The Red Hand

Chapter 471 – Vikal and Enūma (Part 1).

"Do you think anyone will come today, Enūma?" Vikal asked his invisible companion as he cooked an entire boar-like monster on a giant spit. It'd become an every day occurrence to find the young boy talking to himself, though anyone who studied him for more than a few moments knew that he was indeed talking to a very real entity. "Alec hasn't come by for a while either. It would be nice to play with him again..." He said with an audible sadness in his voice. He and his brother had always gotten along well, and he missed him greatly.

[$&@*&!(!&]

"I know, I know... I'd still like to see him again..." Vikal replied to the garbled 'voice' that seemed to emanate from nowhere. The language was harsh and coarse, though Vikal seemed completely unperturbed by its otherworldly sound. "And I miss playing with everyone..."

After he'd slain the giant Wolf that had attacked him and his friends at the cave hideout, Vikal had been exiled from his home and village. Ordinarily, a talent with magic would see the local Lord take a young peasant child for training, something akin to a miracle for a poor commoner child. It would secure the future of not only the child in question but also their family, as they'd be paid a hefty sum as compensation for essentially selling their child to a Noble. However, this was not an ordinary situation, and Vikal's power was seen as not a boon but a blight. The young boy's 'magic' was clearly linked to something darker than normal mana, and the villagers feared that he was possessed or otherwise connected to Demons, especially when combined with his 'imaginary friend.'

Not to unexpectedly his parents had what could be called a mixed reaction at best to his abilities, and while they managed to persuade the other villagers not to kill the young child or report him to the local clergy to be purged, they could not allow him to remain in the house. This was due, in large part, because Vikal's very existence disturbed them. Even when he retracted his aura and appeared completely normal, they could barely stand to be near him, and meeting his eyes brought about a feeling of abject horror that their minds could not comprehend. It was as if their very souls feared and rejected him.

While most of the other children distanced themselves from Vikal, his brother, Alec did not. He was, understandably, afraid of his younger brother but managed to swallow his fear long enough to defend Vikal to his family and the other villagers. The young boy's protective attitude likely stemmed from his pride as the older brother, and he couldn't bear to see Vikal be bullied and reviled for saving their lives. However, while Alec was successful in convincing the villagers to leave Vikal alone, he could do little more, especially when it came to the other children. Approaching Vikal's small hut on the outskirts of the village was explicitly forbidden, and Alec had been caught breaking that rule on several occasions when he was smuggling in food or other items. By this point, it had been over six months since Vikal had seen his brother, and the only other person he'd interacted with since then was his Father, who delivered supplies but otherwise kept interactions to a minimum, only speaking to him in passing and never making eye contact.

[$&@*&!(!&]

"I know that I should leave... But..." Vikal paused as she poked at the roasting boar.

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"I don't wanna hurt people, Enūma." Vikal said with a bit of sadness in his voice. He'd discussed the situation at great lengths with his friend, but she kept pressing him to 'do as he pleased' and 'show the villagers the consequences for their disrespect.' "Can't we just have fun and get along with everyone? I'm sure if we try, we can find a way to be friends with the others." He said.

Vikal was only tangentially aware of his existence as a Demon Lord and was in a similar state to Akagi after the events of the mall. The major difference was his connection to Enūma, who'd been drip feeding him the truth about what he was while concealing just enough to keep him in the dark. The boy was not foolish and understood that she wasn't being entirely truthful, but understood that she was probably doing it for his benefit since.

[$&@*&!(!&]

"Mom and Dad are just afraid..." Vikal said as he tore off a small piece of the cooked boar to taste it, thinking it was a bit gamy. "But that's just because I'm a bit different. If I talk to them more, then I'm sure they'll-"

[$&@*&!(!&]

"Alec is still my friend. Ever after everything that happened he kept trying to come see me even though he was beaten by Dad." Vikal replied. He'd seen the bruises on his Brother once before, the sight of which did not make the young Demon Lord very happy. "All we need is more people to be like him, and I'm sure everything will be alright. After all, Mom always said that a good smile goes a long way to making everyone your friend!"

[$&@*&!(!&]

"You're right, I do I have you, and I'm grateful for that... But I don't want to just give up on everyone else. Sorry, Enūma." Vikal said apologetically as he took another bite. "You want some? It's pretty good!" He smiled.

[$&@*&!(!&]

"Oh, just take a bite already! You might not need food, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying it! Besides, eating is far better when you have more people! Please!" Vikal smiled brightly as he put on his best puppy face in an attempt to win her over, and after a moment a black vortex swirled next to him, forming into the shape of a young woman with raven black hair and eyes as orange as the fire cooking his food. She looked quite out of place in this dense forest, giving off an air of Nobility and maturity that made her seem more like the Daughter of a Duke rather than a villager. Her clothing was also far more refined than Vikal's dirty rags, being woven from what seemed like the finest silks and cloth money could buy, dyed in the finest navy blue, and adorned with two striking orange jewels that matched her eyes. She was a true beauty, though one could easily tell that behind her striking looks was an equally dangerous rose that had many thorns.

"I know not why you insist on such trivial things, Master, but I cannot deny your earnest request." Enūma sighed as she patted him on the head, looking less like a servant of a Demon Lord and more like an older Sister indulging the whims of her kid brother. Such was their relationship, and while she might complain Enūma did nothing to discourage their dynamic. "Though I will still insist you at least acquire far more appropriate meals than this creature. Surely there are many fat Nobles around whose stores would be better served to you than being shoved down their worthless gullet." She said with a huff. Enūma first instinct after the events of the cave was to call for the annihilation of the villagers, or at least the installation of Vikal as their leader and it took a great deal of talking down from Vikal to get her to back down.

"Stealing from people is bad, even if they have more things than you." Vikal replied as he took another bite. "Mom always said it's not nice to take things from other people. I got yelled at for taking Tony's stick and breaking it once."

"That is all fine and dandy of a mentality for a Human, but you, my Master, are a Demon Lord." Enūma said as she used a bit of magic to clean his clothing and appearance, making him look a bit more like the young child of a Noble though the clothing was nowhere near as extravagant. "You need not follow those mortal restrictions." She said before sitting next to him. "This world belongs to you. Its people are toys for your amusement. If you want something, it is your right to take it, for it is already yours by birthright. That's what I've been telling you from the start."

{There's no reason for my Master to hole himself up in a ramshackle hut in the woods! You should be living in a grand palace of marble and gold with servants begging for the honor of serving you!} (Enūma)

"But I already have what I want, Enūma. I have you, Alec, Mom, and Dad!" Vikal said with a bright smile that could melt even the darkest of hearts. "Is that not okay?"

"I... You are free to do as you wish, my Lord." Enūma shook her head, unable to rebuke such an earnest display of happiness. "But I fear that such a nai-"

*RUSTLE*

"Someone is coming." Enūma's eyes snapped to the forest as she quickly stood up and placed herself between Vikal and the noise. The young Demon Lord was more than able to protect himself from mere villagers or bandits, but the Demonic servant instinctively moved to protect him regardless.

"Maybe it's Dad? Its almost that time of the month." Vikal asked as he looked around Enūma's hip, just in time to see his older brother Alec tumble over a root and fall to the ground. "Alec!" He yelled. "What happened?!? You're hurt!" Alec was covered in bruises and cuts that spilled blood all over his tunic, and his left eye was black and blue from what looked like blunt force trauma to the face.

"Alec!" Vikal ran to his injured brother's side in a panic, his fear resonating with Enūma who understood exactly how much distress he was in. "Alec! Are you okay?!? What happened?!? Where's Mom and Dad?!?"

"V-Vikal..." Alec barely managed to speak as he coughed up blood. He'd been beaten severely and the significant number of wounds across his body meant that his continued survival was not guaranteed.

"Enūma! Can't we help him?!?" Vikal yelled back to her. “Please!”

"If you wish to save him, then you need only do it." Enūma replied with a stern gaze. While she understood his concern and desire to help his brother she decided to use this as a teaching moment. "Will the future you wish to see into reality, such is your right as a Demon Lord. If you want something, then make it happen."

"But... I don't know..." Vikal agonized over her words. He'd barely experimented with his power, and while he was more than capable of killing wild beasts without issue, healing was something he'd never even considered before and he wasn't even sure if he could do that

"Your power is shaped by your will, Master." Enūma snapped him out of his frantic state, seemingly reading his mind. "Close your eyes and imagine the outcome you seek. Envision the future and then grasp

it with your own two hands. If you can do that, then you can do anything."Trusting Enūma's words Vikes closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried to focus. While he had no fundamental understanding of the Human body or how healing magic worked, he could imagine the simple idea of getting better. Slowly he extended his hand above his brother's head and poured power into his hand until it pooled into a small black ball. After a few moments, small tendrils flowed outward from the ball and burrowed into Alec's body like a parasitic worm digging under his skin. The young boy screamed in agony as Vikal's power swept through him like boiling hot water, but while it was a painful endeavor, it was equally effective.

*SISS* *HISS*

Slowly, Alec's wounds began to close as steam escaped from each injury as they were forcefully stitched together and healed. The young boy yelled until he became hoarse in the throat, until a few minutes later Vikal withdrew his power from Alec's body, having fully healed all of his brother's injuries.

"I... I did it..." Vikal said as he slowly lowered his brother to the ground, exhausted from the mental load such a thing placed on him. "Alec... He's gonna be okay, right?" He asked Enūma, who nodded.

"It would seem so!" Enūma smiled warmly, proud of his accomplishment. "Congratulations, Master. I knew you could do it."

"But what hurt him?" Vikal wanted to ask his brother what happened, but Alec had passed out due to both his injuries and the trauma of Vikal's healing. "Did a monster attack the village?"

{But I don't feel the bad energy of a monster.} (Vikal)

"I'm afraid those wounds didn't come from a monster, my Master." Enūma said as she tossed a black flame into the forest, causing a man to yelp in pain. "And it looks like your brother was followed."

"She must be the monster the Cardinal told us about!" A knight in black plate armor yelled as he and three others charged out of the forest.

"Temple Knights?!?" Vikal yelped in surprise. Temple Knights were Holy Paladins that worked directly for the Church and were typically only employed to hunt Demons or monsters too dangerous or powerful for Adventurers to handle. Their appearance in a backwater village was highly unusual and could only mean one thing.

"It would seem that the villagers didn't quite keep their word." Enūma hummed as she examined the four men. None were particularly strong and she was more interested in how they got here more than anything else. "My Lord, they're undoubtedly here to kill you."

"Me?!? But I didn't do anything bad!" Vikal protested. "Why did you attack my brother?!?" He yelled as black power poured from his body, and his eyes turned black and orange. "How dare you hurt Alec!"

"Captain!" One of the Knights turned to their leader and put up a shield to block Vikal's power which exploded violently as his emotions ran wild.

"Indeed, that 'child' must be the Demonic creature we were told about." The Captain nodded as he drew his blade.

"Why did you attack my brother?!?" Vikal yelled again, but was ignored by the knights. "What did you do to the villagers?!?"

"Use your most powerful relics, this creature is far more-" The Knight Captain's words came to an abrupt halt as his head tumbled to the floor, followed swiftly by his body, blood pouring from his neck.

"Captain!" The other Knights yelled in horror as their eyes turned to Vikal, who was pointing Enūma at them. She'd returned to her blade form in the blink of an eye, her inky black metal seeming to absorb all of the light that touched it.

"I asked you a question! Why did you hurt my brother?!?" Vikal roared as his voice distorted in rage.