The Four Guardians

What does it mean to rule over others? Ruling with an iron fist to make those scared of you and watch as they cower in fear whilst adrenaline runs through your body and the power consumes you, swallowing any hope of light that was inside and creating something that should never be repeated.

The demon king once ruled over his realm as did all the other races' leaders, the strongest protected their nation from any threat and evil.

After a war that lasted over a thousand years, the nations came together to form a pact in hopes that they would be able to stop useless fighting and instead work together to build a strong world.

However, this wasn't just to bring peace, as the Demon King, the one who started the war, was to be punished.

His 4 guardians who each guard a sector of the Demon Realm were also to secretly aid the other nations if needed, whilst also serving directly under the Demon King.

The King agreed and the nations formed a bond that would last for an eternity. Whilst also creating the Guardian System that was known today.

The deal caused a great amount of success as trading between all nations increased, with once violent nations such as the druids and the humans improving relations.

Of course, not everyone agreed with the deal at first. Many couldn't forgive the actions caused by the Demon's and will always see them as what they were in the past.

The Demon Realm is a large continent that is still partially cut off from the rest of the world. Around the edges are castles guarded by the Demon Army checking everyone who leaves and enters.

Sitting in the centre lies a giant tower that looms over the demon city, watching it from all angles, the building acts as a large hub for Demon's from all Sectors to gather, full of shops, businesses whilst also housing important figures within the Demon Realm such as Army Generals and the Four Guardians.

The Four Guardians have split the Demon Realm into quarters and each governs them differently as if they were separate nations each worshipping their respective Guardian.

The Guardian of the West, Mane.

A towering demon who could lift buildings with one hand. He accompanies his strength with mastery in sword combat when he fights seriously he would be a one-man army and would require the other three Guardians to stop him, or so he claims.

The Guardian of the South, Ifer.

A slim young grey demon and wielder of a lance with the destructive power of a giant. Along with Mane, he has a carefree attitude and wants to get along with everyone. His agility is the fastest of all the members when they all fight fairly. His light armour and enjoyment of dancing has allowed him to appear behind his enemies and finish them off before their hearts can finish a beat.

The Guardian of the East, Sagitta.

The only female Guardian. With her mighty bow and infinite stock of arrows crafted by the finest Demon Arrowsmiths, she will hunt anyone down regardless of who they are.

Her red eyes will lock onto whatever her prey is and never let it out of her sights until it's killed. Her cunning wits and quick feet make her a master assassin and is feared throughout the nations for her hatred towards humans. Her short black hair will make any Demon fall for her and she has stolen the hearts of many whilst not letting anyone take hers.

The Guardian of the North, Tempus.

Unlike the other three, he is the only Half-Demon and is hated because of it. He is a master of magic and has spent his life studying it, protecting the Demon Realm from any magical threats and keeping peace in the magical world. His short brown hair accompanies his brown worn-out shirt and trousers. He carries around a magic book he uses as a catalyst for his magic but will change to his staff if the situation is dire.

Due to being both Human and Demon he is shy around others and would often lock himself up in his part of the tower to focus on work. Unlike Sagitta he wishes that Humans and Demons would get along and work together, however, he knows that if the dangers that would arrive if he was to reveal himself to the Demon Realm.

The Four Guardians spend their days watching over the Demon Realm with the help of each other and their respective Puppet Guardians to act and communicate with the villagers of their sectors. Although all the nations know of their existence their true identity is kept a secret from most.

"Why don't you conceded, you have no other option." Ifer and Tempus were locked in an intense battle, inside the tower was a common room where the guardians would often hang out and socialise, it was filled with a kitchen area and board games, living as if they were students.

"I can keep going…" Tempus was confused and unsure of what move to make. He was cornered and with nowhere else to go, but he had to make a move.

Tempus picked up his last remaining bishop and moved into what he thought was a free spot.

"Checkmate" Ifer had surrounded Tempus' king causing him to fall in his chair in defeat.

"Sigh...Good game."

"I kinda like these human games. They are fun, you should bring some others next time you go back."

Ifer and Tempus were the closest out of all the Guardians, they all got along as well as they could since they were forced to live together. The time they spent hanging out was how they bonded, most demons would bond over fighting but with most of the Guardians being tactical fighters they prefered battles of psychological warfare. Of course, they didn't just play for fun, each game was to learn a bit about each other in case there ever came a day when they would be enemies.

"Stop playing, idiots. We have a mission." Sagitta walked in holding a sealed envelope marked with the symbol of the Demon King.

"Perfect! A chance for me to yet again prove I'm the best!" Mane ran in after hearing the news taking out part of the wall as he missed to door.

"USE THE DOOR! WE HAVE TO KEEP REPAIRING THIS PLACE BECAUSE OF YOU!" Sagitta said.

"Anyway, I'll open the letter and see what it says.

To the Guardians,

Enclosed in this letter is 5,000 flyers for the Demon Army. We recently have been having issues recruiting and wish for you four to try and convince people to join. You have until the end of the day, whoever recruits the most people will receive a reward."

"We have to recruit people? Doesn't he have other people for that?"

"Silence Ifer! Our beloved King has given us a task and I shall complete it better than you all and receive the reward!" Mane left taking a hand full of flyers walking through the extended door he made earlier.

Tempus looked at the flyers studying them, he didn't want to have to go out and talk to people, he wasn't worried about being exposed. He was confident in his magic ability and used it to create the illusion that he looked like a grey demon. He was more interested in the reward and wondered what it could be.

"Ok… I guess I'll do it…" Tempus decided.

"Personally, I wouldn't want a human to have any influence in our army but since the King himself had requested it we must have to allow it."

Tempus was used to Sagitta's hatred towards humans, although he looks like a teenage human normally he had many components of a Demon such as the long lifespan and the ability to master Demonic magic.

His ability to master both Human and Demon magic has made him one of the strongest mages the world had ever seen.

"You guys can do whatever you want, I'm going to sleep. The game of Chess tired me out, I haven't had to think so much in a while. Besides we shouldn't be the ones doing this." Ifer wasn't one to get involved in pointless activities set by the Demon King, he wanted peace between all nations and would happily replace the army with his own Guardian's System if given the option.

All the Guardian's were strong enough to hold their own against the strongest any other nations could offer, having an army was against Ifer's pride.

# # #

Outside in the West sector, Mane stood on top of a giant stage shouting at the top of his lungs trying to convince passers-by that they should join him.

"JOIN THE DEMON ARMY TODAY! JOIN TODAY AND YOU WILL BE A HERO AMONG HEROES, YOU WILL SERVE THIS GREAT NATION AND PROTECT EVERYTHING WE STAND BY!"

Everyone ignored him as they walked by, no one was willing to risk their lives as those that believed it trusted the Guardian System to protect them.

Mane ran the West Sector with help from his Puppet Guardian and forced strict rules onto its people, the initial reaction caused problems and people started to move into the North and South Sectors, however, as a result of this the West is considered to be the most peaceful of all the four sectors, whilst also being the second most populated.

"Seems like you are having fun?" Tempus approached the stage Mane was standing on.

"TEMPUS! BUDDY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"You don't have to shout you know…"

"Have you already finished recruiting people!?" Mane asked.

"I'm not really that bothered about it, I just stuck the flyers up around. I don't even know why he wants us to recruit more people…"

Mane stared at Tempus with a large childish smile across his face. He was always happy to help others weaker than him and enjoyed talking to Tempus.

"I don't understand why we are doing this either! I can take on anyone who dares ruin my peaceful land."

"I don't know, out of all the nations we are still the strictest when it comes to other races, I guess no matter what people will always hate us Demons huh? I even did everything I could to make sure Humans were accepted in the North but there will always be problems..."

Mane smacked Tempus on the back vibrating his spine and forcing it out of place.

"OUCH!"

"Oh Sorry! Here let me fix it for you."

Tempus quickly moved back from Mane hunched over.

"It's ok... I'll heal it with magic…"

Tempus' book opened by itself, a bright white light emitted from the book as he started to slowly stand up straight as if the damage had never happened.

"Wow. Your magic always impresses me… I wish I knew magic..."

"Anyone can learn Magic, there are some basic fundamentals that you've got to learn, first you learn about catalysts and what your elemental type, but remember Magic is all about experimentation, once you've got the basics and know how to hide your Mana it's just about messing around and hoping you don't die."

Tempus was able to talk about Magic for hours, it was his passion that he studied for hundreds of years, with knowledge passed onto him by his parents. He believed that magic would make everyone's lives easier but also understood that not everyone was able to understand it, and truly feared those that knew how to use it properly.

"Sounds Boring! I'll just stick to my awesome close combat, it's not like you're magic could ever harm my body anyway."

"Hmm… I don't know about that." Tempus whispered to himself.

"Well, anyway… I just came to see what you were up to. I'm going to head back up to the main room and play some games or something. You've only got around 2 hours left so good luck. Try not to blow your cover."