I stared at the bear before me. It was something like nine feet tall, standing on its hind legs. It had dark brown fur, with lighter brown spikes extending from its spine and elbows. They looked remarkably sharp, but I doubted they were that sturdy. Nothing I couldn’t snap off if things got really desperate.

The creature didn’t move during my examination. I could almost imagine that it was looking me over, in turn, trying to decide whether I was worth feasting upon. Not an impossibility, actually, if it was anywhere near intelligent as the wolves.

“You do not want to fight me,” I warned, letting some of the magic within me spill out and over the beast. I wasn’t expecting the bear to submit as the wolf had, but I did think it would turn and flee once it felt the difference between us.

To my surprise, it let out a roar and swung for my head with one of its massive paws. I ducked beneath it but didn’t strike back, too worried about what Lucy might think if I sent the beast flying.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Lucy demanded from behind me. She was still undressed, wearing only one greave, but now clutched her sword in her hand. “Spiked bears are pretty curious, but they don’t usually attack unless they feel threatened!”

...Ah. Perhaps this was my fault, then? I felt bad for the bear, in that case, but I had little choice but to deal with the threat before me.

“Lucy!” I called out, dodging another of its blows. “If I can keep it occupied, can you take it down?”

“I think so!”

“You think so?” I questioned, grimacing a little. I wanted to pretend that I was weaker than Lucy, for the sake of my disguise, but if Lucy was the pinnacle of human strength then I really didn’t know what to say. 

“I can try!” Lucy declared, holding her sword up high. “Usually I’d say we should run, but if it’s attacking people for no reason then we definitely can’t let it go!”

“Good girl,” I responded, lifting both hands and grabbing hold of the paw that swung toward me. I tried to make it look like a struggle, allowing its claws to get perilously close to my face.

“Now Lucy!” I yelled, pressing back against the paw. 

The bear growled in response, as Lucy leveled her blade toward the creature. Before she could step forward, however, I heard a roar behind me. I couldn’t turn around, but I could easily guess what it was.

“A second spiked bear!?” Lucy cried out, confirming my suspicions. “It must be the first one’s mate!”

“Then I imagine it’s not going to be very happy about this,” I muttered, taking advantage of Lucy’s distraction to thrust the bear’s claws away from my face and step backward.

“Shall we each take one?” I asked Lucy, eyeing the bear. Its muscles seemed to tense under my gaze, as if it was wary of what I might do. It didn’t show any sign of backing down, though.

“Each take one?” Lucy asked me, her orange eyes going wide as dinner plates. “Eena, you could barely fight it!”

“Physically, perhaps, but you haven’t seen me use magic yet.” Humans weren’t supposed to be strong enough to toss bears about, but magic was another matter. Magic capacity fluctuated wildly from person to person, after all. “Can you take the other bear, Lucy?”

“...I’ll manage!” Lucy declared, lifting her sword up in front of her face. 

A small smile tugged across my lips at the display of determination. “Good girl,” I repeated, turning my attention back to the beast before me. 

It roared, dropping down to all fours and charging toward me. Its mouth opened as it ran, wider than I would have thought possible. I could see four rows of teeth in its maw, all razor-sharp. All rushing toward me.

I dodged to the right, elbowing the beast in its side and driving it into the earth. Then I ran a bolt of electricity through its body, causing its fur to stand on end as its body twitched beneath me. When I cut off the flow of electricity, the monster was already unconscious. 

Lucy’s back was to me, her focus on the other bear; I had no reason to hold back. Still, I chose not to go for the finishing blow. The creature had, ultimately, only attacked because of my own actions. It felt wrong to kill it for that.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t expect the same result from Lucy’s fight. When I turned my attention to her, I found her battling it out with everything she had, deflecting the creature’s claws with her sword, dodging strikes, and cutting into the bear whenever she could. It had a myriad of red stains on its fur, from numerous shallow wounds, but it looked no closer to going down.

“Perhaps I can help?” I called out, as Lucy dodged one of the beast’s paws. 

“You’re already done!?” Lucy called back, voice pitched high in obvious shock. Not that she let the surprise slow her down. She dodged another blow, as I watched, and gave the bear another shallow cut on its side. It seemed obvious to me that Lucy was winning, but how long could she keep it up? Even if she had the stamina, the bear only needed to get a single good strike in to win this.

“I got a few lucky blows in,” I lied. “Do you need help, or not?”

“I could really use some!” Lucy called out to me. “This one’s really strong! If my sword wasn’t unbreakable, I’d probably be dead!”

“Unbreakable?” I asked, mentally sifting through my options. Perhaps a small shock? Not enough to bring the bear down, but enough that Lucy could find an opening for the final blow? That would allow the heroine to keep thinking she was stronger than me. “I’m sure it’s well crafted, but if you treat your blade as if it’s unbreakable you’re going to end up in trouble.”

“No, it’s literally unbreakable!” Lucy insisted, bracing the sword above her head to block an overhead swing from the bear. “It’s a holy blade!”

“What? So it’s...” Indestructible. That was the word on my tongue, but I couldn’t force it past my lips. A holy, indestructible sword? There was only one that I knew of, in the entire world.

It had been my mother’s.

“Lucy?” I called out, voice trembling faintly. “Where did you get that blade?”

“Huh? My sword? It was a gift from the Grand Patriarch himself! Apparently, the demon queen stole it from heaven, but the church recovered it for the sake of the Goddess! It’s a really nice sword, but…” Lucy paused, using her sword to ward off another of the beast’s blows. “But it’s not really enough right now! A little help, please?”

I didn’t respond. My eyes were locked on the weapon Lucy held. The holy blade that was mine by right. The miraculous item that had been stolen from us when my mother fell. I could feel my handscurling into fists, my nails biting into my palms.

“Eena?” Lucy called out again, as the bear drew back a step. “Eena, what’s wrong? I could really use some help!” The bear dropped down on all fours, its eyes locked on Lucy. Its jaw opened wide, revealing rows of teeth that were obviously meant for tearing at meat. It charged toward Lucy. “Eena!” she shouted, desperately, jumping to the side.

The bear didn’t stop its charge, even after Lucy leaped out of the way. It continued moving forward, running straight past her and toward me. Its jaws were mere moments away from me, but I wasn’t scared. I doubted it could hurt me, but it was welcome to try. I probably deserved it, letting Lucy fight and risk her life like that. Not helping when I said I would. When I’d caused this problem to begin with. I knew that was wrong.

It was just that she had my mother’s sword.

“Eena!” Lucy called out, terror in her voice as the creature’s claws came toward my head.

Suddenly, a blur of black and red struck against the bear’s side. The monster let out a roar of pain and surprise, striking at the thing that had hurt it, and sending a black-furred creature tumbling across the forest floor. It came to a stop right in front of me, whimpering faintly.

“...You…” I whispered, staring at the horned wolf I had spared a few days prior. She whimpered again, in response, her dark eyes fluttering open. Her gaze focused on me, and she let out another noise. She sounded somehow happy, as if she was relieved I was alright.

…What, precisely, was I doing? Allowing people to worry over me, to get hurt over me, because of some sword? What would I have done if the beast had chosen to focus on Lucy, instead of the one who’d taken down its mate? Had I not spent the day thinking of Lucy as another victim of the church? Could I have lived with myself if she had died? I was ashamed of myself.

I turned my attention to the bear. The wolf’s horn had struck it in the side, and a patch of its fur was blackening and falling away. That didn’t stop it from turning toward me again, roaring loudly before beginning its next charge.

“Eena!” Lucy shouted out, pushing herself up onto her feet. There was fear in her eyes. A fear she held for me. She honestly thought I was in danger. Would her fear for me turn into fear of me when she saw what I was capable of?

Casually, I lifted a hand toward the beast, as if I intended to stop its charge with no more than my palm. A bolt of lightning shot out from the center of my hand, striking the bear mid charge and causing its muscles to spasm. It collapsed to the ground, tumbling forward and coming to a halt a few inches in front of me. It was still breathing, but in bad shape.

I stepped toward the creature, grabbing a hold of it by the scruff of the neck and dragging it toward the other bear. I was aware of Lucy staring at me, eyes wide, but I didn’t say anything. I only placed my hands on both bears and sent warmth into their bodies.

As with the wolf, pouring my healing energies into the bears resulted in a sudden understanding of their anatomy. They were both females, though that hardly discounted Lucy’s theory of them being mates. I wasn’t entirely sure how monsters reproduced, but if it was like monster girls then sex itself wasn’t actually necessary. Reproduction, at least for us, was more about intermixing magical energies.

“Eena?” Lucy called out behind me, stepping toward me. “What… what are you doing?”

“I’m healing them,” I responded, calmly. “To begin with, they only attacked because they felt my magic power.” I knew Lucy was going to object. These were dangerous creatures which posed a potential threat to humanity.  But that wasn’t all they were. The way the second one had come right for me, only facing Lucy long enough to get her out of the way before charging at the one who stood over its mate… I couldn’t hate a creature capable of loving another like that. I couldn’t kill them in a fight I had unintentionally provoked.

Lucy didn’t respond, but her lips pressed together into a thin line at my words. I imagined that she was angry, but I didn’t stop what I was doing. Not even as she crouched beside me, and held out her own palm toward the bears. “...Bellora radem akor morrin.”

White light spilled from Lucy’s hand, bright even beneath the light of the sun. Instantly, the blackened flesh and fur of the bear on my right began to lighten and heal. The fur that had fallen away grew back before my eyes. What’s more, my magic told me that the electrical damage I’d inflicted on both bears was starting to heal. In moments, it was gone altogether and the two beasts were slumbering peacefully before us.

“...That was holy magic.” It wasn’t a question. I had felt the warmth of it as it intermingled with my own magic, and there was no mistaking it for anything else. Not for me, at least.

“You’re really strong, Eena,” Lucy told me, instead of confirming. A small smile was touching her lips. “Your magic is amazing, and your physical strength - I’ve never met anyone like you before. You must have trained so hard… I totally understand how you took on those wolves, now!”

“...You are not mad at me for hiding my strength?”

“You’re really strong,” Lucy repeated, her smile brightening. “But you’re even more kind. The way you saved the village, and then the way you decided to spare the bears - and I bet you did something really nice for that wolf, over there, too…”

The wolf in question was still laying on the floor. She was breathing heavily, but otherwise seemed unhurt to my eye. I wanted to check on her, but my attention was currently locked on Lucy.

“And you’re not mad that I helped monsters?”

Lucy hesitated a moment. When she spoke, her voice was soft but firm with conviction. “The church says that monsters are evil. That they’ve been tainted by demonic energy. But my mom never believed that. She told me that monsters were just animals with a little extra magic. And demons are just people with a few extra parts. She said people used to know that, but then the demon queen came and made us all start fighting each other.”

“...From your own words, that’s a rather blasphemous viewpoint,” I pointed out. Honestly, other than the part about Luci instigating things, what she said  wasn’t too far off from what the demons taught. Supposedly, in the ancient past the world had been filled with wild magic. The theory was that monsters came from animals being exposed to that magic during pregnancy. There were even some who took it a step further and claimed that monster girls had originated from monsters undergoing the same process.

“My mom was pretty blasphemous, for a priestess,” Lucy confessed. “I told you before, right? That she always said she wanted me to think for myself, and not just do what the church told me.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I demanded. “You’re the heroine. Surely you’ve been encouraged to keep your mouth shut on such things?”

“I’m telling you because I trust you, Eena!” Lucy told me, smiling brightly. “And I want you to know you can trust me, too! I don’t know how you got so strong, or what you’ve been through because of that strength. Maybe you’ve been judged before? Maybe people used you for your strength, or hurt you, or even accused you of things. I’m sure you have all sorts of reasons why you didn’t want to tell me everything. But I don’t need to know everything! All that matters to me is that you’re a good person. A good friend! And if you ever want to join my party, I’ll be waiting.”

Lucy stood with those words, walking over to her armor and plopping back down to the earth. I stood silently as she put her armor on. I didn’t say a word, even when she buckled her sword around her waist. I simply watched her, uncertain what to make of everything she’d said.

“I think I’m going to go now,” Lucy informed me after she was fully dressed. “I can try to heal the wolf before I go if you’d like.” 

The wolf in question was still laying on the forest floor, but her breathing had evened and she didn’t seem to be in any pain. The moment Lucy’s eyes swung over to her, however, the wolf moved into a sitting position and let out a low growl.

“...It’s fine. I can handle that much,” I promised Lucy, striding toward the wolf. She quieted as I approached, and I crouched down beside her to offer my hand. She sniffed at my fingers for a moment, and then licked my hand. Her eyes returned to Lucy immediately afterward, but I thought she seemed just a little more relaxed.

“That’s so cute!” Lucy declared, smiling brightly at us. “You should make sure it doesn’t follow you to any towns, though. Not everyone looks at monsters the way I do.”

“I’ll be careful,” I vowed, frowning. “But are you seriously telling me you intend to leave? What happened to taking me to the next town?” It wasn’t as if I wanted Lucy’s company. The sooner she left the sooner I could make my flight back to the tower, after all, but it worried me that I couldn’t tell what was going through her mind.

“I promised you I’d leave if you proved you could take care of yourself, right?” Lucy reminded me. She was still smiling, but her eyes didn’t quite meet mine. “And…”

“And?” I pressed, idly running my fingers through the wolf’s fur.

“And I want you to trust me, Eena! I want you to know you can! So I have to keep my word, right?” Lucy’s eyes met mine, at last. They were wet with tears. “You made me feel so good, today. You made me feel like I mattered as a person, and not just as the heroine. I’m really glad you took my virginity, and I really hope you’ll have sex with me again! Even if you don’t, I definitely want to see you again. And I’m really scared I won’t…”

“Lucy…” I started, then stopped. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to assure her that we’d meet again, but I didn’t know that it would happen. I’d never wanted us to meet to begin with.

“I’ll be in Rendra City, for a while,” Lucy apprised me, smiling softly. “If you head north down the road, you can’t miss it. I’ll be staying at the church. So. If you want to meet again, like I do… I really hope you’ll come to find me.”

I nodded, slowly. Lucy’s lips were set in a smile, but I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in her gaze. She truly didn’t want this to be goodbye.

“...Well. I’ll be going now!” Lucy declared, forcing an even wider smile for my benefit. “I really hope to see you soon! But if not, I’ll understand.” She turned away from me with those words and started to walk away.

I knew I had to let her go. It was in my best interest that she walk away, and forget about me. 

I knew that, but…

“One week!” I called out. Lucy paused mid step, but didn’t turn around. “One week,” I repeated, more softly this time. “In one week, I will come to Rendra City. And if you are still there, then… perhaps… We can have more sex.”

“...Do you mean it?” Lucy’s words were almost a whisper, barely audible even to my ears. She turned toward me, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Do you mean it?” she asked, again, louder this time. “You really want to see me again?”

“I don’t recall saying that,” I protested, my gaze dropping to the floor. “I simply think that we have more to offer each other. I can teach you about sex, and you can help me with the adventurer’s guild.” I stole a glance at Lucy’s face. She was smiling.

“I’ll be waiting in the church, okay? One week! I’ll definitely still be there!”

“Yes, yes, whatever you say,” I muttered, turning my gaze back to the forest floor.

“I’ll see you in a week, Eena!” Lucy said, again. I lifted my gaze after she’d turned around, watching as she disappeared beyond the trees. Once she was out of sight, I let out a long sigh and shook my head.

“I don’t suppose you’d know why I did that, would you girl?” I asked the wolf laying in front of me. She whined faintly in response and nuzzled her snout against my hand. “It seems not…” I sighed. “Well, perhaps it’s not the worst thing to be spending time around her. I might even learn a thing or two. For example…” 

I stood, walked over to a nearby tree, and casually broke off one of the thicker branches. Then I held the jagged piece of wood up against the tree, fitting it back into place as best I could, and held my other palm out toward the break.

“Bellora radem akor morrin.” I felt something light up inside me as I spoke as if my very soul was resonating with the words. As a pleasant warmth lit up inside my chest, and a light began to emanate from my palm. Before my eyes the tree began to heal, the fibers of the branch and tree rejoined as the cracks in the bark began to disappear. In seconds, I was staring at a fully repaired branch.

“Good,” I declared, smiling widely. “It didn’t explode.” Considering how badly my last attempt at holy magic had gone, I was rather terrified of what might happen if I made a mistake with a healing spell. I’d only heard Lucy say it once, so mispronunciation had been a real risk.

“Ideally, I’d write it down at this point, but failing that…” I broke the branch, again, and repeated the process. I did this again and again until I was convinced the words were transcribed in my brain. Then I walked over to the wolf and crouched beside her again.

“Sorry about the wait,” I told the wolf, reaching out to pet her. “This might tingle a bit.” I ran arcane magic through the wolf as I spoke, looking for any signs of damage. The bear had hit her pretty hard, and it seemed she had a bruise beneath her ribs, but that was about all. I was tempted to use holy magic on her, now that I’d finally learned a spell, but as much as I wanted to shift to animal trials I couldn’t bring myself to use my rescuer as a guinea pig. I decided to stick with the healing I’d used so far, instead.

A few seconds of concentrated effort was all it took to restore the wolf to peak condition. When it was done, I stood upright with a small smile and brushed the dust off my skirt. 

“I suppose I should be going, now…” I murmured to myself, walking over to the potato sacks. The wolf walked beside me and sat in front of me as I fed the potatoes into my empty bag. She had an almost expectant look in her eyes. I thought perhaps she wanted a potato for some reason, but even after I’d put the last of them away she was still staring at me. “...You do realize you’re not coming with, don’t you?”

The horned wolf whined, faintly, as if she understood the words. Perhaps she did? I wasn’t entirely sure how smart these monsters were. Regardless, it wasn’t as if I could simply pick her up and carry her back to the tower with me.

...Or, well, I certainly could, but it surely wasn’t in the wolf’s best interest. “What would you even do in the tower?”

The horned wolf let out another little whine, wagging her tail and moving to stand next to me.

“It’s not happening.”

She let out a little bark and pressed her side against my thigh. Her fur was warm and soft, and my resolve began to waver. Taking the wolf with me would be a disaster; she wouldn’t have nearly enough room to run or explore. I had no idea how much fresh meat she’d need, either - I might end up having to hunt, just to make up for her drain on our stores. And was I supposed to fly her back down to the ground floor every time she needed to use the bathroom?

The wolf nuzzled her head against my leg, licking my knee, and I let out a long, loud sigh.

“I really hope you’re smart enough to be potty trained, or it’s right back to the forest,” I warned the wolf, bending down to slide my arms beneath her body and take her into my arms. She let out a little yelp of surprise, her paws scrabbling uselessly at the air for a moment, but she calmed down quickly once she realized that I had a firm grip on her.

“I think I’m going to call you Bailey,” I decided, turning around. Once I’d done a quick check to the surroundings, to make sure there was no one else in the area, I sprouted my wings and took off.

 

***

 

It was late evening when I finally reached Dimona Tower. Around mealtime from the way my stomach was complaining. That was a shame since it meant that dinner plans were likely already set. My fries would have to wait until breakfast, but I was certain they’d be worth the wait. I’d have them served with cheese, and perhaps a nice gravy. Or maybe I could have the chefs whip up some form of tomato sauce. As much as it hurt to admit, I was unlikely to stumble upon a village that produced ketchup.

Of course, not all the potatoes were for me. I wanted the majority of them to be planted in the hope that they could become a new staple for my people. But it was important to lead by example. If I wanted my fellow demons to know potatoes were safe to eat - nay, delicious to consume! - then I obviously needed to take the lead in proving that they were edible.

I kept my thoughts on fries as I flew through the uppermost window of the tower and traversed the route to my bedroom. I forced my mind to dwell on the miracle of salted starch, as I hopped atop my wonderfully luxurious mattress and set Bailey down upon the sheets. I refused to let any other thoughts enter my mind as I laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

I had to keep my mind on fries. I had to. Otherwise, my mind would race with thoughts about how the tower had held up during my absence; whether they’d panicked at my disappearance or reveled in their temporary freedom from my selfish demands. Not to mention the conversation I’d promised to have with Abigail. What must she think of me, disappearing right after I’d promised her an honest conversation?

But I wasn’t going to think about any of that. Not just yet, at least. No. I was going to think about fries. How they tasted, how they smelled. The faint crunch you might hear when your teeth broke through the crisp exterior of a freshly fried potato plank. I wasn’t going to think about Abigail. Or our upcoming conversation. Or the fact that it would likely be our last.

No matter how much I valued Abigail’s companionship, I knew I was little more than a burdensome employer to her. One who was obviously lying to her, and who disappeared for three days after she tried to confront them. I was being incredibly optimistic by hoping for a conversation at all; she might have already quit. She owed me nothing, after all. She barely knew me. No one did. I’d spent my entire life a spoiled brat that no one wanted to be around. And then I’d told myself that I was alone by choice and that my loneliness was somehow proof that I was special. That I was unique.

“What utter bullshit…” I whispered to myself, burying my face in a goose-down pillow. I knew the truth, now. I wasn’t special. I was just a selfish brat. And a very lonely one at that.

“At least I have you, girl,” I sighed, looking up from the pillow so that I could pet Bailey. Except Bailey was no longer by my side. She’d jumped off the bed, and was now sniffing at the door.

“Is someone there?” I inquired, swinging my legs off the bed and standing upright.

Bailey glanced at me, then turned her attention back to the door, letting out a low-pitched growl.

“Is someone in there?” called a familiar voice. “I thought I told everyone not to go in there! The queen went to the restroom, but she’ll be back any moment! And she’s been in a very temperamental mood, let me tell you - I would not want to see her right now if I were you.”

“So good to know your feelings on the matter,” I responded, dryly, reaching out to pull the door open. As expected, Abigail was on the other side. Less expected were the heavy bags under her eyes. “...What in the world happened to you?”

“...Devilla?” Abigail whispered, eyes widening in surprise. “You’re back!?”

“And not a moment too soon from the looks of it. I know I was gone longer than expected, but what precisely happened while I was away?”

“Happened?” Abigail echoed. Then she let out a bitter laugh. “Nothing happened, Devilla!”

“It must have been a very strenuous nothing, then,” I remarked, stepping out of the doorway so that Abigail could come inside. “Why don’t you sit on the bed with me?”

“I don’t want to sit on the bed with you, Devilla! I want to know where the hell you were! Do you have any idea what Mifa and I went through, trying to hide the fact that you were gone!? I’ve been on constant edge ever since you failed to come home!”

“Hide the fact that I was gone?” I echoed, surprised. “Was that really necessary?”

“Of course it was necessary!” Abigail screamed, storming past me and walking into the room. “The demon queen left for human lands, and never came back home. There would have been panic across the entire tower if word spread.”

“I didn’t think anyone would really miss me,” I confessed, nervously running my fingers through my hair. I’d magicked out the dye during the journey, so it was back to its original white coloring. “I’m not exactly the most popular person in the tower, after all.”

“It’s not about popularity, Devilla! You’re the demon queen! Our leader! Having your leader disappear is bad! Especially when she’s your last line of defense against a genocidal so-called heroine!”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, not entirely sure what to say. I knew Lucy wasn’t that bad, but my people didn’t. Of course they’d worry if I disappeared.

“And why is there a wolf here!?” Abigail demanded, pointing an accusing finger toward Bailey. I expected the wolf to growl at Abigail, in response, but instead, she let out a low whine and laid flat against the floor. It seemed not even a monster was willing to cross an angry Abigail.

“That… Is something of a long story. As is the reason for my absence. I promise I’ll explain everything to you, though.”

“Like I haven’t heard that before. I’m not giving you another chance to run away from me, Devilla. I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know now. Or I’m quitting.”

“...I… I want to tell you. But…”

“I’m tired of excuses,” Abigail told me, slicing her hand through the air as if cutting through my halting explanation. “I want answers, Devilla. You’ve been different ever since you cast the Rite of Insight, and I want to know why.”

“You won’t like the answer,” I warned Abigail. “I’m not sure you’ll even believe it.” Even a somewhat edited version of events would stretch incredulity, in my opinion. And even if she did believe it, there was no guarantee that she’d accept it. It didn’t mean she’d accept me.

“If I don’t like it, or I don’t believe it, then I’ll just quit. Or you can refuse to tell me, and I’ll quit anyway. So it seems to me like there’s not much difference.”

There was, though. If I didn’t tell Abigail, and she left, then she was leaving because of a decision I had made. I could comfort myself by saying it was the only choice I could have made. I could lie to myself and say that it was for the best, since in the end I’d be leaving her and everyone else behind regardless. Perhaps if I kept up the deceit long enough, I might one day forget that I never truly wanted to lose her at all.

If I told her the truth, however, and she left me anyway, there would be no hiding from reality. There would be no denying that the problem was with me. 

“...Alright,” I whispered, doing my best to meet Abigail’s pupilless gaze with my own. “I’ll tell you.” I didn’t want to lie to myself anymore. And I didn’t want to lie to Abigail either.

I told her how I had messed up the Rite of Insight and gained memories of a past life when I lived in another world. I told her about Tower of Conquest, explaining video games as best I could. I even told her how I’d once been a human, though I neglected to mention that I’d been male. I identified fully as a woman now, so the information felt both mildly embarrassing and irrelevant. 

When I was done, Abigail stared at me for a long moment before speaking. “...So you’re saying we’re all characters in a work of fiction that’s somehow also a playable game?”

“Not quite,” I denied, shaking my head. “I believe both worlds are connected, yes - but this world, and the people in it, are too real and complex to have sprung forth from a simple porn game.”

“Okay. So. We’re real. But people in your world know about us, and think we’re fake? And… You… You’re not Devilla, are you?” Abigail accused, jabbing a finger toward me.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” I countered angrily. “Of course I’m Devilla. I didn’t stop being myself simply because I gained some new memories.”

“Then why did you change so much?” Abigail demanded. “How do I know that some human from another world isn’t controlling you right now?”

“...I suppose you don’t know,” I admitted, reluctantly. “But I can at least try to explain why I changed so much.”

Abigail only raised an eyebrow in response, clearly waiting for me to go on.

“...It’s difficult to put into words,” I confessed. “For my entire life, it felt like a piece of me was missing. Like there was this vital component that everyone else had, and that I didn’t. I suppose you could call it empathy. The ability to look at other people’s problems, and realize that they’re as worthy as your own. That’s certainly part of what I was missing, but more than that, it’s… it’s as if I didn’t know how to be a person. And then suddenly I had all these memories of another life. Before, I didn’t even know what sort of person I wanted to be, but now I just… was.”

I sighed. “I suppose that makes little sense to you. But I promise you - I truly am the Devilla you know and hate.”

It was always hard to tell where Abigail’s gaze was, but at that moment I was fairly certain she was staring me in the eyes. I did my best not to break contact, staring resolutely at the center of her eyes and hoping for the best.

“...Fine. I believe you. So what’s the plan for defeating Lucy?” she asked, at last.

“Plan?” I parroted back to her. “What plan? There is no plan. Weren’t you listening? If we let things go as they’re supposed to, the humans and the demons will be able to make peace.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be dead!” Abigail countered, putting her fists on her hips.

“Or enslaved,” I added. “But I don’t intend to be anywhere near here for that to happen. The day Lucy invades, right before she can reach me, I’ll fly off faster than anyone can catch me.”

“So you’re just… going to run away?”

“What else am I supposed to do?” I asked her, sighing softly. “We might have enough manpower to fight their army - big might - but I don’t want to kill a heroine who actually wants peace for my people. If there’s a way forward where we all survive, then I want to take it.”

“Then make it happen yourself!” Abigail insisted, glaring at me. “Don’t just hope things play out like they did in some stupid game. Unite the tower under your rule, and make peace with the heroine on your own terms instead of making us all surrender!”

“How could I even do that?” I wanted to know, exasperated. “Perhaps I would have a chance with Lucy, but everyone in the tower hates me.”

“Not everyone,” Abigail informed me. “Not me. And I don’t think Mifa exactly despises you either. So, hey, you’ve already got a good start.”

“...You really think I can get everyone behind me to form an alliance? Within a year?”

“I don’t know, but it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Abigail insisted. “...Do you really think you can get the heroine to broker peace with us?”

“I think so. I’ll have to feel out the waters when I meet her next week…”

“Excuse me!?” Abigail all but screeched, stepping toward me. “What exactly happened while you were gone!?”

“...It seems we still have more to talk about,” I said with a sigh. “But perhaps we could discuss the rest of this over dinner?”

From the exasperated look Abigail was giving me, I could already tell it was going to be a long evening.

 

***

I all but collapsed into bed after dinner was done, full but exhausted. Abigail had wrung me for every bit of info she could get during the meal. Every detail about the heroine, in particular. As if she were the one responsible for brokering peace. Then again, I couldn’t really blame her for being interested. No demon had ever gotten to know a heroine before.

I’d gotten through it all, in any case. And now I could simply lay on the bed. There was only one thing missing, really, before I could tuck into sleep. “Bailey!” I called. “Get on the bed.”

I didn’t need to look up from my pillow to know the wolf had responded. I could feel the weight shift when she jumped aboard the mattress and padded over to me. Soon she was laying next to me, her body pressed lightly against mine, and I was drifting off to sleep.

I don’t remember what I dreamed about. Something warm, I think. Involving flowers, perhaps. It didn’t seem very important when I woke up. But then, little would have considering what I woke up to.

The horned wolf was gone. In her place, laying against my body, was a woman, about my own age. She was skinny and looked like she’d been chronically underfed. She had a bushy tail, pitch-black like the hair that ran down to her waist, and two furry ears sat upon her head. I’d never seen her before in my life, but I still knew exactly who she was.

I could tell thanks to the blood-red horn protruding from her forehead.

“Bailey…?”