8 Mog's Replacement

Bang Bang bang!

A loud knock at the door woke me up from my nightmare. I sat up, looking at the door expecting Mog to come in. I was grateful to her for waking me from my dreams. It was my first time having a nightmare in 5-years. I dreamt about my past. I grabbed my head, attempting to push away the bad memory. I then stared at the door as someone began to knock again. Now I was sure it wasn't Mog. She would have been in the room already.

"Gora, are you awake? Its your father, I've come to talk to you." My father announced from the other side of the door. ( Ugh. leave me be, you dumb old man.) I thought as I laid back down. Hearing more knocks.

"Go away!" I said. I didn't really feel like seeing him right now. I wasn't in any mood for his shenanigans. I put the covers over my head when I heard the door start to open.

"Now, now don't be like that. I wanted to take you for a walk so we can talk." The King said, entering my room. He knelt on the side of my bed. Then he lifted my sheet. I was now faced with my grinning father. I want to wipe that smile off his stupid face. Apparently, he read my mind because he began to frown.

"Come on, Gora, walk with me. We can get breakfast afterward." He said, holding out his hand. I fought him for another minute or so, but when I realized he wasn't going to leave unless I said yes so, I caved. I also didn't want to go back to sleep. I was afraid of the dream I might have.

I was still in my nightgown, but it was early, so the only people up were the servants. They all bowed sweetly at the demon king and me. Drak was following us at a distance, but Mog was nowhere to be found. I was starting to worry. Mog was always at my side when I woke up.

"The garden is beautiful this time of day?" My father said, shaking me from my thoughts. I gazed out at the magnificent garden with flowers of all shapes and colors. The light from the morning sun made dew on the petals shine like diamonds. At the center of the courtyard, there was a large bush. It was trimmed in the shape of the three head serpent. The massive bush gave the garden a royal feeling.

"Your mother loved this place." My father exclaimed as he stared intensely at the scene. His mention of my mother came as a surprise to me. He seldomly talked about her. (Maybe this is my chance to get some real information.) I thought.

"Can you tell me more about her?" I asked, looking up at my dad. He frowned for a second, but it quickly turned into a smile. He then spun around and put out his hand for me to take.

"Sure thing, little one, but first, I have something to show you." Gorro said as we began to walk around the garden. He proceeded to name all the flowers and tell me where they originated from. This went on for quite some time. Until we stopped at a small shrub of purple flowers in the shape of tiny hearts.

"These are purple hearts. They where your mothers favorite. She said they always reminded her of her home." My father said, picking up one of the flowers and handing it to me. The flower had a sweet smell to it. (So, my mother liked these.) I thought, holding the heart-shaped plant in my hands. There weren't many of the flowers. They occupied the smallest space in the garden.

"You said you wanted to know more about her, but I still don't think its the right time. I do however understand your curiosity so I'll let you know a little bit for now." My father said, looking into the sky. I could see he was serious, so I took my chance and unloaded my questions onto him. We talked for what felt like hours, but I didn't get much out of him in the end.

I did learn that my mother wasn't like other humans. She was from a nomad tribe who lived in the mountains. I wasn't told which mountains. and he would not tell me the name of the tribe. Even when I asked if the tribe still existed, he wouldn't tell me. He did tell me other things about her. I learned my mother was a simple woman who cared nothing for luxury and riches. She was also a fighter who practiced the art of hand-t-hand Ti-Ki.

"The first time I met your mother, she punched me in the face." Father said, laughing a little. I laugh as well. The most important thing I learned was her name. My mother was named Nova after a goddess little 'g.' I wasn't told if the goddess was aligned with forces of chaos or order, but I was told that my mother hated her name.

"Okay, I think that's enough for today. I will tell you more about her on your birthday, fair?" The demon king said. He was becoming annoyed with all my questions. He retook my hand and was about to leave when I stopped him.

"Papa, do you think mama would have been happy to see me?" I asked, looking my dad in his yellow eyes. He looked at me for a moment, then at the purple hearts seemly in deep thought.

"Did you know that she was the one to name you? In the devil language, Gora means nothing. But in your mother's, language Gora is another name for the purple heart." My father said, pointing at the plant. (Then she named me after her favorite flower.) The thought filled me with joy.

"I really wish I could have met her." I told my father as we began to walk out of the garden. I was already making plans to visit the purple hearts more often.

"I sure Nova would've love to meet you as well." My father said as we walked away. After leaving the garden, the King and I went to have breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. (Bacon, eggs, and pancakes. What's not to love.) I thought as I looked at the meal prepared for us. The food had already been laid out. Meaning my father had planned this all along.

I was about to scold him, but the smell of bacon hit my nose. I decided I'd I would save my breath and eat. While I ate and forgot all about my problems. I even hummed a little as I poured syrup on my pancakes.

"You seem to be in a good mood. Are you excited about your awakening?" My father asked. I dropped my fork upon hearing his words. The click of my fork hit the ground echo through the large dining area. As soon as my utensil hit the floor, a servant was there to pick it up. The maid then handed me another one. I thanked her then pointed my weapon at my father.

"Every time I think about what you did, I feel like hitting you. I didn't ask you to invite the entire kingdom. I hate the attention." I said, pointing my fork at him menacingly. My father put his hands up and pretended to be afraid. Suddenly he just started laughing. A long and hardy laugh. He laughed so long I began to worry that he'd never stop. I, along with all the servants in the room, had a confused look on our faces. (In this little body, people don't even take my threats seriously.) I thought.

"I'm sorry, Gora. You looked a lot like your mother just then. She use to threaten me just like that." Father said once he was done laughing. I was glad to know my mom didn't put up with the demon king's crap. The thought of my mom scolding the demon almost made me laugh. But I was still mad at my father, so I fought my urge to smile. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"Ah, that was a good laugh. Thank you for the laugh and the walk. It was a great way to start my day. But alas, I must be going. I have so much to do. Heavy is the crown." My father said with a frown while standing up. I knew he wasn't actually going to do any work. He was just saying it to avoid the stink eye I was giving him. I just nodded in response as he left the room.

"Oh, about Mog. She's taking a rest so, one of her sisters will be taking over for her. Oh, and I love you bye." My father said before vanishing behind the door. It took me a second before realization hit me. (You don't mean?)

"NooooooO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I wanted to find my father and rip his head off, but I figured he was probably gone by now. If I found out he had something to do with Mog leaving. I was going to kill the dumb bastard. (I hope I don't see that woman.) I thought as I angrily finished my breakfast.

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Knock knock!

For a second time today, someone was knocking at my door. I hoped it was my father so I could scream at him personally. I had been locked in my room throwing things out of frustration. My maids didn't dare to stop me without Mog. So, I got to let out a lot of anger. My room looked like it had been ransacked by bandits. I started to ask who it was, but then the door opened.

"Morning .... princess." The person who entered said. I knew that cold voice from anywhere. I turned to see Mog, well here, sister. They all went by the same name, which was confusing as hell. The woman before me looked exactly like the Mog from yesterday. She had the same purple hair and red eyes. She even had the same clothes. If it wasn't for the long scar on her face, I wouldn't have known the difference. That and her voice was lower than my Mog's.

"Hello to you too. Now, what are you doing here?" I asked angrily. Mogs sisters didn't like me at all, so in turn, I didn't like them. The one before me I called Duae, meaning "Two" in my old tongue. I didn't like calling her Mog. It made things confusing. Duae only showed herself to me when Mog was away. She didn't wait on my hand and foot like Mog did, She would just hide in the shadows.

Mog was one person with three different personalities. These three personalities had their own separate body. It was a hard fact to wrap my head around. Mog and her sisters shared thoughts and memories, but they all acted independently of one another. Mog was the fun one, Duae was the mean one and I never saw the third sister. Mog told me that she had no interest in taking human form. All together, Mog and her two sisters are the Hydra! Guardian beast and protectors of Esha.

"I came at the request of the King. I am here to prepare you for your awakening. I will try anyway." Duae said as she looked around my room. I was about to tell her to shove off, but she kept talking."I'm to make sure you learn about Ki and its uses. We will also begin your Physical training. Follow me." She said as she turned and left, not bothering to wait for my reply. Duae always kept her sentences short and to the point. I didn't want to learn from her. I had no doubt she would be tough on me. I was, however, curious about the magic of this world. Mog refused to tell me anything before I turned ten. She said I should focus more on my royal edict. Curiosity got the better of me, and I walked after Duae, with Drak right behind me.

Duae didn't stop walking until we reached the library. I was stunned by the sight of it. Row after row as far as the eye could see, with shelves full of books. (This place would put the holy library in my old life to shame.) I thought as my fingers touched the spine of the books we passed. We stopped at a table close to the window. On the table was full of literature. Most were written in the devil language, but a few were in the language of the vampear. There were also a few snacks, which surprised me. I figured the other maids were the ones to put the food there.

"Sit. You will read all of these books. My sister said you had learned all the languages, which is surprising for a lower. Still impressive nonetheless. When you are done with these books you'll answer a few questions." Duae said, pointing at the volumes. I had no problem with her order. I was itching to crack open the books. I sat down and began to read.

Hours passed, and snacks disappeared, but I didn't move. I was engrossed with the books. I had only read half of them, but I discovered so much about this world's magic. First, I learned that upon awakening a person, Ki nodes open up, allowing one to utilize magic. When a person awakens, they also have a chance of obtaining an element. Fire, water, air, earth, and other variates. Like ice and lighting.

After reading a little more, I learned About the soul core. It was the place that housed Ki. The size of one's soul core determines a person's Ki strength. There are Ten layers of power, each one stronger than the last. In my old world, we called them levels. They were essentially the same thing. If a layer two fighter went against a layer 8 fighter. The layer two fighters would be at a disadvantage.

There is also a chance that a person wouldn't open all of the nodes or get an element. In fact, a lot of people don't awaken at all. The majority of people are unable to use Ki. That's why beings who have awakened their nodes end up having children with each other. It increases the chances of having a child that can use Ki. Both my mother and father had been awakened, so there was a high chance I would use Ki. That was good news. It was one less thing to worry about. (The Goddess of chaos had said I have a chance to be a god. I'm sure I'll get to use Ki.) I hoped as I closed the last book.

Duae was nowhere to be found. I was so enthralled with reading that I hadn't even noticed her leave. I looked around but saw no sign of my maid. I did spot a letter folded on the table.

"You took to long. so, I decided to wait for you on the training grounds. For your sword training." I quickly read it, only to roll the paper up and throw it in the trash. (I think ill make Duae wait a little longer.) I thought as I finished off the rest of my snacks. I didn't really need lessons in swordplay anyways. I had learned quite a lot of that in my old life.

Ti-Ki{Tie-Key}: The art of enhancing one's physical abilities with Ki to fight.

Soul core: If Ki is the is fuel for magic, then the soul core is the engine. Ki must enter one's soul core to produce magic. The size of a core determines how strong a person's magic is.

Layers/levels: Refer to the size of a person's soul core.

Nova: Gora's mother. She is a member of a nomad tribe that lives high in the mountains.

Duae{Dew-A}: One of Mog's two sisters. Duae is one head of the guardian beast of Esha.