《The Astral Realms》


 The Darkblight Abyss

    Eric Edison¡¯s life was less than ideal. His parents had died when he was ten years old, and the foster system failed him miserably. As it turns out, foster parents were not supposed to force the children they take care of to work to pay bills. Such a lesson wasn¡¯t taught to Eric until he was much older and well out of their care. Still, he struggled on, well aware that the world was not kind to people like him.


    This was especially apparent as he walked the halls of the food bank. He often got stares from all sorts of people, wondering why someone as young as him was rotting there. He was only eighteen, after all.


    After gathering his designated food, he quietly left the bank and dragged himself off to his spot next to the well.


    ¡°Hey, there, boy! Care to share with an old man? I¡¯m sure a youngin like you could go longer without eating than me!¡± a crazy-eyed man begged.


    Eric rolled his eyes as he walked past the old man without a word. He would not be sharing with him.


    ¡°Damn, you boy! You¡¯ll come to regret not having basic manners!¡± he screeched.


    The man didn¡¯t bother chasing him as he knew he would never catch up to Eric. One was at the peak of their years, while the other was well past their prime. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a chase.


    Eric rolled his eyes as he continued off to his spot at the nearby park. The well was an old one, hidden behind a mess of bushes and trees. It was spectacularly hidden, and almost no one ever disturbed him there. The few that did see him immediately left.


    He maneuvered through the dense greenery until the clearing opened up to him. In the center was the well, along with a sleeping bag and some supplies. He sighed as he sat down and cracked open a jar of peanut butter.


    It was an optimal food for the situation he found himself in. It lasted nearly forever and was easy to contain. It also filled him up rather well.


    Once he was done, he took a moment to lie down and look at the reddish sky. The sun was beginning to set, and it was beautiful.


    He was there for an uncertain amount of time, the whims of sleep beginning to overtake him. At least, until the distant sound of singing caught his attention. It was faint, yet he could still tell how beautiful it was.


    He yawned as he picked himself up off the ground. He tried to locate the source, but somehow, it seemed to be coming from the center of the clearing.


    Confused, he looked around and found nothing. There was nobody else here with him. The well caught his attention, and he slowly walked up to it. The singing got ever so slightly louder.


    He looked down and only saw the same pitch darkness as always. He stayed like that for a moment before a slight brush from the bushes caused him to jerk backward.


    ¡°Damn, animals,¡± he growled as he laid back down.


    Upon waking up, he found that his food had been nibbled at and, essentially, ruined. Critters must have gotten to it while he was sleeping.


    He cursed aloud as he chucked the now-wasted jar of peanut butter into the dirt. He quickly picked it back up so as not to ruin his space but he was still pissed. Now, he would have to go and beg the food bank for more.


    He dragged himself there and argued with the attendant for a single jar of peanut butter. Eventually, he won and took a walk around the park while eating it. He was rather hungry since he had lost all of his food.


    After enjoying the nice walk, he went back to the clearing and took a nap. He awoke an unknown amount of time later. What a boring life.


    He stretched as he got out of bed. He may have had it bad right now, but he didn¡¯t always plan for it to be this way. He put on his nicest shirt and pair of pants.


    He then walked out of his clearing and visited the nearest store. As soon as he found the first employee, he immediately asked for the manager.


    ¡°Sir, I was wondering if you needed any full-time help. I need a¡­¡± Eric started to explain.


    ¡°Sorry, kid. Still no slots available.¡± The manager sighed.


    Eric nodded with a smile on his face, but really, he felt like cursing the guy out. He had been asking for months. He knew multiple new people had been hired from the date he first started asking until now.


    He sighed as he walked out of the grocery store. It wasn¡¯t a complicated job, and he knew well that half the employees were on their phones twenty-four-seven. What a joke.


    He went on to the next store, and the next, and the next. Soon enough, he had cleared every store within a few miles. Each one of them gave him the same shit. Well, at least the donut shop gave him a box of donuts.


    He very nearly yelled out in frustration as he walked back to his clearing. However, a small voice stopped him.


    ¡°Can I¡­ have some?¡±


    He glanced to his left to find a small boy gingerly eyeing his donuts. At first, Eric glared at the boy, but eventually, his eyes went soft. Poor kid didn¡¯t deserve this shit.


    He gave the boy the entire box and walked back to his clearing. What a shit life. He wished that he had the power to save kids like that. He knew what it was like firsthand. It was easy for everyone to act like they cared, but in reality, none of them did. It was all an act to make themselves feel good.


    Eric wasn¡¯t just to make himself feel like he was any special, morally superior human. He wasn¡¯t, and he certainly was not trying to be. Yet, he also didn¡¯t try to fake it like all these other people.


    He walked back inside his clearing and sat down on his sleeping bag. He didn¡¯t have any food to distract himself with since he lost it all. However, he wasn¡¯t starving since he had eaten a few of those donuts.


    Having nothing else to do, he laid back down and tried to sleep. He would try to find more jobs to ask for tomorrow.


    He woke to the dark sky. He glanced around for a few moments, wondering what had woken him up. That was until he heard it. The singing.


    He instantly darted toward the well in an attempt to get a better listen. It was alluring.


    A rapid shuffle sounded from behind him as he frantically turned around. The old man from before was charging him!


    He tried to move out of the way, but he had been much too slow. The man slammed into him, toppling him over the edge of the well.


    ¡°Oh, fuck!¡± Eric cried as he fell.


    The old man gave him a devilish smirk. ¡°You should have shared that food, kid.¡± His words faded as Eric fell.


    And he continued to fall into the darkness. It was surreal. He knew that he would be dead as soon as he hit the ground or whatever was at the bottom. There was simply no way that one would survive this.


    Yet, he kept falling through the darkness. Finally, after what seemed like ages, a dim light slowly encompassed the area. He fell through that, too.


    The world around him opened up, and as it did, he felt a force slow him down. He then landed, somewhat softly, in a pitch-black liquid.


    ¡°What in the abyss?¡± a serene voice sounded out in surprise.


    Eric groaned as he picked himself up and out of the liquid, now drenched in black. Where was he?


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± the voice asked again.


    He glanced to his side to find a beautiful, red-haired woman staring at him. He was about to respond but choked on his words when she slightly moved. She had a pair of small wings protruding from her back and a long, thin tail.


    He fell back into the black liquid as he failed to comprehend what he had just seen. They were coming out of her back. That shit was not cosplay!


    He felt a soft hand pull him out of the water. The woman was now face to face with him, carefully inspecting his body.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me slowing down your fall, then you would have smushed like a bug right there,¡± she declared.


    Eric stared at her for a moment, causing her to blush slightly. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not really sure if I am dreaming or not.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°This is no dream. It¡¯s all real. Welcome to the Darkblight Abyss.¡±


    ¡°The Darkblight what? I¡¯m pretty sure there is no place called that on earth,¡± Eric reasoned.


    The woman shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s because we aren¡¯t on earth.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m dreaming?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Wrong again. This is real. You were probably sent here for whatever it is you did before dying.¡± She gave him a questioning look. ¡°Although, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve ever heard of someone falling from the sky like you did.¡±


    ¡°Dying? Did that old man really kill me?¡± Eric groaned.


    ¡°Old man? Did you attack someone?¡± The woman looked slightly appalled.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Eric snapped. ¡°All I did was not share my food with him because he didn¡¯t deserve it. I guess that warranted my death!¡±


    ¡°You were murdered? Well, what evil deed did you do? Usually, it''s rather clear since your physical form will morph to match it,¡± she said.


    Eric took a look at her wings and tail. ¡°Physical form? Like how you look like a demon?¡±


    The woman looked rather taken aback. ¡°Please do not compare me to the likes of such scum. I am a succubus.¡± She pouted.


    ¡°Oh, much better,¡± Eric snickered.


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°And let¡¯s see. What exactly are you?¡±


    After observing him closely for a few moments, her eyes widened.


    ¡°What is it? Do I look like a freak now?¡± Eric quickly asked.


    Slightly hurt at his words, the woman shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not a freak¡­ and no, that¡¯s not the problem. The problem is that you don¡¯t look like anything. You¡¯re¡­ completely human.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Eric muttered. ¡°Is that not a good thing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Humans¡­ aren¡¯t supposed to be here. It simply should not be possible. Everyone here changes, no matter what,¡± she said.


    ¡°Here, as in the abyss?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°The Darkblight Abyss¡­ and yes, that is the rule. For whatever reason, it seems you are an exception,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s cool and all, but how do I get back? Based on your previous statements, this place doesn¡¯t sound like my gig,¡± he said.


    The woman narrowed her eyes. ¡°Get back? That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    Eric froze. ¡°What? Well, there must be some way. I¡¯m an exception, remember!¡±


    ¡°That may be true, but this place¡­ wasn¡¯t meant for people like you. Exceptions shouldn¡¯t exist here. If you truly are human, then you will be in grave danger,¡± the woman stated.


    ¡°Well, no shit! I don¡¯t know about you but this black shit doesn¡¯t look healthy!¡± Eric exclaimed.


    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s just water,¡± the woman said.


    Having about enough of this, Eric shook his head. ¡°Okay, well, I appreciate all your help, but I think it''s best if I go on my way. Could you show me to the nearest town? Perhaps someone can help me there?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t make it two steps before a wendigo strips your flesh and eats you.¡± The woman sighed.


    ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯m in more danger staying here with you than not, so¡­¡± Eric muttered.


    The woman¡¯s face went beet red in anger. ¡°Excuse me? I saved your life! In fact, I¡¯ve been holding back my magic so that you don¡¯t fall hopelessly in love with me!¡±


    Eric laughed, ¡°Hopelessly in love? Yeah, I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡±


    The woman groaned before focusing on something. Suddenly, a heavy feeling entered the air. A strong feeling started nagging at him. He glanced at the woman who was quietly observing him. She was quite beautiful.


    Thoughts of performing certain acts with her started to enter his mind before he suddenly slapped his hands to his cheeks.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± he growled as he managed to keep a calm mind.


    Suddenly, the force withdrew itself, and the woman frowned. ¡°See? That was only a small fraction of the power I could have used on you. If I had done that, then you would have likely turned into my slave right then and there. You¡¯re lucky I am rather unique in my extreme levels of control.¡±


    The idea of a monster so easily enslaving him left him wildly uncomfortable. This place was real. These creatures were real.


    ¡°I understand your point,¡± Eric admitted.


    The woman nodded with a satisfied smile. ¡°Good, now that you know what you¡¯re up against and how much stronger I am compared to you, I expect we will get along.¡± She held out her hand.


    Unfortunately, Eric had no choice but to shake it. ¡°I¡¯m Zena, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Eric,¡± he responded.


    Zena nodded and smirked. ¡°I suppose I can assist you, but not for free, of course.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want?¡± Eric asked with a sigh. He felt as if he didn¡¯t have a choice here. Considering her display of strength just moments ago, he was lucky to be getting an option.


    ¡°Stories¡­ of earth. Nobody bothers to share with me,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Eric asked, astonished. ¡°That¡¯s all you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not that odd, is it? I¡¯m sure much has changed since I was last there,¡± she said.


    ¡°When were you last there?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Um¡­ like¡­ a long time ago,¡± Zena replied, rather flustered.


    ¡°Uh, well, do you remember what country you came from at least? United States, one of the European ones, somewhere else?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°The United what?¡± Zena quietly muttered.


    ¡°The United States¡­ which has been a country¡­ for hundreds of years.¡± Eric sighed.


    Zena¡¯s face paled. ¡°Why does nobody tell me these things?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Are succubi hated or something?¡± Eric guessed.


    ¡°Yes! All we are thought of are sluts and whores! I haven¡¯t even ever used my powers anymore; better yet, I¡¯ve never even had intercourse!¡± she cried.


    ¡°Uh¡­ what? How are you a succubus then?¡± Eric asked.


    Her face darkened. ¡°None of your business.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, that was insensitive,¡± Eric quickly followed up with.


    ¡°Yes, it was,¡± she growled. After a few moments, her face lightened up, and she sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know you just got here. It¡¯s considered incredibly rude to ask such things, and usually, people would just assault you the instant you did so. Thankfully, I am incredibly lenient and a generous succubus!¡± Zena beamed.


    Eric rolled his eyes. ¡°Yea, yea, shouldn¡¯t we continue to the town already?¡±


    Zena grumbled, ¡°I guess so, loser.¡±


    She turned away from him with a huff and led him to a small path that led out of the black lake. It went straight into a forest of these trees with that same black liquid running through its veins. Eric refused to call it water.


    As they walked, Zena apparently couldn¡¯t stand silence, so she immediately started talking. ¡°So, about those stories¡­¡±


    Eric sighed as he began to tell her of the modern world. Zena was a very expressive person, so it was easy to tell when she was surprised, angry, or annoyed with an outcome. One concept that was off-putting for her was phones.


    She couldn¡¯t understand any of the modern tech, and Eric couldn¡¯t show her either. This meant he was stuck trying to describe it to her. She thought it was some sort of magic.


    ¡°I never knew that Earth had magic like that. It¡¯s truly fascinating,¡± she mused.


    ¡°It¡¯s not magic, it¡¯s science!¡± Eric sighed.


    ¡°Which sounds like magic! I don¡¯t understand why you insist it is not,¡± she argued.


    ¡°It¡¯s not! It is science, they are completely different! Magic just works because it¡¯s magic! Science works because there are theories, laws, and rules to it.¡± Eric argued.


    ¡°Sounds like magic to me¡­ and magic doesn¡¯t just work! It takes a lot of practice,¡± Zena huffed.


    They continued to chat for a while longer until finally, a small settlement revealed itself in the distance.


    ¡°We are nearly at Abyssalburg. It¡¯s a small town mostly inhabited by recluses like myself!¡± Zena claimed.


    ¡°Just great, I¡¯m being protected by an absolute nobody,¡± Eric sighed.


    ¡°Yep! Now, quit complaining, or I¡¯ll make you my slave!¡± she smirked.


    Eric rolled his eyes as they neared the entrance. A few guards were watching it, and he was slightly worried that they would do something. Fortunately, they passed by them without a single look coming their way. Perhaps they were just for show.


    Inside the town, dozens of people were walking around, seemingly with their tasks in mind. As it turned out, Zena was right when she said that there were various types of creatures people could turn into. He spotted everything from part-wendigos, chimeras, some dragon-person mix, and even a few gorgons.


    A few of the residents glanced at them as they walked by, but largely, they ignored them. That was good.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the game plan? I still want to figure out how to get out of this place,¡± Eric reminded Zena.


    She scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m well aware. I was thinking that I would take you to the town elder. If anyone would have any idea on how to leave, it would be him. Either way, I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s not really possible, though. Do you not think we all would have left by now?¡±


    Eric didn¡¯t care. ¡°To the elder, it is, then,¡±


    She rolled her eyes and led the way to a rather modest building. They walked inside, and Zena talked to the succubus at the front desk.


    ¡°We would like to see Jornof,¡± she asked.


    The succubus looked at her dully before shaking her head. ¡°He is not taking visitors right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. How long will he be out?¡± Zena asked.


    ¡°Ten years, give or take,¡± the succubus replied.


    Zena nodded as if that were a normal thing. ¡°Alright, thanks for¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not going to work,¡± Eric growled as he walked up to the succubus.


    She looked at him, slightly amused. ¡°Oh? And what are you going to do about it?¡±


    Eric tried to think of something but failed. ¡°Listen, I need to get a hold of this Jornof person. Is there not an exception that can be made?¡±


    The succubus shook her head. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Surely, there is something that we can do to change your mind,¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Huh? Who the hell do you take me to be?¡± she hissed.


    ¡°Someone who would certainly be willing to¡­ trade opportunities.¡± Eric smirked.


    ¡°Such nonsense. I would never take advantage of my position in such a way. The succubus sighed. ¡°But, perhaps if you convinced a certain man to¡­¡±


    Eric grinned. ¡°To?¡±


    The succubus sighed dramatically. ¡°Not what you¡¯re thinking. I¡­ just, want to apologize to him.¡±


    Zena rolled her eyes. ¡°I can see your wings, horns, and tail. You are rather lustful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well it¡¯s not my fault being a succubus punishes me for loving someone!¡± the succubus cried.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°I¡­ fell in love with that man¡­ and as a result, I lusted for him. I didn¡¯t start this bad, I swear. It just got worse as I was with him¡­ and eventually, I had a lapse in my control. I¡­ messed with his mind for a little bit¡­ Don¡¯t give me that look, it was by accident!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯ll just do it again?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Well, of course! That¡¯s why I only want to see him one last time¡­ and then I will be satisfied,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Okay, what is his name? I will see what I can do,¡± Eric replied.


    ¡°George, he is a wendigo,¡± the succubus replied.


    ¡°And your name, so we can ask him about you?¡± Eric followed up with.


    ¡°Wendy.¡±


    Eric nodded. ¡°Well then, I will perform your task.¡±


    Eric and Zena left to go find this George person. Zena insisted that it was a bad idea to be helping her out like this, but Eric quickly shushed her. He knew how the world worked. It was always give and take. Nobody would be willing to help him out of the kindness of their hearts.


    First, they visited the group home in which the wendigos gathered. George was not there. However, one of the wendigos did know of him and gave them the helpful advice to ask the enforcement guild.


    This guild was apparently in charge of maintaining some semblance of order in the different towns and cities. Eric was relieved to hear of such an existence; however, that relief was squandered when he realized that all they did was stop things from going out of control. Nobody was punished for their crimes because there were no crimes. This place was lawless.


    He entered the building and immediately went up to the front attendant.


    ¡°Reason for your visit?¡± they asked.


    ¡°I want to see George,¡± Eric asked.


    The attendant groaned but pointed toward a specific office all the same. Wendy told them that it had been a while since she had last interacted with George, but she had never gotten him off her mind.


    He knocked on the office door, and a few moments later, a man covered with fur opened up.


    ¡°Hello, to whom do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?¡± he asked politely.


    ¡°George, I presume?¡± Eric asked.


    George nodded. ¡°Yes, and you are?¡±


    ¡°Eric. Listen, George. I need a big favor from you. Your former lover by the name of Wendy would like to see you one last¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± George growled, a little too animalistic. ¡°I¡¯m not messing with that bitch again!¡±


    ¡°Listen, I understand that she messed with your mind a little but¡­¡± Eric tried to explain.


    ¡°A little? She calls mesmerizing me for a whole month a little? I don¡¯t remember what happened for a whole month! I don¡¯t care how bad she feels, I¡¯m not doing whatever it is she is asking for!¡± George cried.


    Eric shrunk back upon hearing how long she had messed with his mind. That did not sound like an accident.


    ¡°Listen, I understand, George¡­¡± he pointed at Zena. ¡°She¡¯s messed with my mind, too.¡±


    Zena was about to complain, but he quickly spoke over her.


    ¡°But now she¡¯s promised to be my personal helper for a hundred years. Her mental powers have aided me instead of causing harm,¡± Eric continued. ¡°She has helped me stave off my old gluttonous habits,¡± Eric added softly.


    George¡¯s ears perked up at this. ¡°Your¡­ of the gluttony sin?¡± He sounded surprised


    Eric nodded, ¡°Amazing, ain¡¯t it? Hell, I even reverted to a near-human. I have a few mismatches under my clothes of course but ain¡¯t I look damn good?¡±


    George whistled. ¡°Succubi¡­ can really use their mental powers for that?¡±


    ¡°Damn, right they can. Just look at me. How else would I have achieved this?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Alright, maybe if Wendy agrees then¡­ I will forgive her. Thank you,¡± George said. ¡°I will visit her later today.¡±


    Eric nodded and walked out with Zena, who was practically fuming. As soon as they stepped outside, she exclaimed, ¡°Succubi can do no such thing!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Yes! I am¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°Okay, maybe they can, but that doesn¡¯t mean every succubus can be trusted.¡±


    ¡°Listen, I am not claiming to know all about this kind of thing; I just got here, after all. However, if Wendy manages to control her lust, this thing can be beneficial,¡± Eric said.


    ¡°And if she doesn¡¯t? What if George becomes her permanent slave?¡± Zena asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯ll come in! You seem good at it, so show her how!¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple! Wendy is way farther ahead in her transformation than I am! I can¡¯t simply show¡­¡± Zena started.


    Eric patted her back. ¡°Thanks for all the help, Zena.¡±


    She froze as if electrocuted and sighed, ¡°Fine, I may have some tips I can share¡­ but usually, such tips are extremely valuable and not shared.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Eric smiled.


    ¡°Either way, she won¡¯t be able to perform any sexual acts with George. Doing anything of that nature will cause her to advance,¡± Zena continued.


    Eric pointed at the entrance to the appointment office. ¡°By all means, explain that to her! Not to me!¡±


    She groaned as they entered. Wendy¡¯s face lit up as soon as she saw them. It was clear that she was excited to hear what they had to say.


    ¡°Nobody has returned this quickly before! Is he coming?¡± she asked.


    Eric rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, but there is a condition.¡±


    Wendy practically jumped out of her seat in excitement. ¡°Yes! I don¡¯t care what it is, I will do it!¡±


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s going to take a lot of practice and work for you. Don¡¯t agree to such things so easily,¡± Eric reasoned.


    ¡°Just tell me!¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°First off, you won¡¯t be doing any sexual anything with him. The more you do, the worse you will get. Secondly, you will be using your mental powers to improve his relationship with gluttony.¡± Eric said.


    Wendy¡¯s face fell. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think that I can do that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why Zena here will teach you,¡± he said.


    She looked at Zena, who was rolling her eyes. ¡°Really? I noticed you were not that far into your transformation! Are you willing to¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zena cried, unable to bear her constant yammering any longer. ¡°I will help you as long as you get us in contact with Jornof!¡±


    Wendy rapidly started to nod her head. ¡°She quickly pulled up some sort of interface, and after a single click of a button, she said, ¡°You may go see him!¡±


    Zena was about ready to strangle her, but Eric grabbed her and dragged them off toward the office room in the back.


    They knocked at the door that said ¡°Jornof¡± on it since that seemed to be where he likely was.


    ¡°Come in, come in,¡± he sounded from behind it.


    They both entered. In the seat was a surprisingly normal-looking man. Well, besides his gray skin, horns, and flaming tail. Yeah, maybe not so normal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall setting an appointment, so I suppose you must have helped Wendy out. You have my thanks,¡± Jornof sighed. ¡°Not many people down here are willing to do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°It was no problem, really,¡± Eric smirked. ¡°We just have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, information, either the most useless or expensive item one could ever ask for. What is it you desire to know?¡± Jornof smirked.


    ¡°This place. It¡¯s not much fun, is it? How can one escape?¡± Eric asked directly. There was no point in beating around the bush.


    Jornof narrowed his eyes. ¡°Escape, eh? I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s simply not possible.¡±


    Eric shook his head. ¡°Listen, if one can get here by accident, then one can get out.¡±


    Jornof chuckled. ¡°No one comes here by accident. If you¡¯re here, then it¡¯s for a reason.¡±


    Eric groaned as he realized he would have to tell Jornof more than he would have liked. He didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡°Listen, do I look like some sort of fantastical creature to you? I¡¯m human, through and through. I fell down here from a god damn well after some old geezer pushed me in!¡±


    Jornof gave him a close inspection and nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re right lad¡­ that¡¯s highly unusual. Usually, ya come out already looking like the sin you committed. So, you from a well, eh?¡±


    Eric shook his head. ¡°No, I fell through. I just¡­ landed here.¡± He motioned at Zena. ¡°She saved me.¡±


    Jornof stroked his chin slowly. ¡°Lad, this is something I have never heard before in the hundreds of years I have existed. It truly sounds like something quite odd happened.¡± Jornof continued to think for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll tell ya what. I¡¯ll get a request in for ya to see the sins themselves. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll find this whole thing entertaining.¡±


    ¡°Entertaining?¡± Eric questioned.


    Jornof laughed. ¡°Yeah, they are the ones who rule this place. If you¡¯re lucky, maybe, they¡¯ll take pity on you and give ya a way out. If not, then I guess you¡¯ll be stuck down here like the rest of us.¡±


    Eric sighed. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t just be that easy. ¡°Thanks for the help, anyway. I guess we will be on our way.¡±


    Jornof nodded. ¡°And by the way, don¡¯t tell anyone about you being a human. You¡¯re lucky to have met some of the kinder folk in this world. They aren¡¯t common.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice,¡± Eric said.


    Afterward, he and Zena left to find Wendy and George talking with each other in the lobby. They both looked rather excited, which was likely due to two very different reasons. Once George left, Wendy practically jumped on Zena.


    ¡°Thanks so much to the both of you! George agreed to meet with me again if I did this for him! Zena, you will still show me, right?¡± Wendy asked, slightly worried.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I will alright? When are you free? Eric and I will be going on a trip soon,¡± Zena said.


    ¡°Whenever!¡± Wendy smirked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have your job?¡± Eric asked.


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, but so what? I¡¯m sure whoever needs an appointment can wait!¡± She gleamed.


    ¡°Ok, well, give me an hour to get Eric situated at my place, and then I will come and teach you,¡± Zena said with a nod.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting right here!¡± she squealed.


    ¡°Your place?¡± Eric asked as they walked out of the building.


    ¡°Yes, of course. Where else would we take you? Without me constantly by your side, you are prone to dying pretty much immediately,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Yeah, so isn¡¯t everyone else?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Yes, but they have magic powers to back them up,¡± Zena pointed out.


    Eric sighed, as he knew he would have to relent. Still, even if Zena had only been kind to him so far, he did not trust her. Who knew if she had any devious motives planned out for him?


    ¡°Alright,¡± Eric agreed.


    She nodded as she motioned for him to follow her once again. They traveled only a few minutes away and came across a rather large building. They were apartments or at least something like that.


    ¡°Thankfully, I have my own, so you won¡¯t need to worry about anyone else,¡± Zena said as they walked up the stairs to the third floor.


    They walked past a few dozen rooms until coming across hers. Upon entering, Eric got the sense that Zena didn¡¯t know how to decorate.


    There were random pieces of art hanging everywhere. Her color design was completely mismatched and kind of ugly. She was clearly trying, but whatever she was doing was not working.


    ¡°So? How does it look?¡± she asked, surprisingly with a nervous tone.


    ¡°Uh, great,¡± Eric muttered. He was not willing to tell her the truth.


    ¡°Is it really that bad?¡± she groaned. I never saw much color or decor back at the convent! How am I supposed to know what looks good or not?


    ¡°Convent?¡± Eric asked. That wasn¡¯t something she had ever mentioned before.


    Apparently, that was for a reason because she quickly shook her head. ¡°I said nothing!¡±


    Eric rolled his eyes but went with it. He was not willing to argue with her for something that was ultimately meaningless.


    ¡°Anyway, I am going to go help out Wendy. You stay here and¡­ I don¡¯t know, think or something,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°How are you going to help her out anyway? What sort of succubus tricks do you have?¡± Eric asked. He figured that Wendy must have had a strict rule set that kept her from further transforming, but he wasn¡¯t sure what it was. He never noticed anything out of the normal.


    ¡°It¡¯s really nothing special¡­ just different habits I have built to ensure my modesty,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Like?¡± Eric asked.


    She groaned loudly. ¡°Just like not looking at men directly, methods to keep one¡¯s mind clear, and as a last resort, pain stimulus to distract oneself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly human,¡± Eric stated.


    ¡°Not everything revolves around magic, idiot¡­ but there is one method I use. Succubi can actually use their mind magic on themselves, too. I may or may not do that sometimes to ensure I never develop feelings for someone,¡± she said.


    ¡°Wait, can they really do that? If that¡¯s true, then why are succubi not more valued?¡±


    ¡°Because most of them are either bullied into sex work or subjugate themselves to it.¡± Zena gave Eric a somber look. ¡°Not many of us get the chance to escape that shit like I have so not many people know of how useful succubi can really be,¡± Zena almost looked sad.


    ¡°I see,¡± Eric nodded. ¡°Thanks for telling me. Now, shouldn¡¯t you be off to help Wendy out?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Zena replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Once I am, we can set out to the capital. That¡¯s where the seven sins are.¡±


    Zena left to go help Wendy, and Eric was left to his own devices. He walked around Zena¡¯s small apartment for a little bit before becoming bored of that. He decided to peer into her pantry and other drawers in search of something mildly entertaining.


    The food she had stored all looked rotten and rather distasteful. Eric would rather not consume any of that. He did manage to find a couple of books, and many of them revolved around the bible.


    Eric figured that had something to do with the fact that she once lived at a convent. The longer he spent with her, the more curious he was to know her past. To end up here, she must have done something.


    Thankfully, Eric wasn¡¯t too worried about being killed in his sleep or something. Zena was the least succubus succubi he had ever seen. He was actually kind of surprised that she was one in the first place.


    After wandering around a little bit longer, he finally decided to go to sleep. After all, when in doubt, sleep it out.


    ¡°Will you wake up already!¡± a shout sounded out, causing Eric to flutter his eyes open.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Eric muttered as he slowly got up


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for hours!¡± she hissed


    ¡°You have? Sorry, I just meant to take a little nap. I wasn¡¯t trying to hold you or anything,¡± Eric apologized.


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever, I scheduled us a carriage to the capital. It will be arriving in five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Eric asked blankly.


    ¡°You heard me. Now, you better hurry your ass up or we¡¯re going to miss it!¡± she grinned.


    Eric jumped out of the bed and threw his shoes back on. ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t you wake me sooner?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Zena froze up. ¡°You were obviously tired, so I decided to let you rest. Don¡¯t think about it too hard.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s go!¡± Eric cried.


    Zena nodded and led them back out of the apartment. There was a rather impatient-looking dragon man waiting for them.


    ¡°About time! You know how much money I could have made if I¡­¡± he started.


    ¡°Shut it, I¡¯m paying you good for this ride!¡± Zena argued.


    The dragon man growled but ultimately relented. Both Zena and Eric hopped onto the carriage, which was being led by some weird horse-looking creatures.


    ¡°So, how far is the capital?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Like, a hundred miles or so?¡± Zena said.


    Eric¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. ¡°What? How long are we going to be in here for?¡±


    Zena grinned. ¡°I¡¯d say ten minutes or so?¡±


    Eric froze. ¡°Wait, what? I don¡¯t think you understand¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the carriage rocketed forward at a speed that shouldn¡¯t have been possible. Zena was grinning widely, at least until Eric flew into her.


    ¡°Hey! Get off me!¡± she cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Eric panicked.


    Zena¡¯s face turned a bright red as she tried to push him off; however, the force was keeping them pressed against each other.


    ¡°This is unacceptable!¡± Zena cried as she finally relented and relaxed slightly. They would be stuck like this for the next ten minutes.


    ¡°Maybe if you had told me then I could have better prepared,¡± Eric muttered.


    Zena, whose face was still red, gave him a frustrated look. ¡°I didn¡¯t think your first instinct would be to latch on to me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to! Do you not know how physics works?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Physi-what? Listen, who is bringing up magic now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°For the last time, it¡¯s science!¡± he cried.


    A few moments later, the carriage finally slowed down, and Eric immediately jumped off Zena. Her face finally began to pale, and she groaned. She quickly felt her wings behind her back and screeched.


    ¡°They¡¯re bigger!¡± she whined.


    Eric couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. The entire situation had been straight out of a movie.


    ¡°Who the hell are you laughing at? If I lose control, then you''re dead, too!¡± she complained.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what the hell happened back there, but could you get out of my carriage?¡± The dragon man asked.


    They both conceded and hopped out of the carriage. Eric gasped as he saw the scene around them. They were right outside a large wall that stretched in both directions for miles. The capital was truly nothing to scoff at.


    ¡°My debt is paid off then?¡± the draconian asked.


    Zena nodded. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±


    The dragon nodded and suddenly jolted off with those weird ass horses of his. Eric still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around how fast they went, but he didn¡¯t have time to worry about that.


    ¡°So? We¡¯re here. Where are those seven sin people so I can get out of here?¡± he asked.


    Zena pointed at the tippy top of a large castle. They are located at the very top of the castle, as they enjoy overlooking the city.¡±


    ¡°Have you been here before?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Of course, everyone has¡­ well, everyone should have,¡± she said, referring to Eric. ¡°Usually, it¡¯s where everyone who just died appears.¡±


    ¡°Why here?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°So the sins can judge them, why else? They control these lands. They are the absolute law. Whatever they want or say goes without exception,¡± Zena said.


    ¡°That sounds wonderful,¡± Eric muttered.


    ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just go. The quicker this is over with, the quicker I can get back home. The capital is not a place you want to be in for very long.¡±


    Eric nodded and even decided to refrain from mentioning that the Abyss as a whole was not a place he would want to be for very long.


    As always, Zena led the way. They walked a few minutes down the wall until they found a large entrance into the city. There once again were a few guards, but none of them seemed to care about who was entering or not.


    From what Eric could tell, it looked like a classic medieval city from a show. There were brick buildings everywhere, and everything else was made out of wood. However, the materials all looked a bit more sinister than usual.


    As soon as they walked in, Eric could instantly tell what type of place this was going to be. Just right at the entrance, two different groups were fighting each other. Eric watched as a demon grabbed a gorgon and ripped the snakes out of her hair. She screamed loudly, but it was about as useful as doing so to a brick wall. Nobody was coming to help her.


    Eric quickly looked away while Zena sighed. ¡°I told you. My little town is nothing like anywhere else. This world, the Darkblight Abyss, is not a friendly one.¡±


    They continued to walk on. Not even five minutes in, a dragon man walked out from a corner. He had a dagger in his hand.


    ¡°Everything you have on ya, now,¡± he growled.


    Zena rolled her eyes. Suddenly, the dragon man¡¯s own eyes dulled, and he walked back into the alleyway he came from.


    Eric gawked at Zena as she continued to walk on like nothing had happened. She did that shit like it was nothing. Like she was used to it.


    ¡°Those dragon people, what sin are they?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Is it not obvious? They¡¯re greed¡­ and they aren¡¯t called dragon people. They are draconian.¡± Zena corrected.


    Eric nodded. That made sense in his head, especially since he always heard the stories of the dragons who hoarded gold.


    ¡°Will the seven sins be aware of my arrival?¡± Eric asked. ¡°It hadn¡¯t been all too long since he had spoken with Jornof, and he was worried they would try to take ten years or something.¡±


    ¡°Usually, absolutely not. Getting an appointment with them is basically impossible. However, your case is wildly special, and I¡¯m sure word will spread around the higher-ups quickly,¡± Zena said.


    Eric nodded, trying to avoid staring at the literal zombie on the side of the road. As soon as it saw him, it perked up and started their way.


    ¡°Uh, Zena,¡± he hissed, getting her attention.


    She turned to the zombie and sighed as she kicked it away. ¡°Really? It¡¯s just a damn zombie.¡±


    ¡°Just a zombie? Do you even hear yourself right now?¡± Eric muttered.


    ¡°They¡¯re of the sloth sin, meaning that they can barely even function. If you can walk for more than five minutes, then you can avoid them just fine. If you¡¯re going to worry, be worried about fully transformed wendigoes or chimeras. They¡¯re a pain.¡± Zena warned.


    ¡°Fully transformed, huh? We haven¡¯t seen anyone like that yet.¡± Eric thought aloud.


    ¡°And there¡¯s a reason for that. Such people¡­ well, they¡¯re not really people anymore. That¡¯s why they¡¯re locked away into the deepest parts of the abyss to rot away or die.¡±


    ¡°Die¡­ if people come here when they die, then how can one die here as well?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena shrugged. ¡°Is that a trick question? You die, just like back on earth. Nobody knows what happens after, well, except for the sins, that is.¡±


    As she mentioned this, they came across the gates to the castle. This time, the guards immediately blocked them.


    ¡°Stop! This is your only warning!¡± the two demonic guards growled.


    ¡°Relax, this here is Eric, an abyssal-sized anomaly. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of him,¡± Zena smirked.


    The guards looked at each other. ¡°Let us see him.¡±


    Eric frowned as he was pushed forward by Zena. They carefully observed him and even felt him up.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± one of them said.


    ¡°The seven sins are expecting you,¡± the other quickly said. ¡°Chernoff, they are not to be kept waiting.¡±


    Chernoff quickly straightened himself up and nodded. ¡°Very well, you may pass. Simply continue straight and up the stairs.¡±


    Both Eric and Zena continued into the castle. It was practically empty, with very few people inside of it. The few that did walk around its corridors were clearly servants and very nervous ones at that.


    As they walked, many of them curiously looked at them, likely wondering how they had gotten in. Eric ignored them and continued down the pathway that led to the staircase upward. He groaned loudly as he entered. This was going to be hell.


    Zena smirked. ¡°Looks like someone is going to be getting some exercise in.¡±


    Eric glanced at her. ¡°It¡¯s not just that¡­ I haven¡¯t eaten or drunk anything in ages! I have no energy.¡±


    She thought to herself. You¡¯re right¡­ why didn¡¯t you say something when we were at my place¡­¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± he interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but that¡­ stuff you called food looked completely gross.¡±


    Zena snorted. ¡°So, not only did you look through my stuff, but now you¡¯re insulting it, too? How gracious of you?¡±


    Eric was already out of breath as he continued to put one foot over the other. ¡°I swear to god these seven sins probably do this shit on purpose.¡±


    ¡°They definitely do. They don¡¯t just want anyone coming here after all.¡± Zena reasoned.


    ¡°Thanks, genius,¡± Eric snapped.


    After what seemed like multiple lifetimes, they finally reached the top. Before them was a large door with more guards in front of it. These ones looked feral. They featured dark gray skin, long tails that looked like flaming spears, and devilish horns sticking out of their skulls.


    ¡°This is ridiculous, even for the sins. Fully transformed demon guards, and for what? They are powerful enough to do whatever they please anyhow,¡± Zena hissed.


    Still, Eric continued on like it was nothing.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Zena cried, but she was much too late. Eric was already right next to them.


    The demons sniffed at him before one of them quickly grabbed him by his chest.


    ¡°You! Why here?¡± it screamed in his face.


    Eric, having no time to feel flustered, smirked. ¡°Me. Have. Work. With. Boss.¡±


    The demon flinched. ¡°Me. Kill. You!¡±


    ¡°Boss. Kill. You!¡± Eric screamed back.


    The demon¡¯s eyes opened wide. Its face warped into anger, and Eric presumed he was dead.


    ¡°You. Fun!¡± The demon started to laugh as it set Eric down. ¡°You. Go. Through.¡±


    It opened up the door for Eric, leaving Zena shocked. He motioned for her to follow him, and she reluctantly did so. She had never seen anything like that before. How had he done that?


    They both walked into a large council room. In front of them were seven very bored-looking creatures. Each one of them seemed to be fully transformed into their respective sins. There was a succubus for lust, a wendigo for gluttony, a dragon for greed, a zombie for sloth, a gorgon for envy, a demon for wrath, and finally, a chimera for pride. Unlike the demons, they all seemed to be fully sentient.


    ¡°Interesting, very interesting,¡± Greed started. ¡°To think you would actually make it here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed, and he is quite handsome,¡± Lust added.


    ¡°I presume you know why I am here?¡± Eric asked, not bothering to wait for them to address him.


    ¡°How impatient; we should cast him out for that!¡± Sloth cried.


    ¡°Silence. If it were up to you, then he would stand there for years!¡± Wrath countered.


    They argued back and forth for a few moments before Pride silenced them all. ¡°Yes, we are aware of your situation. We¡¯ve already been discussing what to do with you.¡±


    ¡°And? I was sent here unfairly, so I should be able to leave. That¡¯s only fair.¡± Eric reasoned.


    ¡°Fair? When has life ever been fair? You should know that well!¡± Envy hissed.


    ¡°Envy is right, human. This situation you have found yourself in may not be fair, but it is certainly¡­ interesting. To leave will not be so simple,¡± Pride boomed.


    ¡°What? Can¡¯t you just make a portal or something?¡± Eric complained.


    ¡°Do you think us gods? Of course, we cannot!¡± Greed cried


    ¡°What Greed is saying is that we cannot¡­ for free. We need compensation,¡± Pride explained.


    Eric should have known it would not be as simple as leaving. Not only would he have to help these freaks, he would have to climb up these damn stairs again.


    ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°I like him; gets straight to the point!¡± Wrath spoke.


    ¡°You may have seen the state of our city as you entered¡­ it is rather unpleasant. While this place may not be your dream destination, it is becoming rather unpleasant. This is partly due to the seven factions that exist in this city. Their respective sins constantly create conflict with one another, which results in lots of needless violence. If you manage to create some peace around here within a week¡­ well, then we will allow you to leave,¡± Pride finished.


    Zena was about to say something, but Eric responded before she did. ¡°Deal.¡±


    She immediately turned to him in fury. ¡°What the hell¡­¡±


    ¡°A wise choice. If you rebutted at all, we would have rescinded the offer and transformed you into a demon,¡± Pride stated as if it were the most normal thing in the world.


    ¡°What?¡± Zena whispered.


    Eric rolled his eyes, playing it cool, but that did slightly startle him. Could they simply transform him just like that? Were they lying? He didn¡¯t want to find out.


    ¡°We will be off,¡± Eric said. He dragged Zena toward the exit. Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t say a word.


    It wasn¡¯t until they found themselves back at the base of the stairs that she finally spoke.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she muttered, cheeks tinged pink.


    Eric shook his head. ¡°Nah, I didn¡¯t even expect them to say shit like that. I just got a bad feeling that if I disagreed, something bad would happen. I just thought they would rescind their offer or something, but that was much worse.¡±


    Zena slowly nodded her head but then quickly started shaking it again. ¡°It¡¯s not fine, though! I could have completely screwed you over! I would never have forgiven myself!¡±


    ¡°Listen, it¡¯s alright. You saved my life and have helped me tremendously. I wouldn¡¯t have blamed you even if they did do that. You can¡¯t control stuff like that sometimes.¡± Eric understood her point, but he didn¡¯t want her to worry.


    Zena thought for a few moments until finally calming down. ¡°Okay¡­ thanks for not being angry. You really are odd, even for a human.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you getting at?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I was human once too, you know! You¡¯re just too nice! Even with Wendy and everyone else. You¡¯re respectful and don¡¯t get flustered¡­ it¡¯s kind of amazing!¡± she said.


    ¡°And I still ended up down here so clearly, I¡¯m not that cool¡­ now, where should we start?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Well, your task is pretty damn impossible so I¡¯m not sure. This city hasn¡¯t been peaceful since¡­ I don¡¯t think it ever has been.¡± Zena sighed. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the sins just gave you an impossible task so that you didn¡¯t bother them again.¡±


    ¡°Well, good thing I have a plan!¡± Eric smirked. ¡°And you¡¯re vital to it!¡± he added.


    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°I call it¡­ showing everyone the power of succubus mind magic!¡± he declared.


    She groaned. ¡°And you really think that the leaders of the damn factions are going to let a random person, let alone a succubus near them? And then use mind magic on them?¡±


    ¡°Usually, no¡­ but after I show them how you managed to turn me near human again¡­ well, that¡¯s pretty enticing, is it not?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple!¡± Zena cried. ¡°The farther they are, the harder it gets! These faction leaders are likely near the pinnacle of transformation. It¡¯s just not¡­¡± she paused.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Eric grinned.


    ¡°There may be a way,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Well? Spit it out!¡± Eric asked excitedly.


    ¡°Succubi¡¯s magic powers¡­ they get stronger as they transform more. Theoretically, if I did so, I could likely have an effect even on the most transformed beings.¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Eric frowned. For some reason, the idea of Zena doing that to herself made him slightly upset. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ there¡¯s probably some other way. Maybe, if we get multiple succubi to help out, then¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work; we don¡¯t have time for that. You only have a week to get this done, and the magic takes practice. It has to be me,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t want you risking yourself like that. I¡¯ve hardly done anything for you besides talk about a few stories from the earth.¡±


    ¡°And I will be expecting more after I do this,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Eric asked, confused.


    A brief moment passed between them, and suddenly, Zena pressed her lips to his cheek. He practically jumped back, but he could see that her wings already had grown slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make up for almost getting you stuck in this¡­ place¡± she stated confidently.


    Eric couldn¡¯t understand why she was doing this. He had already told her it wasn¡¯t a big deal! Why was she going this far?


    ¡°Now, first, we should align ourselves with the draconians. Not only will their leader be the easiest to deal with, but I¡¯m sure the offer of personification will be highly sought after.¡±


    Eric reluctantly nodded. ¡°Where should we even go about finding them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll reside in the most expensive building in the city. I happen to know where that is.¡± She pointed toward a rather nice place in the distance.


    ¡°How do you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been around here for a long time, idiot. Now, there¡¯s no time to waste!¡± She stormed off toward the building.


    Eric chased after her. Once they arrived at the doors, they entered. The inside of the building was also rather nice. There were plenty of draconians briskly walking around, attending to whatever duties they needed to. Plenty of them glanced at them with disgust, likely because of Zena.


    They walked up to the receptionist, who was clearly busy with something. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I want to talk with whoever runs the place,¡± Eric asked bluntly.


    The draconian woman set down her papers and looked at Eric with an amused grin. ¡°Sure, for 5,000 karats.¡±


    Eric glanced at Zena, who rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. We¡¯re here for a business offer. Is his likeness not convincing enough of his status?¡± She motioned to Eric.


    The woman glanced at him and sighed. ¡°He does appear to be¡­ rather human. Rare. Fine, but don¡¯t blame me if the boss hires some demons to off you or something. He¡¯ll be the door at the end of the hall.¡± The woman shrugged her shoulders.


    Zena nodded with a grin and motioned for Eric to follow her. He did so as she explained, ¡°The reason we came here first is because the draconians have connections to a lot of the races. They all need money, and the draconians provide that for services. If we get their leader on board, then we can work our way up from there.¡±


    Her logic made sense, but he still had trouble with Zena¡¯s personality change. She was acting different. She was more eager, happy, and just¡­ more emotional in general. Eric didn¡¯t know what she had done but he had a bad feeling about it.


    She eagerly knocked at the door the woman had told them to go to. A few moments later, it was opened up by a rather attractive draconian woman.


    ¡°What is your business here?¡± she asked.


    Eric stepped forward. ¡°I have a proposition for your boss here. He¡¯ll want to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Well? Do they seem fit?¡± a voice sounded.


    ¡°One is succubus¡­ but the other¡­ well, he is practically human,¡± the assistant replied.


    There was silence for a moment before the same voice replied, ¡°Interesting. Let them in.¡±


    They both entered the rather luxurious office. The man in front of them was quite dragon-like. He wasn¡¯t too far gone, but one could tell that the man most definitely struggled with greed.


    ¡°Now, quickly tell me. I¡¯m a busy man, after all,¡± he stated.


    Eric nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t waste time with meaningless drivel. I¡¯m sure you can see how human-like I look.¡±


    The draconian glanced at him longingly. Eric could easily tell that he indeed was jealous.


    ¡°Well, my friend here is able to use her mental magic to make that transition possible.¡± Eric continued. ¡°Succubi have a pretty horrible reputation, and because of that, their abilities have been largely ignored. Zena, here, managed to escape that and train herself to assist people in humanization.¡±


    The draconian glanced at Zena and then back at Eric. ¡°This offer¡­ is certainly interesting. Are you sure that she is¡­ tame?¡±


    Zena rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m right here! And yes, I have perfect control, thank you very much!¡±


    The draconian chuckled. ¡°Well, she certainly has an attitude. Yes, as you can see, my condition is rather dire¡­ the transformation is happening much quicker than I thought, and nothing I do is improving it. However, you have yet to tell me what you want in return.¡± A sharp glint appeared in his eyes.


    Eric nodded. ¡°Peace in the city¡­ and you¡¯re helping to achieve it.¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°Such foolishness!¡± He glanced at himself and sighed. ¡°Whatever, if this works, then I may be willing to condone such a ridiculous notion¡­ when do we start?¡±


    Eric glanced at Zena, who sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just a simple spell. It will keep thoughts and feelings of greed out.¡±


    ¡°Will this affect my work?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Maybe, but fully turning would probably do that too,¡± she pointed out.


    The man sighed. ¡°Very well, do it.¡±


    Zena stared at him for a moment and then blinked. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the man asked incredulously. ¡°What sort of foolishness is this?¡±


    Zena sighed. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not manipulating your mind or anything. Just give it twenty-four hours, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll see the effects.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­ you are to return then. Ask for Garrett¡­ and just know, if you did something foolish, then your lives will cease to be,¡± Garrett stated.


    They both nodded and left. The attendant seemed surprised that they made it out in one piece. Maybe he was more desperate than Eric thought.


    ¡°So?¡± Eric grinned. ¡°That was incredibly easy!¡±


    Zena rolled her eyes. ¡°Yea, with my help!¡±


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t have to transform very much, right? Your magic is enough then?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena shook her head. ¡°Draconians'' relation with greed is the weakest bond as it is the easiest to control. That¡¯s part of the reason we came here first.¡±


    Eric frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of you continuing to push yourself for my sake. I¡¯ve already told you; there is no reason to feel bad.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m my own woman, so stop trying to tell me what to feel and not to feel!¡± Zena hissed. ¡°I want to help you, so get over it!¡±


    Eric wanted to say more but decided to just suck it up. Further words would not help here.


    ¡°Our best bet is to just wait it out and see what Garrett thinks. If his impression is positive, then I reckon we will be much better off.¡± Zena nodded. ¡°In the meantime, we should get something to eat. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Eric was as well. Having not eaten anything, he also found himself desiring sustenance. The only problem was that everything he had seen in this world looked like shit.


    ¡°And do you have an actual good restaurant in mind?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course I do! The place we¡¯re going to has earth-quality food! It¡¯s been so long since I last went,¡± Zena cried out in joy.


    Eric wanted to ask what she considered earth quality, but she was already running off to her destination.


    After catching up to her at the restaurant, a succubus took them to their seats. After being here for a little bit, it was clear to Eric that succubi were used as the frontends for many establishments. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out why.


    After getting seated, Zena excitedly went through the menu. She kept making random movements and gasps as she read it, so Eric assumed it was just that good.


    He rolled his eyes and opened his own menu. He was surprised to see that some of the items on it were rather familiar. There were burgers, fries, and other American options. It was basically a sit-down fast food joint.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been here in so long! It¡¯s even better than I remember it!¡± Zena exclaimed.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell,¡± Eric retorted.


    Zena glared at him before turning back to her menu. ¡°Don¡¯t ruin it, idiot. I know this may not be so grand for you since you just came from there, but anything remotely resembling earth food is a delicacy down here, okay?¡±


    Eric frowned. ¡°Yeah, I get it¡­ Sorry, I wasn¡¯t trying to bring down your mood or anything.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but think of how much Zena was doing to help him. The image of Zena¡¯s transformation, even if it was slight, was still stuck in his mind.


    Zena¡¯s face softened as she nodded. ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re on the same page then¡­ Now, tell me, should I get the burger or these weird meat tender things?¡±


    Eric chuckled, ¡°Definitely the burger. It¡¯s tried and true.¡±


    Zena nodded, but soon a look of curiosity came across her face. ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but isn¡¯t trying new things what makes life fun?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but it¡¯s not so often that you get to come here. The risk is not worth the reward in this case,¡± Eric reasoned.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Zena mused. ¡°I think I will get the tenders after all,¡±


    Eric couldn¡¯t help but smile. He found Zena amusing and felt an inkling of companionship with her. Only an inkling, though! He wasn¡¯t about to fall in love with a succubus. That would only spell disaster.


    ¡°What was the point in even asking me if you were just going to choose yourself?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena huffed. ¡°I still wanted your opinion. It¡¯s¡­ important.¡±


    Eric gave her a questioning look, but that was quickly broken by the waiter arriving to get their orders. Eric ordered the burger, largely because he practiced what he preached. Also, everything else on the menu looked suspicious as hell.


    Once the waiter left, Eric looked back toward Zena. She had already moved on to another topic from what she had last said; however, it was still fresh on Eric¡¯s mind. His opinion was important to her? He hadn¡¯t even known her for that long? Why was she suddenly acting so¡­


    ¡°Are you listening?¡± Zena hissed. She was about to throw her drink at him right before he rapidly nodded his head.


    ¡°Then answer my question! What did you do back on Earth?¡± Her eyes were full of curiosity.


    Eric had answered many of her questions about Earth; however, he always avoided the personal ones as much as possible. His life hadn¡¯t been very good up till then, and he just¡­ preferred not to think about it. With Zena around, that wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°My parents died when I was young, and I was put into a foster care system. Basically, I was passed off to different families. Most of them didn¡¯t give a damn about me and the few who did weren¡¯t very well off. Eventually, I ended up on the streets, without anything to my name. That¡¯s pretty much it, not very eventful.¡± Eric sighed.


    Zena looked¡­ sad. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, that¡¯s horrible.¡± She placed her hand on his. For some reason, he didn¡¯t move away. ¡°Well, you have a friend in me, now.¡±


    Eric froze. He had a friend? Such a statement shouldn¡¯t have been very shocking for the average person to hear but for Eric? It was a first-time thing. He couldn¡¯t recall ever having a friend before.


    ¡°Thanks, I guess,¡± he muttered.


    Zena nodded softly and was about to say something when the server once again interrupted them.


    ¡°Here¡¯s ya food.¡± The server rolled their eyes. ¡°Who the tenders go to?¡±


    Zena raised her hand excitedly as she prepared to eat. What the server set down¡­ remotely resembled chicken tenders from Earth. He wasn¡¯t sure if they actually tasted the same, but at least they got the look right.


    The waiter placed the burger in front of Eric and walked off to continue his job.


    Eric sternly observed the food in front of him and picked at it questioningly. Everything looked okay, but he was still worried. What if it tasted horrible?


    Zena had no such concerns and had dug into her own food. ¡°This is great!¡±


    Eric glanced at his and stated, ¡°Here it goes.¡±


    He shakily picked up the burger and took a bite out of it. He carefully tasted it and swallowed. Zena was watching him closely, clearly waiting for his opinion.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± he said blankly.


    ¡°Ok, but imagine you were eating the equivalent of heaved-up dog food that had been rotting for multiple weeks before this¡­ would it still just be alright then?¡± she reasoned.


    Eric shook his head. She kind of had a point. ¡°Yeah, this would probably be pretty good then.¡±


    Zena nodded, satisfied, and continued to eat her food. Eric finished his rather tasteless burger, and eventually, they prepared to leave. Of course, Zena paid whatever they owed, and they left.


    ¡°So, where are we gonna stay?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Hm, I¡¯m not sure. I never thought that far ahead.¡± Zena responded. She placed a finger to her chin as she started to think.


    ¡°I guess we can go to the Wild Demon Inn. It¡¯s not too bad for the price,¡± Zena said.


    Eric nodded. ¡°As long as it has your approval. You seem to be familiar with this place.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is,¡± Zena said. ¡°As I said, everyone comes here first, so they have to.¡±


    Afterward, Eric followed Zena as she navigated around. Eventually, after heading closer to the entrance of the city, they found themselves a homey-looking building. Zena entered without hesitation, forcing Eric to follow without much of a choice.


    She walked up to the counter and spoke to the older-looking draconian woman. ¡°Hello, two rooms, please.¡±


    The woman grinned. ¡°Welcome to the Wild Demon Inn! Unfortunately, we only have one room available. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience.¡±


    Eric groaned as he could immediately tell where this was going.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take it!¡± Zena exclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the small! We can both fit on the bed just fine!¡± Zena said as she pointed at it.


    The bed was in fact not small. It was incredibly small. ¡°This is not going to work, Zena. There is simply no way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a way¡­ and don¡¯t go saying that you¡¯re going to sleep on the floor. I won¡¯t allow it,¡± she said with a slight frown.


    ¡°Zena! It¡¯s tiny; there¡¯s no way we can both fit!¡± he argued while wildly waving his hands at the bed.


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°C¡¯mon, are you really gonna give up the chance to sleep with a beautiful succubus like myself?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Eric shouted.


    Zena giggled as she finally gave in. ¡°Fine, but you can have the bed, okay? I can deal with the floor.¡±


    Eric shook his head. ¡°No way. As a man, I cannot, on good conscience, allow you to do that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, how noble of you,¡± Zena smirked. ¡°I wonder where men like you were when I was alive¡­¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°Zena¡­¡± Eric muttered. She was clearly reminiscing about something.


    She quickly snapped out of it as she waved her hands in front of her face. ¡°It¡¯s nothing! Really! Let¡¯s just get some rest.¡±


    Eric decided not to push it and simply grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bed. He laid down on the floor, ignoring Zena¡¯s glare, and turned his back to her.


    ¡°Go to sleep,¡± he said without turning around.


    ¡°Stupid, dummy,¡± she muttered before finally relenting and hopping on the bed. ¡°You took the only pillow!¡±


    ¡°And you have the bed!¡± Eric stated.


    Zena huffed and pulled her own blanket over herself. Silence encompassed both of them.


    ¡°Eric?¡± Zena asked


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°What do you think of me?¡±


    Eric paused, thinking deeply about the question. Zena was just¡­ Zena. He hadn¡¯t known her for very long but he could admit that there was nobody else like her. She was strange, in a good sort of way.


    ¡°I think you''re a good person. You¡¯ve helped me a lot.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Thanks¡­ but I mean¡­ do you think I deserve to be here?¡± she asked.


    Eric had never thought much about why Zena was here, but whatever the reason was, it could not have been good.


    ¡°Well, based on what I know, no, but I don¡¯t know what you did in your past that caused you to come here,¡± Eric reasoned. ¡°Obviously, it must be something related to lust.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know what it was like¡­¡± Zena mumbled. ¡°I never meant for those people¡­ to die,¡± she said.


    Eric¡¯s heart jumped into his throat. Had Zena killed someone?


    ¡°I¡­ stole a horse to travel to my would-be lover''s home. The other nuns found out and chased me, but as they did, one of them fell off their horse and died. I paused to go and see what happened when I came across one of them sobbing over another. At first, I was wondering why¡­ but then I realized it was because she was dead.¡±


    Eric waited for her to continue, for more context on what happened.


    ¡°I killed her¡­ she died because of me,¡± Zena said as tears started to run down her face.


    ¡°And so? How did you die?¡± Eric quickly asked, desperate to know what had happened.


    ¡°She¡­ stabbed me. She turned around with a knife in her hand and ran me straight through in the heart. I died immediately,¡± Zena said.


    Eric turned toward Zena, his face full of relief. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Her eyes went wide as she gasped, ¡°What do you mean that¡¯s it!¡±


    Eric quickly shook his head. ¡°Not like that! I mean, I thought you would have done something much worse to get here!¡±


    ¡°I got someone killed! What is worse than that!¡± Zena cried.


    ¡°I mean, yeah, but it was inadvertently!¡± Eric reasoned.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! She died because of me!¡± Zena sobbed.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a murderer!¡± Zena screamed. ¡°I deserve to rot in this shithole for eternity and watch myself degrade into a creature because I¡­¡±


    Eric hugged her. He pulled her into a tight embrace and stood there quietly. He could feel Zena¡¯s tense body in between his arms. He watched as a small pair of horns sprouted from her head, yet he didn¡¯t let go. He wanted her to know that she wasn¡¯t evil, that she was just Zena to him.


    She sobbed into his shoulder as he continued to embrace her. She had been in so much pain for so long.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want anyone to die!¡± she sobbed. ¡°I swear!¡±


    ¡°I believe you¡­¡± Eric hushed. ¡°You¡¯re not evil.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not! I always tried my best! Why did one mistake have to end so¡­ wrong? I don¡¯t deserve this!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Why!¡± she screamed. ¡°Why me! I was always a good girl! I always was polite and kind! Why did this have to happen to me?¡±


    ¡°Life is unfair like that¡­ trust me, I know.¡± Eric winked.


    She looked up at Eric with her tear-soaked eyes. ¡°Yeah, you would know, huh? From what it sounded like, your time on Earth hadn¡¯t been much better than my time here.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but you¡¯re still worse off. I at least had food that didn¡¯t taste like rotten dog shit,¡± he chuckled.


    Zena giggled. ¡°You got that right.¡± She stuffed her face into his stomach. ¡°It¡¯s been so long¡­ since I could trust someone like this.¡±


    ¡°Trust? What makes you think you can trust me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re human, idiot. Way more trustable than nearly any other creature here,¡± she said.


    ¡°You know that humans aren¡¯t really trustworthy either, right?¡± he mentioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid! I know humans aren¡¯t perfect, but¡­ they¡¯re much better than the mean residents of the Darkblight Abyss,¡± Zena whispered.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right there,¡± Eric replied.


    ¡°I know I am,¡± she said.


    A brief silence once again overcame them as a worried look came over Zena¡¯s face.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a monster?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Eric said without hesitation.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re not lying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Finally, Zena let go of Eric. She looked noticeably different. Apparently, the transformation happened much quicker than he thought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to bed¡­ we have much to do in the next few days,¡± she said.


    Eric nodded. ¡°Let''s.¡±


    ***


    ¡°That weird ass succubus magic worked like a damn charm!¡± Garrett exclaimed.


    ¡°Of course it did,¡± Zena scoffed. ¡°Now, about our request.¡±


    ¡°What was it? Peace?¡± Garrett sighed. ¡°Now that¡¯s a word I haven¡¯t heard in a long time. Tell me, why is it you want it so bad anyway?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all trapped here, right? I feel like it''s obvious that one would want their home to be safe,¡± Eric replied.


    ¡°Listen here, son, I¡¯m not sure if you know where you are, but this is the Darkblight Abyss. It¡¯s where shit people get sent to live like shit. It ain¡¯t some happy ending. This is the bad one, got it?¡± Garrett grumbled.


    ¡°But does it truly have to be? Many people I know were sent here because of a mistake they made- a grave one, yes, but a mistake nonetheless. They recognize that and want to move on,¡± Eric reasoned.


    Garrett narrowed his eyes. ¡°What makes ya think I want that?¡±


    Eric smirked. ¡°A peaceful society is a prosperous one.¡±


    Garrett chuckled. ¡°Damn, right kid. Don¡¯t worry, I think peace sounds like a nice change up, I was just testin'' ya.¡±


    ¡°Very funny,¡± Zena grumbled. ¡°Anyway, do you have a good idea of how to do this? We need six more leaders to come and agree to this.¡±


    Garrett rubbed his chin. ¡°True¡­ Listen, I think I¡¯ll be able to get in touch with the zombs and wendigos, but everyone else will be a bit trickier. Especially the chimeras. Their pride won¡¯t allow them to simply accept your offer. Those bastards think they¡¯re better than everyone else.


    ¡°Okay, so chimeras are gonna suck, and zombies, wendigos, and draconians are clear. That leaves three more groups.¡± Eric pointed out.


    ¡°Great job figuring that one out, genius,¡± Zena snorted.


    ¡°I left them out for a reason. Truthfully, I¡¯m not sure how they will each react to your proposition, especially the demons. However, if this is to work, I do see the succubi being vital.¡± Garret said


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Eric asked.


    Garrett pointed at Zena. ¡°She¡¯s your reason. Her ability, whatever it is, works, and it works well. I¡¯m serious when I say that I haven¡¯t felt a single bit of greed ever since she did whatever it is she did. If you guys can get the other succubi to do that, then you may find this whole peace thing a lot more possible.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Eric mused. ¡°Zena, you were able to teach Wendy, right?¡±


    Zena pouted as she said, ¡°You do know how hard this will be, right? But I may be able to figure something out.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Eric gave her a questioning look. ¡°Look, you really don¡¯t have to. We can find another way, too.¡±


    Zena scoffed, ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? I¡¯m my own person and much older than you! I can make my own decisions!¡±


    ¡°Zena!¡± Eric rebutted before being interrupted by Garrett''s laughter.


    ¡°Calm down you two twats. I don¡¯t know what your guy¡¯s situation is, but what it looks like to me is that the girly here is offering to help you. Rather than continuing to discourage her when she has clearly made up her mind, why don¡¯t you give her a heartfelt thanks and leave it at that?¡± Garret proposed.


    ¡°You! She¡¯s already done so much for me! I can¡¯t keep having her do that!¡± Eric reasoned.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what friends are for?¡± Garrett asked. ¡°I sure as hell wish I had someone like that for me. Treasure that shit.¡±


    Eric glanced at Zena, who was mid-blush. ¡°I¡­ guess. Thanks, Zena¡­ I appreciate it.¡±


    After a few seconds, she nodded and smirked, ¡°Thanks¡­ and thanks to you too, Garrett. This guy was practically driving me insane!¡±


    Garrett chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve been alive for much longer than both of you, so of course I have some wisdom to give. Anyhow, let¡¯s get back to the topic at hand. Zena, will you be able to convince the succubi to help you?¡±


    She thought for a moment and nodded, ¡°I should be able to¡­ as long as they are willing, anyway.¡±


    Garrett narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be some¡­ complications for all the groups. We will deal with them as they come.¡±


    They all nodded to each other and talked for a little bit longer to finalize the plans. Zena and Eric would first go to the succubus house to discuss things with their leader. If this was to succeed, then it was vital to get their help. In the meantime, Garrett would get the zombies and wendigos on board.


    After it was all planned out, everyone prepared to leave and do their separate tasks. However, right before, Eric decided to ask Garrett one last question.


    ¡°I know Zena helped you out and all¡­ but do you truly believe in this? Do you desire peace for this world?¡± Eric asked.


    A look of deep thought overcame Garrett. ¡°Peace in these parts is unheard of, kid. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure if it''s even possible; however, things have been getting rather dull lately. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing the changes this push for peace brings us.¡±


    Eric nodded, satisfied with his response. He turned to leave and left the building to an impatient Zena tapping her foot.


    ¡°Took you long enough. If we want to get this done in a week then we need to hurry our asses up!¡± she snapped.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go.¡± Eric said.


    They immediately ventured off to the succubus house, which happened to be on the other side of the city, in the more run-down area. It made sense.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this going to be like?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena shuddered as her thoughts wandered. ¡°That place is an absolute shitfest. It¡¯s where every succubus first goes once they appear in this world. They are trained to be sex slaves¡­ I was lucky to escape.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit? Really?¡± Eric gasped.


    ¡°Yes, and many of the succubi there enjoy it. It will be very difficult to convince them otherwise.¡± Zena added.


    ¡°Do you have any plans to convince them?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena scoffed, ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°So, no¡­¡± Eric smirked.


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it, ok? I really hate those bastards! Now, I have to align with them?¡± she growled.


    ¡°Thank you, Zena. I appreciate it,¡± Eric muttered.


    She turned to him and gave him an exasperated look. ¡°Why you!¡± she sighed. ¡°The thing with succubi is that oftentimes they will begin to lust after one person. There will always be a type of person that they prefer over others. However, due to the nature of their work, they can never really form any meaningful relationships. Ones like Wendy¡¯s and George¡¯s don¡¯t work very well.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to show them that it''s possible with your mind manipulation method. That¡¯s genius,¡± Eric said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I¡¯m not sure if it is going to work. Sure, most succubi want to form deep connections with someone, but there are always exceptions. I¡¯m worried that the succubi leader will be one of them,¡± Zena stated.


    ¡°And if she is, then we will just have to perform a revolution.¡± Eric slammed his fists together.


    Zena rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, right. More like I would have to go through with a revolution. I¡¯m not really sure how much you would be able to help there.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m moral support!¡± Eric cried out, feigning offense.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, let¡¯s just get this over with. We don¡¯t have any time to waste,¡± Zena giggled.


    As they walked to the house, the scenery around them got worse and worse. There were fewer fights, but they were replaced by something equally uncomfortable.


    Thankfully, Eric had Zena to constantly scare them off, but he could feel many of the succubi approaching them, trying to use their magic. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t very good at it, so Eric was easily able to shake it off, but it worried him. What if there came a time when he couldn¡¯t?


    Soon, a rather large building came into view. Surprisingly, it was rather nice. A gem in the middle of the rough.


    Zena hesitated as they walked right up to it. It was rather clear she did not want to enter, but she was too stubborn to back down now. She grabbed the door handle and pulled it open.


    ¡°Welcome to Succubus House!¡± an alluring voice called out from behind a counter. There was a scantily dressed succubus taking station there.


    ¡°Sorry, but we¡¯re not interested in your services,¡± Zena quickly snapped. ¡°We want to see your boss.¡±


    The succubus frowned. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s out right now. Perhaps I can solve your problem, now? There¡¯s no need for things to escalate. Did one of our associates go too far or make you uncomfortable in any way?¡±


    ¡°No! We¡¯re not clients here! We have important business to discuss with Lyrica!¡± Zena sighed.


    The succubus shook her head. ¡°As I said, she has been gone for the whole day. I¡¯m not really sure where she is, but I could get the next highest person, Miriam. Perhaps she can assist you in finding her.¡±


    ¡°That will do,¡± Zena grumbled.


    ¡°And may I know the reason why you want to contact Lyrica? Forgive me, but I cannot go and bother upper management without one.¡± The succubus had a look of sorrow on her face.


    ¡°Uh¡­ tell them we have a proposition¡­ to help succubi find true lovers,¡± Zena said sharply.


    The succubus gasped. ¡°True¡­ lovers? Such a thing is known not to be possible! Do not come here to joke about such!¡±


    Zena rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not. Now, take me to your boss.¡±


    ¡°Truly¡­¡± The succubus froze for a second. ¡°Come with me then.¡±


    She glanced at the both of them, perhaps a little too long at Eric, and then walked toward the back of the building. As they moved, Eric tried his best to cover his eyes. Countless women or succubi were either preparing themselves, half-naked, or even fully so.


    ¡°Hey there, bub, wanna have a sesh with me? It¡¯s free for someone like you,¡± A voice purred from his side.


    He didn¡¯t even acknowledge it as he continued to walk. This shit was scarier than when he had to stand up to the two feral demons.


    Suddenly, a strong mental force pressured onto his skull, forcing many unpleasant ideas into his mind.


    Zena growled as she glared at the succubus guiding them. ¡°Tell your ¡®associates¡¯ to leave him alone, or I¡¯ll make them.¡±


    The succubus frowned as she glanced at the source of the mental attack. ¡°Anna, what are you doing? You know it is forbidden to use such mental techniques without strict permission. You will be reprimanded later.¡±


    Eric almost felt bad as a look of pure terror came over Anna. Whatever this reprimand was, it was not something she took lightly.


    ¡°No! Please, I didn¡¯t mean to! It just slipped, I swear,¡± Anna cried.


    ¡°Silence!¡± the succubus snapped.


    Anna went meek as she groveled on the floor. Eric felt incredibly uncomfortable, but he didn¡¯t dare say anything. Zena was pitying Anna as well.


    Soon, the moment ended as their guide continued on and eventually knocked at one of the doors in the very back of the building.


    ¡°What is it?¡± a feminine voice sounded out.


    ¡°Visitors! They¡¯ve come to find Lyrica.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, why didn¡¯t you deny them, Namya? Fine, let them in.¡±


    Namya opened the door to the office, and they all walked in. Behind a small desk was who Eric assumed to be Miriam, the second in command here.


    ¡°The hell do you two want? Can you not see we¡¯re busy here?¡± Miriam hissed. She was clearly not in a good mood.


    ¡°These two claim that true love is possible for a succubus. They wish to speak with Lyrica about this,¡± Namya said.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s the nonsense you came to bother me with?¡± Miriam slammed her hands on her desk.


    ¡°Are you deaf? Do you not wish for true love?¡± Zena angrily asked.


    ¡°No, and neither do my workers. Now, leave before I make all of you!¡± she cursed.


    Namya looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. Seeing how the other succubus reacted to getting a punishment, Eric could figure out why.


    Namya nodded and pushed Zena and Eric out of the office. As soon as she closed the door, her face fell.


    ¡°She lies¡­ many of us do wish for such love¡­ but you heard her. I cannot have you two stay here,¡± Namya said meekly. ¡°Please leave.¡±


    Zena scrunched up her face in anger. ¡°You¡¯re going to give up just like that? ¡°


    ¡°Yes, I am! What do you expect me to do? You¡¯re a succubus, you must have been here at one point! You know what happens if I disobey!¡± Namya snapped.


    ¡°Still!¡± Zena snarled. ¡°This is pathetic.¡±


    Namya scrunched her fists in anger but soon relaxed. ¡°Lyrica¡¯s absence is messing up all of us right now. She usually maintains a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, but with her gone, it''s all being put on Miriam.¡±


    ¡°Ok, and?¡± Zena snapped.


    ¡°She¡¯s currently dealing with the chimeras. Recently, they have been causing us a lot of trouble due to their prideful nature,¡± Namya explained.


    Zena¡¯s eyes lit up at the hint. ¡°I see. Why did you not just tell us this when we first arrived?¡±


    Namya¡¯s face fell. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have even told you this now. If Miriam finds out I did, then¡­¡±


    Zena quickly nodded. ¡°She won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Now, please, go and convince Lyrica. Her word will overrule even Miriam¡¯s. True love¡­ sounds quite nice right about now.¡± Namya gave them a sad smile.


    Zena grabbed Eric¡¯s hand and dragged them out of the house.


    ¡°The chimeras do not reside too far. Unfortunately, pride does not equate to intelligence or capital. They are not very wealthy.¡± Zena sneered.


    ¡°Is that really what¡¯s important to be thinking about right now? As far as I am aware, Garrett said they would be the most difficult to advocate peace to,¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Whatever, even they should see the value in my mind method¡­ although, I am curious what Lyrica is doing over there. Nothing good can arise from that,¡± Zena pondered.


    Eric sighed. ¡°I guess we had better find out. Lead the way, princess.¡±


    Suddenly, Zena blushed. ¡°Princess? Why did you call me that?¡±


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s just a phrase. We both know you aren¡¯t actually a princess,¡± Eric said.


    Zena huffed and responded with, ¡°And here I thought you were actually being nice! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    She stormed off into what Eric assumed to be where the chimeras were. After chasing her for ten minutes, they arrived.


    Where the chimeras resided was rather unique. It wasn¡¯t a grand building like the draconian had or a large house like the succubi utilized. Rather, it was almost like a dungeon that went underground.


    ¡°Uh, do we really have to go down there?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Of course we do!¡± Zena exclaimed. ¡°But don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯ll keep you safe!¡± she said sweetly.


    Eric rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, alright.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± Zena said almost seriously. ¡°I swear it. My mind powers aren''t just good for helping people. They can also be used for offensive purposes as well.¡±


    ¡°They can?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Of course! Mental attacks, manipulation, and even¡­ well¡­¡± Zena stammered.


    ¡°What?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°I mean, you know about succubi. If they perform certain activities with someone else, then they can¡­ steal their soul,¡± Zena muttered.


    ¡°Wait, huh? You can steal people¡¯s souls? How does that even work? Aren¡¯t the people here already dead?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Well, yeah, but their soul isn¡¯t. That¡¯s what gets them here. By stealing it, I can essentially do what I want with the person,¡± Zena explained.


    ¡°Shit¡­ that almost sounds overpowered. How come succubi aren¡¯t the top dogs around here, then?¡± Eric mused.


    ¡°Because it still requires us to do the act with the person. Besides many succubi not willing to do so, it is also incredibly outlawed. Our mental powers work well but not on a large scale. If the other sin groups worked together, we would be easily overrun,¡± Zena said.


    ¡°I see¡­ but still, if you were targeting one person, then you could really mess them up,¡± Eric said.


    He glanced at Zena almost fearfully but quickly shook his head. If she wanted to do that to him, then he wouldn¡¯t be here right now.


    As if reading his mind, Zena sighed. ¡°I would never do that to you, idiot.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Eric affirmed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even worried about it.¡±


    ¡°Good, now let¡¯s go inside. We have a succubi to find.¡± Zena gave him a bright smile.


    They walked inside the dungeon and were immediately stopped by two chimera guards.


    ¡°State your business here,¡± they demanded.


    ¡°We would like to see your boss,¡± Zena said blankly.


    The guards looked at each other for a moment and laughed. ¡°Get the fuck out of here. The boss sees no one.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think your boss will want to hear about what we have to say. It involves peace among the seven sin groups,¡± Eric explained.


    ¡°We will not ask again,¡± one of them growled.


    Suddenly, Zena¡¯s eyes glowed, and both guards went slack. She motioned for them to move, and Eric followed.


    ¡°When were you able to do that?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°I have always been able to do it,¡± Zena snapped. ¡°It may or may not have gotten a bit stronger over time, though.¡±


    Eric sighed as he looked at Zena closely. Her succubus features were more apparent than ever before. He was worried that she was doing too much for his sake. He was worried that something would happen and would lose herself. His thoughts went back to Wendy¡¯s story.


    ¡°What? I know I¡¯m pretty, but staring is quite rude, ya know?¡± Zena giggled.


    ¡°Ok, ego queen,¡± Eric smirked. ¡°I was just thinking about how truthful you were being.¡±


    Zena feigned offense. ¡°I¡¯m always truthful! I am an incredibly honest succubus!¡± she exclaimed.


    Eric scoffed.¡± I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Zena was about to reply, but a booming voice interrupted them. ¡°How did you get in here?¡±


    A rather large chimera had walked up to them while they were distracted. He was tense and clearly ready for a confrontation.


    ¡°Relax, big guy. We just want to see your leader. The two guards outside let us in,¡± Zena explained.


    The chimera froze as if he were not expecting that answer. ¡°They¡­ did?¡±


    ¡°Yep, they thought our idea was grand enough to show off to your boss,¡± Eric added.


    ¡°I see. Stay here, I am going to check in with them to ensure you are not lying,¡± the chimera grumbled.


    As soon as he left, both Eric and Zena walked away. They would not be waiting for him.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m assuming those two guards aren¡¯t going to remember letting us in?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena sighed, ¡°Bingo. We have a few minutes to find the boss before this entire place goes to shit.¡±


    ¡°And if that happens?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena laughed. ¡°Then we can kiss getting you out of here goodbye, let alone us staying alive.¡±


    ¡°Then we had better hurry,¡± Eric said.


    They quickened their pace as they searched the dungeon-like area for the boss room. Neither of them knew where to go, and as the time kept ticking, Eric started to become worried. Zena had even questioned a few chimeras using her mind manipulation, but they didn¡¯t even know. What sort of group didn¡¯t know where their leader was?


    ¡°Uh, Zena, I¡¯m pretty sure our time is about to run out,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware, Eric! I¡¯m trying my best!¡± Zena hissed.


    As they practically sprinted down the hall, a peculiar woman caught Eric¡¯s eye. She was in a rather small dining room, talking with a chimera. The reason that she was brought to Eric¡¯s attention was that she was also not a chimera. She was a succubus.


    ¡°Zena!¡± Eric said, trying to capture her attention. ¡°Check this out.¡±


    She paused as she glanced at where Eric was pointing. ¡°Holy shit.¡± She turned to Eric.


    ¡°That¡¯s Lyrica.¡±


    ¡°Lyrica?¡± Eric asked. ¡°You mean the succubi leader we¡¯ve been searching for?¡±


    ¡°The very same.¡± Zena smirked. She was about to walk into the room when something rather startling happened.


    Lyrica kissed the chimera. Eric was well aware that succubuses did stuff like that all the time. It was part of their nature. Yet Lyrica¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shine with lust. She looked almost like she was in love with him.


    Zena froze before a large smile overcame her face. ¡°I think this whole peace thing just got a lot easier.¡±


    Suddenly, Zena stormed into the room and pointed at both Lyrica and the chimera. ¡°Ha! Caught red-handed!¡±


    Lyrica, along with the chimera, froze, clearly in shock. They were not expecting any guests.


    ¡°You!¡± Lyrica stuttered. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Zena grinned. ¡°We¡¯ve been looking everywhere for you! I guess it turns out that you have the whole succubus house panicking because you want to elope with a chimera.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s-¡± Lyrica started. ¡°We!¡± she paused. ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but it is!¡± Eric added with a smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this works out for us.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lyrica squeaked. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°It seems you are also a believer in true love,¡± Eric exclaimed, causing Lyrica¡¯s face to redden. ¡°And with that in mind, I believe you will like our offer.¡±


    ¡°You mean my offer!¡± Zena scoffed. ¡°True love is possible, but it involves some sacrifices and strange use of our mental powers.¡±


    Lyrica looked at them, shocked. ¡°Truly? I would love to¡­¡± She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. ¡°I mean, of course, I myself am not interested; however, many of my associates may be, so it would be beneficial for you to share this information.¡±


    ¡°Not so fast.¡± Zena waved her finger. ¡°If I am to share my method, then I need something from you.¡±


    ¡°And what is it?¡± Lyrica quickly asked.


    ¡°Your help in procuring peace in the DarkBlight Abyss,¡± Eric stated.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s simply not possible.¡± Lyrica argued.


    Zena shook her head. ¡°With my method, anything is possible, and we already got the draconians, zombies, and wendigos.¡±


    ¡°So? The zombies and wendigos practically serve the draconians¡­ and I¡¯m sure the draconians will benefit more than anyone from such peace.¡± The chimera snorted.


    Zena glared at him. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. Peace would be prosperous all around. With less resources going to fighting, we can start to build this damn place.¡±


    The chimera looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it,¡± Lyrica interrupted. The chimera looked at her, but her glare quickly shut him down. It was at that point that Eric knew who the powerhouse of the relationship was.


    ¡°If what you say is true and your¡­ method would really allow for such a dynamic, then we will support you. However, that depends on what this method exactly is,¡± Lyrica reasoned.


    Zena nodded. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find yourself impressed.¡±


    ¡°I will be the judge of that.¡± Lyrica smirked.


    Zena pondered for a moment before explaining her method to Lyrica. At its core, it was simply using mental magic on oneself to not feel the undesirable feeling. Of course, it was more complicated than that, but Eric did not really bother to pay attention to the details.


    By the end of it, Lyrica looked rather stunned, and Zena had a large smirk on her face.


    ¡°That¡­ was unexpected. To think that we could have simply used our powers on ourselves all this time¡­ How did you discover this?¡± Lyrica asked.


    ¡°Uh.¡± Zena froze. ¡°That¡¯s not important.¡±


    Lyrica gave her an odd look but ultimately chose to move on. ¡°Very well then. The succubi will accept this offer of peace and help you out in exchange for this very¡­ valuable information.


    Lyrica turned toward the chimera. He immediately shrunk back and said, ¡°I guess the chimeras will as well.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Eric muttered. ¡°You¡¯re the leader of the chimeras¡±?


    ¡°Of course,¡± Lyrica smirked. ¡°Did you think I would fall in love with someone of a lesser status?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± Eric waved his hands.


    ¡°Good, now it seems that everyone has much work to be done. I do agree that this peace idea sounds rather interesting; however, we will have to see how it works with the demons and gorgons. Although, I do believe that the gorgons will be rather easy to convince. They will simply get envious of our success.¡± Lyrica smirked.


    ¡°Good point. I guess we¡¯ll be off to convince the gorgons then,¡± Zena nodded.


    ¡°And I will spread your method among the succubi. I am sure that many of them will be pleased to hear of it.¡± Lyrica said.


    Afterward, they all went their separate ways. Somehow, Eric and Zena managed not to meet their end in the chimera¡¯s dungeon and were actually a significant step closer to gaining peace.


    Before meeting with the gorgons, Zena decided that they had better visit Garrett since he was kind of the head of their organization. Eric readily agreed, and that is exactly how they found themselves inside his office.


    ¡°So, you got both the succubi and the chimeras, eh?¡± Garrett smiled.


    ¡°Yep, and how are things on your end?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Going along as expected. The zombies and wendigos both agreed to our terms. It seems that we only have the gorgons to deal with,¡± Garrett replied.


    A knock sounded at the entrance to his office, and Garrett sounded for them to enter. In walked his assistant, along with a rather fancily dressed gorgon.


    ¡°Miss Mary Moss has come to speak with you.¡± The assistant bowed before walking away.


    The gorgon, Mary, narrowed her eyes before saying, ¡°So, what are these talks of peace I¡¯m hearing about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mary, how lovely it is to see you. We were just going to visit, so it works out quite well that you beat us to it,¡± Garrett replied smoothly.


    Mary rolled her eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s what it sounds like, Mary. Peace. Would it not be beneficial?¡± Garrett reasoned.


    She sighed, ¡°Yes, of course it would. However, what bugs me is why you chose not to come to me first.¡±


    Garrett froze. ¡°I figured that you wouldn¡¯t want me to.¡±


    ¡°Or you thought I would be manipulated by my envy so that I would feel more inclined to agree after everyone else did,¡± Mary countered.


    Eric grimaced as he realized that perhaps the gorgons would not be as easy to convince as they had thought.


    ¡°Whatever, I have come here to prematurely accept whatever conditions you lay forth for this so-called peace. All I desire is for you to rid me of these horrible emotions,¡± Mary suggested.


    ¡°Wait¡­ really?¡± Garrett asked. ¡°You are not angry?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am angry! I was once your lover after all, and you dare treat me like this?¡± Mary hissed.


    Eric¡¯s face paled as he realized he didn¡¯t understand the full dynamic here. It seemed there was more to everyone than he may have realized.


    ¡°No, I just thought you would not want to be bothered!¡± Garrett reasoned. ¡°However, if you wish to work with me, then I am all for it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Mary said. She turned around. ¡°I expect to be contacted soon¡­ directly.¡±


    Before anyone else could say anything, she walked out, and they were all left standing there.


    ¡°Did¡­ that just happen?¡± Zena asked.


    ¡°I think?¡± Eric responded. Had it really been that easy for them to have gained the gorgon¡¯s support?


    Garrett sighed. ¡°Easy for you, not for me. By directly, she means for me to contact here.¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°No, but as you heard, we have a history. It will simply be¡­ awkward.¡± Garrett frowned.


    ¡°Well, I appreciate the support and everything you are doing regardless. Now that we have everyone else on board, I suppose Zena and I should get to contacting the demons.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Yes, that should go along relatively smoothly,¡± Garrett added. ¡°I dare say we are almost there, kid, and quick as the abyss, too. You better give that succubus friend of yours a big thank you because, without her, we would not be anywhere near our goal.¡±


    Eric glanced at Zena, who was gleaming. ¡°Damn, right! I know I am amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yea, yea,¡± Eric murmured. ¡°But really... Thank you for everything, Zena. You¡¯re amazing.¡±


    Her eyes widened at his genuine thanks, and a few tears fell down her cheek. ¡°Well¡­¡± she stuttered. ¡°We¡¯re not done yet! We still have to convince the demons!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    Zena nodded, ¡°Tomorrow! Let¡¯s rest for tonight!¡±


    ¡°Rest? But would it not be better to be done as soon as possible?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah, but I wanted to¡­ spend some time with you,¡± Zena muttered.


    Garrett whistled as he shoved them out of his office. ¡°She¡¯s right, kid. Go get some rest. Peace can come later. I have a feeling tonight is going to be very restless for you two!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Eric asked.


    Zena¡¯s face reddened as she dragged Eric out of the office. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him! He¡¯s just¡­ being weird.¡±


    ¡°Uh, ok?¡± Eric muttered. ¡°I guess we can rest¡­ but tomorrow we need to get right back to it.¡±


    ¡°Aw, you¡¯re no fun¡­ but you¡¯re right,¡± Zena said.


    Eric nodded. He was on quite a strict time limit; however, he felt like he had some time to burn. He had been rather efficient.


    Eric and Zena headed back to their inn and both jumped on the sole bed they were forced to share.


    ¡°So, once we get the demons, you¡¯re gonna be able to leave, huh?¡± Zena asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± Eric pondered. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what I¡¯m going to do back on earth. I am pretty much a nobody there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy, considering that you¡¯re already pretty popular over here. You¡¯ve introduced yourself to all the big factions,¡± Zena giggled.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mostly thanks to you. You seem to be some hidden talent that nobody knows about.¡± Eric complimented.


    Zena blushed. ¡°I¡¯m not that cool, you know? I still ended up here after all.¡±


    ¡°So? I think you¡¯re pretty cool,¡± Eric blushed.


    ¡°You¡­ do?¡± Zena asked softly. Her face neared his, allowing Eric to see her detailed complexion. A couple of blemishes here and there. Two rather small but visible horns stick out of her crimson hair. Two soft, yellow eyes.


    She kissed him with little hesitation after that. He embraced her as she hugged him tightly, almost desperately.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t go,¡± she whispered in his ear. He could feel her warm breath along his face. There were countless tears running down her face. Yet, her horns had grown larger.


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t stay here,¡± Eric said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Zena sobbed, contradicting her previous statement. She shoved her face into his shoulder as her sobs became louder. She tightly gripped his shirt in her hands as she cried.


    Eric hesitated but ultimately, gently caressed her hair to comfort her. Despite her ever-growing features, he had never felt in danger with her. Zena had given so much for him, and he still didn¡¯t understand why. Was it because she had almost gotten him turned into some creature? Or¡­ was it her emotions? Should she not have been blocking them?


    ¡°You stopped using it,¡± Eric muttered. ¡°You never started using your own mental powers to stop lust after you turned them off.¡±


    Zena looked away from him, afraid to look him in the eyes. ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t. It had been so long since I¡­ felt anything like that. I don¡¯t want to live like this anymore.¡±


    A fresh wave of tears started to run down her face. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like this! I want to be human! To be with you!¡±


    ¡°Zena, I¡­¡± he said, speechless. There was nothing he could do to help.


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know there is nothing you can do. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°But, Zena, I¡­ wish I could.¡± Eric stuttered.


    She looked at him and said, ¡°Me, too.¡±


    And then they slept, holding each other tightly.


    ¡°So, what you''re telling me is that the demons live in their own castle?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Yep, and they¡¯re the strongest, so nobody opposes them¡­ or can, anyhow. Despite that, I don¡¯t see why they would not desire peace. It would be prosperous for all.¡± Zena said.


    However, Eric was not so sure. If the demons were really so strong, then it was likely that they would not want to give up what allowed them to dominate. For them, fighting and war may have been beneficial.


    Soon, a large gray castle came into view. Eric followed Zena, who was walking forward quite confidently, and soon they came within guards. Unfortunately, it seemed as if Eric¡¯s worries would not be unfounded. They were already glaring at them.


    ¡°Hello! We would like¡­¡± Zena started.


    ¡°Get lost, our leader does not accept. This is your only warning,¡± he growled.


    ¡°Listen, here? What the abyss do you mean you don¡¯t accept?¡± Zena hissed


    Without warning, the demon suddenly smashed his hand into her face, sending her flying. Eric stood there in shock as the demon growled at him.


    ¡°Get the fuck out of here before I kill you.¡± The demon smirked at him.


    Snapping out of it, Eric quickly ran over to Zena, who was lying on the floor, dazed.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he quickly asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I think,¡± she muttered.


    Eric turned back to look at the demon with a scowl. Unfortunately, that only got a devilish grin out of him.


    ¡°Maybe the demons won¡¯t be as easy as I thought,¡± Zena muttered as she sat up.


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Eric asked worriedly.


    She nodded. ¡°Yes, just a little out of it. I¡¯ll recover easily enough but¡­ this is going to be a problem.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now.¡± Eric shook his head. ¡°We need to get you to a doctor or something. We need to make sure you are fully okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Besides, we don¡¯t have time for that! We need to figure something out,¡± Zena groaned.


    Eric gave the demon guard one last look before picking Zena up and walking them away from the castle. A few hours later, they were back in Garrett''s office. None of them had a very pleasant look on their faces.


    ¡°So, let me get this straight. You tried to enter and you got your ass beat?¡± Garrett asked.


    ¡°Yes, before I could do anything else,¡± Zena confirmed.


    Garrett let out a groan as he face-palmed. ¡°I should have known the demons would feel threatened by this.¡±


    ¡°We all should have thought of it, but the situation remains unchanged by pondering the past. We need a plan. Zena and I will not be able to convince these guys ourselves,¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Yes, I can see that. Truthfully, I am not sure what to do here. The demons would be able to best anything we throw at them in a fight. The only advantage we have is the recent ability Zena shared with us.¡± Garrett said.


    ¡°Okay, well we still have to try something. Are you sure there is absolutely nothing you can think of?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Well, there may be one thing¡­ but there¡¯s a chance it may cause more harm than good,¡± Garrett pointed out.


    ¡°At this point, it does not matter. We just need something,¡± Eric said desperately. If they were not able to convince the demons, then he could kiss his chance at escaping goodbye.


    ¡°A duel,¡± Garrett said. ¡°A duel between each of our strongest would convince them.¡±


    ¡°What? Did you not just say that the strongest warriors were all a part of the demons? How the hell would we win a duel against them?¡± Eric complained.


    Garrett shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea. That¡¯s why I said it could cause more harm than good. If we lost, then we would all likely have to give up something.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s looking like the only shot we got,¡± Eric said.


    ¡°I may know someone,¡± Zena muttered.


    ¡°What? Who?¡± Eric quickly asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one hundred percent sure!¡± Zena waved her hands. ¡°But, if they are as skilled as they say they are, then we may stand a chance.¡±


    Again, Eric asked, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°I believe you have met him. George, back from my town. In his past life, Wendy mentioned something about him being a sword master of some kind,¡± Zena explained.


    ¡°George?¡± Eric asked in disbelief. However, when he thought of it, he did work in some enforcement sector of the abyss.


    ¡°Do you actually believe that he can beat the strongest demon?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but we don¡¯t really have much of a choice now, do we?¡± Zena retorted.


    ¡°I mean¡­ you¡¯re right.¡± Eric sighed. ¡°How do we contact him?¡±


    ¡°I can handle that,¡± Garrett added in. ¡°I will have my men bring him here in one of our ultra-deluxe carts. It will take a matter of minutes for transportation.¡±


    Eric sighed; it looked like they would be returning to where it all started.


    Garrett was not lying when he said minutes. Sure, it took a few hours to prepare everything, but it was indeed only minutes later after stepping into the cart that they arrived back in Zena¡¯s hometown.


    Unfortunately, George himself was not at his office, so they both beelined it to Jornoff¡¯s office. Upon entering, they were disappointed to see a completely different succubus greet them.


    ¡°Hello, what can I do for you today?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Who the abyss?¡± Zena started before calming herself. ¡°Where is Wendy?¡±


    The succubus gave her a puzzled look. ¡°Wendy? I am afraid I do not know who that is.¡±


    ¡°The last attendant before you!¡± Zena hissed before storming past her.


    ¡°Excuse me! You need to schedule an appointment! You can¡¯t just do that!¡± the succubus cried out.


    Zena did not listen and instead slammed Jornof¡¯s door open. The man wasn¡¯t even startled and instead gave her a bright smile.


    ¡°Ah, Zena, how are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Where the hell is Wendy?¡± she cried.


    He smiled as if her name brought up a wholesome memory. ¡°She¡¯s retired to live off with her man. George, I think his name was.¡±


    ¡°Retired? How?¡± Zena asked.


    Jornoff shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s not any of my business. I simply saw her off and went on with my duties.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any clue where she is?¡± Zena asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Jornoff shook his head.


    The succubus girl stomped in with a huff and practically screamed, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry she went past me and¡­¡±


    Jornoff chuckled, ¡°Calm down. She¡¯s welcome.¡±


    The succubus froze as she glanced at Zena. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Zena rolled her eyes as she gave one last look at Jornoff. ¡°Thanks for the info, old man.¡± Afterward, she, along with Eric, left the building.


    ¡°So, apparently Wendy is just fucking gone,¡± Zena snapped.


    Eric gave her a small smile. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find her somewhere.¡±


    Her eyes glowed as she turned to Eric. ¡°Relax? Relax! Don¡¯t tell me to relax! If we don¡¯t find George then we¡¯re fucked! You¡¯re fucked! How the fuck do you expect me to just relax!¡±


    Eric stepped back in fear as Zena continued to yell at him. Why was she acting like this?


    Noticing this, she froze before shaking her head. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, okay¡­. You¡¯re right, I need to relax.¡±


    Still, Eric couldn¡¯t help but relate Zena¡¯s outburst as signs of her further succubus transformation. It left him deeply unsettled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ just continue, okay?¡± she said weakly. ¡°You¡¯re right. We have to find her somewhere.¡±


    Eric slowly nodded but couldn¡¯t help but feel a little less safe around her. Dark thoughts seeped into his mind. What if Zena tried to control him? What if she wasn¡¯t able to control her lust anymore?


    It was then that Eric noticed a rather unusual building he didn¡¯t remember being occupied. It was a small inn called The Lustless Knight.


    He motioned for Zena to follow him in, and they entered. The place was rather nice and homey. It felt oddly familiar to Earth, which was a compliment since few places could manage that here.


    ¡°Welcome to The Lustless Knight. How many rooms for you?¡± a familiar voice called out from the counter.


    Eric glanced that way, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Standing there was Wendy, the very same person they had been searching for.


    Upon realizing this, Wendy turned her head at them. ¡°Zena¡­ Eric? Is that you?¡±


    Eric and Zena paused as they tried to read Wendy¡¯s facial expressions.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hey, Wendy,¡± Zena muttered.


    Wendy narrowed her eyes as she stepped a little closer. Suddenly, she pulled Zena into a hug and smiled at Eric.


    ¡°How are you guys!¡± she excitedly asked.


    ¡°Uh, alright, Wendy, thanks for asking,¡± Zena responded.


    ¡°George!¡± Wendy called out. ¡°Come here, it¡¯s Zena and Eric!¡±


    A few moments later, the familiar face of George entered the room from the back of the building. He looked¡­ happy.


    ¡°Hey, guys, it¡¯s good to see you.¡± He gave them a warm smile.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to see you as well¡­ I¡¯m glad everything is working out for you guys,¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been great!¡± Wendy cried. ¡°We got back together and put our savings together to build ourselves this little place. It¡¯s like a dream come true!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and whatever Zena showed Wendy helped. We owe you guys a lot,¡± George added.


    Now that he mentioned it, both of them looked somewhat better than before. More human. Eric was surprised at how fast things developed. It had only been a few days, right?


    ¡°So? What is the reason you guys are back in town?¡± Wnmdy gave them a wide smile.


    Zena¡¯s face fell as Eric sighed. ¡°We need your guy¡¯s help.¡±


    Wendy and George became serious as they nodded. ¡°What is it?¡± George asked.


    After explaining the situation, George gave them a hesitant look. ¡°Look, it¡¯s true that in my past life, I may have been¡­ rather skilled with the sword, but I cannot guarantee I would be good enough to square off against a demon. They have magic backing their strength. Sure, I¡¯m stronger than the average person here, but it still won¡¯t be enough to make a fight against a demon fair.¡±


    Wendy rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, whatever. George is being modest, as always. The truth is that I have never seen anyone stronger than him. There was this one time while he was in the enforcement agency that he single-handedly put down a group of ten demons like it was nothing. He wasn¡¯t even scratched!¡±


    ¡°They were weak!¡± George cried.


    ¡°Ten?¡± Zena asked. ¡°How the abyss did you fight against ten?¡±


    ¡°There is no way that the rabble I fought would compare to the strongest demon warrior. It would probably get my ass handed to me and then your guy¡¯s entire operation would fail,¡± George said.


    ¡°He¡¯ll do it,¡± Wendy said.


    ¡°What?¡± George exclaimed.


    Wendy glanced at him, almost pleadingly. ¡°Honey, you really don¡¯t want to help the people who allowed us to be where we are today?¡±


    George sighed, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that! Of course, I want to help them. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want them to be angry with us if I fail.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± Zena quickly added. ¡°This is pretty much our last hope with the time we have. If we don¡¯t do this then¡­ we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    George nodded resolutely. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll help you guys.¡±


    Wendy jumped up and down in joy as she hugged George. ¡°I love you so much!¡±


    Eric smiled as he watched them. What a beautiful relationship. If it were not for him and Zena, would they have come back together?


    A few hours later, George and Wendy readied themselves and met back with Eric and Zena near the cart they would be going to the city with.


    ¡°Is it really okay to just leave your guy¡¯s inn like that?¡± Zena asked.


    Wendy nodded. ¡°We had one of our part-time employees watch over it! It will be just fine.¡±


    Zena nodded and motioned for them to all enter the cart. Moments later, they zoomed back to the city at the same inhumane speeds that Eric would likely never get used to.


    Once they were back, they presented George to Garrett, who was closely observing him.


    ¡°A wendigo? Say, what makes you think he could actually contest against a demon, let alone the strongest one?¡± Garrett asked.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Wendy smirked. ¡°He¡¯s the strongest.¡±


    George shook his head. ¡°For the last time, the ten demons were weak! That was definitely not the standard! I don¡¯t know why you insist on me being so strong!¡±


    Garrett¡¯s jaw dropped as soon as he heard the two words ¡®demon¡¯ and ¡®ten¡¯ together.


    ¡°Boy, are you messing with me?¡± he quickly asked.


    George scoffed, ¡°As if. I really do not believe such a win to be worth mentioning.¡±


    Garrett turned back to Zena and nodded. ¡°In this case, we may actually stand a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, George groaned. It seemed like they would have a duel to schedule.


    Fortunately, the demons quickly accepted Garrett¡¯s request. It seemed they were confident they would win. Unfortunately, if George did not win, the demons were to become the new rulers of the city. That was a bit of a caveat. Eric really hoped that George would win.


    The duel was to happen at the end of the week as that was the earliest they could agree to. Until then, all Eric could do was wait, and it felt rather horrible. Well, at least he had Zena to comfort him.


    On that end, Zena was getting increasingly worse at controlling her emotional outbursts. In tune with this was the further transformation of her succubus features. Nothing Eric did seemed to work. Eventually, he began to give up and just comforted her.


    ***


    By the end of the week, everyone besides Wendy was in rather dark spirits. However, the pure confidence that Wendy brought was rather welcoming since it lifted the spirits of the group at least a little bit. At last, the final battle came.


    A large crowd of countless people was situated in a public arena that was in the city. On the battlefield stood George, who carried a single sword. He was still getting boos from when he was announced. He also wasn¡¯t even wearing armor, as he claimed that it would only slow him down. That certainly didn¡¯t go well with everyone who was riding on his victory.


    Zena was clinging on to Eric rather desperately. By now, her horns were fully grown, and her wings stuck out tremendously. He frowned as he observed this, but he couldn¡¯t really do much to convince her to stop.


    The crowd roared as a large demon stepped into the area. The demon was dressed in fancy silver armor and was armed with two large battle axes. His transformation was nearly complete, but he was still very sentient. This would not be an easy battle.


    ¡°And here we have the demon¡¯s representative, Sir Edmund Longeilus!¡± The crowd erupted into a second wave of roars as they shouted eagerly for him. Everyone knew he would win.


    Right as the battle was to start, a vortex appeared near the top of the stadium, and seven beings appeared. In front of everyone, the seven mortal sins appeared.


    Everyone gasped as the entire stadium became dead quiet.


    ¡°Greetings, everyone!¡± Pride said. ¡°This event is rather interesting, so we decided to join you. Does anyone have any problems with this?¡±


    Not a single person responded.


    ¡°Good, now where shall we sit?¡± Pride asked.


    A plethora of voices rang out; however, it was one of the groups in a skybox that caught their attention. The sins quickly took their spots there and waved for them to continue.


    A wave of murmurs took over the entire stadium, and soon, the battle was once again ready to begin.


    The announcer''s voice rang through the stadium as he announced, ¡°Let the fight begin!¡±


    Edmund sneered as he chucked an axe at George at the speed of a car. Somehow, George sidestepped it and narrowed his eyes at Edmund.


    Edmund sprinted at him and ripped his axe down, but George parried it deftly and jumped backward.


    ¡°Fight me, weakling!¡± Edmund cried. He swung his axe wildly at George.


    George dodged every strike; however, that¡¯s all he did. He never once attacked.


    ¡°What the hell is he doing?¡± Zena cried out. She gripped Eric¡¯s shirt tighter than she had before and growled. ¡°Everything rides on him and he is fucking going to throw it all away.¡±


    Eric caressed her hair. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got this covered.¡±


    She was about to snap at him but caught herself. ¡°Okay, if you believe, then I will too.¡±


    They watched as George dodged every one of Edmund¡¯s strikes. It was beautiful, in a way, except George wasn¡¯t getting anywhere besides making Edmund angrier.


    ¡°Fight me, you rat!¡± he screamed.


    George remained emotionless as he swiftly dodged a slice from the left and flipped over a horizontal swipe.


    Edmond roared as he stomped wildly into the ground. ¡°I am going to fucking squash you like a bug!¡±


    He began to release massive amounts of energy as he crashed his axe into the ground, releasing a burst of energy from the floor. George jumped over this and did the unbelievable. He closed his eyes.


    This time, Zena crashed out. She dug her nails into Eric¡¯s chest as she was writhing at the mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill¡­¡± she screamed before going silent.


    The whole stadium did.


    In a flash, George moved with a speed unknown to man and ended up past Edmund. He looked strangely calm as she sheathed his sword.


    Edmund stood in place for a moment before collapsing, a pool of blood forming around him.


    The crowd remained silent as everyone processed what had happened. It was simply impossible. There was no way. No person or creature or whatever could move that fast.


    ¡°He must have cheated?¡± a demon shouted angrily.


    ¡°He did not,¡± gluttony called out. ¡°It seems your demon friend forgot that wendigos can absorb and build up magical energy. Each and every attack Edmund used was built up and used against him.¡±


    The demons paled after that. Soon, a roar of cheering erupted from Eric¡¯s side as everyone realized that the demons had lost. Peace had finally arrived.


    Garrett practically sprinted up to Eric and smirked, ¡°That was something else, kid! Where the hell did you find that man?¡±


    Soon, Lyrica, Mary, and the other respective leaders came up to him.


    ¡°Who would have thought?¡±


    ¡°Peace¡­ can it really exist?¡±


    ¡°It seems you really pulled it off.¡±


    Tons of compliments came Eric¡¯s way as he quickly waved his hands. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t me! All of this is thanks to Zena. It was her that allowed me to get this far at all.¡±


    They all looked to Eric. ¡°Yeah, but it was you who put it all together, Eric. Don¡¯t think we didn¡¯t notice that. You should be the one to lead this new world.¡±


    Eric froze. No one of them knew. He would be leaving. He was human.


    Zena shook her head, almost painfully. ¡°He cannot.¡±


    They all looked at her, confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lyrica asked.


    Zena looked at Eric sadly. ¡°Eric, my dear, I cannot hold on much longer.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Eric looked at her, mortified. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She giggled, ¡°I pushed myself too far. It is only a matter of time before my transformation completes, and I will be able to think of nothing but lust.¡±


    ¡°Zena, what the fuck are you talking about?¡± Eric asked.


    Lyrica paled as she observed Zena. ¡°You let yourself lust for him¡­ you didn¡¯t follow your own damn advice.¡±


    Zena laughed, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing it¡­ for so long. I let myself feel a little, and I knew I would not be able to return¡­ Please, after he is gone, ensure I am taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Gone? What the hell do you mean? What are you not telling us?¡± Garrett asked.


    ¡°Zena! Why?¡± Eric asked painfully.


    Suddenly, the seven sins appeared around Eric. It was Pride who spoke. ¡°I must say, human, I did not believe that you would actually be able to accomplish this task. The fact that you have been able to say much about you. We deem you fit to leave the Darkblight Abyss.¡±


    Everyone gasped as they turned to Eric.


    ¡°A human¡­ in the abyss?¡± Garrett mused.


    ¡°A good person? Here? That¡¯s how he did it,¡± Lyrica laughed.


    Eric glanced at Zena, who was smiling at him. ¡°Go on, Eric. I¡¯m glad I could help¡­ save you. Do some good in my life.¡±


    ¡°But, Zena¡­¡±


    ¡°Stupid. Go before they change their minds,¡± she giggled. ¡°And also, I love you. So, don¡¯t forget it, okay?¡±


    Eric¡¯s eyes widened as tears dripped down his face.


    ¡°How very beautiful; however, the girl is right. Our time here dwindles. Any last words before we are to return you, human?¡± Pride boomed.


    Eric turned to Zena once more, his gaze determined. ¡°Zena¡­ I love you, too. You gave me purpose when I had none¡­ You gave me a life I never had back on Earth¡­ All of you did.¡± Eric motioned at everyone.


    He turned back to the sins, ready to accept his reward; however, he shook his head. ¡°Some people¡­ some people deserve second chances, and I believe Zena to be one of those people. So, in my place, could you send her back?¡±


    The sins looked at each other and gasped. They were all put to rest at Pride¡¯s command.


    ¡°An interesting proposal, human¡­ very well, we accept. We shall send the girl back. As an act of good faith, your soul shall remain pure, free of sin. We could not possibly taint someone as noble as you.¡± The sins nodded, and Pride snapped his fingers.


    Zena¡¯s eyes widened as tears rolled down her face. ¡°What¡­ did you just do?¡±


    Her succubus features began to fade as she turned human again. Next, a bright light appeared in her place.


    ¡°Go, live your life, Zena. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have a much better time up there than I would.¡± Eric smiled.


    ¡°You¡­ I won¡¯t ever forget you!¡± she cried as the light took her. It snapped upward and rocketed toward the surface. She was gone but in a good way. She was in a much better place.


    Eric smirked as he turned toward everyone else. They were all stunned at what had taken place in front of them.


    ¡°It seems we have some work to do,¡± Eric commanded.


    And they cheered.

 The Astral Relams

    Hello! Thank you for reading through my wonderful story! I put a lot of work into it trying to make sure I got all those pesky grammar errors and whatnot! Anyhow, there are more stories like it on Amazon, on this link (Please consider lol... but only if you can!!!):


    (Link coming soon lol)


    This is part of a collaboration effort I am doing with a friend so watch out for all my work that will be coming out there! Do not worry about my presence here, though. I know I have been gone for a little bit but it was not for no reason! I will soon be posting my next full story rather soon. I am calling it Darksomnia! And eventually, I will get back to Rising God of a New World... one day. That story will kind of connect everything but I want to have more time to fully flesh it out. Unfortunately, between working with my friend, doing university (engineering at that), having a part-time job, and whatever else life throws at me, I am at a severe shortage of time. Perhaps, when this author''s stuff starts turning into something more, I will be able to make something work out.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Anyway, thanks for listening to me rant!!! Have a great day :)

 My Next Story

    Darksomnia on Royalroad is here!!!


    https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/110602/darksomnia


    If you enjoy litrpgs, action, and fantasy novels, please check it out! Here is the blurb


    Dying once is bad enough. But every night? Now, that¡¯s a nightmare.


    Eliam Edward¡¯s life was already horrible. From an abusive father to working a customer service job, it didn¡¯t get much worse. That was until a horrific accident ended up with him having nightmares each night. Intricate nightmares, ones that seemed a little too real.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Each night, he is plunged into a horrible world of fighting, death, and leveling up. Every cycle, Eliam must grow smarter, stronger if he wants to find out the secrets to the nightmares. It¡¯s either that or die trying... but wait, he already has.


    Death means nothing.


    I will now mark this as finished. Thanks for reading, and once again, be sure to check out the full collection on Amazon!