Pestillence, Part 4

"Aw, don't say that! You'll hurt her feelings!" Pestilence replies.

"Woah...no wonder you told me you didn't have a horse. Most people would freak out if they saw Valkyrie!" Clarabella exclaims.

"Don't worry, Valkyrie is a sweetheart!" Pestilence replies. "Go on, pet her!"

Clarabella turns to Pestilence and winces.

"She won't pet!" Pestilence laughs.

Clarabella lets out a small sigh before taking another step towards Valkyrie. Slowly, Clarabella lifts a shaky hand and extends it out to Valkyrie, trembling as she strokes the horse's mane, who lets out a small 'neigh' of satisfaction, causing Clarabelle to let out a small: "Woah…"

"Well you're not so calm about seeing Valkyrie either!" Pestilence laughs as he places his hands on his hips.

Clarabella turns to Pestilence and smiles. "I was a little surprised, is all!" She replies. "See you tomorrow!" Clarabelle then exclaims.

"Yeah!" Pestilence replies as he smiles as well.

Pestilence then spins around and hops onto Valkyrie's back, taking the horse's reins. "YAH, VALKYRIE!" Pestilence cries as he whips Valkyries' reigns downwards, The mighty steed rears into the air then takes off, galloping back towards the Demon King's Castle.

Clarabella cheers as she watches Pestilence ride off into the night.

Meanwhile, a demon who was spying in Pestilence lets out a small "Hmm…"

"Lord Death will love this…" the demon snickers, before slipping into the night.

***

"Alright…quietly…" Pestilence whispers as he rides Valkyrie back into the stables, then hops off the back of his mighty steed, attempting to creep back into the castle.

"You're late, Pestilence!" A voice booms, causing Pestilence to flinch. Pestilence then turns around, seeing that he's met with the face of Death.

"Sorry, Lord Death," Pestilence apologizes as he takes a knee. "There were many survivors, I had to round them all up."

"The Demon Knights to Sent to retrieve you never returned," Death continues, causing Pestilence to perk up and raise an eyebrow at his king.

"What demons?" Pestilence asks.

"They must have run into trouble…" Death sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, thanks for the good work today, Pestilence! You went above and beyond, not just slaughtering all of the survivors, but rounding up the escapees, too!"

Pestilence's heart flutters a beat. "T-thank you, Lord Death!"

"No, go get some sleep," Death orders.

"Thank you, sir!" Pestilence replies, before turning around and entering the Demon King's Castle. But as Pestilence walks away from Death, he frowns.

"Why…did I make that promise with Clarabella?"

***

Pestilence Primordial came back to the lake the next day, and the next day, and the day after that. For three years, every single day, at the same exact time, Pestilence would meet Clarabella at the lake. Until Pestilence spent more time at Nestand Village, than he did at the Demon King's Castle. Pestilence spent his days helping Clarabella rebuild the village, as well as teaching the villagers how to properly wield Cursed Power. Barrier, Emission, Burst, everything.

"Don't you think…that Pestilence's constant disappearance has been suspicious?" War asks Death.

"Meh, he's a busy demon," Death replies. "There are many villages left to be plundered. He is still a kid, afterall."

The more time that Pestilence spent with Clarabella and the villagers, the more human he became. Until Pestilence became more human than demon. Pestilence found himself becoming more kind and compassionate, over imposing and ruthless.

Eventually, Clarabella's grandfather -the current village chief- passes, and Pestilence is named the new chief of Nestant Village.

This kept up until one day, Clarabella proposed a promise to Pestilence. "Once we defeat the Demon King and humans can rule freely…let's get married!" She had said to him.

And of course, Pestilence just couldn't say no.

And then one day…Pestilence marched into the Demon King's throne room.

***

"Ah, Pestilence, you're back so soon!" Death booms as he spreads his clawed hands out to the side. "How may I help you?"

Pestilence takes a deep breath in…then out, then peers up and stares Death in the eyes.

"I quit."

Death's eyes widen. "What…do you mean?" He asks.

"I fell in love with a human woman," Pestilence explains. "I'm on her side now. I'm tired of all this strife, and bloodshed, and I'm tired of killing. I just want to be at peace."

"B-but you're a demon!" Death stammers. "Demons don't just get tired of killing! And what do you eat?! We feast on humans to live!"

"Steak and beer," Pestilence answers. "It's very good, you should try it."

Pestilence then turns and begins strutting out of the throne room, but pauses when Death says: "Stop."

Pestilence then turns and peers over his shoulder, seeing that Death's signature cane has already morphed into his bone-scythe. "I won't let you leave here…not alive, at least," Death growls as he aims the tip of his scythe's blade at Pestilence. "You traitor!"

"Try me," Pestilence smugly replies.

Death brings his bone-scythe high above his head and twirls it through the air, before slamming it into the ground, the scythe-blade of Death's bone cane piercing the floor of his castle.

"Necromancy: Skeletal Brambles!" Death shouts as a wave of thorn-vines of bones jut out of the ground towards Pestilence, who hops out of the way to dodge.

Pestilence then aims a hand at Death.

"Poison Pores…" Pestilence begins to say.

"CORROSIVE KILLER!"

Toxic green poison gas then begins flooding out of every pore of Pestilence's body and fills the entire room. Death begins coughing as tears and blood begins streaming from his eyes, and even more blood and snot from his nose. Death then drops to the ground and clutches his neck in agony, forcing him to drop his bone-scythe and desprelaty gasping for breath.

"No one can survive my poison gas," Pestilence says as he stares down at the choking Death. "That's what I'm called "Pestilence the Plague"."

"You traitor…" War growls. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

War then charges Pestilence, aiming an Invincisphere-covered fist his way. In turn, Pestilence wraps his poisonous gas around his fist and reinforces it with his lime- green Cursed Power, punching it towards War, the two attacks colliding in a rush of rainbow and lime-green Cursed Power.

War then brings her other hand up, aiming a finger-gin at Pestilence, the tip of War's pointer-finger coated in her Ivincisphere. "Invincisphere: Bubble-Gun!" War shouts as she fires her Ivincisphere towards Pestilence at point-blank range, who counters by bringing his own palm up to War.

"Poison Pores: Corrosive Killer!" Pestilence shouts as he fires off a blast of his poison gas, which collides with War's Ivincisphere, in another burst of rainbow Cursed Power, which overpowers War, sending her flying backwards.

Pestilence then turns around and begins walking out of the Demon King's castle again, but is interrupted when an Invincisphere bubble forms around him, preventing Pestilence from fleeing. Pestilence then turns around to see War helping a bloody Death off of the ground. Invincisphere bubbles are formed around the heads of the two demons, like astronaut helmets (not that astronauts were a thing back in those days).

"No, War," Death coughs. "Let Pestilence go."

"What? Why?!" War cries as she peers down at Death.

"Pestilence is nothing more than a confused, naive child," Death explains. "Although he doesn't realize it…the path that he's heading down now will result in far more agony and strife than if we were to punish him ourselves."

War lets out a sigh as the Invincisphere bubble trapping Pestilence dissipates. "Yes, Lord Death," War sighs.

Pestilence shrugs, takes one last look at Death and War, then turns, and exits the Demon King's castle for good.

"Hmm…" Famine says, letting out a small mutter as she watches Pestilence flee.

***

Many more years went by, and Pestilence and Clarabela eventually had a son, which they named "Aether," resulting in the birth of the first ever half-demon.

As the first ever half-demon, Aether was born with incredible Cursed Power, which Pestilence was able to sense at the moment of Aether's birth.

And so, Pestilence and Clarabella raise young Aether, teaching him Cursed Power while also preparing their forces. And thus, once Aether turned fourteen years old…they were ready.

***

"Aether has basically mastered Cursed Power, there's nothing more that I can teach him," Pestilence says to Clarabella as the two get ready for bed. "It's only a matter now of what Aether can teach us. He's even mastered combat with a sword."

"We'll…talk about this in the morning…" Clarabella groggily answers as she falls asleep.

"Yes, my love," Pestilence replies with a small smile, before slipping off to sleep as well.

***

Pestilence wakes up early that next morning, to go forage for food. But when he returns home, he's a gruesome sight that causes him to drop every last bit of scavenged food. A sigh reminiscent of the first time Clarabelle

 brought Pestilence to Nestant Village.

The entire village is on fire, and was brought down to ruins.

Demons run amok the village, slaughtering and eating the villagers.

"NOOO!" Pestilence cries as he rushes into the village, headed straight towards his house. Pestilence comes home to find Clarabella trapped under some rubble, with Aether desperately trying to free her.