"It's mister Bruno, Morio. Have some h-humility." Jyuzou shook his head.
Morio breathed in, looking at Jyuzou. "What's with you and that formality?! Don't you think it makes all of them feel old?!" Morio returned to consumption.
"Y-You call Bancho mister as well!"
"Because he's ancient, isn't he?!" Morio continued.
"Who's Bancho?" Atomu asked, but was too quiet to get through to the two.
"Here are your drinks!" Bruno announced, proudly putting two cups of tea and one of cocoa on the table. He sat down, as Morio immediately began sipping already finished with his meal.
Atomu was both shocked and impressed, and Jyuzou's face seemed to tell a different story, that all just happened here was a very normal day for Morio.
Bruno leaned back, putting his hand on a small dent in the bench and then sighed. "So, future Demonears, huh? I've seen lots of people like you come and go over the years. It's always the same thing, I tell you." he shook his finger.
"Huh? In what way?" Jyuzou asked.
"You lot come for the same thing, right? To kill demons, and for some other selfish reason."
"Selfish..?" Morio looked a bit disgusted.
"Well, I can tell by your faces. You, you're excited by the idea of freely exploring this world, without having to worry about its dangers." he pointed to Morio.
Morio moved back, squinting his eyes.
"...you're pretty much on the same boat, but you're not swimming in the same waters." he looked at Jyuzou, and he sighed out loud. "...and you, Atomu. You, uh..."
Atomu avoided eye contact.
"Whatever." Bruno waved it off, before putting both hands on the table. "I'm sure people have told you just how dangerous Errarion is, over and over again, and especially for you, Morians. Let me guess, they refused to elaborate further..?"
"I don't think I get what you mean, Mr Bruno." Jyuzou shook his head.
"It went something like this." he crossed his hands. "Shimori's way more dangerous than it used to be. Nothing else, right? Maybe a few more words about how it isn't the right thing to do, except that the world really needs Demonears."
Morio and Jyuzou looked at each other and Atomu coughed out.
"What do any of you really know about demons? That they're scary, dangerous, out to kill people? That's barely scratching the surface, in my opinion. I personally haven't been to the exam, but I know that amongst the fifty to sixty people which gather to pass, only three are actually selected to become Demonears. There isn't a limit, far from it. It's just... nobody's really ready. They don't know how to fight Demons. They don't know what they're facing."
"It really isn't about our personal goals!" Morio raised his voice. "I'm well aware, and I'll put Demon extermination well before that!"
"Lots of people say that, and then they don't pass, awkwardly waiting for someone to take them out of Magna." Bruno continued.
"But, I'll pass! I'm sure of it!" Morio punched the table. "I've trained for so long, I have to! I can't waste this opportunity!"
"Calm down, son." Bruno signalled. "I didn't mean to offend you."
"Demonear exams... they're said to be trials of different things... and it's supposed to tell the judges if you're good enough. What does Demon knowledge have anything to do here?" Atomu uttered.
"I don't want you boys looking for excuses. As a Morian who's lived his entire life in Wendigo, I've seen or heard whatever passed from one mouth to the other ear. Politics, demons, Demonears, food, money, essentially everything. So, I'll use this opportunity to make sure all of you know the very basics."
He stopped for a moment, as the silence filled the room from one corner to the other. You could instantly make out the drunken songs happily sung in the other room, and another person, presumably falling down on the ground.
Bruno did his best to ignore the said noises.
"Demons are these wretched creatures born simply out of wrath for something. Believe me or not, before the First Errarion War, they were just like another race of humans. They weren't looked down upon, they had children with Paladians, Tributals, and Erans. Frankly, no different than any of us. Something happened though, no one knows to this day what, but it caused this unavoidable gap between every other race and Demons. They fought, and the others won. They enslaved Demons, and killed them, with only one remaining on their side. Then, that demon started the Second War all by himself. Some places still haven't recovered. So many things were destroyed, and Osmania fell. This union between the entirety of Lignoria... you know it, don't you Atomu?" he pointed.
"My friend once told me," Atomu mentioned. "Prope Portam was once part of something else."
"Exactly, Osmania. Well, I haven't lived for two hundred years. This is just history being passed from one person to the other. It was written in books too. If you had more time, I'd recommend checking the library on Nowlech street. Anyways, I'm getting off track." he shook his head. "After the First War, humans found a way to identify Demons, which to this day works as it used to all those years ago. Not every Demon looks like one, most of them are actually very similar to other races. Firstly, look at their features. Remember if anything seems out of the ordinary, ears that don't fit any other race, eyes that don't really look like any colour, clothes that are just in the middle of things. Anything. If you have the knowledge, it's a dead giveaway."
"Don't all demons have horns?" Atomu asked.
"They do, however, they can easily conceal them, among a plethora of their other traits. Sharp teeth or a long, thin tail. That leads me to my second point. You can always tell if a demon has hidden its presence when you see a human in pain seemingly caused by nothing. Thirdly, they don't actually need to eat anything. It's a rumour that they consume the humans they kill, it's simply not true. They can eat, however, it just does not benefit them whatsoever. If you see someone that hasn't eaten anything in days and they're not complaining or having any physical downsides, be wary. Fourth, demons can heal themselves, in exchange for some energy. Demons bleed way more than others."
Morio furrowed his eyebrows, Jyuzou glanced to the side and Atomu bit his lip in stress, as he kept playing around with his hair.
"They'll try to kill you no matter what. They can wait a few days, standing by your side, pretending they're someone friendly, and then murder you when no one's watching. They don't care if you've done something to them or not. They won't spare you if you can't strike back. There's no good demon in this world."
"I think I'm going to go back to the apartment," Atomu announced, standing up.
"Huh? Oh... I was just about to serve you the second meal..!" Bruno said.
"Second meal?" Morio's eyes lit up.
"Sorry, I'm really tired. I almost drifted off now..." Atomu said.
Morio and Jyuzou stepped out of the bar, looking around. There were no horses stepping around, or any people that could be easily spotted. The sky was dark, and the streets would be too if they weren't illuminated by the same orange lights as before.
"Damn that Atomu." Jyuzou shook his head. "Why'd he have to leave us alone here?"
"He was sleepy." Morio excused him. "I don't think you realize how important sleep is."
"Shut up Morio..." muttered Jyuzou.
"Same with you, glassy idiot!" Morio whispered. "Nothing we can't handle, though! We're in a lovely town!"
"Surrounded by drunk men..."
The two made their way through the wooden streets, as they changed into stone, going down a little slope, on their way to Milagro street. As they stepped around the taller buildings, some faces were revealed. There were men drinking in the corners of their eyes, some sleeping on the cold ground, some completely ignoring them, some yelling something out. One, however, walked straight up to Morio and Jyuzou, blocking their way.
"Um! Excuse me!" Morio smiled nicely.
"We'd like to pass through. You're blocking the way." Jyuzou said, with a straight face.
"Mmm... boys... wanna... wanna..." he held a bottle of booze in his hand, shaking it around. "Have a drink... with me..." he closed his eyes for a moment.
"No, thank you. We're way too young." Jyuzou answered, trying to squeeze through, but the man put his hand in the front. "Let us through!"
"Don't be such... pussies." he struggled with his words. "Come on! Drink up!"
"No, thank you!" Jyuzou raised his voice before the man swung the bottle towards Jyuzou's face.
"Ah!" Jyuzou yelled out in fear.
"Ghhh..." Atomu stuck his hand out, as blood stained his coat's sleeve. He immediately moved his hand back, grinding his teeth.
"What the fuck..?" the drunk man said.
"L-Leave them alone, please," Atomu muttered. "If they refused, then accept it!"
"Gh..." The man was angry. He swang at Atomu again, missing his shot, before Atomu punched him in the back, causing him to step forwards a little bit, flop onto the ground, and fainting.
"Ah..." Jyuzou was stunned.
"Holy moly!" Morio jumped up. "That's so cool! Atomu, you're so cool!"
"Come on..." Atomu stood before the two. "I shouldn't have gone to sleep so soon. It's my fault. Sorry..."
"You're strong," Jyuzou uttered.
"I think anyone's strong against a drunk guy..." Atomu said, looking at the two, concerned.
"Oh, you're so humble!" Morio waved.
In the morning, the three left the apartment. The boys silently agreed to travel alongside Atomu, maybe for safety, but Morio was keener on just... spending time with the person he deemed a friend.
Morio and Atomu waited, and Jyuzou quickly ran up to the two.
"Two minutes late." Morio looked at the windmill.
"I don't think that's a clock," Atomu said.
"Pff, you won't fool me," Morio said, confidently.
"Sorry, sorry!" Jyuzou raised his voice. "I went to the library and got a book for our travels. I'll return it once the test is over!"
"You'll probably forget about it," Morio smirked.
"Shut up, Morio."
"Same with you, glassy idiot!" he yelled out, pointing, repeating the same thing he said yesterday.
Atomu stepped around, looking at the sky. "We're setting out a bit late, though. The sun will set in a few hours."
"Oh, right." Morio looked up.
Today was the 82nd of Yule, and the next five days were the shortest in the year, with the sun out only for 7 hours.
"We'll make it in time though. Again, a two-day walk from Wendigo to Magna, if we're fast enough." Morio continued.
The test begins on the 87th of Yule and ends on the first day of Herbes.
Herbes, being the old Manjuno word for nature, as this season was known as the one where the cold temperature fades out, bringing a rather hot front, which allows for plants, trees and fruit to grow naturally. The entire season is seen as a big fade, each day it gets a little warmer, more plants could be seen and the colours seem brighter. The first days of Herbes in Shimori are still, very similar to Yule, then, the snow starts melting, and the dark green changes into a stunning purple. Rains start crashing down from the sky, but they're way more common in Gorro.
Morio, Jyuzou and Atomu set out of Wendigo, tracing the same path the two Morians stepped into town with yesterday, only now, they took a different turn, following through a small copse, then walking on fields of snow, which gradually became more forested.
There were small huts built around the trees, which Morians lived in. This little neighbourhood was called Wendia, it wasn't part of Wendigo, although it was about five kilometres from the actual town. It seemed that at least three families lived there, with a horse that would follow them to the shops of Wendigo.
The houses quickly disappeared, and they kept treading the uneventful route. Jyuzou didn't find anything too interesting, except for more Metho seeds, so he resorted to reading the book he borrowed from the library.
"Interesting," Jyuzou muttered.
Morio was visibly angry, and Atomu giggled a bit, at the two's dynamic.
"Morio, you know what I've been wondering about? Mr Bruno told us that Demons don't actually need to eat anything. So I wondered, how is it possible that the Demon that visited us on the Tilted Hill was hungry, and how did we manage to chase him off with just a few seeds? Turns out, some Demons follow seeds to find humans that they could murder." he raised a finger. "When a Demon can't use its eyesight, it will use its nose for navigation! That's why, when you threw the seeds, it chased right after them!"
"They're not that smart, then," Atomu added.
"Mhm! Foolish, I'd say!"
"I thought you struggled with that word," Morio said.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." Morio smiled.
As the sun slowly set they stepped into a region called Lapida, well-known for its tallgrasses, often unkempt, naturally creating a maze through its inside. Nobody really wants to step into the actual grasses, they're rather sharp, and when snow fell the other day, it sticks to its thin stems and when you give it a little swing, it shoots out right into your face.
Parts of Lapida were owned by Morians, which bought the land where seeds naturally grew in the plants hiding in the grass. The grass provided protection from snow, and let in sun, so you could plant literally anything there and let it grow out without thinking twice. However, in the winter, it was only full of Bullion seeds, as those were the most profitable for selling, and the ground was too cold for anything else.
The three stepped onto a part of the land, and without a word, they were permitted to step through its rather winding paths, which rested atop a hill. Next to the grasses, was a pretty long forest, which was coincidentally the start of a river, leading to the biggest lake in Shimori.
"Half-Demons." Jyuzou read. "Born from either fusing a Demon with a human, or the two... breeding. What's that supposed to mean? What is breeding?" Jyuzou asked Morio.
Morio shook his head. "Atomu, what's breeding?"
"Ugh." Atomu covered his face with his hand. "Don't make me say it."
Jyuzou looked back into the book. "It is said that exactly half of the half-demons are of pure intention, with their human side triumphantly winning over the other. Then, there are ones that are just like demons, with some human features. In some towns like Hakh-Nivena or the Apharel Fort, they're not looked down upon, instead, treated like equals. However, many still don't trust half-demons." he read aloud.
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