Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 41.1: The Demon's Spear

Thousands of years ago, a powerful demon cut his way out of the Netherrealm with the aid of his trusted spear in a quest to search for a purpose beyond endless battle. This demon, upon fighting his way out of the hellish dimension, found himself in a world blessed by the gods, filled with honey, life and endless beauty. The demon, upon seeing this reality, swore to never return to the abyss and gore-filled reality that was the Netherrealm.

The demon toured the unfamiliar realm in the form of an ordinary man in order not to alarm the several races he came across during his journey, called humes, favored by Aethir, mother of creation. He found the everyday lives of these short-lived creatures fascinating and decided to spend time amongst them to learn their ways, and understand why the gods granted these races so much favor and grace compared to those who made their homes in Netherrealm.

Unfortunately, the demon was destined to face disappointment. Humes were no more special than any other creature out there. They cheated, stole and killed each other over the stupidest of issues. Sure, there were those who loved, and gave their lives for their friends, family or country, but as far as the demon was concerned, there was nothing special about any of that.

Warriors in Netherrealm often gave their lives for their brethren. In fact, the demon found the denizens of Netherrealm to much more trustworthy than these so-called favored humes. In Netherrealm, you knew everyone was out to kill you, and thus you could react accordingly. Partnerships and the like were often based solely on profit, leading to few cases of outright betrayal.

Humes, on the other hand, often made emotional decisions that went contrary to any logic. They would happily forego long-term goals in place of short-term satisfaction. They were irrational, but fascinating creatures. However, there was nothing so special about them that warranted special treatment from the gods.

Disillusioned with the world, the demon left civilization and traveled to the far fringes of the planet, to the forgotten, untamed forests and wildernesses. These areas of the world still followed the law of survival of the fittest. Beasts and plants fought for their lives with a fervor that could only be understood by those who danced on the edge of life and death every day.

The demon finally found his home in this chaotic landscape. The constant fear of death, coupled with the desperate, bloody battles made the demon feel right at home. While touring these regions, the demon came across a savage race that looked similar to him. These creatures had the torso of a man and the body of a horse and referred to themselves as centaurs.

The centaurs, like most creatures in the forest, were wild beasts who were engaged in endless tussles against other beasts for supremacy of the land. The centaurs reeked of blood and their eyes held a dmaning glare that promised death to anyone that wasn't their kind.

The demon took an instant liking to the centaurs and decided to live among them. Using knowledge he had gained from observing other civilizations, he taught the centaurs the art of farming, and weapon crafting. Under the demon's tutelage, the centaurs soon transformed from a band of savages to a well-organized community. This allowed them to not only, conquer the forest in record time, but also set up a thriving economy, built on selling rare items in the woods to outside civilizations.

Over time, many centaurs left their village, to venture out and build new lives for themselves within the civilized world. However, quite a few remained to stay and live with their god. The years passed peacefully as the centaurs continued to grow in both stature and prominence in the world. The demon grew content with his role as god of the centaurs. Seeing these creatures who looked like him rise up in the world filled him with more accomplishment and pride than any victory in the Netherrealm ever could.