With Fear or Without

13- Discussing Demons Over Coffee

The group of four teenagers sat around a circular table in a busy café. The afternoon bustle was just turning into the dinner rush, but a crowded atmosphere meant no one would pay them any mind. Armed with various coffees and teas (and a hastily eaten sandwich by the recovering Cassian), the trio waited in an anxious silence for their questions to be answered.

Cassian took a long sip of his iced coffee, despite the cool weather. When he seemed satisfied, he took a deep breath and began what seemed like a well rehearsed explanation.

"Okay, let me start from the beginning. The real beginning.

"There are two, sort of... entities in this world. Two forces from which everything else stems; Hope and Fear. Like your stereotypical light and dark forces, I guess, but it isn't quite that simple. There are two groups of... beings, under each of them. One group, they're called the Alumarian. Also known as nightmare demons."

He paused, letting the first bit of information wash over them, his words hanging in the air like storm clouds.

Cleo's mind repeated his words over and over. Hope and Fear... She looked at her friends, locked eyes with Charlie. The Alumarian... She knew they were thinking the same thing, about the cloud of shadow they were plunged into. Nightmare demons...

It had all been real.

"The other group are their counterparts, descendants of Hope. Or followers, depending on what history you believe," Cassian continued, hands clasped around his coffee and his eyes darting between his listeners. He took another breath to prepare himself for the next reveal. "We're called the Helopera."

Cleo's jaw hung open, her eyes widening at Cassian, who didn't meet their eyes. Surely this was a good thing, she was sure a descendant of Hope had to be good. But she still didn't know what it meant.

Her friends were just as thrown. Charlie had their hands over their face, rubbing their eyes as if trying to wake up from a dream. Or a nightmare. Andy's gaze flickered back and forth over the table, trying to put the pieces together. She mouthed one word to Cleo; Rowana?

Cleo didn't answer. She had no answer. "Cassian," she leaned forward on the table. "Keep going." It may have been a bit more demanding that she meant it to be.

He nodded. It seemed to Cleo that he knew what he was doing. That this was not his first time explaining the hidden world to clueless wanderers.

"Right. Well, the two sides are at war, basically. A never ending war, one where a victory is just to keep the other side at bay, in their own territories. It's raged on since the beginning. Of time, existence, whatever you-"

"Hold on," Charlie interrupted him. They pressed the base of their palms against their eyes for another moment before dropping them to the table. "Back up. I'm still at Helpeera," she sounded out the unfamiliar word slowly. "Are they... are you, human?"

Cassian blinked. "Hee-low pera, but... yes?"

"You don't sound sure about that," Andy pointed out.

"Well..." Cassian rubbed the back of his neck as he pondered how to respond. "Yeah. I mean, we're not a different species or anything."

"But where did you come from?" Charlie asked. "Like, were you around before humans, at the same time...?"

Cassian thought for a second, then chuckled to himself. "It's been a while since I've taken history, you guys. And it's not like anyone knows the origins of humans, either. I just know that we're basically the same, just... we've evolved differently over time."