Rupture: Rise of the Demon King by Milo Woods Read Free Book Online Page A

Seeko feel any better.
    They headed to where they normally trained in magic. “You think that just because you are the hero, you are invincible,” Tenumi continued. “Not true. You could easily be killed by almost anyone here. This is why you must learn magic. It is your greatest defense, better than sword and bow. Now, ready yourself for the training.”
    But, of course, the training was futile. He felt as if he would never gain control over this magic garbage. Seeko voiced his concerns to Tenumi at the end of his session.
    “Why do you act like this?” Tenumi said. “Acting like a child gets you treated as such. Show me that you deserve my respect, and you will have it.”
    Seeko stared at her with malice before meeting up with Raltz for archery training.
    As Seeko trained throughout the day, he heard several rumors involving him. The soldiers’ confidence in their hero had waned, much to his displeasure.
    His worries were confirmed during his sparring match with Mori.
    “They see you differently now,” she said as she lunged at his chest.
    Seeko parried the stab, and countered. “What do you mean?”
    They exchanged a few more blows. “The soldiers no longer fear you. You are not idolized anymore.” Another blow. “You’re just … another human.”
    “So … what should I do?”
    “We need a way to restore their faith in you. Perhaps Physis will have an idea? I’ll ask him.”
    Physis? Seeko jerked back. The reaction got him stabbed square in the chest, ending the match. “You know the emperor personally?”
    She smiled. They sauntered to the bathhouse. “Yes, I do. He and my father go back. He’s like an uncle to me.”
    “Crazy,” Seeko said.
    Before long, they stood before the bathhouse. Now that they were done dueling, he could finally talk to her about what was really on his mind. He took a deep breath.
    “So … who is Yoshino? Is he a bad guy or what?”
    Mori’s smile faded. “He was my father’s sage. I found out that he was experimenting with demons in the cellar and I told my father.” She stared into the distance, contemplating her words. “Yoshino turned it around and embarrassed me in front of my entire family, and I had to leave. I headed here to get away from him, only to learn that he is here too! Why can’t he just leave me alone?” She was nearly yelling by the end of this. She lowered her voice and spoke again: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted.”
    Hmm … A surprisingly large amount of information from an annoying, secretive girl.
    Seeko shrugged off the apology. “So he experimented with demons? What was he doing?”
    “I don’t know,” Mori said. “I only saw it once and it scared me so badly that I fled before they saw me.”
    The portal flashed into his mind. “Was there any darkness around? Like a black sphere large enough for someone to go through?”
    “I don’t think so … I can’t remember.”
    “Please. This is important to me. I need to know!”
    “Seeko, I don’t see how our sage could have anything to do with you.”
    “Just think about it! Remember!”
    Mori looked away. “I don’t think there was one. I think he just caught the demon or something.” She looked back to him. “Why do you care who he is? It’s my problem, not yours.”
    “Because I think he’s the one who sent me here!”
    Then again, for someone who had teleported Seeko to this world, Yoshino had a bad recollection of the event. But Seeko knew it was him, even if Yoshino didn’t remember.
    “Seeko?” Mori said. “He’s just a jerk. He isn’t a demon or anything. He can’t travel between worlds.”
    Seeko turned to the bathhouse. “Then who did I see? It had to be him.”
    Mori had to be wrong. He entered the bathhouse. It had to be Yoshino. He was the one who had sent him there. He was the one from Seeko’s memories.
    But what exactly did that mean?
     

6: Fire
    24 Maer, 112 AV: Day 63
    Seeko fixed his eyes on the table. Emperor Physis’s gaze bore