Chapter 4: The Demon Lad

! 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.

! Growl!

 The pack of devil-like wolves wickedly snared at the young Demon lad, promptly preparing themselves to pounce and devour the lad.

Their bright crimson coloured fur fluttered gracefully as the cool yet eerily still breeze blew across the forest trees, producing various whooshing sounds. Their mouths’ which had a wicked array of multiple razor sharp teeth, used for nothing but biting and tearing, drooled with thick, nasty saliva, expressing their bloodlust and immense, insatiable hunger.

Their sulphuric eyes glittered brightly, giving them an acute binocular vision, accompanied by an ultra-night vision lens, giving Dark sight, far superior to any mystical creature found in Mao. They had an abnormally developed set of jaws, which made it easy for them to bite through one of the toughest metals found in the Infernal realm.

One bite from these wolves was enough to kill a fully grown Demon, talk less about a three-year-old Demon like Evox, however, the wolves clearly underestimated the strength of the lad in front of them.

To sum it up, they were naturally skilled in combat, Fire and Wind type Magic. Their prowess in this type of Magic gravely surpasses that of Baron Class Demons and a few Viscount Class.

 {If you’re confused about the classes of Demons, check out the very first chapter… “Chapter 0”}

These infamous packs were known as “Feldg Wolves”.

“What are these wolves doing at the outskirts of the Dark forest region?” Evox internally thought, calmly glaring at the creeping Feldg wolves.

Indeed, Evox thought right. The Feldg wolves’ natural habitat was deeply located within the Dark forest region and they seldom came to the outskirts, thus, making this encounter rather strange.

They stealthily crept forward, trying their best to intimidate the lad, however, Evox did nothing but glare at them earnestly, practically utilising his demonic eyes to suppress them, making them a bit hesitant on whether they should attack the lad.

! Whoosh! Roar!

All of sudden the cool breeze rapidly turned into violent, treacherous winds, which literally turned the forest to its heels, forcefully and vigorously tearing down the long and eerie looking trees, while casually destroying the landscape.

Instantly, the day became night in the eyes of the Feldg wolves, as the sudden whirlwind continued to violently swirl around violently. Not long after, they discovered the bright lustre of daylight was actually converging at a single spot in space. 

Same could be said for the violent whirlwind that surged right out of nowhere. Its apparent point of convergence was at the single spot in the surrounding space which was currently occupied by Evox Delhade.

As they earnestly tried to fixate their perception on the Demon lad, they soon realised that everything around them had been warped or rather, their perception of reality had been warped. Their excellent vision, impeccable sense of smell and taste, every perceptive arsenal they possessed had been distorted by an unknown force, preventing them from making any valid and reasonable thought/ decision.

In their drowsy eyes, a thick grey fog enveloped the entire forest, as several wraiths and cursed spirits soared down from the dreary sky, descending around the young lad. Presently, the Feldg wolves didn’t perceive Evox as a young demon, he seemed to be less of a demon and more like a Malefic Entity.

After the continued hallucination, one of the frightened wolves finally realised something amiss. This Feldg wolf was far larger and fiercer than the rest of the pack. Obviously one could tell, it was the apparent leader of the pack. It was twice taller and more robust than the normal fledglings. Obviously, one could tell that it was far larger than Evox.

Among its ranks, He was called ‘Kazak’.

“Dammit” He cursed, releasing an instantaneous sonic roar, at the same time blasting an Omni-directional field fire, furiously devouring every single thing around him within a fifteen metre radius, including his pack.

! Boom!

Kazak’s sudden attack promptly jolted the entire pack, completely restoring their perception back to its original state.

It soon dawned on them that everything they had experienced and witnessed wasn’t actually real, including Kazak’s sudden attack. This instantly plunged them further into a roller-coaster of disarray, confusion and despair, as they realised that the moment they had laid their sulphuric coloured eyes on the little demon, they had instantly fallen under his spell.

∆Sensus Privatio∆ 

∆Mentis Stamine∆

The first spell he casted was actually a magic spell that forcefully strips away, depriving or distorting its victim of their five sense, leaving them confused physically and emotionally, while the second spell, was one which allowed its user to distort his/her victim’s mental state, causing them to vigorously hallucinate, as well as induce mild fear attacks to the victim’s soul. The effects on an individual depends on the prowess of its caster and degree of effect which is automatically willed by the caster.

Simultaneously, casting both spells without the need of chanting, Evox once again flexed his superior prowess in magic, severely damaging the Feldg pack's high self-esteem.

“How dare…” Kazak roared in the Feldg native language, Feldgic, which was pretty much one of the most grotesque languages in all of Mao. The fact that these wolves had their own systematised form of communication showed their high level of intelligence.

As he cursed, a cold yet child-like voice suddenly boomed into his ear, speaking in Feldgic, “How dare what?”

“What?” Kazak confusedly exclaimed, obviously shocked by the fact that the little demon lad could not only comprehend the Feldg native language but could also speak one of the most complicated languages in Mao. 

“How in the world can this Demon brat comprehend our language?” Kazak thought to himself, cautiously glaring at the little lad, who stood a few metres away from him and his pack. His danger instinct and defences were high on alert, as he could no longer belittle the young Demon in front of him.

“Tell me Demon cub, what is your name?” Kazak curiously inquired, adjusting his stances, getting ready to fight if the situation calls for it.

Not minding the question at all, Evox promptly answered with cold demeanour, “Evox… Delhade”  

“Evox… Delhade” Kazak thought, taking a good look at the young lad. 

“Those eyes… They’re definitely the eyes of someone who has fought through countless battles, vanquishing his enemies each time… yet the body is definitely immature, weak and frail… Could this be the act of reincarnation” He further thought, causing his mind to wander a little while his sharp eyes were still fixated on the Lad.

“Impossible” He said, cursing the fact that he actually thought of such an event.

“Tell me Evox, how on Earth are you able to comprehend the sacred language of us Feldg’s?” Kazak roared, releasing his bloodlust, ultimately riling up his disheartened pack. 

His malicious aura of negativity grew exponentially, as he directed his bottled hate and rage towards Evox, trying to intimidate and suppress the lad.

…

Promptly after his question and sadistic display for blood by Kazak, there was an awkward state of silence, as both parties ominously glared at each other, with the wolves occasionally howling, still attempting to frighten the lad.

“Are you trying to intimidate me?” Evox stoically remarked, glaring intensely at the pack in front of him, with his dark and cold crimson eyes giving off a sinister glow akin to the colour of his eyes. 

With a loud boom and exaggerated winds, Evox’s bloodlust suddenly soared exponentially, eventually suppressing Kazak’s in the process, bringing dismay to the wolf, thus, causing him to instinctively take a step backwards.

“Answer me… Were you trying to intimidate me?” He said once more, as his eyes grew colder by the second.

Successfully suppressing half of the entire pack and thoroughly pushing them back, Evox noticed that despite the fact the Feldg wolves were obviously frightened, they didn’t scatter off in every known direction instead, they maintained a seriously tight formation around Kazak. This was a sign of loyalty to the pack.

Also, there’s a supposed law within their ranks, which all members of the Pack must adhere to. No Pack member is allowed to flee from the pack during a time crisis. They possessed a specific philosophy of “We eat together, we die together” and anyone found guilty for breaking the law, would be exiled and immediately feasted upon by the entire pack.

“You asked how I was able to comprehend your language… It was actually easy and pointless, just like your entire species” Evox rudely said, mocking the entire race of Feldg wolves.

(Please note that the entire conversation between Evox and Kazak was done in Feldgic.)

Obviously spited by Evox’s hurtful words, the Pack was immediately riled up, as they all scowled and howled at the Demon lad, getting themselves ready to strike him dead at all cost. Kazak on the other hand was madly infuriated by the fact a low life three year old Demon had the actual guts to make mockery of his species.

“How dare you make a fool of the greatest race of infernal creatures that ever roamed the surface of Mao?” Kazak angrily yelled, his entire body was coated in infernal energy, gradually transforming him into a more grotesque version of himself. Same could be said for the rest of the pack.

“The greatest race of infernal creatures… Wouldn’t that be the Dragons” Evox thought, not even minding the transformation that took place in front of him

“I swear… I will end you!” Kazak roared in a grotesque, dark voice, finally noting that his transformation was complete. Same could be said for the rest of the pack.

Their bright crimson fur became darker as their fangs grew longer and sharper, protruding out of their mouths, intimidatingly dangling outwards. Same could be said for their claws, which in like manner grew longer, sinking and adversely digging up the dirt. Their sharp eyes glowed with a bright and ominous sulphur like colour, signifying the sharp increase in their power. 

Apart from their high intellect and organised breeding society, this sudden transformation was one of the reasons the Feldg wolves were one of the most fearsome group of Creatures in Mao. It was known as “Infernalisation”. Apart from the Feldgs, they were a few other creatures in Mao which could undergo this transformation and includes Demons. 

The term was coined by a few Demons who were fascinated by Feldg’s extraordinary innate ability. By directly absorbing pure infernal energy into their bloodstream, The Wolves experience a sudden rush of adrenaline and power, drastically increasing their physical abilities while decreasing their prowess in Magic.    

Adopting this method, Demons without Infernal Aptitude are able to utilise their reservoir of energy. However, due to the fact Demons weren’t created with this ability, the chances of success using Infernalisation was one in a billion. Failure during this process will result in fatal and sudden death.

“Are you ready to meet your doom Demon?” Kazak roared, furiously wagging his enormous tail which forcefully pulled down a few trees and shrubs.

…

Met with nothing but silence and a ghastly glare filled with disgust and pride, Kazak's rage only increased as he mightily said, “I’ll tear you apart and feast on your flesh!”

“Destroy him!” He roared, ordering his pack to mercilessly attack Evox.

! Howl! 

Without any further hesitation, the pack attacked, leaping at the demon lad from all angles. Despite this out right display of ferocity, Evox didn’t flinch, coldly glaring at his foolish attackers, with his eyes letting off its ominous crimson glow. 

∆Ignis Flagro∆ 

With a loud boom, Evox swiftly casted the spell without chanting, simultaneously conjuring a vast amount of fire and tightly condensing it into a spherical ball of flames, ready to explode, destroying everything around it. Promptly after this, the dense fire ball exploded, releasing a massive flare of flames, blasting away the wolves who were leaping towards him.

Due to their natural affinity for Fire element, Evox’s surprisingly powerful spell did no damage to the wolves, apart from blasting them several metres away, forcefully causing few of them to collide with multiple hard trees and rocks, smashing their various bones, killing some and leaving most severely wounded and unable to fight back.

Seeing this incredulous sight, Kazak couldn’t help but curse, “Even if his spell didn’t damage them… The sheer force this lad could muster is extraordinary…”

Racing his brain intensely, he quickly ordered his pack to keep their distance, while prepping a barrage of attacks. Lining themselves up in straight line formation, directly positioning themselves at the young lad. Rapidly, they simultaneously opened their mouths, revealing their ravenous set of teeth and fang’s as they prepped their attacks.

Suddenly, pockets of both fire and wind elements converged in front of the Wolves, tightly compacting themselves into multiple tiny bullet like constructs, with their trajectory set straight to obliterate the young Demon. Without their unfathomable number, Evox was definitely in for a thrilling ride.

Noting their spells were finally ready, they launched their tiny elemental bullets at max speed, heading towards the Lad who still didn’t seem to care, destroying everything on its path.   

“As I suspected, they’ve developed a certain resistance to Fire type magic, so for now, I can't use any fire type spell… same could be said for Wind type magic” He idly thought, glaring the ravaging Fire and wind elemental bullets rushing towards him. Just as always, his eyes suddenly glowed bright crimson as he swiftly casted a spell without finding the need to chant.

Right before the Feldg’s attacks could grasp the opportunity to assault Evox, multiple coffin-shaped barriers completely out of infernal energy suddenly appeared right in front of Evox, creating a magical blockade, easily defending against their attack.

As the Feldg’s attack spell collided with Evox’s defence spell, both spells promptly exploded, nullifying themselves in the process, releasing a ridiculous amount of force and Infernal residues, fluttering haphazardly in air, adversely reducing visibility, causing the Feldg pack to suddenly lose sight of Evox.

“Damnit!” Kazak cursed, furiously puffing a mighty gust of wind, clearing up the residue and debris which fluttered in the air, returning their clear sight of the area.

To their greatest dismay, Evox had already vanished, leaving the wolves further frustrated. 

“Where did he go?” He thought, scanning the area intensely with both his eyes and nose. His long, edgy snort, twitched immensely, as suddenly he found something useful. Just like Kazak, his pack members had already picked a familiar scent, which belonged to the Demon lad. 

Deducing Evox’s escape route through his scent, Kazak was feeling extremely proud of his capabilities, clearly believing he had successfully scared off the lad. Due to his pride, he immediately ordered the pack to hunt down the lad.

Sniffing and running through the woods, they followed their nose and finally arrived at Evox’s location, which was a small isolated, shallow stream of running water in the middle of the forest. On arrival, both Kazak and his pack noticed something odd and definitely wrong was going on. Taking multiple sniffs, they clearly confirmed that Evox was in the area but looking around them, they couldn’t pinpoint his exact location.

Walking into the stream, they noticed the area where Evox scent finally disappeared was at the centre of the stream, further perplexing the wolves,

“Up here you useless dogs!” The familiar cold child-like voice suddenly appeared right out of nowhere, more specifically, right above them.

Looking up, Kazak and his wolves were left in stupefaction, as they stared incredulously at the young Demon who was currently standing in mid-air. This was a feat that even the Feldg who were adepts in Wind type magic couldn’t fully perform and master.

As they stared at the Lad, Evox looked less like a demon child and more like a God, as his body suddenly got coated with several silver streaks of lightning, glittering majestically in the air.

“Get ready to die”