Name: Nil

Race: Demon

Type: Transformed Deviant Soul

Age: Immortal – 34years, 11months.

Crystal Essence: [Crimson]- Lvl.8— 367.2esq

[Available Essence Points— 0]

Strength: 31

Agility: 56

Wisdom: 26

Abilities: [Faithless Absorption], [Faithless Mimicry], [Faithless Essence Amplification]

[Available Trait Points— 0]

Traits: [Armoured Form]- Lvl.2, [Greater Cognizance]- Lvl.4, [Psychic Resistance]- Lvl.5, [Quick Mould]- Lvl.5

Ascension Perks: [Reais Fiend]

Spells: [Invisibility]- Lvl.1, [Minor Illusion]- Lvl.2

Patron: Lumina au Hescaria

The nation below the hill was a vast expanse of grassy plains and forests. The sky above it was bright blue, with only wisps of clouds dotting its surface. In this country, there are no signs of human habitation. Elves have carved out this forested land as their own, and they are now protecting it from all intruders. Lumina, in her regal way mentioned her ancestors originated here, and Hescaria, before its annexation had its heart here.

Technically we’re smack in Sainid territory, but even the Empire’s goons and citizens know that the war for control still rages. Valery’s made sure of that with her rebellion and in the last years she’s fanned the flames with the kidnapping of her sister, the Hescaria Queen.

In truth Lumina’s been nothing more than a diplomatic hostage, given the position of Ambassador to appease and calm the populous elven community. By snatching away their hostage Valery’s made sure her people can fight with greater vigour and even inspired several of other enslaved races to start their mini-rebellions in tandem with hers.

But humans are cunning and vicious beasts. The Sainid’s Empire’s core race is obsessed with magic, control and adaptability. Although having significantly shorter natural life spans, the humans of the Empire have set a leash on several races, even bulky, ugly ones like Orcs.

Valery sat on me, guarded by legions of elven warriors and mages and directed the rebellions efforts in a lax manner ever since stealing her sister away. From their arguments and the gossip I’ve picked, it seems Valery was very content leaving the fight for freedom to her lieutenant, some elf Priest. Lumina thinks different.

Piecing their conversations together I know Lumina’s prime reason for being upset was because she believed she could change the Empire from within. Something about a fourth prince. But Valery snatched that away and the prince is married. Valery loathes the idea of Lumina and this prince but Lumina figures there hasn’t been any news on a child after four years, the marriage may be annulled.

But Lumina’s passive methods took a turn when she discovered me underneath the basement, bound and deep in slumber. She figures with my power the pseudo-war against the Empire need not be a sludge of people dying day after day. That she could take a strong stance against her oppressors without the vague wonder of whether they’ll lose.

This, of course, sparked another argument between the sisters. This time they talk of purity and their Goddess’ wrath. For the most part the snip bits I steal from their hushed conversations and warded minds tells me neither of the sister’s care about the approval of the Deities.

It’s the first thing I share in common with the two.

For all the back and forth between the Hescaria girls, I haven’t the chance to stop and appreciate the new world. Even now there’s weeping behind me, I try not to scowl seeing as I’m the reason for it. The poor gardener boy stepped up to the wrong opponent at the wrong time.

Valery insists on my presence, even though there are several other unguaranteed mortals present as well she wants to punish me with the sight of another lowered body. I don’t think she understands demons as much as she thinks. But from the magical auras each of the party members exudes I figure I’ll have a harder time severing their spines than I did the gardener boy.

It’s more likely she wants an excuse to end me, to stop her sister from making a grave mistake and save her soul the condemnation to come yet. It’s bait, the moment I tear a bite she’ll have all the justification to rectify the mistake she made all those years ago by plummeting back to Reais right by my side.

I’ve sensed it, the thread of magic tying my Soul Crystal to her soul, the piece she offered to summon me anyway. She can only untie us if she makes a pact with me— if she offers me something of more value than her soul in place of it anyway. But Lumina’s taken that chance, something she’s very much opposed to.

It’s the only way I could go with it though, Valery can’t keep the deal so she can’t offer it. She has no army to pledge to my war, but Lumina does. And Lumina’s desperate enough to ally a demon in a vague war than let a shard of Valery’s soul come back with me to Reais, because I’ll never let go of it, not without a fulfilled pact.

Lumina eyes me warily as she leads prayers to the Goddess Vuius, a name that’s been spoken even in Reais. Calridian wasn’t lying when he said he’d given me one of the gods names, he may have given more had Valery not interfered.

Still, this is good, better in fact as mortals are the fools who worship deities the most. If I’m out to bring the deities to my feet then it’s a good idea to mingle with mortals, at least for now.

Lumina and Valery have become a fixture in me now though, I accepted their conditions and they accepted mine. I’ve noted that if it’s a war we’re headed towards then Essence is of prime importance to the effort. Valery scoffed and tossed me a gleaming pink crystal— she thinks it’d be enough, but she doesn’t understand demons as much as she believes she does.

A good thing frankly, I’m not eager to educate her on the ways of Reais anymore than she is to hand me the better crystals from that pouch of hers. A poor withered cloth pouch meant to handle nothing more than a few coins to my understanding, but magic in its mysteries has made it a boundless trove of many treasures— including the occasional crystal.

Since Valery is loath to even give me crystals, Lumina has taken to teaching me magic, something everyone in the party is uncomfortable with. But it’s part of the pact that has secured her name as Patron on the stat sheet and so lessons in offensive and defensive magic must carry on in the place of serving me artefacts— an idea the party hates even more.

For starters, I’ve asked that she teach me the quake spell, the one she used to split the ground. Lumina’s said it’s not much of an offensive spell, but I’ve got ideas. It’s difficult running mana through external solids, like poking a needle at the earth itself and expecting it to thread clean. Worse part is, according to her instructions I’m not just threading mana through it, I’m meant to manipulate the mana already in it so when I pull a single string the entire thing comes apart and a chasm is birthed.

As opposed to my other spells, this one relies on my ability to manipulate external mana— this world is full of external mana, nothing like the stuffy, private style of Reais. It’s so much that spells like [Invisibilty] and [Minor Illusion] are bolstered. In the little time I’ve snatched away from the eyes traced on me I’ve measured the new strength of my spells.

[Invisibility] extend outwards now, to anything I wish in fact. That means allies or traps can be concealed along with myself, or even on their own. It’s an impressive boost that has me wishing Calridian gave me more scrolls.

[Minor Illusion] I’ve already experimented with in action. The ability to warp specific perceptions and reflexes within a dome is nothing to scoff at. Though I figure this will only work on a select few mortals and even fewer demons should I come across any. Still, it works as a brilliant trap for any enemies in this…mortal war.

To think I escaped the beginning of one war on Reais to head the start of a new one here.

‘Inevitable.’

‘You again. You’ve been gone awhile. Have you any idea how to get out of this yet?’

‘Fulfil the pact. End war. Then…’

‘Then?’

Silence. She does that a lot. She.

Since Valery started handing me crystals about two months ago, the disembodied voice that’s haunted me got clearer until I could discern a gender. She disappeared when I referenced her as, well, a she.

I still haven’t figured what that’s all about, even less who she is and what she wants with me. Or even how long she’s been in my head. She seems to know everything, every passing thought I’ve had here or on Reais. It’s frustrating to be left in the dark, I don’t know anything about her and yet…

“Demon.” Valery calls behind me. I match her sneer and look down at her, “It’s about time you start pulling your weight around here.”

The funeral’s dispersed, blessings are laid and Lumina stands at the fresh hammered headstone of the gardener boy staring at the two of us. She’s asked me to refrain from tempering her sister but I wonder if she’s asked her sister the same of me.

“What do you want now, wench?” A fine word courtesy of the many minds unguarded by wards. Most of these elves are aged around a hundred years or more, technically older than I am but if what Lumina’s said about time across planes is true then chances are I’m actually thousands of years older.

“We’ve made the necessary preparations. Burying Harold was the last of it, we’re ready for war now.” Lumina says before her sister can mouth a curse at me. She’s confident, there’s a hunger in her eyes. Not for war or bloodshed, but for peace. I don’t like her eyes.

A grin spreads along my lips, “You know what that means, wench.” I set an open palm out, gleeful as Valery mutters under her breath but drops a dozen pinks in it.

It’s not the feast I had at Morthul’s wannabe divide, but it is something. Activating [Essence Amplification] I consolidate the Essence in the pinks into a rather weak, single crimson then without pause I absorb every last bit of Essence, finding myself rejuvenated. Another thing about this world, my senses tells me nothing but my Soul Crystal gets a share of the Essence.

Unlike back at Reais where power is ultimately fed back into the divide, then the layer, the Reais as a whole. It’s an endless loop where demons spawn, souls convert and grow and at the end of the day, Reais throbs with the heavy tax on Essence.

Here there is no such tax. So even a dozen pink crystals can be worth something.

‘Not for long.’

I don’t bother asking what she means as I sense her fade away. At that my eyes widen and my grin grows much to Valery’s dismay. I can sense her presence now…she’s close, very close. I’d shut my eyes to search but Valery’s scowl is as irritating as Lumina’s expectant stare.

“Ugh, what do you want me to do?”

“For starters? Put on some clothes.”

She hands me a bundle and I sneer down at it, “You’d have a demon in a dress? What is this plan of yours?”

“Are you uncomfortable with it? I mean, you look like a woman, right?” Valery turns to Lumina for support but receives a stiff undecided shrug— her mind wanders elsewhere.

Valery shrugs as well, staring me up and down to sigh, “I guess you also look like a man in a sort of feminine way. Or a woman in a masculine way…I’m not sure which but it’s one or the other. Either way, it’s the dress or nothing.”

“I don’t have breasts.” I note for their sake.

“We have padding for that.” She winks at me and I know this is set in stone. I pull on the dress and find the fabric cool against my skin, the sleeves are long enough to hide the tone in my muscles and it presents my hands in a slender, slick manner I find pleasing to look at. The neckline isn’t too low either, so the artificial paddings Valery’s stuffed for the sake of disguise don’t hang like pictures on a wall. Although it’s an easy thing to create my own breasts via [Faithless Mimicry], I don’t bother, there’s little need to put in extra effort for their sake.

“How do I look?”

“Not naked. I almost can’t recognize you, demon.” Valery says.

There have been few times where I haven’t stood nude in the wind and even then the desert cloak did little to preserve some fashion of modesty. But nudity isn’t a problem in Reais, there’s always a purpose for clothing or armour. I used to long for some covering, but out in the desert there’d always be something to shred it away and so I’ve gotten used to standing bare.

Still, there’s a part of me grateful for the more or less mortal manners of preserving modesty.

“She’s too tall.” Lumina says, stepping away from the gardener’s grave at last. “We’re trying to walk in without tipping everyone off, she stands out too much.”

‘She...’

I’ve been incensed at being referred to as an it but a she sounds off as well. Not as off as an it, but enough that I’ve got an urge to correct Lumina’s assumption.

‘She’s not right but she’s not wrong either.’

‘And you’d know this how?’

‘I’m here.’

Whatever that means the voice sinks away without explanation and I turn back to Lumina circling me with a consternated look.

“Illusions would be detected a mile away. The dress barely fits her as is.” She huffs, “Can’t you look less intimidating?”

She doesn’t expect an answer and is ready to give up when I say, “Yes, I can.”

“Wait…how?”

I set a hand out to Valery and her resentment burns. “No. No more, I’ve given you enough for a month. And we’re going to hit the palace, who knows what sort of tools you’ll snag when we’re not looking. No.”

Alas, Lumina is Queen. Once I absorb the set of three pink crystals much of the strain of my deep slumber falls away and I estimate I’ll need another three dozen pinks or ten strong crimsons before I break through to Blood Orange.

‘A goal you should work towards.’

I want to snap at the voice but I’d rather put my crystals where my mouth is. With the recovered Essence I morph my bones and muscle, losing height and weight and even shaping my face to match Lumina’s rounded cheeks and high bones.

It’s a scale of mimicry I haven’t attempted in a long time, the strain is much and the pain isn’t easy to dull. When I’m done I breathe a ragged breath and toss my hair back to glare at Valery, “Three wasn’t enough. I’m not sure I’ll be any use on your mission now.”

Standing at the same height now she steps up to flick my head with her finger. She smiles like she’s been meaning to do that. “Oh, you’re going to be plenty useful.”