Demon continent Alsace in the year 307 in the 10-month Asmodum on the 24th day after the shattering of the empire.

 

 

She could sense moisture around her. However, she did not have the feeling that she was wet or that she was in it.

While experiencing this, she could feel the rays of the sun on her skin. The rustling of the leaves and the murmur of the river. Which were the only thing she heard for some time.

Birds and other animals had fallen silent some time ago. At least the few that had not fled from her.

Now, however, other noises came to it, which she could not really classify yet. With an increase in the feeling of wetness or moisture, however, the sounds became louder and louder.

This feeling was accompanied by some others, the biggest among them was curiosity. Then came caution and fascination but also a little fear. And something else, which she could not classify yet.

However, as she followed these feelings to their origins, she could hear water dripping and quiet whispering beginning.

She realized that it was several people and not a single being watching her.

She had to hold on hard not to smile and possibly give herself away that way. No, she would wait a bit longer and let the Waterborn come to her.

In the meantime, she would continue to follow their feelings and see where they led her.

The deeper she delved into the thoughts of each Waterborn, the stronger the feeling of moisture became. However, each was its own being, as they all differed by their thoughts and also by how she perceived each Waterborne's thoughts.

So the smell and feeling of fish or water plants became stronger in some and in others it smelled and felt only like water.

The whispering had grown to a low whisper. Here and there louder voices could already be heard. None of them, however, had made the suggestion that she should be taken and brought to their wet home.

Which she thought was a good thing, something she could work with.

I think I've slept long enough, I'd better get a real picture of these Waterborn.

With that, she opened her eyes and looked directly into the face of a Waterborn. Which seemed to continue to stare at her as if spellbound.

The whispering among the Waterborn died instantly and all eyes were on her as she slowly stood up.

Lerna didn't seem to care, because she had closed one eyelid after opening it once and seemed to continue sleeping.

Meanwhile, her every movement was closely followed by the Waterborn. The Waterborn, who had looked at her in the beginning, still had not taken her eyes off hers. And also she looked her still into the eyes.

She wasn't sure why, but for the moment she couldn't take her eyes off the Waterborn.

Her spirit was one of the loudest, most colorful, and beautiful she had ever seen in this and her old life. She could literally see it radiating out of her, enveloping her body like a glow of different colors.

"Hello." She blurted out. Immediately the Waterborn shrank back. They had been talking in a dialect of the demon language, which had something flowing about it.

But the Waterborn quickly got over this little fright, because they curiously approached her again.

Some of them leaned forward to touch her or her things, others stayed in the background and looked at her.

The Waterborn were Waterborn as their name suggested, she didn't quite know what she had in mind. But men and women of water she had not expected. All Waterborn had nothing fishy about them as some legends claimed. Rather, they looked like humans, but they were not made of skin and bones but water.

From the water of the river which seemed to flow into their bodies. Some of them were now completely out of the water and only a little smaller than her.

But they differed in some things, for example, she was wearing something and the Waterborn were not.  Which made sense to her somehow, because what was there that someone from water wanted to hide. It was not so that one could see something private. Even if there were these hints, with both sexes.

With some, one could see Komplet through them, as with a particularly clear river whose riverbed could be seen. Others were not so clear, but a bit murkier. Or they had algae or other water plants floating around in them.

Some were also made of muddy water, like what you find on the banks of a river when the mud is swirled up there.

Not only by this but also by their appearance they differed like humans, demons, and probably also the Larrua did.

Everything and really everything seemed to be moving or flowing.

She was afraid all the time that the Waterborn, which had come ashore, would evaporate and seep into the ground.

"Hello." Said the Waterborn, from whom she could not take her eyes off at the beginning. She as well as the others now looked at her even more curiously. Those who had just touched her and plucked at her things had been pulled away from her by the others and had to be held by them because they wanted to come back to her and continue with what they had just started.

What was probably better otherwise she would stand in no time without clothes before the Waterborn and without this protection at the mercy of the curious hands of the Waterborn.

She didn't know how to start or what to say. She knew what she wanted and also what the Waterborn wanted, but how should she start this conversation. She wasn't sure if it would be polite to tell the Waterborn from the beginning that she was only there to learn from them or to get the knowledge from them to read the ancient demon texts.

But she didn't have time to think about it, because the next moment the questions were just raining down on her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?"

"What are you?"

"What is this?" At this question, the Waterborne tugged at her clothes again. And making it harder for her to stay on her feet.

Countless more questions poured in, not all of which she could understand as the Waterborn tried to drown each other out.

Within moments, she was even more surrounded than she had been before, and she noticed that the Waterborn seemed to have no problem coming ashore.

Lerna was awakened by the commotion, which she punctuated with a furious hiss as she dodged the Waterborn who tried to take her in their arms or pet her.

She didn't know how dangerous the venom of a snake was for Waterborn, and Lerna didn't seem to be sure either, because otherwise, she might have bitten the Waterborn already.

Her shouts were lost in the noise that the Waterborn were making.

Until suddenly, from one moment to the next, all fell into silence and turned to the river.

Wherefrom the floods of the river ten more Waterborne emerged.

These looked a little different from the Waterborn she had seen so far.

Six of them were placed in a semicircle around four others and she could see more Waterborn in her domain, sneaking through the undergrowth behind her. In addition, some had remained below the water's surface.

Unlike the other Waterborn, these six had weapons with them and the other four were also clad in jewelry and other natural elements of the river.

As everyone was silent and the Waterborn stared at each other while the guards of the four kept an eye on her. She reminded herself of the old rules of etiquette that had been instilled in her in her old life, and which her teacher had always claimed that every living creature would recognize and that they would show her hospitality as a result.

It can't hurt to try it at least once and it is always said that Waterborn and Others would pay attention to how one would act in front of them.

So she bowed to the four Waterborn, whom she could recognize as being of a different social standing than the Waterborn who had just swarmed her.

She could not see the reaction with her own eyes, but her domain gave her enough information to know how the attitude of the four changed, and also the guards seemed to relax.

Still, there were about ten more Waterborne at her back and the guards made no move to remove them.

From what she could perceive of the superficial thoughts of the guards and their four charges, without delving into their minds, they were still on guard.

 

They didn't seem to know yet what to do with her or even what to think of her.

But she could recognize the perception with them that they had recognized her as a demoness.

That is already something more than the others.

Still bowing, she looked around discreetly to see how the other Waterborn reacted to her action and the new Waterborn.

The levels differed quite a bit among the Waterborn present, but the guards were the ones with the highest levels.

Which ranged from a guard with a level five core to guards with level eight cores. Even though there weren't that many of them, only two. Which were closest to the four.

Now the four Waterborn also bowed, which seemed to have a similar role as Eder had with the Larrua. What made them priests or elders.

The only question is what they are of the two and whether they are benevolent to me.

Which was already answered to her in the next moment, when the four elders bowed to her in greeting and thus allowed her to stand normally again.

"Greetings daughter of Lilith." Spoke the elder standing furthest from her. Before he interrupted himself and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Speak, what brings a Daughter of Lilith so far into the midst of Alsac? I hardly think I have seen a daughter or son of Asmodus in the last few centuries?" At the last question, he looked at the three other elders, who after a few moments only nodded in agreement.

One of the elders who stood to the left of the one who had just spoken took a few steps forward.

"Ah, where are our manners. I am Izatra daughter of Iturrua and Aitor and these are my honored colleagues of the Council of Elders. -" She pointed with her left hand to the elder standing to her left. Which had spoken to her first. - "Kepa son of Baseo and Aroa. -" She pointed to one of the elders opposite her. - "Denbora daughter of Alai and Edur, and our last member Iker son of Izan and Ibon." She paused again for a moment before continuing.

"And with whom do we have the pleasure?" At this remark, Kepa and Denbora's faces barely contorted, and she would not have been able to notice Izatra either had her thoughts not betrayed her.

It seems to me that it is not a pleasure that they had to meet me. Something she understood only too well because she could have done without meeting the elders.

But there was also something else in the thoughts of the four elders, something similar to what Eder felt for Diva and also for them. Could they sense the basilisk blood in her?

Better to introduce myself first.

"The pleasure is all mine. I am Cali daughter of Caleb and my mothers Sappho and Sia."

"We would like to invite you to a feast we are holding tonight, it would please us very much if you could attend it." Spoke Iker now.

"Oh yes, that would be a wonderful idea." Said Denbora, in whose thoughts a new thought had crept.

She was about to object when she took the Waterborn by the hand and pulled her along.

"You have to tell me everything, Cali. You must know that there have been few demons around lately and I would love to know more about you and the world out there." Already she was bombarded with questions, while the excited Waterborn pulled her into the waters of the river.