The Demon Child - Awakening

Chapter 94 - Azure Part 2



"Uncle Azure!" A small boy with white hair and purple eyes came running towards me. Across a dome which had many banquets, with many butlers and maids watching.

"Liebe!" I picked my nephew and spun him around, walking forward. "Look how big you've grown!"

"Look at what I can do now!" A small flame erupted between our faces, and I had to back away.

"You have a source of fire! Just like me!" I spun him around him again, Liebe chuckling.

"That's enough Azure, you don't want him to spew on your clothes," Sashal came walking towards me.

I put Liebe down. "Sorry Liebe, we'll play later, let me just talk to your mommy,"

"Ok! See you, Uncle Azure, Aunty Marie," Liebe was escorted by some maids, and the three of us went upstairs.

Sashal carefully locked the door and candles ignited around the darkroom. With the light radiating, Jododam appeared from the shadows, cl.i.c.k.i.n.g his fingers and a table appeared between the four of us.

Taking something out of his pocket, Jododam placed it on the table, and I looked in amazement. A map of an old country, the country where I had grown up in, Geloscht. I stared at the map for a while, before recalling what Drundon said to me ages ago.

"This is a map for all demon portals around the western part of Geloscht, as you can see, this is where my ancestors lived," I pointed towards a large amount of land, filled with fields. "That means that my father is most likely to the east, towards the Lang mountain range, as he might've needed to escape quickly,"

"It took me ages to dig that map up; I hope this was all worth it," Jododam replied.

"I hope so too Jododam, if what Drundon told me was true, then that narrows it down to quite a large area, but not as large as an entire country, more to a tenth of one."

"Payment please," Jododam put out a hand, opening it to reveal a vial.

I took the vial and made a small blue tendril, which cut my thumb with, causing a steady flow of blood flowed into the vial. When it was filled to the brim, I closed the top and gave it back to Jododam.

"How did you of all vampires get the Blutrot household at such a powerful state?" Sashal asked. "Experimenting with the closest thing to your chosen?"

"I'm quirky, perhaps the quirkiest person to ever live, but that's how I rose in power, I would've replicated it with Dyestral, but unfortunately…"

"Don't beat it, it's been almost four years since Dyestral died, and damn did he go, making his voice heard, causing the earth under Onsice to split,"

Jododam nodded. "I agree with you, Sashal, but now I must leave," Jododam opened and closed the door.

Sashal, Marie and I left soon after, which was followed by me playing with Liebe. I didn't try anything for him to grow on me, but somehow he did. I was like a father figure to him, one of many that he had, but I enjoyed time with him.

For a few days, we stayed, as I taught Liebe how to begin to control his fire. When I was a little older than him, I accidentally burnt my owner's house to the ground, as I was going to go into slavery. I was making sure that he didn't have to go through what I did.

Sashal and I both took a wagon towards where my father was last seen and got off, paying the driver and began to explore. The Lang mountain range was once two countries' borders with wars taking place within their caves. Back when I was a child, war's were still common, and that was when my father disappeared, so I knew that the caves would be high.

Marie and I began to climb the mountains seeing any cave we would venture in, always with no luck finding anything. We ventured for weeks for no prevail, helping small villages out for some bread and a place to stay the night.

That repeatedly happened for what seemed like months, maybe years, making our way down the mountain range. We were about to give up hope, going to find another corpse for Sashal to inspect, until there was a major cut from a forest to a vineyard.

Marie and I walked into it, keeping to the small gaps between the fences in which the gr.a.p.es were growing until we saw someone working in the fields. The poor and malnourished person saw us and ran towards us in a panic.

"Hello travellers, oh we haven't seen any in a long time, welcome to the Ubel vineyard, known for our gr.a.p.e and rice wine, follow me, the owners would love guests if you don't mind,"

"No, we don't," I held the pain deep inside me, knowing that in fact, I was back home, the place where my father once lived.

We were led to a wagon filled to the brim with barrels of gr.a.p.es, hopping up on the merchandise and going towards the distillery. During that time, Marie tugged on my clothes and put her mouth towards my ear.

"So many corpses," She replied. "Even more than a battleground,"

I was confused for a moment, until I looked at an open field, and saw many mounds. It seems that the Ubel's now in fact also delt in the slave trade, keeping a majority of them, and putting them to the fields, malnourished some and putting them in the soil.

For Marie to be scared, something told me that it wasn't a few dozen, but in the thousands, only as far as the eye could see, meaning that it could be even more. We both kept quiet until we reached a distillery, there we got off and went on another wagon to where the owners lived, a massive.

It was made out of wood and stone, being close to a mountain in size, the roofs of the castle were large and triangular, unlike the castles you would see in Antral. We entered the castle, the maidens who guided us told us to take off our shoes which we did willingly.

Following the maidens, we were escorted to a room, with a single king-sized bed with different clothes, preferably for us to change into, which we did. Folding our clothes, I was disgusted by what I was wearing, I donned my mask again, opening a pouch in my old clothes, and taking out a handful of small nails, which I squeezed into my mask, sealing some wounds the nails made on my head.

The maidens opened our doors again and asked if we would like our clothes to be cleaned. Begrudgingly, I kept the pouch of nails and allowed them to take everything else. We were then led towards the ubel vineyard owners, my aunt, the person who made my father flee.

Although my mother was cast out even before I was born, so there was no way she would recognize me. The maidens opened the paper door, and there were two people inside, kneeling with a low black bearing table which their knees were under.

"Greetings travellers, welcome to our humble estate! I am the owner of the ubel vineyard, Ugnerin Ubel, and my husband Spiegel,"

I bowed incorrectly, knowing that they would excuse us. "We thank you for allowing us to be in your home, my name is Hass Wurst, and this is my wife Auster Wurst, we hope not to cause you any discomfort,"

"Nonsense, although I do ask Hass, could you not don your mask when we're about to eat,"

"Unfortunately, I cannot remove my mask," I touched it. "As it was forced on me, heating the mask and placing it on my face, with then tapping nails into it, unfortunately, I cannot remove it.

"I suppose you can't do about that about, so please do as we do, and let us enjoy our dinner,"

We were served a steam eel that was served on rice, Marie had trouble using the chopsticks, whilst I purposefully did the same, trying to conceal my anger and identity. The truth was that if they didn't banish my mother while she was pregnant, I was the next in line, even if my father was banished.

We were also served some tea and some small sweet balls which were served on a stick. After dinner, we thanked my aunt and uncle and went to where we were escorted to. Marie and I slept well that night, but something in my dreams haunted me.

It was Drundon's voice, saying the same word over and over: 'Warmer'. I woke up at daybreak and quickly got dressed in another robe. There I found Ugnerin in the dining room, just sitting down, her servants bringing her various dishes.

Seeing me, she invited me to eat, so I did. There we talked, and I began to open up, about why we were here since Ugnerin asked so politely.

"Well you see, we have come here to retrieve some information,"

"And may I ask what it is about?"

"Not directly, but I will tell you its related to Messisus,"

"The destroyer of Onsice!"

I nodded. "Indeed, both Auster and I led us here, we've been on the hunt for months, so could you tolerate our presence for a few more days," I lowered my head.

"Of course, we even have a portal underneath this establishment, if you want to go back to Antrite if you so choose,"

"Thank you if you want, we can help you with some tasks which you might have,"

"And what would those be?"

"Punishment to the extreme, as well as things like investigation and such," I thought that perhaps Ugnerin might know where my father's knowledge might be.

She pondered for a moment. "In fact, there is a certain room that you probably won't be able to anything too, but it's still worth to try,"

Ugnerin and I both got up, and after waling up what seemed an eternity of stairs, we finally arrived at a floor of the castle that was able to see a large amount of the wine farm. Leading me down the hallway, Ugnerin showed me a room with two guards, dressed all in black, with dark grey armour that covered most of their body.

"The vines of god, that's what we've named it, it protects this cave, despite everything we do to collect a sample, we still cannot get anything, if you try Azure, you are welcome here for another week,"

I told her I should try, asking for two daggers, which were quickly given to me. Wielding on on each hand, I focused at the end of the vine and focused. I began to see the heat of everyone around me, which began to disappear slowly, all until that end of the vine was present.

I opened my eyes and spun around, the dagger in my right hand cutting through it until it stopped. The force removed my entire arm, but that didn't stop me, the vine was almost cut, so I quickly changed directions and cut the rest of the vine off.

Ugnerin got the sample and got one both of my arms as well. The guards quickly closed the doors, as the vines began to squeal. Left astonished, she thanked me, and I was escorted to the nurses' care, who attached my limbs back together.

I saw no scares from where my arms were torn off, and I met up with Marie. She was looking over the wine farms, and I cared to join her. Leaning next to her, I began to talk.

"He's here,"

She turned around to me. "How do you know,"

I reached into my mouth and picked out a small part of the vine that I quickly cut off before Ugnerin took the rest. "Feel the aura of this,"

She gripped it closely and felt it, opening her eyes. "It feels like you, and a Dysan twig,"

"That's my father's aura, he's in that room, and I know how to get in," I burned the piece of the vine.

"When does this come into action?" Marie's eyes began to turn black, telling me that she was ready to raise the dead.

"Tonight, under the full moon,"

Hours passed, and Marie and I got out of our rooms. I made my way towards the room and saw the guards still on watch. I used my flames, hidden within the shadows and knocked both of them out.

I opened the doors, and the vines were now moving slowly, something that wouldn't happen for much longer. My blue flames enveloped the vines, and I made my way to the middle, to where I was surprised. With glowing markings, my dead father laid there on a table, filled to the brim with notes.

I opened the casket I had on my back and put him in there, stuffing many vines into it before sealing it up. Opening up a satchel that Ugnerin gave me for giving her a sample, I placed all the doc.u.ments inside it, before I heard clapping from behind me.

Ugnerin was clapping with two different guards on either side.

"How nice, you were able to make a way to the middle, tell me, Hass, why are you taking my brother's work and research?"

"This is why I was sent, it was when you said 'Cave', and then I remembered what this palace was called: The mountain,"

"Oooh, so Drundon gave you a hint, but master Dysan knew what he was doing, so hand it over,"

"You're trying to resurrect him!"

She shook her head. "No, give him a new body, that body, my brother's body, so hand it over!"

"I refuse, I too also have a mission, working against Dysan, Messias or Dyne, my brother and your nephew,"

Her eyes widened. "Wait! Y-you're!"

"Great so see you aunt, the names Azure, the true heir to the Ubel vineyard,"

She gritted her teeth. "Guards attack!"

Before they had time to react, I put both of my hands out, releasing a beam of blue fire, which incinerated them, not even ashes were left. Ugnerin tried to run but quickly caught her, grabbing her by the throat, and tore down a stone wall, four blue appendages appearing behind her, as I took her to the highest point of her castle.

"So Aunty, how glad is it to see your nephew," I said, whilst throwing her to the tiles.

"Begone!" She screeched on her knees. "You were the product of a whore! Wichtig was supposed to be a vessel! Until he knew about you!"

I kicked her. "I thought about that, and now I realize that you were worshipped our enemy, why?"

"He promised us power, all of us!"

"And destruction! So I am going to fulfil that promise early!"

I massive blue beam erupted from my hand, facing the sky, it was as larger than the roof we were standing on. Their cries were heard, as hordes of undead began to storm the castle, seeing this, my aunt began to cry, it was then I lit her robe on fire.

Seeing this she began to freak out, trying to pat it out, only for the fire to spread. I was able to create a fire, one that could never be snuffed, and only I controlled it. She began to scream about the pain, and it was then I took out a knife, and I gave it to her.

"So choose, burn alive or take your own life, one which is very painful, or one that is taboo for the Ubel name, which do you choose,"

Fear crept into her eyes as she kept burning. My aunt picked up the knife, and almost stabbed herself, only I stopped it, by burning the knife until nothing was left.

"And now my revenge is complete, goodbye, Aunt, say hi to mum for me," I smiled, as I made the flames around her to erupt.

The final sound from her was a screech as she was burned alive, and now not even a pile of ash. Wings of blue fire appeared on my back, and I glided down to the ground, enjoying the sight of a castle being destroyed.

Dawn came the next day, and all the slaves surrounded the debris, it was then I appeared, and I began to talk.

"You belong to no one!" Everyone began to mutter during the speech. "Your owners are dead! The castle is destroyed, you can now do what you want to do! Go where you want to go! But I know some of you can't! Being here since you were born now with grey hairs, so I now say, live!"

Everyone began to mutter again.

"Live to see the next day, live to see the gr.a.p.es form! Live to see coins made by the wine you desperately tried to make afraid of death, now with no fear! Begin a new life here! No longer is this place known as the Ubel Castle, but it is now known as Ubel Village!"

Many people cheered, many people cried, and many stayed silent, shocked at what I just said. Marie and I stayed for a while, helping build homes for most of the residents. Months passed, and everything seemed to return to normal, except it was much better.

People had meat on their bones, their hair and skin once unkempt were clean, their eyes had no bags underneath them.

"Thank you, Azure and Marie," An elder said. "Thank you for this, everything,"

"No need, but we have something bigger we need to do,"

"And what would that be?" The Elder asked, many of the people asking the same question with their eyes.

"Something that will change everyone's lives,"