Archdemons: Tetsuno the Crimson Blade

Abeza Tetsuno. He was not one for kindness, nor was he one for communing with others, he was an antisocial man and moved where the wind took him, surviving off of what food he found and when he'd get paid he would use that money to buy food and stay at inns. In this age, mankind was not the greatest of beings. They were not powerful nor were they very advanced. They lived under the iron fist rule of the gods and were in constant fear and terror of demon attacks. The gods did not care either way whether or not humans died to beasts or demons, so long as those creatures of the night don't invade their turf. So any humans who don't live in any of the six great kingdoms were at the mercy of demons from the shadows and beasts of the moon.

Though, recently, the gods have become restless and began to extend their reach of territory. There have been humans across the world who are born with strange abilities that allow them to be stronger than normal, as well as have sharper senses. They were not granted magical abilities or aura, but they had unnatural physical and mental enhancements.

These humans were called Aberrants. In the eyes of the people, Aberrants are viewed as heroes, since they are the ones who protect them from demons and beasts. Though, few of them have ever defeated demons. There have only ever been two Aberrants to ever defeat demons. Tetsuno himself was an Aberrant, and he intended to kill a demon. Not just any demon though, a specific one. The demon that killed his wife.

Tetsuno was the age of thirty-seven. The event had happened six years ago now. It was late that evening and he was returning from his training and when he returned his entire home town was in flames. His wife was scorched and her skin was black and shrunken in. She crumbled away before his eyes, swallowed by dancing flames as she turned to ash. That night he ran through the entire town, flames flicking at his skin and leaving him with vicious burns, but he didn't care. Sword drawn, he searched and searched for the one that had done this to the woman he loved.

Eventually he found who he was looking for, but as he eyes set upon the demon that stood among the sea of flames, it's figure dark and phantom like. Terror ran through Tetsuno's body like cold ice in his veins. He couldn't move. Suddenly the rage that had filled his soul before had turned into a frustrated fear, ultimately, he knew he was weak. He could do nothing in the demon's presence, all he could do was bow to its might, his knees buckling as he fell to the dirt, heat waves causing sweat to head down his forehead. But even in the heat, he felt only cold fear. He felt like he couldn't breath, and for a long time he didn't. He just sat in a horrified silence.

He choked, black smoke filling his lungs as it billowed into the air. The demon turned, it's hollowed out purple shaded eyes turned to him. They looked directly into him and for a long time all Tetsuno could do was sit there, frozen. His hands, shaking, loosened up, his katana clattering to the ground as tears rolled down his cheeks. Here he sat before his wife's killer, and yet he could not even move in the being's presence. He could only shiver with dread.

The demon threw its head back in an amused laughter, a deep, dark and maniacal laugh. Then two large black wings spread from its back and it exploded into the night sky, disappearing behind the billowing smoke. Only then, when the demon was gone, could Tetsuno move again, but he didn't. He simply sank, collapsing to the ground in sorrow, guilt and shame. He stayed like this, wishing for the flames to engulf him, but they never did. Instead he passed out after a long while, the smoke causing him to lose consciousness. The next morning he woke to ash and death.

From that day forward Tetsuno swore to himself that he'd never fall victim to fear again. From that day on the only thing he valued was power. The only thing he respected was power. Power, power, power. He would do anything to become stronger, he'd become the strongest of all Aberrants and kill that demon. He'd already killed forty-nine monsters, three among them being dragons. He'd never been able to find nor fight a demon, much less the one he was hunting.

Tales of suffering and death at the hand of demons as widespread across the land, but by the time an Aberrant came to investigate the damage had already been done and the demon had disappeared. Not only this, but the amount of Aberrants in the world decreased daily. The gods did not approve of their existence, they felt that if humans gained power they would revolt against their creators, which was not inaccurate. Tetsuno had no doubt in his mind that if mankind had the power they'd rebel against the gods. But he doubted even the Aberrants all together couldn't defeat the gods, they didn't have the magical abilities they did.

As Tetsuno pondered on the idea of rebelling against gods, who, ultimately, were to blame for the suffering man faced now, he came to see, resting on the horizon ahead, was a small village. He dug his hand into his pockets and pulled out a small bag. He opened it, loosing the strings and peering inside. He had seven gold and four silver, his earnings from the last two beasts he'd slain. A single gold would cover a night of sleep in a bed, while two silvers would cover food. He wondered if he should check for a smithy, if the village had one. It'd most likely take all the gold he had left to repair his armor, maybe more. He probably didn't even have enough.

He sighed, stuffing the bag back into his tattered pocket. He wore a large baggy cloak that was tattered and stained from the outdoors. His pants were short on him and his sandals were falling apart. He slung a large back over his shoulder, of its contents were his armor, wood, rope, cloth, and a few rare items if he ever was in desperate need of cash. At his hip was tied his katana, held in a lavish scabbard. It was the only nice thing he had and it looked odd on him. One would think he stole it from a royal. His black hair was long and unkempt, hanging in his eyes. His skin was pale and he was thin and bags were beneath his eyes.

The ground was dusty and dry, the dirt hard and not so kind to his feet as large pebbles and sharp rocks dug into the bottoms of them through the souls of his sandals. He imagined the feeling of flopping into a bed, letting the cloth swallow him up in warmth and comfort. It sounded so nice after sleeping on the cold, damp ground for so long.

As he entered through the gates of the village he read the sign of the town. It was rugged and the iron that was nailed to the wood read "Feddle". He found it to be such a strange name for a village. He also took note that the village itself was very small, only about ten buildings all together, and the people seemed to be all tired and run down. They also all seemed on edge and weary of him, which he found strange. He figured they'd be used to travelers, seeing as they were right in the road's path, but he decided to ignore the rude looks he received.

He looked for the inn, which he found quickly seeing as it was the only building with a welcome sign and a double-door entrance. He walked up the wooden steps that led to the doors and then continued to open them, entering into a small area filled with tables. On the far wall was a counter with a dried up old man standing behind it furnishing a glass cup. On the wall behind him were shelves upon which seven bottles sat. Tetsuno looked about and took not that there were only four men in the bar. At the opposite end of the bar was a staircase, which he guessed led up to the rooms.

"Welcome, visitor. That's quite the luggage you carry upon your back." The old man spoke, his voice weak and shaky.