Chapter 3: A Not So Normal Day

The Memories of the events that recently occurred between her and the young couple’s child, randomly and frequently popped up in her thoughts, causing her to release a bright and warm smile.

Her old shrunken eyes glimmered with hope and relief as she gleefully said, “You’ve finally returned” ...

“You’ve returned…. Lucifer Morningstar” Stuttered Grega with a melancholic demeanour

Written all over her face was a wide range of both sombre, rueful and hopeful emotions, as she aimlessly jogged through the deepest ends of her memory.

…

Year 649,

Three years Later,

Prekto Village,

Delhade Residence.

Early in the morning, in their warm and cosy wooden cottage, the Delhade’s could be seen carrying out their various morning routines, getting themselves ready for the day ahead of them.

Evox, who was presently three years old, had significantly grown both physically and mentally, judging from the mature, dead calm facial expression, this, giving people the sense that he was far older than his age.

He currently has several notable features, which included his short, yet spiky black hair which had a slight highlight of grey, alongside his slender, dark crimson eyes, giving off a drastic sense of intimidation.

His pointed ears proudly stood out, appearing to give the lad with insane auditory abilities. Same goes for his perfectly pointed nose and sharp fangs that obnoxiously bulges out by the sides of lips.

His overgrown fangs were also marked off as a sign of physical abnormality and apart from that, he seemed to be a physically normal three year old, who had an odd aura of maturity.

This was due to the immense level his source was currently at.

Unlike the normal three year Demons in Mao, Evox by this age had already grasped the Infernal native language, ‘Maosae’, as well as his village’s corresponding accent and grammatical intonation.

This was a feat that even seemed impossible for most four-year-old Demons, as well as a few five year olds.

“Evox... Could you help mummy in the Kitchen?” Lilith cheerily inquired, waving at her son, who had literally cleaned the entire house in an instant.

Apart from his insane speed and strength which immensely superseded his age, Evox’s proficiency, diligence and level of hard work was literally another force to be reckoned with.

“Alright Mum” He simply answered, wearing a straight, stoic face.

Quickly, he headed straight to the Kitchen, leaving his middle aged father behind

Following suit, Keigus who was busying himself with dusting some special artefacts, promptly headed outside, grabbing his newly sharpened axe along the way.

Arriving at the moderately sized and furnished Kitchen, Evox's crimson eyes were greeted by the sight of his beautiful and busty mother, cutting up a bunch of oddly coloured vegetables. 

The Carrots had a dark purple colour with a slight hue of pink, alongside a pair of Azure coloured Lettuce balls and oddly shaped potatoes.

At the end of the room was a miniature furnace-like compartment. Square in nature, it had a hollow structure which was sealed off by a metal door opening.

The Upper layer was attached to an exterior metal ring which was used to conduct heat, at the same time, to support anything placed on top of it.

It also had a circular opening on its top which was surrounded by the ring. This allowed fire to slightly escape, heating up whatever was placed on top.

As for the ashy and smoky aftermath, with the help of simple House chore magic, they were able to rid themselves of the unpleasant pollutant.

Presently, the ‘Stove’ wasn’t actually lit, however, Lilith had already placed a pitch black Cauldron on top.

“Could you help me light it up?” Lilith politely inquired, obviously pointing at the stove.

Quickly understanding what she meant, Evox proceeded towards the blast stove, casually opening its door like a lid. 

Inside the hollow interior of the stove, was a pile of freshly cut pieces of firewood, ready for combustion.

∆ Ignis ∆ 

Pointing his index finger at the pile of wood, he swiftly whispered the spell name, while channelling a precise proportion of his Infernal energy.

In an instant, the pile casually erupted into flames, steadily heating the metal rim as well as the cauldron on top.

Watching her son’s brilliant display, at the same time admiring his prowess in magic, despite his age, Lilith couldn’t help but gleefully stare at her little Evox, wearing a genial smile.

No matter how many she had witnessed Evox’s display of magic, she always left stunned, amazed and excited. Same goes for his father, Keigus Delhade.

…

Thanks to this, whenever the lad requested texts and Grimoires pertaining to Magic, they didn’t hesitate in getting the materials he needed.

On some occasions, he had asked his mother to lecture him on the act of Alchemy, which she happily taught, majorly giving him some basic information on magical herbs and potion brewing. Like always, the little demon further exceeded her expectations.

However, despite his outstanding performance and prowess, the only thing which limited him was apparently his age and little but developing body. 

Taking this factor into consideration, he decided to ease his taste for power, thus, allowing him to live a rather normal life.

…

Holding back her overly excited shriek, Lilith refocused her attention on her brilliant son, who solemnly stared into the flames.

“Thank you” She appreciated the lad, attracting his attention towards herself.

Obviously noting what she said, he simply replied with a slight nod, still wearing an indifferent, stoic demeanour.

Despite his lack of facial expression, Lilith and Keigus had long found a way to easily read his emotions, giving them the ability to freely communicate with him.

Noting that he was happy to help, she happily reciprocated the polite gesture with a genial nod of her own.

“You can go help your Dad outside” Lilith waved cheerfully, gradually engrossing herself straight into her aromatic cooking.

“Alright” He sharply replied, swiftly exiting the premises, helping himself towards the door.

Simply pointing his right hand at the cold metallic door handle, he telekinetically pulled down the handle, easily and effortlessly opening it. Wasting no time, he bolted out of the door promptly accosting his father who had just finished gathering a bunch of wood for chopping.

“Father, let me help you with that,” Evox respectfully said.

Pausing immediately, Keigus shifted his gaze towards his little helping demon, quickly dropping the heavy sharp axe as he proceeded, “Thanks son, sure could use a hand”

“…But, are you sure you’ll be able to carry the Axe… It’s really heavy ya know” He worriedly added.

Wearing a slight genial smirk, Evox briefly stared at his father and then, moved his gaze onto the pile of thick blocks of woods.

“Don’t worry… I won’t need it” HE simply replied, reassuring his Father that he could definitely handle the chore all on his own.

Noting this, Keigus promptly nodded, patiently waiting to see how his brilliant son would surprise him with wonders.

∆ Ventus Laminae ∆

Silently whispering the spell, little Evox promptly conjured multiple streamline blade made out of nothing but pure air, hauling them straight towards the wood pile, instantaneously slicing them into miniature blocks of cinder.

“Whoa” Keigus couldn’t help blurt, as he was definitely marvelled by Evox’s brilliant prowess in magic. 

Definitely, in a world filled with so much magic and potential, the life of the inhabitants should be made relatively easy with the proper use of Magic, however, this wasn’t the case. Not all demons in Mao could perform magic, despite being born with an innate Infernal source of energy, which was the driving force of magic itself.

At most, they could use their infernal energy to tamper their physical structure, giving them a dynamically enhanced body. In order to be able to wield magic, one needed to have an Infernal aptitude. This aptitude is actually the ability to comprehend the essence of magic and reality. Without this, no Demon would be able to perform magic.

As for Evox, his Infernal aptitude was drastically higher than normal, thus, allowing him to smoothly progress in his pursuit of magic. As for his father Keigus, his Infernal aptitude was extremely low, only him to be able to comprehend a few minor spells. Lilith on the hand, she was a totally different story.

…..

“Heh-Heh, thanks Evox '' He genially appreciated the lad, giving him a nice pat on the head.

Gently receiving the warm and cheery gesture, Evox relayed his attention towards the sliced up bits of wood which were practically scattered all over the ground and platform which Keigus placed it on earlier.

Without uttering a single word, the scattered wood pieces slowly began to stack themselves up in a pyramid formation, as they were being manipulated by an invisible telekinetic force which obviously originated from Evox. Once this was done, Evox turned his attention back to his father, wearing a slight and unnoticeable grateful smile, as he amiably remarked, “Your welcome”.

Immediately their jobs outside were all-taken care of, the father-son duo didn’t waste any more time, as they swiftly entered the house, obviously salivating due to the sweet and enticing aroma which diffused the air in the entire house.

Noticing her husband and son had finally returned and were really famished, she cheerfully chortled and said, “Food is ready!”.

Hearing his wife’s beautiful voice, Keigus’ heart was instantly filled with glee, as he prepared himself to instantly pounce on his food, “Alright, it’s time to eat!”.

“Oh Keigus, you’re a big glutton” Lilith said, disappointingly smacking her face.

“Well you know me, I’m a sucker for food” Keigus immediately remarked, erupting into a series of hysterical laughter. Not waiting for his wife to make any sort of verbal comeback, he rushed to his reserved spot on the dining table, getting set to devour a delicious platter of food.

“Elich stew and boiled potatoes… Lilith, you sure know how to make a man happy” Keigus excitedly commented like a toddler with satisfaction written all over his face.

…

Elich Stew is actually a famously known local dish, all around the Infernal realm, Mao. It’s known for its bright sweet and spicy flavour, which is accompanied by a mild tangy aftertaste. This traditional dish is also famous for its innate ability to be practically incorporated into several cuisines, serving as a supporting side dish, yet still holding its captivating and precious essence. 

Alongside its sweet and sophisticated taste, Elich Stew is relatively easy to prepare, although the majority of its main ingredients are awfully scarce and rare.

…

Without considering the temperature of his visually steaming hot breakfast, Keigus instantly thrusted his wooden spoon, right into the platter of boiled potatoes and Elich stew, scoping out an unreal quantity, directly shoving the hot mess right into his salivating mouth.

Predicting this sort of outcome, Lilith desperately tried to warn her husband, “Wait… Honey, it’s really… hot!”. Unfortunately, her warning was too late as he had already shoved the hot mess right into mouth.

A second after, the middle aged Demon roared in pain as he said in gibberish “Shit… Hot-Hot-Hot… It’s smoking hot… My mouth is on fire!!”. Struggling to devour the food despite the burning pain.

“I tried to warn you” said Lilith, smacking her face in disappointment.

After a couple of pain-filled chewing, he finally mashed up the essence of the properly boiled potatoes and Elich stew, swiftly swallowing the salivary mess while releasing a relief and satisfaction.

“Hot, but worth it!” He proudly remarked.

Hearing his completely unreasonable and childish remark, Lilith couldn’t help but erupt into laughter, as she said, “You’re so hilarious”.

Obviously being affected by his wife’s cheeky laughter, he couldn’t help himself as he too erupted with a hearty chuckle, nearly choking himself with excitement. 

Evox on the other hand, also couldn’t help but reveal a slight smile, delighted by the warm and friendly sight, dearly cherishing these happy moments. Few seconds later, the lad promptly buried his attention into the enticing platter, laid right before him.

Just like his father, Evox disregarded the steaming temperature of his breakfast, thrusting and scooping a spoonful of the mushy Stew which was adequately mixed with potatoes, shoving straight into his mouth. After a quick session of vigorous chewing, he easily swallowed, displaying no sense of discomfort or pain, due to the heat which surged from his meal.

“Delicious: He said out rightly, giving credit to the beautiful young lady who did the cooking. 

Hearing Evox’s comment, Lilith was obviously stunned, oddly staring at her little boy, who had swiftly shifted his attention back towards his meal. Usually, during meals Evox always remained silent and indifferent, even when the young Demon enjoyed the meal, he never took the initiative to appreciate the food or give credit to the cook.

Waking from her flustered trance, the sides of scarlet coloured lips curled up, revealing a rather relieved and delighted smile while she lightly ruffled Evox’s hair, “Thank you”.

Satisfied by her little family’s reaction to their meals, she proceeded and seated, gradually shifting her attention towards her meal, enjoying every single bit of it.

Immediately after their wonderful and peaceful breakfast, they immediately proceeded into the bright sunny day, carrying out their normal daily routines.

Evox as always, helped his mother to pick up fresh magical herbs and items which she needed for her various alchemical potions and projects. Keigus on the other hand, promptly took off to the merchant square, working his ‘butt’ off to make money.

After a while, Evox as usual, left home, heading east towards the Dark forest region. 

…

Once he was done helping out his parents with various strenuous tasks, rather than going to hang out with kids his age, Evox promptly proceeds into the Dark Forest region, heading straight for mountains, more specifically, The Alpes which was relatively close to Prekto village and also was in abundance of cool, dark caves.

Here, he stays secluded from civilization, studying various forms and texts concerning Magic and the Nature of reality. Despite his insanely high aptitude and large reservoir of Infernal energy, Evox still needed solid practice and through this he was able to become the exceptional Demon lad that he was.

…

As he made his way through the thick and dreary forest, his heightened danger premonition was suddenly triggered, thus, causing him to instantaneously halt his movement, as he indifferently tried to pinpoint the location of his unknown attackers. His current demeanour was a sign that he didn’t care about the attacking party as he believed he alone would be able to viciously kill the party.

Up, down… Left, right

His dark Crimson eyes stoically scanned through the forest, trying to catch his attacker. After a few attempts, he succeeded. However, to his surprise, it was an attacker but a vicious group of attackers. Despite his new discovery, the three-year-old Demon didn’t flinch at all, patiently waiting like a viper.

! Grr… Grr! 

Vicious and diabolical growls soon echoed throughout the entire forest, further stunning the young lad. Instantly recognizing the distant growls and roars, Evox promptly identified what his attackers were.

! Howl! 

“And here I thought today would be a normal day” He silently whispered, glaring coldly at the pack of odd built wolves which slowly crept out of the woods, surrounding the little fella.