[Human Kingdom]

The Prince rushed to the Priestess’ room to confirm the news he just received. He saw the huge door and barged in without even trying to knock. If the priestess was an ordinary girl, she would probably be shocked or might be screaming if someone will just be barging in at her door but, she still remained her poise and calmness and kneeled still in front of the altar and with the looks of it, she seemed to be quite expecting the prince’s arrival.

“Prince Daiki… if I am not mistaken, it would be much better for a gentleman to learn how to knock before entering a lady’s room? A little respect for the priestess I guess? I mean, we don’t want to disturb her in the middle of her prayers right your highness?!” the prince heard a familiar boy’s voice. It was the Sage who was sitting at a comfortable chair at the side.

“Well, Mr. Morimoto, please excuse your highness’ rough behavior today. I really do want to apologize but I don’t think that will be appropriate now. We have a more serious issue to discuss.” The first prince who is also known as Daiki Arioka kept calm yet there is a hint of sarcasm in his tone. He is not in a good mood to accommodate such remarks. He is in a hurry. He doesn’t want to waste any time for who knows what the demons would probably be up to now that the royalties they have been waiting for has returned.

“That means that you finally got the confirmation you asked for. Am I right, your highness?” the priestess finally stood up from her prayer and turned to the prince who is still standing still with the door behind him and the Sage still comfortably sitting  at a chair at the right corner of the gigantic room specially built for the priestess for the purpose of worshipping and praying for the gods.

“Unfortunately, you are both right.  Now I sent my general to call out my other brothers and meet us all here to tell them the news and for us to plan things out as well.” It was prince Daiki who answered the Priestess’ question. He is already stressed now and in panic yet it seems like these two “kids” he is with are very calm.

“No need to panic your highness. Danger is not with them you worry yourself upon… danger lurks around all of us…” it was the priestess who spoke. She usually speaks in riddles or parables which makes it difficult for them to understand and usually, the only person who gets a chance to understand at least a bit of what she is saying is no other than the Sage himself, Morimoto Ryutaro.

“What do you mean? Please don’t talk in parables!”  As expected, Prince Daiki is confused about what the priestess said.

“Maybe what she meant is that, we should wait for what the demon tribe is about to do. Let us not haste. Besides, they cannot possibly do things immediately! They will still need to plan things out now that their so called “Demon Prince” and “Demon Princess” came. We still have limited information and we cannot make a wrong move. If we will act like we are threatened by their presence, they might be using it against us.” This was Ryutaro’s answer to the prince. He seems to have a plan but it still is unclear to the prince. But, Daiki is not satisfied with his answer.

“Wait? Until when? We cannot wait that much! What if they will start to attack the different gem kingdoms under us? What if they will launch an all out war against us! And, what is taking them so long!” Prince Daiki is really scared about what might possibly happen and is already starting to panic then he realized that he is still waiting for his other brothers to come.

“If I am not mistaken, your cousins are on their missions. But nevertheless, they are safe and soon they will also be informed about the current issue. Words of mouth fly fast your highness. I assume that they already knew about it.” It was again the priestess who spoke as she reads through her crystal ball placed on a special table at the center of the room.

Prince Daiki is a bit overprotective over his cousins yet they treat each other as brothers since they have been together ever since. Their parents all died as great heroes of the land during the previous wars. Since then, they vowed to be loyal to each other and to love and protect each other for the sake of their kingdom.

“Yes… I forgot about that. Still, what do you mean by danger is not with them? I don’t get it?” Daiki is calmer now yet confused about the message of the priestess.

“I am sorry your highness, but for now, that is the only information I can give you.” the priestess said as she bowed her head as a sign of respect and for not being able to explain things furthermore. She might be able to have an accurate reading on the crystal ball but sometimes, the crystal tells her things in riddles as well. It will take some time before answers are really given out. It will only give clues but it is still up to them to decipher things.

“Don’t overwork yourself Priestess. There is a good explanation about that. For now, we still have the time to think and plan things out but we will first observe their moves. You don’t need to worry too much your highness. I am pretty confident they won’t be making any drastic moves. You are panicking too much your highness. Why don’t you rest for a bit? Maybe when you are calmer, we can devise a better plan.” It was what Ryutaro suggested. He sure is confident that the Demons will still not be making any bold action. He knows that they won’t be doing anything big without all their aces with them. They might already have the “demon royalties” but then again, they still don’t have their Oracle and their Great Wise Man. This gives Ryutaro an assurance and confidence as well.

“Seems like I need to heed your advice… very well then, I will be taking my rest for now. I trust you both and I really do hope things will turn out in our favor. You two must also get some rest.” This was all that the prince said before walking out of the room.

“Yes! Your highness!” the two said in synch before the prince went out of the room.

As soon as the door was closed…

“What do you think is taking them so long… ne Ryutaro-kun?” the priestess now turned to her friend. She acts differently when in front of other people. She is calm and serene, soft-spoken priestess in front of all of them yet she reveals her true nature to only one person…

“It won’t be too long. Just wait and see. He has plans far more brilliant than mine…”

“Mou!!! You’re talking in riddles! But yeah, he has his plans ne! Want to hear me play the violin?”

“Sure, so that I can have a good night sleep.”

[Demon Kingdom]

Yuto was confused about what is going on now since a while ago, Kota was so infuriated but now he has this huge smirk on his face and everyone are having different reactions. The atmosphere is tense and awkward and Yuto is wondering what just happened.

“Is there anyone who would care to explain what is wrong here? Please don’t tell us it is another customary tradition in this land?!” It was Rina again who broke the eerie silence. She just hates it when she doesn’t understand what’s happening.

“Well unfortunately dimwit, your brother here made his biggest mistake!” it was Kota Yabu who spoke who still has his big smirk with him.

“Your highness, holding a fork on the right hand signifies that the person holding it is declaring a battle against the person who threw it. And the knife on the left hand signifies that it will be a sword fight, which means that, the demon prince is challenging Prince Kota Yabu on a sword fight.” Things were explained clearly by head teacher Shigeaki Kato.

“What!! That can’t possibly be…” Yuto was about to protest when

“I accept the challenge, your highness!” Kota interrupted him

“Another thing, your highness, is that, once the opponent accepts the challenge, there is no turning back. The challenge must be done until a winner is declared.” It was Yamaa who added the remark.

“How will we know who will be the winner and the loser? I suppose this is not a death match right? “ Rina asked worried.

“It is not a death match but whoever quits first or will be unconscious first loses.”  This time, Jun explained.

“What will be at stake here and what will happen to the winner and to the loser?” it was now Yuto who made the remark. He is already serious about this. He really wants to punch this Kota guy a while ago before Rina slapped him. He only wished for a punch but looks like he’ll have more opportunity to get even with this guy for insulting his mother and his sister, the two most important girls in his life.

“If you win, I will take back what I just said about your mother and sister and I will be acknowledging you as the Demon Prince and your sister as well. If you lose, you will stay out of our business and go back to where you came from or just do whatever it is that we will ask you to do. We will start after an hour at the backyard training grounds. I suppose one hour is enough for you to prepare?! Don’t ask why. You challenged me and it is also a rule that I will be setting the terms and conditions. Deal with it.” This is what Kota said before leaving the room.

“I don’t need you to acknowledge me but I want you to take back what you said. I certainly don’t want to lose.” Yuto said with a burning flame on his eyes but with a smile on his lips.

“Ne Yuya! This is going to be fun!” Hikaru smiled showing his mini fangs while tapping Yuya excitedly.

“Seems like it…” was Yuya’s plain answer. Good thing Hikaru is used to it.

“Boys, I am not feeling very well today. Please just tell me the whole story tomorrow Hikaru dear. I need to rest now and as much as I want to watch it, I need to have my beauty rest. Ciao!” this time, it was the queen who spoke while her hand is holding her forehead like she is dizzy or something.

She asked Hikaru to tell her the story since she knows Hikaru is a great story teller since he will tell all the details with all the re enactments plus sound effects plus his thoughts as well.  Compared to Yuya who will just tell you who won or who lose and will go straight to the point or will just plainly answer your question. You will be lucky if he gives you a summary of the story.

The queen was accompanied by some of the servants and had a look at the twins.

“Please do your best your highness. I am sorry for my son’s rough act a while ago. He has his reasons. Please do take care.” The queen made her statement before finally leaving the room.

“Your highness, allow me to accompany you and to help you in your preparation.” Yamaa volunteered to help Yuto and he gladly accepted it.

The twins, as accompanied by Yamaa already went to a certain room to prepare. Jun started setting the place and Shigeaki started ordering the other servants to help Jun in setting the place, clean the mess in the room and to bring the materials Kota and Yuto will use for their battle.

[Hikaru’s POV]

Well, after the new “Demon Prince and Princess” made their greatest mistake ever regarding on slapping Kota and challenging him on a sword fight, what else can make this more fun! Kota has always been the most stubborn among the three of us and his specialty is swords since it is the weapon he yields! Yuya yields his spear while I hold the nunchakus.

I am quite worried on my mother’s act a while ago. This is the first time we saw her like that! Is she angry? Is she thinking of something? Is she disappointed? Is she really sick? Gaaah!! All these thoughts are driving me crazy! Not to mention that I am her personal reporter again tomorrow. As if I can count on Yuya on that one and the mighty Kota! Geez!

I wonder if I can get along well with the demon prince since he seems to be care-free! Much like me!! His sister seems to be like a diplomat and what’s interesting is that she has a lot of similarities with Kota! Especially on the “taking things seriously” and on “always stressed” thing! Yet they don’t get along!

I am afraid we need to have a puppet Prince and Princess since he definitely cannot win against Kota especially when he is infuriated.

We are walking on our way to the backyard training grounds where the epic fight will begin when I noticed Yuya to be spacing out again with a grin on his face. I wonder what he is thinking again! He is sure a weird person at times!! Geez!

[End of Hikaru’s POV]

 [Yuya’s POV]

Well, I hate to admit it but I agree with Hikaru here. This is a bit fun though it is a complete mess and a disaster.

First I was not expecting the demon prince and the demon princess to look this way and to be this young. I thought that they will appear to be more mature but I saw a boy with a black uniform, black hair, black eyes (which I expected actually) to be admiring the beautiful room while examining the chandeliers and the servants and  has literally had his jaws dropped. He looks so naïve and innocent and is so carefree. Yet he also seems to be overprotective on their mom since he was about to run towards Kota when he insulted their mom.

His sister on the other hand looks awfully a lot like him (what do I expect from twins) with her long jet black hair which is a little messy now (maybe because of the skeletons) who has her eyes fixed on the food on the long table yet asks so many questions to mother and the person who dared slapped the mighty Kota Yabu! Not to mention calling him bamboo.

However, there is something between these two that makes them interesting; especially that Yuto guy. Maybe I am just excited to see what will be happening next.

[End of Yuya’s POV]

[Earth]

“Ne! 5 minutes already passed since the twins were transported to the other world! I wonder what’s happening to them. What is “He” really planning…” the Oracle said worriedly while still at the rooftop with the Wise Man.

“Are you not happy to spend some quality time with me?” the Wise Man continues to tease the Oracle. He just knows how moody and snobbish the Oracle is yet he still loves to .

“Are you trying to flirt with me?” was what the Oracle said with her right hand on her waist and her eyebrow curved in annoyance.

“What if I am?” the wise man said as he tries to trap the Oracle again.

“No more traps!” the Oracle is setting a feisty façade though the truth is that she is trying to avoid contacts with this guy since she knows she’ll blush like a ripe tomato if the wise man lets out his killer smile that simply melts a lady’s heart.

“If you are trying to flirt with me, then I must say that you stop it Baka! It’s not nice neither is it funny! It is D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G!  geez! Go try it on other girls! Not on me!”

“Ahahaha! Well then, I was just hoping my smile can soften your stone heart and your hard head. Looks like I need to exert extra effort.” The Wise Man said as he gave a wink at the lady.

“I wonder what He is planning…” the Oracle tried to divert the topic.

“Even I don’t fully understand everything yet. There are still some pieces of the puzzle missing. Yet I know he has brilliant plans in store… plans that might even be greater than that of mine. I know you are worried about the twins but I know He wants everything to be right in the end. We just need to trust Him and wait for his signal.” The Wise Man turned a little more serious as he knows he must give a proper answer to the Oracle’s question.

“I know… but the time difference between Earth and the other world is a bit inconsistent. The only thing that is sure is that, the days on Earth are longer than that of the other world. Ten minutes in Earth might mean a day in the Demon Kingdom.” The Oracle was right. The computation between Earth’s time and Demon kingdom’s is still not that concrete. A year in Earth might be a century in the Demon Kingdom.

“You worry too much honey! Calm do…” the Wise Man was about to finish his statement when suddenly, they both felt something weird and heard the voice they have been waiting for. That is the cue they have been waiting for.

“Finally!” The Oracle exclaimed.

“Ready? Let’s go.” The Wise Man took her hand and ran to where they should be.

[Meanwhile at the Demon Kingdom]

Yuto was earlier than Kota in the field and from the looks of it; he still is having a hard time with the sword. He is using Yamaa’s sword and it is quite heavy. Swinging it requires his full force.

Not too long after they came, Prince Yuya, Prince Hikaru, Head Teacher Shigeaki and Second General Jun came. They stood on an area where they can have a nice view yet a good distance away from the battle field.

Kota finally came. He didn’t change his clothes and he seems to walk pretty comfortably. Yuto really doesn’t like battles but there is something at stake here and he just cannot lose to him.

“Are you nervous, your highness?” Yamaa asked him.

“I don’t want to lie and say I am not. I am but, I cannot let that nervousness and fear eat me. By the way Yamaa-san! Thank you for lending me your sword!” a genuine smile was seen on Yuto’s face.

“You don’t need to your highness. Please! Don’t call me like that. You can call me Yamapi as the queen does.” He said also forming a smile on his gorgeous face.

“Very well then Yamapi! Then please don’t call us your highness! call me Yuto and my ne-chan, Rina!”

“As you wish, your highness.”

[Yuto’s POV]

I am nervous and I cannot hide it anymore. I mean, this will be my first time to fight someone literally and with real swords! I also notice Rina to be a bit more quiet than the usual. She is nervous too. I hope she doesn’t feel guilty about things. She has this awful tendency on blaming herself when unfortunate events happen.

“Ne-san, why are you so quiet?! Are you nervous?” I asked though I know she won’t tell me the truth.

“Ah?! I just thought that we wasted good food a while ago. It would be much better if they ended up in my tummy instead of the floor.” I knew she thought about this but this is not what she really feels now.

“Don’t worry too much ne-san. I will do my best! Remember the chant?!” I said and I suddenly remembered something that might cheer us both.

“Of course I do! I might forget a lot of things easily but not the chant!” She is now getting a bit more hyped up now.

“Iskiribatsiboop iskiribaba bloopi kiribit kiribit!” we said in synch while doing some unique handshakes and gestures. Our mom told us to recite that chant when we are nervous and we need to be hyped up. Now I am ready. Bring it on Kota Yabu.

[End of Yuto’s POV]

The demons noticed the weird gesture the twins did and were confused about it. Kota saw it and thought of it as a funny joke to appease the nervousness of the twins. He is also a bit tired and he plans on ending the match as quick as possible.

Yamapi and Rina joined Prince Yuya, Prince Hikaru, Jun and Shigeaki on the safe side to watch the battle and as soon as they heard the whistle, the swordfight begun.

Kota was aggressive on his sword and immediately attacked Yuto. It was clear that Yuto is struggling as he blocked Kota’s attacks. The weight of the sword is already a challenge to him and blocking Kota’s fast attacks made it even more arduous than it already is. Yuto is trying to analyze Kota’s moves.

Though he fell on the ground quite a few times, he still manages to quickly stand up and regain his poise. Little-by-little he is managing to anticipate Kota’s moves and is getting used to the weight of the sword. Yuto has a gift on having a great memory almost like having an eidetic memory so it is easy for him to memorize patterns. He is also musically inclined and thinks that there is a certain rhythm on Kota’s move. With these abilities, he is able to catch up and not give Kota an easy win.

Kota was now a little impatient since he didn’t expect Yuto to adapt this fast. He clearly underestimated his opponent. Now Yuto is able to have some hits on Kota and can easily anticipate his moves. But then again, the sword is not the only weapon that the prince can use. He is a demon and he used it to his advantage.

Yuto was surprised when his opponent backed off a bit and had a good distance between them. He tries to be as defensive as possible and now he is tired. He thought this will be a good time to catch his breath but he was surprised when balls of fire suddenly came towards him. Luckily, he was able to dodge it.

“Hey! That’s not fair! This is supposed to be a sword fight!” Rina exclaimed and clearly wants Kota to hear what she has to say. All throughout the battle she remained silent and only has a blank face. She didn’t even flinch when she saw his Ni-chan fell into ground for several times but using magic is too much.

Kota ignored the protest of the Princess and instead of stopping, he threw more and more balls of fire and it became larger and larger. It is becoming more and more difficult for Yuto to avoid the attacks.

“It is a legal move. Magic is allowed in this battle.” Surprisingly, Yuya answered Rina’s protest.

“Kota is a demon and we demons can control different elements remember? Kota has the element of fire and he can use it as much as he could as long as he is on demon land’s soil.” Hikaru added.

“But that is unfair! Yuto cannot use magic! There is no chance for him to win this one.” Rina is starting to tremble. She cannot bear the fact that she cannot do anything to save her brother.

“But there are no rules about it. Kota is not breaking any rules.” Yuya again answered which made Rina be silent.

Kota is savoring the moment for he knew that his opponent cannot approach him anymore and that he is too tired to fight. Sooner or later, his opponent will quit. Yet surprisingly, his opponent is as stubborn as him and he knew he had to exert more effort. He is also tired of throwing fireballs so he gave it a rest. He noticed that Yuto is barely gasping for breath and he decided to taunt him through words. And he knows just how to discourage him.

“Come on! Why don’t you just quit already and accept the fact that you are a loser. You cannot possibly go against me at this rate! You cannot even stand. Give up now while you still can.” Kota exclaimed as he tries to discourage Yuto.

Instead of answering back, Yuto just stood up and smirked. He might look naïve and innocent yet he knows that his opponent is only trying to taunt him. Whoever loses patience first and the first one who gets reckless first loses. He also doesn’t have enough energy to waste on nonsense talk. But he has little energy left and any minute now, he will definitely collapse. He is only leaning on his sword to be able to stand up.

Yuto is now just a few meters away from Rina and she has these different thoughts running on her mind. She wants to just go there and get a sword and fight that guy but she knows that this is Yuto’s fight and she can’t intervene. However, if the situation goes worst, she’ll definitely do the first thing that will come to her mind.

Kota saw Yuto’s situation and was insulted at the way Yuto smirked on him. He is not a patient guy and now he’s definitely angry. He used his energy left and gave Yuto a big blast of fire. He thought it is already the end of it but something wrong happened.

Yuto was not the one who received the attack…

It was…

Rina.

Yuto can barely move at that moment and when Rina saw it, she ran and pushed her brother aside and she got the fire blast that was supposed to be thrown to Yuto.

Everyone was surprised…

Yuto was almost ready to face the heat of the fire blast since he knew he cannot move anymore yet instead of the fire, he felt the solid ground. He looked around him and saw his sister lying on the ground with all the scratches and burn. He then saw Yamapi, and Jun running to where Rina was lying and Shigeaki was in panic to call the servants to bring first aids. Yuya and Hikaru was about to go to where Yuto was lying when suddenly, light started to surround Yuto.

His look became a bit more matured with a little longer hair and he is floating on air. Soft blue light is surrounding him and his eyes were fierce and it was fixed on Kota. He is like a different man now.

“Ne-chan, as always, you are rational but you tend to act reckless at times. Why can’t you be more careful?!” Yuto said as water started to surround Rina which made Jun and Yamapi move a little away to her body and focused their attention on Yuto.

“You were unfair in our battle. You knew I cannot use magic yet you used it against me. You insulted my mother and now you hurt my sister. Now you shall pay for this mess! I Yuto Nakajima, the Demon Prince will not let this pass!” there was authority on his voice and it is like it is not Yuto who is speaking anymore.

Suddenly, a huge wave of water appeared out of nowhere and engulfed Kota. He was fighting for his breath and Yuto was almost out of control when Yuto’s ring started to shine so bright. The light surrounding him was suddenly gone. His looks changed back to normal and the water engulfing Kota was gone. The water surrounding Rina also vanished and Yuto lost consciousness.

Rina’s ring also glowed at the same time Yuto’s ring did. It was a silver twin dolphin’s ring that they both wear at the middle finger of their left hand. It healed Yuto and Rina’s injuries but now they lay unconscious.

“Seems like I have a lot to tell mother...ne Yuya.” This was all that Hikaru can say after all that happened.

“That’s a long story to tell.” Yuya answered.

[Meanwhile]

“Seems like we came just in time. That was a pretty rough confirmation don’t you think?” the Oracle told the Wise Man after seeing everything that just happened.

“Now it is really clear that there is no mistake. They are definitely the ones we are waiting for.” Was the Wise Man’s reply.

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Who is the Wise Man, the Oracle and the Priestess?

Who is the “He” they are talking about?

What will happen after the twins wake up?

What will happen to Kota?

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