The Demon King's Hero Of Light 113 Chapter 113 Earth's Friend

He turned and watched as she pulled the ring out of thin air, and held it out to him.

"What's this?" he asked, not reaching out to take it.

"It's a ring that should help you control the earth a little better," she said.

"Why do I need that?" he asked, perplexed.

Aella didn't have an answer for him, confused, she held it out again. "Just take it and see if it helps."

"No, thank you. I would hate to insult the earth by stooping so low as to force it to do something. Our relationship is one that has developed over many years."

She tilted her head to look at him. "You talk as if the earth has an intelligence."

"You are the Air Hero, yes?"

She nodded.

"Does the air not have feelings? Do you not feel its emotions as it moves about you?"

Aella looked up and closed her eyes. She did feel the joys of it skipping across the sky, the wild urges to move fast and carefree. The little hair she had always kept short, had grown out, and the wind moved it gently, tickling her ears.

"I understand the feelings of the air, but the ring that I used merely gave me aid in using my abilities, not in restraining its freedom."

"Just as you understand the air, I understand the earth. It is steady, and solid. Not just anything can get it to move. I have cultivated my abilities over time, gaining its trust, slowly as the mountains breathe. I do not need a ring that will force it to do what I bid it, as a master to a slave. It will freely do as I ask, as a friend. Perhaps you are too young to understand."

She looked out over the fields, wondering if the wind had seen her as a master. The last thing she wanted was to be cruel to it, especially after the many years she had been a slave herself. This world, on top of the ground, rather than in it, where the air moved freely and danced as the wind, was a delight for her. But did it see her as a friend?

"What is a friend?" she asked softly, more to herself than the man beside her.

"A friend? Has your training been so severe that you don't even know what a friend is?" he marveled, looking at her in shock.

"I do not. My father was taken from me at a young age, and I was sent to train and kill until I won my freedom, somewhat. I at least have a little more control over what I can do," she said.

"Such a harsh life for one so young. I too was taken from my family, but I was not instructed to kill. I was taught to use the earth until the church was satisfied with my abilities. Then, once I had taken a wife, to further the line, they decided to send me north. Once my son was born, and past the age of death, as many young babies struggle with, I was sent to the south, until you came to take me here. No one will be free as long as the church is in power, and the demons remain on the land."

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Aella fought the urge to tell him the truth, then sighed. It would be so much easier than lying.

"I'm not from the church, old man."

"I know," he said, turning back to the wall before him. "The church would have killed you at birth, instead of risking a hero that was half demon."

Her respect for him rose as well, but so did her confusion.

"I imagine you're the Demon King? I didn't figure they would have a girl as the king, but it is just a t.i.tle, right?"

"When did you figure it out?" she asked, putting the ring away.

"When you first appeared and kicked the wall I was hiding behind. The church would have informed me of someone coming, and would have called me to come out."

She watched as he returned to building the wall. Flying up high, she watched as he formed a wall all the way around where the city would be. She was impressed with the overall size of it, since she hadn't really given him a clear idea of what she wanted. When the outer wall was finished, she flew back down to him.

"I a.s.sume you want an inner wall around your castle?" he asked, looking a little pale.

"Yes, but first, you need to eat something and rest," she said, holding out her hand.

"I will be fine with just a simple rest. The earth is in the mood to cooperate, so I want to continue."

She nodded and stood back while he caught his breath.

"Alright, take me to the center of the circle," he said, holding out his hand.

She teleported him to the center, and watched as he merely raised the walls from where he was standing. The entire ring went up all at once.

"Where does the rock come from? Are there hollows under the ground now?" she asked.

"If there is going to be a lot of people living here, then you will need water to drink. I am forming a place for water to collect, deep under the city. It will still be supported, so you don't have to worry about it collapsing."

"That's fantastic!" she said with a smile. That hadn't occurred to her. She had merely figured they would have water from the nearby river brought over.

"Now, for the castle. Do you have a specific plan in mind, or may I come up with it on my own?" he asked.

She thought about it for a moment then shrugged. If there were things she didn't like, they could always go back and fix them later.

"Go ahead. As long as it's st.u.r.dy, I don't mind if you build it how you want."

He smiled for the first time and a child-like delight came over him as he rubbed his hands together. Feeling the ground underneath her feet start to rumble, Aella flew up into the air to watch from a distance. A castle began to form, as she watched, with high walls and towers on the many corners. She counted eight towers by the time he was done. It was stunning in the midday light.

He sat on the edge of the roof, looking down at the city site, when she landed next to him.

"This is better than anything I had in mind!" she exclaimed in delight.

"What was it like, fighting in the pits?" he asked, suddenly. "I had heard, when I was very young, that the demons made their king-hopefuls, fight in the pits to win the crown. You said you fought a lot, and killed many, but what was it like?"

She sat down next to him and thought about her time in the pits.

"It was dark and cold. Sometimes they gave you a bed to sleep on, but normally you caught naps in corners between fights. It was normally safe to nap if they fed you, because it meant they were done with you for a while."

"So, they treated you like animals," he said.

"I don't know," she said. "I never saw any animals down there. Sometimes I would have to fight one, but normally I fought other demons."

"But, how did you win to become king, being only half-demon? Didn't that put you at a disadvantage?"

"It helped, actually. My opponents always a.s.sumed they were better, because they were stronger and bigger. I was always faster. When your goal was to kill your opponent faster, it didn't matter how strong you were."

"I imagine there were a lot of people unhappy with your win," he chuckled.

"There hasn't been an actual king who tried to do anything, in such a long time, I'm struggling to get people to do what needs to be done. They've been allowed to slide and do whatever, things have gotten pretty bad."

"So, why are you moving your people here? Don't you have a nice palace, with magic and stuff? This is no place I have ever seen before."

"As long as there are demons near the church, even with the church leader's dead, there will always be conflict between the two groups. I want to get my people away, to stop the aggression, and give my people a chance to survive. The palace is nice, but it is too much. It is from a time when there were mages and magic was common. That time is gone. So many have died in the catastrophes just since I became king, that it would take far too much work to repair it all. The mages that used to be in power, before the church and the demons split, have set numerous traps all over the castle, that makes it too dangerous for me and my people to live and work."

"You care for these people, despite them being cruel to you."

She looked down at her hands for a moment. Why was she explaining herself to this man? He was probably going to try and kill her, being a hero and with her being the Demon King.

"I only managed to succeed in getting out of the pits by deciding to be the best. As the king, I can keep other kids from going through the same horrors that I endured."

"But why do you care?" he insisted.

"Because no one cared for me, I needed to care. If I didn't, why bother living?"

"And what of the humans that are on your land? Will you leave them, when you leave?"

"No, I plan to bring them here, too. I was thinking of building the Sage her own ma.s.sive library, with many floors of shelves to house her books. And because the other heroes have also left the church and joined me, I think I will build them a city around the library. A place they can feel comfortable away from the demon populace, but not so far as to segregate them. If they wish to live in the main city, then I will not stop them. There will always be more of my demon people here in this land, than there will be humans."

"Perhaps. Don't underestimate humans. They have a way of turning things in their favor over time. Do I need to build the walls and this fine library before you do with me whatever you will?"

She stood up and looked around. There had indeed been several stone spikes poised to strike at her, but they were receding back into the stone of the castle.

"Not going to kill me today?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm a sucker for a sob story," he said with a smile.