You never truly appreciate something until it’s gone. For me, it was the simple luxuries of Earth: showers, toilets, air conditioning. These were only the beginning of the many things I wished to incorporate into this world, but I had to start somewhere. I had seen some of these applications present; however, that would require contact with a guild, and that was something I was deeply opposed to doing. Hell, I already had a tracker around my neck.

The idea of returning to the inn, and supervising everything in a much more comforting setting, was enticing. Unfortunately, I could not afford to do so. Besides leaving the villagers unprotected, I would also be entrusting them with both the activated charcoal and its products. A shudder ran through my body at the thought of being found out.

I sighed, thinking of the mountain of work in front of me. First and foremost, we desperately needed a water source, a fresh one. Up until now, the children had been drawing water from a nearby well. And not only was it extremely inefficient, but also nigh impossible to facilitate any of my humble dreams. So, establishing my link with the earth, I scoured the nearby fields.

Nothing initially stood out until I found some part of the land missing – a hollow 100ft cylinder extending downwards from the surface. Below it was a similarly empty tunnel, though narrower and much more irregular. It traveled further down, twisting and turning until it finally reached a seemingly void bottomless space. Instead of sharing the well with our neighbor, I decided on heading directly for the source. But to do so, I had to dig for at least 2000ft which would be incredibly difficult to do by myself.

The third and final room of the house was no different than the rest, with a single window, and lacking a door. It was the only one currently unoccupied and empty, except for a large sofa that I would rather not remember its cost. It was my safe space – a neutral ground, untouched by either faction. The last couple of days had been exhausting. The tension between the two girls kept rising. Valeriana would flaunt our relationship whenever Isanani was there, taunting her. The latter, in turn, was getting bolder with her advances.

And speaking of the devil, she was here.

The Arachne was in disguise. She strolled into the room – swaying her hips swaying, seductively. Noticing my gaze on her, she grinned. With reinvigorated confidence, she sat next to me, her body glued to mine and breasts resting on my arm. Looking up at me, she smiled and spoke in a sweet tone, “Are we starting, Eddy?”

“Yeah.” I held in my sigh. “I just need a moment.”

“Come on!” Isanani pouted. She took my arm, tightly clasping it in between her chest. “Let’s do it already!”

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of her scent by accident. Exhaling slowly, I did my best at ignoring the soft sensations around my held arm, as well as the growing stiffness below. Goddammit, something had to be done before I went mad. I repeated the same breathing exercise until my head was clear.

Moaning marked the beginning of the expedition. The ample mana supply made it easy to relocate the underground cavern. I encroached on the enormous pouch of fluid, molding stone and pushing it into the surroundings. A giant hand – still connected to the ceiling – dove down, scooping in whatever there was and folding onto itself, trapping the contents inside. I was careful in keeping the ball tightly shut. Water was not the only fluid found underneath the earth. It could be something benign like air or more nefarious like methane. Either way, I wasn’t planning on finding out up close. I managed to lift the sample halfway through when an odd sensation broke away my concentration.

Isanani was back to her natural appearance. Her clothes were a size too small now, displaying most of her chocolate-colored skin and leaving little of her modesty uncovered. Smiling wryly to herself, she had her hand on my chest and was moving it dangerously low.

I held her elbow before she reached her target – putting an end to her venture. The Arachne flinched. I watched silently as a frown began to form on her face. 

Her hands balled into fists, and her shoulders shook furiously. She jumped, using her four extra limbs, and landed on top of me. The black appendages moved again, clasping around my back – locking me in place. She folded her arms around my neck. Our faces were a mere inches apart. “Why won’t you fuck me?” Her eyes were locked with mine, showing a multitude of emotions I could not understand.

“Is it because I look like this?” Her gaze flickered down. “Is it because I’m small?” Tears welled up in her eyes. Her voice was hoarser, cracking at every word. “I can make them bigger for you; I can be anything you want me to be.”

I could feel her hot breath against my face. Her trembling lips asking to be caught, soothed by my own. I found myself mesmerized, enchanted by the two crimson orbs staring at me. I truly wondered if I was under some kind of spell, but I felt no touch on my mind. I extended my arms, going around her waist. “You’re not small,” I said, leaning forward. Each hand cupped one of her cheeks, and my fingers dug into her flesh. She was not as firm as Valeriana.

Isanani sucked in a sharp breath, arching her back slightly. Surprise dawned on her face, though only for a moment. A wide smile soon took its place. She moved in closer, our noses touching.

Yet despite all of this, none of it felt genuine. Her smiles never reached her ears. Her mood changed on demand. There was always a mask worn. Deception was supposed to be her expertise, but she had been relying too heavily on her power, as well as the fact that others were too busy looking elsewhere to notice the obvious signs. And once these two were gone, there wasn’t much else left.

The Arachne tightened her hold around my neck. She puckered her lips and moved – looking for my own. A condescending glint flashed in her eyes. Though it was instantly disappeared, it was enough to confirm my suspicions.

I pulled away before our lips met. “I do not trust you.” Her brows crossed in confusion. I removed my arms, placing them by my side. “This will stop today.”

If looks could kill, I would not be among the living. The Arachne’s face twisted into a snarl. Her hold on me tightened. The only thing keeping me alive right now was the restrictions of the seal. Fuming, she gritted her teeth. a few words escaping – laced with spite – “Listen here you-”

“Stop.”

She froze, unmoving. Her eyes, however, continued to bore holes into me.

“It has nothing to do with how you look, and I think you already know that. I don’t mind continuing to work with you.” Frustration was leaking into my voice. “You’ll help me, and I’ll help you. You got yourself into this situation no one else did.” I matched her glare with my own. “And you should remember: you hold no power over me.”

She did not back down, and neither did I. We remained for a good minute doing nothing but intensely staring at each other until I eventually put an end to it.

“Get off me,” I ordered, and she unwillingly obeyed. I was a few steps away from the door when Valeriana appeared. She glanced around, her eyes eventually falling onto the crumbling demon. Smirking, she approached me, not breaking her gaze from the Arachne. Her arms flew up, trying to circle around me, but I stopped her.

“No. I’m tired of these games.”

She turned to me, confused. It was the first time she had looked at me since she had entered.

“If you want to piss her off, go ahead. Just leave me out of this.” And with that, I was out. Valeriana called out to me, but I did not look back. I spent the rest of the day in the old shack in the company of my books. I’d occasionally move the mysterious bubble up and wait for my mana to regenerate. By nightfall, I had managed to raise it above the ground, far away from myself and anyone else.

It was water.

Two eyes shone in the dark, violet, like the brightest of gems. Darkness was his long-lived companion. He did not require its absence to see, nor did he ever wish for it to leave, yet it would abandon him all the same. He would often cry, hide until its return. But now… now he knew; darkness was not his friend. It was nothing at all – simply the lacking of light. The word was new to him, like many others. He didn’t know how long he had been this way. There was no way he could tell the time, no day or night. This knowledge was a symptom of whatever ailed him. He could clearly recall when it started.

The day was no different than any other. He was amongst his kin, naked, cold, and hungry, and – same as the rest – he could not think. There was no voice talking in his head. Life was far simpler back then, but fate did not see it fit to continue as such. It cursed him. He’d often get headaches and alongside them, information. He knew the roughness beneath his feet was stone. The cold black smooth lines – with gapes too small for him to pass through – were metal. He knew he was in a cage. He had always been in one.

Adding to his suffering, he was plagued with memories. He could not forget, no matter how desperately he wanted to. He could remember as far as his birth, his mother’s heartbeat, calm and steady, even as he slipped in between her legs. That was all he knew of her. He had not seen her, nor had she uttered a single sound as she brought him into this world.

Footsteps echoed in the distance, rustling his brothers awake. They stood up and held onto the iron bars, their hands too small to fully grasp them. He looked no different than the rest – silver hair, dark skin, and two pointed ears. The closer the tapping got, and they howled in anticipation. He used to join in at first, even after he was cursed. Yet, he could not muster the will to do it, not anymore.

The cheers grew louder and louder, reaching their peak when the tapping stopped and quickly dying down afterward. They had learned continuing any further would get them punished and spend the day on an empty stomach. Two figures stood on the other side, wearing white. They were much bigger than him and almost three times as tall. Their skin was lighter than his and their hair darker, but their ears were the same. He had often wondered if he could change his colors, would he stand with them?

One of the two had a tiny ball hovering over his shoulder and glowing a soft red. Their arrival would always cast his friend away, but the display was enough to keep his mind off of it. It would enthrall him – and, of course, his siblings – none were able to tear their eyes away.

“Look, Jared, it’s the little freak.” The light-less one would often call him that. At first, he would point at him and speak. The sounds leaving his mouth made no sense to his ears, but unfortunately, that was true for long.

“They’re all freaks, Garry. They’re demons.”

“But look at his eyes! He’s looking right at me. Look!”

Jared rolled his eyes. “You said that about one of the vampires too. And the snakes.”

“But it's true!” Garry exclaimed, spreading his arms. “Just look at its eyes!”

This wasn’t the first time Garry had done this. He learned to keep his eyes unfocused – to hide the spark of intelligence he had – but nothing would please Garry. Looking at him would raise his suspicions; not looking at him would do the same. He resigned to doing the only thing he could: nothing.

Jared slumped his shoulders and sighed. “Go get the slaves, Garry. I can’t do this again. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”

Garry glared at him for a moment and turned around, muttering to himself. He came back later with three shorter figures, all covered from head to toe in black, dragging a bundle of cloth behind them. They walked to the far end of the cage – away from where he could see – and flipped the massive heap upside down. The three would drag it again, all the way to the other end, leaving a trail behind. He, and his brethren, would put their arms through the gaps and grab whatever they could. It was either green and fuzzy or brown and black, but it was always tasteless. He used to look forward to his meals as they would dull the buzzing of his thoughts. Lately, though, they had been ineffective.