Prologue: His Chosen People
Effie Callaway
Mississippi Territory, Confederate States; 7 April 1861 AD (R4): 30 July 44,996 hTC; 563 ACC
It's Sunday today, "The Lord's Day," Ma would say, but I never understood why that was.
Furthermore, I didn't understand why we were even doing the things we be doing. Ma and Pa said that Massa told them 'bout this place called Heaven and that there's someone referred to as God lives there. They said if we beg for forgiveness and praise his name, he might consider saving us from this life of enslavement.
I'm the eldest daughter of a slave couple, but I'd been sold off to the Callaway Plantation a few months ago. I don't necessarily miss the work, or even Massa, but it was where my family was, and I consider that my home. This new plantation wasn't any better or worse than my previous one, except for the fact that this plantation was mostly occupied by women and young girls, both black humans and non-human women. They called it a Red-Light Plantation, and as the name suggests, we're to be used and sold as sex slaves. I wasn't fond of leaving my previous plantation, let alone being sold to an infamous red-light plantation; however, there were some upsides to the transfer.
The plantation had an abundance of black slaves but had a large number of demon slaves as well. One girl, a demon girl with skin that resembled the night sky, around my age named Missy, quickly befriended me and told me about her people and culture. "My Ma and Pa ain't from this world, they from a place called Jigoku," she'd say. Her stories were fantastic, and she spoke of beings that were so incredibly powerful that they could do anything they wanted. She called them "Demon Lords," and I was always taught that demons were evil and enemies of God. However, I'm of a different opinion since being on this plantation.
Even though Missy was born a slave, roughly thirteen years ago, her parents were much older than that. She had one story that she told only once, detailing a war between the gods of this world and the Demon Lords of her parent's home world. It was a gruesome tale, and the aftermath caused some residents of that other world to find refuge here, on Earth. She did, however, end the story with a positive outlook, a hopeful outlook rather, of a powerful mage general, would one day come and save us. Most of the older women would scoff at the idea of a mage saving them; but to me and the other younger women here, it gave us something to cling to.
I hadn't been at the plantation long before I was sent off to work, it was agonizing. Day after day, I was forced to please these old white devils; if you'd ask me, these people are more like demons than actual demons. As my luck would have it, I, along with Missy were considered favorites amongst the clientele. It was due to our "exotic features" and "mystical characteristics" all that to say that they had a sick fetish to fuck anything that didn't resemble white women. Sundays were really the only day she and I could actually claim to be our own, however today was different. Today, Massa Callaway himself requested both mine and Missy's services. All the men we're sold to are usually of the same variety, either overweight or underweight, but always having the same greasy air about them. Massa Callaway on the other hand; he was different, the exact opposite to his clientele. He was an extremely polished man with hard angular features and flowing blonde hair. Unlike his clients, he was tall and had a muscular stature, but dressed and acted more effeminately, so much so that one would think he was attracted to the men; sadly, that ain't the case.
Massa Callaway took a fondness towards the new additions to the plantation, and after most of the clientele had their share of us, the product, he'd come in and claim us as his "seconds." The thought disgusts me, and here I was, on a Sunday, MY SUNDAY, having to lay in bed with this disgusting man. I clenched my dressed as tears streaked my face; Missy, with her beautiful night skin, wrapped her arms around me and she took me into her embrace, "Effie, I can't explain it, but in the next few days, our sovereign will come and free us."
The words were unimaginably beautiful but also rocked me to my core. Our sovereign? Am I supposed to believe that some man from fairytales or the Bible I wasn't even sure was written was gonna save us? But Missy, her words, as mad as they make me, I couldn't help but smile and accept what she said. "Who is this person? What do they look like?" I asked, we had some time before we were meant to meet with Massa Callaway.
"Pa told me that there was an emperor named Chronos that had twenty-four mage generals; there was one general that had rainbow silver hair, brilliant golden eyes and ebony red skin, but I don't know his name," Missy said with a hopeful smile. In that moment, I had no choice but to trust her, it was, again, unbelievable. There were stories and tales amongst us slaves that most of us were familiar with. One story was of a man, with rainbow silver hair that had the ability to control sand; no one knew his name, at least no human knew his name. We only knew him as "Sand Master," and this mage general that Missy was talking about, coincidentally shared traits with the Sand Master.
BANG, BANG, there was a knock at the door, "You exotic Jezebels better be ready in there! Best not keep Lord Callaway waiting," one of Massa Callaway's guards shouted outside the room. Missy and I hugged each other, and she placed her forehead against mine, "We ain't gon' struggle no more, ya' hear me? I might be young, but I'm a Nightskin demon, an ancient race, and there's somethings that my kind just know; we gon' be all right, he'll save us."
After Missy and I finished getting ready, the guard escorted us to Massa Callaway's home. It was an eyesore of a mansion, ordained with Roman styled columns and French styled trimming. The paint job of the house was an abysmal shade of faded green that he called "mint," and everything was accented with gold. The only thing that stood out from the unsightly home was the lit red lantern that hung outside the front door, which indicated that the plantation was open for business.
Massa Callaway stood on the porch wearing a flowing white blouse tucked into a pair of brown trousers. His hair rested upon his shoulders and his sharp features made him look more like a hungry tiger than a man. He watched us, with a glass of wine in his hand, as we made our way to the mansion, "Effie, Missy, you two look splendid," he slurred. "You two especially are very popular amongst all my clients and I just had to see what all the fuss was about." The words were meant to be something of a compliment, but I felt more dirty than pretty.
"We shan't disappoint," Missy answered politely. She had a glimmer in her eyes that suggested that she might have had a plan, one that she was sure would work.
••
Massa Callaway grabbed Missy by the arm and threw her aggressively on the bed, right before he honed onto me. He had a sickening look of vile pleasure, as his pores wreaked of alcohol and sweat; he leaned close, pressing his drunken lips against mine. It was disgusting, he was disgusting, and to make it worse, he was making me feel disgusting.
I don't know how much of this I can handle; I thought. He kept pressing his lips against my face, it had gotten to the point where I couldn't breathe; instinctively, I pushed him away, but that proved to be the wrong move. The horrendous look of pleasure, that just moments prior was painted across the drunken man's face twisted into one with unfathomable rage.
There was a moment of intense silence, and before I knew it, I was looking downwards to my left, I heard a piercing ringing in my ear and my right cheek flared in pain. He just slapped me; I thought as I whipped my head to face the drunk pervert. I had an intense feeling of anger and fear building within, so much so that tears began to seep down my face.
The hatred that he wore was instantly wiped away once he saw my face; he erupted into a hysterical laugh. "Oh, did that upset you? Did I hurt your feelings," he mocked with a snide tone. "Not like anyone cares about you, you're mine. Ya 'hear? I own you, and I can do as I please with you. You best not ever forget that, understand?"
I remained silent, and as a response, he struck my face again, this time with more force, yet still, I kept quiet. I'm not sure why, but I knew that whatever I said, Massa Callaway would use it against me. This only angered him more though, but something happened. As he was repeatedly beating my face, he turned to look at Missy's horrific expression, and a sweaty, malicious, and downright disgusting grin crept across his face.
"Oh, I know what will make you talk," he said, directed at me, but looking at Missy. "You two are best friends, right? Let me just go ahead and say, the longer you stay quiet, the more heinous my actions will be towards your little friend."
Was he really stooping that low, solely to get me to react to him? The thought of him harming my dearest friend though, the one person in this nightmare that treated me like a regular human, despite not being human herself. Miss Missy was the most important person I'd met, and he wished to do unspeakable things to her the longer I refused to speak. I wasn't sure exactly what happened next, but whatever it was it happened all so fast. I do, however, recall having a glimpse at what happened before I fainted.
I remember Missy's face, as Massa Callaway walked closer to her, the expression of horror and distress she once wore, slowly morphed into a devious smile; almost as if she were a predator that laid bait out for its prey, and that prey was now about to take it. The star-like pattern on her ethereal body began to shimmer and dance and her large moon-like eyes glowed with intensity. Massa Callaway didn't even acknowledge the shift in her expression, he was still focused on committing his deviant behavior; that was until the moment right before he stepped directly in front of her. Missy snickered and placed her right hand gently above her lips before saying, "All according to your plan, Young Master."
"Young Master? That's a new one," Massa Callaway retorted, "but I'll play along—. "
The room grew eerily silent, and the color that once filled the bedroom of devilish acts, all faded away. I didn't know how to describe it, the room felt lifeless, like time was frozen in place, well almost. As I was drifting in and out of consciousness, I remembered seeing someone walk into the room. I couldn't quite make out his face, but the one thing I did remember was his hair; it was loc'd up, about shoulder length, but it was the color. His hair color was kinda silvery, but it was tinted with four distinct colors, purple roots, followed by an hombre of gold and blue, and his tips were red.
He's real, that was my last thought before I passed out. The Sand Master, the mage with the rainbow silver hair, from Missy's story is real, and he was here to save us.
Missy Callaway
Just as you planned, Young Master; ever since he was a little boy, The Young Master has always found ways to excite me and my sisters. I looked at him, and I still somewhat do, as a little brother, but now, I can't help but reminisce on those days. He's grown into such a phenomenal mage, one I'm sure his mother and father would be proud of.
The room grew still, minus myself, my dearest friend, and the disgusting excuse of a man in front of me. "What's happening? What're you doing? Is the dampener on? What did you do!" Callaway clambered.
The door crept open, and ambient mana spewed in, almost like the flood gates were just opened. Callaway, still panicking, rushed to try to close the door, but the pig's efforts were futile as he heard footsteps closing in. The pace of the steps continued, and they sounded calculated, this further panicked Callaway as he continued to try to close the door.
To the average human, they wouldn't exactly know what's happening, but there's a particular flavor of human that aren't compatible with mana, and when in the presence of, let's say, a mage with equivalent power to that of a Demon Lord, the effects can be irreversible.
Step. Step.
They continued, and the pig continued to squeal like the swine he is, that was until The Young Master stood in the doorway.
"Welcome, Young Master, your first step in your plot to dismantle the Red-Light Plantation industry has been a success," I stood and curtsied.
"Onechan, I told you already, call me by my name, Myrlin. Once we make it back to hTraé, and I get acknowledged, then you can call me whatever you want," he said with somewhat of an annoyed expression on his face. "Besides Jade, why're you still in that form?"
I nodded my head and closed my eyes as I took a deep breath in, "Form, Release!" In that moment, my appearance shifted from that of a young Night-Skinned demon girl, to my actual form. My body grew and the clothes I was wearing shifted into my maid's uniform. "I nearly forgotten how it feels to be me," I boasted.
"Wah-who are you?" Callaway stammered.
I turned to face him in disgust, "if you must know, my name is Jade Les Fleurs Précieueses, Head maid in service to the Imperial Wyllt Family."
Callaway was frozen in fear, but for some reason looked deep within to find the audacity to confront The Young Master. "You—, you there, Nigger-boy! State yourself—… "
Big mistake. The Young Master was already annoyed, but once he heard that slur, not even Callaway's evil and jealous god could save him. The Young Master ignored him, and his expression simultaneously soured and hardened as he crouched down to look the foul swine in the eye and gently yet menacingly placed his hand on his left shoulder and whispered, "Aging Touch."
Callaway's entire left arm began to rapidly age until it was nothing but skin and bones, literally, there were no muscles present in his left arm. Callaway howled a gut-wrenching scream as he tried to grab his arm, but The Young Master slapped his hand away with an indifferent expression on his face.
"You see, I was born with the peculiar ability to control the flow of time, to an extent. And what I did, just now, is I isolated your left arm, and rapidly aged it to the point where your muscles began eating themselves," The Young Master began to explain. "But Myrlin, how is there ONLY skin and bones left? That's the tricky part, you see, there's a brief, and I mean extremely brief window in time in which there's only skin and bones left. I have to freeze the isolated area to prevent further deterioration."
The Young Master always gets like this when he's facing his opponents. He said that explaining your abilities to your opponent can help increase the effectiveness of it. I don't know how the science works, but every time he does this, all his spells get amplified.
He placed his hand over Callaway's right eye, "Here, I'll demonstrate again, but this time slower, so you can catch it." The Young Master's palm began to glow and in the exact same tone of voice as he did earlier, he whispered, "Aging Touch." This time instead of the aging being rapid like before, The Young Master deliberately slowed down the process, keeping it at a speed in which the evil man could see, rather, feel his eye shriveling as it either dies or goes blind.
"You feel that" The Young Master asked, condescendingly I might add. "That pain you feel, the sharp digging feeling in your eye; those are the nerves in your eye screaming and pleading for moisture." He placed his hand on Callaway's leg and continued his attack, "wait, I've got an idea, Ne-Chan, have you ever seen a man in his mid to late thirties have the insides of a senior citizen?"
I gasped with excitement, "Oh my, I haven't, can you show me?" The Young Master smiled, and keeping that smile, he turned to Callaway. Myrlin didn't necessarily have a "scary" smile, however his eyes squinted to the point where they weren't visible, but you knew he was locked in on you; he wore those eyes as he smiled at that vile human.
With his one good arm, Callaway tried to resist and push away, "You asked, rather, commanded I state myself," The Young Master spat with a smile. "I find it only fair that I introduce myself before conducting my experiment, not that it'll do you any good. My name is First Crown Prince of Garyudōra, Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyushi; a Demon Lord," there was an air of sadism in his voice, almost as if he waited to do this.
"Now," The Young Master placed his hand on the boorish man's abdomen. "Isolate each individual organ with a barrier using Eternal Stasis," his eyes flashed blue as he activated his technique.
"Then, using my sub-signature, Chrono Shift, I can control the speed in which your organs age. Hey Jade, you still have that old necklace of Mind Sand I gave you a while back?"
I untucked the necklace from underneath my uni, "I never removed it, Young Master," I replied, gently placing my hand on it.
"Good, I'm going to project an image of what I'm doing, it's quite fascinating," he turned his head to look at me. He wore a gleeful expression, it was almost like he was a child again, like that first time we encountered slavers in the LeFey Forest.
I nodded my head and closed my eyes, concentrating on the image The Young Master was trying to send me. At first, I saw nothing, not darkness, but nothing. Like trying to see out of your elbow, I didn't see anything. That was until I caught a quick flash of something pinkish grey, it happened so fast that I thought I was imagining it, but it happened again, and again, and again. It kept happening, but in longer intervals, sometimes it was the same image, other times it was something different.
"Oh, I think I see it!" I exclaimed with excitement. "This is what a functioning human's insides look like? Quite interesting." I recalled a heart, some lungs, a stomach, a brain, kidneys, a liver and the man's poor excuse of a penis. Each organ aged both slowly and rapidly; fast enough to be seen by the naked eye and slow enough to be felt by the victim.
By this point, Callaway had seized from the shock done to his body, "You're not going anywhere," chimed The Young Master. "You and all your little slaver buddies won't get the sweet salvation of death. Oh no, I've got a better fate in store for your lot," a devilish smile spread across The Young Master's face. He placed his thumb on top of Callaway's forehead and pressed down, and almost instantly, the slaver reacted. He was dazed and confused, gasping for air. However, because of The Young Master's experiment, he found it nearly impossible to do so.
"Eternal Stasis; Crystallization!" The Young Master stretched his hand out as a light blue spell circle manifested itself beneath Callaway. The light gradually illuminated the room before dissipating, leaving a transparent crystal with Callaway's pathetic lump of a body encapsulated in the center. "That's crystallized carbon, and the way I manipulated it, it'll last almost forever," he said, again with a smile, but there was no sense of hostility or malice in his voice. It was as if all his frustrations and anger crystallized along with Callaway.
"You truly are incredible, Young Master," I stated, genuinely.
••
Effie Callaway
I woke up the next morning in my room. I had been bathed, and the injuries on my face from when Massa Callaway was beating me were gone.
What's going on? Did all that really happen last night? I thought to myself, trying to recall the events before I passed out. Rainbow hair, "That's right, the Sand Master came last night to save me and Missy." I looked around the room, but there was no sign of her; Maybe it was a dream.
There was a knock on the door followed by its opening. I knew I'd slept in late, but I wasn't sure by how long. I know once Massa catches me, I'm sure that dream I had will actually happen. To my surprise, however, it wasn't Massa, instead it was a woman. An unbelievably beautiful woman in a maid's outfit, and not just any woman, she was a Night-Skinned Demon. She wore a relieved smile as she approached me; she felt familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it.
"Miss Effie, my dear, I'm so relieved to see you're finally awake," the woman said. Who is this woman. Her star pattern looks so familiar. Do I, know this woman? I do. I do know this woman, but how? "I know you're confused, but I'd like to reintroduce myself," the woman's form and height shifted, and she turned into Missy; she was Missy.
"Am I dreaming? Are you tricking me?" I started to panic but my nerves calmed down the moment she grabbed my hands.
"Miss Effie, you remind me so much of my sisters and the two Young Mistresses. Truth is, I think of you as one of them, and I cherish you," her form shifted back into that of the maid. "My name is Jade Les Fleurs Précieueses, and I'm a subordinate of the mage in my tale, the one that saved you last night."
I couldn't control my next words, they kinda just came out, "You know him? The Sand Master? Is he real? That was real?" I had a fleury of questions and Missy, or Jade, just smiled and told me that she'll tell me more in time. It didn't matter though, I was just relieved that my closest friend, dare I say, my best friend, was safe.
Jade explained that her master, Crown Prince Myrlin, was appalled by how I was treated before he came in, "He healed your wounds by reversing them to before they appeared." He really did that, for me? It was almost too good to be true, but she assured me that no more harm would come to me or anyone he freed.
She had taken the time to lay out an outfit for me to wear; the clothes looked really expensive and fancy. I refused at first, but after her constant insistence, I decided to at least try it on. She called it a kimono and she said that it's a garb worn in certain countries in Asia and where she and her master are from. The kimono was black and was made with a light material; the most beautiful part was the back; it had a rainbow embroidered emblem. It was circular with an odd character in the middle. Jade told me that where they're from, they speak a language called "Ryubá," and the symbol on the kimono was called a "kanji" that means "Demon Lord Kindred" or "Daijin" for short. I didn't understand it at the time, but she elaborated again that everything would be explained soon.
After getting dressed, Jade took me downstairs to put something on my stomach, I had been expecting the plantation to be in shambles without Massa Callaway, but I was wrong. The entire plantation had a sense of peace, the women and children all had relieved smiles, and each wore the same type of kimono I was wearing. "Mama, Mama, look," yelled a young girl who'd just finished changing into her kimono, "I look so pretty and fancy!" She wore her hair in braided plats and had a toothy grin spread across her face. Her mother, wearing the same kimono, smiled back at her daughter and simply said "That's because you are."
As we made our way to the plantation house where we'd have a late breakfast, Jade shared with me more about herself and The Sand Master. They were from another world, one kind of like this, but with a few differences, and that she basically helped raise The Sand Master. "So how did y'all get here?" I asked genuine curiosity since they came from another world and all. The maid, my friend, let out a nostalgic sigh before telling me an unexpected and epic story of a war between the two worlds.
"The war between us and the Greek gods lasted a—a brief millennia before the thread-lines that connected our worlds together, stitched together, leaving us here for the time being," she began to elaborate on the story she originally told me while she was posing as Missy. She went on to say that while her master and his siblings were attending school, the Ancient Greek gods suddenly invaded them: they responded accordingly by declaring war as the invasion was unprovoked. "The Young Master intends to elaborate more on this subject, but I do feel the need to tell you," Jade remarked.
Once we made it to the main house, we were greeted by an extremely handsome man with bronze-brown skin, golden blonde hair, and a jet-black beard wearing a similar kimono as everyone else; almost like everyone else's. His outfit, although a kimono, seemed to be heavier and he also held a beautiful golden and jeweled spear. The man smiled as we approached the porch. "Grand Rising, Miss Jade, Miss Effie," the man said as he bowed his head.
"This is another one of The Young Master's subordinates, his name is Gilgamesh," Jade introduced the man.
"Gilgamesh? You mean like the one in the Bible?" I asked both starstruck and in disbelief.
"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Gilgamesh replied with a smile. "And no, I predate that version of me; I am the first King of Uruk, Ruler of the greatest Empire this world has ever seen, The Mesopotamian Emperor, Gilgamesh!" Gilgamesh erupted into laughter, much to the annoyance of Jade.
"And we really serve the same master?" Jade questioned with a shake of her head and a sigh.
"You might be wondering how an emperor became a subordinate of a Demon Lord, well it's interesting really," Gilgamesh began. "The Young Master did the unthinkable for me, more than once… And for that, I'd travel the ends of time with him!"
I was in awe by the two individuals in front of me, even more so now that I'd heard more about The Sand Master. "Jade, do you think it would be all right if I served him alongside you? I owe him my life, and the way you two are your happiness, I want that too," I didn't know what I was saying. But I knew that I meant every word of it.
"Is that what you really wish to do," a calm, soothing, yet powerful voice rang in my ear. I turned around and saw him. It was him, The Sand Master. He had on a navy blue, and gold trimmed kimono with what I could only imagine as a stick attached to a string that was wrapped around his waist that dangled from his back. "Miss Effie, before you make that decision, I implore you to listen to what I have to say tonight. If you're still interested after what I have to say, I'll accept you with open arms."
The two subordinates were both quiet and observed me, awaiting my response, "I understand and will do as such." I replied with stoicism. Jade gently placed her hand on my shoulder as The Sand Master nodded his head. "Come, you must be hungry," he said, motioning us inside the house. As we entered, I was plagued by thoughts of the night prior, however, I wasn't scared. Instead, I felt like I was in a position to confront them and leave them in my past.
We made our way into the dining room and there was an entire spread of breakfast food waiting to be consumed. I've only ever seen food prepared like this for slave masters, and the fact that I was even getting the chance to eat something so delicious looking and fancy only proved that this man was in fact the "Sovereign" Jade had been talking about.
"Please, eat until you are full," The Sand Master said as he pulled a chair out for me and the other women. "We have prepared an exquisite meal for you that is both delicious and nutritious. And if you can't finish it, it's all right, I understand the conditions you all were subjected to were extreme and harsh. So, my subordinates and I intend to rehabilitate you all to a point where you are healthy."
The other women and children eyes all grew and began to eat as though it was their first time. I didn't blame them, all we've ever known was this wretched life, my people and the non-human have sat around watching these people stuff their faces with food we make for them. Whipping us until we can't move, taking advantage of our bodies in unspeakable ways. This was a bit of salvation I wanted; no, I only ever dreamed of. I looked down at the plate of food in front of me as tears pooled, blurring my line of vision. "Thank you," I took a bite of the food; it was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.
As I continued to eat, a few more people that looked just as intimidating as The Sand Master walked in and stood next to him. "I would like to formally introduce myself and my colleagues. My name is Crown Prince: Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyushi," he stood giving everyone a bow.
There were two other women that joined us, the first was a black woman that looked like she could be The Sand Master's sister; she wore a fancy purple dress that was accented with black, and she wore her hair in two giant loose curls. "My name is Crown Princess: Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Miryushi, I'm Myrlin's younger sister and ruler of a wonderful nation called Miryudōra," the woman curtsied while closing her eyes. She had a mother-like feel to her, and it made me want to listen to any and every word she had to say.
The other woman on the other hand, looked more like the folks that helped enslave us, Pa said they called Spaniards. Except, she felt different, I couldn't explain it, but like The Sand Master's sister, she had a "mother-like" feel to her too; but her's was different. She had a like, primal feel to her; the best way I can describe it is the princess, The Sand Master's sister, felt like my mother, but this lady felt like she's everything's mother. "And I am Renata Timandra Faust-Bestahla, Crown Princess of Bestahlagro, though I may look like those that have brought you harm, I assure you, I only wish to help Myrlin and Minerva free as many slaves as we can," the white woman said. Although, I did feel a sense of genuine kindness and love within her words.
The room was silent, I understood why, what appeared to be a white woman was in a dining room full of, what they would have us to be believe freed slaves and begins telling us she wants what's good and best for us. Most everyone in at the table was hesitant to eat or speak. "How can we trust you," a woman holding her child asked; it was the mother from earlier. She was visibly scared and nervous, again I couldn't blame her; but I knew that there was a way that she could trust them.
"You don't have to, because I will," I said as I stood up from the table. I was only thirteen years old but having a reputation as one of the Massa's most prized products, I had a bit of an influence amongst some of the younger women, "I'm not entirely sure the details, but last night I was at my lowest. Massa Callaway: no, Callaway, invited me and Missy to his chambers to have his way with us." I began to tell the story of what I could remember the night prior.
"Callaway kept beating my face until I was a bloody pulp; that was until the colors in the room got all jumbled up," I described to the best of my ability to get a grasp of what I was trying to say. "And then, after that, I saw him and his rainbow hair; and I remembered the story that my Ma used to tell me, that her Ma used to tell her, and so on, about The Sand Master. And I remembered the story Miss Missy, or I mean, Miss Jade told me before we met with Callaway," I took a deep breath and faced the three. "You didn't just save my life, but everyone's life that lived on this plantation, and even if no one else from this plantation wants to join your cause, you can at least count on me to be there with you," I said as I glared at all the other skeptical women at the table. Each of their heads looked down at their feet as they received my lecture.
"Truth is," The Sand Master quickly and politely interrupted. "I plan to discuss more about that matter tonight during the ceremony, the meeting that I intend for you all to join," he smiled with an almost child-like expression. "For now, please eat, there's nothing to worry about, nor do you need to concern yourself with work. As long as I'm here, you are to do as you please," his words echoed the dining room as he left, and the other two women followed behind him.
The other women gossiped and pointed at me while I continued eating. Their eyes are all so heavy, why are they looking at me like that, I pondered. "What, where is Missy? Wasn't she with you last night," yelled one of the women.
"Allow me to explain, and reintroduce myself," Jade had shift into Missy. "I apologize for deceiving you all, however, The Young Master asked me to do reconnaissance here at this plantation. I was meant only to blend in and not draw attention to myself, but I never really been the best at that," she said with a girlish giggle before she shifted back into her adult form.
The other women at the table all looked at each other, black women, demon and non-human women and children that all had lived a life of slavery and torment were finally able to live free lives; but they didn't want to believe it. It was like something was holding them back, like they needed to experience the same sort of feeling that I felt last night before I was saved. "What time is this meeting," I asked Miss Jade.
"The Young Master is preparing for it to be at around dusk, nearest to nightfall," she replied.
"Good, by then, I'm sure The Sand Master will convince everyone here to join him," I said as I continued to stuff my face. I saw out of the corner of my eye a few younger girls and teenage girls admiring me from a distance. They were some of the girls that believed Miss Jade about all her stories about her master, I thought. The girls approached me and asked if they could sit with me, "uh, yeah—, sure," I replied.
There were four girls in total, two preteen girls, around my age, maybe younger, and two teenagers, both about sixteen. "We believe you, ya 'know," one of their older girls said, her name was Priscilla, and she was beautiful with mahogany brown skin the fullest and highest cheekbones, and thankfully since we lived on this particular plantation, she was able to keep her beautiful hair that defied gravity.
"Yeah, we always have," another little girl said, she was a petite girl that was orphaned and capture by slavers. They took one look at her ears and knew they struck gold; she was what they called an elf, but what she said her Ma and Pa called themselves Dartaani Elves or simply Dartaani. They inherently had beautiful honey brown skin and from what I know of this little girl, whose name was Helen by the way, had a fiery temper.
The girls gathered around me, and we continued to eat, and they listened to my story more in detail, "I honestly didn't know what to think," I said looking at my plate of biscuits and gravy. "But then when I saw him, The Sand Master, I knew I was safe. I can't explain why, or how I knew, but I did know I was safe," I said to the girls all wide-eyed and bushy tailed.
"That must have been a lot to go through," Priscilla said caressing my hair. "We'll make sure we stay by your side from now on, us girls gotta stick together." The other girls snickered as we finished our plates and made our exits.
••
Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyushi
Snake Island, Lagos, Nigeria; 4 April 1659 AD (R4): 22 July 44,996 hTC; 361 ACC
"There's still ten ships carrying slaves at the port and they're about to set sail," Trident reported as he arose from the water. "I estimate four hundred on each ship."
"Disgusting," I muttered. The idea of a person capturing, selling, and purchasing another person, only to do as you please, surely is justifiable by death. "Our main objective is to prevent the ships from setting sail and saving those who were captured," I looked to my subordinate as he gave me a nod and an affirmative "SIR!"
We had been going back and forth with the Portuguese and Spanish for about ten years now, all because of their unlawfully capturing the people of Africa and non-human beings; but the fools are so persistent, they found ways to commit their acts. Thankfully, I'm not alone in my efforts in stopping this corrupt system, I do have my sister, Minerva, and our dear friend Renata; coincidentally, the three of us have managed to become worthy to evolve into True Demon Lords. At the moment, we're considered Demon Lord Heirs, however, this evolution is the highest any Demon Lord from hTraé has been able to obtain. That isn't to say that Demon Lord Heirs are weak, in fact, the "Heir" in Demon Lord Heir, refers to the potential to reach the final evolution; to put it in simple terms, a requirement of becoming a True Demon Lord is becoming an Heir.
I possess one of the Three Wise Aspects, The Aspect of Time, meaning since birth, I've had a connection with the concept and could even manipulate it. My signature, however, didn't originally manifest itself as time, instead as sand; if you think about it long enough, it'll make sense. Essentially, the sand that I can control isn't just ordinary sand, the moment my mana comes in contact with any sand, it transforms it into The Sands of Time. The reason for this is due to my duel elemental affinities in both Aspects of Sylphs and Terra, air and earth, respectively.
Initially, my Signature manifested itself as something of a "Time Stop" ability called Temporal Stasis, however, I later learned that I was actually manipulating the CO2 in the air and creating another, rather separate plain in which I can move freely in. Because of the CO2 manipulation, it causes the body and the mind to experience time at an insanely slow rate. Once deactivated, the frozen time will resume as though nothing happened; minus the things that I was able to interact with. Later as I got older, my secondary element manifested itself as Sand Control, the ability to control sand at a molecular level, I mostly used my sand signature as my main element due to its versatility.
After our retaliation against the Mycenaean Gods was won, I underwent my initial evolution into a Demon Lord Heir, and after that I had the opportunity to evolve my signature along with me. At this point, I'd already evolved it into something extraordinary in my Mind Sand, however, I was able to fuse both my Sylphs and Terra Aspects together to create something even more unique and powerful, Archival Playlist. The signature belongs to the Aspect of Time and at its core, it allows me to manipulate time as if it were a music streaming platform; however, it has way more functions than that.
For starters, the signature works in tandem with my Bard skill and with it I can add music in the middle of a battle that'll give my allies a boost in power. Additionally, while I'm using the signature I have access to a separate plain of existence, where in which I have complete control over. Additionally, after my evolution into an heir, I gained access to my most useful tool, LGIN, Lesser God Interface Network; however, I've grown to learn that my particular patch of the interface. For some reason, a soul found a way to merge with the network, thus creating something new. This version of the network acts completely independently and basically acts as a personal assistant, I gave it the name Mattia.
"Master," alerted Mattia, she had the voice of a young girl, around the age of seventeen or eighteen. "I feel it pertinent that you are aware of this," she sounded worried about something.
"What's on your mind Mattia," I asked, it wasn't like her to add concern to her voice, however when she does, it's usually because she's preparing for something.
An LGIN window suddenly appeared in my field of vision, and it showed not only mine and my subordinates Cache Levels, but also an estimation of Minerva and Renata levels, and they were dangerously low. As Demon Lord Heirs, our Cache's ability to hold mana grows exponentially, near infinite levels, however it would seem that we overextended our limits and now we have about one third of our Cache reserves left per heir.
"Master, you must utilize your mana more strategically," Mattia lectured. "You can afford to use at least seven more 'Grand Scale' spells, however, after that you would need to recharge your cache, and the approximate amount of time it would take for a full cache would be," there was a pause as she calculated the length of time. "Approximately seven days and three hours-."
"I don't see the problem," I interrupted. "Was that the only thing you-."
"If you'd let me finish, Myrlin," her tone was laced with mana, enough so to put me right in my place.
"Yes ma'am," I replied with my head in shame.
"Now, it will be seven days and three hours if you're Time Perception is set for hTraé's dilation," she remarked, suddenly another window appeared and revealed the amount of time it would take with our perception set to Earth's Dilation. "It would take two hundred years for you to regain your strength and mana levels back to your original base state."
Seven Grand Scales spells left, I have to use them tactically if I want the outcome I desire, I thought, although there was no real need to think since Mattia has the ability to read my mind. "Mattia, what is your estimate on the ships' time of departure," I inquired.
There was another loading window that appeared and almost immediately it finished and showed a countdown timer of the ships' departure times. "Approximately five hours from now," her tone dropped and more accurately reflected the seriousness of the situation. "I would suggest sacrificing eight of the ships due to the number of captives onboard and each of your limited Cache levels," I could tell she didn't want to come to the conclusion, but I knew exactly where she was coming from, but it didn't keep me from lashing out.
"Absurd! You wish to let eight ships filled with roughly four hundred captives traverse the Atlantic Ocean where two-thirds of them will surely meet their demise," I scolded; however, it wasn't like I had a point to make. I understood her reasoning and logic behind the decision; everything was calculated down to the approximate likely outcome, including our own survival.
"Is your tantrum done, Master," Mattia asked, by the sound of her voice I could tell she wanted to move forward with her next suggestion. "If so, I do have a plan for you and the other heirs upon regaining your Cache Levels," her words piqued my interest.
"What kind of plan did you have in mind, Mattia," I already knew what she was thinking, however playing this game of back and forth with our thoughts proved to be our best form of communication. "You wouldn't happen to be thinking about freeing those descendants of the captured, are you? If that were the case, that would require us heirs to form a new nation, where in which the people will be free to live comfortably," there was another LGIN window that appeared before me. It was an 'Alter Quest' with a difficulty level set to "World-Changing," there was a description of the quest type, it said "Alternate Quests, or Alter Quests, happen when an heir or heiress has the opportunity to alter the timeline in drastic ways. Conditions to trigger Alter Quests vary, however if one possesses one of the three "Wise Aspects" the trigger will have a higher chance of occurring."
Directly beneath it was another window detailing the quest and it read:
Alter Quest:
Birth of The Mage Nation of Majidōra Difficulty:
World-Changing
Description:
An opportunity to birth a new nation has presented itself before you and your comrades. Although your efforts in preventing the Transatlantic Slave Trade were met to your satisfaction, fret not as there is still time to plan for the future. After completing the objective, The Mage Nation of Majidōra will be born.
Objective:
Replenish Cache Levels back to full strength taking approximately two hundred Earth years. Strategize and develop a system to infiltrate the colonies and states that observe chattel slavery as a practice and liberate the enslaved. Perform the ceremony 'Blood Mana Corridor.' This ceremony is needed to be performed only by the heirs and heiresses as their blood is the most potent and adept to mana. The ceremony requires the consent of the bestowed and a small amount of blood from the heir or heiress. Once completed, the bestowed will cease to be human and will evolve into a new species called "Demon Lord Kindred" also known as "Daijin." This species will be capable of wielding mana up to the "Legendary" Threat Level. The ceremony only needs to be performed once with the bestowed and will be a permanent species evolution. Heirs and Heiresses will formally establish the new Mage Nation of Majidōra, composing of three Prefectures: Myryusai Prefecture, Minryuko Prefecture, and Behrentia Prefecture. Each prefecture will be governed by one of the three available heirs and heiresses: Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyushi, Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Miryushi, and Renata Timandra Faust-Bestahla. Once the nation is established and all denizens are provided shelter, Alter-Quest will be complete.
Time Limit:
Four hundred Earth Years
"Will you accept," the window asked giving me two options, 'Yes' and 'No.'
"Upon selecting yes, an invitation will be sent to both heiresses," Mattia informed. "Once the two accept the invitation and the ships begin their departure, there will be a two-hour window for strategizing a rescue plan. Followed by a three-hour window dedicated for executing your plan of action; after which the Alter-Quest will begin. Master, I refuse to see you fail again, so I took the liberty of using 'Oracle' to ensure that my calculations were correct."
"As long as you have a plan, I don't mind at all—," at that moment, two LGIN windows appeared informing me that both Minerva and Renata accepted their quest invitations; immediately after that, some timers appeared in the top left corner of my field of vision. There were three in total: a two-hour timer that had already begun to count down, a three-hour timer that hadn't started and an overall five-hour timer that, like the two-hour timer, had begun counting down.
"Master—," alerted Mattia, however there was no need, I had already had the idea of having Minerva open a 'Gate' so the three of us can meet.
"Consider it done," I closed my eyes and focused on the sound waves and air currents in order to tune into the frequency we used for 'Thought Communication.'
"Neechan! I got your quest invite, I'm confused, what's an 'Alter-Quest'," my younger sister inquired.
"That's actually why I'm calling, I'm assuming Renata is with you, are you able to create a 'Subspace' for us to meet up," I asked.
"Of course, I'll send a 'Gate' your way once I'm done—, wait—, is this what I think it is," the line grew silent.
"Mini—," but before I could even check to see if she were okay, she screamed in my mind.
"EEEEEEEK! IT IS! IT IS! Myrlin, you're officially calling our first Walpurgis Nact," Minerva exclaimed; truth be told, it really was our first Walpurgis, nothing we've done until this point warranted me to call for it.
"He's calling it," another voice chimed in on the line, it was Renata, and like my sister, she promptly screamed in my mind.
"How are y'all doing that," I sharply asked. "Anyways, yes this will henceforth be considered our first Semi-Official Walpurgis Nact; 'semi' considering that there's only three of us at the moment," I informed, "bring two subordinates each and we'll meet in the 'Sub-Space' Minerva will create."
"Well, Neechan, unbeknownst to you, I already have something that'll serve as a beta-Chamber Hall," Minerva replied. "The girls and I have weekly tea parties to maintain a sense of normality."
"Wait, you do," I asked, "and 'the girls,' who and how many?" The question was meant to gauge the capacity of the sub-space and whether it can hold and accommodate beings with near unfathomable levels of mana.
"Well, there's Me and Nerva," Renata began, "then Miss Ayo, and Akinyemi; Stellaphona, Olufemi, Boudica and Jade to name a few."
"What?! Jade knew about this before I did," I cried. "Why wasn't I allowed to come, you're always having fun without me," I whined.
"Because your reactions are hilarious," Minerva laughed. "Besides, I wanted to surprise you with it when the time came, and would you look at that, Neechan is shook."
I had to be honest; I was more than grateful for my younger sister, she waited in anticipation for me to call our first Walpurgis Nact, just to surprise me. Words cannot describe how happy I am to call her my sister.
At that moment, a giant sliding paper door, made with dark, almost pitch-black oak and lavender panels appeared in front of me. It had a painting of an orchid's petals blowing in the wind underneath a glowing blue moon.
CLAP—!
Suddenly, the door opened and revealed a purple vortex, it was the gate that led to the Chamber Hall.
"I'll send 'Gates' to your subordinates as well once you've made it across," Minerva informed.
"Perfect, send one to Gil, Nobunaga, and Jade, she'll be our 'Shinar'," I instructed as I simultaneously sent my sister the locations of my three subordinates. I also sent my other subordinates, Trident, Arthur, and Solomon instructions to monitor the ships while we held our council meeting; shortly after, I stepped through the portal.
It was an odd feeling, like walking through the dense humid air and a thick viscous wall of slime. However, thanks to my Epitaphs of Demon Lord Heir of Time and First Crown Prince, I was basically unaffected by it and easily walked through to the other side where I was met by my sister Minerva and our childhood friend Renata. The space that Minerva created looked like a Japanese tearoom, covered with tatami mats and in the center stood a short, yet long table that held three glasses of tea.
Both my sister and our friend were accompanied by two subordinates: behind Minerva's right side stood my sister's bodyguard Lady Minami Ayosaki and on her left stood her husband and my brother-in-law, Miryushi Ogunosuke. Perpendicular from Minerva sat Renata accompanied by her two subordinates, on the left stood her cousin and another one of our old friends, Princess Griffonia Stellaphona. She was of average height with curly and feathery hair and what made her stand out from most other beastmen was her heritage. The royal family of Fangalore, the Griffonio Family, are all known throughout their land as Griffins, a mythical subspecies, and Stellaphona was pretty rare even among her family. She had pure white hair and wings, amber colored eyes, and a face smothered in freckles, and although she looked pure and innocent, her temperament was the exact opposite.
Standing directly behind Renata stood a beastman that looked like a tiger, his name was Tigress Gonzalo; he had a hulking stature that was almost intimidating. The man wore oval glasses with his hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he dressed as though he were a noble. However, his appearance aside, upon my entrance, I immediately noticed that he was inching his way to Stellaphona, all while blushing.
"Master," alerted Mattia, she curated an LGIN Live Chat window informing me of her theories regarding the obvious two lovebirds before us. She believed that the two are having a secret relationship due to Stellaphona's status as a princess and Gonzalo's as the son of a noble. I'm going to have to look at this later, I thought and minimized the window before taking my seat.
CLAP—! CLAP—!
Two more gates opened, the first to step through was Gil, he wore gold and mithril plated armor and held his diamond sword-spear, Ea, in his right hand and an adamantine shield in his left. Second was Nobunaga Yasuke, he wore a navy kimono and had his hair pulled back in a messy bun; on his hip, he carried four katanas and on the other side was a bottle of sake. Yasuke never had a problem with drinking, he carries the bottle with him for us to use after we obtain victory; my two loyal subordinates stood behind me as we waited for Jade to arrive.
CLAP—!
The last gate opened, and Jade, my father's first subordinate, and my mother's cousin made her entrance. Instead of wearing her usual maid's uniform, she wore a beautiful pink and blue kimono that was embroidered with a purple crescent moon and silver speckles that resembled stars. She walked in with such grace and took her place directly behind me and clapped her hands twice.
"Thank you all for indulging in my master's request," Jade began. "It is with great pleasure to initiate this generation's first Walpurgis Nact— ".
"Semi-Walpurgis Nact," I corrected, "there's only three of us at the moment, and I need all of the heirs to call a real Walpurgis."
"Fine," Jade scoffed, "the first 'Semi-Walpurgis Nact; allow me to formally introduce myself, I am
Shinar Jade Les Fleurs Précieueses, this generation of Demon Lord Heirs overseer. My role as Shinar is to guide each of you and to make sure you have a successful evolution into True Demon Lords." The room was quiet and filled with anticipation.
"Now," Jade clapped again, "I shall begin with the introductions of our Demon Lord Heir and
Heiresses: From the Beast Continent of Besteria and the snowy kingdom of Bestahlagro, The Demon Lord Heiress of Life, Crown Princess Renata Timandra Faust-Bestahla. From the southern mountains of Miryudōra, the Southern Dragon Empire, The Demon Lord Heiress of Space, First Crown Princess Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Miryushi. Lastly, from the western crags of Garyudōra, the Western Dragon Empire, The Demon Lord Heir of Time, First Crown Prince Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyushi. This concludes the introductions."
I clapped my hands after Jade finished to start the meeting, "Now, let's discuss what this 'Alter-Quest' and how we're going to save those that were captured."