My Inner Demons Season 2 (FANMADE)

Rhys

We have reentered Daemos, without the... requirements we set out for in the very first place.

Myself, along with Prince Asch, Leif, Noi and Pierce have returned. And to my disappointed, princess Ava has been brought here as well.

Zex.

He must have come after Asch on the orders of Lady Bish, and this was of course to be expected.

We all saw this coming and knew we were getting caught up. None of it, not even princess Ava should have been a part of the plan. We should have been more discrete, more alert and most certainly more focused. And it is a fault on my part, for it was my duty to insure of our success.

I have failed Lady Grandma.

But I have no intention of failing princess Ava.

She is safe, I know she is, and so long as my magic remains, she will as well.

"BASTARDD" prince Asch screams at the tree where Zex once stood.

I regain my composure, setting my knives back into the crevices of my robes, "Let him look." 

"HUH?" Noi looks to me in confusion his eyes glassy.

"We need to find her." Pierce speaks firmly, I can understand his state, for I am the same, but there is nothing I can do other than provide her with some sustenance.

"Of course, Ava is our priority" I continue, "However, she will be safe on Daemos as long as my magic lasts."

Hopefully.

"What do you mean?" says Leif, looking to be more murderous than usual, his eyes darting around the forest  at any sound.

"Ava is smart, lets just hope she is calm about this situation..."

"As long as she can lie, she will be safe," I add "Lets just hope we find her before anyone else does."

"What do you mean, Rhys?" Prince Asch repeated, his voice rising an octave.

"Zex is the only one who can recognize Ava even with horns," I murmured, more to myself than to the others. "But, considering he works under Lady Bish, we cannot assume she won't take notice of Ava either."

"But how do we find Ava?" Noi's voice startled me; he tended to remain absent during these conversations.

I picked at the sleeves of my robes in silence. "I... I don't know," I admitted reluctantly. "But it shouldn't be too hard. The spell works differently on humans; it couldn't have sent her too far."

Leif sniffed the air and let out a long breath. "I can sense her presence," he said, his eyes dilating slightly.

Asch scowled. "Of course you can, dimwit. She's on Daemos."

"Leif and Noi, head towards the forest. She might be nearby," I instructed. "If not there, check Glissendale. She might have woken up and panicked. Ask around."

"Asch, Pierce, you're with me. We're finding Lady Grandma. She might be our best hope," I continued.

Silence hung in the air momentarily before a voice cut through.

"Do I have to go with Noi?" Leif groaned, tossing up his sickles.

I noticed Prince Asch scratching at the slight stubble around his chin before he cleared his throat. "Where is the spirit?"

"It's a good question, especially coming from you, Asch." I spoke with a contained smile earning me another scowl from the prince.

"Since it was Zex who teleported us, I don't think he knew the spirit was there," I replied, turning to find Asch trailing behind us, eyes fixed on the oak trees along the path. "If the spirit came along, it would have reacted like Ava."

Asch scoffed, picking up his pace to join us. "What if Lady Bish or Rhal find us? They won't let us meet Lady Grandma—"

"Prince Asch, do you think I'm stupid enough to bring you into the castle?" I retorted. "I only brought you because I didn't trust you and Leif to handle this alone."

He squinted at me. "Rhys, this better not be—"

"Zex's priority is finding Ava. Lady Bish doesn't know we're here," I said absentmindedly, pushing up my glasses.

My magic needed conserving, especially for Ava. Pierce would have to use his for transport, so he couldn't risk wasting it. So, we neared Idiotique on foot, a province of Fievre, the Kingdom of Fire, governed by Azul Naga, a minister of Rhals'.

"Why are we meeting this Azul?" Asch queried again, and I felt irritation rising at the questions.

"Sir Naga is respected and properly trained, but he's not our contact," I explained as we passed guards at Idiotique's entrance.

"Then who are we meeting?" Pierce interjected.

A took of a soft inhale of the autumnal scent of murder in the forest before offering a reply. "Lady Naga's mother, Renia Mass. You've heard of her,"

"RENIA?!" The prince's eyes widened, drawing attention from villagers. "The woman who married a human?"

Mrs. Mass came from a respected family line, descending from Ezekial Mass, the chief guard at the Royal Palace where Isaac Norman, a human abducted from Earth and imprisoned for Daemos' magical purposes, was held captive. When news spread that Mrs. Mass was pregnant, she gave birth to Azia Mass, the first half-breed on Daemos. Azia supposedly tricked Sir Naga into marrying her. Despite Mrs. Mass's efforts, Azech, Azia's father, was taken hostage again and brutally sacrificed as a tribute to Asch's father, the old King of Fievre.

Marriage in Daemos was driven solely by power. The most powerful individuals were considered suitable partners, fueling the interest in matrimonial alliances with Princess Ava.

Mrs. Mass remains reviled across Daemos due to her affection for humans. She sought to prove humans' intelligence and capability, evident in their rapid evolution compared to Daemos, which relied on magic. However, lacking knowledge of Earth, Daemos dismissed her claims as falsehoods, branding her a liar, cheat, and fraud for marrying a man she loved.

"Are you sure about this, Rhys?" Pierce's concern was palpable.

"Pierce, see that tower? Can you transport us to the top?" I redirected, ignoring his question. "Mrs. Mass is jailed there by Sir Naga."

Pierce nodded sharply.

"Asch?" I prompted, noting his uncharacteristic silence.

"We must find Ava, Rhys. At all costs," Asch replied firmly.

"She will help us find Ava," I said, choosing my words carefully.

Instead of revealing the truth—that Mrs. Mass was Lady Grandma's sister and the only one with lasting magic—I kept Asch in the dark.

One thing I knew for certain: these were Lady Grandma's orders.

And Prince Asch must not find out.