Chapter 2

A young boy, about the age of seven and named John Reaper, sits on the couch beside a mature woman with a thick book in her hand. John has hair similar to his father, Dean Reaper; short, spiky black hair. His eyes are similar to that of the mature woman, Karen Reaper; red like a ruby gemstone. John has fair skin similar to his father. Besides Karen is a young girl, her name is Diana Reaper and she's John's little sister by three years.

Intrigued by the dark leather book, Diana doesn't remove her sight from it. She has long, silver hair that reaches below her waist, similar to Karen. She also has olive skin like Karen, but she has yellow eyes like Dean. The book reads 'History of the Chaotic Age', Karen skips pages until she arrives near the center of the book. The chapter she halts on is called 'The 12th Demon Lord's Revenge', Karen blushes as she stares at the page. She reads it to John and Diana, both very intrigued.

The chapter starts in the middle of the First Demonic-Dragon War, a war that happened 6,000 years ago. The Dragons were winning without much effort and though their greedy and sloth-like nature they didn't advance that often, unless enraged. They already slaughtered 14 grand families and took their territories. Most of the remaining 30 grand families panicked and began to selfishly hoard supplies and defend themselves instead of participating in the war. Four more families were wiped off the map in a few years.

Of the four families, one was called Durandus. The heir was the last remaining member of the lost land and family. Her name was Cecilia Durandus and during the invasion she managed to kill an adult dragon at the young age of 24. This led her down a quick path to gaining influence as she partook in the front line during the rest of the war. She was given the rare title 'Dragon Slayer' by the dragons at the age of 28, this was a great honor as it states that she had killed at least 10 adult dragons in single combat. She managed to reclaim her land and a few others, occupying them under her name. The other families resisted, but quickly fell silent once she offered to take on their challenge. At age 36, she arranged a peace treaty with the dragons that would last a century, they accepted and kept the land they took. She challenged one of the Demon Lords and took their place becoming one of the 12 Demon Lords.

Karen closed the book and grinned. She hugged the book very closely to herself.

"She's the reason I became an adventurer." Karen says. John hops off the couch and faces his mother.

"What are the Demon Lords?" John asks. Karen stands and places the book back into the shelf.

"They are the 12 powerful leaders that govern the entire demon race. They vow to protect us and support us even in the toughest of times. Though nowadays they are just a bunch of power hungry, sadistic bastards, who have ruined the honor and joy of becoming or being related to one of them." Karen states.

"What if I want to become one. Like the lady in the story." Diana asks.

"Then train. To become one you have to go through a trial to earn the right to challenge one on the throne. Just be aware these stories are outdated and the glory of being a Demon lord has been lost."

"Well, we just have to bring it back." John says, dashing to the door that leads to the garden. Diana follows him out the door. "Mother, let's train again! I found my motive!" Karen smiles proudly as she follows them outside.

~

John unlocked his ability at the age of eight years, it was golden flames. Similar to Marcus he had a vision and mumbled the name, Odar. As tradition states, Karen took him to her lake house to train his newfound ability. Diana is with them, but still hasn't gained her ability instead she is still training her body.

"Alright John, focus within yourself and draw out the flames." John cups his hands in front of him and focuses. He tenses his body as his skin begins to warm up. Weak pulses start from his chest and creek into his fingers causing them to twitch. John breathes harder as he grits his teeth attempting to force out the flames. John relaxes and drops his arms attempting to regain control over his breathing, wiping off the sweat he accumulated. John tries again and again.

"Mother, I can't do it. I'm trying, but it just won't come out." John mumbles, lowering his head and gripping his clothes. Karen walks up to him and raises his chin.

"Try again."

"I have, nothing is changing. No matter how much effort I put into it, I can't seem to do it." John cries. "I'm not… I'm not sure I can do it. Maybe it was a fluke that made it seem like I got my power. Each time my heart pulses I can feel the burning sensation taunting me. I don't want to feel this pain anymore. I don't know what to do." John shuts his eyes trying to stop the tears.

"It doesn't matter how much effort you put in, or how long you've been doing it. All that will go to waste if you give up on yourself." John widens his teary eyes as Karen watches with a serious face. "It's okay to cry, it's okay to run and hide, but don't ever give up to doubt. Believe in yourself like I believe in you. You endured my training for a year. You will be awarded for that in time."

John steps back and closes his eyes. He begins to regulate his breathing, not tensing his muscles or gritting his teeth. John guides the warm pulses to every corner of his being and observes them. They get hotter and more fierce as he focuses. He feels the heat bending to his will as he tries to draw it out in physical form. John opens his eyes and is met with a golf ball sized golden flaming sphere in the center of his palms.

"A sun," John says, with a grin.

~

A few weeks pass as John gets accustomed to his new routine of training. He trains daily with his mother and Diana and even on his breaks he trains. Karen arranges a play date for John. She brings John to another big house. John sits in a room with another boy and two girls. The girls wear similar styles of sundresses. He sits in a straight posture glancing at the other children. The two girls whisper to each other while looking at John curiously. The boy stands up from his chair and offers his hand. He's wearing tank tops and shorts similar to what John is wearing, though the boy is wearing a dark blue top with brown shorts while John is wearing a greyish top with black pants.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Drenn Kaiser and I'm going to be a Demon Lord when I grow up." John smiles and nods his head. He takes Drenns hand and stands, meeting at eye level. Drenn has brown hair reaching just past his shoulders, fading into dark blue at the tips. He has greyish auburn eyes, as well as caramel like skin.

"The pleasure is mine. My name is John Reaper and my ambition is to also become a Demon Lord."

"John, eh. That's a nice name for a rival."

"Rival?"

"John, do you know how to fight?"

"Well the basics, but I haven't really been in a combat related situation before other than sparring."

"That's more than these two," Drenn points at the two girls.

"Hey! That was uncalled for," One of the girls responded. She has long pink hair and dark pink eyes. She approaches John and looks him up and down. "My name is Orianne Solris and welcome to my home," she says before turning towards the girl behind her. She sat in an elegant posture as she glanced at John curiously with her bright, soft pink eyes. Her short wavy blonde hair brushes slightly past her chin.

"Hello, my name is Nami Marinena," she says, giving a slight wave.

"A pleasure to meet you," John waves back.

"Now that introductions have been made. Let us play a couple games." Drenn states. They decided to play a tag version of hide and seek outside in their large backyard. and for the first two matches were Orianne then Nami. They struggled to tag John and Drenn, who both were quick on their feet. Though they did manage to corner them allowing for an easy tag. Drenn and John flipped a gold coin to see who'll be next, as Drenn flips it he calls heads. John is it. He gives them 20 seconds to hide and run.

In an instance he notices Orianne and chases her, she runs full-sprint around different objects, but John manages to maneuver around them. Orianne starts to slow down as she tries to catch her breath. John leaps over a fountain, slamming against a hedge which breaks his pathing and lunges at Orianne. She takes quick few steps back not noticing her surroundings and trips over the handcrafted water fountain's walls. She widens her eyes with terror as if her heart just stopped. John grasps her wrists and pulls her forward. She leans onto John's chest with eyes wide open and heart pounding loudly.

"Are you okay?" John asks. Orianne nods as she slowly pushes off him.

"Yeah." she claims brushing her hair to the sides. "I'm just a little scared of pools of water. Thanks for helping me there." John glanced at the fountain. It's as deep as a tub, maybe a little deeper.

"No problem. I'm sure the others would have helped as much." She shakes her head.

"Not in the same way. Nami would panic and get help, while Drenn would laugh before helping me."

"Oh. Well be careful next time." John says walking away. "By the way, maybe not a good time, but I got you." She blushes for a moment before coming to the realization of their game.

"Ah, he did get me." She mumbles as she walks towards the house.

John searches for the remaining two and after some time he manages to find Drenn on top of a tree. John attempts to climb the tree, but Drenn jumps off it and starts to run. John kicks off the tree and nearly catches Drenn. Drenn gives him a smug look and further increases the distance between them. John chases him for a while trying to herd him to a corner, finally he manages to corner him. Drenn tries to juke John, but John reacts at a quicker pace tapping his chest.

"Being fast isn't going to get you anywhere if you can't plan ahead." John states as he breathes heavily, resting on his knees.

"You just have lots of stamina. How much have you trained?" Drenn says sliding down the wall to sit.

"For a while, but I'm still lacking." John says, standing up straight to stretch. "Do you know where Nami is?"

"Nope, but even if I did, I wouldn't say."

"Good." John mumbles. He searches for Nami and finds her by a beautiful pond, it was cared for and carefully constructed. It was big, in an abstract shape outlined by smooth rocks and small colorful flowers. Several koi fish harbor the crystal blue pond, some approach Nami, curious. She doesn't kneel or smile, she just stares at the water reminiscing about something. He looks at the water not seeing anything interesting. He moves around trying to see what she was staring at until he stands next to her. He brushes her hand slightly and she flinches and yelps, taking a step back.

"When did you get here?" She faces him.

"Just a few moments ago. What are you looking at?" John stares at the water for a moment before giving her a glance.

"Ah, nothing, just the fish." She claims looking back at the water.

"Okay, I won't pry. The water sure does look beautiful."

"Yeah, beautiful." She mumbles. Nami raises her hand slightly and points at the sky with her index finger. A bubble of water forms above the finger. She sways her hand as the baseball sized water follows. "You look tired and the heat isn't going to make it any better."

"Well, we can rest now since I caught you." John says walking from the pond. Nami drops the ball of water on top of John and giggles.

"Now you don't have to worry about cooling off." John nods and agrees before heading back inside with Nami close behind.

A few weeks pass and John continues to play with his new friends nearly everyday. Until his father arrives. Dean congratulates John on his achievement of unlocking his ability. Dean tells John and Karen about the Test of Might, at the colosseum. It's a one on one duel with a random opponent of similar age from 10 to 14. It will be held in front of several noble families who have come to see their own children battle. Dean states that John will participate in two years. John agrees without hesitation, but Karen sighs and leaves the room.

"John this is your opportunity to prove that we the Reaper family are a family to be feared and respected. You must lay down the foundation for when you become the head of our household."

"But I want to be the Demon Lord. I have to travel the world to get stronger to pass the tests."

"No, you can get stronger here and take your rightful place as the lord of the household."

"Why? Can't Diana take over? Why does it have to be me?"

"I said no!" Dean grips John's shoulders and kneels. "That name you spoke of, Odar. He has plans for you. You can't do what he asks. He doesn't care for anyone unless it involves his entertainment."

"Why? All he said was to go to the Central Continent and mother said that he can be trusted if he accepts you."

"That's exactly why you will not go, that tricky bastard will be your downfall." Dean stands and walks away. John returns to his room, but not before grabbing a book. The night sky, lit only by the moon and stars, lights the room to a dim. John sits at his desk and opens the book randomly. The words are hard to read until he conjures fire in his hand. The first words he notices were Demon King, a title that was, out of respect, forbidden to anyone after the sixth Demon King passed away of an unknown illness. He kept reading as it intrigued him. The title could only be gained through a Demon Lord who has beaten the rest of the Demon lords in combat. Then they are able to challenge the Demon King in a battle that results in someone's death.

John spends less time with his friends. They start to train more and more for the event leaving little to no time to play with each other. Nami's family takes her away from the location and leaves to somewhere with less distraction. Orianne's family does the same, but even she had enough time to say goodbye.

"John, did you hear me?" Drenn questions.

"Yeah, just don't believe it. You too? Why is everyone leaving?"

"The Test of Might is a very big deal. Our parents want us to focus on it, it's a chance for them to show us off."

"I get it, but still it's stupid."

"Wanna have a match?" Drenn asks.

"Why, we could have one at the colosseum?" Drenn shakes his head and pulls out a mace.

"Think of the chances. It's not going to happen."

"Fine, let's do it. Although no powers or magic." John states, cracking his knuckles.

"Not confident with them?"

"Don't think either of us can control it very well." John dashes towards Drenn who reacts by swinging his mace down. John dodges and strikes Drenn's torso. Drenn grabs his arm and headbutts John before throwing him to the ground. Drenn puts the mace away and punts John's gut. Drenn picks John up and reels back for a punch, but John dodges and twists his body to throw Drenn over his shoulder. Drenn smashes against the ground and John strikes his face. Drenn counters with a knee kick. Drenn gains his footing and tackles John.

"Wanna uses powers now!" Drenn shouts as he repeatedly punches John, who is defending himself with his arms.

"Sure! Why not!" John yells, as his fist blaze in golden flames. He parries Drenn and pushes him off himself. John fires a blast of flames at the ground in front of Drenn causing it to expand, engulfing him. John disperses the flames that coat his fist and rushes to Drenn. A large turquoise colored hand emerges from the flames and pins John against the ground. Drenn walks out of the flames unaffected, but covered in water.

"Water beats fire." He claims before submerging John in water. "Let's fight again soon." Drenn says before John closes his eyes.

John wakes up in his bed only to realize that he had lost. He walks to the window and sees Diana training with Karen both using wooden katanas. He gathers flames and compresses it into a sphere.

"Water beats fire? We'll see about that. Drenn, you might be a better fighter, but you underestimate the future Demon King." John states disbursing the flames.

Karen and Diana reach the end of the day's training. Diana hands the katana to Karen before closing her eyes for a moment. Karen returns the tools to their original locations before noticing Diana.

"You've been doing this everyday since John unlocked his. You want your ability that badly?" Karen asks, grabbing a chair and sitting in front of Diana, in an observant manner. Diana nods vigorously in silence. "The ability to manipulate elements isn't something that you can force to achieve. It's a mystic power that is granted to individuals."

"When did you unlock yours?" Diana opens her eyes and stares at her mother.

"I unlocked my fire at… six and my earth at age eight and lightning at 14. Why?"

"Amazing." Diana states. "I want my already so I can be like you. I want to meet all sorts of creatures."

"And you will, but there is no need to rush. The planet isn't in any danger anymore." Karen claims, as a silhouette flashes in her mind. The man gave a wide smile and offered his hand, before disappearing. "Bruce." she mumbles.

"What?" Diana asks. "Who's that?" Karen stands from her chair and lifts Diana to eye level.

"He's just an old friend."

"What happened?"

"We went our separate ways after we saved the planet. Isn't your mom amazing."

"Wow, so you are a hero. Now I want to be like you even more." Diana states as she hugs Karen and rubs her cheeks against Karen's.