Ruby POV

Smoke wisped around the room, snaking up from the summoning circle on the floor. The lines glowed crimson, casting the room in wild, jagged shadows. Some would probably claim that I’d lost my mind; perhaps I had. 

I cackled as lightning struck the ground outside, filling my ears with the roar of thunder. The flash from the window nearly blinded me. Blinking the stars from my eyes, I brought the dagger’s blade up to my hand. I didn’t hesitate, slicing it through my palm and watching as dark beads of blood splashed down into the chalice. 

Melkar would soon face my wrath. As would the rest of those here in the academy who’d wronged me since my unfortunate transformation. My long, red tail swished from side to side, exuding excitement. 

I cackled again, louder this time, and poured my focus into the complex incantation. The ancient runes glowed brighter as magic swelled in the air around me. And kept swelling. More power, brought forth by the full strength of the storm, dove into the ritual, and the small room’s air thrummed with anticipation.

I took a step back, a grin splayed across my face. Then I finished the incantation’s last stanza, voice swelling to a feverish crescendo. Another flash of lighting hit, powerful enough to shake the room. A loud, demonic groan filled the air, followed by a deep fog that spilled forth from the Under itself. 

I’d done it—this time for real. A large, red hand appeared, easily twice the size of my own. It smacked the ground with a heavy thump, followed quickly by a second. Then a third—and a fourth. The large demon rose, pulling itself to its feet, though I struggled to see much within the heavy fog. It towered over me, up and up, until its horned head scraped the ceiling. 

The creature groaned. “Fog again?” The voice was feminine, but deep, accompanied by a growl that raised the hair on the back of my neck. 

“Heed me demon! I hath summoned thee before me to do mine will!” I swallowed the nerves down my throat and continued, “Tell me thy name, creature of the Under.” My voice didn’t have the masculine presence that it used to, but I hoped it still gave a sense of power and confidence. 

“The what?” Two hands and a thick tail as long as I was tall brushed away the fog from the ritual. 

The demon—demoness, rather—stared down at me with bright blue eyes set against black sclera and sharp, crimson features. My eyes roamed over her, and I realized that my head barely came up to her chest, she was so large in size. Two of her four arms crossed under said chest, thick with muscle and level with my gaze. The motion pushed up her generous bust, unfortunately covered by an unflattering, antiquated leather jacket.

When she spoke, I caught a forked tongue between twin rows of dagger-like teeth. “The Under? Are we on Varra?” the demoness asked moving her gaze from me to the room around us.  

Did demons have another name for their realm? It didn’t truly matter, I supposed. 

“I’ve summoned you from the realm in which you reside, demon. Now answer my question.” 

“The fog,” she mumbled. “Wait—where is… did you summon anyone else?”

“No.”

She muttered something under her breath and eyed me up and down. “Are you perhaps one of Lillith’s? Oh, and I’m Zarenna.” The demon hooked a clawed thumb back at herself, then frowned.

“I’m not ‘one of’ anyone’s,” I grumbled back. “Stop wasting my time with all these questions. I’ve no time to waste on such trivialities.” With a deep breath, I cleared my throat before continuing, “Zarenna, demon of the Under! I, Ruby, ask for your aid. Assist me to triumph over my enemies, specifically Melkar Kheln and the others who have wronged me since my unfortunate transformation. In exchange, I offer you their souls.”

There was a long pause. “Did you summon me to take care of your bullies?” Zarenna squinted down at me with… was that pity!?

I scowled, glaring back. “Don’t sass me, demon!”

“Your pout reminds me a little of my daughter, though she’s usually much more well-behaved.” 

A growl slipped from my lips. “Listen here, you fiend—”

The demon waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t have time for this. Unless you’ve also summoned my fiancée, I must get back to wherever it is you think I’m from; pick a name, doesn’t matter. I can’t be here. Sorry about your bullies; hope you can beat them up someday.”

Fumes rolled off of me in my anger. I took a deep breath, recognizing that she was simply trying to get a rise out of me. Typical demon.

My lips curled into a smirk. “Unfortunately, I can’t simply send you back,” I said with a dismissive gesture and shrug. 

“Bad answer.” 

A low rumbling growl rolled out of her, with wisps of flame slipping from her mouth.

I took a hesitant step back. “No, really, I can’t. The summoning spell either runs out of time, or you complete the tasks I’ve set for you.”

“How long will it take to run out?” 

I could see it now; there was a deep anger hiding within her—an all-consuming wrath just beneath the surface, waiting for an excuse to be released. 

I huffed and gave another shrug, doing my best to give an air of nonchalance. “Around five hours or so? Perhaps more. The circle was admittedly a bit rushed.”

“Too long.” She stated with finality. “What if I kill you?”

I smirked. “How do you expect to do that? You can’t leave the circle, and any magic—”

A large hand shot out over my head, and a squeal slipped out as she gripped one of my horns, lifting me up to her eye level. The demoness took a step forward, outside of the circle, and pressed me up against the wall. My eyes widened in utter terror as a thick soup of pain flooded through my skull. 

“Let me ask you again: What if I kill you?” Fiery smoke flowed from her lips. 

“I-I-umm, I—” I stammered, struggling to form words. “I don’t—I don’t think s-so? The power from the storm, it’s—it’ll probably last at least until it, until the s-storm passes. P-please don’t—” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Even now, some part of me refused to beg for my life.

Zarenna released her tight grip, setting me down. “Fine. No point killing you if it won’t help. What about dealing with your bullies?”

A heavy, life-giving sigh left my lungs. “If you a-accept the contract, you should return to your realm when it is completed.”

“Should? How long is this storm going to last?” The demoness glanced out the window.

Would she know if I lied? I wasn’t sure if it was worth testing. Though I knew she wouldn’t like my answer. 

“This is my first time doing this successfully, or well, at least moderately successfully. But I’m mostly sure that’s how it should work.” I looked off to the side, choosing to ignore her question about the storm. My tail found its way into my hands, both a comfort and reminder of the demonic succubus that I’d become. 

“Looks like it’s still got a lot left.” Zarenna sighed, eyeing the window. “Fine, kid, if I’ve got no other choice. What’s the plan?”

An urge to tell her that I was, in fact, twenty was quickly quashed. “Well, we agree to terms and exchange mana to seal the contract. And then we’ll go to the men’s dorm and find Melkar.” 

“Give me the terms then, and hurry. My fiancée is literally standing at the altar right now and I am in no mood to tarry. Even if this is like last time and nearly no time passes, any time is too much.”

Huh? Demons get married? 

No, that didn’t matter right now. I had other priorities. She was actually going to do it! Thank the gods this one seemed to be rather dense. Once more, I cleared my throat.

“Zarenna, demon of the Under…” 

I held out my hand, still bloodied from the dagger, and finished incanting my well-practiced contract, most of the words being part of an old, forgotten language. 

Growling, Zarenna enveloped my too-small hand in one of hers. “Sure, fine. I accept.”

I expected a push of power, and I wasn’t disappointed. What I got from Zarenna, boiling hot and furious, nearly knocked me off my feet. A glimpse into an ocean, from the perspective of a bucket.

— — —

Zarenna POV

The stone hallway didn’t look too dissimilar to what I was used to. Unfortunately, the ceiling was low, and I had to walk with my back bent forward, wincing every time one of my horns scraped along the ceiling.

The lamps along the walls flickered menacingly, and an aura check confirmed they were magic. That plus the many decorations lining the long halls indicated this place was either very important, or wherever I’d been summoned had a gross excess of magic. Perhaps both, although I wondered why they’d make the place with such low ceilings.

The young demon who’d summoned me led from the side, visibly nervous as her tail switched from side to side, hands moving over where she had hidden weapons of some sort. More notably, she kept staring back at me—at my chest particularly.

“What kind of demon are you?” I asked tactfully. “You said you’re not one of Lillith’s but you’ll excuse me for making that assumption when you’re staring at my tits.”

She did bear a resemblance to the lust demons I’d seen. The little demon stood shorter than many humans, with a long tail that she kept clenching nervously in hand. Her skin was red, much like my own, and the two small horns atop her head were—well, cute seemed the best way to describe them. It was her eyes that really gave a resemblance to Lilly. There was a look within them, somewhere just beneath the surface. Though at least she seemed powerful enough to be in control of herself.  

The sudden question against the silence made Ruby jump. “I wasn’t!” She pouted and blushed, somehow forcing her mouth into an unbefitting sneer. Her hands balled into fists, and her tail lashed through the air.

I rolled my eyes.

Ruby snorted and jerked her head to one side impishly.

Brat, I thought. “Really though, are you not a lust demon?”

The small demon spluttered. “What? No! Of course not!” The dark shade that colored her red cheeks suggested otherwise. Not that I particularly cared. She could be who and whatever she wanted to be, really.

“Okay, what are you then?”

“I’m human! Despite my current predicament”

I blinked. “Oh. My apologies then; I assume a magical accident or demonic corruption or somesuch?”

Ruby’s defiant look turned to surprise. “You’re… sorry?” Her eyes narrowed,

In an instant, I could see what I’d missed. All the little cues: a stilted walk, nervous manners, aggressive body posture, and a serious chip on her shoulder. Someone had truly hurt Ruby; or perhaps she’d been hurting herself.

Either way, she reminded me once again of my daughter… and of my own self hardly a year prior. 

I nodded. “Yes, I presumed something incorrect. Not that I pity you—” pity was the last thing she’d want right now. “Are your bullies human then?”

“I don’t have bullies.” She sneered, and I had to try really hard to stifle a giggle or smile at how accidentally cute the expression made her look. Poor thing; probably doesn’t get taken seriously.

“Right. Then what did this Melkar do? And is he human? In fact, would it be wise for me to appear as a demon?”

She raised a brow. “What do you think I have you here for, to chat him up? He’s an absolute prick, that’s what he is—though a human one, yes. I suspect he’s the main culprit for my whole predicament. But, the main purpose of our little trip is to obtain a rather important object from him.

“I must ask, though. What other appearances do you possess beyond your current one?”

“Human,” I replied easily.

She snorted. “That would rather defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it? You can do whatever you want to the man, besides killing him. The academy frowns on that—nominally, at least.” The little demon shrugged. 

We were at some kind of academy, then. Her odd, custom-tailored clothing had already made it clear she was someone of some wealth. Now the bright red, black and white outfit became quite recognizably a school uniform of some sort. This really was an issue with bullies, then…

Though what sort of school had capes?

“So you want me to browbeat some kid into giving you something?” 

Ruby gave an exasperated sigh. She’d gone from whimpering and anxious to an attempt at domineering in hardly a minute. “We’re not children, though I doubt a creature of your age would understand such a distinction. I’m twenty years of age, I’ll have you know, and scion to the Zelian family, if that means anything to you.”

“Not really,” I admitted. “I’m… rather new to this whole nobility thing.”

She chuckled. “Nobles? You won’t find any of those here. Though I suppose one might compare us to those pompous, preening layabouts.”

An academy like this that wasn’t for nobles? “...Right. So… human form or demon form? What’ll make this faster?”

She sighed, and gave me a look as though I’d asked an idiotic question. “Have you been listening at all, you big brute? Demon, obviously. Do you think Melkar is just going to roll over while we take his things? Demon hearts don’t grow on the backs of aelvins.”

Huh? “I don’t need to look like a demon to be scary, but sure, fine. Wait, is the object you want a demon heart?”

She eyed me, before saying, “Yes. I don’t imagine you have one lying around somewhere with you?” 

“Not one that I’m not using, no.”

Ruby huffed, “Then stop asking obvious questions,” before mumbling under her breath, “Of course I had to get a stupid one.”

Definitely a total brat.

“Oh jeez, uhhh, sorry boss,” I said in an exaggerated tone of voice.

The small demon gave me a look, clearly unimpressed. 

I patted her on the head. “It’s okay, I’m not going to kill you for backtalking me.”

Her mouth opened, only to click shut as she seemed to remember our exchange from earlier. “R-right.”

— — —

Ruby POV

I shuffled down the hall, Zarenna at my tail, as I tried to convince myself she wasn’t going to kill me before this was over. Attempting another summoning had very clearly been a mistake. That much was obvious. But I was good at making the best out of a bad situation. The demon was cordial enough that I hoped to get out of this alive—if her inanity didn’t drive me mad first. 

As we neared the men’s dorm, the halls suspiciously empty, Zarenna once again broke the silence. 

“So why do you need this demon heart, exactly?” 

I looked up at the massive demon to my right. “It’s the first step toward becoming human again, a necessary ingredient for an elixir.” 

She nodded with surprising solemnity, “I’ll admit I don’t understand why you would wish to return to your humanity, or how that is even possible, but I’ll respect your decision.”

“Sure, whatever.” I waved a hand in dismissal. “Just do what you're told and we can get this over with.” 

The big brute of a demon shrugged. 

As we moved through the double doors of the men’s dormitory, a number of students immediately scattered to their rooms, with the rest hurrying down the stairs toward the hall’s end. I smiled at the reaction, glad to finally see the response I deserved when entering somewhere, even if it was mostly due to the large demon at my side. 

By the time we reached Melkar’s room, the hall had become silent. I hoped the annoying boy was in here. It’d be a pain to have to search the entire academy for him. 

I waved a hand forward. “Open the door,” I commanded. 

The demon looked down at me, apparently unimpressed with my tone and then stepped forward; my smile slid up into a much more sinister grin. She reached one of her four arms forward and… tapped on the door. 

I blinked, and then stared. Had she really just knocked on the door? Just as I found my words through the thick slab of befuddlement, the door opened. In front of us stood yet another demon, the ogre that I’d encountered briefly before. She looked out, and then up, meeting Zarenna’s heavy gaze with obvious surprise. 

“Hello,” Zarenna said smoothly. “We’d like to speak to Melkar.”

The ogre’s lips parted, and she stared for a moment. “Right.” Then she turned, facing back into the room. “Melkar, we have…” she looked Zarenna over once more over her shoulder, briefly glancing at me as well, “visitors.” 

“Send them away. I’m busy,” came his slimy, obnoxious voice. Prick.

Zarenna shook her head at the ogre, to which the ogre responded back, “I don’t believe that’s an option.” 

“Fine. Is it a professor? I suppose I can see what they want.” 

Footsteps slowly approached, and the ogre stepped aside, clearly glad to be out of Zarenna’s direct reach. Without the door being held, it began to ease back toward us; Zarenna reached a large hand out, gripping it before it could close. With a light push, it swung fully open, finally revealing Melkar. 

The lanky boy with short black hair stopped and stared, as though he couldn’t believe what stood in front of him. Melkar then looked to the side, to where the ogre had been. She was nowhere to be seen. 

I gave him a vicious, toothy smile. “Rough him up some, would you?”

Zarenna gave me another look, then sighed. “Ruby here needs a demon heart and insists that you have one she could use. Mind parting with it so I can go home?” she requested, diplomatically. 

What the fuck!? Just do what I tell you, stupid demon!

Thoughts finally caught back up with him, and he eyed the two of us with a still terrified, yet calculated look. “I can’t say I do have one, unfortunately. Have you spoken with Professor Kheln?”

The demon was about to respond, but I’d had enough of this ridiculousness. “Don’t play coy with me, Melkar. Do you really think I’d believe you don’t have at least one? I know you and your family, and I know demon hearts are used for some of the more dangerous summonings. Give me one before something unfortunate has to happen. Perhaps we’ll leave you with your legs still working,” I added darkly.  

“And you think I’d keep such a thing here?” He raised a brow, deciding to look at me rather than staring at Zarenna’s intimidating figure. “Our family is rather more careful with our valuables than that.”

This time, Zarenna was the one to interrupt me. She stuck a crimson arm between the two of us, claws shining in the light. “Nope. Nuh uh. I am not going to sit here and waste time while you two play at subterfuge, or whatever this is. Melkar, come with us to this ‘Professor Khelm’s’ office.”

He nodded. “I’m certain Ruby here would be delighted to show you the way, unfortunately I’m rather busy with my studies at the moment and simply can’t spare—”

I blinked, and Zarenna had Melkar by the arm. He squealed as she hoisted him over her shoulder. “I wasn’t asking,” she growled. 

My triumphant smile was short-lived as the big brute of a demon’s two left arms grabbed me next. “Which way?” she grumbled. “Unless you suddenly have a demon heart in your room, Melkar?”

He cleared his throat, as though attempting to regain his composure. “His office is that way.”

“Let me down this instant!” I shouted. 

Day two as a demon, and I was already being picked up and carried again. Though at least this time I wasn’t naked. 

“You have short legs. No.”

“I demand you release me, you big oaf. I can walk plenty fast. This wasn’t part of our contract!” My fist smacked against her upper chest. 

“No can do, boss.” She seemed to savor the phrase, voice pitching oddly up as though quoting someone else.

Despite my many protests, Zarenna refused to put me down as Melkar gave her directions toward the professor’s office. The ogre, of course, was long gone. Melkar clearly didn’t have a very tight leash on her… not that I was one to talk at the moment. 

It took little time to reach Kheln’s office. Somehow, we managed to not run into anyone along the way. I partly expected some professor to show up to take on the rampaging demon marching through the halls, but it seemed none of them could be bothered. That or Zarenna was good at avoiding notice. It was difficult to say with demons and magic. 

Much like at Melkar’s room, she gave a short knock. “Sorry to bother you, Professor Kheln, but I’ve two students with me and a dispute that needs solving.”

The door opened barely a second later. Within was much as I’d expect of the annoying diabolist: A tight space full of books and empty liquor bottles, dimly lit and poorly organized. Though he’d at least had enough sense to put up a few paintings and things to at least give the impression he was a civilized human being. 

Rather than surprised, the man seemed intrigued. He stepped closer, and the heavy stench of alcohol followed. “Curious,” he muttered. “Clearly powerful, yet affable. Tell me, who is your master, oh great demon?”

Zarenna hooked her lower right thumb at me. “This one summoned me. Needs a demon heart to turn back into a human. You know anything about that?”

“Ah,” he replied shortly, suddenly a lot more nervous. “One moment, if you’d please.” 

The door swung toward us, stopped only by Zarenna’s foot. 

“Can we at least come in?” she asked. “I believe these two are tired of being carried.”

“You can assuredly put me down at this point. We aren’t even walking anymore,” I insisted. 

Zarenna raised one eyebrow. “See?”

The professor, suddenly looking a lot more sober, waved them in. “Yes, yes, certainly,” he blubbered. “I do hope we can… reach an agreement of some kind here without the need for any sort of violence. We all seem like quite reasonable individuals here, and if I’m being truthful, I’d be quite interested in learning more about your kind… Though perhaps at a better time,” the man rambled. “I’ve always been fascinated by the nature and culture of demons, you see.” He coughed.  

Zarenna walked us inside and closed the door with her tail. She set Melkar down first, and then me in the chair beside him. I glared over at the obnoxious boy, as though this were somehow his fault. Though given that I suspected him for causing my unfortunate transformation to begin with, in a way it was. 

“Did you not want to be done with this quickly?” I hissed at Zarenna. “This would be a lot simpler if you’d just do as I’d asked.”

“Or you’re wrong and it takes much longer.”

I grumbled under my breath at the snarky demon, before saying, “Fine, do it your way then. I don’t care so long as I ultimately get what I want.”

“A demon heart, I believe you said?” Professor Kheln interrupted. 

“Yes, so get on with it,” I demanded with impatience. This had been going on for far too long now. 

It was at that moment that another knock tapped on the door. The four of us glanced at each other. 

“Should I get that?” Zarenna asked.

Before anyone could answer, the knob turned and a familiar voice sounded out around it. “Forgive my intrusion, Professor Kheln, but have you seen—” 

Lilis blinked, her bright green eyes reflecting the flickering lanterns. She stood frozen, only her long dark-brown hair shifting over her shoulder. “Am I interrupting something?” 

When her eyes found me, her lips shifted into a frown, as though this were all somehow my fault. Ridiculous. “What’s going on?” she continued. 

I crossed my arms. “I’m getting my demon heart, at least if these three would stop wasting time and get on with it.”

Lilis stared at me, seemingly in thought and still with a frown. She was definitely thinking this was my fault. 

Zarenna released an impatient sigh. “This is great and all, really. But can someone please hurry up and resolve this, whether or not Ruby gets her demon heart. I’m missing a wedding here. My wedding, specifically.”

“Ruby, what have you done?” Lilis hissed quietly, as though the others wouldn’t clearly hear her. 

Kheln cleared his throat. “I may be able to get my hands on such an item, though I don’t believe I could part with it for nothing.” He eyed Zarenna with a nervous energy somehow full of greed. “They are not exactly easy to obtain, as you can imagine.” 

Bold of him. I turned to Zarenna, expecting her to call his bluff. 

“How about this then?” Zarenna clapped both sets of hands together. “You may ask me five questions about demons as payment. I’m not going to answer certain personal ones that could endanger myself later, and if I don’t answer, it doesn’t count. Oh, and I might be a different sort of demon—-from a different place—-than, for instance, Ruby.”

I smacked a palm against my forehead. The professor smiled. 

“That sounds amenable. Though perhaps we could do something more like, say, thirty?” 

“Ten,” Zarenna smiled, showing two rows of sharp, deadly teeth—ones that promised a lot of pain and flesh-tearing. “I’m being rather nice, you know.”

He choked. “O-of course, yes. Ten it is then.” 

I sighed, but let my frustration go. So long as I got what I wanted, I supposed I could get my revenge on the professor and Melkar at a later date. Things were certainly going to get complicated after this. 

Why did I have to summon the most diplomatic demon in all of the three realms?

The questions began, and despite my impatience, I did my best to take her answers to memory. Of course, some of those answers were a shrug and an “I don’t know,” and a few others made no sense at all. It was interesting, nonetheless.

“Well, as much as I’d love to question you further, I must say I’m rather satisfied,” Kheln said with a smile. A smile that was completely ruined by the alcoholic stench of the room, as far as I was concerned. 

“Allow me to go to my back study and grab what you need. In truth, you’re lucky I have such a thing. It’s not exactly something easy to get one’s hands on,” he commented as he made his way back, leaving the door open. 

“Ruby, what have you done?” Lilis asked once again at a whisper. She grabbed my horn, the same one that Zarenna had before, and I winced. 

“I—I didn’t. This isn’t my fault!”

“It’s her fault,” Zarenna said with a shrug. “Entirely.”

Lilis’s scowl deepened. “Thank you.” 

“Ow!” I yelped out as Lilis thumped my forehead. 

“I believe we’re having a very long chat after this,” she hissed.

I winced, and then shivered, worried exactly what this “chat” might entail. Then I turned toward the, admittedly, rather powerful demon to my right. 

“I don’t suppose you—”

“No,” she cut me off. 

She didn’t even let me finish! Would it really be that bad to stay just a little longer? 

Things were about to get rather complicated for me…

As though brought forth by the thought, the air above us rippled. Magic flooded through, enough for wisps of mana to dance through the air. Conversation stopped, and a line—a tear—formed, widening into a rift. Across from us, Professor Kheln rushed back into the room, only to pause as a pale arm stuck out through the rift. 

I felt my breath catch, certain that we were all about to die. 

An echoing voice thrummed through the air, strong enough to seemingly make the world shake. “I don’t know what the fuck happened, but I’m taking my demon back.” 

Zarenna scratched the back of her head. “Guess I’m off then. Good luck with the bullying, Ruby.”

“I don’t believe I caught your name, but I hope you have a nice wedding?” Lilis said cordially. 

“Oh!” Zarenna smiled. “Thanks, I—”

The arm found her horn and pulled. With a rush of wind, Zarenna flew up through the rift, and it sealed shut with a loud bang.

“W-what was that?” Melkar asked.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Professor Kheln replied, his voice filled with wonder now that the danger had apparently passed. 

Only then did I realize that I hadn’t actually gotten the demon heart that I needed, and the demon that had been protecting me was now absent. Everyone’s curiosity over the strange rift didn’t last nearly long enough.

Kheln, Lilis, and Melkar each turned toward me. Lilis crossed her arms and Melkar smirked. 

I released a sigh. 

“Great.”