Chapter 1 - Everything

Word Count: 1470

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The young demon lord scanned his eyes across the raging battlefield. His loyal deputy, Kris of the Wu clan, stood faithfully by his side. The young dragon spoke in a hushed tone, aware of the many ears surrounding him, "My Lord, the scouts have reported that more enemies lie right beyond the hills. We must reinforce our troops. Should I call for our strategist?"

Sehun gave a subtle nod. "Please do. Send General Chen to my study. We shall discuss more there." Kris bowed in compliance and went to carry out his master's orders. As his aide left the room, Sehun turned his attention back to his guests. He gave each one of them a charming, cordial smile. Instantly, many of them were taken to his amicable countenance. Even many of the older, more tenacious subjects were captivated by the young demon's delightful energy. The only ones who remained unmoved were the counts of the Southern lands. Such stubborn southerners! But Sehun was still not ready to resign as of yet. He had plans.

"Gentlemen, I have called upon you today to discuss the future of these Eastern lands. As we are all aware of, these lands were once owned by my father, the great Esquire of the North. During the Great Fourth War, the Eastern lands had been snatched greedily from my father's hands by rapacious tyrants. These men are not worthy of owning such prized, valuable lands. Do you all not agree?"

The guest nodded their heads in approval, and Sehun continued, "And so I suggest, may we retake these lands and bring them back to its rightful owners? The East has suffered far too long under the cruel domination of such brutal rulers. Once these lands return to my clan, I promise to bestow much gifts of gratitude to your lands. Help my country and people flourish once again, and I promise to aid in helping your lands thrive too."

Many of the guests were already expressing their consent for the demon lord's proposal, but the Southern counts remained unconvinced. One stood and argued, "Lord Sehun, you say the people are unhappy with their current rulers? And what proof may you have of their displeasure?"

Sehun quirked a brow in amusement. "So you were unable to notice the despair of the people as you traveled here to my home? Was their blatant unhappiness not obvious enough for you?" Several guests chuckled, and Sehun gave a slight smirk.

"As far as I can tell that's only because of this silly war that you started, my Lord" the count retaliated.

"Nonsense! These people have suffered far before this war even started. And just look around. All villagers and townspeople living around my domain are well protected. I do not and will not allow them to be involved in such conflicts. The only people who suffer are the ones who live in the lands of the other ruthless lords. They are the ones who mistreat their people. They are the causes of such sufferings. I fight this war to free the people of their terrible reign. Do you not wish for the betterment of these citizens?"

The count resigned with a 'humph', and lowered back into his seat. Just as one sat down, another stood up. The second count presented his argument, "Lord Sehun, how can you prove that you also wish for the betterment of these citizens? Does reclaiming these lands not only just serve as a way of reclaiming your dignity and honor? After all, losing your land to a group of mindless brutes is very humiliating, is it not? And if you cannot protect your land the first time, why should we believe you can secure it the second time? How many times in the future will you have to call us for aid in reclaiming your lands?"

Sehun scowled, his eyes ablaze with warning flames. "Do not mock my abilities and do not forget that during the time our land was taken away, one of the greatest wars was taking place. My clan, as well as many of yours, did not have the resources to protect all of our lands, especially when you consider how vast our lands had stretched. I do not want to reclaim these lands to regain my dignity. I do it to restore the peace of my people, so how dare you accuse me of such selfish deeds?" Sehun fumed.

The count was taken aback by the young demon's words. A few tense, silent moments passed. Finally, the count offered his apologies, "Forgive me, Lord Sehun. I did not wish to anger you. Please forgive my imprudence. The dragon demons of the South will gladly serve you now that we have recognized you to be worthy. We will prove to be the most ardent of servants, my Lord." The count gave a deep bow. Sehun nodded in reply and motioned for him to stand straight.

"Then I shall put my utmost trust into your clan. May the wolf demons of the North and the dragon demons of the South forever be united. Once the Eastern lands have been claimed, I will join our two nations as well."

"Thank you, my Lord."

At those words, another of the Southern counts stood up and clapped his hands tentatively. One by one, the rest of the counts joined in, and soon, the entire room was filled with applause.

Today would be the day the war finally ended. Unity of the nations would, once and for all, remove the Eastern lands of its pests. Sehun had much to celebrate that day.

xxx

A slender left hand tugged at the hanging strings. Delicate, dainty feet peddled the handloom as it spun the thread into sheets of soft fabric. A small right hand wiped away the slight perspiration dripping from her forehead. It fell back onto the wooden beam of the loom. The hand held the beam tightly in her grasp, and she pushed. She was once again immersed in the continuous rhythm of weaving and spinning. Push, pedal, pull. Push, pedal, pull. Push━

"My dear Jangmi! My sweet daughter!"

Jangmi lifted her hand away from the loom. Her eyes glanced to the side to find her mother, in a horribly unkempt state, standing by entrance of her room. Immediately, the woman came rushing to her daughter's side. She buried her face into the soft, comforting bosom of her fair child.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Jangmi inquired worriedly. It was especially unnerving for her to see her mother in such a distressed state.

She lifted her face and, as tears poured out of her eyes, moaned despairingly,"Oh my dear, surely you must have heard of the upcoming war, right?" Jangmi nodded, and her mother continued, her voice crying out hysterically, "Well, I just received news that our estate will soon be taken away! The lords need capital to fund their war, and now all of our assets will be seized from us. We soon will have no home."  

Jangmi stared down incredulously at her mother's face. The tears slowly clouding her own eyes rendered her mother's face unreadable, but she knew the amount of despair and anguish her mother's demeanor must have displayed. Jangmi's mien darkened drastically. Curse those oppressive demons. Why must they always force the lives of humans to be so difficult? Have we not pleased them enough with all of the sustenance we provide them? Are they not satisfied even now? She clenched her fists tightly, her nails, digging deeply into her soft flesh, left crescent shaped marks on her fair skin. Tears brimmed past her eyes and streamed down her cheeks freely.

But a steely willpower soon overcame her, and she quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes. Crying would be of no help, for she needed to act. And act she would. Gingerly, Jangmi lifted her mother off from the floor and led her to the silk cushion placed on the tatami mats before her. She grasped her mother by the shoulders, and with a stern resolve of determination, she spoke, "I will not allow our home to be taken away. Remember, mother, this had been the home of our ancestors for thousands of years. No matter what these demons do, we will not relinquish our home to their dirtied hands. I assure you, I will do everything of my abilities to protect our home. Do not fret, mother. I will find a way."

Jangmi could only hope her mother would be, at the very least, somewhat consoled by her words, and although she still had not idea of what to do, she would find a way. Jangmi rarely ever promised anything, and when she did, she never went against her word. She would forever keep her promise of protecting her home.

A/N: Hey there. Thank you for reading! This is the end of chapter one. Hope you enjoyed it, and please don't forget to leave some feedback. It would be much appreciated. Until next time, my loves. Adieu~