Lillian, hooded and masked, handed a few crystals to a merchant, letting him weigh and inspect them. He nodded in approval, then turned to collect some jerky and placed it in a small bag.
"
She scanned her surroundings, careful not to attract attention as demons added the final touches to the rebuilt settlement, making it appear far grander than before.
Lillian's ears perked as she passed some Karnals.
"
"
"Trents?" Lillian peeked back. "No, that's not important right now." She glanced back at her bag.
"That should be everything," she muttered. She hurried on, weaving through the swelling crowds searching for food and tools. "Berg is much busier than before…" Unease crept over her as thoughts of Kalika surfaced as she watched two demon sisters play nearby. "Once I find Kalika, I'll return to Lucius and help him fight back against Celestine."
She reached the main gate. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she approached, but one of the guards halted her and gestured behind him.
"" another guard stated. "
Lillian peeked, taking note of an incubus and succubus sporting white hair as they each carried a blue-skinned demon child.
The incubus scoffed. "
"
The incubus sneered and slowly retreated, the reluctant succubus following behind.
With the two gone, the guard returned to his post by the rough stone gate.
Silent, Lillian left the settlement, glancing at the two cubus, both lost in thought while the babies slept peacefully.
Against her better judgment, she veered in their direction.
"
"
Lillian opened her bag, revealing a stash of food. "
"
"
"
"Charla," her brother called. "
"
Lillian peered more keenly at the two children. "
Zigfred sighed. "Zelak."
Lillian's eyes widened. "Zelak?"
"He used to be one of Lucius's generals… So these two are taking care of his children?" Lillian stared more pensively at the baby.
"
"
"
"
She nodded, her eyes lowering. "
Her arms tightened around the baby. "
Lillian chuckled inwardly. She turned from Charla and reached inside her bag, giving some jerky to Zigfred, confusing him.
"Uh…"
She then handed a crest to the incubus.
His eyes widened, recognizing the symbol. "
"
Zigfred smirked, watching as Lillian took to the air. Curious, Charla raced to her brother's side, looking at the crest she had given him. "
"< It's our one-way ticket to the heavens. That's what it is.>"
Charla peered back at Lillian with wide-eyed fascination. "
********
Flying above forests and valleys, Kalika looked down from Rakon's back, admiring the landscape's natural beauty. A strange beast she'd never seen before roamed and hunted across the rocky, yellow-grassed valley. Nature carried on, undisturbed.
Her stomach rumbled, drawing Rakon's attention. "Midday already?"
"I can wait," Kalika said. She looked at her hand, conjuring a black mist over it. She concentrated on keeping the misty ball in one place as she moved her hand around it.
Carefully, she furled her tree center fingers and touched the ball with her pinky. She looked at her thumb.
Nothing.
She glanced back at Rakon, growing even more uncertain.
Feeling her gaze, he spoke. "Is there something you need from me?"
"No… I'm fine."
The day slipped by in quiet trial and error as Kalika practiced Zorbian dark magic. Before long, the crystals around had dimmed, marking evening's beginning.
Kalika blinked and looked back up. "Night already?" She pursed her lips in silent frustration, looking at her hands. "Damn it."
Some time later, Rakon skimmed the outskirts of the black forest as they flew, eventually finding a clearing devoid of life.
He landed hard on his feet, planting down shakily. He breathed out an exhausted sigh as Kalika finally climbed off him.
"Tomorrow we'll stop for a short break," he said. He wandered toward the edge of a cliff, overlooking the entire forest, with Oar's still in the far distance.
Kalika followed, overlooking the same sight. "So it's finally visible…"
Rakon turned. "I'll prepare a meal."
Kalika glanced over and raised a brow. With a sigh, she approached a large nearby rock and sat down, watching as Rakon prepared a fire and a basic meal. He searched through their bags, pulling out sheets of cloth, then spoke without turning.
"If you want to be helpful, why don't you go collect some leaves and sticks?"
"Leaves and sticks?"
"Yes. Since neither of us can use earth or water magic, our sleeping arrangements won't be ideal."
Kalika turned away. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"
Rakon glanced over, then held up a huge piece of leather, taller than himself. "I don't know about you, but I'd prefer not to sleep on rocks." He dropped it to the ground and unfolded a second one.
"O-oh." Kalika stood from the rocks, approaching the two pieces of leather. "And how are we supposed to close these?"
"Typically, we'd use earth magic to seal it as an adhesive. But I can come up with something else."
Without warning, Kalika formed a ball of water in her hand, surprising Rakon.
He narrowed his eyes. "Since when could you use magic? Especially without those crystals."
She glanced back, bored. "I'm not the same defenseless woman who needs those crystals to use magic anymore, as much as I'd like to say otherwise."
"Is there anything else you're hiding that I should know about?"
Kalika exhaled. "Can we do this first? I'm not really an expert at using this, so could you walk me through it? I don't want to destroy these by accident."
Rakon stared back in stunned silence.
Reluctantly, Rakon positioned himself behind her, reorienting her arm and wrist as he instructed her on how to ease the water in.
They worked together in the brisk night air until they finished. To Kalika's surprise, the beds were shorter than expected but still kept their backs off the ground, anchored by a solid conjured stone.
In the quiet of the night, Kalika sat, looking at the faint light of Oar's flickering in the distance. Soon the scent of freshly cooked meat filled the air. Not long after, Rakon offered Kalika a few sticks of meat, each coated with something mildly sweet.
"I'm not much of a cook, but this should suffice."
Kalika stared at the sticks for a long while before finally taking them in hand. "Thank you."
Thoughts of Donovan swirled in her mind as she remembered the meals he cooked during their long nights.
She bit into the first piece, savoring it. "It's delicious."
"I'll take the compliment. Now are you going to tell me about your other secrets?" Rakon bit into his share. "Or are you going to continue to keep things to yourself like you normally do?"
Kalika lowered the sticks to her lap. "Am I that easy to read?"
Silence settled in, punctuated only by the chirping insects surrounding them.
Rakon took a step. "Fine if you don't want to talk-"
"Don't go," she interrupted. Calm and composed, she kept her eyes on Oar's. Rakon turned his gaze, watching and waiting expectantly as Kalika flexed her fingers.
"I do." She raised her hand, conjuring a ball of darkness in her hand. "When I turned, I found myself able to use this."
Rakon stared pensively at the dark ball. "What is it?"
"Darkness… And this…" Kalika touched the ball, absorbing it into herself. "This is my blood magic."
"So that's why your blood was black. I'm surprised you can still walk and talk at this point."
"Why is that?"
Nearly exhausted, Rakon approached Kalika and scratched open his arm with his finger, letting his light red blood ooze. "The darker the blood, the more concentrated it is with magic." His arm healed, and he wiped his blood clean. "Having blood as black as yours would kill even the strongest demon. My brother and I are not exempt from this."
"Was that your actual blood?" Kalika asked.
"Of course it was." Rakon pulled away. "My blood magic allowed me to reform the shape and color of it. Not to mention share its senses. But thanks to that contract, that isn't possible right now."
"And I guess that pain in your arm doesn't help."
Rakon scoffed. "Of course it doesn't. But there's nothing I can do about it now." He turned away. "That's why I envy you… that immortality of yours. The way you always return. Even how you remain young, even as a human."
"Peh! Please."
"Don't pretend you don't understand. We both know in the next three hundred years in the future that I'll be gone. And you'll remain to see the future beyond this present."
Kalika's eyes drew down as she clenched her fist. "Then why don't you eat that core yourself?"
"Because I'm a failure."
Her eyes rose, and she glanced back, discovering a flurry of black flowers bloom around and over Rakon as eyes dulled, oblivious to the event.
"What right do I have when I couldn't kill my brother? The heroes ignored him. The angel I released failed to kill him. Even competing for the rights of inheritance, I lost, and he spared me. ME." His face cringed with rage. "It was utter humiliation."
He flashed a glare at Kalika. "But now I have to remember being overpowered by a small woman like you. But I suppose that's the irony in all this…"
Rakon's hands relaxed, and the flowers around wilted and broke apart. "After all this time trying to claim that throne, it all came to nothing."
Suddenly, Kalika shoved her shoulder into his arm. He yelped and stumbled.
"
"If you want to be king that badly, why don't you start your own kingdom?"
Rakon paused and stared at Kalika as she leaned against his arm.
"Start my own… Kingdom?"
"Nothing is stopping you, right?" Kalika glanced up at Rakon, scrutinizing and looking for something in his eyes. "So, use this time to gather like-minded demons and escape to my old world. And find territory you can claim as your own. All you'd need to do is exploit their selfish desire for plunder and glory."
Rakon chuckled. Then slowly rolled into laughter, overwhelming the sound of nature. Sometime later, he calmed. "Truly the heart of a devil."
"And the looks of one too, right?"
He glanced down at Kalika, noticing her lips tighten and her eyes grow distant.
"Hey Rakon… I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Do you think I'll ever be human again?"
He flinched at the question and gazed at her again. Slowly, he raised his finger to her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. He studied her face, rubbing his fingers roughly against her cheeks.
"I don't know. I never knew a human could turn into a demon before," he said.
She pulled away from his grasp. "Thanks... I guess." She turned back to Rakon, still averting her gaze. "We're supposed to arrive at Oar's tomorrow, right?"
"Yes? What about it?"
"If you want, you can have your revenge on me."
Rakon's eyes narrowed at the sudden change in topics. "And tell me. How would you expect me to enact this revenge?"
"I don't know. Do whatever you want—whatever the old Rakon would do. Because tonight might be the only chance you get."
She raised her eyes to his. "Kill me. Torture me. Humiliate me. I don't mind enduring it all tonight. And this is the only time I'm offering this to you."
Without warning, he flicked her head.
"Ow!"
Rakon's eyes softened as he saw Kalika wince and rub her forehead. "I can see that something's tugging at your nerves. I don't mind if you don't want to tell me, but you should keep that habit under control. Otherwise, I might take you up on that offer again."
His gaze flicked to the stick of meat now on the ground. He offered his second skewer to Kalika. "Here."
Kalika forced open her eyes, then took the offered food.
"I'll prepare something for the morning. For now, eat and then sleep. We have a lot of ground to cover, and hopefully, we'll make it to Oar by the afternoon."
She smiled at the food, avoiding his gaze. "Fine. But you better not have regrets once this is all done and gone."
"I'll be just fine, thank you. Now go and rest."
Kalika sat on her water-filled, leather bed and watched as Rakon rummaged through their bags in search of ingredients.
With a solemn sigh, she turned toward Oar, feeling a pit deepening in her stomach.
********
Elsewhere, stone cracked, and white flesh jutted out in spurts, eventually forming into hands, reaching to claw itself out.