Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

Entering the dining room, Alexander and Zara found their place sitting across from Exulla and Mimi, while the demon chief took his spot at the head of the table. 

As everyone settled onto their mats, Alexander was pleasantly surprised at how soft they were, almost as if they were filled with clouds and sealed with silk. 

Sitting down with his legs crossed, Alexander looked over to see Zara settling on her knees, her tail anxiously swaying back and forth as she looked over at Exulla and Mimi. 

Speaking of the duo, the two of them sat quietly, their cold gazes studying Alexander with distant curiosity and judgment.

Alexander, sensing the tension and not watching to further it, turned his attention towards the demon chief, who was sitting with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

He seemed to be deep in thought, his large chest rising and falling steadily as his lips pressed together firmly. 

What….

Alexander's expression revealed his slight confusion, with his ears ringing and lips pulled back. He continued to study the demon chief.

"Why do you look at him that way?" Exulla asked in a cold and unforgiving tone, her gaze matching that of a million daggers. "Do your kind not pray to their god?" She asked.

Taken aback by the suddenness of her question and the sharpness of her tongue, Alexander remained silent. 

Almost as if taking his lack of a reply as an answer, she frowned. "You pale conquerors know no hubris, you take your machines as gods, and force them upon others."

"I-I…" Alexander opened his mouth to respond, attempting to move away from the sudden tension that began to form, yet the air grew thick with its presence. "I don't know what you mean." He replied with a slight stammer. "Is he praying?"

Exulla rolled her eyes as if it were obvious what the demon chief was doing. "Ugh, the arrogance." She muttered, before turning her attention towards Zara, "Have you not taught him this, or were you more concerned with this child rather than our customs?"

Zara, all six of her eyes blinking in unison, stared at Exulla with a slight frown. "I didn't have time." She replied, "I had to train him to fight, not to please." 

"Even so, it's simple respect," Exulla replied, "here we sit speaking the language of foreigners, yet the boy cannot respect a simple prayer."

Alexander felt himself growing frustrated with the sudden accusations and moved to respond, to defend himself, when suddenly the demon chief began to chuckle. 

"Calm yourself Exulla," he replied, opening his six eyes with a warm smile, "your bickering proved more of a distraction than the boy's staring."

Exulla quickly turned her cold gaze upon the demon chief, her gaze quickly softened as her expression fell. "My apologies," she replied softly, her tone still emotionless.

"You're excused, though…" The demon chief raised a hand to his chin as he trailed off in thought.

Mimi, who has been quietly eyeing Alexander, turned her attention towards her mother. She leaned close to her, raising a hand to cover her mouth.

Exulla turned her attention towards her daughter, her expression unreadable as her eyes narrowed. 

Curiously Alexander watched them before he felt Zara's tail tracing up his leg and moving to wrap around his waist.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, her accent thick as her six eyes looked upon him, wide with empathy and concern.

Alexander nodded, "yeah, I'm fine." He replied softly.

"…Hmm," the demon chief said to himself, raising a hand to his chin, "I am quite curious about your god, do you have one?" He asked, turning his attention towards Alexander.

Alexander hesitated briefly, before thinking back on his time in this world and earth. 

How should I even answer this?

Answering to earth would be difficult, as though Alexander was raised catholic, he never really practiced the faith. 

Not to mention that since his reincarnation, the concept of one god creating the universe and humanity kinda goes out the window.

But explaining the faith of his people in this world would be even harder, as all he knew was that they worshipped a goddess of some sort.

I can't just say "We worship a goddess, I have no idea of her name or gospel!" That's rude and tasteless.

"Are you lost in thought?" The demon chief asked curiously, his tone low and inquisitive, "Surely your faith must be deep."

Alexander turned towards the demon chief with a small, sheepish smile. "Uhm," he said with an audible gulp, "we worshipped a goddess… I suppose."

"A goddess," the demon chief repeated, "yes, I remember my friend mentioning her in passing, though we never spoke about her in detail."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, "Your friend, do. you mean Mimi's father?" He asked hesitantly, tilting his head.

"Indeed," the demon chief said with a nod as he turned his attention towards Mimi, who was now staring at the food on the table with a ravenous hunger in her eyes. 

"Steel yourself, Mimi, Alexander has yet to pray." The demon chief called to her.

"Then he should hurry," Mimi replied, her tone as cold as her mother's, yet it was filled with something else, something calculated. "I want to eat, not talk."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, as it was the first time he had heard Mimi speak. 

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to mule over the sound of her voice as the demon chief brought him back to reality.

"Boy, You heard the girl," the demon said with a grin, "take this time to pray to your goddess, we'll wait." 

Alexander gulp.

Pray? To whom?!?! I don't even know this woman's name!

The tension in the room continued to compound, and with all eyes on him, Alexander knew his time to stall was short.

Okay!

Alexander placed both his hands together and lowered his head as he closed his eyes tightly. 

I don't know what I'll say, so I guess I'll just throw words at the void and hope for the best.

While Alexander quietly sat in mock prayer, the demons and Mimi watched him curiously.

"Interesting," the demon chief whispered to himself, "that's some prayer posture."

"So the pale conquerors do have a deity that's not a machine," Exulla muttered.

Mimi watched Alexander with narrowed eyes, the half-demon growing impatient yet keeping it well hidden. 

Zara watched too, yet her expression was unchanged.

After some time passed, Alexander opened his eyes and slowly raised his head. His expression was one of masked calmness. 

"Are you done, boy?" The demon chief asked, leaning slightly over the table towards Alexander.

Alexander nodded, before giving a sheepish grin. "Yes."

If you count rambling as prayer then yes, I'm done.

The demon chief then clapped his hands together as he gave a satisfying nod. "Then let us dine and converse!" He exclaimed, happily.

At his words, Mimi exhaled a hidden breath and reached for a piece of seared and seasoned meat. 

Bringing it to her mouth, she opened it to reveal her razor-sharp canines and chomped down, ripping the flesh.

Crimson blood and juice spurted out of the meat, covering her pale chin as she chewed with a satisfied expression. 

Alexander watched in awe and horror as Mimi tore into the meat. His eyes were wide as his stomach churned. 

After Mimi, the demon chief was next to take part in the meal, grabbing what looked to be the cooked leg of some kind of large bird. 

He raised the leg to his mouth. And chomped down, blood and juices squirted from the leg droplets flying across the table, some finding their way to Alexander's cheek.

Raising a hand to his face, Alexander touched the warm droplet on his cheek, before bringing his hand down to examine it.

Zara, who was closely watching Alexander, tapped his shoulder. "Eat." She whispered, "You'll need the strength for tomorrow."

Alexander chuckled nervously, he had almost forgotten about the fight tomorrow. 

Almost…

"R-right," Alexander said with a nod as he whipped the blood on his sleeve. Scanning the table before him, Alexander was greeted with a wide variety of meats, fruits, soups, and vegetables. 

On the plate specifically before him, was a balanced mix of all the table had to offer. 

Taking a deep breath, he reached for the chunk of meat that settled itself onto his plate. 

Grabbing the meat by its crispy edges, Alexander steadied his nerves and brought it towards his mouth. 

The scents radiating from the meat were intoxicating and sweet, making his stomach rumble with hunger and apprehension.

As Alexander bit down, Zara's gaze was focused solely on him, watching, waiting for him to eat and ingest the Smokey meal.

To Alexander's surprise, the flavor and texture of the meat was quite pleasant, the tender meat melting in his mouth. 

There wasn't much blood, as Alexander hadn't bit down as forcefully, only taking a small bite. 

"Mhmm," Alexander said to himself as he chewed with wide eyes. 

"Good, right?" Zara asked with an expectant smile.

Alexander nodded as he licked his lips. 

Zara giggled softly as she turned her attention towards her plate. She took a piece of meat and bit down hard, closing her eyes as the blood rolled down her chin.