They couldn't be more different. Ridley is a knight in shining white armor, so perfect in every way that it makes people hardly able to stand him. Prince Vandel on the other hand (aka the evil demon prince of darkness) is the sworn enemy of the king...
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Author's Note: Sharing this incredible fanart from @octoblurrr on IG of the chicken scene. Literally everything about this art is absolutely perfect from the expressions to the chicken to Vandel's V neck. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!!
Ridley
My mind felt fuzzy as my vision slowly came back into focus, like I was only half awake. I glanced around, my whole body feeling oddly heavy. It appeared I was in some sort of observatory, a window made of pale blue glass overlooking an empty white chamber.
"Hello, Ridley, it's been a while," a familiar voice said behind me.
I turned to face the speaker. Even amidst the fog in my head, I felt a jolt of shock shoot through me.
Standing there, a serene expression on his face, was Crystal.
I stared back at him agape, unable to formulate the tumble of words I wanted to say with my thoughts so murky.
"It's nice to finally address you as I really am," he said with a smile, lacing his fingers together. "I think Bone King has a nicer ring to it than Crystalbreaker." I opened my mouth to speak but the Bone King held up a hand, silencing me. "Let me guess...you're about to ask if I really was your sword. That wasn't a trick, Ridley. I'm not one for lies. It's surprisingly easy to manifest one's consciousness in and out of a weapon. In fact, I can manifest my powers in many ways. How else do you think your father became so powerful?"
My eyes went wide, finally managing to stammer out a few meager words. "What do you mean...?"
"Your father and I had an arrangement. He wanted a weapon powerful enough to slaughter every demon in his wake, and I needed a soul powerful enough for my own plans...a soul his first born son was lucky enough to possess." The Bone King smirked, watching me through lidded eyes. "A weapon for a weapon you could say."
"My...my father traded me...for a weapon?" I whispered hoarsely, doing everything in my power to keep my voice from trembling.
"A truly awful man, wasn't he?" The Bone King replied, smiling thinly. "You really surprised me, Ridley. I was convinced you were going to turn out just like him. To be honest, if you really were a killer it would've made things far easier. In order for me to use you properly, you need to have taken a significant number of lives. The more you kill, the deeper our connection becomes." He gently shook his head. "Even now, you still haven't killed nearly enough. Which is why...I'm going to have to improvise."
Vandel
I needed to think of some sort of plan and fast. As futile as I knew it would probably be, my gaze scanned across the crowd of soldiers, looking desperately for my mother. A jolt of horror shot through me as I realized she'd vanished as well. Gods, knowing her she probably slipped off to put her own twisted agenda into play.
