Ride on the Blood Edge

Miles from here, dozens of miles from here, a woman known as the 'oracle' and a boy would speak to each other. She then gave a reading far more vague than her usual readings.

"To truly understand the nature of good and evil, one must release all preconceived notions and biases. The barriers we construct between demons and angels are merely the follies of the heart. For at their very core, even the most corrupt of devils have a heart, no matter how decayed and rotting it may be, the fact that it exists is enough. The cycle of cause and effect will eternally play out and we are merely the passengers that ride on the edge of it. The edge of a bloody blade waiting to be used again, thirsting for even more bloodshed. Do not be deceived though, we are not unwilling passengers, but instead, the wielders of the blade. Both commanding it and riding atop it. While there may truly be no excuse for our actions, it's natural to feel angry if something is stolen from us for the simple fact that it was ours in the first place. It's also natural for a boy to wander aimlessly through a sea of swords. Because the just and unjust mix together as the bloody blade strikes down its next victim." 

The boy then walked out, a mixture of dissatisfaction and contemplation on his face.

_____________________ 

Today the normally empty auditorium was stuffed full of people. The large crowd watches the stage and its action with bated breath, only speaking in hushed tones. The buzz in the crowd had been present for quite a while. In fact, it started even before they came into the Noble Auditorium. They question the integrity of the demon knight selection ceremony. They said things like "Really? Again? Are they just letting anyone become a demon knight these days?" and "This one's only fifteen! He's just far too young! How are we meant to defend ourselves from the Duke of Greed if all we do is welcome these children into our forces? What has become of our once-great Demon Knights?" Though the overwhelming opinion was clear. The golden age of demon knights within the province had long since disappeared into the far, soon-to-be-forgotten, past.

Zuzu stood back behind a scarlet curtain. Using an auditorium as the place to host the ceremony, truly this event was far more like a theatrical event than a real knighting ceremony. Still, Zuzu couldn't help but smile and laugh a little bit as he peeked at what was happening on stage. Those two years of training just for a theater show, Zuzu couldn't help but find it funny. 

Soon enough, one of the men on stage began to walk off, sword in hand and smile on his face. There was a line of people that were getting knighed today so Zuzu'd been waiting for an hour. During that time all he could do was stomp his foot or think up something in his imagination. Finally, it was his time, and with a relentless drive, he walked onto the stage.

There was a man already standing at the center of the stage, a representative of the Duke of Pride himself, the leader of this province. Next to him was an assortment of weapons in different-sized boxes. Each weapon had been chosen by a knight candidate beforehand, though the audience was unaware of that fact. Each weapon had been forged by Hellfire Alloy, a powerful material that only a single clan in the entire province was skilled enough to use. As Zuzu made eye contact with the man, it was now that the true performance would begin. Zuzu's march forward would come to an abrupt stop and he'd fall onto one knee. 

"Sir, I have come to humbly request the honor of becoming your knight!"

"You're not worthy of such an honor, child," the man on stage bellowed out sharply.

"Only a true hero of the Empire will be able to wield Hellfire's power."

It was only now that Zuzu had the chance to obtain a good look at the man who stood in front of him. That man's skin was a soft peach color and he was wrapped up in a nice-looking white suit. He wore the emblem of the Grimdark province proudly on his chest. His height was impressive and he looked down at the boy and nodded.

He then began to speak. "Zuzu Balor, Do you swear on both your life and honor to uphold, protect, and secure the safety and prosperity of this great province with every fiber of your being and in the watchful eye of the mighty great demon lord?"

Standing stiff and speaking far too loudly the boy yelled "Yes, sir! Within the palm of my hands, even through the most fierce and vital moments, I shall grip my courage and defend everything this province stands for!"

The man smiled and nodded. To be completely honest, Zuzu, at that moment, had been shaken to his core with an indescribable sense of joy. The only reason he was able to say anything is that every single word that was just said had been prepared years in advance. His mouth simply moved out of practice. At this moment every fiber of his being was tingling with a bursting excitement that left him unable to think.

Getting up from his kneeling position, by the time Zuzu was standing the man had already picked up Zuzu's box and was ready to hand it to him. Wasting no time, Zuzu walked up, bowed, and took it from the man. The lid had been taken off and inside were a few items; a sheathed katana and a Pride Province Demon Knight badge. After he'd taken the box, the man qued Zuzu to walk off stage, and so he did. In the process, he'd earned the title of second youngest demon knight in province history. 

Zuzu's rampant excitement wouldn't last for very long after that, the moment he walked off stage, he had to figure out how to get out of the damned place. The Noble Auditorium, while an impressive marvel of entertainment, was a giant maze for anyone inexperienced in navigating its halls. By the time he'd found the back exit, the expression on his face might've been more pained than a man who'd just lost his entire life-saving gambling behind his wife's back. As he took his first step outside, someone running from behind crashed into him and caused him to fall face-first into the ground. Zuzu blinked in surprise as he lifted his head from the ground, catching a glimpse of the girl's long, mismatched socks and vibrant hair with dyed tips fluttering in the wind as she continued her sprint away from him. Her distinctive appearance, especially the eclectic socks that stretched up to her knees, was etched in his mind.

"Can't even stop to say sorry, huh?", clicking his tongue, Zuzu got up from the ground and dusted himself off. That was when he noticed all the marks he'd gotten on his rented suit, now he'd be forced to pay for the dry cleaning before he gave the suit back...

Taking a deep breath, Zuzu looked over to the nicely designed box he'd gotten at the ceremony. After he got knocked over, the box landed on the ground next to him, its contents spilled onto the ground. Without a second thought, Zuzu let out a flurry of kicks onto the box with all his might, mumbling obscenities under his breath as he did so. Once he was done, the box was nothing but a pile of wood. Picking up his sword and badge off the ground, Zuzu continued on.

"So this was the first step, huh? Took me a hell of a long time but you'd prepare yourself, Duke of Pride! Before long I'll have you spilling all types of secrets. Now off to the Demon Knights Headquarters!"

_____________________ 

It'd been eight years since the destruction of Balor Village at the hands of those white-haired soldiers. During this time, Zuzu had matured considerably, now standing at fifteen years old. He'd spent a year traveling with Vulcan and learned many things. After the year was finished, Vulcan went back to his mission and vowed that he and Zuzu would meet again and exchange everything they knew. Now, for the past seven years, Zuzu has lived in the big city in an apartment that Vulcan had set him up with. Jia still hadn't awoken from her comatose state, confounding medical experts with her unexplainable condition. As promised by Vulcan, all of her treatment is being paid off by some unknown benefactor, though Zuzu assumes it's from Vulcan's own wallet.