The water of the Mystic Rhine brilliantly shimmered in the midday sun. Small dragon flies buzzed and whirred across the top of the water. The Ravaging Demon took a deep breath and looked at his reflection in the crystal blue water. His face had grown old with many centuries of life, and wrinkles had become a defining feature upon his once golden skin. He looked at his right eye. Of all the wounds he had ever gained, he was the most proud of this one. Looking up towards the mountain overlooking the valley, he smiled. “To think such a fierce battle was fought to attain this peace.”

Standing up, the Demon brushed off his clothes. Breathing deeply, he looked around. Just across the river, a little lower in the valley, the villagers were hard at work, busy building their houses, tilling the fields, or raising their children. Out towards the East of the village a group of Nightshade’s were busy training, a common practice in the village by the rhine. Peering his eyes towards the group of boys, the Demon smiled, recognizing one of the children. Approaching the group, the Demon sensed something was off. 

All of the children were standing in a circle, shouting and cheering, yelling obscenities and vulgar curse words. Getting a little closer, the Demon gritted his teeth. Inside the center of the circle, stood two young boys, one covered in blood and bruises, his legs buckling underneath him, and the other, standing tall and proud, gripping his knuckles.

“Why do you still even try Grey? Why haven't you killed yourself yet? Isn’t it miserable to be you?” The boy standing tall bellowed and barked at the half beaten child. Before the Demon could intervene though, the battered boy spoke up.

“Even if I’m crushed and defeated, and everyone else around me walks away, I’ll never give up!” The boy shouted with pride, tears flying from his eyes, and blood flying from his mouth.

The other kids laughed, some yelling back insults, “Yeah! Ok! Whatever loser. You’re just a half-breed!”

Grey grit his teeth. He hated that word. It’s what he’s been called his whole life. Glaring back at Adrian, his heart was consumed with rage. Lunging his battered and broken body at the boy, he screamed, attempting a desperate attack in the hopes of at least damaging his opponent. Adrian laughed, closing his fist. As Grey’s body flew towards Adrian, Grey planted his foot solidly into the ground, creating a pivot point. Using the momentum of the leap, he rotated his foot into the ground, twisting his body towards a different direction. Adrian’s eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard by Grey’s quick thinking. Having landed on Adrian’s exposed side, Grey launched his fist straight into Adrain’s jaw.

CRACK! “Ahh!” Grey pulled his hand back reeling in pain. “Dammit! Why-” SMACK! Grey’s face flew back, blood spurting from his nose. On the verge of consciousness, he sank back into the grass beneath him. The other children just snickered and sneered at him, spitting on him as they walked away. 

“Come on guys. Let’s go train. It smells like half-breed around here.”

Grey pulled his arm up to his eyes in an attempt to cover his tears. “Why- Why can’t I win? Just once!” Sitting up he slammed his injured fist into the ground causing him to shout again. “Ahh! Come on!”

“You should have run.” The Ravaging Demon squatted down infront of Grey, his hands on his knees, his face gently smiling. 

Grey’s eyes widened in horror. “Grandpa!” He quickly scampered to his feet, only to immediately fall over. 

The Demon grabbed Grey by the arm, keeping him standing. “Relax. I’m not disappointed. Not in you.”

Grey choked up and clenched his fist. Anger and disappointment overwhelmed him. Turning to his grandfather he let out his frustrations, “What am I supposed to do grandpa? I can’t help it! I'm not like the other Nightshades! I can’t help I’m human! I’ve tried so hard. I’ve trained for so long. But what does it matter? To these people, I’m nothing. I can’t do anything! They are monsters. I’m just a half-breed.” Grey sank to his knees in defeat, burying his face in shame. “I’m weak.”

The Ravaging Demon looked up to the sky and smiled. “Wanna hear something cool?”

“What.” Grey said, still hiding his face in his arms.

“Have I ever told you how the Rhine was formed?”

“No.”

“Back when I first came here, mmm, almost two centuries ago, I met a creature that wasn’t too happy with me being here.” He looked at Grey who had slightly raised his head, “It’s name was Chunero. It was a giant water serpent. Apparently it had moved out to this area because it was abundant with resources. Well, of course now it is again, but when I first came here this place was a desolate wasteland. Covered with fire and ash, the ground sunken and dead. The only good thing about this place were the ruby crusted trees, but even then many of those had died off. But anyways, you see I moved into the valley, and the Chunero didn’t like that. Initially we sort of got along, but not really. We fought tooth and nail with each other every day.”

Grey brought his tear stained face out of hiding. “So what did you do?”

“Naturally, I killed it. But, I didn’t kill the beast until after a few other monsters had found me. You see, this was right after I had told them I wouldn’t return to battle humanity. It’s the same time this village was born. But there was a problem, the Chunero had drained the land of all it’s natural resources. So, I killed it. It wasn’t an easy fight.” The Demon touched his missing eye. “I’ve fought many fierce battles in my life, but never have I seen a beast fight so hard over a piece of land. Now I understand why he fought so desperately.” 

“What do you mean?”

The Demon smiled, looking out into the Valley. “After I had killed the Chunero, his blood began to pour out, and flowed through the Valley, giving life to the ground.” He pointed towards the mystic rhine. “That there is his blood. 

Grey pushed off his grandfather who was leaning over on him. “Whatever grandpa! That’s crazy. I’ve seen some crazy stuff, but that’s just ridiculous. Blood’s red anyway, not blue.”

The Demon laughed. “My boy. Do you know why I told you that story?”

Grey stood up to leave, steadily growing irritated. “Listen. I appreciate you trying to make me feel better but that won't change-”

“You’re wrong. I told you because there’s something you can learn from the Chunero. It’s the same thing I learned from him.” The Demon stood up and put his hand on Grey’s shoulder. “Sometimes, you can’t win unless you’re willing to lose something, and it might be something you can never get back.”

Grey sighed. “Yeah yeah. Thanks for the life lesson Grandpa. Have you seen my mother? I heard she got into an argument with someone and pushed her in the river. Is that true?”

The Ravaging Demon pursed his lips restraining his laughter. Coughing to clear his throat, he responded, “Your mother is at your house. I believe she is cooking dinner.”

“Thanks Grandpa. Preciate it. You coming to the house tonight?” Grey looked towards the village, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Probably not tonight. I’m busy.” 

“Alright Grandpa. I’ll see you later!” Grey started off towards the village, turning around giving his Grandpa a reassuring smile. “I’ll win grandpa, don’t worry. And I’ll win without sacrificing anything.”

The Demon sighed as he watched his grandson run off towards the village. Reaching his hand into his pocket, he felt an oddly shaped ball. “Crap! I forgot to give this to him. I guess I’ll have to do it later.” 

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The water of the Mystic Rhine brilliantly shimmered in the midday sun. Small dragon flies buzzed and whirred across the top of the water. The Ravaging Demon took a deep breath and looked at his reflection in the crystal blue water. His face had grown old with many centuries of life, and wrinkles had become a defining feature upon his once golden skin. He looked at his right eye. Of all the wounds he had ever gained, he was the most proud of this one. Looking up towards the mountain overlooking the valley, he smiled. “To think such a fierce battle was fought to attain this peace.”

All the children formed a raucous circle, their voices blending into a chaotic cacophony of shouts, cheers, and crude language. Drawing nearer, the Demon clenched his teeth at the sight. At the circle's heart stood two boys: one, a mass of blood and bruises, his legs trembling under him; the other, defiant and unyielding, fists clenched in determination.

"Why bother, Grey? Why cling to this life?" The taller boy taunted, his words dripping with contempt as he towered over his battered counterpart. But before the Demon could intervene, Grey, despite his injuries, found his voice.

"Nev-" He was interrupted by spittles of blood, “I’ll never stop fighting.” Grey's voice rang out, mingling tears and blood, defiance in every word.

The other children jeered, hurling insults and slurs. "You're nothing but a half-breed!" they mocked.

Grey's jaw tightened at the familiar sting of that word, a label he'd borne all his life. Locking eyes with Adrian, fury surged within him. With a primal scream, Grey launched himself at his tormentor, his battered form fueled by sheer desperation. Adrian chuckled, his fist closing into a menacing grip. But Grey, in a moment of cunning, planted his foot firmly, using the momentum of his leap to pivot away, catching Adrian off guard. Landing a blow on Adrian's exposed flank, Grey launched his fist into his antagonizer’s side. 

CRACK! Grey recoiled, a cry escaping his lips as pain surged through his hand. "Ahh! Dammit!" SMACK! His head snapped back, blood gushing from his nose. Teetering on the edge of consciousness, he slumped onto the grass, defeated. The other children snickered and jeered, spitting on him as they sauntered away.

"Let's go train, guys. Can't stand the stench of a half-breed," one of them sneered, prompting laughter from the rest.

Grey lifted his arm to shield his tears, a futile attempt to conceal his anguish. "Why... Why can't I win, just once?" With a frustrated grunt, he pounded his injured fist into the ground, eliciting another cry of pain. "Ahh! Come on!"

"You should have run," a voice spoke softly. The Ravaging Demon crouched before Grey, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

Grey's eyes widened in disbelief. "Grandpa!" He scrambled to his feet, only to collapse again.

The Demon caught him by the arm, steadying him. "Easy now. I'm not disappointed. Not in you."