I finished eating the tray of food that

Jessica made for me. And you know what —

why is she even here? Didn't I give her

the day off? I looked at my presents

touching the highest point of the ceiling

and my heart felt heavy because all of

this is too much. I didn't have much

growing up. It was just becoming an adult

immediately and earning my keep.

"Can I really accept all of this?"

Jessica peeked her head out from the

kitchen door and saw me sulking on the

sofa. She smiled and her eyes turned soft.

"What's wrong Princess? You don't want

me here?" I jolted in my seat and turned

my body around, holding the back of the

sofa with my knees on the cushions. "I

never said that. I just really wanted to

ask why you're here when I gave you the

day off." She tilted her head and put her

index finger on her chin with her eyes

toward the ceiling, then snapped her

fingers and smiled at me innocently.

"Your father invited me to work as your

personal maid and make sure everything

goes well today."

I gripped the sofa. My father's movements

were getting scary fast. I stared at her

and something told me he hired her for

more than one reason. I looked her over

carefully this time and her face shifted

into confusion as my eyes moved across

her maid uniform. Then I noticed it —

something sharp poking out from the side

of her skirt. My eyes moved back to hers

with a dull expression. "So you're not

going to tell me you know how to protect

yourself? Am I the only one who still has

a hard time fighting?"

Jessica giggled and walked toward me as

the kitchen door swung shut behind her.

"Now now. Don't worry Princess — another

reason your father hired me is to help

you train over the next two years." I

looked at her confused. She knew something

I didn't but she didn't say a word.

She just stood there waiting for me to

catch up. Then it hit me.

"Ragalia?"

Jessica smiled and reached down, picking

me up from the sofa with both arms. Strong

arms. Shockingly strong arms. Like — damn

girl. Talk about an illusionist.

She hugged me so tight that her chest

started to suffocate me. "Jessi-ca.

I — Can't — Breathe!" She ignored me

completely, her face flushed as her grip

somehow got even stronger. "You're so good

to me Princess Sophia! You deserve

the world!"

The kitchen door opened and my father

stepped through it, taking one look at me

reaching out toward him for dear life

before bringing his fist gently to his lips.

"Ahem."

My father looked at me with kind eyes

like his whole personality had shifted

for just a moment. I felt Jessica's pulse

race beside me as if a shot of fear went

straight through her body. "M-m-my king…

I was just letting Princess Sophia know

how much she means to me." My eyes went

wide. I had read the room completely wrong.

The relationship between them was something

else entirely.

Jessica placed me back on my feet and

quickly fixed my clothes, rubbing a little

of her makeup off my cheek. "I'm sorry

Princess, I just got ahead of myself.

Now let's go—" My father moved closer

and I felt his presence press down on my

shoulders — not enough to hurt, just enough

to remind the room who he was. Jessica

trembled slightly. I stayed steady. I guess

being his daughter came with its perks.

"Your party is starting. Let's go, Darling."

Before I could say a word he picked me up

and held me close to his chest.

"Guah~"

I looked confused — genuinely confused,

like a kid who had no idea what was

happening around her. And honestly I was

clueless. Malphas was never this warm with

me but ever since the change he had been

different. Praising me. Watching over me.

Showing up like this. He adjusted me in

his arms and sat me on his bicep, my back

resting against his chest. "Today you are

allowed to stay in your comfortable clothes.

You deserve it."

He turned his eyes toward Jessica and her

shoulders jolted just from his gaze landing

on her. "While we walk make sure to add

some makeup to her face. Just to hide those

bags under her eyes." She followed behind

us and I felt that one land like a sting.

As we walked down the hallway I could

already hear voices drifting up from the

yard — conversations overlapping and

children my age screaming with excitement

like there was a circus waiting just

outside the door.

We passed the family pictures lining the

wall and I stopped on one without meaning to.

My father holding me as a baby. "When

did these get here?" My face flushed as

something strange moved through me — like

memories that didn't belong to me were

slowly becoming mine. The real Sophia's

memories bleeding into my own without

permission. Tears came down my cheeks

before I could stop them.

Malphas looked genuinely shocked. He

reached into his chest pocket and handed

me a handkerchief without a word. "You

remember it now? The real Sophia's memories

are becoming yours." My heart twisted with

the weight of it. Like something sacred

was being rewritten inside me. Her memories

becoming mine. Mine becoming hers. A taboo

I couldn't stop even if I wanted to.

"I am remembering it all now."

He smiled like this was always part of

the plan. His eyes shifted to something

just beside me and I turned to catch it —

a glimpse of a ledger that wasn't mine.

Red and black. Crimson like a live message

being relayed directly to him.

[Message from the Evil Goddess —

Sophia Demonization —]

Before I could read another word he gently

grabbed my chin and guided me toward the

door where my mother was already opening.

Aunt Sera stood to the side with

Madina, both of them waiting quietly.

"Let's enjoy this day shall we, my darling

daughter. You deserve it all and more."

I looked up and my eyes went wide.

The yard was gone.

What stood in its place was something that

didn't have a name yet in the demon world —

but in my old life I would have called it

exactly what it was. An amusement park.

A massive bouncy castle sat near the

entrance, its purple and black walls

catching the winter light. Beside it a

carousel spun slowly, decorated with demon

creatures carved into each post instead

of horses — each one painted in deep jewel

tones that caught the light like stained

glass. A roller coaster cut through the

far end of the yard, its track looping

high enough that the first drop disappeared

into the light snowfall still drifting from

the sky. Goat carts lined a cobblestone

path that wound through vendor booths

selling food, games, and things I didn't

even have names for yet. Music floated

through all of it — not too loud, just

enough to make the air feel alive.

The fences were gone. My father had opened

the entire grounds, every wall that usually

kept the outside world out pulled back so

the celebration could breathe. Children ran

between everything screaming with joy, their

demon horns and tails catching the light as

they moved. Demon families filled every

corner of the space and laughter was

everywhere. Light snow kept falling over

all of it like the sky decided to be gentle

today.

I sat on my father's bicep and just stared

at it. All of it. For me.

My father walked us over toward the food

stands where burgers, hot dogs, and

everything you could name from human culture

to demon culture was laid out across the

tables. "Let's do your birthday cake first

before you run off and have fun. It seems

like you can't contain yourself." He looked

at my face and saw exactly what I was doing.

Staring at everything. All the rides. All

the noise. All the things I never had in

my other life because it was always work,

work, work and reading a damn — what was

I even reading? My brain slipped for just

a second and I couldn't catch it.

My body wanted to run and scream like an

11 year old girl who had never been allowed

to just enjoy being alive.

"Dad… I wanna play."

The words came out softer than I meant

them to. More honest than I was ready for.

Malphas smiled and held me closer with his

other arm, glancing toward his servants

with one clean snap of his fingers. "Bring

it out." They moved immediately toward the

makeshift storage house at the edge of the

yard, rolling out a large utility cart

covered with a cloth.

"What are they doing, Dad?"

Something was happening inside me without

warning. A feeling I couldn't name pushing

up through my chest — excitement, adrenaline,

the urge to jump and run and scream. The

real Sophia waking up somewhere underneath

me and pulling at everything I thought I

had under control. I started squirming in

his arms, throwing the smallest most

embarrassing tantrum I had ever thrown in

either of my lives, trying to jump down

and run toward the rides before the cake

even arrived.

"Dad — Dad come on—"

FWOOM

FWOOM

My father looked up toward the sky with

a calm satisfied smile.

"Ah. He finally made it."

I looked up and saw Scorin dropping from

the sky holding two large purple sacks

with the initial S on them. My heart sank

into my stomach so hard it felt like a

baseball. "He sure came prepared for you

darling." I pushed my father's face with

both hands trying to make him pay for

embarrassing me and he laughed while

letting me push his cheek in.

The servants came out carrying a huge

purple and black cake with Happy 11th

Birthday Sophia written across the top,

sparklers already lit and crackling in

the cold air. My mother stepped in and

lifted me out of my father's arms, setting

me on my own two feet. "Okay you had your

fun honey, let her enjoy herself already."

Malphas closed his eyes and gave me a

single nod of approval. I didn't think

twice. I took off toward the cake just

as Scorin landed beside it. He placed

the bags on the ground and reached out

toward me with a smile that looked

innocent on the surface but had something

dangerous sitting quietly behind it. I

grabbed his hand and turned to face the

cake. The hand that had probably ended

a life somewhere in the human kingdom

just hours before. But right now that

wasn't my world.

Right now this was my time.

"Okay — I'm going to blow out the candles

and then we are going to have fun!"

Scorin glanced over at the mountain of

presents with concern. "You sure you don't

want to open presents first?" I shook my

head as they lit the candles and cameras

began flashing around me like I was a

movie star. I closed my eyes.

Under a tree at the edge of the yard —

one placed specifically for cover and

radiating heat like a standing furnace —

my father stood beside my mother watching

quietly. Lysandra held a glass of

aetherplum wine, her eyes never leaving me.

"You think she is going to be fine,

Lysandra?" Lysandra took a slow sip

before she answered. "Right now… let her

be 11 years old for once honey. For me."

Draxx, Riku, and their fiancées arrived

through the entrance with presents in hand,

their mothers coming in behind them. They

all settled into the celebration, talking

and smiling while watching me stand in

front of that cake with my eyes closed

and Scorin's hand in mine.

I blew out the candles.

"Let's go!"

Scorin let go of everything he had been

carrying since last night — the weight,

the blood, the silence of that apartment —

and just ran with me toward the roller

coaster, both of us disappearing into

the noise and the laughter and the light

snow still falling over everything.

Noxx came barreling through the entrance

of the amusement park like he owned it,

his purple ribbon still tied around his

neck and his paws hitting the cobblestone

path without slowing down once.

And on top of his head — standing with

both arms out like she was riding a

surfboard — was Nira.

Her black hair whipped behind her. Her

porcelain white skin caught the winter

light and her purple eyes went wide as

she took in everything around her all

at once — the carousel, the roller

coaster, the vendor booths, the children

screaming, the snow falling over all of it.

Her mouth dropped open.

Then the biggest most uncharacteristic

smile spread across her face.

"Oh. Oh this is MINE now."

Noxx didn't stop. He ran straight into

the crowd and disappeared into the noise

and the lights and the chaos of the

amusement park with Nira still standing

on top of his head laughing like she

hadn't laughed in centuries.

Because she probably hadn't.

Malphas took a slow sip of the coffee

Jessica had made for him and looked down

at his own Ledger — the one connected

to him and the evil goddess alone.

[Sophia Demonization — 100% Complete.

Two years until Ragalia returns.]

He closed it without a word.

"She will be fine. Just know I'm here

too now, old man."

Malphas didn't turn around right away.

He already knew Belzagus was there. His

smile turned crude for just a moment

before he spoke. "I know you are." He

took another slow sip of his coffee and

kept his eyes on the horizon. "You built

this world after all. The least I can do

is keep it standing while you're in it."

Belzagus didn't respond to that. Neither

of them needed to say anything more.

Malphas lifted his eyes toward the horizon —

somewhere far beyond the celebration and

the demon kingdom's borders he could feel Ragalia.

He couldn't see exactly what he was doing but he knew.

The way you know

a storm is coming before the sky changes

color. He was training. And he was coming

back.

Behind them both, across the yard, Sophia

was already on the roller coaster screaming

with Scorin beside her, her silver hair

catching the winter light as the track

pulled them up toward the first drop.

Malphas watched her go. His crude smile

softened into something that didn't have

a name.

"Two years," he said quietly. "Enjoy it

while it lasts, my darling."

Deep inside the Beast Kingdom a massive

dungeon sat in silence except for the

sound of chewing. Ragalia was perched on

a mountain of corpse monsters, body covered

in blood, tearing into cooked monster meat

with his bare hands. A photo of Sophia was

pinned to the stone wall in front of him.

He chewed slowly, stared at it, then spat

a piece of meat straight at her face in

the picture.

"I'll see you in two years."