Chapter 1

Part A

The shape of a run-down chapel was barely visible in the moonless night. All around, odd mounds protruded from the forest floor. The ruins of a vast complex laid scattered, half-buried, and long since reclaimed by nature. Now old trees had long ago dug their roots into forgotten courtyards, and creeping vines, bushes, brambles and other weeds had overrun every available surface of broken masonry.

Insects skittered and buzzed in the undergrowth and through the air. Chirping bats fluttered between the trees. Rodents hunted on the ground. Larger predators prowled in the darkness.

All this wildlife froze when a foreboding red glow started emanating from inside the chapel, seeping out the broken windows, the gaping entrance, and every crack in the walls and collapsed rooftop. For a brief instant, complex symbols coalesced in the glow; then, a bright flash illuminated the night, scattering its startled inhabitants. Suddenly, two figures stood inside the chapel atop the fast-dimming symbols, one on two feet, the other on four.

A deep yet feminine voice broke the silence that had fallen on the ruins.

“C-C-Cold! Fire and brimstone! W-W-Why is it s-so c-c-c-cold?! Nob-b-body told me the Midworld would be s-s-s-s-so cold!”

“Eeeeh aaaaah!”

“Of course. You have your f-f-fur!”

“Eeeh aah.”

“I-I don’t c-care! Shut your mouth.”

Had they not been alone in the middle of the woods, the pair would have certainly attracted many curious gazes. One was a broad-shouldered young woman, with a thick mane of fiery auburn curls and intimidatingly toned muscles rolling under skin so dark it blended into the night. The other… was a donkey.

The woman’s overly large leather backpack made a loud thud when she dropped it on the ground. She quickly retrieved a thick fur coat from the bag and draped it over her clothes, ignoring the snide braying laughter of her companion.

Finally shielded against the biting cold, Samael took stock of her surroundings: fractured walls, broken stained-glass windows and mosaics, a shattered altar, and the rotten remains of paintings, tapestries and rows of benches. Vines, weeds and bushes were everywhere—except in a perfect scorched circle around where they stood.

A faint aroma of burnt vegetation lingered in the air, noticeable only now that it was dissipating. In Tartarus, the smell of soot and ash was ubiquitous, and Samael found its sudden absence slightly disconcerting. Instead, a thousand new and foreign scents assailed her sensitive nose. Each hammered deeper the fact she was in a very different place from the dimension she had called home her entire life.

A pang of homesickness constricted her guts.

“No.” Samael roughly slapped her face with both hands. The sharp noise echoed loudly through the forest and startled the few animals not scared away by the light show. Trickles of dust fell from the remaining roof beams. “Nope. I’m fine. I’m not sad at all. I can do this! WOOOOOOH!! MIDWORLD, HERE I COME!!” she roared, throwing her head back and pumping her fists towards the sky. She stood straighter and with renewed determination burning in her eyes—while selectively ignoring the tears streaming abundantly down her bruising cheeks.

She stared up at the expense of darkness above, amply visible through large holes in the roof. There were no angry storm-clouds crawling with purple lightning up there, only a distant inverted abyss lit by countless little unmoving sparks. Samael’s amber eyes widened in wonder. “Are those… stars? So pretty…” Gabriel had shown her niece pictures of the Midworld, but they did not do the real thing justice.

The young devil eventually snapped out of her daze. Looking around, she noticed she was alone in the abandoned chapel. “Slei?” she called out. Where has that idiot wandered off to? She started rubbing her forehead in frustration—but quickly stopped, disturbed by the absence of her horns. With a resigned shrug, she walked away from the destroyed altar and headed for the exit. On her way, she carefully skirted around the plantlife. Her aunt had assured Samael the Midworld vegetation was mostly harmless to demons and certainly would not try to take a bite out of her, but Samael preferred not to put that knowledge to the test just yet.

“Slei? Slei, where are you?”

“Eeh AHH!!”

“Slei?!” Samael raced the last few steps out of the building and leapt out through the empty doorframe. She skidded to a halt outside, frowning at her boots lack of grip compared to her usual barefoot claws. She quickly located her friend a short distance away, and she froze at the sight.

Chewing on the donkey’s head was a midnight blue wolf almost as tall as Samael’s human form.

“…”

“…”

Samael relaxed with a sigh. “…Slei…” She put both fists at her waist, reproducing her aunt’s favourite scolding pose. She shook her head and clicked her tongue, furthering the impersonation. “Slei, Slei, Slei… What are you doing? We barely arrived. We can’t keep a puppy at the moment.”

“Eeh aaaah!!” the donkey protested indignantly. In what reality was this be what he was trying to do?! His expression looked particularly unamused as the drool from the slobbering wolf dripped all over his face.

Meanwhile, the predator was slowly starting to realise something was not quite right. This tasty looking prey was turning out much harder to chew than anticipated. It felt like gnawing on a mossy rock. After much reflection, the not-so-bright canine monster decided to switch target to the even tastier-looking prey who had just walked out of the strange cave.

Samael blinked in surprise when the wolf suddenly released Slei and jumped at her, maw wide open. Her stern expression melted into fawning laughter. Aw. It wants to play! She had noticed the animal’s aggressive posturing, but the idea such a weak little thing would try to attack her was just so silly her brain subconsciously blocked it off.

As she spread her arms to catch the beast, a dark aura began seeping from her body. Her pupils narrowed to slits while her irises darkened. Her fingers elongated into claws. Horns pierced through the skin of her forehead. A fuzzy tail wormed its way over the waist of her pants. The seams of her outfit groaned in protest as she started to grow in size in front of the midnight dyrewolf, who suddenly was trying desperately to turn back in mid-air.

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