SighSimon looked at his daughter and gave a pa.s.sive smile. In front of such a little child, he was defenceless against her words. She was too innocent to understand hate, and too smart to listen to Simon"s words. If she wanted something, Simon would have to give it.
"I just want a mama and papa. Other kids have a mama and papa, so why me can only have papa?" Dahlia reasoned as she touched her index fingers together, giving a pity-inducing look.
"Fine. Papa will forgive Mama. Just remember, you can forgive but you can never forget." Simon reminded her as he gave in.
"She is far too cunning, that wife of mine. Now my dear little child loves her too much."
"Just remember, Papa is still very sad about what Mama did, So Papa can"t forgive Mama too quick." Simon said as he patted Dahlia"s head.
"Okay~ Papa love me and mama love me."
"Good... very good. Now I just need to sort out a few more things before we leave." Simon stood up and peeked from behind the throne.
"Dahlia, stay right here. Papa is going to get a better look at what is happening." Simon patted his daughter and disappeared into a wisp of black mist. With the ethereal state he was in, he lost all sense of weight and slowly orbited the throne in a discreet manner; watching the scene with great attention to detail.
"En." She nodded her head firmly.
A glint of crimson light was emitted from Malece"s gaze, creating a sense of domination and power in her very being. Her smile widened and her face displayed an expression of satisfaction. She knew very well that she did not have to worry about an uprising anytime soon. This of course gave her much time to raise her child safely with peace of mind.
"Today is the Adulthood Ceremony, no? Come, we have much joy today in seeing the next generation graduate their childhoods in joy and bliss. I am sure you do not want to miss the unveiling of new members of your respective families." Malece let out a jovial expression and reminded the crowd of the most important event of the day.
"Yes, may today be a joyful day in the Demon World! Our children will become men and women and our families will share in the happiness of it all!" One of the devils cried out in antic.i.p.ation.
"If only the Blood Sovereign had a child, I would gladly have my son or my daughter pair up with such a n.o.ble existence!"
"No thanks. Dahlia will have a choice. She won"t be bound by this world." Simon thought to himself as he recalled that night. Even if it was not to happen that night, Simon would have eventually been bound by the ceremony. It was just such a cruel thing. Even with all of his power, the only way to escape the ceremony is to escape the world.
"My child will surpa.s.s this world and the worlds above. She does not need a partner to be great, she just needs herself. Anything else is her choice, and I will never let anyone chain her to another."
"My power is mine, my power is my choice. My life is small but limitless, my fate is mine alone. I will definitely ensure that Dahlia will have a most satisfying existence. Even if it means making some small sacrifices and forgiving past misdeeds, I will do whatever I can to nurture her right."
Simon quietly followed the group of devils and observed them walking out of the palace and into a large courtyard. Within this courtyard, was a huge wall that could be up to 5 kilometres in length; which Simon knew was just one wall out of four sides. Within the box, was a huge maze.
"The maze is brought down to the Demon World at every full cycle of the Demon year. Today we will witness the shedding of horns in some cases, but we will definitely see the creation of a new generation." Malece gestured her hands towards the wall and gave a short speech.
The audience gazed their eyes upon what seemed to be an endless wall of raven black void, becoming somewhat mesmerised by it all. In all honesty, they were not in awe, they were merely reminiscing on their time in there.
Looking back, many of them remembered how they became adult devils. They felt a kind of duty to wait for their beloved children to come out and welcome new devils into their families. If you asked one of the old devils if they could describe their experiences in the maze, they would simply smile and wave you off.
This is a rite of pa.s.sage to them. It is in fact a crime to tell a child about the truth of the ceremony. Such deviants would find themselves dead before they can even finish their sentences. That is the rule of society.
"Little Jazukal can finally call himself a man after today. As a never before seen genius, he will no doubt be joined with one of untold power. I am sure of it." Karlus Crypts let out some brief words with a smile of pride.
"My dear Simonifirac should also be here. As for him... I do not believe anyone from this generation is his match." Karlus continued with a solemn gaze.
"Surely you jest, Crypts! I haven"t even heard a word about that child of yours for the last two years. He is probably behind in strength now, my child is easily stronger."
"Oh? Are you r.e.t.a.r.ded?" Karlus said bluntly to the devil.
"I am Oberon Mortyr XII, even if I am only a Clar, my house will surpa.s.s yours. Young Mattricht is already at the 2nd vision of the 6th rank. He nearly comparable to me!" The devil laughed in satisfaction.
"What colour are his horns?" Karlus asked plainly with his arms folded.
"White. Why do you ask? He will not be a white horn for long, he will surely become a Grey horn immediately!"
"Pfft... you are truely pitiful."
"Well it does not need to be kept a secret any longer. Just wait and see when the ceremony is over. Mortyr, no one will save you. When this is over, your spine will be a coat hanger on my front doorstep."