Chapter 1

・Emptiness・

The slackened wooden windows battered open and shut against the side of the temple. Inside a girl lay peacefully on her back. Her hair like night, long and alluring; all tied up neatly in bangs with a ponytail that rested halfway down her spine. Her clothes were just as neat, a black and grey combat-esque dress with a black ribbon tied tightly at her waist.

Her eyes opened softly. Those enchanting, blood-stained, scarlet eyes could have burned through the wooden beams above with their malevolent glow, as if a flame dwelled within them.

She scanned her peripheral vision, dust and spider webs littered the oak ceiling. For a moment, she lay there, then – rolled over to her right and couldn't contain her sudden gasp; her pupils shrank. She threw her arms over her face. The blinding light barrelled closer along the tracks. Its horn became a void that swallowed its surroundings – goosebumps washed over her, the thrashing cold air, the paralyzing fear, it all crashed into her like a tidal wave as she anticipated the vital moment she would be struck. However, her prolific panting filled the silent air. Muscles tensed, she peeped through her arms… a collapsed shelving unit covered in a heap of fancy, yet muck covered, swords.

“What just happened… Where am I?” she thought, squinting at the dilapidated display in front of her. "The hell was that train?"

She churned her head as she began to take the whole room into consideration. A concrete throne sat against the back wall, demonic faces etched into the edge of its arm rests as swords, tailored gold, hung on the wall at either side.

“Some shrine of some sort? Did dad force me to another one of his freakish outings? No this is too weird, even for him…”

She turned herself all the way around to peer over at the rest of the room. For a second, she didn’t realise what she was looking at but then it clicked. Stiff in the middle of the floor. She almost choked on her own breath then hurled herself back. More force than intended she slammed into the pile of swords and shelving unit behind her.

Her gaze was locked in, his old wrinkly flesh had begun to rot, this greenish-pale mold ate away at the left side of his face, his hand sprawled forward across the floor as if reaching for something. The skin on his fingers looked as if it had been peeled back, dried mucus and blood seeped out from under it.

She lifted her hand to her mouth and recoiled with an irk.

“They’re dead? Are they dead? Fuck… Fuck…” she thought. Her eyes trembled. Locked in place, she couldn't break her ghostly glare from the ravaged body before her.

“I don’t want to look at it. I don't want to look at it."

Air refused to enter lungs, she put her hand to her neck, her consciousness began to slip but then, she could have sworn her heart stopped completely upon the sound of someone throwing their fist into the front door of the building. The knock shuddered her soul back to her body. Steady breaths, her attention shift to the door. Still conscious of the corpse, she tiptoed over the rickety wooden planks towards the it. Her soft hand gripped the handle, but it didn’t turn. She stared into the wood of the door for a moment, hesitation. It wasn’t the handle that was jammed, it was her.

“If she were here, she’d rip this thing right open.” she thought to herself with a grin then, with one deep breath, swung it all the way open – there it was, in the darkness – absolutely nothing.

“Huh, I could have sworn…” she muttered. A sense of relief washed over her as the pitter patter of rain on the wooden deck returned her to a distant, yet fond, memory. She seemed to be at the top of some hill, deep within a forest. At the end of the glossy deck was a concrete staircase that disappeared into the darkness of the night. She stared into the void, lost in its infinite blackness, she couldn’t muster a single realistic thought as to why she might be here.

Then it called out to her, “Hey, so, when are you planning to shut the door? It’s kinda chilly.” A voice spoke from inside. She shot around like an old rickety train, almost falling against the door frame in shock. A tall, jet-black haired man sat pompously on the stone throne at the far point of the room. Two glowing red earrings dangled from each ear as he donned a black and grey outfit. It simarlarly appeared to be combat attire, yet his was clearly more luxurious.

Her voice escaped her as she barely stood on her trembling legs.

“Hmm, so that’s who spawned you, looks like Vice got him. Poor guy.” said the man as he glared down at the decaying corpse. He then turned his apathetic gaze to the girl, “Well, are you going to tell me your name or what?”

“Wh- Who are you?” The words barely left her mouth, it was like a light draft snuck into the room, she spoke with such little confidence it could have been mistaken for wind.

“Wow, so you can speak. How interesting.”

‘She’s a Vocem; the first I’ve seen in 6 years… Was she hiding here all this time? How come I only sensed her now…?’

“C- Can I he-lp you?!”

The man chuckled. “No, stop answering my question with questions. I asked for your name.”

“M- My name… I—uh…”

"A ghost? I'm seeing a ghost... No way he was inside the whole time. I didn't hear him at all."

The man clicked his tongue in impatience. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Huh?” stuttered the girl.

Just then, he disappeared, her mouth dropped but, she wasn’t given any time to think as a warm, comforting, hand rest itself on her shoulder. Fingers rung round her right arm as they slid down it, leaving a lingering warmth to tingle along her arm. Her belly fluttered as the soft whisper of his monotone voice caused her to blush, “Right here.” She went to turn to him, but then his grasp suddenly strengthened, half expecting her skin to be ripped off she let out a yelp before being swung round, her legs smashed through part of the wooden wall as he flung her out into the night.

Her soul shrunk as she scaled the stone steps, the wind and rain beat against her as she tried to find her footing mid-air. Then, her lungs collapsed as she hit the forest floor, air whisked from her body as she slid across the muddy ground. Coming to a reasonable speed, she then shoved herself back up.

Thrust into an unknown place, attacked by an unknown man, her questions stacked by the second. However, among all her uncertainties there was one thing she knew for sure: If nothing were done—that man would kill her.

Her arms shot up to a guard, but he blitzed out the treeline from seemingly nowhere. She hurled her arm in his direction in hopes of hitting him,

“Great reflexes too.” muttered the man as he flipped his body up and over her arm, grabbing it while doing so, and, as he landed, spun her around in his direction before jolting his right fist into her face. She went staggering back. Tears leaked from her squinted eyes as that hellish pain burned across her skin.

After a moment, she caught herself and opened her tensed eyes with a scorching glare of anger, only for it to be completely extinguished by the lightning-like snap kick propelled into her face. She made an X with her arms in an attempt to protect herself- It was like a jolt of electricity surged through her body. Shivers ran up and down her spine like an eight-legged insect. She fell numb and was so strung from reality in that moment that she hadn’t realised she’d been sitting on the ground against a tree for over 20 seconds now.

“Okay, your skill level confirms it, you’re definitely a new-born demon.” he said with a chuckle. “That would make sense. Well then, allow me to give you a few lessons on the basics of being a demon.”

“Huhm?” she groaned.

“Lesson #1:” said the man, taking her wrist to his face as if he were to kiss her hand only to halt and grin just before doing so. Again, he tightened his grasp before he flung her up and around in the air only to flick her down with a snap, obliterating the joints in her arm. Spit leapt out her mouth from the back of her throat mid shriek.

“Demons, no matter the injury, will regenerate all and everything as long as they have blood and a brain. Killing them in one fell swoop is most efficient so, beware of that; you’re not invincible.”

“And second!” yelled the man, unleashing a flickering kick into the girl’s skull that sent her body in a contorted mess along the muddy ground before stopping as it bashed into one of the stone pillars by the stairs to the shrine.

“Through energy manipulation you can transform other entities into lower-level demons and, with skill, control them. This makes even one demon an issue for most, given time, they can become ever so troublesome.

And finally!” said the man. A pulsing orb of glowing plasma-like light began to form in his hand. White in colour with a tint of purple morphing within it. The very existence of the nightmarish energy seemed to alter the space around it as the atmosphere bent to its will.

“Unlike other races, unluckily for you, when it comes to the rest of your kin: you are the last remaining entity. In life, you shall be all alone just like you will be in death. Because when it comes to demons – no human will be grateful for your existence.”

“No human grateful for my existence?” She lay numb in the mud, back pushed against the stone pillar behind her as she glared through her glossy eyes at the glimmering orb. “What’s new there?” Tears seeped down her face. The shine of the orb strained her eyes, she felt like she could simply die here in this moment.

The man grinned then let the energy loose, shockwaves altered the air around it as it departed from his hand.

“What did he even want from me?”

The ground shook from its intensity as it barrelled closer and closer, with the last of her energy, she let out a mumble under her breath… “A- Athena…” more tears began to bubble at her eyes.

The man seemingly teleported and kicked the pulse of carnage away with the tip of his foot.

He sighed as he touched down on the ground. Then glanced over at her as the energy fizzled off in the distance.

“Athena?” He asked for confirmation.

She nodded with a whimpering sound of approval.

The man rubbed his face frustratingly. “Why aren’t you trying to kill me, it’s like, you’re weirdly human or something…” he chuckled.

Athena looked up at him, “S-sorry.”

“I only came over here because I sensed a large amount of energy. This girl’s a demon, so I figured it came from her; but I’m not sensing it anymore. Is someone else around? Was it even her then?”

“W- What’s going on…?” asked Athena.

“You’re a new-born demon who’s spawner died and so isn’t here to explain everything to you. Demons are created through blood manipulation, not birthed, and then undergo a hibernation, or processing period, where they sleep for 18 years of their life until they’re fully grown. Normally the person who spawned you would take care of you however, in this case, the person who spawned you has died and so have all the other demons. You’re the first live and walking one in 6 years.”

Athena didn’t seem to take much notice. She was plastered head to toe in mud after being flung across the ground and drenched in rain. Tears rumbled down her cheeks from her hollow eyes as blood seeped from the gashes plastered all over her.

The man rolled his eyes. “Nate.”

Athena glanced at him.

“My name’s Nate by the way.”

“N- Nice to meet you.” she muttered out, still mildly winded.

Nate walked up onto the first few steps to the shrine and sat down with an elongated sigh; resting his chin on his hand. Athena positioned herself upwards against the pillar now too.

“Right now—I should really kill you, however, I don’t quite feel like it.” Nate stared down out the corner of his eye. “You may not care, but right now there are 2 superpowers in the world: The kingdom of Aspertia and the Mistralton empire. Both of which are corrupt and at war.”

“Okay.” muttered Athena.

“See, I want to do something about this corruption, but I can’t. Because of you and your kind’s curse.”

“Curse?” Athena shot a spiteful gaze at him.

“Curse. Demons blessed with the intelligence of communication are cursed along with it in the form of vocal pacts. Once you agree to do something going back on it – means death.”

Taking demon blood and the right spirit user, humans can take this power to control others. Of course, they won’t tell anyone about this until it’s already happened. So, I’m currently in a pact where I can’t physically harm the higher ups.”

Athena yawned then rubbed her eyes.

“This is where you come in! I can’t do anything to them but, you can. Which is why I’ll let you live, on one condition.”

“O- Okay…”

“Down this hill is a village, the townsfolk have been infected with a plague. You don’t need to worry about this since demons are immune to poison and disease but that’s not the important part.

“I want you to spend 5 days there, they have food, shelter, water, everything you need. The only condition I have, is that in those 5 days you prove to me that I can trust you.

Nate’s pressure became all the more intense as he made unwavering eye contact.

“You’re not to kill any humans. If you kill, albeit on accident or on purpose, even a single soul-

“I will – In turn – kill you.”

Nausea spun the world around her as a numbness trickled through her body. Again, Athena felt locked in place, her gaze was stuck to Nates or Nates gaze was what was keeping her stuck.

“Do you accept?” he said, Athena, frozen in fear, agreed with a mumble and a restrained nod.

“Well, that’ll do I suppose. I’m sure you have heaps of questions but, I’m in a hurry right now to get to my meeting. If you do kill someone, I’ll know instantly. Don’t go thinking just because I’m not around I won’t know.

“Also, I recommend that it’s in your best interests that no one finds out you’re a demon. If they were to find out, you’d probab-” Nate paused as he stared down at Athena.

“Oh…

“She – fell asleep…”