VERGLAS: In The City Of Winds

Chapter 1: Add

"This is the last time!"The demon boy was shouted at. Shortly after, the grim restaurant owner threw a sack full of rotten potatoes at the kid's head. Add's eyes widened as he saw the pile of blue, rotten vegetables hurtling toward him. Before Add could even do anything, the vegetables hit him like a meteor shower, knocking him to the ground.Add fell to the ground with his back to the ground and looked up. The angry face of his boss, which only looked more disgusting with his oily hair, as if he hadn't showered in weeks, he smelled like that too. Just disgusting, not even his horns were well groomed.Add didn't own much, that's the reason why he even put up with this head, yet he takes care of his hygiene. Unfortunately, most demons he knew didn't and only fed on fries and oily food. He could hardly stand it. Worst of all, no one took him seriously because he was still a thirteen-year-old kid and his horns hadn't grown. When he thought about it, this is one of the best examples."What are you doing lying here lazily? Serve our next guest, now!"He shouted at him. Add slowly got up and stomped out.As he ran out of the kitchen and into the restaurant, he silently cursed his boss. For years he hated working and being treated in this restaurant, he didn't know his parents."He'll probably deny me my pay again today, that dirty bastard..."When he caught sight of the guest, Add raised his eyebrow. He wore bright clothes with a golden record of a hawk, he had short black hair with a single yellow strand that reached his shoulders. His skin was clean and well groomed, and the man smelled of flowers. A pleasant surprise. Add stopped just before his table and exhaled deeply through his nose."Welcome to Baalor's Fry Stand, what would you like to order..."Add mumbled, exhaustion clearly audible in his voice. The man smiled kindly at Add and chuckled lightly to himself."How are you boy, is the work pleasant?"Add sighed to himself."If I were honest, I'd give my work a bad name and get fired. And I need the money."The man started laughing hard."Hohoho! You're one thing to me. You know what, just bring me something to drink. A sweet tea or something. I'm not very hungry."Add grinned in relief. This was probably the easiest and nicest customer he had."This run-down place has hardly any hygiene standards, believe me."The man closed his eyes and smiled just slightly."Baalor is so run down almost everywhere, so the fact that you take care of yourself like this is very remarkable..."Add nodded."Yeah... I hate dirt and grime... Anyway, do you want your tea cold or hot?"The man just held up his hand."Let him just good boy, here, just take this money to your boss."He opened his hand and seemed to create gold coins from nowhere."How did you-?!"Add asked in wonder as he put the money into a leather pouch on his hip. The man seemed to expect this reaction and rolled up his left sleeve, showing Add a tattoo of sorts in the shape of a golden stone, riddled with black cracks. The tattoo had a slightly yellow sheen to it that slowly disappeared over time."Is that magic? I've never seen a magician before..."The man held his finger in front of his lips to keep Add quiet. He reached into his clothes and took out a blue, round crystal, and handed it to Add."Keep this for yourself, it's something I've been waiting to give you,"Spoke the man with a grin, Add just looked at him confused as he pressed the crystal into his hand and held Add's both hands."I must be off now, but if you arouse curiosity, meet me at the Temple of the Stone God at the top of Baalor's largest mountain."With these words, the man ran out, Add didn't even know his name. He was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say to this whole situation, that's when he heard the heavy footsteps of his boss. Add turned around and saw him folding his arms and looking at Add with a grim face. Add was surprised how his boss managed to cross his arms when his fat, dirty stomach was in the way. He had to grin at his thoughts."Well, well..., Add Verglas. Do you find anything funny? Maybe it's a joke about me. Or that your MONEY BAG IS MISSING?!"He yelled at Add, his eyes widening in shock. He looked down at his clothes, and sure enough. The change was gone, all of it. Even the money he collected from other visitors. He had been robbed! It had to be that man!"That damn...."Add cursed to himself. Then he felt himself being grabbed by the neck, and before he knew it his boss was holding him up by the neck."I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU, VERGLAS! BE GLAD THAT YOU ARE STILL A CHILD AND THAT I HAVE MERCY. YOU HAVE NO PARENTS AND NO FRIENDS, I COULD KILL YOU HERE AND NOW AND NO ONE WOULD GIVE A DAMN, DID YOU HEAR ME?!"Add meanwhile tried to escape the grip but no matter how hard he grabbed his hands. That's when Add was kicked out of the restaurant by his boss, landing with his face in a muddy puddle and giving a pained groan."You're fired! Don't ever come back!"Shouted his boss after him before slamming the door of the restaurant shut. Add slowly stood up and looked at himself in the reflection of the puddle. He gritted his teeth and growled angrily. His 2 different eyes filled with hatred and anger. The right eye was red and the other was purple. His spiky black hair was completely wet from landing with the puddle.Add clenched his right hand into a fist and punched the puddle. Dirty water splashed in all directions."Damn!"He shouted, his job, the only job where he was accepted, was gone. Add wasn't too sad. Early farming of potatoes and other stinky vegetables and serving naughty demons got on his nerves hugely. Couple times he wondered if he was really a demon, his ears more resembled an elf and his features a human. But of all three races, he lived among the dirtiest in the most rundown land."I hate Baalor..."He muttered to himself, but he cannot travel legally. The only ships that go around are transport ships and they don't take tourists, that much he knew. With a sigh, he stood up. That's when the blue crystal he had gotten earlier fell out of his clothes."Huh? Oh, that thing."Murmured Add in a grim voice, that's when the crystal fell to the ground, cracks spread through the crystal, suddenly the stone lit up showing the figure of a tall and fit demon, he appeared to be in his prime so around 30s, the one arm seemed to be completely crystallized as well as his feet which only had two crystal toes, Add's eyebrows raised in curiosity.This demon formed by the blue lights began to speak."This corruption cannot be stopped without control and power, my deeds, my children. I have the right to do what I have done!"Shouted the man in a deep voice, Add did not know why but this man seemed very familiar, although he had never seen anyone like him in his life he still felt a connection. Then another deep voice sounded."Belial, you will pay for your sins here!"Suddenly, a man clothed from head to toe stepped into view. Belial? The name did not sound familiar, but the man's face did. Where had Add possibly seen him? Then an idea came to him. He put his hand into his clothes and brought out an amulet with a red stone, he turned it over and saw the image of the same man."Father?..."
He mumbled, confused. This clearly couldn't be his brother, the man looked too old for that. Add looked at the demon and saw that he was also wearing an amulet that looked exactly like the one Add was holding. The man who now walked into the picture wore a kind of raven mask. Not a single part of his body was visible. The man ran toward the demon and extended his arm. Suddenly a blade formed around the man's fist, there seemed to flicker the images of the two, the movements of the two were unclear. However, Add could tell from the clang of metal and shouting that probably a fight. And from one moment to the next, the sounds of fighting disappeared. Add saw his father's head lying lifeless on the ground. His eyes widened in shock, just as he was about to reach for the stone the image flickered again and showed him instead of the dressed man with the raven mask, he seemed to have his foot on someone's head. That's when he turned around, the image of his disguised face looked Add directly in the eye, as if the two were seeing each other through the image over a long distance. Add felt a tingling in his stomach and stepped on the blue crystal. The already cracked crystal completely shattered into thousands of pieces and the image disappeared. Add sighed to himself and tried to process these events. So many questions arose in his mind, why had the two fought, who was this dressed man? What else was there to know about his father?Then Add had an idea, he looked up to the mountains of Baalor and recognized a temple at the top of a mountain."You have a lot to answer for, you son of a bitch..."Add muttered. He decided to go to the top of the mountain, as this mage had advised him, he didn't want to just answer, he wanted to wipe him out for taking his wallet and thus costing him his job as well. Without wasting any more time, he set off.On the way to the temple Add left the village as fast as he could, he was fed up with it, he took a look at the map with which he started walking up the mountain along an old path. He looked around from time to time. Not much happened on the way as Baalor is almost deserted by all animal species, the same goes for demons as there is only a small amount of them left.Add: "How did the Lord of the Treaties come to build his temple so high on a volcano? ..."Add asked himself with a frown. It wasn't long before it was no longer just black depressing rock, the filth of run-down villages and the stench of lack of hygiene, but reached a height where he could catch a glimpse of Baalors' island chain, both a glimpse of the ocean blue waters around them, as well as the forests near the villages where the demons flee early for safety. Add buried his hands in his jacket pockets. His spiky black hair fluttering in the breeze of a mildly warm wind, Add felt much better than usual. Maybe it was the much less distressing view, the stone keeping his instability in check, or even that he was near the Temple of Contracts? In any case, Add enjoyed the moment, he was sure that it would change soon. Step by step he got closer to the temple. Add didn't think much until he suddenly heard a clatter of rocks. This did not bode well, he was sure of it. Unfortunately, when he turned to his left to see where the sound was coming from, he found out quickly, too quickly to react. A landslide. Add's eyes widened in shock as he could do nothing, where was he supposed to flee? The width of this landslide was far too great to jump away to the side. Suddenly everything went black.Add: "Oh come on! I-"Add couldn't even finish grumbling before a rock hit him in the head and knocked him unconscious.