Inside a small room, there was an atmosphere of calm and relaxation. With no windows and a closed door, no sounds from the outside disturbed the peace that resided within the stone walls. The room was filled in its entirety with papers, maps and plans attached to the walls, multiple stains of already dry ink tarnished the cold floor and the messily drawn maps.
Amongst the furniture hidden under the innumerable pieces of used paper, there was a large table, half of it covered by a map of the entire continent. The other half was completely clean with the exception of some crumbs of bread, on top of it rested a cup of tea alongside a plate with a half eaten sandwich.
Next to the table, sitting on a chair there was a demon woman dressed up in fairly elegant clothes, her skin of a grayish-blue tone, her eyes of a piercing and strong tone of yellow, leaning into golden and a pair of long curved black horns that emerged from her forehead. The woman took the cup of tea with steadiness and sereness and took a small sip of it, making sure to properly taste the warm liquid going down her throat to then leave the cup back onto the plate and grab the sandwich to take a big bite out of it, tearing the half cooked meat of the sandwich with her sharp fangs.
She left the sandwich on the plate again and took a napkin positioned on her lap to make sure she didn't leave any crumbs around her lips as she chewed elegantly.
However, the peace and quietness inside the room soon got interrupted by the door bursting open. Into the room, another demon in armor walked in, a man in this case, with red skin and bull-like horns, he looked like he was about to burst in anger.
Despite the mad and violent aura irradiating from the man, the woman didn't seem disturbed in the slightest. As soon as he entered the room she put the plate with the sandwich on her lap and grabbed the plate with the cup of tea in her hands, just in time for the other demon to close the door with such a strength that caused it to open again which seemed to annoy the man who closed it again, with more care this time.
The man then proceeded to let out a scream of frustration as he punched the table in front of him, splitting it in two. He then proceeded to move erratically across the entire room as he made unintelligible angry noises.
After some moments of throwing a tantrum, the man took a seat on a chair across from the woman, lowering his head.
The woman took another sip of her tea. "The human realm is so wonderful, you don't find tea or meat of such great quality back there in hell"
"Selene…" The man grunted, exasperated. "It's not the goddamn time for this, we are in so much trouble, do you understand?"
"Being all mad won't make things better and neither will destroying tables. You need to be cold headed to think properly, Ikarus"
Ikarus let out a sigh as he stood from the chair. "I know that very well, but right now I really just… can't"
"Would you like what remains of my sandwich?"
Ikarus eagerly accepted Selene's offer, grabbing what was left of the sandwich and devouring it all in one go.
"You could use some manners" Selene said, slightly disgusted as she took another sip of her tea.
Ikarus didn't bother responding to that and instead turned around to look at some of the maps on the walls, grunting in frustration.
"So… what's the lost count?" Selene asked.
A grunt was heard, Ikarus turned around, the expression on his face wasn't very promising. "Well, first of all we lost our position on Lisbea, we also lost around 2000 of our people and that goddamn cannon, not to mention that amongst those loses is Albedo" Ikarus's voice sounded really frustrated.
"That's quite the shame, Albedo was one of our most promising talents. To believe that she was only 21…" Selene seemed genuinely disappointed by the news. "Were there any survivors?"
"A few managed to escape during the battle, they told us that near the end our troops surrendered to the enemy. It annoys me but I can't blame them"
"You think they'll try to negotiate their lives with us?"
Ikarus couldn't help but chuckle as he took seat again. "Come on, as if humans were to ever trust us or vice versa. They're probably going to execute them regardless"
"Hmm… it is very likely…"
"But that is not our major problem and you know it" Ikarus got serious.
"I do… we've been shown as weak, beatable. Very few kingdoms are sided with us, but as soon as they believe they can take us down…" Selene began to worry. "I wish Lord Esteller was here…"
Ikarus shivered.
"How much longer do you think we can hide it…?" Selene questioned. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room got heavier.
"I… I don't know…" Ikarus stiffened.
"It's been 15 years, Ikarus. Is he even alive?"
"He is"
"But you don't know where he is"
"I don't…"
"Ikarus, you were the last one to see him. You were the last one to speak to him. I haven't bothered asking up to this point because I trust him and I trust you, but as the Second General of the Esteller Empire and your friend, I think I deserve to know more" Selene stared at Ikarus with a serious glance.
He shivered at her words, dropping a sweat as he began mumbling nonsensical words while thinking of something to say. Ikarus took a deep breath of air and let it all out before looking his companion in the eyes.
"Alright… to be honest, I wasn't given much detail at the moment, but I'll tell you what happened" Ikarus took a moment. "I believe you remember what happened all those years ago"
"It was right after his fight with that king, right?" Selene asked, taking a final sip of her cup of tea.
"Yes…" Ikarus started to recall that night.
Many years ago, Ikarus found himself in his luxurious room in the main fortress of the Esteller Empire on earth. It was late at night and he was sitting on a couch in front of a chimney while drinking a cup of wine, his face was filled with unease and worry, he constantly looked at the door, hoping that someone entered with news, either if they were bad or good, at this point he didn't care, he just wanted to know.
He took another sip of his wine, looking at the crackling fire. The night was cold, really cold. Ikarus took a big sip of his drink, emptying the cup, and at that moment, he heard a strange noise that made him drop his cup into the ground.
Ikarus stood up and looked at where the noise had come from, the balcony, there he saw him. His red skin, piercing yellow eyes, black hair, two horns coming out from his forehead, although one of them was broken. Despite the low level of illumination at the moment there was no doubt that the demon in front of him was Esteller.
The state of Esteller was deplorable, to say the least. Most of his attire was shredded, he had numerous wounds across his body, the most noticeable was in his left arm, the hand and forearm had been sliced in two vertically. Esteller looked like he could barely keep himself standing as he slowly walked towards Ikarus, who didn't hesitate to approach him.
"Esteller, what happened?" Ikarus asked with worry.
"I'll tell you. But I need some aid first" Esteller responded, collapsing onto the ground.
Ikarus didn't waste time and immediately rushed to a closet where he had stored diverse stuff such as weapons, armors and potions. He took a healing potion and rushed back to give it to Esteller.
The emperor drank the potion as he could, within a matter of seconds, all of his wounds regenerated, he stayed on the ground, still feeling the pain. Ikarus' expression softened seeing him in a better state. The general's worry suddenly became disbelief at the idea of someone, let alone a human, being able to injure Esteller this badly.
"Esteller, tell me. What the hell happened?" Ikarus was desperate for an answer.
"Worry not, my friend" Esteller responded as he supported himself on his elbows. "I won. The king of Maridia is dead"
Ikarus chuckled. "Of course, there is no way a human could've bested the great Emperor Esteller"
Esteller stood up. "I wouldn't agree. Being honest, it was a really close fight. His chances of winning were the same as mine. In fact, I'd dare to say that he was… slightly more powerful than I am"
"That's impossible!" Ikarus stood up as well.
"But it is not" Esteller lifted one of his hands, it was shaking. "For the first time in my entire life, I have felt what it is to be on the verge of death" His hand stopped shaking as a big smile appeared on his face.
"E-Esteller?" Ikarus seemed confused.
"Nonetheless, it has also made me realize something" Esteller's voice deepened as he closed his fist.
"What is it?"
"This empire has relied way too much on me… One day I'll die, and then… what is it gonna be of this empire?"
The words from Esteller struck Ikarus, who found himself unable to answer the question.
"I have no doubt that if anyone were to succeed me, that would be you. I also know very well that you wouldn't have problems managing the empire… however, both of us know that amongst our kind, that is not enough" Esteller gave his general a piercing gaze. "All of the reputation of the empire has been built upon me, the second I pass away, at least half of the empire will crumble, not to mention all of those who will try to take advantage that the empire no longer has me"
Esteller's words had left Ikarus speechless, having realized that all of what he was saying was true.
"And… what do you want to do about it?" Ikarus shivered.
The emperor started to walk towards the balcony, he stood at the edge and looked down at the sleeping fortress.
"Beginning today, you'll be in charge" Esteller declared.
"W-What?!" Ikarus was stunned. "But… I… I can't… I mean… you!"
"Don't worry, our roles will not change, at least, it won't look like it. I will leave, I may go far or I may not. You won't know and you'll also have to come up with excuses for why I won't show myself"
Ikarus was completely speechless. He could not believe this situation and everything was just going way too fast for him.
"My emperor… I mean, Esteller… I… If you think I can, then I will do my best" He declared with determination, despite the drop of sweat going down his face.
"I know I can count with you, Ikarus" Esteller gave his subordinate a reassuring smile.
"Esteller, may I ask, where do you intend to go?"
"It just so happens that I have some plans of my own. I don't know how long it will take me, but thanks to Eternal I now have a lot of free time to spare" He turned his gaze to the night sky as he put a foot over the railing of the balcony. "By the way-"
"Yes?"
"Maridia. Let it be. Sakkita gave me a very good fight and I feel like I owe him something. He seemed very worried about his kids, so, just leave the maridians alone, alright? If our forces try to take over, I doubt our troops will care"
"I-If you say so. I'll say that you thought Maridia was too ugly or something of the sort"
"Very well. I'll keep an eye out anyways. If I feel things aren't going great, I'll contact you as usual" Esteller smiled. "Ikarus. I have my trust in you. I desire that this empire can be something more than just me"
Ikarus saw Esteller disappear into the night as he jumped through roofs and outside the walls of the fortress, concluding the memory. Back in the present, both Ikarus and Selene remained sitting in the isolated room. The latter had made sure to pay attention to the story.
"I see… so that's why…" Selene said. "Is it really like that? I… I had never noticed that the empire relied solely on our emperor…"
Ikarus took a deep breath. "Well, I cannot blame you. Your house was one of the last to be conquered back there in hell, am I wrong?"
"You're correct. My clan. Esteller took over not too long before we came to earth…"
"Do you remember how it was?"
Selene looked up. "Clear as the sky on a sunny day. Esteller walked into the great hall, my ex-leader and many of his subordinates, myself included, were reunited there when it happened. As soon as Esteller entered the room my leader made us all kneel before him. He didn't bother to fight"
"Well, considering all the feats Esteller had accumulated up to that point. It would've been stupid to do otherwise.
"I mean… I knew his conquests were based off fighting the greatest champions his oppositors could offer… but I always assumed that at least at the beginning he'd depend on the help of his army"
Ikarus shifted on the chair. "That assumption is not completely wrong. Even if he always had our people backing him up, they were merely a facade to make the empire look imponent. But soon enough, Esteller alone became a symbol of power enough to no longer require to bring his army for anything"
Selene gulped. "It is incredible that one demon alone could achieve such a thing. Emperor Esteller is truly impressive"
"Impressive to say the least. If you had seen what I've seen…" Ikarus closed his eyes.
Another memory came into Ikarus' mind. A memory as clear as the crystalline water flowing through a river in a forest.
A younger Ikarus stood in a crimson valley under a reddish-black sky, a strong breeze blowing, dragging red dust from who knows where. Standing behind him was a small army of demons who seemed afraid by the sight before them.
Right in front of them, stood an army far bigger than theirs. Anyone could tell the ridiculous difference in numbers, they were at least 3 if not 4 times as many demons as them. All of them prepared to lunge at them at any given moment.
Ikarus took some steps back because of the fear, he turned to look at his side where Esteller stood calm. He could not understand how he could be so confident, or how he even thought this was a good idea. By this point, they had barely annexed some small groups under their control, there was just no way they were winning this.
"My king, this was a terrible idea. I know we both are powerful but our troops are nowhere as strong and with this many foes… we just can't expect to win. Even if by some miracle we did, we'll be left with no troops!" Ikarus was begging Esteller to prevent a seemingly unwinnable scenario.
Esteller, still calm, made some neck stretches as he responded to Ikarus' pleas. "First of all, you know you don't have to be so formal with me. Second, don't worry, tell our troops to stay behind. I'll take care of this"
"You absolute idiot! There are easily a thousand of them, I do not doubt you could kill them all with ease but there is just no way you can do it before running out of magic!" Ikarus was in utter disbelief while shouting angrily.
"Hehe" Esteller turned to look at his subordinate with a confident smile. "Who said something about using magic?"
Without giving Ikarus the time to respond, Esteller rushed in towards the big army standing in front of him. His speed was impressive, in just a matter of seconds he closed the fairly large distance between both armies, blowing the brains of the poor bastard standing in front of the opposing army with a single punch.
What came after, could not be described with other words rather than 'one-sided massacre'. Ikarus, alongside the entirety of his army, watched in awe how Esteller all by himself ended with each of the enemy's soldiers with a single hit per demon. Some took two, some were killed by friendly fire and some others were taken by the same attack. As if the strength of Esteller's attacks wasn't impressive enough by itself, the swiftness of his movements was as if not more impressive than his attacks were. Despite being attacked by multiple demons at the same time, they were unable to land a single hit on the king.
It took many minutes, but at the end, what was left was a mountain of corpses and just a few standing. No more than 20 foes were left, but after such an overwhelming demonstration of superiority, they couldn't do anything but to kneel and beg for mercy. Which fortunately for them, was accepted.
Back in the present, Ikarus had finished his recall. He had barely noticed that he had spoken all of it out loud, he saw the utter surprise on Selene's gaze upon opening his eyes.
"That… was the first time I truly realized the gap between us…" He said with nostalgia.
"It's incredible… I cannot believe… how do people not talk about that more often?" Selene was in disbelief.
"Well, Esteller was always very insistent about others not talking much about those things. He's never been much of a show off. And no one in the empire has dared to go against his wishes, at least, not those who have seen what he's capable of"
Selene could not find the words to express herself. The realization had struck her heavily.
"This was the first time most of our troops had been to an actual battle. A long time for some of them has been, and the belief that most of them have developed that in case of any trouble, Esteller will solve everything…" Ikarus said regretfully.
"I mean, you've tried to prepare them. They are all not completely untrained" Selene tried to sound comforting.
"And look how well that resulted. Our army got beaten despite having a slight numbers advantage, including one of our greatest promises… To be honest, despite being the second most powerful, I have never been much of a warrior myself…" Ikarus let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I should've asked someone else for help with this situation, but I guess I just wanted to show that I could handle everything on my own…"
"Show to who? Yourself, or Esteller?"
Ikarus began to laugh with a forced smile on his face. Selene limited herself to wait for him to finish.
"Well, Selene. Now, we look weak towards others" Ikarus stood up, sounding determined. "We have to show them how wrong they are. Our troops are in need of a more strict training regime. I know I can trust on you to help me with it"
Ikarus extended his hand to his friend, who walked towards him and gave him a firm handshake. Both of them let out big smiles.
Even though this reunion seemed to have finished, something unexpected happened. Ikarus grabbed his head because of a sudden ache. He could hear a buzzing sound in his head, he didn't understand what was going on, but then, the buzzing began to clear and he began hearing a voice, one that he knew very well.
"It's been a while, Ikarus. I'm aware of what happened and… an idea came to my mind"