CHAPTER One: Beast & Coup

{Land of Per Sempre}

-The Demon Realm-

[Upper Halls of Castle Ashgate]

"Ka-KAS--"

"KASPER!!"

The young princess of Ashgate's voice echoes throughout the halls as she dashes past antique paintings and vases in a heap of exhausted breath and heaving.

"KASPER!!--"

"--Ouuff!!!"

She shouts before colliding with the castle's serving staff!!...resulting in her white dress getting stained with a murky green tea...

"O-OH MY GOD!!"

"MILADY!!!"

The staff react in tandem to the mishap. One is only capable of cupping her mouth in horror as the other reaches down to help her up.

"..."

"Argghhh-- FORGET IT!!!"

*Smack!!!!

But all she can do is swat the hand away and get back up to carry on with her venture.

After all, this is a special day; it is not the time to reprimand the worthless employees who ought to have been paying attention to where they were going.

Because this is going to be a historic day that the entire race of demons will undoubtedly remember forever.

A day... that her genius brother predicted would come.

*Heaving "Ka...KASPER!!!!"

*BAM!!!!

The princess's force swings back two massive doors as she enters a large, open room at the end of the hall.

With an abundance of books lining both sides of the space, this unusually designed chamber could easily pass for a library...

..If it were not for the bed at the very end of the oval room that is...

"KASPER!!!!"

She yells once more, her gaze fixed on the room's central, large window that overlooks a verdant courtyard..

"YOU WERE RIGHT KAS... I-IT'S HAPPENING TODAY!!"

The young princess exclaims to the figure sitting by the window... dressed in a neat three piece, jacket not included, and holding a book as he stares out the window.

His slicked-back black hair and dark complexion shimmering against the sun's rays almost as much as his inquisitive crimson eyes.

"--A-AND IT'S JUST AS YOU SAID KASPER, MINISTER LANDROSE HE-- BIG BROTHER HE--"

Again, in a flurry of excitement and nervousness, the princess lets her voice trail off before she stops herself mid-sentence.

A slight blush creeping upon her chocolate colored cheeks when she scans herself.

Well, that is not a particularly attractive look for Ashgate's distinguished young lady...

"..."

"...I see..."

The young lord answers in a calm manner, his bored tone and raspy voice only highlighting how uninterested he is.

"Y-YES! Hmph." (*flings her hair to the side)

"..."

"So that's checkmate then..."

Kasper murmurs softly to himself...

Idlying gazing back out the window while his younger sister tries to gather herself.

-Ground Floor-

[Throne Room, Castle Ashgate]

*KAD! KAD! KAD! KAD!!

A group of twenty at the very least march straight for the throne, as the sound of metal against concrete reverberates through the throne room halls.

Among them, one man stands out in particular because of a red flag hanging from his menacing black armour's shoulder.

The flag is red, with a painting in the center of the castle that they currently parade in black.

*KAD!!!

The troops come to a halt a few steps from the throne.

At which point, the troops in front then give way and march to their sides, allowing the man in the middle to approach the throne perched atop the steps at a leisurely pace.

With every step he takes toward the throne, his heavy armour makes a sound that echoes louder and exudes a cheeky, haughty composure.

*TAK!

The man comes to a halt just ahead of the front troops and removes his helmet, revealing dark rose pink hair and short, black, curling horns on either side of his receding hairline.

"...heh..."

He smiles slyly, looking up the stairs and straight ahead at the person seated on the chained throne.

"Hmmmm..."

The being occupying the throne lets out an exclamation that sounds more like a beastly growl than inquisitiveness.

"So?... Could you tell me what this is all about, Landrose?"

Its voice descends from atop the throne, deep and husky. Even with these words, which are sincere and modest, there is the scent of death and the intimidation of a beast in every word.

"...tch."

"Aha..AHAHAHAHA!! C'mon Xhaka don't tell me you really don't know."

Landrose laughs heartily.

To conceal the uneasiness that slowly grew inside of him after the creature spoke perhaps?

"Xhaka! Xhaka!!"

"Oh 'Supreme Lord of all the Demons'!"

"It appears that you are no longer the myth that you once were."

{-'Charles 'Xhaka' Rov I'.}

Demon-lord Supreme of Castle Ashgate and ruler of all of the Demon-realm.

To refer to the being occupying the throne as just a regular man would be an insult to both his greatness and his achievements.

Sat on the chained throne, the demon known as Xhaka still towers over six-foot-five, with massive white horns swirling and curling either side of his pitch black hair to about a metre each.

...An empty faded black in his eyes, and a face with a single scar that runs across not only the center of his right brow and eye, but also his patchy white and black beard...

The ultimate authority in one of the two split realms in the Land of Per Sempre is the one who now faces Landrose with all the poise of a man to an ant.

First of his name...

Demon- Lord Supreme.

Charles 'Xhaka' Rov!

"..."

"...hm."

The Demon-Lord Supreme scoffs at Landrose's coup with a dismissive sneer, slowly averting his eyes from him and to his side.

Each movement he makes prompting a flinch from the coup's leader.

"T-THIS IS A HOSTILE TAKEOVER!"

"Xhaka!"

Landrose yells in a desperate plea for attention!

Anxiously unsheathing his sword and directing it at the beast.

"..."

"Is that so?"

"Ye-OFCOURSE!!"

A falter in his voice, the pink-haired demon swings his sword at the Demon-Lord Supreme, who just starts tapping his long fingers across the charred armrest one at a time.

"..tch."

"You, above all, ought to be aware of the current situation in the Demon-realm Xhaka!"

Landrose bellows with steadily increasing poise.

"Dead technologies, forsaken by the gods! And a war of attrition that has lasted far too long."

"You have failed our kind, Xhaka."

"It is now time for the Demon Realm to have a new ruler."

With his brows furrowed, Landrose speaks with a conviction and passion that he may not have even realized he possessed until today.

"I hope you forgive me for this later Great-Lord..."

"For one day, when we are deep in hell, our paths will cross again, and maybe then we can find a solution to the problems that plague us."

He says, suddenly somewhat sombre.

"But for now, let us call this farce to an end."

With a swing of his black sword and passionate words. Landrose commands his troops to confront the beast.

"Knights! Apprehend the 'former' lord of all demons."

And at a moment's notice, the troops begin to angle for the throne.

Encircling Landrose in the centre once more as they march closer and closer, when...

*Sigh...

The beast lets out a big bored sigh, which stops everyone in their tracks.

"So, this is what you meant..."

"Ehy? Kasper."

Right then, out of the shadows to the chained thrones right, emerged Charles Kasper Rov II.

Son of the beast and heir to the chained throne.

Walking at a slow, confident, but reluctant pace as he continues to flip through the pages of the book he is reading...

*PA!!!!

Before slamming it shut and producing an echo!

-A Little While Later-

"... Well?"

The beast questions his son, who remains stoic. His gaze locked on Landrose.

"..."

-silence-

"..."

"Wha-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Landrose's shout reverberates throughout the room as he turns to face his knights.

"WHY DID YOU STOP?!?"

"HE IS ONLY A BOY!"

"IT'S TIME WE SAVE THE REALM COMRADES!!"

"Capture the former ruler of all Demons!!!"

He yells again, swinging his sword at the beast with greater ferocity. But it is to no end.

All that is left are the echoes of silence, each knight remaining motionless in their position.

"I-I SAID--"

"Minister of Ashgate, I do not think they will go any farther than that."

Gazing down on the increasingly nervous demon from the top of the steps, Kasper's voice loudly silences Landrose's cries.

"W-what?!"

"I said I don't believe--"

"--I heard what you said, boy!!"

Landrose snarls venomously at Kasper! Closing his eyes momentarily...

"I want to know why."

He says in a composed tone.

Returning his gaze to his sides, he opens his eyes with a sudden calmness, shifting his gaze to the troops and straightening his posture.

"..."

*Sigh... "That is because you, Minister, no longer employ them."

The young lord replies in his customary bored tone.

"..."

"And precisely what do you mean when you say that?"

Landrose growls at Kasper, focusing his attention on the young lord of Ashgate.

"..."

"Well, they work for me."

...And just like that.

With a tone of boredom in his voice and a wave of his hand, all the knights surrounding Landrose suddenly turn on him!

Taking out their lances for the first time and arching them toward the man in the center who once marshalled them!!!!

"..."

"..."

-To Be Continued-