《Demon Lord Summoning》


 Prologue

    --It was wholly and utterly underwhelming. To say that Alex had been bloodthirsty enough to have wanted to battle such a foe as the Demon Lord might be stretching it a bit, but remembering the scene of walking rigidly side-by-side with his three other comrades into the throne room, sweating and adrenaline still rushing from training, only to be told ¡°we don¡¯t need you anymore, sorry,¡± left him unsatisfied, for lack of a better word.


    The throne room was a sterile atmosphere, its blue and white marble color scheme almost too much to the eyes. A tall and thin throne sat at the far end of a long stretch of a thick blue and silver embellished carpet. Tall windows lined either side, with small benches topped with blue velvet cushions seated beneath every other one. The king that sat atop the throne was perfectly complemented by the room. He wore swaths of blue velvet and had a bored expression. Only a slight twitch of his eyes ever denoted emotion. The king was flanked by two young guards and his weedy advisor who always seemed to be whispering.


    ¡°You may step up to the throne, young heroes.¡±


    The king gestured grandly and the four that had gathered only midway through the entrance took their cue to hurry. Quick strides found them before the throne. Alex looked to his side and noticed each looked nervous besides Amelie, who Alex was hard pressed to remember if he had actually ever seen her look nervous. She stood tall and proud, her tied back dirty blonde hair swaying a bit and her dark brown eyes focusing directly before her. Olivia was the complete opposite: shaking like a leaf and seemingly trying to reach for Amelie¡¯s hand. She was much shorter than Amelie, who was the tallest in the group, and Alex could barely see her brown bob and bright green eyes. Lastly, Wes was staring straight ahead, but without actually focusing. Alex could tell. The young man¡¯s hazy grey eyes seemed to simultaneously be looking at everything and nothing. A nervous habit. Alex wanted to comfort him, but he was on the complete opposite side to Wes and could only make a positive attempt to hope as hard as he could, wishing he could somehow project his feelings over.


    The king studied them, which Alex hated. He felt less like a human and more like something to be used. The king coughed, ¡°I am afraid I have both good and bad news.¡± He spoke slowly, like he was weighing his words, as he shifted his gaze between each of Alex¡¯s companions.


    Alex shifted nervously, and noticed his companions did the same. The young man almost brought his nails up to bite them, a horrible nervous tic, but managed to stop it in time.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Wes said, breaking the silence Alex had barely noticed was eating him alive. Why was he so nervous? They were the summoned heroes, these people¡¯s supposed only hope, and yet he felt like any moment could upend everything he knew. Wes began again, ¡°What is the bad news, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was getting right to that,¡± the king continued, seemingly slightly annoyed Wes would dare interrupt his purposeful seemingly ten-minute-long silence, ¡°You see, it is one piece of information that is ah¡­ simultaneously both good and bad.¡± He talked to Alex and his companions like children.


    ¡°My advisor and I have discussed the situation and have decided to send you all back to your home world,¡± the king told them all, finally settling down in his throne, letting his eyes appraise everyone¡¯s reactions. Alex and the others started looking back and forth between one another, anxiety increasing. They were going home? Now? But it was unfinished. They were supposed to defeat the Demon Lord!


    The advisor to the King¡¯s side coughed loudly. The cough was laughably fake and loud, and Alex had to restrain himself from chuckling.


    ¡°You see, we have recently received word from the Western garrison that the Demon Lord is well¡­ dead,¡± the advisor¡¯s wheezy voice echoed through the hall, ¡°It seems he was killed in a coup by his own people. Which leads us to why we no longer require your help.¡±


    The king shifted back forward on his seat and continued the topic, ¡°Heroes are meant for two jobs: inciting hope, which you have done admirably, and killing the Demon Lord, the most powerful and threatening being in this world.¡± The king¡¯s thin frame began leaning up from his seat, his veiny hands clutching onto the wood, ¡°Now that both jobs are finished, albeit one unexpectedly, you are no longer needed. Our next step is to, as my advisor and I have agreed, invade the demon country and take over its resources.¡±


    The king turned his icy blue eyes on the four people before him as he began waving his hand back and forth disdainfully, ¡°We cannot have you heroes trouncing around the place, utilizing your extremely powerful and dangerous abilities, on land that we know we can win now.¡±


    Alex then forcefully cut off his reminiscing, blinking his eyes once or twice before looking back around him and at the empty glass clutched in his left hand. The king had thrown a large ball to celebrate the death of the Demon Lord and had even invited the four heroes despite it all. The other three were disappointed, especially Amelie, who was somewhat of a brawler. Alex sighed and looked out from the marble balcony he was leaning from into the lush white ballroom. The glowing magic lights gave it an ethereal feel, alongside the constant stream of chatter mixed with string instruments. Young women danced in elegant and frilly gowns and men in their expensive formal wear to the beat. As Alex let his mind become lost in the throng, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder and jolted.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Ah! Ames, oh my God, you scared me.¡± Alex stared at the offender, Amelie, and realized how out of it he must have been to not notice her of all people walk up to him. She was a great fighter, but a sneak she was not.


    Amelie smirked, ¡°I bet you only didn¡¯t notice me because you were too busy staring at Wes, huh? He¡¯s the true belle of the ball tonight, honestly. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some of his dance partners come together to petition the king to let him stay.¡± Amelie turned to the crowd, gesturing toward where Wes was dancing with a different girl than he had been last time Alex had looked.


    ¡°No I am not staring at Wes, Ames.¡±


    ¡°Are too.¡±


    ¡°Are not.¡±


    ¡°Are too.¡±


    ¡°Are not.¡±


    ¡°Are. Too.¡±


    Sigh.


    ¡°That means I win, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you win, Amelie, oh great one who has probably been staring at Olivia all night.¡±


    Amelie blushed then turned away, pouting, however, she quickly recovered, but her face had taken on a sadder expression than before, ¡°So...,¡± Amelie began. She was talking slowly, as if she were testing out the words as she said them, ¡°Do you think either of us will¡­ you know? Tell them. Before we all have to go back tomorrow?¡±


    Alex sighed. He. He had been thinking about it, but he honestly wasn¡¯t sure. Would saying it even do anything? He sighed again and Amelie began to laugh.


    ¡°So that¡¯s where we¡¯re at, huh?¡± She looked back to the ballroom, directly to Olivia, who was politely but stiffly talking with a young man clearly asking her for a dance. Suddenly, Wes swooped in and brought Oliva out on to the dance floor, and the pair began smoothly gliding across it.


    Amelie stood back up from leaning on the balcony and began taking strides toward the door. She turned back solemnly and saluted Alex, causing Alex to laugh, and then she left him alone to his thoughts.


    They had spent so long training for the final fight and all it amounted to was this unsatisfying conclusion. Nothing felt real and Alex was struggling to keep his head in all of this. In a few days, so little time, the mages would send them back home. This entire situation left a bad taste in his mouth. The humans were going to take over the demons¡¯ land just after they had a coup. They were taking advantage of this entire unrest. It felt wrong. Completely wrong. Alex frowned as he turned back to look at the dance floor. Wes was dancing with someone else, his eyes glittering, but Alex was happily surprised to find Amelie and Olivia dancing together, both blushing, causing him to snicker.


    ¡°Perhaps I could make my own happy ending¡­?¡± Alex let himself smile at the notion. No he still wanted to be a coward, let him have that. Alex looked down to his feet, about to scuff his boot a little, but he noticed something odd. A small glowing circle was beginning to encircle him.


    This¡­ This was familiar. It looked eerily similar to the ones they all had been summoned with. Alex squinted and began to crouch down.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    It was definitely similar, but something was off. The writing seemed different from what he had seen of thie human country¡¯s. Alex looked up and down, up and down, concerned. He didn¡¯t know what to do. He remembered, when he was first being summoned, that he was unable to move his feet outside of the circle while it was glowing around him, and sure enough, it was the same with this one. He began to panic. How was he being summoned again? And by who?


    Alex looked up and began to call out, ¡°He-¡° before the circle finally finished being etched and worked its magic, bringing him out of the party and in to new surroundings, ¡°-y¡­¡±


    Alex blinked and realized his hand was still raised and then lowered it. He slowly got up from his crouch, joints creaking, as he looked around. He was in some sort of half ruined building. It was made of heavy bricked grey stone and the current room he was in was easily twice the size of the human king¡¯s throne room. There were great gothic-esque windows at the wider end of the room, with some of the glass panes completely blown out, flanking a large dark stone throne in the middle which featured three steps leading up to it. The throne was missing half of the winged carving at its apex. The ceilings were high and vaulted with intricate gargoyle and demon-like carvings. Tapestries were hung on the walls over pointed archways, but some of them were lopsided. The rug in the middle of the room was in tatters and clearly not at all facing the direction it should be. There was rubble everywhere and even, Alex was horrified to notice, armored dead bodies. As he finally turned a circle to see the other side, he found two people, or should he say demons, considering their appearances, standing before him. They both had horns, although the boy¡¯s on the left were very small and their eyes had a slight glow to them.


    The boy, who was shorter and seemed to be about Alex¡¯s age in appearance, stepped forward, his foot leaving a far too loud thud. The boy seemed to wince a little at this.


    ¡°H-Hello.¡± The young demon said, his bright violet eyes shining defiantly. Or was he trying to be confident? Alex couldn¡¯t tell.


    The demon shook his head over something, his wavy ivory hair jumping to and fro, then continued, ¡°We have summoned you in our time of need, o great warrior,¡± he seemed to have memorized some sort of speech before this all. The demon woman behind the young man was watching him with a blank expression and nodding. Was that a thumbs up? Seriously her blank face was unnerving compared to her gestures. The demon boy continued, ¡°According to the Book of Summoning, if we used this circle,¡± the boy gestured down to Alex¡¯s feet, ¡°A champion would be given to us who could save us when darkness encroached upon our lands...¡±


    The boy trailed off, looking down at his feet. He seemed to notice Alex was unimpressed, only really half listening, and Alex began to feel bad. The boy clenched his fists and his expression became stern as he suddenly brought his eyes back up to Alex¡¯s, causing Alex to jolt a bit in surprise.


    ¡°I managed to¡­ K-kill my father for the sake of our country,¡± the boy continued, his resolve strengthening as the woman behind him began patting him on the shoulder, again with a completely blank expression, ¡°But according to law, that means I must become the next ruler and¡­ I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    I blinked.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I need you here. Please¡­ become the next Demon Lord.¡±

 Chapter 1.1 - Well this is Fun

    Alex stood dumbfounded before the two demons staring at him expectantly. He wasn¡¯t sure what to say, but the silence was deafening.


    ¡°But I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not a demon?¡± Alex decided that was his first question.


    The young man before him, however, looked unperturbed. He looked back to the woman behind him then back to Alex, waving his hand nonchalantly, ¡°The book said something like this might happen¡­ don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He gave off an awkward toothy smile, seemingly trying to comfort Alex.


    Alex sighed. What was that even supposed to mean?


    ¡°I-I mean, besides that problem,¡± Alex decided to continue protesting, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be¡­. The Demon Lord either¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I suppose that is a problem¡­¡± The shorter demon scratched his chin, looking thoughtful, as the woman behind him decided to step forward. She turned to her companion and whispered something into his ear, to which he nodded energetically, ¡°Oh that¡¯s a great idea!¡± The boy¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked back to Alex.


    ¡°Based on the current situation, my advisor has suggested that we simply ask you to help us turn back the coming human army for now¡­¡± The boy continued, starting to look a bit sad. He kicked the ground a bit while looking down, ¡°It is very likely that during the current unrest, the humans have decided it is best to invade our lands now and we¡­ I do not want anyone in this country to suffer¡­¡±


    Alex considered this. He knew the humans¡¯ plan. He remembered how¡­angry he felt when he first heard it. Maybe¡­ maybe he could agree to do just this. He could do something he honestly believed was right, for once. He had been training hard, and he knew how powerful summoned heroes were compared to normal humans.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll help you. At the very least with just this¡­¡± Alex broke the long silence, not realizing just how long he had been standing there thinking, his brow furrowed. The demon boy¡¯s eyes darted up quickly, and slowly lit up with hope as he realized what Alex had said. He showed Alex his smile again, but this time it was far brighter and more genuine. Alex was surprised by how much he liked that smile.


    ¡°A-amazing!¡± The young man started. He looked back to his advisor happily and gestured for her to step forward, ¡°Cera, please help ah¡­ our young hero here become situated.¡±


    The woman, Cera, nodded, her expression unchanging as she looked toward Alex, ¡°Master Telan will now attend to some of the demon generals who he wishes to remain allies,¡± as she said this, the demon boy began walking away. He looked back and gave a short little wave to Alex before taking off down the hall with long strides. Cera coughed then continued in her deep deadpan voice, ¡°I will show you to your room in the castle. Do not worry. it is not as destroyed as the throne room.¡± Cera then turned away from Alex and started stepping toward a side entrance on the opposite wall from where Telan was heading. Alex fell in step behind her.


    The pair passed through the archway into a long hall lined with tall windows on Alex''s left and occasional elaborately carved tall wooden doors on his right. Alex was surprised to see Cera was right, so far at least. The structure of the hall was entirely intact, and the windows were not damaged at all. The room stretched for what seemed like an eternity but Cera quickly found the room she wanted and took a full stop before its door.


    ¡°This will be your room for as long as you remain here,¡± she stated without even looking at Alex, ¡°Master Telan¡¯s is the room to our current right.¡± Alex blinked and stood before the door, staring at the carvings of monsters, dragons, and people all swirling beautifully throughout it.


    Alex heard a cough and turned to his left, realizing it was Cera. She looked at him and he realized she wanted him to open the door. Alex obliged and pushed open the large entryway, letting him gain his first glimpse of his new living quarters. He could already see the dark stone masonry and tall gothic windows that characterized the rest of the building. The windows in this room were covered with long violet curtains, though.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Alex took a few steps inside and looked around. There was a large bed to his left surrounded by extensive sheer drapery. The bed coverings were also violet and seemed velvety. A wooden dresser with an unlit candle and small hand mirror stood at the foot of the bed. To his right was a small velvet settee and dark wooden coffee table which had a tea set that seemed to currently be empty sitting atop it. An elaborate knotted rug sat below the settee and coffee table. A tapestry depicting a hunting scene was hanging on the far-right wall.


    Alex thought this new room looked more elaborate than even the one the human king had assigned to him.


    ¡°Is the room to your liking?¡± Alex heard Cera ask. He barely registered it as a question at first.


    ¡°It¡¯s great, thank you,¡± Alex quickly responded as he turned to look at her. He realized he had never really looked at Cera before and realized she looked quite well put-together. She had a high collar on her overcoat. The front of it had small ruffles and a small brooch in the middle. She was wearing clean black slacks and sleek pointed shoes. She carried herself tall and proud, her light purple hair was short and neatly cut, and there was a small horn protruding from her forehead.


    Cera nodded and made a one-eighty degree turn, her shoes clicking as she did, ¡°Master Telan will be here shortly. He wishes to discuss some matters with you after he is free. Please do not hesitate to call on me if any issues arise.¡±


    Cera quickly stepped out of the room and closed the doors behind her, before Alex realized he had no idea what room Cera would be in.


    Alex sighed and went to sit on the bed, which he found to be quite comfortable. Perhaps a bit too comfortable, as he sank quite far into it. He scooted away from the center of the bed and sat, thinking.


    This was quite the situation. That young man¡­ Telan, had wanted Alex to take his place as the Demon Lord but Alex managed to wheedle his way out of that. All Alex had to do was help them push back the human army and he was sure that would be enough. He could finally go home and wish Telan good luck. Alex still couldn¡¯t believe the circle had summoned him, a human, to help and what did Telan mean when the book he had used said that ¡°something like this might happen¡±?


    Alex ran his hand through his hair as he closed his eyes resignedly but stopped as his fingers hit something¡­ odd. It felt like a small bump in the back of his head. Alex felt for it again and realized it felt sold, somewhat like bone, with small ridges encircling it. He moved his hand around his head and found another one on the opposite side. This was¡­ concerning.


    Alex shot up from his seat and darted toward the dresser at the foot of the bed. He reached quickly for the hand mirror and brought it up to his head. He tried reaching around and positioning it to see what was going on, but the bumps were either too small or the mirror was and he couldn¡¯t make out anything. However, Alex began to notice something odd about his fingers as well. His nails seemed¡­ sharper. Oh no¡­ there¡¯s no way, right?


    Alex jolted and almost dropped the mirror as he heard a sharp knock from the closed door behind him. Realizing it was probably Telan, he said, ¡°Come in¡­¡±


    Telan pushed open the doors and then closed them behind him as he stepped in. Telan was short, but he carried himself quite regally. His wavy hair bounced joyfully as he stepped toward Alex. Telan¡¯s clothing, now that Alex had time to notice it, was quite interesting. The base outfit seemed to be a simple shirt, overcoat, and long pants with high boots, but the sleeves were layered with a sheer fabric that flowed freely as Telan walked.


    ¡°I hope I have not¡­ bothered you,¡± Telan began, looking between Alex¡¯s still frantic face and the mirror he was clutching in his hand.


    Alex quickly realized why Telan was staring at him and lowered the mirror back to the dresser, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I ah¡­ I just,¡± Alex was struggling to put what he was thinking about to words. It all sounded quite crazy to him. Perhaps Telan would laugh? Alex looked back to the demon and locked eyes. Telan looked honestly concerned and Alex decided to continue, ¡°I think¡­ something¡¯s happening? I-I mean. I noticed two small bumps on the back of my head and ah¡­ my nails are¡­¡± Alex trailed off. He noticed he had been looking back down to the floor again at the end so immediately brought his gaze back up to Telan¡¯s and realized the demon¡¯s face had lit up with recognition and surprise.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what the book meant!¡± Telan exclaimed, furrowing his brows in thought, ¡°It had said that the summoning circle might choose a non-demon, but that it would soon be corrected, and I had no idea what it had meant.¡±


    Alex paused, staring at Telan. That phrasing... sounded terrifiying...


    ¡°So, it meant the summoned hero would turn into a demon if they weren¡¯t already¡­ fascinating¡­¡± Telan began mumbling as he scratched his chin, looking off to the side.


    Turn into a demon? Alex looked back and forth between him and Telan and then looked over to the mirror on the dresser again. He reached for it slowly, feeling some sort of odd dread.


    Alex looked into the mirror and noticed his eyes were starting to take on a reddish tint. Did they look a bit slitted? He couldn¡¯t tell. How far would this¡­. Transformation go, even?


    Alex dropped the mirror.

 Chapter 1.2

    Alex looked at the two people before him, Telan and Cera, as he sat on the low velvet settee in his room. Telan was standing further off to the side, not entirely sure where to be, while Cera looked more closely at Alex, even taking ahold of his jaw and jerking his head about.


    ¡°Is it¡­ reversible?¡± Alex ventured to ask.


    Cera shook her head, ¡°Not as far as my knowledge goes, no,¡± Alex¡¯s shoulder¡¯s slumped and he looked down but Cera brought his face back up into her line of sight, ¡°No other magic would be powerful enough to undo this and theoretically, summon circles work based on heavy belief in a legend by a large group of people over centuries. Making a new summon circle that could change you back would require a legend with the same amount of extreme belief as the one we used, which would take far too long¡­¡±


    ¡°We are very sorry,¡± Telan attempted to chime in, much more saddened by the situation now that he had time to think about how it would impact Alex personally.


    ¡°It¡­¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure what to say. It wasn¡¯t... really fine, but it wasn¡¯t as if he could do anything about it now, and he promised to help them, whether he hadn¡¯t known the full consequences of everything happening around him at the time or not, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Alex looked back up to the two demons, ¡°Besides, I promised to help defeat the human army, and I won¡¯t go back on my word. I can figure everything out later¡­¡± Alex gave them a clearly unconvincing smile.


    Telan gazed at Alex sympathetically before stepping forward, ¡°I negotiated with the demon generals and most have agreed to aide us in at least protecting the border,¡± Telan sighed, clearly somewhat annoyed by something, ¡°A few either abstained or¡­ acted rather rudely, but I believe we have enough allies to stand a chance¡­ to an extent.¡±


    Alex looked between Telan and Cera, both seeming a bit tired. He looked out the window and noticed that the sun was starting to go down, ¡°Ah¡­¡± Alex let out, causing the other two to turn toward where he was looking.


    ¡°It is starting to get late, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± Telan sighed. Alex usually saw him as fairly energetic, so it was surprising to seem him so tired. Telan settled his eyes on Alex, ¡°There are new clothes for you to try on in the wardrobe. You will need to meet with some of our allies soon and I believe wearing the new set will make you less¡­¡± Telan looked at Alex from head to toe, weighing his words, ¡°¡­human.¡± Telan shrugged hesitantly. Alex wasn¡¯t sure what exactly about his clothes screamed ¡°not a demon¡±, it probably had something to do with the style or make, he guessed. Probably.


    Both Telan and Cera left him alone to his own devices, Cera making sure to tell him where the washroom would be and both wishing him a good rest. Alex managed to follow Cera¡¯s directions while only getting lost once or twice on the way and opened and closed the door to the washroom behind him. He set down the bundle of clothes he had received from the wardrobe, curious what they would look like unfolded, and got ready to bathe, pleased to see the water was already drawn and steaming.


    Before stepping into the stone bathtub, Alex looked into the tall mirror standing in the corner of the room before remembering he maybe should have prepared himself before doing so. The person that looked back at him from the mirror was still mostly Alex, but as he moved his head back and forth, observing whatever change he could find, Alex realized just how different he had become in such a short time. His eyes were bright red, with only a little bit of dull brown left at the bottom of the irises. They were definitely slitted now. He noticed his ears had become pointed. Not as pointed as his hosts, but they were clearly getting there. Alex ran his tongue over his teeth and flinched when he drew a bit of blood. He opened his mouth and saw sharp canines, causing him to immediately clamp it shut and never think about it again.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    When he had brought his hands up, he had also noticed that the nails on his fingers had gotten longer and far more pointed. They seemed to be turning black, matching some odd ink black markings he was gaining on his arms starting at his fingers as well. He should probably ask Cera and Telan about that¡­ Looking further down, Alex noticed that his feet and legs seemed to be getting a similar treatment to his arms and hands. He hoped the markings wouldn¡¯t encroach too far, but his luck wasn¡¯t looking great.


    Alex sighed and resignedly climbed into the tub, finally beginning to relax as he leaned back. He began to think. Mostly about his fellow summoned companions. He wondered if they had gone home yet. The castle¡¯s mages had said that the ritual to send them back would take a few days to prepare. Then his mind turned to whether he¡¯d be able to go home, since now that he¡¯s not¡­ no, there¡¯s no reason to think like that, not right now.


    Alex let his thoughts wander for who knows how long as he let the steaming water relax his body. He closed his eyes and sunk down further into the water. After a while, and almost nodding off a few times, he finally forced himself to step out of the tub and wash himself off.


    As Alex passed the floor length mirror, he stole a small glance and noticed something he had not seen earlier. A long black line appeared near him. He slowed down and stepped back to where he had first seen the thing flit into view. He saw it again. It was behind him, so Alex turned around, but he couldn¡¯t find it. Then, realization and horror dawned on him. Alex reached behind him and found what he was looking for. He turned his neck and looked down and saw¡­ a tail. A long black tail with a little forked end. Fantastic.


    Alex sighed for what seemed the thousandth time that day, let the tail drop, and continued over to the other end of the room where he had set his new clothing. Alex picked up the first folded piece and inspected it. It seemed to be a sleeveless collared shirt. Oh, this outfit was going to be weird, he could already tell.


    Alex proceeded to clothe himself, his steps being: pick up new piece, look at it trying to figure out what it was, maybe try to put it on wrong a few times, finally figure it out, repeat. Alex was pleased and a little alarmed to see there was a place for his new¡­ tail? Finally finished, he went over to the floor length mirror again and observed himself. He had a short cloak covering his upper body with short tassels connecting strings on either side. Underneath he wore a long sleeveless collared shirt paired with long-sleeved gloves. He was glad to see the belt he was given had places he could attach his dual swords.


    The outfit was a bit¡­ different from what he was used to, but it was fine, so Alex left the washroom and headed back to his bedroom. The hallway was completely silent, and the only light came from flickering candle holders on the walls. Alex was surprised by how good his sight was despite the deep shadows. When he reached the doors he was looking for, he slowly opened them, remembering Telan was the room next to him and not wanting to wake him if he were asleep. Alex slowly stepped inside then closed the doors.


    Alex turned back to face his room, and, knowing he wasn¡¯t going to get any sleep tonight, decided to sit down on the settee. He brought up a small journal Telan had given him earlier and began scratching down some notes to organize his thoughts.


    Telan had also gifted Alex some books on the demon kingdom, Helem, specifically about some of its customs and a short guide on how to read the demon script which Telan had written himself. Alex found it to be well-done and told Telan so, which caused the demon to blush. Alex smiled remembering it.


    It seemed that tomorrow, Alex would be meeting other demons and he was extremely worried. Wes usually did the talking before, and Alex had no idea how good Telan was, although Telan did seem to do fine earlier. Cera was out of the question, so Alex tried his best to translate the books in hopes they would be useful.


    Alex looked up into the room after a long bout of translating and sighed. This was going to be stressful; he could already tell. He just hoped the humans would give them all time to prepare.


    He hoped he hadn¡¯t just jinxed it.

 Chapter 2.1 - And This is What I Call... Uh Oh

    Alex woke up to a knock. Flitting his eyes back and forth in a daze, he realized that he had fallen asleep while reading on the settee. Trying to shake himself out of his groggy stupor before greeting his visitor, Alex jumped up and strutted toward the door to open it. Telan was on the other side, his hand still half raised, ready to continue his knocking. Telan blinked before putting his hand down slowly.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up,¡± Telan began, looking at Alex from head to toe, ¡°And you¡¯re already dressed too, how long have you been up?¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t know if he wanted to tell the demon he had accidentally fallen asleep like this or not, ¡°Ah actually I¡­ accidentally fell asleep on the couch¡­¡± He decided honestly was the best policy.


    Telan made an ¡°o¡± before continuing, ¡°Ah well ah¡­. I-in that case, there¡¯re extra sets in the wardrobe¡­?¡± The young man looked like he was trying to remember something before his eyes lit up and he smacked his fist against the palm of his other hand, ¡°Ah yes, and I originally came here to ask you if you could meet me in the council chambers at one! They¡¯re on the opposite door of the main throne room and to the left, you can¡¯t miss them.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to meet with the leaders as well¡­?¡± Alex cocked his head to the side.


    Telan nodded, his eyes a bit glazed and looking down, thinking something over from far away, ¡°Yes. This will by no means be the most pleasant affair, but this must be done to make sure we have enough allies¡­¡± Telans lips twisted a bit and his eyes crinkled, thinking back to the meeting from yesterday, perhaps, ¡°The lords are¡­ not exactly amiable to me, but after hearing about the summoning circle, they asked me to bring you¡­ Perhaps we could get more of them to our side.¡±


    Telan continued rubbing his chin as Alex watched. This meeting seemed like it might be challenging. He had never really engaged directly with this type of thing before. As the humans¡¯ hero, he and the others were really only being trained day to day without any real contact outside of their own group.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to be there on time, is there anything else you need from me, Telan?¡± Alex decided to jolt the poor man from his racing thoughts.


    Telan quickly darted his eyes back up, ¡°O-oh no, not at all,¡± Telan turned his head to the side, looking at the coffee table in the room, filled with opened books and scribbly notes, ¡°I see you¡¯ve been reading through the books I gave you. If you remember anything at all from them, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Telan looked back toward Alex, his violet eyes shining and gave a quick bright smile. Alex stared at the demon as he jotted away.


    Alex tried his best to prepare before the meeting. He changed out of the clothes he slept in and into a new pair before he was sent breakfast. He munched on it absentmindedly as he perused his notes. He heard a knock on his door and opened it to find Cera.


    ¡°The meeting will be in ten,¡± Cera stated, ¡°Would you like me to guide you to the chamber?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ think I¡¯ll be able to find it myself, thank you,¡± Alex looked at the woman before him. It kind of felt like she was mocking him but her face had no real expression on it at all, so he wasn¡¯t sure.


    Cera¡¯s eyes crinkled upward just a bit. Ah, there¡¯s something.


    ¡°Are you sure? I could have sworn you got lost at least five times just down this hall yesterday.¡±


    Definitely mocking him, then.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very long hall¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you, or would you not like me to guide you to the council chamber?¡±


    Alex stared at her until she walked away. She seemed like she was laughing but she did not make a sound.


    With or without Cera¡¯s help, Alex may never tell anyone, he managed to arrive at the council chamber five minutes before the appointed time. He looked up at the gigantic stone doors, filled to the brim with far more elaborate flowing and extensive designs etched into it than even the doors he had seen in the other hall. Most of the scenes on the edges were of battles, but the middle depicted a tall man surrounded by seven others who were all facing him.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Alex snapped himself out of it before slowing pushing open the doors. The council chamber itself was made of cold stone. Tapestries hung from the ceiling all in a row down the long vertical room. The walls had rows of windows. There was a long table with four chairs on one side and three on the other, with two chairs at the far end, furthest from the door. Three people were already in the room. One was Telan, and another was a large buff man with calm eyes who was talking animatedly to the demon. Another was sitting the furthest away from the head of the table. He was a gaunt figure with glassy eyes and thin black hair tied in a ponytail. He seemed like he hadn¡¯t slept in a while.


    Alex cautiously waved as Telan looked up to see who was entering. Telan waved back and gestured for Alex to come over.


    ¡°Hello, Alex,¡± Telan smiled and gestured over to the man next to him, ¡°Please allow me to introduce Lord Derrion to you.¡± The man smiled to Alex.


    ¡°Hello, Telan has spoke much of you, but I must admit I expected you to be a bit¡­¡± Derrion seemed to be struggling for a word that wouldn¡¯t been an insult.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I know I¡¯m not that tall¡­ or intimidating,¡± Alex decided to finish the sentence before the man. In response, Derrion let out a loud guffaw which startled the man at the far away so much he nearly fell out of his chair. Alex realized the poor man had actually fallen asleep.


    ¡°Uh¡­ is he¡­,¡± Alex began, vaguely gesturing toward the man who had slumped back into his previous position, ¡°Is he¡­ ok?¡±


    Telan suddenly looked alert, ¡°Oh? He¡¯s quite alright, he¡¯s just been up all night sending letters and the like. He¡¯s one of the lesser lords on the borders and apparently¡­ some human scouts have been spotted.¡±


    Alex jolted.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s to be expected though, scouts at least,¡± Telan rushed to continue, ¡°soldiers were sent out to check the perimeter and it doesn¡¯t seem as if any larger group was spotted¡­ yet.¡±


    Alex hummed, looking around the hall as Derrion remained silent.


    ¡°Where are the other lords?¡± Alex questioned.


    ¡°Probably acting like the cowards they are and going back to their lands to bolster their own defenses, leaving us to rot,¡± Derrion began, his voice dripping with hatred the more he went on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure at least a few more will show¡­,¡± Telan began, ¡°At least Wendan and Kess¡­¡±


    As if summoned, the door swung open, revealing a middle-aged man with sleek salt and pepper hair, pointed ears, and bright grey eyes. His eyes swept the room, landing on Alex for a second, before continuing to Telan, ¡°Hello, young lord, it seems the hall is much emptier than it was yesterday.¡±


    Telan¡¯s mouth immediate crinkled down and the man began his walk toward one of the chairs. He pulled out the one next to Derrion and sat down, looking up at the head of the table.


    ¡°Will Lord Wendan be able to make it¡­?¡± Telan began.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Perhaps¡­¡± The demon, Lord Kess began with an air of disinterest, ¡°He seemed in a hurry, I don¡¯t know why. However, the more interesting topic would have to be this supposed ¡®warrior¡¯ you have summoned here,¡± Kess¡¯s eyes switched over to Alex, who immediately stiffened up. The way the man was looking at him reminded him of the human king.


    Telan tapped Alex¡¯s arm. Alex quickly looked over and met Telan¡¯s eyes. The young man looked between Alex and Kess, nodding his head, the motion getting more jerky the longer Alex stared. Finally getting the message, Alex turned back to Kess and began, ¡°Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you, ah¡­ Lord Kess,¡± Alex cursed the stumble he made.


    Kess stared at him a bit longer before looking away. Telan clapped his hands, breaking the silence, ¡°It is officially one o¡¯clock and alth-¡°


    The doors barged open yet again, causing Telan¡¯s face to become twisted in annoyance before he noticed the desperate look on the man¡¯s face who had entered.


    ¡°H-humans! H-human hero¡­ spotted¡­¡± The man began before wheezing. He paused a bit and caught his breath, ¡°The scouts f-found one human travelling alone¡­ they had the seal of heroes on their outfit¡­¡±


    Telan¡¯s eyes widened before looking between Alex and the man who had entered, ¡°L-Lord Wendan, are you sure¡­?¡±


    Wendan looked indignant at being questioned and straightened his long robe as he clacked to his chair with his long staff, ¡°I¡¯m as sure as I can be! One of my most trusted scouts that I sent at the request of Lord Ezel,¡± at this, Wendan nodded toward the gaunt, tired man, ¡°spotted one human hero making their way through the countryside directly here. At this rate, they should be here in two days¡¯ time. They were mowing down soldiers like I¡¯ve never seen before¡­¡± Wendan looked down, shaking his head.


    One human? But if they were a hero then that could only mean¡­


    ¡°Was the scout able to catch what they looked like at all¡­?¡± Alex began, pushing his body to the edge of his seat. There was no way, right? They should have been set back by now!


    Wendan scratched his beard, his eyes closed as he contemplated, ¡°Hm¡­ didn¡¯t say much¡­¡± Wendan snapped his hand after a moment, ¡°Did say that they had long blonde hair, tied up, and they seemed to be tall and muscular¡­ Carried brass knuckles too.¡±


    That sounded like it could be¡­ Amelie. Alex hoped it wasn¡¯t.


    He looked at Telan apprehensively.