Star-Crossed

xxx

‘Oh?’

‘Oh, indeed,’ she said, ‘that day he freed our inn and claimed my heart. It’s important to know that Cuma isn’t your average Demon. After he took out Samson, various Demons from the region came visiting our inn, knowing that the Wingless Ascended kept it safe. Because of the increase in interest, more and more shady figures tried to attack us. Some trying to rob our customers, some just interested in fighting Cuma, but all in all causing nothing but trouble.’

‘Cuma always dispatched them with ease. Within a few months, he became the talk of Middle-East Alem. I later learned that the reason people came to our inn was to watch Cuma beat up thugs, like it was some kind of party trick. He was a hero and everyone looked up to him.’

‘Every night, the inn would be packed and Cuma would tell stories about his past adventures. He told stories about the Kormoro, the Warden, the Humans and many more. We would all hang from his lips as he told his wonderful tales.’

‘One day, though, instead of stories from the past, he spoke about something yet to come.’

‘Everyone has a dream. You there, what’s your dream?’ he asked someone in the crowd, as he sat on a chair, placed on a table in the middle of the inn.

‘I-I want to be a baker!’ he said.

‘Wonderful, and you, what’s your dream?’

‘I… want a wife,’ the man said, making the crowd laugh.

‘This is no laughing matter!’ Cuma shouted, silencing everyone. ‘You seem like a wonderful man. Whoever gets to call you husband can be proud!’

The man’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Cuma, who sat straight and strong.

‘Do you people want to know my dream?’

‘Yes!’ they said in harmony.

‘Do you really?’

‘Yes!’

‘Alright, I’ll tell you.’ He took a swig of his pomegranate juice. ‘If you walk further east, leaving the Dead Ring, you’ll eventually reach a tall wall of corrock*.’

All with ears got goose bumps, knowing exactly what he talked about.

‘One part, however, one part in the wall is open, shaping the corrock wall like a crescent moon facing westwards. And when you enter that crescent moon, you’ll reach a wonderful place. The land our parents and grandparents used to tell stories about. The land of evergreen, the land most sacred to all born from Yu, to all who carry the honorable name of Demon.’

‘Are you alright, dear?’ she asked Cuma, noticing the corners of his eyes started to tear up.

‘I’m fine. Like most Demons, I get emotional when someone talks about that place.’

‘Should I stop?’

‘No, please keep going!’

‘The land birthing our ancestors, created by the Eternal King himself, the land of Sheol.’

The people cheered when they heard him say it. Every Demon alive wished deep down to visit the land of Sheol once in their lifetime.

‘I change my dream! I want to visit Sheol as well!’ the man wishing to be a baker said.

‘Me too!’ the man seeking love said.

‘Hold on now,’ Cuma said, ending the ruckus created by awakening the deep wishes of Sheol in all around.

‘My dream is not to visit Sheol.’

The crowd looked puzzled. What was he talking about?

‘My dream is to conquer it.’

An eerie silence befell the inn. We only realized after a minute that we’d all been holding our breaths. Our pores leaked Yu and our heads felt light as we couldn’t take our eyes off of Cuma, the only one who kept his calm.

‘The lands of Sheol have for far too long belonged to the elite. I refuse to accept it any longer.’

‘But… but what can you do?’ I said. ‘Sheol holds a mighty army, together with a King feared throughout the east, and above all, it’s the most difficult place to invade in the whole of Alem! It only has a single point of entry! Sheol has never been captured since the dawn of Demons! All the Kings have been part of the Eternal’s bloodline, they’re at their 2219’th ruler for crying out loud!’

‘And I will be the 2220’th.’

‘You’re a madman!’

‘And I want all of you to join me!’

Everyone gasped, turning their heads to the left and right, to see if they were the only ones shocked.

‘What are you saying, Cuma?’ my father said.

‘I’m building an army, one filled with future inhabitants of Sheol, and I’m asking all of you to be a part of it!’

Even I, one who never dared to dream as big as he did, saw the vision of Sheol before my eyes. The soft breeze touching my skin, the beautiful moonlight enchanting me as I lay on a bed of fragrant flowers. I shed a single tear at that vision. I wanted to join Cuma…

‘I’LL JOIN YOU CUMA!’ my father yelled as loud as he could, startling the inn, awaking them from their sweet dream.

‘Me too!’ people said. Before I knew it, everyone was on board, ready to join Cuma to the promised land.

‘I’m rejoiced to hear that, brethren and sisters. Before we march towards Sheol, however, we must fight for a base.’

‘Where would this base be?’ my father asked.

‘Castle Ryut.’

‘Castle Ryut? Isn’t that a flourishing city in and of itself? I’ve never been there, but I’m sure it won’t fall easily,’ Cuma said.

‘It didn’t,’ Viera replied.

‘Wait… are you saying..?’

‘Yes, Castle Ryut is under Cuma’s control.’

Shamelessly, Cuma continued his act; ‘you’re kidding me! Did I just meet the ruler of Castle Ryut!?’

‘You sure did,’ Viera said with a sigh.

‘How did he capture it!?’

‘One and a split.’

‘Ha-ha, free of charge my ass. Here you go,’ Cuma said, putting the coins on the table.

‘Cuma trained the commoners he’d recruited, turning them into somewhat capable soldiers at a makeshift training camp in the west. He taught them hand to hand combat, military strategy, and how to manipulate their Yu. There seemed to be nothing this man didn’t know, making his subjects even more loyal, including my father, the most excited to follow our ‘‘savior’’. In Cuma’s eyes, however, he was his second favorite, because I was his number one and… and he was mine.’

Her words put a smile on Cuma’s face as he looked in her eyes, still carrying the image of another.

‘We married a year later. At the time, I thought only a fool would reject his proposal, so I accepted, but you’re about to know what I turned out to be.’

He leaned on his elbow, not taking his eyes off hers, correctly retracing the heart hidden in the scratched wood.

‘A few months later, early in the morning, when my dad was about to go to Cuma’s training camp, a stranger arrived. A stranger with chains as hair, pale white skin, and a razor sharp gaze.’

‘Can we help you, Sir?’ my father asked.

‘No, but I can help you,’ he said.

My father and I looked at each other, wondering what he meant.

‘Cuma is a dangerous man. Stay away from him,’ the stranger said.

‘What do you mean? How do you know my husband?’ I asked.

‘It doesn’t matter. Just know that he isn’t the man he portrays himself to be. If you value your life, shun him.’

‘How dare you speak about Cuma like that! Leave!’ my father instantly said.

‘I’m warning you, he’s-‘

‘I said leave! Now!’

‘The stranger left before the situation escalated. My father’s trust in Cuma did not falter, but to be honest, I began wondering what he meant… Turns out he was the Warden in Cuma’s stories.’

‘I don’t blame you for trying, Cek,’ Cuma thought as he took a sip of his juice. ‘You’re a soft one on the inside.’

‘A few months later, the day of the siege arrived. I kissed my father on the forehead and gave him the tightest hug. I held my husband’s hand and told him to make sure my father returns alive, because I already knew he himself would for sure.’

‘I promise,’ he said as they went on their way.

Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours, hours became days, yet no news arrived whatsoever, leaving me to worry, together with a handful of others, wondering when our loved ones would return.

Then, from the far distance, the first ones approached. We rejoiced at the sight of familiar faces, yet their expression let us know that they were not only the first but also the last. Victorious yet defeated, they sat down and explained.

‘The siege was a success. Cuma and his friends are currently on the throne in Castle Ryut.’

‘That’s… great, isn’t it? Why do you guys look so… sad? W-where is my father?’ I asked.

‘We lost a lot of men, Viera. I’m sorry to say that your father was one of them.’

I crumbled, going into hysteria until all turned black. I needed Cuma to be here, to calm me down, to help me contain these destructive feelings terrorizing me from within. When I woke up, the men had left, passing their expressions onto those taking care of me. It was then I realized the heinous man my husband turned out to be.

Cuma had to calm himself before he broke the glass in his cold palm. ‘I’m sorry, Viera. I truly am.’

‘What happened?’ he then asked. His face seemed calm, all through the power of his will, for the slightest shred of his honest emotions would blow his cover through the roof.

‘The men recruited from our inn joined Cuma’s army of more than a thousand men and fought like warriors to conquer Ryut for their King. At the end, the remaining realized that the only fallen were the acquaintances from the inn. Cuma had thought of a strategy, crafted to make sure our members were sacrificed to ensure the other’s safety during the invasion. All this time we were merely pawns to him. To him, we were mere meat shields!’ she shouted, taking the glass out of Cuma’s hand and throwing it against the wall. It exploded into pieces as the other customers snapped their heads towards the sound.

He looked down at the heart and finally took his finger off of it.

‘Expecting a group of inexperienced fighters to survive an attack like that is asking for too much, don’t you think?’ he asked.

‘Apart from Samson, all the bandits terrorizing us after the fall of the Kormoro… were sent by Cuma himself.’

Cuma took a deep breath.

‘He made us fear his own people and then quote unquote ‘‘saved’’ us from them. He made all of us trust him, he made me love him. After all that, he still dares to show his face at this inn, knowing none of us has the strength to hurt him. Sylman, do you know how it feels to be helpless in a world like Alem?’

‘Why do you think I do all of this…?’ Cuma thought.

He got off his barstool. ‘No, I don’t. Thank you for your hospitality,’ he said, and threw another coin. She watched him walk away, and before he exited, he waved, saying;

‘I’ll be back one day.’

She picked up the coin and whispered; ‘and I’ll be here, as always.’

xxx

‘I did all the deeds you accuse me of, my dear Viera, but my love for you was genuine. I wish I could have saved your father, but as I ordered him to a position other than the vanguard, he thought I underestimated his valor. The image of him dying as the men of Ryut unleashed their hellfire is still a memory I remember vividly,’ Cuma thought, as his feet left the wood and touched the hot sand again.

‘And although I did what I did, I don’t believe I’m guilty of anything. I protected my people by taking a group of idle Demons, dripping of laziness and sloth, and turning them into respectable soldiers. I gave them a purpose, a glorious cause they could fight and die for. Their deaths are the foundation I will build my empire upon. I will bring their honor to Sheol. They will be there with me, in my heart, as I rule the holy land.’

He coughed twice. ‘Alright-alright, calm down, little guy.’

His past lover always tries to poison him, trying a different kind every time, wondering why it never works.

He shoved his hand into his mouth and pulled Tiger headfirst out of his throat.

‘After that you won’t be thirsty for an entire week, am I right?’ he joyously said to Tiger as he looked at him, dizzy with a half open mouth, dripping drops of pomegranate juice.

Cuma knows the past will haunt him, and he accepts its punishment.

‘The only thing I can do now is fight for the future. To do that, I need to find my new friend, Uzi.’