“What did you find, Galizur?” Hazelmere asked.

“I’ve found it! I did!”

“Ok, but what?” Mizette joined Hazelmere in asking.

Galizur let out a long sigh of relief before explaining.

“I have found the mark of a demon. These are the demons, there is no mistake about it.”

“Where is the mark? Because I can’t see it anywhere.”

“Here!” Galizur placed his index finger on one of the creatures in the book.

“What, a leg? We have legs too, Galizur.”

“No, not the leg itself! What do you see on it?”

“Hmm …” Mizette got her head closer, squinting her eyes, “the … the hair?”

“Yes! It’s the body hair!”

“Is body hair the mark of a demon?” Hazelmere wondered.

“Maybe we should have asked Moana to come here? Her insight could be useful,” Cybil said.

“You know she likes isolation, and we don’t need her with Galizur nearby,” Mizette retorted, “an angel certainly knows more about the demons than a priestess. Besides, she needs rest.”

“I didn’t get my response. Is body hair the mark of a demon?” Hazelmere asked again.

“It can be,” Galizur responded.

“But … wouldn’t that mean that we are the demons too?” Hazelmere’s voice became very shy.

“No, that is not … it is more complicated than that. You have the other parts that mark you as the people, like wolf ears and tails.”

“The dwarves don’t have them, and they are the hairiest people in the world,” Cybil pointed out.

“Let me explain. Can I?”

“Go ahead.”

“Usually, it is very easy to recognize a demon. Horns, devilish tails, bat-like wings, claws and fangs, tentacles, these are all demonic marks, and most demons have several of them. There are also a few lesser-known marks, like the body hair. But, different demonic races have different combinations of those. Some may not have fangs, others may not have wings, and so on. However, there is one race of demons that is different. This race has only a single demonic mark, and for a good reason.”

“And what reason would that be?”

“To blend among the people easily. This race loves meddling in the mortals’ affairs and is the most prosperous when it has the other races to feed off.”

“I thought all the demonic races do that. Isn’t that why they are constantly trying to conquer us?”

“All the other demonic races want to conquer and dominate the mortals, but this race is different. This race lacks the physical strength most other demons possess, so they are very rare in the demonic armies. They mostly support them from behind and never fight on the front lines. However, just because they aren’t as strong as their brethren, that doesn’t mean they are any less dangerous, quite the contrary. To survive in hell, they had to develop some special skills. That is why these demons are the most cunning and deceitful creatures you can ever come across. Unlike the other demons, these value the intelligence and wisdom far more than the strength.”

Mizette chuckled: “Now, that is funny! I have never heard of such a demon.”

“Oh, you certainly did. Have you ever heard of vampires?”

The smile disappeared from Mizette’s lips immediately: “Yes, I have.”

“There is a good reason for why they can seduce the mortals so easily. They are just one clan of this demonic race. I have told you that these demons have only a single demonic mark on them. The vampires have fangs, while everything else about them is perfect. And that is so they can walk among the mortals unnoticed. They find the possibility of being discovered exhilarating, a strange and perverted pleasure like many other demonic pleasures.”

“Aren’t the vampires undead?” Cybil asked.

“Yes, they are. But that is not how they came to be. They used to be regular, living demons. But, as I have said, this demonic race values intelligence and knowledge the most. So, while experimenting with magic, they found a way to become immortal by becoming undead. Well, partially undead, since they have managed to retain some mortal traits.”

“And will you finally tell us what this demonic race is called?” The irritation in Mizette’s voice left no doubt that her patience was wearing thin.

“They are cubus demons.”

“Cubus?” Mizette’s face twisted in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Like … succubus?”

“That is how their females are called, while their males are called incubus.”

“Like … sex demons?”

“That is not what they truly are, but the mortals do call them like that. Lust is just one of the many tools at their disposal. But it is the reason why they have only a single demonic mark on their bodies. To make them more attractive to the people, so they would have a much harder time refusing their suggestions. And, that is what makes them different from you. Yes, most mortal races do have body hair, just like these demons do. But, you also have some other imperfections that mark you as the people. These demons don’t. Everything else about them looks divine. Well, depending on the clan. This clan has body hair, the vampires have fangs, others have horns, and so on. Although … I must admit this demonic mark is the most deceitful out of all that I have ever seen.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you look at the females presented here,” Galizur pointed at the page, “it appears as if they don’t have body hair at all. The males do, but the females don’t. I doubt that is the case, I think they just got rid of it. You mortals have several ways of doing so, so it is only reasonable to assume these demons can rid themselves of their body hair too.”

“They do have some of it near the genitals,” Hazelmere pointed out.

“Indeed, they do,” Galizur agreed.

“Are there any more of them?” Mizette asked, “Flip the pages a bit. There may be more in the back.

“Oh, there are. But they are all similar. Their colors are the only real difference.”

“And some facial features, but that is it. None of these look like a different race. Flip the pages some more,” Mizette insisted.

“No, that is all of them. There are no more people here. I mean, demons! All we have are these different ethnicities of the same variety.”

“Is it possible there is only one race living out there?” Hazelmere wondered.

“Maybe they are only showing us what we want to see?” Natle said, “Maybe they want us to get a favorable opinion of them and let them in. I bet that is also why there are all those colorful sights in this book, even though we can see their world is a frozen hellscape.”

“That would make sense,” Galizur agreed, “if cubus demons are involved, there has to be some trickery involved too. Although, I would still expect the other demonic races to march through the portal.”

“You said these cubus demons are manipulative. Maybe they have manipulated their way to the top of the hierarchy? Maybe they are preventing the others from attacking?” Cybil offered.

“That is possible. And, truth be told, cubus don’t appreciate the extermination of other races. After all, you can’t manipulate or seduce the dead. If what you have said truly is the case, it would make sense for them to try a peaceful approach.”

“That almost sounds … good?” Mizette’s face developed a questioning frown.

To which Galizur responded solemnly: “Whatever is the case, this will either go much better than our last contact with the demons or much worse. The fact that they have given us this many books is encouraging, but maybe they are only trying to get our guard down. Having to deal with the cubus demons makes everything unpredictable. Which is why all the races of Greadinall must work together!”

“Of course!” Hazelmere’s response was very enthusiastic.

“It is imperative that your Emperor realizes just how dangerous the situation is! He must allow the other races to join us! The cubus demons are famous for turning the people against each other, and if your Empire decides to engage with them on its own, there is a very real possibility that the demons will turn it against the rest of Greadinall! We must not allow that!”

“What?” That caught Hazelmere by surprise.

Galizur approached her, grabbing her shoulders firmly and looking her straight in the eyes.

“You must go to the palace as soon as you get well! You must convince the Emperor to cooperate with the rest of the continent! You must warn him of the cubus demons! You must tell him they look like the regular people, these ones especially! However, there is nothing regular about them! They are as devilish as any other demonic race! You must warn him not to believe in anything they might say!”

“Slow down, Galizur! What has gotten into you?” Mizette said as she landed her hand on his left shoulder.

“That explains why they aren’t attacking! They know there are other races in this world. They have seen other worlds similar to ours! They have shown it to us in that book! That is why they are sending books! They are trying to manipulate your Emperor into siding with them!”

“Slow down, Galizur!” Mizette repeated herself, “They haven’t told us anything yet! They may attack us tomorrow for all we know!”

“No, they won’t! They won’t attack you!”

“Then, why are you so upset? I have never expected to see an angel acting like this.”

“I’m …” Galizur closed his eyes, exhaling slowly, “I am just starting to realize what this is all about. They won’t attack now. They will do it later, once they have your Empire on their side. They will act peacefully with you so they could manipulate your nobles. And once they succeed, they will start spreading their tentacles all over Greadinall. They will be peaceful as long as they can get what they want through manipulation. As soon as that fails, they will attack. That is what the cubus demons would do.”

“Have you had some experience with them before?”

“No, but that is how a smart demon would act. And there is no doubt that the demons on the other side are quite intelligent. You have said it yourself, they are acting in a very academic way. They know what they are doing.”

“And what would they want from us?” Hazelmere asked.

“The same all demons do, they want to dominate. That is the single most important rule in hell, and I don’t believe the frozen hell is different. But, the cubus demons have much more tools at their disposal besides an old-fashioned conquest.”

“But, do we know the cubus demons are truly the ones in charge?” Cybil wondered.

“You are the one who has proposed that!” Mizette raised her voice in annoyance.

“Proposed, not claimed. Yes, they are showing us what we want to see, there is no doubt about that. They haven’t shown us any horrific aspects of hell. Maybe that is why only the cubus demons are shown in the book? Maybe they think showing the other races dwelling there would scare us? If they have dealt with the other worlds before, they have already seen the response the people have when they see them. Maybe the cubus demons aren’t in charge, but are merely the diplomats?”

“That would imply quite the consideration on the part of their leadership, and only the cubus demons would be crafty enough …”

Galizur stopped mid-sentence, staring at the empty space for a while. Nobody dared to interrupt him.

“Hmm … maybe I was overthinking it. You may be right again, Cybil. After all, the demons are ruled by the devils, and the devils are much more intelligent than the demons. It would make sense for a devil to use such a strategy. But, that is irrelevant to the problem we are facing. The fact remains that the cubus demons are out there, and they can manipulate your nobles into doing their bidding. That is why your Emperor must let the other races join us here! Hazelmere, please, as soon as you get better, seek an audience with the Emperor and explain the situation to him. He must realize he will be the main target for the demons and that he will need the help of all the other races to protect his sanity.”

“That sounds scary, until you realize they can’t take a single step into our world,” Cybil pointed out.

“There is no doubt in my mind that they will eventually find a way,” Galizur retorted.

“Can’t someone go instead of Hazelmere?” Mizette asked, “Who knows how long it will take for her to recover completely.”

“It will take her two weeks to get her strength back and another week to get well enough to travel,” Natle responded.

“I am not sure the Emperor will take anyone but the royal archmage seriously, which is why Hazelmere has to go. I will go right away, to notify the heavens about this,” Galizur said as he started moving towards the exit, “I will be back as soon as we conclude what our next course of action is, and let you know.”

“Thanks, Galizur!” Hazelmere said in a somewhat cheerful voice.

“Get well soon,” he gave her another one of his genuine smiles before leaving. Although, it was darkened by the apparent worry this time.