Demon continent Alsace in the year 295 in the 1 month Urdum on the 10 day after the shattering of the empire

For ten days since the New Year's celebration, they were already in Enez, the largest front city in the hands of the loyalists and one of the first cities in a long time that he could explore. What he had sensed as they approached was that, like every city, Enez was drowning in a sea of brown arcane energy. This was a difference between the fortresses along the front and cities. Cities were always submerged in a sea of brown arcane energy, whereas fortresses were not. It had to be because there were Arcane users in them, who were Active Arcane Energy users. Whereas the inhabitants of cities only consumed it and expelled it impurely, which then mixed it with others and resulted in this brown soup.

Today he was alone without Agenor and his friends, also his group of friends was not with him. They were all supposed to be helping him put away small things for their departure tomorrow, but he wanted to explore the city without anyone stopping him or drawing attention to themselves.

With him, no one would suspect that he was a four-year-old girl, as he looked more like a six-year-old boy. Which was a little less suspicious than the other way around, at least he hoped, and from the surface thoughts, he perceived that was the case.

He had gotten into the habit of doing this all the time after an incident last year when he had run into child catchers. Which had chased him and the others through half the city. It didn't seem to matter to them that they were all Cirkati, which was the first time such a thing had happened to him. After all, sometimes noble or wealthy merchants came to them in the camp of the Cirkati and wanted to buy one of the children or even an adult Cirkati. Which the latter promptly refused, which did not stop the other party from continuing to negotiate.

These were some of the reasons why he had to be careful, but he was pretty sure that he had nothing to fear.

Thus, he roamed the various streets of Enez from one small street to the next, from cul-de-sac to cul-de-sac, from one market to the next. Marveled at the new goods and exotic products, which he had never seen before. Bought something here and there from a food stall and walked on while chewing on skewers. He watched street performers as they enchanted or strafed their audiences. Thus passed a whole day, which he spent only looking at the city and the culture of the demons more closely, something he had not been able to do in smaller cities or the festivals of recent years.

The sun rose higher and higher on its trek over the horizon as he delved deeper and deeper into the city, exploring its secrets. He found, for example, no cemetery, but only a temple of Yasamaq, in which the bodies of the demons were burned. Something he knew only from wars when there was no time to bury the fallen decently. These demons seemed to see differently, they seemed to burn everyone, regardless of their social status in society. It was all in all a disconcerting experience for him and he didn't know exactly how to deal with it.

Another thing in which cities differed from each other was that, although they were in the land of a nobleman in the case of the demons, they governed themselves, by a city council. He knew the concept of city councils from the free imperial cities of the empire, even though it was practiced differently there.

Around noon, as he was walking along an avenue in the wealthier part of the city, with its cafes shaded by trees, he was almost knocked down by an elderly demon. This, despite the fact that he especially avoided him, something that makes him suspicious. The crack of a demon reaching three meters caught himself again with his tail and prevented so that he landed on the ground. He had caught himself similarly quickly and so the two faced each other. A large man staring down at a small figure, and vice versa.

"I guess I owe you an apology little Cirkati." A broad smile on his features. In front of him stood a fiery red giant of a demon with two black horns protruding from his forehead. "I should have been more careful, I don't want to crush you." He laughed at his own joke, with a deep laugh that shook his whole body. "But tell me little one, what are you doing here so far from your home?" He asked, after recovering from his laughter.

"Exploring, I'm exploring the city. Lord." Trying his best to answer so as not to anger the most powerful demon he has encountered so far.

"Lord?" Another laugh shook his body. "Is it that clear to see? I didn't think such a little Cirkati girl, would already know how to recognize that." It amazed him that he had seen through his camouflage so well. Cautiously, he set about peering into the mind of his counterpart, always on guard for possible danger and careful to make it inconspicuous. The ghost looked familiar, only he didn't know where he had seen it before. But that didn't matter, since he wouldn't be able to get into its mind without a lot of effort, one of the few demons he had ever seen with such defenses. If he had more time and was not in the body of a child, he would have tried it, but so he refrained.

"Yes, it is your clothes, Lord." Answered he meanwhile to the answer of his counterpart, so that he could look him in the face, he had to put his head in the neck.

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Abraxas looked at the little Cirkati girl in front of him, who had such a resemblance to Minerva and yet was not her. The way she stood there looking like a boy, not a bad idea when he thought back to the reports from just a few months ago when she and a group of friends almost fell into the clutches of child catchers. He had read every report he had received about her. Like the one about her sister, after all, he wanted to keep an eye on them both while he was preparing everything. The Cirkati would also benefit once the old traditions were restored and the demons were once again ruled by the lineage of the gods.

"Exploring, you say. And already found something exciting." He had provided Theodora with the most powerful souls he could muster. He just didn't know yet which soul inhabited which body. That he couldn't FEEL any improvement in her core suggested that it didn't have the potential he had initially thought it had. Somewhat disappointingly, should she blossom later, he could still lead her back to her family, otherwise he would have to verify that she had the soul of Caleb of Basilisk. The incidents with the followers of Meinoume, who turned to stone, allowed the assumption, also he had made the experience that human souls are not born as full-fledged demons. Which was still no loss to him since she was still valuable to him then, after all, she had Titan blood in her thanks to the artifact of Ken.

The girl shrugged indecisively and looked at him with wide eyes. Something that displeased him. How could such a potent soul not succeed in these lives as well? Why was this girl looking at him like a toddler?

"Well, then I would recommend that you look around the market. There are many different things there."

"The market? Is that the place with all the adults, where it's so noisy?" She asked him again with wide eyes and an innocent expression. He had to keep his emotions under control to not show anything on his face. Something easy for him due to years of practice.

"Yeah right, you just have to go down the street here and then turn left and you'll be there." She raised her left hand and nipped her thumb at it. "Thanks." With that, she whizzed off. He stared after her for quite a while until he could no longer see her before he set about walking to his appointment.

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This was one of the strangest encounters he had ever had, but at the same time, he felt he had escaped danger. He didn't know what, but this demon didn't seem trustworthy.

A quick glance at the sky made him realize that he had been gone for quite a long time and that he had better get back on the road to arrive at the camp before nightfall. With which he set off on the fastest way to get there. Skillfully weaving his way through the crowds of demons without anyone noticing he was there, he made it back to the camp.

There, he stealthily made his way to his work in the van to finish it before Sia or Sappho arrived from their monster mission outside of town.