Lydia and Peter

[Picture of Aarick for reference. There will be a chapter compiling all of the characters coming later]

And so, I was here, now walking forward toward my destiny, inside the academy corridors filled with other students. A destiny that was filled with an extreme anxiety of knowing that I was now one of the beings that humans hated the most. A demon.

Demons were creatures that hid from the sight of humans, committing atrocities and living by consuming human flesh and blood. Now, it had to be said that even though they shared a lot of characteristics, demons, and monsters weren't the same.

The main difference between these was that demons were intelligent creatures that could make plans, and develop strategies and were much cooler than, say, for example, a goblin or an ogre.

Also, monsters had already been pushed away to the point where everyone could feel safe inside the walls of the larger cities, knowing that there would be no danger as long as they didn't venture out too deeply on their own into what was called the wastelands, the areas between cities.

Now, even after asking Lucifer what kinds of burdens this carried with it, the only thing she said was that I might suffer some mood swings, and if I didn't watch my diet, I might also experience some light stomachache. Sadly, when she was talking about the importance of dieting, she didn't fail to mention that I needed to procure a source of human blood before our bond grew too strong.

It turns out that right now, I was not much of a demon. In fact, I was barely a demon at all, because my bond with Lucifer was quite weak. However, as the 'blessing' (let's face it, it was really just a curse) grew stronger, the demonic traits inside of me would also grow.

However, was I really that weak-willed that I cared about such insignificant things? Yes. Yes, I was.

*Bump!*

"Hey, watch it, kid!"

Having been lost in my thoughts, there had been an inevitable accident of me bumping into one of the other students in the hallway, on my way to my designated classroom. Looking up at the man that I had managed to collide with, I felt a headache coming.

Dirty-blonde hair, an air of arrogance, and a slightly above-average face. Complemented by the fact that he and his friend was taking up a lot more space in the hallway than necessary, my mind quickly spun to find ways out of this situation.

Alas, I still needed to get past him to reach my classroom, as that was what the map on my phone had told me. And who was I to argue with the internet?

I didn't feel a need to make things harder than they had to be, so I quickly bowed my head, making a certain woman furious inside of my mind.

"I'm sorry! I was lost in thought for a bit, so I didn't see you!"

'-What are you doing?! You are the one I chose to bless, don't act like a weakling!'

'But I am a weakling...'

'-Ah, that's true...'

Having succinctly and effectively finished the inner conversation I had with Lucifer, I just had to wait for the judgment to come down.

"Tch! Just go away, kiddo. Man, I didn't know children were allowed the academy these days, how weird is that?"

As I was wearing the designated black academy uniform, there was no doubt that he understood that I was also a student there, but I chose to bite my tongue and allowed him to have his fun.

Sadly, just as I was about to walk around him, my phone beeped, letting me know that I had reached my destination. A destination that was promptly blocked by the blonde-haired man and his black-haired friend.

"Umm... It seems like this is my classroom... Would you mind letting me pass?"

Surprised to hear me suddenly talk, the group that had started talking with each other again turned to me. Of course, the blondie took the lead and retorted to me.

"Hmm? No, I don't think so. Kids aren't allowed in here. It's strange enough that you get to walk around here in the hallway without your parents. Pfft! Hahaha!"

'I guess I'll just have to wait for the teach...'

"Hey, what's going on here, Peter? "

Somehow, one of the people who had already entered the classroom forced themselves into our interaction, her face surging with anger at the obvious bullying she was witnessing. And even though she was angry, there was no doubt that she was quite the looker.

With brown hair that reached her shoulders, dark eyes, and an athletic, yet womanly body, I felt like I could tell her personality merely based on her appearance.

Though I had taken the blonde man to be someone who would never step down, it was a bit amusing to see him instantly get meek when the girl approached, almost as if he was afraid that she would start pulling his ear or something.

"Ah?! Lydia?! I wasn't doing anything, I swear! I was just joking around a bit with my new friend! Right... umm..."

Seeing him panicking, I was almost tempted to just allow him to crash and burn. Unfortunately, there was no reason to make enemies this early in the semester... actually, it was probably never worth making enemies here, seeing as I had become a being that they all wanted to slaughter.

'-Don't feel too bad about it, Aarick! In time, you will see that there are many good things to come!'

'I'm not sad! I'm not sad at all!'

'-But... I didn't say you were?'

Bringing me back to reality, I realized that both of the actors in front of me were looking at me with two very different expressions. The man looked at me with large puppy eyes, most likely because he wished for me to rescue him, while the girl's eyes were filled with extreme skepticism, obviously not believing his story.

"He wasn't doing anything, we were just joking around as he said."

'-Tch! Coward...'

'Don't you also want me to survive?'

Taking a second, while her eyes bounced between the two of us, she put her arms to her sides.

"Haaa... Fine."

And with that, she turned around and went back inside. Following this, I just looked at the blonde man and put out my hand, eager to use this to my full advantage. To make my first friend, or at least to try and not make an enemy.

"I'm Aarick. Aarick Laupier"

Knowing that he wasn't in a position to decline my handshake, he unwillingly put his hand forward as well.

"As you might've heard from Lydia, I'm Peter. Peter Spark. Thank you for lying to her, even though I did that to you. You might not have noticed it, but that girl..."

"Umm... Peter..."

Although I appreciated his sincere words, there was a person who had made her way back to us without him noticing, now staring daggers into his back while clenching her fists.

"Ah, see you later!"

"Peter!"

Not even having to turn around, he seemed to have felt her presence. And so, he ran away, with the girl quickly running after him into the hallway. Now, what followed this was something quite awkward.

Because now I was left with the black-haired man who was obviously just an extra. And so, we just gave each other a quick nod before I entered the classroom, not wanting to endure the tense mood of feeling forced to talk with each other anymore.

Coming inside of the classroom, I was quite surprised to see just how state-of-the-art everything looked. However, reality didn't give me much of a chance to inspect the digital whiteboard, or the brilliant podium at the front before my eyes landed on two people sitting next to each other, on the left of one of the middle rows of desks.

Two people that I had known for a long time, and also had been away from for an equal amount of time. Even now as time had passed, and they had long shed the chubby cheeks and frail stature of the past, it was impossible for me not to recognize them.

Levi and Will. Although it made a lot more sense for them to attend the prestigious academy that was Augustus than me, it still felt like god was playing with me. Because, how was I ever supposed to react in this kind of situation?

In the end, I had no idea.

Sadly, I had taken so long to decide on what to do that everyone's eyes turned to me. Eight pairs of eyes, staring straight at me, seemingly having trouble deciding how to view me.

'-Announce yourself, Aarick! This is the start of your legend!'

Dismissing the moron of a demon inside my head, I just quickly took a seat in the front corner, not wanting to make more of a scene than I already had.

'-You're a coward, Aarick! This is not how a future patriarch should act!'

'Maybe not. But this is absolutely how a man who just woke up from a four-year-long coma should act!'