Chapter 6: Bussy on Tongue

Sometime when you could not distinguish between real life and fiction, it comes back tp bite you in the ass

I would argue that anime set up fantasy-like expectation for its viewer. The bright, cartonish, and often glamorized characters romanticized the concept they represent, from which watchers had come to appreciate until they were shown it in real life

There was this series in my childhood about a boy who got blessed with power from an acient dragon, which attract the attention of a red-haired female devil who recruited him into her side. The anime likes to depict him getting into various harem shenanigans with other devil girls. Often time, I like to fantasize that was me

"I wish I can be surrounded by demons! That would be so cool"

Did you remember what I said about distinguishing real life and fiction? Yeah

Thirteen year old me declared with the full innocence of a child who have yet to experience what was about to come, and I'd never hate him more for that

________

The alarm was thrown across the room, smashing through the thick concrete wall and landed on my bed

I opened my eyes to the ringing sound, tiredly reaching out a hand to turn it off

"Aamon, I understand you are in a state of constant agony as a demon who lives off hate, but please refrain from breaking anything in this house" I yawned "The police are getting tired of all the neighbor's midnight calls on us"

The small pup growled from the other side of the room. His fur was ruffled in an agitated manner. He hopped to my side as I got out of bed, following me into the bathroom

"Forcas. Just because you're a shapeshifting demon with deadly powers doesn't mean you have to turn into whatever I was looking for. Thank you, but seriously"

The toilet let out a sad whine

It has always been the same with these two. At first they'd present themselves as bloodthirsty demons with an affinity for chaos. Slowly, it'd be revealed that they're just weirdos

Bloodthirsty weirdos, be as it may

First thing in the morning, I like to tumble down the stairs and make myself a cup of coffee. Breakfast would either be junk food or something requiring minimal effort to prepare

"Summoner, must you gorge yourself with these junk everyday?"

It stands to reason that as the equivalent of Hell's royalty, Belial dislikes my eating habit

As always, whenever I come to the kitchen he'd already be sitting at a table while reading books about the world's history, geography, and politics

"Jewish people are no longer slaves. How sad"

"Blacks are their substitute, sadly" I yawned "Nowaday you see them yelling Black Lives Matter, but not Jewish ones despite statistics showing five times the casualties during Nazi reign"

"And that Jewish's Holocaust were cast in brutal details while historians like to gloss over Soviet headcounts"

I visited a gas chamber in German once. It really is haunting standing in a place you know many have died

Mortality is an inherent trait of living creatures. Flourishing and decaying, eat and eaten. Humanity's special trait is that of ceaseless brutality, eating even when full

"Hey, I was wondering what was the Hell you came from like" I wondered, looking at the demons "Is it all fire and brimstone like how the Bible tell?"

"I wouldn't know. None of us know"

"Why not? Aren't you the top dog in the Hell hierarchy?"

It would be fascinating to see how a place function as concentration ground for sinners.

Suffering in return for evil. The wicked unbeliever get their due and the confessional lamb sent to heaven. That's how it was supposed to go, which is why I was surprised by Belial's answer

"Hell is a Reality Marble. There's nothing much to it"

"And what the fuck is that?" I quirked an eyebrow "Is it like...one of those snow globe thing sold in stores?"

"You could say so. Reality Marbles are manifestation of an individual's perception of the world, attained by either those who have reached the apothesis of Magecraft or achieved the pinnacle revolution of their species. It is a world of self replacing the world of the planet's by rewriting the code inside reality"

Belial smiled at my confused expression

"The Ars Goetia's 72 demons also own them and can activate their Reality Marbles at will. But Hell is different. It is created by the original Satan as an eternal kingdom that can neither be destroyed nor neutralized as an Anti-God mechanism, and is therefore Nothingness"

Most of those terms flew over my head. I shook my head while wondering what different worlds we live in

_______

In the far land of the British, there is a country known as England, and in there lies a city named London. But everybody knows it

What normal people don't know is that London is host to a society of magical people consisting of clans, cabals, families whose history has extended to centuries before the country's foundation

The people practice Magecraft in secrets (relatively speaking). They hone their knowledge, seeking the truth of all creation as not only a personal goal, but the sole purpose of their bloodline

Being a Magus is like a duet with death. With exploration comes extreme risk, and they have gotten used to the fallout

Death. Destruction. Deez. Nothing can faze them anymore

Except, maybe, sometime

"Some bogus mad shit just straight up summoned a demon in the middle of the city?"

The chamber was in chaos. Round seats surrounding an audience room seated by dozens of people chatter with each other, as a bored man looked on from above

"Th-that's impossible right? The amount of Mana needed to do such a feat would be astronomical!" One member exclaimed

"Tell that to the report from our our guys in America! Serial killings, a new plague, and finally a massacre! Does that sound like non-demonic activities to you?"

"Additionally, none of the on sight witnesses remembered what had transpired. Their memories were cleary altered!"

"Guys, maybe it was just a gas leak—"

"Enough" One voice interrupted. The audience went silent "Irregardless of the source, it is imperative that we take immediate action to investigate and neutralize this threat"

The one who spoke is the chief of the council, also the most powerful among them

From the shadow, she leaned forward

"It had taken us 200 years to rebuild this tower ever since the 1700's demon invasion. We can't afford for our existence to gets revealed should another take place"

"What do you suggest we do?"

She took a long, suffering sigh

"Send our best enforcers to America of course. They'll investigate the situation there and handle it accordingly"

"Not to be rude, Madame Barthomeloi, but Enforcers are inferior Magus incapable of killing anything without their...guns"

A Magus spat the word with barely-concealed disgust. Several agreed with vehement cries

"Exactly, we can't rely on a bunch of iron-shooting brutes to neutralize demonic entities by themselves"

"What do you think, Wizard Marshal?"

Silence descends around the chamber as she invoked his rank. Protests died on their lips, settling into muteness

Unlike that with Barthomeloi's, this one wasn't born out of respect, but primal, soul-resonating fear

It was as though a sudden pressure had descended upon them as a pair of eyes opened in the dark, bored and unassuming, but with mesmerizing depth behind their crimson irises

The man at the top closed his Samsung Galaxy and inspect their terrified faces, like a god would to mortals below them

"It had taken me all 11,840 primogems to get this far, literally one roll away until I hit pity" The elderly man sigh "But all my daily commisions are finished, and it's five minutes til the banner end. Hutao's not coming home"

"We're talking about the situation in New York. The one with demons killing people"

"Oh, send Emiya"

______

"Do you know the power the power you have as our Summoner?"

"Hmm. No idea"

Aamon licked at my finger which had traces of peanut butter on them. I put the pup-sized demon down and turned to Belial

"Am I suppose to be worried?"

"There are many Magecraft practitioner who desire to possess an iota of our power, as we are their origin. They will hunt you down and possibly used your corpse as subject to their experiment"

I suppose that makes sense. The revelation that there are still people knowing about magic in this world

"Not to mention, the Church will take every opportunity to eliminate you should they discover your identity"

Ah...the church...hm....at least I'm over 18 now

"But you'll protect me, right?" I asked with a hint of nervousness

"Of course we will" he rolled his eye "Your survival is pertinent to our continued existence, no matter how trivial"

It is a relief to be protected by something that incited a plague and massacre in the few time it appears to me

That's like being assured by Satan that he'll keep his end of the deal when you won in Poker. Very unlikely. Maybe that's why I don't want to rely on him

"I want to become a Magus"

I now need more knowledge of the magical world to deal with the unknown. Especially after the disaster with the Goetia where people have died because of my incompetence

It is for my well-being and the safety of everyone in this city that a decision was made

I watched as Belial's face go through a range of emotion: happy, confused, and finally to disappointed

"You want to learn Magicka, but would deny our tutoring?"

"Only with demon magic. Sorry, nothing against you, I just don't feel like copying another's power" I rolled my eyes "I planned to learn the basis before improving on my own"

I can't count on the demons not betraying me again. Our alliance was born out of mutual agreement: My help in spreading chaos in exchange for their servitude. Loop holes and backstabbing are within range of expectations

Demon Magecraft sound cool until you learn that it's mainly spells that cause death, torturous pain, and no small amount of depravity when coming in full effect, and that the used basically has to cast aside their moral compass to prevent the backlash

With the Ars Goetia who are used to the presence of evil, such sacrifices are mere trivialities in exchange for that magnitude of power. But me who is a normal human would not survive

I looked at the contemplating Belial and wish I could see what he is thinking. The silence dragged on, before the demon snapped his finger, a smile returning to his facd

"I have a condition of my own for teaching you about Magicka"

"And that is?" I prepared to reject the offer should it come to something too drastic, such as global extermination or—

"You would have to kill a single person of our choosing" his answer made me pause "No exception"

I pretend to mull over the condition while my mind was reeling in shock at the simplicity of the statement

That doesn't sound too bad. Compared to other things they've done, taking someone's life seems to be such a tame action

I agreed to the deal, since it'll most liely be their only incentive to help me

"Tell me their name"

"Fujimaru Ritsuka" Belial smile "I want him gone from this world, and you're the only one who can do it"

_____

I am the author of this work. Computer as my canvas and keyboard as my brush

This account will forever be cursed to only make Fate story

Unknown to death, nor known to life. Have withstood pain to create a coherent plot, but these characters will never make sense

So as I pray, Unlimited Fate Work: please just let me die

From now on I'll make weird ass chapter names and hopefully people will stop reading them