( Anos's POV )
After being blackmailed by a human, Anos felt a surge of unease within him, which felt like a foreign and unfamiliar sensation, since anxiety had eluded him for years now.
Seeking comfort, he turned to the only friend he had in this world: Drogo, the black dragon, who was more than happy to ride and listen.
Together, they soared through the skies as Anos shared the details of his encounter with the human messenger and how he managed the unexpected situation.
At the end, he also shared his own perspective on the matter, and Drogo listened to it all with impeccable patience, his silent focus only breaking at the story's end with a deep, rumbling laugh.
"So, humans have the audacity to blackmail you? How fascinating," Drogo mused, glancing over with a glint of amusement in his eyes.
"It is, isn't it?" Anos replied with a faint smile. "Oddly enough, I'm more entertained than troubled. The knowledge they hold doesn't frighten me; it's amusing, if anything."
Drogo's wings stretched wide as he nodded in acknowledgment. "Old friend, you have nothing to fear. As long as I'm by your side, it matters not what truths the humans possess. Should they dare come for you, they come for me as well."
Anos gave a satisfied pat on Drogo's back, a surge of reassurance filling him. With Drogo by his side, he truly had nothing to fear, as together the two of them could rewrite their own version of the truth.
"Precisely. That's why I find this situation more amusing than threatening. If they cross the line, we'll erase them before they even think of exposing the truth." Anos said, as he reclined on Drogo's back, gazing at the orange hues of the evening sky.
For a moment, the two rode in silence, until Drogo eventually spoke again.
"In five days, I'll join you at this meeting. I'd like to meet this human who has the nerve to blackmail you." He said, as Anos hummed in agreement.
He was already planning to bring Drogo along, as if he was to step into the human domain, he intended to make a formidable impression at the least.
*********
(Meanwhile Leo)
Elated by the Uprising's success in drawing the Demon King to the negotiating table, Leo eagerly began his preparations for their upcoming meeting.
With a profound understanding of the Demon King and his hidden motives, Leo knew precisely how to appeal to him to make him more amiable to work with the humans.
Hence, without hesitation, he issued a detailed set of instructions for the uprising members to follow, as he tried to prepare for the upcoming meeting in the best way possible.
Leo understood his limits very well, just as he suspected the Demon King knew his own, and hence, he knew that as long as the demon king was not too gravely offended, the chance of this meeting turning violent was less to none.
There was no need for excessive security in the meeting, however, what was necessary was grandeur.
The two of them bore the weight of legends, but those legends came with expectations neither of them could quite fulfill in raw strength alone and hence, Leo understood what the Demon King would do when approaching the meeting, as he could imagine himself doing the same if he switched roles.
Leo understood the need to show off, to project strength in such a meeting, and hence to please the king, Leo decided to give him the perfect stage that he most definitely desired.
Leo instructed the Uprising to clear a circular piece of land near the eastern border first and flatten it to perfection.
The first priority was to create a fitting entrance for the Demon King and his feared companion, the black dragon, to satisfy the demon king's desire to show off.
Somehow, Leo was certain that the Demon King would only show up on his mount, as he knew that he would do the same if they switched the roles.
Leo envisioned a circular landing spot for this purpose, reminiscent of a grand helipad but built for mythic creatures, ringed with torches along the perimeter, whose flickering flames would create an aura of mystique, perfect for the occasion.
Around this open landing, a perimeter was to be established—a sturdy fencing to form a barrier against prying eyes.
Only those permitted were to witness this meeting, as for the rest, the event unfolding was to remain cloaked in secrecy and intrigue, fueling stories they could not confirm nor deny.
Leo was certain the Demon King would arrive in splendor, descending from the skies on his dragon's back which would be a display to remind Leo and anyone watching of his power. And so, Leo planned his own entrance accordingly.
He planned to stride into the arena flanked by his most elite soldiers, their uniforms pristine, their expressions stoic and loyal.
The air around him would be thick with discipline and loyalty, the kind that only the greatest of leaders could command.
Together, they would step forward with the practiced rhythm of a war march, each step striking the ground in unison, sending subtle but deliberate tremors into the earth.
Leo's goal was clear: to make this meeting between human and demon a spectacle that would linger in the minds of all who dared to imagine it.
He knew the stakes, and he knew the Demon King would be watching for any signs of weakness, just as he would watch the Demon King.
Yet, in this theater they had both crafted, he was certain that he would have the upper hand in the end, as while he knew the Demon King was merely acting, the other side did not have such information on him.
"This is going to be the most exciting meeting of my life. I'll get a chance to gauge the strength of my enemy in person, before I eventually face him in battle" Leo mused, as instead of being nervous, he quite looked forward to meeting the Demon King, who was a man living the same fake life as his own.