The old man stood quietly, his body a little exhausted from the crafting; in the many years since he lost his wife, he fought against those that killed his best friend and tried to locate his sister.
When he realised Zenovia was already in the goddess seat, although she couldn't kill the man who killed Zelgan, she could at least alleviate the pressure on those like him and Baal.
Still, through the years of constant fighting, even though a demon isn't invulnerable, his core was damaged when he fought against the prince of wrath, and Baal stood no chance, only lucky to escape with his life thanks to the fairy teleport spell his wife taught him in the distant past.
Lost and with nowhere to go, Baal set up a blacksmith on a distant planet, changed his looks and name and waited for the day to come, thus a few months ago, the fortune-teller returned and gave him a new divination and thus he came to this spot inside the sealed world with her help.
'That woman has to be a divine and a goddess at that. Does she have a sinister plot to trap me, or... Is everything for this damn handsome disciple of mine?'
Baal looked at the man who was more like a boy to him; after all, he was almost 9,000 years old, and this boy was 19-20 at most.
'He reminds me of Zelgan, a little more masculine and imposing.... also better looking. Damn handsome men always got all the women easily.'
He began to remember the times before he met his beloved wife; sometimes, he too wanted to have fun with women, yet because of Zelgan's charm and race, all would flock to him first, and it caused him to hate handsome guys, even though he was good looking himself, the envy towards those higher doesn't disappear.
Baal waved his hand, traces of his light and magic swirled around, before his mana hammer slammed into Zell's head, who was reading a book on metalmancy trying to figure out a few details the old-fashioned way.
Thud!
"Ah!? What was that for, old man!" Zell shouted, his head with a small bump in the middle like he had an extra horn.
"Ask your damn face!" Baal retorted, once again hammering down on his forehead.
'Damn! The old man has gone senile! What can I ask my face!'
Zell rolled on the ground, dropping the book as the irritated Baal took out his thousand years of anger at Zelgan on this boy, hammering him all over his face and body; However, it wouldn't damage him; it would make him look stupid with lumps all over for several hours.
"Gyahahahaha! Such a handsome disciple!"
Baal's bellowing laugh filled the workshop as he snapped his fingers; the magic began to swirl once more, almost making Zell tremble, worried more torture was coming. However, it changed the dirty old shop into a homely room.
"This. Is my wife's kitchen; please enjoy her cute design choices!" Baal began to boast; his earlier cares about looks vanished, like a book with pages turned over as he walked towards the oven.
The kitchen arranged by his wife Evelyn was fascinating, with a blend of the demon and fairy worlds.
She chose dark mahogany furniture with intricate carvings of flowers and vines, giving each object a delicate and vintage feeling. At the same time, the seat cushions were soft red velvet, adding a warm and welcoming touch to her room.
"Your wife's taste in interior design is great; it feels so welcoming and fluffy..." Zell whispered as his fingers brushed along the silky smooth wooden chairs, a slight scent of cinnamon entering his nose.
"Right!? My cute Evelyn was the cutest woman in the universe!" Baal felt delighted from the praise of his wife and her kitchen, a rare smile on his face, but hidden as he faced away from Zell.
Although strict with Metalmancy, Baal was a doting husband so much that he fought against his princes, kings and emperors just for the chance to be with her.
'See, Evelyn, even this strange kid likes your kitchen!'
Zell began to observe the cabinets; they were lined across the walls and filled with various spices and ingredients, some Zell knew and ones he didn't, which spurred the cooking spirit within him; one day, he would ask her to teach him other world recipes!
'Old man Baal was so lucky to taste all these spices!'
Jars of dried leaves and vibrant flowers and bottles of strange potions and powders adorned the shelves, each labelled with delicate and feminine calligraphy; he reached out to read the back, only to find detailed instructions, ingredients and how to use or what they were best to serve with. Also the allergen information was added.
'What a diligent fairy!'
A whiff of lilac and cloves filled the air as he moved closer to the shelves, yet it didn't interfere with the cinnamon near the table, as if the room was partitioned into different scents; it was magical and soothing.
The room's centrepiece was a large dark mahogany table with matching chairs. Still, the top was inlaid with a thin layer of gold, beautiful runes glowing as he observed them, etched into the tabletop, which caused it to feel magical and what he imagined fairies to be like.
What amazing Zell most was that the kitchen wasn't just a normal oven; there was a massive cauldron sitting over a roaring magical fire, a small table with various cutting boards, each etched with the same delicate calligraphy to dictate which board was for meat, vegetables and herbs and spices.
'Wow, does she have OCD, or maybe this is how fairies are? I've been too lazy not having my kitchen so organised!'
The knives hung on the wall looked sharp and pristine, like there was magic keeping all of them fresh and clean; a miniature oven and a pot stirred itself, making cooking a breeze.
"Wonderful!" Zell said, his voice like an excited boy, while his eyes dazzled like shining stars, causing old man Baal to become happier as he began to collect some ingredients for the dinner he was going to serve for his new disciple.
For the first time in aeons, he felt a sense of joy, feeling that the words of that woman were true, it meant that his wife was still alive and he also had a granddaughter and maybe a great-grandaughter by now!
Baal didn't care what race they were if they were a fairy, demon or human with traces of those bloodlines; his mood for the first time began to improve; today was the most stressful for him, and crafting that sword was a means to hide his worry and stress.
So the moment Zell entered, he suddenly felt a second wind filled with happiness.
On the other hand, Zell was oblivious; he began to stroke the appliances and utensils; it was clear that a fairy's magic was woven into the entire aspect of this kitchen and small dining room, from the furniture to the spices and these enchanted appliances.
A wonderful blend of two worlds, it was like he stepped into one of his old picturebooks that his mother read to him as a young boy; the dark mahogany and soft velvet cushions seemed to be more of Baal's influence, as the fairy seemed to like lilac and soft blue colours.
Overall, the kitchen and dining room arranged by a fairy married to a demon was a beautiful and enchanting space that reflected the couple's unique and wonderful union.
"Your wife must be a wonderful woman; I hope to meet her one day," Zell said before pulling a chair slowly, not even a sliding sound as the smooth wood almost glided across the varnished wooden floor.
"I won't give her to you!" Baal said, reacting the same way he did to Zelgan; his heart throbbed as he watched Zell sitting in the same seat.
'It's like you are back again, old friend... Oh, how I miss the days with you!'
Baal began to throw ingredients into the pot, carrot-like vegetables, things that seemed to be large potatoes, sliced into halves with his magical threads, then a few other extras while the meat was huge and juicy looking meat, close to beef or venison.
His skilful magic manipulation allowed him to slowly slice and dice the meat into perfect cubes before it plopped into the larger cauldron, which began to bubble instantly as the wooden lid floated down, sealing it.
Old man Baal slowly walked over to Zell, looking at him with a long, wry smile before sitting across from him and snapping his fingers as various papers appeared out of nowhere.
"Don't worry about time, lad; since you entered, even a year in here would only be a few moment's out there. Sadly, I don't have enough magic to keep you here too long due to the damn divines barrier. But we can have a meal to celebrate you becoming my apprentice!"
"That's good; I didn't want to be rude or miss this chance to try cooking from a fairy's kitchen!"
"I won't give her to you!"
Zell laughed with Baal's deep guffaw, the two men looking at the documents; some were Baal's notes from when he first started Metalmancy, which were very helpful to Zell right now; with these, he began to study them in silence.
His hair draped over his face while intently reading each note; what he did wrong, where not to rush and relax.
Baal smiled gently, watching as the boy was different but very similar to Zelgan, no longer apprehensive of letting him learn his craft, instead reading his notes in later years, marking them with a number out of 100 at the top.
This number signified the importance to Zell and the ones he should prioritise.
Two men were sitting at the dark mahogany table, reading notes. At the same time, the bubbling and churning of the cauldrons filled the humble but warm kitchen of Evelyn, the former empress of spirit fairies before their world was destroyed.
A momentary idea and thought came to Zell's mind as he blurted it out.
"Oh yeah, I have a lover who is a fairy; maybe they are related to your wife somehow..."
Baal had a small cup of tea in his hand as it suddenly tumbled, spilling the tea onto his hands; with narrowed eyes, the strange Baal asked a question.
"What is her name?"
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