Tree of Aeons

Perspective of Alexis.

The demon king is out for their heads.

She knew it. She felt it. Every battle with the demons, their eyes seemed to contain a deep, feral rage, all directed at them. Is it just how they always look?

Even when they are not fighting, it feels like she could sense where the demon king is. It’s as if there is always a cold wind that blows from that direction, but there’s no actual wind.

After the constant ambushes and attacks, she now also suspects, so can the demons. It’s the only plausible reason why incredibly powerful demons appear where they are, and somehow, can always strike when they are apart.

“Its a coincidence, Alexis.” Max waves off the idea. “They have hunter-demons and demon knights constantly tracking where we are. That’s why they know where we are.”

Maybe.

But is it?

As a mage, there is a logic to everything. This system, even if it does not fit anything from where she came from, has its own rules and laws. And those rules means all power must have some kind of feature or law which it obeys, including that of the gods’ blessings.

The blessings of the gods. The blessings, they offer some degree of protection from demons, they enhance stats growth, boosts experience gain for easier levelling. These are common knowledge, that heroes get perks like this, to make it easier to defeat the demon king. For them to gain the power necessary to destroy the demon.

Lately, she had occasional moments of clarity, and she now suspects the blessings do more than they say they do.

Her friends, those who came together with them. They all were headed for a cafe when the truck lost control and the huge container came undone, and slammed into all of them.

Their friends. After a brief meeting with the gods, they all woke up in this world, and her friends, herself even, went all in on this divine quest to slay the demon.

Heroes, her friends, and even herself. So engrossed with that goal. Such that all the death, pain, suffering, all just a side note. A number. The vast destruction around her, all they seem to do is enhance their resolve to destroy the demon king.

Its as if all of them heroes have been mentally altered, made immune to the destruction, and all that negative energy and emotions is funnelled into achieving their goal of defeating the demon king. Meela, even with her near death, went back to the battlefield happily, as if her brush with death never really matter.

Alexis did not realise this before, but lately, that brief clarity of mind. It’s only when she reread her daily journal, that she realised her own strange mental processes, the strange way she is reacting to all these senseless death all these time.

“We’re on the way back, Alexis.” A communication mage walks up to her and passes the message.

Alexis nods. The heroes, all of the summoned, they will converge soon, back here, at the tree.

Alexis scribbles on her journal.

For the moment, destroying the demon king aligns to her and her group’s interest. After all, they are hunted. That sense, that ominous feeling that ‘the demons are coming’ still permeates her.

Wait. If her suspicions are true, the demon king will look for them, even before they are ready.

What would she do? What should they do? Can they keep running?

She glances up at looks at the tree. It’s larger, far larger now. And she feels… safe. If they had to fight, this is the best place for it. If the plan is up to her, they would fall back, and fight here.

Still, can the demons find them?

She sits, and closes her eyes. Stilling her mind, she concentrates on her breathing, the prickling senses on her skin, the beating of her heart.

And she searches. For a subtle signal, a presence of their own. Are they leaking some signals behind? Are they, like a nuclear bomb, leaking radiation which the demons can pick up?

If the gods had a hand in this, where would they do it?

If they could hide their presence, maybe, just maybe, they could deal a surprise attack-

“Alexis, are you busy?” Meela asks, she looks like ran.

“Ah.” Alexis snaps out of her concentration. “Uh.. yes. I would like some time.”

Meela nods, “Oh… Okay.” She sighs, and walks away.

Alexis closes her eyes, and tries again.

Demons. Anger. Destruction. Fire. Death. Fields of dead men. The voices of all the grieving humans, saying the Demon King must be slain.

Alexis shakes her head. Not again. All of them, all the heroes get this every now and then.

As if the world reminds them of their duty.

She walks closer to the tree, and lifts a small wooden teapot. She pours herself a cup, and sips on it.

Tea.

And the voices go away.