Demon King

CH- 22: Debates and Deals: An unfamiliar bond.

 Henzo's bond forced one eye open, turning the innocent smile crooked as it glared at Ric through its crimson eyes.

A shiver ran down Ric's spine, filled with more disgust than fright. "I still find nothing that can benefit me."

"Come on. Let's be friends," Henzo's patience broke, and he snatched Ric's hand into a weak handshake.

Ric attempted to flood Henzo with energy hoping to push the fool to let his guard down further, but he failed at every attempt.

The brat was right; only a smidgen of his initial power and control remained after the initiation.

The most disheartening aspect was that even in his prime, at the peak of initiation, he lacked the power necessary to achieve any of his objectives. Even the slightest whims of the most boastful goddesses or their lesser siblings can dispatch him to kingdom come if they so desired, and he would have been a fool to not notice it all.

"Is the initiate stage the ultimate peak? And if so, has anyone surpassed that limit?" Ric inquires, his heart sinking deeper with each passing second.

Hanzo's smile widened, and Ric swore he was all smiles and no face before relaxing to respond. "Depends..."

"How can... oh!" Ric realizes. "You won't answer until we make a deal."

"Yup."

"You seem more desperate than me." Ric slaps Hanzo's hand away. "We shall see who folds first."

"A folding competition?"

"Yes."

"What are we folding?"

"This is going to be a long journey," Ric sighs.

"Clothes? Wait! I don't understand."

Ric resorted to giving Hanzo the silent treatment, and after five minutes, Hanzo folded, sighing like a bird, ready to divulge whatever knowledge he had of this blessed world, which wasn't much as he was a citizen of Hope.

"Yes!" Hanzo had a firm grip on Ric's feet, imploring him to pay attention to the answer.

"I don't want to know." Ric heaved with every step he took, pulling Hanzo along. He detested not having the darker affinities more than ever at this moment.

"The peak has never been broken so far in history or within any foreseer's vision."

"I don't care." Ric grunts, struggling to get free. "What is up with Mary?" He coughs and mumbles another question, dragging Hanzo and the answers out of him.

"Mom–"

"–What are you both doing?" Mary gapes at the bizarre scene.

"Playing?" They both answer in unison.

"Real convincing," Mary snorts. "These woods are off-limits." She waves them closer. "No more entries." She slaps Ric for good measure before he can come up with a bad word or, worse, a retort.

"How does she know beforehand?" Ric rubbed his cheek; this time, it hurt even more with the light gone.

"His initiation stage is gone," Henzo informs.

"What is that?" Mary swings a suspicious eye at Ric instead of Henzo, suspecting he spoke his mind by using Henzo as a mouthpiece.

Ric gives Mary a bland expression, which works as a retort without getting slapped. 'This is your world; shouldn't I be asking you that?'

He never says it out loud, but Mary understands him nonetheless. "I don't follow the trend..." She shrugs, slapping Ric again for good measure.

"Mom is a bit... peculiar," Henzo grins from ear to ear.