Nature has always strived for harmony. If the harsh north wind toppled a tree, then a soft wind from the south scattered pollen and seeds, allowing new shoots to grow. This is how the world is structured – when death closes one door, the door to life opens for someone else. These are the laws of the universe, of universal balance, to which everybody is subject. Even demons, creatures that are unaware of these laws, have been bound by them throughout the centuries.

Chuuga and Buyaka were not demons from the highest echelons, but their arrival in Faeo caused many changes. Before they had even crossed the frontier of their world, the world of dark spirits, they had already shown their true natures, each in their own way. And this was even reflected in the method of their birth. It is said that they owe their existence to the enormous monster Varnaaka, who lived long, long ago in a remote, gloomy cave. He was a hideous and cruel demon who devoured lost souls, dooming them to eternal suffering in his flaming belly. The desperate moans of the suffering merged into one ceaseless roar, emanating from the maw of Varnaaka. His cruelty and insatiability were endless, and he preformed his cruel deeds with cold indifference. Buyaka was born from a drop of bile and the negative energy of the demon Varnaaka. In turn, Chuuga was born from the hazy light issuing from the innocent lost souls devoured by the demon. A mirror image of each other, two halves of one whole, Buyaka and Chuuga are as different as they are similar. They were born at the same time, throwing off their magic shell, white, like mother’s milk, and announcing their arrival to the entire demonic world.

 

 

 
 
 

The first was a dark and evil demon, with a restless and insatiable nature. Covered with thick, tar-black fur, which shone as a result of his carefree life and ample diet, the frisky ball of fur Buyaka was a relatively quick and agile creature despite his complete stupidity and extreme gluttony. A row of short, sharp teeth glistened in his mouth, which was constantly open in a gruesome smile, giving him the deceptively funny face of a child’s toy like those made by peasants from animal fur for their fidgety offspring. The entire existence of the vile demon was consumed by filling its hairy paunch with the precious magical energy produced by other beings. Sometimes the foolish creature underestimated his pernicious appetite and burst from overeating after devouring the innards of his victims. On the occasions when he managed to stop himself on time, which was quite rare, Buyaka – replete and satisfied – fell into a brief hibernation.

The second demon was his complete opposite, which ineffably disturbed his dark antithesis. Even Chuuga’s appearance reflected his inner essence. His small body was covered from head to toe with fluffy white fur that rustled with every breath of air. His pointy little ears pricked up with interest at events taking place around him and his clever little eyes peered around inquisitively. The frisky but attentive little demon appeared to be carefree and ineffectual. But this was a false illusion. The easily-amused, cheeky little Chuuga did not have great powers, but they were substantial enough for him to easily foil the evil plans of Buyaka. He played with life and enjoyed every minute, getting pleasure from his demonic powers. Chuuga had the ability to awaken the good qualities that existed inside any creature. He made creatures perk up, not only in body, but in spirit also and charged their entire bodies with bracing life-energy. All of the good qualities that were dormant inside the target of his attentions were awakened with new force and intensity. The sweet little creature expended a lot of energy on this, but this was his destiny and he zealously strove to perform good deeds, awakening good sentiment in even the most inveterate scoundrels. With his soft hair slightly ruffled, he looked at his target with his big, bottomless eyes. And this stare caused a warm sensation to course through their bodies and hope to well up in their hearts. The little demon’s laugh was almost soundless, but was completely infectious.

 

 

   

 

  

The obvious differences between Chuuga and Buyaka could not fail to affect their relationship with each other. The little glutton hated his opposite half with every fiber of his being. Unable to destroy each other (because at birth they were deprived of the ability to use demonic powers against each other) they could only compete by influencing other creatures. One worked for the powers of good, while the other stirred up evil. The malicious Buyaka never left Chuuga in peace and constantly thought of ways to get to him, while the wise Chuuga constantly interfered in Buyaka’s business and disrupted his plans. The struggle between the two demons reached a climax when the endless opportunities of the world of Faeo became available to them.

Buyaka’s first appearance in the world of Faeo was a complete accident. The Bringers of Evil had for a long time tracked down wayward demonologists that had discovered a way of summoning demons from the underworld. However, their help turned out to be unnecessary as one novice, a young man smart beyond his years, along with his colleague, managed to unravel the secret incantation and, for a quick moment they managed to summon Buyaka. This moment was all the evil demon needed to devour all the energy of one of the novices. No protective incantations were of any use, the frightened youth was unable to do anything: dumbfounded by fear he watched as the nimble, black ball sucked the energy from the youth with frightening ease. Having devoured the energy, the creature gnashed his teeth and darted his little predatory eyes to his next victim, but at the very moment when the novice was ready to meet his maker, the demon suddenly swayed in the air and burst, covering the terrified novice in a disgusting grey slime. Buyaka has stuffed his belly to bursting point and it was unable to withstand the pressure. Subsequently the Bringers of Evil were able to establish contact with Buyaka, but not without the help of the demonologists. They are the only ones that have the power to manage demons, and it was with their help that the carriers of the dark mark started to use the little demon for their own benefit – using him to absorb energy. But as Buyaka had appeared in Faeo, so Chuuga was destined to do likewise. The little white demon quickly established contact with the Brotherhood of Virtue, thereby again ending up next to his eternal rival. It did not take long for him to attract the attention of the demonologists. The doers of good were astounded when they saw how the small creature, resembling a strange little animal, was able to awaken finer feelings within a furious cobbler that had been about to severely punish an employee. The good feeling engendered in Humans and Magmars by Chuuga’s powers have been a force for good in the world. But this has created problems also. The new world might have become a plaything in the hands of the demons, but it turned out to be stronger than the two rivals. Good Humans and Magmars received a willing ally in Chuuga, but a danger was lurking. Chuuga did not protect them from Buyaka – he was unable to counter the destructive force of the dark little demon, and only helped them acquire positive power. Therefore, while under his noble influence, which gave them additional power, warriors could find themselves in an unpleasant situation if someone decided to use dark forces against them: Buyaka’s influence strengthened several times over. Here too the laws of nature dictated that there should be harmony.

 

 

The Brotherhood of Virtue and the Bringers of Evil have acquired new possibilities, many secrets of which have still to be revealed. Buyaka and Chuuga have acquired a new world in which each of them can follow the dictates of their nature. As determined by the laws of antiquity, black is black and white and white, and never shall one become the other: so it is with the eternal struggle between Buyaka and Chuuga – two halves of the same whole.