Dreu rubbed his aching head. He vaguely recalled being taught a spell by the Eglallin look-alike before he blacked out. As he sat up on the bed, he was greeted by dull gray walls. A small window allowed no light in so Dreu walked over to it. Outside the building, there were just other buildings with the same dull walls. Not a sound could be heard so Dreu checked what time it was. When he looked up, there was only darkness above. Nothing like stars or clouds could be seen. Wherever he was, it was far different from the world he was accustomed to.
Returning his attention back into the room, Dreu realized the interior wasn’t pitch dark. He could see his palm clearly indicating there was a light source somewhere. Searching for the light source that made everything visible, the young man eventually stopped before a small orb installed into the wall. He felt a cool surface when he touched it. The orb, upon making contact with his fingers, completely dimmed bringing the entire room into darkness.
“I see you have found the light orb,” said an unfamiliar voice.
Dreu turned to the stranger. Standing at the doorway, the stranger’s features were shrouded in darkness and only the silhouette was visible due to the light from outside the room.
“I was just curious how the room was lit up.” Dreu’s face reddened and he hoped it wasn’t obvious. “I know it’s rude to be so carefree in a stranger’s home.”
“Nonsense! Curiosity is how the young learn and grow.”
The stranger raised his left hand and pointed a finger at the dimmed orb. Coming back to life, the orb lit up the whole room. The stranger was a demon with a slight hunch in his posture. The demon’s skin looked weathered with age but his eyes shone brilliantly. The gray robe covered the demon from head to toe. The demon reminded Dreu of retired adventurers who had plenty of wisdom for those willing to listen.
“Thank you for taking me in! I had...or have nowhere to go.”
“My daughter merely dumped you into my yard,” said the demon with a laugh. “I couldn’t just let you sleep there, regardless how comfortable it is there. My name is Tragthan.”
“Your daughter?” asked Dreu.
“Eglallin, the demoness who sent you through the portal.” Tragthan gestured Dreu to the bed. “Please sit! We have a lot to talk about.”
“I’m sorry for your daughter,” Dreu offered his condolences as he sat on the bed.
“Nonsense! She died protecting what she believed in. It was only a matter of time before Xemir got the better of her.”
Dreu could see the contrast between the demon’s expression and his words. Unable to offer anything, he merely sat on the bed waiting for Tragthan to continue the conversation. In the meantime, he turned on his window prompt but, like the two times he checked back in the capital, there was no mention of the summons.
“Are you trying to locate Bayard and the others?”
Tragthan’s question made Dreu jump. After a brief hesitation, he nodded.
“Before she died, Eglallin created this memory bubble.” The demon raised a hand and a bubble filled with countless characters formed in it. “This is a special way of communicating between demons of the same kin. She sent me all of her thoughts and memories on the day of her death. I learned of Azorius performing a spell and I have no clue as to what that spell is. Lacking that knowledge, I cannot say for sure if you can meet Bayard again.”
“He was a mentor, friend and protector.” Dreu resisted the urge to bury his emotions with the summons. “He and the others felt like family. When they were taken away, I felt great loss for the third time. I don’t know if my heart can handle more losses.”
Before he could continue, Dreu looked down to see what was hitting his foot. Two demonic creatures, one resembling a dog and the other resembling a fox, sat by his feet. The dog demon pawed Dreu until he noticed it. Then, the demon gave a small bark.
“These two were Eglallin’s pets. Ilveroz is the Demonic Hound while the Aggich is the Cursed Fox. They are now ownerless so, if you want or both of them, you are free to adopt them.”
Upon hearing the mention of Cursed Fox, Dreu studied Aggich in silence.
“I promise you Aggich is very well behaved! Despite her name, Eglallin had determined she has no curses in her arsenal.”
“Why did she keep Aggich then?” Dreu leaned forward with his palms facing upwards. "Eglallin always seems to do things with a purpose. That was the impression she gave me.”
Ilveroz happily jumped onto Dreu’s right palm while Aggich was more hesitant. After a few barks from Ilveroz, Aggich walked onto Dreu’s left palm. The young man brought the demonic creatures onto his lap where they happily laid down.
“On the battlefield, she allowed nothing to be wasted. At home, she was as carefree as one could be. I can see that you are willing to adopt both of them.”
The two creatures fell asleep on Dreu’s lap bringing a smile to his face. He turned to Tragthan.
“I don’t know how to care for either of them.”
“Don’t worry too much about their food. They’ll find ways to scavenge their own when you let them loose in the wild. As for training them, I know just the place.”
Without another word, Tragthan got up and walked out. Dreu hastily gathered the two creatures into his arms before he chased after the demon. Upon exiting the room, he got the sense of how small the home was. The upstairs consisted of two rooms of similar size with a single flight of stairs to the main level. Downstairs, Dreu walked past a kitchen and a study of some sort to reach the front door.
“Welcome to the Demon Realm,” said Tragthan as the young man stepped out onto the street.
