Guardian of My Heart

Chapter 16: A New Perspective

Asmodeus' POV:

My entire body felt as though it had been crushed beneath a stone pillar. Everything ached and there were several portions where I felt an annoying stinging sensation. The sound of my steady breathing was all that permeated the room around me. Opening my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar room. I was resting on a plain white bed as a slight incline, surrounded by various medical tools and magical remedies, many of which I noticed were currently in use helping me recover from my injuries. But what caused me to become so wounded? Think, Asmodeus. How did I arrive here? Searching the banks of my memory, I slowly began to piece things together. Today was Monday, the first day of the new semester at Babyls. It was my first year attending the prestigious school. I had gone through several tests and was given the honor of presenting the student speech to my peers. And then, then . . . Iruma! That name and face seared itself into my mind like a hot iron brand. The floodgates opened once more, and I suddenly remembered everything. Iruma stealing my chance to give the student speech, me challenging him to a duel in front of the entire school, the two of us going back and forth with him not seeming to attack at all. Until he did, and everything changed.

One moment I had been charging towards the feline demon with a blazing sword in hand, gazing into a frightened face that looked like it wished to be anywhere else. And then as if a switch had been flipped, Iruma's entire demeanor changed in an instant. His stance became more confident, his fear was replaced with arrogance and rage, and the sclera of his eyes became tinted black. I felt like I was staring into the eyes of a wild beast at that moment. And then everything became a blur of blue and red as Iruma moved at speeds I've never before witnessed a demon possess, at least not demons of his age and of unconfirmed rank. I barely had time to register the pain as I struggled to even keep up with his movements. Eventually, I felt my strength leave me and I knew I was at his mercy. And he showed me mercy in the end. He could have, SHOULD have, finished me. Made my humiliation utterly complete and tarnish my family name. So why did he spare me? Glancing to my left, I saw a copy of the school paper lying next to me on a desk. Picking it up, the front page clearly showed the aftermath of our battle, with Iruma holding me above his head triumphantly. But as I squinted to better see, I noticed that there were trails of tears on the demon's face as he held me up.

Just who are you, Iruma? As I read the paper, it went on to describe how Iruma, after confirming my defeat, had sought to tend to my injuries himself. At that moment a nurse came into view. "Back in the land of the living I see. Fortunate enough for you, that blue-haired boy has a heart of gold buried in him somewhere. Wouldn't have guessed that your mortal enemy would carry you to get help, but that's just the mystery of the Chairdemon's grandson I suppose." I looked at the back of the nurse as she gathered more potions and a set of bandages to add to a satchel I would no doubt be in ownership of soon enough. "Yes, quite peculiar indeed. I shall have to show him my proper gratitude as soon as possible." The nurse turned to me and handed me the satchel. "That sounds like a good idea. He was waiting for you to wake up so he could talk to you after all. Took me an hour to convince him that you needed to rest. But you're good to go now, just don't push yourself too hard." I certainly had no intentions of exerting myself any further today. All that was required now was the familiar summoning ritual, and I was still plenty capable of accomplishing that. Not wishing to dwell in the infirmary any longer, I thanked the nurse for providing her aid and made my way to the principal's office, hoping that Iruma would be found there. At the very least, I could at least make my apology to the Chairdemon for my assault on his grandson. 

The trip to Principal Sullivan's office took a fair bit longer than I would have hoped, though with the extent of my injuries it was to be expected. I had already healed for the most part, though I could still feel a significant number of bruises beginning to form, and I couldn't help but wince in pain slightly as they were aggravated. As I approached the door, I could faintly hear a conversation on the other side between two demons. One sounded like the principal, while the other was no doubt Iruma. I suspected that the Chairdemon's security devil Opera must have also been present, though they gave no vocal indication of their presence if they were indeed there. "My grandson soundly winning in his first official duel on campus, oh I couldn't possibly be any prouder!" "Grandpa, this is serious! I almost killed Asmodeus back there! I don't know what would have happened if I didn't get control of myself in time!" I chose this moment to push open the door in a dramatic fashion, my face as stoic as I had practiced it to be, though it was becoming somewhat difficult to maintain appearances right now. Taking a quick survey of the room I noticed the three demons I had been expecting to find. Principal Sullivan was sitting in a relaxed position behind his lavish desk, all the while a copy of the school paper was in his hands. I don't think I'll ever quite understand how the media works so fast.

Directly in front of the Chairdemon were the forms of Iruma and Opera, the former now shaking and hiding behind the latter at having noticed my sudden entry. It did not take a genius level intellect to realize the similarities between the two demons. Curious, I wasn't aware that the Chairdemon's grandson was related to his security devil, though the resemblance is beyond mere coincidence I'd wager. And that would also help explain why Iruma seemed such a talented fighter after all. I calmly walked up to the blue-haired demon who had bested me, not taking my eyes away from his own the whole while. Although I knew that I felt admiration towards this boy, and I was still intent on following the traditions of old by submitting myself to Iruma as his loyal servant, a part of me was perplexed. The demeanor and look in his eyes heavily mirrored his state when I first encountered him, and it starkly contrasted how he had acted when he chose to move on the offensive against me in our duel. As I moved into a fluid bow, I could hear a slight whimper escape the boy's mouth, before he suddenly released a curious breath he had been holding in. "In our earlier duel, I truthfully gave my all and still I soundly lost to your might and intellect. Truly you are a demon of a much higher caliber than I."

As I raised my head to gaze at Iruma, I noticed how he was now standing in front of me, Opera holding their hands on either of his shoulders. His uniform had been replaced with a fresh one as opposed to the previous one which had been covered in burns and stained with my blood. Iruma's face looked vacant, and the trail of tears remained just as I had seen in the newspaper. "Furthermore, you deemed me worthy enough to spare me further humiliation from the crowds, and even sought to mend my wounds yourself. As is ancient Netherworld custom, the loser of a duel is required by law to submit themselves to the winner. Therefore . . ." I held Iruma's gaze, a smile creeping its way onto my face as I prepared to devote myself to this magnificent demon before me. "I, Asmodeus Alice, shall henceforth happily serve as your loyal sword and shield! Together, we will conquer this school, and then the entire Netherworld, and then-" I was silenced when I felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around me and Iruma's tear-stained face bury itself into my chest, sobbing all the while. "Please, just stop. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me." I felt unsure of myself, not able to comprehend what had just spontaneously transpired. I don't understand, why is he apologizing to me? He is the victor; it is his right to stand above me. So why does he lower himself to my level?

The sobs of my new master broke me out of my own thoughts, and acting quickly I tried to comfort Iruma the only way I could at that moment. Gently, I returned his hug and began to stroke his fur whilst rubbing circles into his back. "Shhh, it is alright master. You have nothing to be sorry for. You have displayed great strength today, and I am honored to have been graced by your prowess." For a moment all was silent once again save for Iruma's crying, before the boy spoke up once more. "Don't call me master. Please. You earned the right to give that speech, and I stole it from you. I won't steal your freedom too." Gently prying Iruma away from me so that I could look him in the eye once more, I spoke to him. "You are right, I did earn the right to deliver my speech. But as much as I was seething at the time, I must admit that your speech was truly incredible as well. As for the loss of my freedom, I have only my own foolish recklessness to blame for such a fate befalling me. And I would be honored to serve beside you, for within you I have seen a fierce and determined demon." I barely noticed the flinch Iruma gave in response to my final words, but it was perceptible, nonetheless. Looking at the other two demons in the room, however, I knew it was not my place to talk about such matters.

"I don't care. I refuse to be your master. But . . . maybe we can be, friends?" My interest had been piqued now, for I had never heard of the word 'friends' before. "Forgive me, Iruma, but what exactly are 'friends'?" Iruma looked equally as puzzled as I must have by now. "Well, friends are demons that you like to hang out with, and do fun things together, like play games or visit restaurants, or watch movies together. Friends are demons that you know you can rely on to have your back when you need them." A metaphorical lightbulb appeared over my head as my smile returned. "Ah! Based on your description, friends sound an awful lot similar to allies. If this is the case, then I would be honored to be your ally Iruma. And by extension, your friend." The tears were still flowing down Iruma's face, but a small smile now graced his lips as he met my eyes. "Really? You want to be friends with me?" I gave him a slight pat on the head as I scratched behind his cat ears, eliciting a soft purr from the blue-haired teen. "If that is what you desire, Iruma. I would gladly be friends with someone such as you." Iruma returned to hugging me once more, but this time it was a soft hug. I felt his head rest against my chest, his purring now vibrating my body. "I'd like that. Thank you, Asmodeus." "Please, just call me Azz." "Okay, Azz. Thank you."