Cup of Tea

As class ended, almost all of our classmates flocked toward Reynold.

"Yo, Reynold, did you actually defeat a demon?"

"What did he look like?"

"Was it really like the photos?"

He was trying to get through them but they wouldn't budge an inch as they asked more questions,

I utter a silent chuckle in my seat,

I hope you enjoy your newly found fame, Reynold.

As for me,

[<Discreet Steps has been activated>]

Let's get out of class quietly, shall we?

As I walk through the hallway of the academy,

My ears were covered with gossip coming from the students.

Almost everyone was talking about the incident last night,

Almost everyone was talking about Reynold.

They were worried,

The fact that an actual demon managed to pass through the barrier of the Crown gave them dread.

And they should be, as it's going to get way worse in the future.

A sigh left my mouth,

Well, at least in the meantime, I have some time to cool off,

The heightened security now active throughout the academy will last only a week, as they investigate what happened in the cathedral,

So for now, let's savor this moment of peace.

I wonder what food I'll buy in the cafeteria?

A smile now formed on my face as I walked.

*****

On a town long left barren, an orange fox could be seen scrounging for any scraps of food.

It strolled as it used its nose to get a whiff of any meat in a place where no man now lived.

Then its eyes widened, its mouth salivated, and its stomach rumbled.

It had found prey,

With haste, it ran as quickly as it could, its hind legs shaking the ground.

Soon, it arrived in front of a worn wooden door.

With no hesitation, it used its three massive tails to break it open.

The door stood no chance as it broke into mere planks.

It entered with glee as it desired a feast.

The building it was in was full of shards of glass scattered along the floor,

The roof was half open and the walls were full of dust,

It was clearly abandoned and forgotten as it was for the entire town.

Yet, as you look closely, a figure of a person could be seen.

He was sitting on a chair and his eyes were gazing at the ceiling.

The fox now had seen its prey quickly ran towards him, eager to taste blood.

The floor shook and the windows broke but the man's gaze never darted away from above.

The beast of tails now nearing the man readied its claws,

It shall now taste flesh.

Or so it thought,

For before it could even reach the uncaring man.

With a flick of a finger, the starving monster now sees black.

Its massive head rolled on the floor and its lifeless body fell to the wooden ground.

The man never even gave a single glance towards it as it bled.

"Why are you all back?"

It appeared the man was speaking to himself for he was the only one in that room, but that is not the case.

[We are sorry, Head Priest!]

[We apologize!]

[A-a being of death, sent us back]

A myriad of mouths spoke in his head.

"A being of death?" A snicker came out of the man.

[Yes, Head Priest, he wore a metal mask, protected by a thousand eyes]

"Callius, is this the truth?"

[Yes sire, he knew of our god]

"He knew our god?" The man's eyes soon narrowed.

[He spoke of his name, he kneeled before us asking for us to inhabit him, glory to Caro he said]

A chuckle came out of the man,

[Seeing he had greater power than the child of a count, we accepted his offer but then eyes of blue, thousands of them looked at us in unison, we couldn't move, it looked at us judging every single fiber of our being, we were powerless as we were sent back,]

The man now made a frown, "A thousand eyes?"

[Yes, sire they were shrouded in darkness]

"But does that mean you saw the man's face?"

[Yes! Head Priest!]

[WE WILL NEVER FORGET]

[WE REMEMBER]

[WE REMEMBER]

[Yes, sire, his face is ingrained in each and every single one of our minds,]

"Then that's enough,"

The man now stood up from the creaky chair,

Soon, the arranging of bones could be heard.

His flesh shook and changed.

The color of his skin, the length of his hair, the height of his legs.

It took all but a minute,

For the man to become someone else.

He then made his way towards the door now in tatters.

"Let's see if that being of death, can kill what's already dead,"

The man now walked, through the remains of a once bustling town, towards a barrier separating the sea.

As his or her figure got smaller from a distance,

One last chuckle could be heard among the rubble.