[h1]The Demonic Palace[/h1]

The dread king sat on his ebony throne with an uncharacteristically excited look on his face. And why shouldn't he be? The day had come. No more fire fights over the last leg of meat. No more wrestling matches in the royal gardens. No more duels over maidens in the presence of their mothers. No more exceedingly extravagant bills covering the living expenses of his sons- cars that hadn't even been released on the Surface yet, watches with more diamonds than a mine, clothes fit for world rulers rather than joint ruling princes- all this to an end. Now his wallet could rest in peace... Somewhat.

Before he could speak, his attendant announced,

"Now speaks Demon king of the damned Tielham Famzhur the first of that name. Lord of hells, ruler of the Circles, Dread King of-"

"Yes yes- thank you Birchen- I believe my sons know who I am." He cut the attendant off, waving the lesser demon to step back behind the throne. The demon king turned his eyes upon his sons, taking on the cold and serious demeanor once more.

"You five must assume that you are here for some reward. And you would be wrong, boys. Today is the day that I strip you of your titles and names- today you become human." He paused, allowing that to settle in to their minds,

"Well.. Virtually human, that is. Your powers remain- however limited they now are. After this meeting is concluded you will be escorted to the Surface. Where you will pick your human names and live amongst the human race. You will attend a school and learn- ah but not simply academia- but life. You will learn how to be grown men. Your mother and I refuse to continue being the safety net that you fall into when things get tough.

From this point on you are all exiled. You will attend this school and maintain your grades. You will [i]attend[/i] for a full year or face my wrath. You must abide by human law- no matter how small- and not gain detention or be jailed. You all have curfews- which will be enforced by my servants who watch you [i]at all times[/i]- which is 11 pm.

How can you return? Show to me that you are worthy of being my son. Find a bride. Choose a mortal sin to rule. But your bride is the key to your new kingdoms." 

At this point the king grinned,

"But- of course- there is always the question of failure. If you fail this task not only will you remain without titles, without a demon name, and ultimately without rulership- but you will lose your place in my heart as a son. You will remain on earth, made fully human, and thus without power. I will have you walk the sands of the Sahara, with an oasis always on the horizon, never to be reached until you parish."

He nodded in a way that showed he'd just made this up on the spot and, pleased with the extreme measure of it, continued,

"My final conditions are thus: your budgets will only provide for the school. Meaning you must find jobs. I also expect you to call me and report in at the end of each week. My servants see everything, yes, but call your parents- its only polite." He motioned to a servant who walked over with a mirror,

"I assume you all know what this is?" He showed them the simple mirror,

"Simply fog the surface and write Famzhur backwards. It will contact me or your mother."

He cleared his throat, glancing over at his wife before continuing,

"As for who you will be watched by- even I do not know. But they will be there and they will probably never make their presence known. If I learn that one of them has been harmed by your hands, boys, then I will personally choke the damned life out of you."

In conclusion he looked at each of them individually,

"Be gone from my sight. For you are nothing but mortal to me now. Entrance to the Eternal Palace will be forbidden of you. When you return, [i]if[/i] you return, I expect to meet men and not boys."