Ruundanedai had seen countless miracles of magic during his many decades of life. Some of them he even performed himself. However, nothing could ever compare to what Eigam had in store for him. There was no warning about the transportation spell. No incantation, no hand gestures, nothing. After all, such acts were pointless for Magic herself.

The place where Ruun now found himself was nowhere. A dark blue void like the deepest sea with colourful dots gently floating around like stars across the night sky. Whenever he looked at one more closely, it grew and expanded until it eventually turned into a window, showing him a different part of Ezma, but when his attention faltered even for a second, and his eyes slid off the picture before him, the window would shrink again and resume floating through nowhere like a tiny dot.

Eigam was hovering before him. A presence like that could not simply be ignored. Her massive body, full of tangled muscles, eyes, and teeth, filled a large portion of the demon's view. Ruun stood up. To his surprise, the pain of the countless bruises, fractures, and inner wounds he had received from Alma was suddenly gone. In fact, he felt about as good as before his battle with Glavas. He was once again full of energy.

His steps made a few clinking noises. He looked down, examining the floor. It was like perfectly polished glass that simply couldn't bear any smudges. His claws made faint noises as he walked over the surface, and he was quite sure that it could be dangerously slippery if he were to try running around too fast.

"What is this place?" he asked after a brief minute or two of acclimation.

"So it's just like the pocket worlds powerful wizards can create? Yours looks small for those standards."

"So it's pointless for us to be here?"

"Well, whatever. It's not like it would be that important. Where we talk is secondary." Ruun smiled. His grinning mouth, filled with teeth, prompted a similar expression from Eigam.

"No. I won the moment you agreed to this challenge. But just in case, I demand a magical deal as well. I sure as heck can't make actual binding contracts but you can do anything, right? So come on, whip one up."

"Yes. You are stalling. Now move it!"

One of her arms extended forward, stretching and shrinking until it eventually reached the demon's hand. A handshake, accompanied by lots of magical chanting and glowing symbols, which grew on both their forearms, then signalled that their duel was official, along with its rules and consequences. There was no backing away.

"So, may I continue where we left off?"

Ruun took a deep breath, perhaps to savour the moment of getting to argue with Magic herself. "You claim that we, demons, are like maggots. But that is not a fitting description. Without severe magical alteration, a maggot will never grasp the reality in which they live. We, however, do. Of course, compared to you, we might be tiny, but we can be just as smart and skilled as your intended children. Sometimes even more so. Look at me, for example. I was able to outsmart Glavas, an experienced elven hunter. Not to mention that I befriended lots of other humans, elves, and even a dragon, who were all willing to die for me. This proves that we are capable of both physical and social feats."

"I see your point, but perhaps we can be recycled. If a sword snaps, the metal can still be molten and reused. Same with shards of glass. When a demon is born, it knows nothing but hunger. Perhaps in that regard, we might be similar to maggots. But when you put a bunch of them together, they will consume each other, combine, and create something new. A true demon child. One that is not too different from that recycled metal. One that is not different from your other creations."

"I disagree. Ezma still has plenty of space that many consider uninhabitable. Deserts, islands, mountains, you name it. Other species struggle to make stable residences there, but demons can evolve. We can grow to withstand the most terrible of conditions. And as far as food goes, we do not actually have to eat. For us, nutrients aren't necessary. They merely fuel our evolution and growth, but we wouldn't die without them. Overall, we wouldn't require much."

"The other species would do it. They will help us. The first generation of demons will be led by others, and then later, they will learn to exist on their own. Or perhaps they will remain parts of other cultures. Your other children mix in various cities, so I see no reason why demons couldn't join them in that regard."

The goddess's laughter filled the pocket world.

"That is something you cannot prove. Demons will be lost and frail. They will pose no threat once they leave hell and go through the first evolutional phase to gain sentience. At least if all goes as I have envisioned it. Which, with your power, wouldn't be a problem. What would emerge would be children. There would be someone to guide them. And if you yourself would show the wizards of Valimar that it was your will that changed their fate, perhaps they would help with their protection. Valimar is powerful. A species backed by them would be safe from almost all threats."

"Well, I still believe that some mortals can accept us. Your children were fighting with each other since the dawn of time and only now did they start thinking about peace and cooperation. Yes, it may be difficult. Demons will most likely die. But somewhere, someone will push things to change. That much I am sure of. If you don't believe me, look into history. People change!"

"Then I suppose we are at a stalemate. There is no proof of any of our arguments. You can't prove that demons can't change, and neither can I prove that they can. Therefore, there are only two solutions. We can simply try different arguments and keep the debate going, or you might agree that neither of us can win. In the latter case, you might just leave and let Alma decide what to do. If your children are so wise and perfect, surely they would do the right thing."

She floated a bit closer, the fingers of her hands gently taping against each other.

"And that is?"

"I accept," Ruun replied without a moment of hesitation.

"You say that like it's something I wouldn't want. During all those years, I've always believed that mortals have to suffer for something to change. For a bright future. I have been imposing that necessary suffering onto people for far too long. I've prepared myself for all sorts of terrible fates. This... I will admit it scares me. You can enjoy watching the fear in my eyes if it brings you that much pleasure. But I will not back down. Not now."

"Pain's an old buddy of mine."

"But I will gain so much more."

"That was a risk I knew from the start. Now come on then. It's starting to look like you don't want to do it. Or maybe... is it because you actually can't?"

A surge of pain shot through his body. Eigam's hands grew larger, so much so that they closed up around him. Beams of light of all possible colours started shooting out of the goddess' palms, striking the demon's body. He fell onto his back, screaming as the magic tore him apart molecule by molecule.

An eye grew on one of the palms. Eigam wanted to watch him suffer.

Ruun smiled. The pain was excruciating, and yet still he smiled. He lifted his head and his countless red eyes started right into the massive eyeball of the goddess. He laughed, yet screams still involuntarily invaded his voice. "You think... AAAGH! That you tricked me?! Haha... UGH! Hehe. You are so... dumb! I knew you'd choose him. I knew what would happen. I won!"

The demon fell back to the ground. The goddess didn't know whether he spoke the truth or not. It didn't matter. The plan was still the same. She couldn't see a reason why Glavas would even consider letting the freshly-reborn demon take a single breath. However, Ruundanedai's last words wormed their way into her memory so much so that she could not make herself forget.

"You've never understood mortals."