What was a phoenix? Phoenix was a mythical beast known for their immortality. Wearing a cloak of intense fire as well as veins of lava slithering under its skins, this creature was considered to be the most powerful and the ultimate goal of not just every beast hunter but also famer-seekers out there. But finding it would not be so easy as no one has ever succeeded in capturing a phoenix. Why? Because how were you supposed to find something if you didn't even know what it looked like?

Unlike popular belief, a phoenix was not a bird nor did it look like one. In fact, no one really knew or even have the faintest idea of what it was supposed to look like. Over millennia, there were many accounts of witnesses saying that they saw the legendary Phoenix. Yet, for a strange reason, none of them described the same thing. For some, the phoenix had the appearance of a young female human. Others saw a dragon-like creature. And many more disparate descriptions that really didn't help identifying the true form of the Phoenix, accompanied by the fact that there were so many claims about this creature with witnesses seeking fame, only to be unveiled later as a hoax. Yet, some researchers claimed that these testaments could all be true. How was it possible that all these descriptions could be talking about the same thing? Yes, you might confuse a human and an elf if they hid their ears but how could anyone confuse a dragon to a human or even a monster?

Here were the two possible theories proposed by those researchers. The first one was that each phoenix was unique in term of appearance, therefore explaining the multitudes of disparities between each account. The second theory was somewhat a bit odd: there was only one phoenix but the creature could change the appearance to its will or had some kind of shapeshifting ability to bend in with the other races. Perhaps this was a mechanism of survival instinct to avoid being hunted down. While these two theories were quite different from each other, they all shared one thing: a phoenix could very well look like a normal human being as well as a dragon.

In addition, everyone agreed on the one thing that made the Phoenix so special: their ability to resurrect upon death. If the Phoenix's will to live persisted, its body would turn to ashes upon death. From those ashes, a new Phoenix would be born. If you took in consideration this aspect, it could very well explain why the Phoenix was so rare. If they could not die, how come there wasn't more sighting of the Phoenix? But if you considered the existence of only one Phoenix being reborn each time it died, it would make sense that no one has ever found it.

So why were we talking about the Phoenix again? Well, something has happened recently, something big, something very similar to the resurrection of the Phoenix. But instead of the actual mythical creature, it was the world we were talking about.

Today, the old order of Astora has been thrown into disarray. The balance of power has been shifted. From the ashes of the old world, a new one was born. During her declaration to her countrymen and the rest of the world, Empress Morrigan has announced the merging of the three countries Zagon, Caelum and Malatas. The new country, formed by the combination of all these three kingdoms' territories, would be called Valhalla, the Promised Lands of Astora. This enunciation was accompanied with several major global changes and sets of rules.

First of all, there would be no distinction of races in her country. Aside for identification purpose, all citizens, whether of elven or human origin, would be given the same rights as anybody else. Any explicit, violent behavior of discrimination against one another would be severely punished along with the risk of exile. This would apply for any further race who would join Valhalla from now on.

Secondly, Valhalla has declared neutrality in the matter of the demons. In addition, Valhalla would also recognize Ragna as an independent country and called out to cease all hostilities between Ragna and any other country. While Morrigan did not say that all demons were good people and deserved the same rights as the new people of Valhalla, she asked everyone to have an open mind, clear of all prejudices before reaching to a judgment of their own, to have their own opinion about whether or not the demons were barbaric savages like many thought they were. For that, a 'Discovery Accord' has been made between Ragna and Valhalla. To put it simple, citizens of Ragna, although restricted to a small number at the beginning, would be allowed to travel to Valhalla via the Gates. These demons would serve as a social experiment to test the reaction of the public facing the 'terrifying creatures' they have been so afraid of.

As much as Morrigan wished to push her agenda further, this would have to do for now. The integration of the elves, while being a success and a big step forward, has demanded quite a lot from the public. Anymore might have a reverse reaction from what it was intended to. The elves, despite being a different race, had no enmity with the humans and vice versa. Aside from a few conflicts but mostly due to power struggle and nothing to do with racial issue, it could be said that elves and humans were long time neighbors who occasionally went into a fight but for the rest of the time, it was peaceful. This explained why their acceptance was relatively easy.

The same could not be said however for the demons who have been labelled as evil since ancient time. Despite the fact that they have never gone into open war with anyone, people feared the demons as they were not one of the prime races. A rather stupid argumentation that was actually the most common explanation people would give if you asked anyone in this world on why they hated demons. But surely, this couldn't be the reason why so many were so afraid of demons, aside from religious fanatics. So what was it? What was the real logic behind this anxiety, this phobia toward demons?

The answer was simple: fear of the unknown. It was our nature to fear whatever we didn't understand. Demon was one such example. If a race said to be cast out by the Gods appeared out of nowhere, there was a big chance that you would kill them before even saying 'Hi'. In addition, the old world was once ruled by the Church of Light, leading to the many people being indoctrinated by their teaching, fueling even further the already alarming angst. This kind of fearmongering tactics was what allowed the Church to rise in power in the first place since many would converge to their belief out of ignorance. The rest of the story and what happened next, you already knew. Demons were killed in millions, sought out actively by the other races. If you were killed, that was actually luckier than those who survived only to be captured as slaves. For demonic slaves, a fate worse than death was bound to happen, although there were some exceptions.

So how did you fight ignorance and fear of the unknown? By allowing people to get accustomed with the presence of demons around them. When Morrigan revealed that a third of the people who has been defending Zagon for years were actually of demonic origin, it shocked the entire population. And that was only the army, not to take in account those who have led a peaceful life across the entire country. So your neighbor, and even in some cases, your very husband and wife might have been a demon all along. What would you do in that case? Would the fact that your friend or lover was a demon change how you felt about them all these years? Yeah sure, they lied to you about their true identity but it was not like they had a choice in the matter. Their lives were at stakes, being hunted down by slavers and many others. These people, they didn't seek retribution for the injustices they have been suffering from. No, they only wanted to live in peace. Would you take that away from them? The bond, the connections, the love you had for them pierced through the boundary of races and proved that we could coexist.

Morrigan asked the same questions to her people. As expected, there were many different reactions. Some agreed to her ideas while some didn't. But most were silent, confused. That silence, which was the majority, was what she sought. For a moment, Morrigan was able to make these people doubt their own belief up until now. That doubt could be nurtured until it replaced the old belief to become the new norms of the new world. All it needed was a little push and some time for this possibly radical ideology to impart itself in the mind of everyone.

Alas, every major change needed a certain time of adaptation and integration. Thousands years of hatred could not simply disappear like that. Morrigan was prepared for the waves of problems that would rise from her declaration. Years of waiting and preparation, it all has been for this moment. But she could not do this by herself nor would she. For a true peace, a true coexistence to become reality, everyone in this world must be a part of it. All we could do now was to put our faith in each and every member of Astora.

So the spark of change, of transformation, of transition has been lit in Valhalla. But what about Ragna itself? Sure, the demons in Mara were more or less peaceful but what about those like Mephisto and the rest from the mainland of the demons? Could they cast away their hatred for a peaceful future as Alastor has hoped for?

* * *

After Morrigan's declaration, Alastor has used the Gate to go back to the demon lord's castle. His mother has done her part to start this revolution. It was now his turn, the demons' turn to make their voice heard. For that, a proper leader, a king must be elected. The world right now didn't need a demon lord. It needed a demon king, someone who would be the face of the demons, who would take charge in all the negotiations...someone that could not be Alastor. The people of Valhalla already knew him as the prince of Zagon, Morrigan's adopted child. If now he claimed to be the leader of the demons, it might reset everything they have done so far. People would think that Alastor could be controlling Morrigan all along or there was some kind of deal between the demons and Zagon that allowed Zagon to gain so much power in such a short time in order to give way for some kind of demonic invasion. The demon king must be someone who was not related at all to Morrigan and Alastor. But who?

Alas, that was not the only reason by Alastor came back to Ragna before going on his expedition in the dragon continent. The second reason was Lilith's call for his immediate presence in the castle a few days ago. However, this was before Morrigan's declaration so it couldn't be about the matter of Valhalla and Ragna. But now that it was official, Alastor needed to be prepared to deal with that too from the demon' side. He was aware of the ongoing hostility here so something needed to be done about that. But the boy wondered what the reason Lilith called for him be then. What could possibly have happened while he was gone? Additionally, Ikarus has already gone to the celestial' settlement to invite them to join Valhalla so the boy was by himself on his journey back as Cynthia needed to stay at Eiseinheim to take care of a few political problems that might rise from this together with Morrigan. To be honest, he felt a bit lonely. It has been a long time since he went somewhere without anyone by his side. Alastor has been used to companionship so no that no one else was here, a certain void has grown inside him. Should he bring someone with him to Oros? The boy wondered.

"I am back!" Kicked the entrance door opened widely, Alastor walked in and shouted excitedly, only to freeze for a moment upon entering the castle. "Where...are.....WHO THE HELL ARE YOU????"

To his surprise, a bunch of unknown monsters and probably demons were standing inside the castle's large hallway, all whispering something as they laid their eyes upon him.

"Who is this kid?"

"Hey, did someone lose their child?"

"We have a lost child over here!"

The chatters of the crowd increased as everyone turned their head to Alastor. But from these crowds, Alastor has already spotted a few individuals that stood out from than the rest, somewhere at the level of the four royal demons guards or even stronger. Unlike the others, these people seemed to have noticed Alastor's true strength and carefully examined him in silence in their corner.

The first one was a short red haired woman with pointy ears, perhaps an elf, dressing very lightly with only the minimum cloth to cover her bosom. Or at least that was what Alastor thought she was until she rose up, letting he see her lower half: a crimson long serpent body that was about ten times his length coiled up like a snake. The moment Alastor came into her sight, the woman opened her eyes widely, revealing her snake eyes and her forked long tongue swaying like a living thing.

The second person actually reminded him of Mephisto. Sharing similar features with large bat wings, elongated thin limbs with large long claws in their arms, the man was slightly shorter than Mephisto himself but still much taller than your average human. But unlike the devil who wore a somewhat colorful noble attire, this man was wearing a full dark leather suit. The tired eyes and pale skin made him look like a sickly person, combined with his long dark hair with a single white strand descending from his forehead.

The third...Alastor knew already, the spider queen Archna he has met a few times. She was known to be a close friend of Lilith and from what Vincent told him, one of the few who have battled against the Artificer during the Second Calamity. Seeing Alastor, she slightly bowed her head but decided not to reveal who the boy truly was.

But the rest, Alastor didn't know any of them. Nor he had the slightest idea of what were they doing here? ....Or perhaps he did and he only realized it just now.

"QUIET!" a loud majestic voice spoke from behind the crowd, making them all turning back to the source of the voice. A tall figure with large bat wings, accompanied by three other whom Alastor knew too much: the four royal demon guards. Walking forward as the crowd spitted into two to let them pass through, the four demons paraded up to Alastor before kneeling down to him. "You all are in the presence of our lord. Show your respects!" the devil spoke loudly.

Immediately, the other demons started to realize who the boy was and began to kneel respectively on after another. One after another, they bowed their head to their lord. Together with Mephisto, the demons' voice echoed throughout the hall.

"All hail the Great Demon Lord, our supreme leader!"

"....hi!..You may rise!" Alastor, a bit taken back by all these people, stuttered in his speech while waving his hand awkwardly. "So...what are you all doing here?"

"Well of course it's to celebrate your accomplishment, milord!" the man in black with similar feature to Mephisto, stood up and walked to Alastor. "You did the impossible, something none of your predecessors have managed to even come close to. This calls for a feast!"

"Accomplishment? Are you referring to Valhalla's declaration? And who are you?" asked the boy.

"Where are my manners? I must apologize for my inexcusable behavior, milord. But you can't really blame me for being this excited ever since I heard the news.

Ehem, I am Diablo, second-in-command of the Devil's clan, the one Mephisto came from. But after he was appointed to the position of the royal demon guard, I took over and am now the acting leader of the clan.

But back to your question. What else would I be talking about? From now on, thanks to you, we can finally be free to roam around as much as we want without fearing to be hunted down like animals. " The man spoke. "Truly amazing!"

"So that's why you have all been gathering here. Now I understand." Alastor uttered, nodding in agreement.

"But of course! The moment Mephisto informed us, we had to come here as fast as we can. It's only now that I, or anyone else here, regret not meeting you earlier during the entire year you stayed here. However, we hope that you understand our concern and doubt when Mephisto told us about you. But now, we realize how wrong we were for underestimating you. You truly deserved the title 'Demon Lord'." Diablo flattered the boy.

"Your words are too kind." Alastor scratched his head.

"So when do you begin?" Diablo inquired.

"Begin what?"

"The invasion of course!"

"....What?"

"Isn't it your plan to control Morrigan from behind the scene? Her actions will allow us to infiltrate their society and destroy them from inside. Or do you prefer the indirect way? Waiting for Morrigan to unite all nations under the banner of Valhalla then take over the throne. We can arrange some kind of 'unfortunate accident' without raising any suspicion to make sure that no one questions your ascension to the monarchy. Isn't that the reason you become her adopted son in the first place?"

"....." The boy stood there, dismayed by those words before exhaling a long sigh of desperation. "No, there won't be any invasion."

"So you prefer to take the indirect road? Of course that goes as well. How about...."

"None of that as well!" Alastor spoke.

"Then how do we destroy them?" Diablo and the demons inquired, unable to grasp what Alastor intended to do. Perhaps the boy had another plan, something even more profound than they could imagine.

"We don't and we won't."

"....WHAT?? What do you mean you won't?" Diablo shouted angrily.

"What I wish for is peace, coexistence between all races. And that includes us." The demon lord uttered.

"What you want? Then what about us? What about the rest? All those centuries of oppression! All those deaths! Are you just going to ignore that?" Diablo spoke out loud by himself but one look at the others showed that he was not the only one who shared that opinion. All the people gathered here have been more or less victims of the tragedy. Each had their own story, their own loss.

When there were two sides, the oppressed and the oppressors, if you wanted to seek peace between the two, which side did you think would be more difficult to convince? The answer would be the oppressed party.

For the oppressor, they only needed to abandon their current ideas of thinking themselves as the superior. It was not something easy to do but it was possible and needed some time for the new idea to propagate. However, the same could not be said for the oppressed for a very obvious reason. There have been too many damages for their side. Scars that would never heal. Emptiness left behind by the loss of their loved ones that could never be whole again. All those negative emotions stacked up generation after generation, and now this boy was saying they were supposed to throw all that away? How could they? After all those years, these things have been embedded in their blood, engraved in their mind. How were they able to grant forgiveness for the people who took everything from them?

"Too much blood has been spilled already on both sides and not just ours. While I admit that this conflict..this war was started by them, it's about time to end this cycle of hatred once for all. But it won't end itself, not without the effort from both sides." Alastor explained.