Demonically Innocent [Loveless x Syllana ]

[Loveless]

The great war between the two tribes, the Humans and Demons had been ongoing for many centuries. Only until both of the tribes decided to split the lands into two sections; one belonging to the humans and the others to the Demon tribe. Despite the silent agreement between the two tribes, unfortunately there had been some occasional feuds between the two tribes. It seem to never end.

As for the demon tribe, the Demon Lord, Lord Akira the Seventh was the cruellest and the most powerful among all the other Lords before him. His magic skills were supreme, his fighting skills unmatched and his intellect had led his large army to victory countless times. Despite his power and his greatness, being able to defeat a large army of his enemies with ease and killing many of who would oppose him, he sadly died at a very young age. The cause of his death was unknown, but the demon kingdom had begun to grew worrisome.

Since the previous Lord Akira had passed away, many of the lower royalties and lower ranks had fought for the throne which hold the key to ruling the large lands of the demon tribe. During those long years, the Demon High Court had been ruling the lands in replace of their beloved Lord Akira. Now it was time for them to find their new successor.

"It had been nineteen years since our beloved King, Lord Akira has passed away." A loud booming voice sounded within the confinements of the large ornate room, echoing to deepen the intensity of the words said. In the room, five people were sitting on large thrones to indicate their power and authority but the one sitting in the middle throne held the most command for authority. There sat a broad elderly man, whose gaze seemed penetrating as his voice. His eyes were upon the figure bowing before them in the middle of the room. "Having no successor after him is really worrisome." He continued and then he stopped speaking to allow another to speak.

"I am certain he, himself, wasn't aware that his life would be so short." A middle-aged man spoke, though his forehead was adorned by large horns which curved upwards. "The fault has fall into your hands, for you didn't ask him to choose his successor. Do you understand?"

"You have been chosen to find Lord Akira the Eighth." The elderly man spoke again and the whole room went to silence, allowing him to speak further without any interruption. "The whole council had agreed that, among all the demons, you, who had given services to many demon lords previously, is the best candidate to find the predecessor, as well as your new master."

A female sitting at the right end throne began to speak after the elderly man spoke, "We do not know where Lord Akira would be. But we do know where you should head first. Go to the West, crossing over to the land of Humans. There you will find what you seek. Have a safe journey and do not disappoint us."

______________________________


"Meeting between two souls is just a start of the unfolding destiny." A deep masculine voice resounded within the limitless boundary of her mind, she only wondered why the voice sounded so familiar to her though she knew she could not place of anyone who would have such a calming voice.

She had this dream a number of times before, and yet she could never sum all this jumbled puzzles up and the dream would always leave her with more questions than answers. But this time, somehow, the dream was different. She wasn't too sure but she did not remember this part of the dream where she was in a large empty space. Everything was white, just like the white dress she would adorn on herself. She couldn't understand it but she always prefer white for some reason.

She turned her head, her black hair swishing gently behind her as her light-infused eyes caught sight of a figure a distance away from her. She could not make out the figure's face but she knew it was a tall man, with dark ebony hair just like herself.

"It is time.. You'll be meeting with someone who will bring you to your true destiny." The same deep voice resonated once again and soon, before she could take a step forward towards the tall figure. Her whole dream world suddenly shattered before her eyes and her eyes then shot open as she quickly sat up from the bed, breathing heavily. She grasped her forehead gently, realizing she was perspiring and then she slowly got off from the bed to walk towards the prepared basin which was placed on a stool. Washing her face with the warm water, she looked herself through the reflection from the water.

A young ethereal beauty with long black hair with silvery eyes stared back at her through the reflection. She disliked her eyes despite her foster mother had always tell them that her eyes were simply the most beautiful she had ever seen. People had always suspected she was from the demon tribe ever since she was found at the entrance of the village, amnesiac and all alone. It was because of her odd colored eyes, which was a trademark carried by people from the demon tribe. Though oddly, it was unheard of to hear someone with silver eyes like hers; according to the humans, so to speak.

Now she only wonder what did her dream meant. But she did not pay much heed towards her odd dream and brushed it aside. Turning her head to gaze out to the open window, she had noticed on how it was still late during the night with the full, bright moon within the dark sky. Still, she knew she could not fall back to sleep now as she felt rather wide awake, but she then just decided to lay on her bed and rest herself there for now.

[Syllanna]

Ryu traveled lightly, with only one pack upon his back. Within it were mostly weapons; any and every kind that he had become proficient with over the years. He'd had only his horse, Lightning, for companionship when he'd set out on the long, winding road towards the human tribe. He hadn't begrudged his mission; in fact, he'd been ecstatic to be chosen. His long service to the Demon Lords had been willing and he'd been lost these 19 long years without someone to serve. Sure, he'd had his duties to tend to and that kept him busy enough, but he missed Akira greatly. Often, he'd been snapped out of remembering a particularly wonderful battle at Lord Akira's side by an underling. Now, at long last, the court believed he'd returned!

So Ryu had set out with his armor in his bag and his traveling clothes. The great Lord would not receive a proper welcoming until he came to the lands he would rule, but Ryu would make sure he'd make it back safely. He'd give his life for his Lord, and do so gladly.

Ryu was certain that he and Lightning would draw too much attention to themselves on the roads under the sun, so he stuck to the shadows of the night once he got close to the Human tribe lands.After all, Lightning was a brilliantly white horse and his master was nearly as blinding. With white blonde hair and golden eyes, Ryu was often hailed as exotic. For some reason, his coloring attracted humans to him despite his blatantly pointed ears. He even kept his long hair tied back in a high ponytail so that everyone who so much as glanced at him would see them. Still, they paused at first sight and that pause was all that was needed for him to end them. He really despised humans. It was the humans who had ended the lives of his parents and orphaned him so young. And it was the humans who had left the long, jagged scar across his back from his left shoulder blade to his right hip. That's what could happen when your home was too close to the border.

Ryu shook his head, frowning. He was too pensieve tonight, too lost in thought. He was supposed to be searching. But he didn't know how to find his lord. He could remember all the times he'd admired the Lord from afar. He could even remember when the Lord had taken notice of his exceptional ferocity and battle prowess. But none of that would help him now in this search.

He made a frustrated noise and Lightning reared in response to his emotions. Ryu took a moment to soothe his mount before looking around. He was close to another human village. He needed to stop tonight so he could peruse the village in the morning. So he found a small pond nearby, no doubt the reason the village was built here, and dismounted. He checked over Lightning to make sure his hooves were fine and then let him eat while Ryu stretched.

Ryu explored the area for a short time. It was rocky and there was no good cover to hide nearby so he and Lightning would probably have to travel for a time in the morning to ensure they could rest in peace. It was a good thing he'd stopped. His white cloak billowed around him as he sat on a boulder, looking out over the sleeping village. He sighed and pulled out his flute. He was lonely tonight and it was a sharp pain in his chest that he was not used to. Ryu raised the flute to his lips and began a soft song, willing the wind to come to him as he played. The music drifted softly over the village, not enough to wake anyone who was sleeping well. The melody reflected his mood, sad and slow.

[Loveless]

She couldn't fall back to sleep, no matter how hard she had tried. Tossing, turning and rolling on her bed was no use; not when her mind was occupied as she thought of her odd dream she just had. Minutes had passed and yet, she knew it was no use. Just before she would had gotten up from the bed, her ears picked up some sound - or rather, music, in fact. Opening her eyes as she remained on bed, she blinked her eyes once, then twice before starting to sit up on the bed. Standing up slowly, she moved towards the closed window and opened the shutter to peek her head out for a moment.

Indeed, her assumption was correct when she could hear the melodious tune outside and she wondered on who would be playing such a pretty tune. She knew the villagers would be asleep by now, and only the guards who swore to protect the village would mostly be the ones who would remain awake during this time. And yet, for some reason, she felt drawn and compelled to see the unknown musician. Even more, she couldn't erase this inkling of curiosity mixed with familiarity from the tune. She did not know why, but the tune was familiar to her; as if she had heard this tune being played to her numerous of times.

Leaving her bedroom, she then sneaked herself out of the house quietly, though doing this out of her better judgement. She made certain to stay clear from passing-by guards; not wanting them to know her presence as she then managed to reach to the gate of the village. Seemed like the guards had mostly ignored the music despite acknowledging it and yet, not curious enough to check and see of the source of it. The black-haired woman stayed at the gate of the town for a moment, seeing how the guards at the gates had fallen asleep during their duties and slipping through easily. The guards had been a rather lazy bunch anyways.

Before long, the young maiden had reached to the large pond and was utterly grateful it was a full moon tonight, so she could see within the darkness. Following the music, she only was guided when she could hear the music getting louder and louder while she made certain to hike up the skirt of her white dress to ensure that it would not be dirtied. It was then that she spotted a figure upon the boulder from a distance. From the light reflected by the moon, she could clearly see his rather light-coloured hair; a huge contrast to her own raven hair and his eyes, they reminded her of the shining, golden sun.

For a moment, she could only stare for a moment; mostly out of amazement as she had never seen such a being before. But what made her paused was when she spotted his pointed ears. It was then that she remembered of the stories she had heard; of the demon species and their features; of their cruelty and hatred towards humans. This alerted her and she backed away slowly, hoping he would not sense her presence but then, a snap sounded as she accidentally stepped onto a dry twig.

[Syllanna]

The wood snapping broke the rhythm of his music and his head lifted slowly, turning to the direction of the noise. Moving very slowly, he lowered the flute to the boulder and slid off the rock easily. He stood beside the water, the reflected moonlight casting silvery ribbons around him. Ryu's eyes took in the woman. Human. Hair as black as night. Silver eyes.

He could not help but gasp softly. Silver eyes that were the same shade as Lord Akira's. This woman's eyes were filled with moonlight, seeming like two small moons set within a ring of dark lashes. For a moment, Ryu was filled with longing. His yearning transformed his face and made him look even younger. Like a small boy who sees a puppy that he knows he cannot take home with him.

He shook off the emotions, ashamed of his brief loss of control. What servant of a demon lord was worth anything if he could not control his worthless feelings? He replaced his emotion with the raw anger he always felt around humans. Golden eyes shone with power as he moved forward. He gave a cold smile.

"Such a maiden as you should not be out of her bed this time at night, much less out of the safety of her village." He stopped a few steps from her, releasing the magic in the form of light behind him. He knew it would alert the guards to his presence and cause them to lock down the village for fear of attack. The light spread out behind him, nearly blinding as though the sun had risen in the night. Golden wings spread out, six total, magnificent. Also deadly if he wished it. "Don't you know that the demons come out at night miss?" His voice held light amusement, even though his eyes remained cold.

[Loveless]

Her body flinched at the sound of the twig snapping and she felt sudden fear washing through her; especially when the abrupt halt of the music and then the demonic creature then turning his attention to her. Taking a few steps back slowly, she eyed the demon closely as he began to near her though the previous expression on his face had made her wonder on why he was staring at her with such surprise.

But of course, that was quickly altered as he then seemed cold and mercilessly angry as he drew nearer to her, while the raven-haired woman took a few more steps back before he stopped. His words rang so much truth and she felt so silly right then for even coming out from the safety of her village. And then, for the very first time, she saw magic as rays of light surrounded the demonic being. Her eyes widened at this though she shielded her eyes with one hand from the sheer blindness of such magical light.

Instead of having more fear when such magic was wielded, the woman felt some sort of astonishment towards such spectacular feat when she noticed wings sprouted from his back. She could not pull her eyes away, watching only in amazement but then what interrupted her was when she could hear sounds of bells ringing within the village to wake the sleeping villagers. Turning her head around, she could already see a number of guards rushing out of the gate with armed weapons at hand. Such a sight brought her senses back to reality and knew the danger she was in now.

Yet, she answered to him with her voice faltering, mostly out of fear on what he would do with her, "I-I.. heard the music you were playing.. and.. and.. I was curious to know who would be playing the tune." The urge to know more had then made her become a bit bolder as she then raised her voice, "Where do you know that tune? Please?! That tune, I feel it was so familiar, but I know I never heard anyone played it before!" She needed to know, for some reason; he brought some nostalgia within her that she had never felt whatsoever.

Nothing had ever made sense, as she had lost her memories ever since she had been found at the gate of the village as a child. She could not remember whatsoever, no matter how she tried. Perhaps this demon was some key. Perhaps he was a sign as the dream she had earlier might has described.

[Syllanna]

Ryu considered the raven-haired woman carefully. She had a lot of bravery for a mortal woman. And it wasn't a lack of fear, he could smell the fear on her, it was just that she wanted to know the answer to her question more than she wanted to run from him. Either he was losing his touch, which he doubted, or she was a truly remarkable human. It took a lot of desperation to stand up to someone who was clearly a danger to you. So, he felt himself begrudgingly admiring the woman.

Of course, they didn't have much time left just now for admiration. Ryu knew the guards would be upon them soon and something within him wanted to cause trouble tonight. He laughed softly, an extraordinarily innocent sound. "That song was taught to me by the most important person in the world." He smiled happily at her. "It is a song known only to the demons."

His wings stretched out and around her, cocooning them both in light. Ryu moved forward, not letting her back away from him. His hand reached out and laid gently against her cheek, his touch cold. Golden eyes peered into silver curiously as he got a better look. "Child....what is your name?" He asked as the guards finally reached them, shouting and circling around the light.

[Loveless]

She was confused now. It was like a miracle in a way that the demon suddenly looked pleased with her question, rather than being enraged for her demanding for an answer from him in the first place. She knew what danger she was in at the present moment, and yet she wanted to know. Finally, someone who might hold answers to her never-dying questions that had been lingering within her mind for all those years. Someone might know where she came from, might know her origins and so much more.

Yet, there wasn't much time and seeing the guards nearing to where they were; the woman feared that the demon might flee, or even worse, just kill them all right there. How stupid she was!

And yet, he seemed to laugh and the sound just sounded so innocent, then it even leave the woman astounded along seeing that happy smile of his. It seemed the song meant of sentimental value to him, though what confused her further was when he mentioned the song was mostly known among his race. If that was the case, then why would she felt the song was familiar? That did not make any sense whatsoever!

Before she could even think further, he neared her so suddenly and began to wrap his wings around her. A small, frightened yelp sounded from her and her silver eyes widened at this turn of event. She flinched slightly at the touch of his hand; out of fear, and also from the sudden coldness of his hand, but yet, his cold hand felt somewhat comforting in a way, which she could not explain. Her silver eyes locked onto his golden ones and she heard his question, then taking a moment to gather her courage to answer, "... I... can only remember... one name... I hope its my name but... it's.. A-Akira.."

Only just after she mentioned her name, her attention deviated away when she then could hear angry shouts of the guards and knew the guards were surrounding them by now. Before she could react, she felt a hand clamping around her wrist and then a sudden pull as she was then pulled away from Ryu's wings and then tossed back behind the gathering guards and soldiers. "You monster! How dare you touch a maiden and steal her from our village! You demons should not venture out into our lands!" One of the guards shouted with the others then joining with their own angry remarks.

At this, the young maiden had grabbed one of the soldier's arm to tug him back from attacking the demon, "No! He did not steal me! He didn't do anything to me, please! Please, do not harm him!" But her pleas only fell on deaf ears, as the guards were too consumed in their rage and hatred before she was tossed back once again with a swat of the soldier's arm. Within that moment, the guards then attacked with their swords as they were ready to kill the demon before them.

[Syllanna]

Ryu had to take things philosophically. When one life ended, another began somewhere else. The world was a place of balance and in the end, the only thing that mattered was what one did with their life. Some did good, some did bad, some served others and some carved their way to the top of the ladder only to fall as Kings into their graves. Ryu had decided long ago that he would serve, but he had decided to serve only the greatest of the great. He'd become great in his desire to serve the great and now, he'd found where he belonged. If life was fair, he'd live for a long time yet and never see his Lord fall again.

She had said her name was Akira. A human bearing the name of his demon Lord. So this is how life had seen fit to return his liege. Ryu was more pleased than anything that after all this time and all his searching, he'd found Akira so easily. Fate meant for them to come together. All of the pleasure drained from him the minute she'd been viciouslly torn from him.

His wings moved back, spreading out behind him in their massive length. He eyed the guards nonchalantly as they called him names, frowning lightly. He was the only one who noticed Akira speak up in his defense. Then the guard did something truly stupid; the human swatted Akira aside, making her land roughly on her bottom. Ryu's eyes lit up with rage and his hands tightened into fists, his long nails in danger of puncturing the delicate skin.

As the guards moved forward, waving their flimsy weapons and shouting at him, Ryu growled. "How dare you attack a demon?!" His voice projected over the crowd. "Insignificant humans!!" His wings rose up and fell down, stirring the air as he lifted himself off the ground. With agile movement, he climbed into the air and then fell upon the guards, using his wickedly curved claws and pure strength to bat aside their weapons. The first guard he fell on was killed mercifully quickly, Ryu's hand thrusting through his armor right where the man's heart used to be. The guard fell to the ground, life's blood spilling over the earth. Ryu took his sword and turned on the nearest guards, the clang of metal filling the air as he began battle.

He was going to take his time, but for one thing. The humans were still near to Akira and he could not allow harm to befall his liege. So he slowly taunted them, drawing them away from her even as he slaughtered them easily before her eyes.

[Loveless]

Gathering her senses after landing onto her bottom so ungraciously, Akira shook her head gently before pulling herself to her feet with a slight stumble. Her head spun slightly, mostly from the force of the swatting motion from the guard but nevertheless, the young woman never cease to try to hammer some sense into the guards' heads. Nevertheless, her pleas were futile as the guards drew closer to the handsome demon and made an attack. But still, the demon just blocked the attacks and hit their weapons away so easily; even when he was outnumbered and even weaponless.

Still, her light-infused eyes had watched the scene unfold before her as the demon then thrust his hand, piercing deep into one guard's armor so easily before seeing the victim gurgled within his own blood before falling back over, lifeless. Such a sight made the maiden's eyes widened before a cry sounded from her, and she covered her face with her hands from the bloody sight. She took a step back but stumbled as she did, then falling back once more onto her back this time and her body slightly shivered.

She did not know why this was happening. She only came out to hear who was playing the music, to only find out it was a demon all along. The demon did not harm her whatsoever, though he intended to earlier. All was just confusion, but nevertheless, what happened now was just too much. The young maiden dared herself to pull her hands away, taking in when the guards fought with the demon, now wielding a sword from one of the fallen soldiers and hearing the heavy clangs of metal against metal.

This was unnecessary, she kept thinking to herself. Truly, the demon did not mean any harm and he did nothing to her. Lives were taken away from a misunderstanding and unreasonable hatred towards one species and another. Anger started to form and replacing the fear and terror within her — anger that the two species just plunge into war and battles without having to actually sit down and negotiate; furious that no one would listen to reason whatsoever. Many emotions jumbled up within her and soon, the black-haired maiden could not take it anymore as she gave one final shout towards the fighting soldiers and the demon, "Please! Stop! Stop. Right. Now!"

At that moment, a surge of power rushed through them in a form of gust of wind as the soldiers quickly were taken by surprise but managed to brace themselves though realizing that their weapons were blown away from their hands; even the sword grasps within the hands of Ryu. The swords were tossed aside to the lake like nothing, now out of the reach from anybody. At such a spectacle, the guards turned their heads towards Akira with wide eyes; even with the maiden being confused on what just had happened until one of the guards pointed towards her.

"I knew it! She was one of them after all! All this time!"

[Syllanna]

The heat of battle was within him as he moved, dancing the dance of death for all who opposed him. Glee was within him as he took life after life, not noticing his liege's reactions to anything until she'd spoken and the wind rose. Ryu felt the wind come, felt the power wash over him. His ears heard her command and he felt compelled to obey, ceasing his actions as the guards got over their shock and pointed at her, claiming the truth. "I knew it! She was one of them after all! All this time!" Inside, he rejoiced, for now he was certain of her. He'd found his Lord Akira once more. Then the guards began to move. They backed away from him, scared now that they were weaponless. As they should be. But now they were moving to circle the maiden as well, including her in their fear and endless hatred for demon kind. Ryu felt a light flutter of panic within him. He'd just found her. He couldn't lose her.

He moved swiftly, his legs acting on their own out of his fear. He stopped in front of her, knowing he'd confused her. She had no idea what was in store for her. He knelt, slowly, his wings once more enfolding the two of them in their private world. His hand rose, curling into a fist, over his heart as he bowed his head. "My Lady Akira." He said softly. "I am your servant, Ryu." He waited a moment for her to process that, if she could, and then rose to his feet. "I've come to take you home." He was going to take some liberties here. Just until he got her home safely. He moved forward and gently scooped her into his arms, bridal style. He smiled down at her, warm and friendly. "You're finally coming home."

He lifted his head and let his wings dissolve into the air. He gave the guards one last scathing glance, freezing their feet to the ground so they couldn't come after them. He walked, cradling her, to his mount who obediently kneeled. With grace far surpassing a human's he mounted and tucked her in front of him, seating her side saddle and holding her close to his chest so that his cloak offered her comfort from the chill of the wind. Lightning rose and they turned from the village, heading south. All the while, he grew ridiculously cheerful on the inside. He was even pleased to hold her so close to him, her body warm against his. He knew she'd been missing her home. Just as her home had been missing her. "Lightning will take us home this way, M'lady. To give us more time. Do you have any questions for me before I begin your lessons M'lady?"