The Divine Demon - Book 1: A New Beginning

0. A Dark Beginning

Legends say that a rising sun is the symbol of something new. It breaks over the horizon and erases the darkness of whatever it graces with its golden hue. This, however, could also be said about the pending night.

The sun is not always the sole indicator of a new beginning. Similarly to how the morning illuminates the world, the indigo of night creeps over the sky and blankets the world in a thick darkness, its ambience cold, scary, and unpredictable.

It was a warm spring afternoon in the country of Aginem. The year was 2005. 

The smell of wet vegetation hung in the air as the final drops of rain fell from the vivid greens of trees and bushes to the plains of grass below. The sun began its descent over the blurry tips of mountains in the west. Rich hues of orange, red, and yellow stretched far across the sky, making the skinny clouds look like fluttering ribbons of fire.

Five-year-old Riarshi sat crossed-legged on his family room floor, laughing cheerfully while playing with his newest set of toys. Light escaped through the window's blinds in the form of slanted rays, gracing his spiky chestnut hair and glimmering hazel eyes.

His father, Rollan, sat in the wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room, propelling himself with the ball of his foot while sipping on an after-dinner coffee. He watched his son with soft, adoring eyes. 

Riarshi was his splitting image. Their eyes and hair were exactly alike, though father and son shared their differences. Rollan's hair loosely fell to his shoulders, while his eyes were rather thin, pointed like a sharp blade.

Rollan glanced over to his wife, Lorita, with the same warmth in his gaze as he shared with his son. She sat stiffly on the sofa. Her long, crimson hair cascaded down her back like a red waterfall, stopping just above her tiny waist. She clicked away on her phone, brow wrinkling with evident confusion. Despite all the lessons and classes, Lorita still had a hard time handling any type of technology.

A slight chuckle escaped Rollan's lips, earning a piercing glare from his lovely wife. "Don't you look at me like that," he grinned. 

She couldn't hide her small smile. "I will look at you however I like, my love."

Without hesitation, he gazed into her beautiful eyes for the thousandth - no - millionth time. Riarshi had her round eyes, pointed chin, and the same angry forehead wrinkle when they were annoyed. 

But mother and son shared yet another, more infernal bond - one that grasped itself before birth. They both possessed the same damned curse.

Rollan sighed and took a sip of coffee. "I'm glad this war will finally be over. Seven years is too long for anyone, demon or human."

Lorita lowered her phone and looked up at the horizon through the window. "I agree, my love. We've been though enough for many lifetimes. It is time for rest and peace. Just pray to the Divines that your fellow Heroes can finish this quickly."

"Our fellow Heroes," Rollan corrected.

Lorita shook her head and returned to her phone. Again, she found it impossible to hide her smile. Her husband always brought out this side of her. 

Today didn't differ from any other. Many would've call it normal. Some would've said ordinary. But neither of these could've been farther from the truth.

Taking a long sip from his mug, Rollan peered out the window to the misty haze of mountains in the distance. He saw tree tops swaying in the wind, and the swirling of clouds in the growing night sky.

Wait, night time already? thought Rollan, placing his mug down on the table. He leaned in to get a better view of the window. His heart began to pound. In the distance, the indigo of night had already begun its creep over the vast landscape before him.