Chapter 247: A Tale Through Ages, Part
“I suppose a ‘thank you’ is in order.”
The old wrinkly eyes that stared at her was a kind one, and when he smiled – every part of his face smiled along with him, the creases in his brow, the wrinkles on every cheek. If not for his beard shrouding away a hefty portion, he’d probably had more ridges than the rockiest of mountains.
Ria remembered the first time those grey silvery eyes looked on at her. Back then, they were much younger, less weary-looking. He was also much more handsome... they always were young, but they were also just as much foolish as they were handsome.
He was no exception. Just a novice sorcerer off on his pilgrimage... and what fool would choose a forest of no interest as their first site to venture?
Castus Salnor was that one handsome fool. What was he doing trying to climb the trees anyway? It was just a bad day’s misfortune that she decided to nest on a low-lying branch that day.
Luckily, Ria adored all things beautiful and pleasing to the eye, luckily she could never resist them, luckily... she let him go.
A human, she should have killed him. Ria, upon snapping awake from her brief lapse of judgment, lamented that thought for the rest of the day... and the day beyond too.
.....
He’ll tell everyone. She’ll have to run again. It was a cycle that just kept repeating itself on end. Never once changing.
But then he returned a week later, alone... and the rest was history. It must have been decades since then. To her, It felt more like months. Every decade does.
“I’ve told her not to wander too far from where I was resting,” Castus said, gently stroking the soft silky hair of a sleeping bundle of cuteness curled up against his lap. “But it seems children would always be children, demon or otherwise.”
Now here he was again, not as young, not as handsome, as he always does every few years or so. She could never understand why he does... and why he always was a headache when he does.
After all, he was never going to convince her.
Ria watched silently, seething in envy. True injustice in its most literal form was her lap remaining empty whilst he continued nursing the most demonic angel she’s ever seen.
“Keep your thanks,” She told him, sitting across from him atop the stump. “There are more vigorous things out there to be doing rather than just watching a ball be tossed over and over again. She tired herself out.”
“Yes, she tends to do that quite often. Matters not what the task, she’ll always pour her heart out to it. She’s a diligent one, she is...”
There was a tenderness to those words. His warm gaze that wouldn’t stray, continuously watching her sleeping face. She’s never seen that face on him before.
Ria cocked her head again. “Since when?”
“Ah well, you see I found her stuffed inside a tree. With the rise of demon activity lately, the Seven Churches grew paranoid. It was a surprise raid on their domain, carried out by Elf-Knights and those who control them. I... I didn’t find any other survivors in the aftermath. Ruria was all there was.”
“You know that’s not what I’m asking.”
The wrinkles near his lips began to stretch once more. “Is it really that much of a wonder to you?”
“Unless I’m misremembering, then yes it is a wonder... a very big wonder too.”
“People change, Ria. With how long you lived, surely you’ve seen it for yourself?”
“Not in a lifetime,” She spoke back, cocking her head the other way. “You humans don’t forget.”
“But we forgive,” He said, raising his eyes still soft and kind. “And I forgave. It’s as simple as that.”
“Yes, if only the dead could say the same,” She stared back, not as soft, not as kind. “If only your parents could, hm?”
Castus stayed quiet for a moment, the wrinkles of joy on his face slightly fading as his gaze fell back to the small child on his lap, “Ruria didn’t kill my parents.”
“And neither did plenty of other demon species,” Ria replied at once. “Yet you slew them all the same anyway. I ask, why should she be any different? She’s a demon too.”
“She’s a child.”
“An adorable one, yes. Sweet, oh – absolutely, I won’t argue with that. But... once again, so were many others. A raid, you say... is it alright if I ask just who exactly it was leading that raid on the forefront? Surely the Churches wouldn’t just put any old Magus in charge of such a task. Surely they’ll choose one whose sole expertise lies in the swift eradication of all demonkind.”
Castus didn’t say anything, and just merely kept his eyes to the demon in slumber, gliding one of his old heavily scarred hands across the seams of her stark black hair.
“If I’m still not misremembering,” She continued to speak. “When you climbed that tree the first time you were here... wasn’t it for a moss especially poisonous to certain demons? I think I also recall you receiving praise from every branch of the Churches for your breakthrough discovery.”
His hands froze stiff, his stare just as stiff, “You know already how hypocritical we can be. What use is there in pointing it out?”
Ria shrugged, her frown in amusement. “Nothing. Just thought it’s funny. You wanna go all noble, adopt an adorable demon daughter whose parents’ deaths are yours to blame – that’s all on you. What say do I have in it?”
“She’ll come to know the truth one day. I’ll be sure to tell her.”
“Of course you will,” Ria scoffed. “You serve the Churches. The bastion of all that is good in the world. Murder is fine... but why in the good graces of the Divines would you ever tell a lie, right?”
Castus wasn’t fazed one bit by any of what she said. He’s listened to her many times, put up with her many times... eventually, you just get used to the constant mockery.
As he did.
“As every bit crass, Ria,” He said, shaking his head with a small smile. “Unfortunately, I did not come to you today just simply to discuss an old man’s flaws.”
“No, you didn’t,” She smiled back. “So what did you come here for?”
“The same thing I always come here for.”
“Of course you did...”
Ria impelled her legs, propelling herself off the stump, and began to walk about, keeping her flames in check so as to not spark a wildfire in the namesake of annoyance.
“Only it’s different this time, Ria,” Castus said.
“It always is, isn’t it?” By her feet, a dried leaf shriveled into ashes. “You said that last time too. What is it now? How well did you revise your recruitment spiel this time? Another potential world-ending catastrophe, another evil lord recently risen from who knows really – ‘please help us, oh great phoenix of the forest, it is vital that you do’, it’s getting quite old, frankly.”
She looked back at him, and was slightly perturbed by how grim his grey silvery eyes looked back.
“It is indeed another evil lord, yes... and we do indeed might be in need of your help, just as we did many other times before,” He said quietly. “She’s... quite different from all the others before her.”
Ria raised a brow. “She?”
“Yes,” He nodded. “A powerful demon going by the name of Terestra.”
Malevolent powerful megalomaniacs hungry for world domination were a dime in a dozen. She’s seen them all before – saw them rise, saw them fall – she didn’t see any reason why this one would be any different.
“Best of luck to you, then,” She curtsied mockingly. “Rally the troops, unite the Kingdoms, hunt the Elves... ensure that they don’t align themselves with her – you know the drill. I’m not part of this.”
“Ria, I beseech you, I know what you think... and the Churches believe the same as you, they think of Terestra as a threat like any other.”
“And you don’t think so?”
“I know so,” His voice shook. “I’ve recently gone to one of the villages ransacked by one of her demons... I breathed in the air there... the stench of death that lingered... it’s not normal, Ria.”
“Then tell your superiors you smelt something bad, not me,” Ria said firmly. “Don’t make me complicit in any of your ventures. I am uninvolved, always am, always will.”
“On the contrary, Ria, you are... so long as you are a being in this realm, you are.”
“Hah!” She chuckled almost derisively. “Your Holy Church doesn’t certainly seem to think so. If I did belong in this realm, I wouldn’t have to be hiding, I wouldn’t have to be scouring the place for every snap of a twig nearby – I wouldn’t have to be here in the first place!”
She shouted, she very rarely shouted, very rarely lost control... the grass beneath her feet charring, the air around her growing hotter... very rarely it happened. But it happened.
Ruria gave a soft moan, squirming in place... clutching with her small hand the drabby robes of the old man carefully stroking her back into a peaceful slumber.
Ria took a second, composing herself, then spoke once more. “Stop telling me to help. I won’t help. This... Terestra-whatever threat, that’s your problem to deal with, not mine.”
“Please, Ria...” The old man stared back at her, those tired pleading silver eyes, they almost seemed to pierce through her. They looked so familiar, too familiar.
Painfully familiar.
“I said no,” She turned away from it, from him, folding her arms close to her chest. “Don’t make me say it twice.”
“Humanity needs you.”
“No, it doesn’t... and they made that plenty clear already. Many times before.”
“Then, please...” He said, his shaky voice almost in a whisper. “Forgive us...”
She was surprised by how insistent he was this time, she’s never heard him desperate, never seen him scared. Perhaps another time, an earlier time, he might have almost convinced her.
But even then, it’s only an almost.
“You forget, I’m not human, remember?” She turned to him again, her tone cold as ice. “I don’t forgive as easy as you humans do.”
That was that. Castus knew there was no use in saying anymore, unless he wanted to only aggravate her some more. He hung his head, slowly rising to his feet, Ruria cradled gently in his arms, breathing out a heavy breath.
“I’ll be back, I haven’t yet given up convincing you.”
Ria rolled her eyes. “You’re not young anymore, you’re not handsome anymore... and yet, you are still such a fool.”
“I’m human,” He managed a smile. “We all are.”
With that, he began to depart, one slow meandering step at a time into the dark bushy trenches, but just before he did, he turned his head back at her for one last time.
“I’m sure in your heart, Ria... somewhere deep down, you still care about us humans in your own way.”
Ria’s stare was a dull one. “Nah, no way. You’re all fuckers. Every single last one of you.”
Castus gave a deep chuckle. “Let’s not forget, you were created by one too.”
“Yeah, I was,” Ria looked away, her eyes to the ground. “And he was a fucker too.”
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