Chapter 8
Ever since his wife, Omir, and Ymit have pa.s.sed away, the halls in the Karatengu mansion were like a tomb, just waiting for Korgan to die, thus joining his family in the afterlife.
But the fact was, his grandson, son of Ymit is here. 'That could only mean one thing' Korgan thought 'It just means my business in this world is unfinished, and Great Ones were gracious enough to show me the reason why. Now I understand, there is still a young one I need to protect and teach him all I know.'
Korgan Karatengu resolved to teach his grandson all of the skills he knew in order to ensure that Ren would survive.
'Of course, the matter of succession…' Korgan thought about it and smiled. 'With the fact that Ren is my grandson, there no longer is any issue about asking Akil Ras to take care of my clan, instead I can pa.s.s the t.i.tle of the leader to Ren, once he has been trained of course.' Korgan knew for a fact that even for a demon, Ren was exceptionally weak. Korgan could guess that Ren did not receive any guidance from Ymit in magical power or any type of combat ability, and then Korgan would have to teach Ren everything from the beginning. Korgan didn't mind having to teach Ren; in fact he was glad for the opportunity.
Ever since yesterday, Korgan has been in high spirits. No longer was he clinging to life with no purpose, now he had a purpose-to make sure his grandson is safe and lives on. Korgan absolutely did not want to make the same mistake he did with two of his sons, Ren's arrival into his life was as if he was given a second chance, a chance to make sure his descendant would not be victim to this world and would be able to survive.
"Ymit, I am so sorry for being unable to protect you, I know I truly am a failure as a father." Korgan clenched his left hand into a fist. "But I promise you I will keep your son and my grandson safe. That I promise." Korgan smiled while looking up at the sky with its three suns s.h.i.+ning. What a great morning it is to be alive.
Meanwhile, Ren was concerned with the state of his mentor, Aijasyl. She may be close to his age, but he still considered her his mentor. After all she was the one that gave him his name and gave him the chance to join the Karatengu family. For all she did for him, Ren was extremely grateful.
When Ren got out of his room, he ended up running into Akjan.
"h.e.l.lo, Akjan."
"Ren, you're up already?"
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Ren asked her with slightly sulky expression.
"Well, you usually wake up at least an hour later, so I was surprised that you are walking around already." Akjan said with a smile that seemed to say 'I didn't know you could do that.'
"I was worried, so sleeping was not exactly something I could do." Ren admitted.
"You're worried about your mentor, aren't you?" Akjan's tone took a slightly more serious tone, in contrast to her sillier talking earlier.
Ren nodded. Both of them went to the porch inside the mansion and sat down.
"Master Korgan told me that she lost her family to human beings, now this happened. I just feel I need to make sure she is ok."
Akjan's expression took on a look of sadness. "So, she lost her family as well, huh. No wonder she always has that strict look on her face. I never could have guessed the reason."
"Then, you wouldn't mind if I talk to her, right now, right?" Ren asked her.
Akjan tilted her head sideways. "I think she needs someone to talk to, right now. Why would I mind?"
"Well, considering she was almost killed by humans, and I look human-ish, I thought it would be a terrible idea to approach her."
"Ren." Akjan paused. She put her hand on Ren's face. "You didn't do anything to harm her; in fact you were the one who came to save her. You shouldn't be afraid. You saved her life, now don't hesitate just because of the way you may look. Aijasyl knows better than anyone that you are better than those monsters!" She said the last part with more emotion.
"So please help her, just like you helped me." Akjan whispered in his ear.
"Alright, I will do it." Ren said confidently.
"That's the spirit!" Akjan made thumbs up sign. Apparently she came to imitate some of the bizarre gestures Ren did unconsciously when he was happy. Seeing this made Ren somewhat embarra.s.sed. 'Do I really look like this when I do that, wow, this is so embarra.s.sing.'
Ren left, going towards the room where Aijasyl was resting. Akjan put her left hand upon her breast, upon her heart, which was beating faster and faster. She really did fall for him. The way he doesn't hesitate and goes towards his goals, no matter what it was, it was inspiring to see. Even now, he was going to do what many demons would never do-care for another demon. That was one of the things she truly loved about him, how he could openly care for demons other than himself and act upon it.
Yet, for some reason, seeing Ren go towards where Aijasyl was resting gave Akjan slight pain to her heart.
As for Ren, He entered the room where Aijasyl was recovering. With the potions and medicine, her injuries looked much better. She still looked in a bad shape but at least she wasn't as bad as she was before.
She was awake, looking at the ceiling. When Ren came in unannounced, she was surprised, her startled expression revealing that she didn't expect him to come in.
"Ren! What are you doing here?"
"Hey, miss scary mentor"
"What kind of a nickname is that?" Aijasyl said in an irritated voice. "You could at least call me kind mentor or a great mentor or…"
"That was the problem?" Ren said with an annoyed look on his face. "Then miss great mentor, do you mind if I enter the room?"
"You are already inside the room, Ren" Aijasyl said as Ren finally understood and said 'Oops!' Aijasyl found herself laughing at his antics. She wasn't sure if Ren was just pretending to be silly, but at least he was able to dispel the iciness of the awkward atmosphere.
Ren approached the bed. "Anyways, I came to check up on you." He took her left hand into his own. "I am just glad you're ok, Aijasyl."
He said it with a sincere expression. Such a sincere smile, from his eyes she could tell his feelings were sincere.
From seeing him care so much, Aijasyl found herself in a state where a tear was trickling down on her face. A tear was travelling from her left eye.
Ren was smiling with his eyes closed, so he didn't see her tears. He was about to leave. "Well, it's good to see that you're fine…" He opened his eyes.
He found himself face to face with his mentor who was s.h.i.+vering and crying.
'Um, miss mentor…'Ren said hesitantly.
Aijasyl embraced Ren in an out of character fas.h.i.+on. Ren could smell the sweet fragrance she emitted, her soft hair, and the moisture from her tears falling on his neck. She was s.h.i.+vering.
"Oh Ren!" She was clinging on to him as though he was something to keep her steady. "I was so scared!" Almost as if a d.a.m.n had been broken, she was crying her emotions out in a large wave.
Ren, who never saw Aijasyl out of her stoic character, was caught off guard.
"Uhm, Aijasyl, I…"
"Could you please stay with me in this room, for a little longer…?"
Unexpectedly to Aijasyl, Ren put his left hand upon the back of her head in a soothing manner. "Alright, then let us both stay in this room and chat to our hearts content!"
Just like that, Ren ended up talking to Aijasyl for some time. In order to comfort her after all she has been through, Ren talked calmly while allowing her to lean upon him(literally due to the fact she was s.h.i.+vering uncontrollably).
"About what happened before, I am so sorry." Ren said with an apologetic expression.
"Ren, you saved my life, you stopped that horrible human from killing me, you have nothing to apologize for."
"Now I understand why you hated me, because I look like one of them. Sorry for being a constant reminder of the pain of your past."
"Ren, you're not something like that. No, not at all." She paused "Wait, How do you know about my past?"
"Master Korgan told me."
"I see. So you know about…" She hesitated for a moment. "My family."
"Yes."
Aijasyl faced Ren, now her expression seemed incredibly sad, in contrast to the façade of a smile she put up earlier.
"My family fell victim to human beings, not just because of our demon heritage, but because of their belief that humans and demons can coexist peacefully. My father and mother used to tell me that human beings and demons were two sides of the same coin, and that by living together they can make something beautiful." She seemed lost in her memory.
"But then, those horrible human beings attacked us. My parents managed to hide me inside the hollow pillars while they fell victim to those murderers." Aijasyl's expression took on a look of hatred. "For many years I have seen that sight within my dreams, all of their mutilated bodies lying there, burning. None of them were recognizable. It was as if the reaper himself has descended upon the earth. That was the day I saw for myself the true color of humanity."
Aijasyl's expression was angry for a moment. Then it was replaced by an expression full of sorrow. "Why did I have to survive? Why am I still alive? Why didn't I die with my family on that day? Why my parents and family sacrificed themselves for my sake? Why did you guys come to rescue me? Why couldn't you let me die instead of risking your own lives? I don't deserve such a sacrifice!"
Now the tears were truly running on her face.
"Aijasyl, you once mentioned you were a half demon, you called yourself an abomination. But to us, the Tengu clan, you're our family, nothing can change that. I believe your parents wanted you to live in order for you to find your true home. It seems like their wish came true."
Ren's expression was of bold determination. "You are one of us. We are not going to let one of our own get hurt, not as long as we are under the same roof and share the same clan name. So of course we will risk it all, otherwise we can't begin to call ourselves your family. After all the Tengu way is to protect your fellow demons from harm."
"Ren, I am so sorry for thinking of harming you." She said that with a lot of emotion. She had to say this or she would forever regret it. "It was cruel of me to think of killing you just because of your appearance. The fact that you rescued me twice is the proof of how wrong I was about you, I am sincerely sorry for having such evil intentions."
"Don't worry about it; I had my suspicions for a while now."
"Suspicions?"
"Well, you did kind of show me what you were capable off back then, and then Master Korgan told me of what happened to your family, so I placed the two and two together. Don't worry about it, all is in the past."
"Ren, why are you so kind to me? I have given you nothing but hate."
"That is not true, you gave me my name and you were also the one who saved me back then, if it weren't for you I would be lying dead somewhere, without a doubt."
"But you're the one who rescued me!" Aijasyl protested.
"It doesn't matter. You have done so much more for me, in fact you are the reason I am in this place in the first
This was not mere flattery; this was truly how Ren felt.
"Aijasyl, the other demons can say whatever they want, but to me, you are a demon who has done so much for me, and I am the type who truly understands the meaning of grat.i.tude. So, to me, you really are worth risking my life for, otherwise my words would be as empty as human hearts."
"So know this, you are no abomination. You are Aijasyl Tengu, a mentor I look up to, my close friend, an irreplaceable person to me and Tengu clan." Ren smiled his signature smile, that strange grin. "You can call me a weirdo demon, but that is how I feel."
Aijasyl smiled, tears still streaming, but now it seemed like instead of tears of sadness, those were tears of happiness. "You really are a weirdo, even among demons." She was grateful though, for him out of all demons to come and say such comforting things.
"You got that right!" Ren said with thumbs up expression. Internally he thought 'Oh, boy, so Akjan copied this from me, without a doubt, I was the one who taught her this weird expression.'
She felt safe in this room, with him in it, to her he represented safety. She was holding his hand to calm herself. Ren didn't seem to notice this.
"Oh, by the way, I am sorry for hurting you with my appearance, I know it was tough for you to tolerate someone who reminded you of those people, for being so ignorant, I am truly sorry." Ren bowed his head down in an apologetic manner.
The way he did it though made it look like he was burying his head into her bed, it looked rather silly, Aijasyl could barely hold a laugh. "It is true, at first I hated the way you reminded me of them, but now I see that you are nothing like them. So yes, I indeed hate human beings, but I do like you." She said the last part without thinking. When she realized what she said she almost choked on her own words. 'How could I say something so embarra.s.sing, to a male demon no less!'
"I am glad to hear that, then the feeling is mutual. He ha ha" Ren began laughing.
'Feeling is mutual? Could he be more misleading? Wait; did he by any chance misinterpret what I said?'
"Well then, I am glad if our relations.h.i.+p got better." Ren said while implying friends.h.i.+p, mentor to helper.
Of course the way he said it made it seem like something else entirely.
'No, he didn't misinterpret anything. Does he by any chance, like me?' Aijasyl wondered. "Why would you jest like that?"
"It's no joke; we will need to have better relations.h.i.+p for future."
"Future?"
"Future as mentor and servant that is." Ren said without understanding that he just ruined Aijasyl's imagination.
"Oh, that is what you meant." Aijasyl said while looking visibly down.
"Yeah, then let us work…" His right hand was held by her left, but now he took her hand with both of his. "Together."
He said it in such an impactful way that Aijasyl could only say "Ok.", but that reply was her was wholehearted and sincere.
Just like that both of them happily spent some time talking and comforting each other with tender words. Due to the nature of the strange demon, Aijasyl ended up laughing along with him. In Ren's mind 'At least she is feeling better.'
Aijasyl thought 'Thank you, Ren. I will never forget this.'
After Aijasyl was able to get out of bed, which was a day later, Korgan Karatengu held a meeting.
The day before, however, he visited his old comrade, the Demon King, Akil Ras.
"Lord Demon King, You have a guest waiting outside the door."
"Could you please tell me the name of the visitor?" Akil Ras asked while lifting his head up from the pile of doc.u.ments he was reading through.
"Korgan Karatengu, your highness" The servant answered.
The reaction was immediate. Akil Ras sprung up from the place he was sitting at, now seemingly filled with energy. He had a good reason for that. After all, Korgan was his estranged old friend, formerly his right hand man during the past conflicts against human kingdoms. Though they haven't spoken to each other for many years, Akil Ras couldn't help but be filled with expectation of camaraderie. This demon was his sworn brother, one of few demons he had absolute trust in.
"Allow him to enter."
The servant obeyed.
The next minute, an old man with a single arm entered the room. The servant promptly left the room to avoid being rude.
Old friends looked at each other over.
"Years have been harsh on you, brother" Akil Ras said in half-joking manner.
"So they have, brother." They referred to each other as brothers as form of respect meaning they treated each other as equals rather than king and subject.
"Please, come in and sit down." Akil Ras beckoned to the center of the room, where a chair and a table was located.
"Thank You" Korgan walked up to the chair and sat on it.
After Korgan adjusted his seating, he began.
"You probably know why I am here today."
"Is it by any chance about giving the leaders.h.i.+p of Tengu clan over to me?"
"Originally that was my intention indeed."
"It's a pity though, I thought the Tengu clan could operate by itself if you appointed a leader. Are there really no capable demons in Tengu clan that are able to lead the others?" Akil Ras misunderstood Korgan, practically ignoring the fact that it was the original intention not current intention.
"That is what I came here to discuss…" Korgan softly began.
"Oh, by the way, I have been keeping tabs on one particular member of your Tengu clan. You may want to hear this."
Korgan frowned. "Who is it?"
"A lad named Ren Tengu."
Korgan's expression changed into a mild shock with his mouth hanging open. He did not expect this to be the topic of conversation.
"What about him?"
"Well, let me start with the event that happened a while ago. Have you heard of Korkau Jou, the leader of Jou clan of Frost Wolf Demons?"
"I have. I heard they were plotting on overthrowing you and you dealt with them accordingly. Now he and his collaborators are imprisoned."
Akil Ras meekly smiled. It looked as though he cringed from the statement.
"Korgan, the one who dealt with Korkau Jou wasn't me, it was Ren Tengu."
"WHAT?!" Korgan shouted out on the top of his lungs. His voice was so loud that Akil Ras was confident that if he had not placed sound proofing spells on walls everyone outside could have heard him.
"Indeed, that is the case. Frankly, Korkau Jou had me cornered. He possessed abilities that nullified my own and he had henchmen capable of boosting his power. I truly thought I was going to perish. But then, Ren Tengu crashed through the window and in an instant landed a critical blow upon Korkau Jou's neck, severely crippling him in the process. I asked him his name and he told it to me without any questions. Ever since then, I have watched over his activities using this." He pointed at the crystal orb. It was a scrying tool used in order to keep track of anyone the user knows.
"I see. That is impressive." Korgan admitted.
"But that is not all!" Akil Ras continued. "You let a certain demon with crystal horns join Tengu clan, didn't you?"
"Akjan Tang, yes I have."
"You see, Ren Tengu happened to rescue her from Kas family. I suspect she is a former slave of Kas family who ran away and was chased by them while they tried to reclaim her as their property. When the first heir of Kas family, Jar Kas tried to mutilate this demon, Ren Tengu appeared and swiftly killed him in one swing of a scythe."
Korgan just sat there thinking about the day Ren brought Akjan to the household. He never mentioned doing this. It had to have been on the same day he was a.s.signed to cut down Jilan snakes.
"Aaah" Korgan wanted to say something but no words came out of his mouth.
"With loss of their first son, Kas family has lost a significant degree of power making them unable to continue abusing their power. This allowed me to drive them away from their conquered territory." He paused. "Also, less than a week ago, Ren Tengu invaded the Aiu clan territory and took away two of their essential resources while they were sleeping. This has severely crippled the clan's abilities and has destroyed any chances they had of overthrowing the current regime. I found out that Aiu clan intended to use combination of Yoko Tree and certain potion in order to enhance themselves to a frightening degree which would have allowed them to easily topple over neighboring clans and would have given me no choice but to surrender. Ren Tengu single handedly prevented this disaster from happening."
Korgan just stood there, frozen from shock.
"I don't know what this lad's agenda is, but I can tell he has good intentions for the Kalkan kingdom. He prevented two potential uprisings I could do nothing to prevent and allowed my plan of driving Kas clan out of their conquered land to succeed. I must say, you have recruited an excellent member into the Tengu clan. I believe he will make a splendid leader for the Tengu clan."
Seeing his friend look somewhat shy, Akil Ras cautiously asked.
"Forgive me for being rude, I may have been over excited to tell you about his actions. If I recall correctly, you wanted to tell me something?"
Korgan smiled meekly, with his left hand upon his cheek, almost like he was going to faint from disbelief.
"Well, it turns out Ren is my grandson."
Akil Ras heard him correctly, but he could not believe it. He tilted his head to the side in a way similar to a question mark.
"Through the usage of Yrpak-Kan I have confirmed it to be true. He is son of Ymit Karatengu, my second son. And yes, my current intention is to have him take over the leaders.h.i.+p of the clan."
Now it was Akil Ras's turn to be frozen in shock. Korgan lost both of his sons in the past, and now someone who is confirmed to be Korgan's grandson shows up out of nowhere and starts having significant impact upon demon clans. It was just too strange and unbelievable.
"Have you known about this?"
"About his heritage or his actions? I didn't know who he truly was until two days ago, and I didn't know anything about his actions until you told me."
Akil Ras and Korgan awkwardly smiled at each other.
"I feel like both of us are getting too old. This young demon has outdone us in many ways." Akil Ras said with a smile.
"I am just happy I get to see my grandson alive and well." Korgan replied.
"Speaking of which, from his actions I deduced that he is likely aiming to become the future Demon King. All of his actions only confirmed that suspicion."
"Such a goal! Are you sure about this? I would never have expected Ren to be so driven!"
"Judge a demon not by words but by actions, and his actions speak for themselves."
"Indeed. If that is the case, I will support him with all of my strength."
"Splendid! Personally I approve of him becoming the next Demon King, but it's not up to me to decide, but all you can do is to give him a chance."
"Yes, I will do what I can to aid my grandson." Korgan said whole heartedly.
Just like that, old friends conversed for many hours about the old days and the current events.
Master Korgan came back to the Karatengu mansion afterwards and asked all the members to gather.
When all of the Tengu clansmen and lizard demons gathered, he made an announcement.
"I trust you are all aware that I was originally going to retire and pa.s.s off the leaders.h.i.+p of Tengu clan to the current Demon King, Akil Ras"
Every single member of Tengu clan looked saddened. They were not sure how to take the news of their leader going away.
"Then it delights me to say that will not be happening."
All of the Tengu clan members sighed in relief.
"The reason being- I have found a successor. May I present to you, my grandson, Ren Karatengu!"
Korgan beckoned to Ren, who stood up and walked towards his grandfather.
Every single one of the demons in attendance looked shocked. They did not expect this turn of events. They started whispering among each other to try to find out what was really going on. Who would have known that human like demon- Ren was actually the grandson of their beloved master.
After Master Korgan's announcement, many of the demons had their mouths gaping open. They were not sure what to say or what to do; they could only look at the stage.
"I know this is unexpected, but do believe my words, he is my direct descendant, being of lineage of Karatengu clan. I understand your confusion, I have only found out his true origin recently." He paused.
The Tengu clan members did not dare to distrust their master, they were listening to his words with full attention.
"But know this, Karatengu clan is not finished, it by far is not dead, it still has a future and so does the Tengu clan. This large family of ours is not disbanding any time soon." He said that while raising his left fist into the air. The impact of his words was instantaneous. Many of the demons applauded him from the bottom of their hearts. They thought an uncertain future lay ahead of them, but their master has just revealed great news, so there still was a great future ahead of them.
Shortly after the speech, Ren tried to sneak away, but he was cornered by none other than his gang. Apparently Orin, Akjan, Aijasyl, and Shaula had something to discuss with him.
"Ren, are you really Master Korgan's grandson?" Akjan voiced the question that was on their minds.
"Ehm…" Ren wasn't sure what to say. He just found out so he had rather mixed feelings about this. On one side it was good that apparently he has a relative, on the other side he was wondering how did he not know that before. It just didn't make much sense.
"Wait a second, when you joined the Tengu clan did you already know? Why did you keep it a secret?" Now it was Aijasyl's turn to question him. She seemed eager to hear his response. She came slightly too close for his comfort. He couldn't help thinking 'She smells amazing!'
"Well, you see…"
"Lady Aijasyl, please give boss some s.p.a.ce. I believe he will find it easier to answer you without worrying about private s.p.a.ce."
"Oh, sorry." Aijasyl backed away; she did not realize how close she was to Ren's face until Orin told her.
Ren now was facing all four of them. Only Shaula stood there silently, with one arm holding the other. Apparently giving an adequate explanation was required of him, but he didn't know what to say because he did not remember his life until the point he met Aijasyl. Everything else was blank.
"Well, the truth is I didn't know. In fact, I don't remember anything before the time I met you, Aijasyl."
"I see. I remember you not knowing your name and walking in rags." Then an idea flashed into her head. "Wait, could it be that you were heading in direction of the Karatengu household, but when you confronted the humans that attacked me you must have received a blow to the head. That might explain why you don't remember anything." She concluded.
"Boss was injured by those humans?"
"That is most likely is the case." Aijasyl placed a palm upon Ren's head. "Yet, I can't feel any damage in the head area. It might be that he just lost his memories without receiving any permanent damage."
"Hey! If my head was damaged, how would I be even speaking right now!"
"That's true. But the fact is you can't remember who you were before meeting me, isn't that true?"
Ren sulkily dropped his head. "That is true." He couldn't remember a thing. His expression betrayed how perplexed he was and how recent events have been little too much to take in.
"Ren, are you feeling ok?" Akjan asked, concerned with the fact that her beloved was holding his hands to his forehead in a stressed out manner.
"Yeah, it's just…I can't believe this is my family. I have previously thought of myself as an employee of this clan, but I never would have thought I was related to it."
"You're not just related, you are now the direct heir." Shaula who was previously silent finally spoke up. "As Master Korgan's grandson, you are the future leader of the Karatengu and Tengu clans." She took a step forward and sat down in a bowing position. "Therefore, I pledge my loyalty to you, Master Ren Karatengu!"
This motion of hers, bowing to him as if he was her master made Ren feel rather bad about it. After all, he talked to her as an equal less than two days ago, now she was prostrating herself before him. 'What the heck is going on?'
Surprisingly, Orin, Akjan, and Aijasyl followed the suit. Each one bent on one knee, and in case of Aijasyl a deep bow.
"Boss Ren Karatengu, I pledge my loyalty as well!" Orin said it in a rather official tone.
"Likewise, I, Akjan Tang, pledge my loyalty to you, my beloved." She said the last part audibly enough to be heard by both girls in the group, almost as if to declare her love for him.
Ren wondered for a moment 'Beloved? Like bee love? What a sweet thing to say! Now if only I can get honey from those bees…' Apparently there is no limit to how bad his understanding of girl's emotions can be. What kind of an idiot would think about food when someone is straight up confessing his love for him?
"I pledge my loyalty as well, Master Ren." Aijasyl was the last one to declare her loyalty. She now looked at Ren with the same look as she gave to Master Korgan, a professional gaze that sent chills down Ren's spine. 'I preferred when she was mad at me, serious Aijasyl is really scary to look at.' The fact that her eyes seemed focused on his every move made him feel even more tense.
"Just Ren is fine, no need to use Master." Ren said while scratching his head.
"But we are the servants, and you are the master…"
"It doesn't matter. Just talk to me like you always would, otherwise I feel as if you guys are ignoring me."
"If that is your wish, Ren" Aijasyl said his name with different tone. Ren sighed in relief 'At least her servant mode is off, how does Master Korgan… I mean grandpa deal with her? She focuses on work so much that it's scary, I wonder if seriousness is contagious.'
"Now then" Akjan grabbed Ren's arm. "Shaula's told me Tengu clan is hosting a celebration in your honor, so let's go to the feast!"
"Akjan, you are a lifesaver" Ren said with eyes full of tears of grat.i.tude. She really did understand him, Ren felt touched, to his hungry stomach that is.
As they saw Akjan walk away with Ren towards the party, with Orin following them, Aijasyl and Shaula conversed in private.
"I can't believe it."
"Me too" Shaula admitted. She has grown so used to the weirdo demon Ren Tengu that she never suspected him to be actually a Karatengu. Tengu clan was just the servant family, but Karatengu family was the head family.
"From his appearance I would never have guessed he was Master Korgan's grandson."
"That is true, I don't see much resemblance, but they don't look too different either!"
"You're right! They even have the same favorite drink-Ot Susin." Ever since he tried it, Ren has drunk that liquid nonstop as if he got addicted to the taste. Funnily enough it is also Master Korgan's favorite. They never made the connection until now.
"Come to think of it, wouldn't Master Korgan look more like Ren if he smiled more often?" Shaula asked. For the last two days she has seen Master Korgan wear an uncharacteristically bright expression in place of his blank eyes and downer face.
"While smiling, He does look like Ren, but considering the way Ren smiles…" Both visualized Ren's goofy smile in their minds. It was a smile that was overly exaggerated and with closed eyes that made it look like some sort of a sick joke. Both shuddered.
"I hope Master Korgan's smile is not like that" Aijasyl said, trembling from visualizing Master Korgan have the same grin as Ren.
"Yeah." Shaula said with a blank expression.
Both demons followed the crowd towards the celebration.