strewn all over the walls and tables. A tall woman stood at the largest table, examining one of the maps. She
wore a black dress, cut low to show off her body, and long black gloves that passed her elbows. She peered up when Seeko and Hannet entered right after Mori, and Seeko saw the woman’s lovely green eyes peer past the long black hair that framed her face. Pretty was the word that crossed the dumfounded Seeko’s mind.

  “Lady Ludivina,” Hannet said, “I have found him. I present to you Seeko Dris, the Hero of Endetia.”

  Hannet bowed as she said this, but Seeko just continued to stare at the lady, mouth agape. A thought finally crossed Seeko’s mind after an eternity: I forgot to bow.

  He flung himself down halfway, bending awkwardly before the woman. “Sorry!” he said.

  The girls laughed and Seeko rose back up, ashamed. After they stopped, Lady Ludivina spoke up in a low, seductive voice: “If anything, we should bowing to you. You are our hero, after all.” She gave a little half smile.

  Mori moved a little closer to Seeko. “My lady, we came here to meet someone … Is that someone you?”

  Again the enchanting smile. “You have already met who you came to see.” She ignored Mori’s narrowing eyes and Hannet’s smirk. “Hannet? Have you already told them what you saw?”

  “Not yet. It wasn’t quite the right moment …” Hannet moved next to Ludivina, so that she could clearly see both Seeko and Mori. “Seeko, have you heard the prophecy involving you?”

  “I heard that I have to stop the demons by destroying the necklaces that bind their portals, or something.”

  “That’s somewhat correct,” Hannet said. “Do you know who made that prophecy?”

  Seeko pretended to think. “Hmmm, was it you?”

  “No need to develop an attitude, Seeko,” Ludivina said.

  “I want to tell you of my vision, Seeko.” Hannet closed her eyes. When she reopened them, they were dull, lifeless. “A boy falling, landing near Irris. He is … different … from the rest. I see … five portals that the demons protect. I see necklaces on the guardians of the portals. I see this boy standing in front of each portal, sharing our strife. The weight of the world is on his shoulders … I cannot see if he survives. Even if he does, this world extracts a terrible toll from him.