The deal

Asmodeus POV

This is the fated day. This day, the Chaos lord will decide if I am free from my shackles or die. Ha-ha, I remember my past battles where my life hung by a threat, yet I carried on with my duty. But this is different. I was never as dependent on others as I am today. My fate lies entirely in the hands of two humans and two women, nonetheless. I fucking hate the feeling of being so weak that I need to depend on others. In the past, I only had to answer to myself and fought my battles alone, but on this wretched day, I weight nothing like a leaf in the air. My fate is to be decided entirely by the whims of the wind.

It's settled. Sonya and Selena wait in the forest. I should go and bring Olden to the party. I can't wait to see the bastard face when he learns he has been outplayed, outsmarted, and very soon outlived by none other than what he considers a weak imp. Ha-ha, I promised I wouldn't kill him, but I'm going to tell Selena to give him a beating he will remember.

Yesterday, we decided to deal with Olden in the morning, and I should separate him from Arya. He is probably waiting for an opportunity to fuck her again. Still, Sonya suggested I should invite him to a picnic. I get near the house and call.

"Boss, where are you, Boss? It's an emergency, "I shout. I guess he is not around, and I enter the house. I sneak at the bedroom door, and I hear Arya's voice.

"No, Olden, we can do it here. Selena will hear us." Blondie is complaining. Well, I guess she is aware of Selena and still has some decency left. I better stop him before he relieves himself so he is horny when he hears Sonya's invitation.

""Boss,"" I say, ""I will come in. "I open the door and see that he is embracing Arya from behind.

"Imp, what the hell are you doing?" " I hear Olden shouting. ""I heard you. What the hell do you want?"" he looks angry.

"Asmodeus, no, you can come in like this."Arya also pushes Olden away and looks all red and embarrassed. Does she really think I don't know about them, or is she just feeling guilty?

"Boss, it's an emergency. Sonya told me she awaits that appointment you promised her yesterday, "I say and wink quickly at him as Blondie faces towards the window and can't see me.

"What appointment, AAaaa?”He finally gets the idea and bites the bait." well, I guess I have to come since I promised our mistress.

“What appointment do you have with Sonya? “ Arya turns around and faces Olden. Looks like Arya is beginning to be jealous. I mean, Sonya has taken her place as the fair queen of the house, and now she needs to protect her man.

"Yes, boos, those alchemy lessons can only be done in the morning as the plants are wet and moist, "I smile. I help him with a lie as I see him confused, and he doesn't come up with one himself.

"Yes indeed, Arya, I am taking alchemy lessons from Sonya. I promised her yesterday, don't worry. It's only for a couple of minutes, and then I will be back to my beloved. "He grabs Arya and kisses her." let go, imp, we can't keep a lady in waiting." he rushes through the door before Arya can't protest.

"This way, boos," I tell him to follow me, and we enter the forest.

"Wait a minute, imp." I see him stopping and picking up some red flowers with spikes, but then he takes a potion from his pocket and puts some drops from the bottle on the flower petals. I don't know what he is doing; maybe that is that frhodiziac Sonya was talking about. Shit, he really wants the old fox pussy, and he is not certain he can't do it without some extra help.

"What are you doing, boss?" I play dumb.

"Some flowers for the lady imp. It's a human custom. This way, I get a change of pussy. Who knew what sexy redhead was hiding inside that old hag? "He says, smiling like an idiot.

I fly ahead, and he resumes following behind. I can't believe he is so stupid and doesn't suspect anything. I see the spot where Sonya is waiting for us. I see her picking some plants. As she sees us, she turns around, walks toward us, and then waits, waving at us.

"WOW, you two came so fast. I see you are very diligent with your massage appointments. You are such a reliable and vigorous young man. "Sonya smiles as she approaches Olden seductively." I hope I didn’t disturb anything. She blushes seductively and bites her finger while striking a sexy pose". Damn, she is hot. If I weren’t nervous, I would jump on her.

"Well, how could I refuse such a beautiful rose? Speaking of roses, this is for you, Sonya. It matches your beautiful hair," Olden says, offering the flower he just picked up.

"O my, what a romantic man. You shouldn't have, "She takes a good whiff of the rose. Her face changes immediately to a cold and angry one. "And what is that I smell? Oo brisk extract. You were planning to massage the inside of my pussy, you naughty boy, haven't you. "She adds with a cold grin.

Olden freezes and his face also changes as he has been exposed. He doesn't know what to make of Sonya's shift in attitude.

"Why, I don't understand," he manages to spit out. He is confused, but we must not rush him. He might do something stupid.

"Don’t you, now? You not only come into my house with a hidden agenda and are fucking my son's girlfriend behind his back, and now this. You're not very bright, are you? To give an S-rank alchemist aphrodisiac and expect what? I am immune to most poisons, and these poorly made solutions I put in my morning tea." Sonya says with a calm chili voice that even I get a little scared. Ha-ha, I wouldn't ask for better allies to deal with this bastard than her and Selena. Only now do I realize how lucky I am.

Olden steps back and takes a look around, scared and nervous. He is evaluating his options, but then his eyes stop at me. He realizes that this is an ambush and looks at me. I smile and wink at him. He finally understands.

"What have you done, imp? You fucking shit. I knew you were acting weird. "He raises his hand filled with lightning charge at me while stepping back.

"Selena," I hear Sonya shout, and a fast shadow appears behind Olden. His chant freezes on his lips as Selena's knife is on his neck, pushing against his jugular.

"If I even hear something resembling a chant, I will cut your tongue; let's see how you will cast magic without it. You understand me, huh, magic fucker," Selena says, clenching her teeth. I guess she is not the little girl that only yesterday was laughing and giggling as I spanked her ass. She is keeping her arm around Olden's neck and, with the other, has her knife at the ready against his chin.

He tries to get out, but I know from my own experience that it's not that easy. He is panicking and making some strange sounds while struggling to get out of Selena's deadly embrace. This coward might die of a heart attack before he releases me.

“Hey, calm yourself, Selena; let him go, “Sonya says with a calm voice as she sees Olden nearly pissing himself. Selena lets him go, and he jumps to the side.” Hey, if we wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. We just want to talk and propose a deal to you, “She says after Olden looks better and is beginning to calm down. He looks like an idiot keeping his staff in a defensive position turned against Selena. Like that will help him.

“You shity imp, what have you told them?” He then looks at Sonya. “Whatever he has told you. You know there are only lies. He is demon filth. You can’t believe even a word that comes out of his mouth, Miss Sonya. You know their kind. They always scam and plot. “He again looks angry at me.

"Okay, just stop. We are here to talk, not to throw insults at each other. Who's lying, and who isn't? It's not even relevant. We are here to negotiate, and you better evaluate your options carefully, as my daughter is very fond of your little friend here. If something happens to him, you will not live very long." Sonya smiles coldly at Olden who looks at Selena with a weird look. She stands close at the ready next to him with her knives drawn. I hope he is not trying to run away and Selena gets a little too rough and kills him accidentally.

"So what do you want?" he says after thinking for a while.

"Look, we don't care about your business with Arya and don't even want to know what your intentions are toward her. Hey, you can fuck her as much as you want. My son is better without her, but we want that chain of Asmodeus. What do you say? You take it off, and we will not tell her what you are up to?

"Ha, you want him for what?" I see he is becoming more sure of himself as he understands he still has a big card in his hands. "You want me to remain without mana again? You're better off telling your daughter to kill me, but the moment I die, you‘re going to collect this weasel remains from all over the forest.”

"We could cut your tongue and imprison you. You will still be alive, "Selena whispers close to his ears. I didn’t even see as she appeared again next to him.

He again jumps to the left, creating space between him and Selena.

“Like hell, I will commit suicide just out of spite. Do you think I am stupid? I already have Arya eating from the palm of my hand. Who do you think she will believe, the imp or me? This ungrateful bastard has no chance. Do you know they were going to kill him at that time? I fucking saved his life “he again looks at me with hatred.

“Yeah, by imprisoning me and using my own mana to **** me. I, too, was better off dead, “I tell him.

“Who are they? “ Selena asks.

"Ha, you don't know, do you? They are the ones who ordered me to come here. Who do you think? Plus, you told me you two don't care, and it is better that way. "He raises his shoulders. He knows I don’t know how to find those demon hunters. I mean, they must be residing in his family castle where I was held. I could just return there, but even with Selena, I am afraid that might be too dangerous. I need an army to enter there.

"Come on, this talk about **** is unhealthy, your tree. You drive a hard bargain, but there is something I can offer you that is better than everything else.” Sonya says, smiling at Olden.

"And what is that? The imp is not for negotiations. “This fucker knows I am his trump card, and the moment I am is gone, so is his life.

"What if I cure yore meridian, and you could cast without the imp again? He told me you damage it yourself by consuming ****. You know, I thought about it since he told me. If you were born without, there was nothing I could've done but a broken meridian I can fix. What do you say? "Sonya says.

"Ha-ha, nice try, "but then he sees Sonya isn't joking." Wait, can you really? A lot of people have tried." His face changes, and he looks interested. Well, I’ll be damned, this might just work.

"Well, it's nothing certain, but we can give it a try. I'll tell you what. I will cure you, and after that, you will remove the chains, so if it's not working, you still have your friend here." Sonya says, and I don't like it. He can still turn back on his word.

"Hey, this is," but as I want to protest, I see Selena signaling me with her eyes. So they were expecting this. I better shut up and stick to the plan.

"How will I know you will not try something? “Olden asks.

"I told you to keep the imp until it's done. Another guarantee I can't offer you. Is that or imprisonment in my cellar with your tongue cut? You see, unlike my daughter, I don't give a fuck about the imp, but I don't want you near my son, so for me, it's a win-win situation either way. "Sonya raises her shoulders and reveals a sinister smile. Damn, this woman makes my blood boil, and even in this situation, I am beginning to have a hard-on. How can this beauty be so vicious?

Olden again looks scared and is beginning to evaluate his options. I mean, we offered him the best of his life, and he might just not believe his luck.

"Then it looks like I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He finally understands. "What about the curse? Weren't you gonna make a poison for your son that will kill him? "He reminds us.

"No, that was a lie. We needed to bring you and Arya here," Sonya admits. "You see, most of my poisons make you dead permanently," she then adds.

"So it like that, then what you propose we do after, let's say you cure me and I free the imp. Then what? "He asks. Shit, we didn't think that far off.

“I guess we carry on as usual. We will go to the demon land if necessary. I don’t care, “Sonya says thoughtfully.” But wait, something tells you want to get something from the Firestorms, or you want to use Arya for something, so as long you don’t implicate us, we will let you do it. Hey, we might even help you if it’s something for us, also. There will be no trouble even on the part of my son. I can promise you that.”

“Good, it’s a smart move. If it weren’t for the big money, even I would stay out of this,” He says, looking sincere. “Let’s try your cure as you proposed. I got nothing to lose, and you don’t strike as a woman who talks without facts, “Olden finally agrees. I knew it. This bastard feels more comfortable if he thinks we are as wretched as him, and Sonya knows this.

“Okay, then follow me. We need to go into my lab for the operation. Selena and Asmodeus, you will guard my lab door until I finish the operation.

Like this, we return to the house and I see Tristan waiting in front of the house. He looks at us curiously, and we must try to seem as natural as before.

"You guys went to a picnic or something. I didn't see anyone around, and I was a little nervous, 'he says as soon as we approach.

"Yes, honey, we showed Olden the forest. Now we will go into the lab, and I need to cure his back pain as he has suffered for a long time, "Sonya tells Tristan.

"Olden back pain, Mom; you said you would give the poison today to see if it works." Even Tristan, like me, looks like he was ready to die today. "I laugh too myself.

'We will do it tomorrow as it's not ready. Don't worry, Tristan. Mommy has this under control," Sonya brushes him off.

“Tomorrow, what the hell, Mom? I am cursed." he raises his voice, but Sonya looks at him sideways. I guess no shouting in front of Mommy. "Yeah, whatever, at least tell me if I want to swallow a certain metal. How do I get about it?

"Oo, mi little man is interested in alchemy. Mommy is so proud of you. You dissolve it in the water; of course, it's the safest way. If it's iron, you can eat the rust, but with other metals, you must grate it into tiny pieces and then mix it with water. Why do you think you might have iron deficiency? Don’t worry; Mommy will make a spinach soup as soon as I am done with Olden." Sonya looks worried at Tristan and gives him an entire lecture; if I let her continue, she might even prescribe her son medicine.

"Woman, remember we have a job to do," I interrupt them.

"Yeah, whatever; thanks, Mom. He looks at me weirdly, then at Olden. He seems like he is looking at my body.YIKES, these damn artists are making me uncomfortable. He follows us into the house and then enters his room angrily. I guess he is still studying that book.

"Okay, you two stay here. This will take about an hour, "Sonya tells Selena and me as she enters the cellar with Olden.

I have to wait again. What is it with this alchemy and waiting? Why can't it be done instantly like magic? We demons don't have the patience for such a discipline, I think to myself.

"Hey, brat, if I get out of this chain, remember we give that guy a beating. Actually, I will keep the chain and beat him with it.” I tell Selena, who looks bored as well.

"Yeah, nice story. Don't worry, girlfriend; Mom has got us covered." As soon as she says it, a loud scream emerges from the cellar.

"Shit, it's not like that guy is gonna die in there, is he?" I ask, and Selena raises her shoulders.

The anticipation makes the time pass slowly. Until an hour passes seems like an eternity. Finally, I hear the cellar door opening, and Sonya's head appears and invites us to come in. I see Olden, who is dressing himself next to the ingredient cauldron. It looks like he just bathed in slime goo, and an ugly smell comes from him.

“Okay, try gathering mana on your own,” Sonya says, looking at Olden.

I hear him chanting then he closes his eyes and looks like he is concentrating. A faint bluish light appears on his hand. He opens his eyes and looks at his hand. The blue light transforms immediately into a small lightning. He plays with it, throwing it around and weaving it around his fingers. I don’t feel my mana being drained like before.

“How is it? “ Sonya asks.

"It's working, ha-ha.” He throws a lightning bolt in the air and catches it again in his hand. He looks at us, and his smile faints into a grimace. "Well, I will be damned, it worked. I never expected this when I came here. For what it is worth, I give you my thanks. It seems I underestimated you, and I apologize, Miss Sonya. If the circumstances were different, I might never have acted in such a manner. It's like you understand I had a difficult life, "he says, and I heard that speech before. I heard him acting like a victim too many times to believe him.

"Cut the crap, asshole, and remove the enchantment on these chains. You got what you wanted. "I am beginning to lose my nerve.

"Well, you see, there might be a problem with that, imp. Again miss Sonya. I apologize I can't keep my end of the bargain. You see, I don't have the incantations. Other people have. "He raises his shoulders.

"Ha-ha, nice try. He is lying, Mom, "Selena laughs. I fucking knew it; he wouldn’t keep his word.

"We had a deal, mister Thunderil. I hope you will not make things difficult for us, "Sonya says.

"I am afraid I will. You see, I don't trust the imp will not try to kill me afterward. Plus, why would I keep my end of the bargain? As long as I have him, you can't do anything to me, but after that."

"You will still have leverage against us. I told you we don't want to get involved in all that demon imprisonment business, and I just want to keep my child away from upcoming conflict. I suspect the people who sent you here will demand answers if you don't return. That's why I told the imp to let go of his **** plan.” Sonya says.

"Yeah, in part, you're right. The people who ordered me to come here and imprison demons like him are pretty dangerous, but my family's relationship with them is more complicated than that. I don't know their intentions either; they used our family castles independently. I was only tasked to infiltrate the Firestorm household and eliminate all that have contact with demons. Then, I was to await further orders. When I was up North with the guild, I received a letter that promised a large sum of money if I manage to do that." he tells us, and I look at Selena. She stands still and does not say anything, which means he is telling the truth.

"I understand, but still, you must've been curious as to how they are bringing these demons here, and certainly, your family has a close relationship with them. I don’t think they would just give you a demon to dual-cast with if it weren’t like that. But as I told you, we don't care about that. My daughter just wants the imp, and now that you don't need dual incantation, he will just be a burden to you.” Sonya says.” We promise not to tell anybody about demons.” She adds. Speak for yourself, woman. I care, but I must act as if I don’t care for now.

“Yeah, boos, I just want to be free. We don’t care.” I smile at him.

"No, I can't do that. Sorry, I am **** to trust you, 'he says. Shit, I guess we will imprison him and see if he really commits suicide. I am sure he was bluffing.

'Brat, let's kill this fucker, "I say to Selena and jump at him. He tries to protect himself with his lighting shield, but Selena kicks him in the stomach. He drops, kneeling to the ground. I give him a kick from above and then throw some punches at his back.

"Wow, wow, calm yourself. Selena, step back.” Sonya shouts as she approaches. She catches my hand. I try to get out, but it's no use. She throws me back but not too hard, like she doesn’t want to hurt me. I reposition myself in flight and land safely on the floor. "The negotiations are not over, imp. “She winks at me and then turns to Olden.

He gets up and looks weary at me. He still holds his belly. At least I got him once. The day is not all lost. Sonya holds Olden up, and a healing rune passes on his stomach. She smiles at him.

"Tell me, mister Thunderil, how you will be able to infiltrate the Firestorm household if you can't sexually satisfy Arya anymore. I heard elf women are very particular about that. “Sonya again says to Olden.

"What? I can give her plenty, "but a shadow of doubt lands on his face. He checks himself up and looks at his dick, pushing his pants slightly.

"Well, no, you can't anymore; you see, when I cured your meridian, I also put a sexual inhibitor in my cauldron. You're pretty much impotent now. Try to get it up." Sonya grabs his crouch and approaches him seductively. Ha-ha, so this was plan B. She rubs him through the pants while also throwing her tits in his face.

"What you talking about, woman?" He looks in his pants and then at her. He grimaces as he is concentrating on getting it up. I can stop as laughter takes over me and even Selena smiles.

“Magic fucker lost his dick; hey, you can still lick and finger her. Ha-ha,” she points at him.

“Or maybe you can use your ass from now on. You can seduce the Firestorm men. “I laugh, but I see Sonya and Selena look disgusted. What? It’s a good joke.

He looks at his dick again and pushes Sonya away. He takes his dick out this time and jerks himself off in front of us. He seems **** and beats his meat fast. He might just rip his own dick off. “Yikes, I hear Selena complain. This is so fucking hilarious.

"That's not very nice, mister Thunderil. It's a young lady present, "Sonya says, showing him a potion." I have the antidote. You just have to lift the incantations on the chains."

"You fucking bitch you and your fucking family, what have you done?” He finally gives up and stands with his dick out, looking with hatred at Sonya.

"Now, now, watch your language. That is if you don't want another beating. Come on, you can't leave that big cocks of yours without juice, now, can you? I promise nobody will harm you. "Sonya smiles.

He looks at us and finally draws his pants up. I see him chanting and extending his arm at me. Selena jumps immediately, but I see Sonya singling her to move. I hear some crackling noise on my neck, and the chains begin to glow a faint red light. I feel mana getting out of the chain and dissipating into thin air. A chain link opens, and I immediately wrap it off my neck. I throw the thing down from my neck and massage the skin. It has become hard from all the metal rubbing.

"Ha-ha, I am free, "I laugh." Thank the Chaos lord. May this servant of yours be worthy of doing your bidding again. I kneel on my left leg and recite the chaos priest's mantra. "To the soul we belong, to the soul we return. Our souls in the Red Mountain will forever be reborn. Those who defy you in the Chaos fires will burn. "I open the soul realm and take the chains that imprisoned me for so many years. I throw them inside. I will keep them as a weapon and as a reminder of my long captivity and my stupidity back then. I kind of fell cold on my neck without them.

I see them all looking at me curiously. I bet they wonder what I said in draconian.

“What an ugly language imp. It sounds like my bowel movements. “Sonya gets the chance to taunt me. I will let her have this one for free as she has been phenomenal on this day. But no one insults my beautiful language, and I will remember it.

I get up and faint a jump at Olden, who immediately gets in a defensive position. He is scared and keeps his lightning shield at the ready; even his staff is glowing. What an idiot. He can’t handle an imp.

"Okay, now that we finally reached an agreement, we should again establish some rules. You Olden; you tell Arya to send my son a break-up letter. I should revise it when she finishes writing it. Then, I guess we must prepare for a trip to the high Elven lands." Sonya tells us.

"Aren't you forgetting something, woman?" Olden shouts angrily, and Sonya looks like she does not understand. "My antidote."

"O, this is just a mana potion. Don't worry; your sexual inhibition will wear off in a couple of hours. I was messing with you,” she winks at Olden. Ha-ha, what a crazy woman playing with my life as a bluff. Olden looks better already as he hears it, and I see him taking a deep breath. But he still keeps his shield up. I guess he wants to walk around like this from now on.

"Mom, he should also give my room back; he can sleep outside with the dog," Selena says. I guess that was her problem all along. What weird bitches I was destined to find. Not even my succubuses were this vicious. My friend Tochomerius was right when he told me that the more beautiful they are, the crueler and heartless they are.

“Well, we’ll see; my daughter is right. You can understand that we are **** to trust you living with us, so you should find lodgings elsewhere. Now, who’s hungry? All my talking today has left me empty, like the Frozen Dessert. “Sonya looks at Olden, annoyed. I mean, she is right. Why does this bastard need to sleep in this house?

With that established, Sonya throws all of us out of her laboratory, and I see Olden still keeping his shield up. I better have a talk with him.

"Don't worry fucker. I promised them I wouldn't try to kill you; this is why they agreed to help me. So you're off the hook from me, "I whisper to him as we wait in the kitchen. I guess I should clear things up with him and make him feel comfortable. If he is involved with those demon hunters and they are only using him, he is still of some use. Sonya was right. We should let him infiltrate the Firestorm household, and those others will contact him. With Selena’s help, I just need to catch one to make him talk. Those fuckers were dangerous and moved quickly when they put this chain on me. Crap, I don’t think even she is strong enough to handle them. Maybe with Sonya also, we have a chance. I need to get stronger myself to not let them do all the fighting.

“Yeah, good, but now that you're free, why don't you leave? I am puzzled about what business you still have here. "He asks. "If not for me." He then adds

“I need to catch a ride home, and you and those fuckers that you called back then will get me there, that's all. "'I tell, and I am not lying. He nods, understanding my point. “You are my ticket to meeting them; they are my real enemies, not you," I add, lying to him. Like I can forget all the beatings and the lighting charges you threw at me.

We have a good meal, and I am happy for the first time in years. Me and Selena again bully Olden and laugh at him. I guess this will be standard behavior from now on. I can't kill him, but I am going to make his life a living hell. I wonder why Sonya still feeds him; he can eat in the village. Selena should always keep an eye on him, as this bastard is still dangerous. The day passes like this, and I can't believe I am finally free. I go outside and fly high in the sky. With that fucker chain on, I couldn't move freely and could only travel small distances. I fly aimlessly for a couple of hours. I am getting near some mountains and feel the winds becoming chili. I see some lights on the cliffs and get near them. I am hiding behind some clouds to cover myself as I don’t want to use my mana with the concealment spell. These mountains are so high that they tickle the clouds with their peaks. This place reminds me of home. I look down and see some strong, little, hairy creatures that dig holes in the mountains. I must be near those dwarves that live in the West.

When I return, it’s already night, and the moon shines brightly on my left. How I wish Selena could have wings and I could take her with me to play in the clouds. Maybe even fuck her in flight. Ha-ha, it’s not fun alone, and I return to the house. I find a good tree and settle between its branches. I close my eyes and fall asleep almost immediately.

Tristan POV

Primordial tunes. All Caldea is studying for the last 20 pages are these strange runes that she believes are from the angels. What are these beings doing in demon lands? Weren't they supposed to be up north beyond the barbarian lands? No one has seen angels for the last 10,000, and now Caldea says that this warlock, or whatever his class may be, is using those runes but also demonic runes. She is as confused as I am.

I copy and write some of these runes and apply her tests to understand the meaning. This looks like a magic barrier made of light. You can draw it on the ground, and it will light the room if someone enters. Well, I guess it's useful if you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night other applications in battle I can't think of. I read, and near the end of the book, she again describes some events that took place.

Caldea's journal year 10 150 FBS.

I broke out with Martin. I was careless one evening, and he saw me with another. I hated myself for doing that to him, but maybe it’s better this way. I put a ward on his memory, and he remembers nothing. I don't know what I was expecting. We came from entirely different worlds, and challenging battles await me. Maybe when I kill all those who destroy our lands, I can allow myself to love only one man. Until then, I am afraid many sacrifices await me. I finally understand why there is a combination of demons and angel magic on that bastard. He can fool others, but he can’t fool me. He is one of those marzack that appeared after the formation of the Boiling Sea. Many demons thought that they were all destroyed, but it appears we were wrong all along. They are back and, most certainly, behind those demon hunters. There is no other being that uses our magic and the angels. Cursed it be the day when that treacherous general made a deal with the angels. On that day, he condemned us all. For now, we can only hide like rats and hope that one day, we will be strong enough to take our lands back. I am close to becoming an incubus, but even as one, I can't defeat them. I should visit Astra in the capital to see her progress also.

What the hell is she talking about? The mighty demons that almost destroy the earth are on the run. She fears this marzack. Again, what the hell is a marzack? I should ask Asmodeus, but I wonder if he knows about this. He seems laid back without a care in the world. Well, I guess it's not as bad as she describes it.

I scroll again a few pages, where she again draws runes and I see the last page where her writing seems of. It's like her hand is trembling or something.

Caldea's journal year 10 160 FBS

Oh, I made a mistake. I feel like I am changing. I hear voices in my head. My CHILDREN: How could I have been so stupid, so careless? Since all the men in this village are already old, I can't absorb anymore without killing them. I tried absorbing from those green beings, but I fell ill. I have been sick since that time. I can't think anymore, and my hair is falling off. My wings look like they are shrinking. I tried to heal myself, but it's in me. My blood is infected. No, All my research, all my hope was for nothing. I hope my sister at least gets a hold of my research. I am lost to the world, my childre33333n.

"Wow, shit," I remain sited and dumbfounded in my chair for a long time. It's like I am glued to it and can’t move as I realize Caldes’s plight. The date is this year. How could she be so stupid? Didn't she know about goblins? She had sex with one of those things willingly? I mean, who does that?

I feel so sorry for her. All her research ended in the hands of someone who isn't even a mage. Talking about bad luck, I mean, what the hell was she thinking? Everybody knows about goblins and brood mothers. I guess she always studied those runes and paid no attention to outside words. She was punished severely for this. I will take it upon myself to find her sister and give her the journal. It's the least I can do.

But wait, these are my enemies. Whatever unlucky she might have been, she was stealing those men's lives away; I can't overlook that. Why the hell do I care about her? But then again, her home was destroyed by elven demon hunters. Shit, what do I do? Do I tell Asmodeus about this or not?

I am walking in circles in my room, not finding a solution to all this. Why do I have to get involved in this? I mean, I still have the curse to think about. After I get rid of the curse, I will tell Arya about this. She, too, wants **** for the attack on her colleague and should be interested in this. I should let her decide what to do with the journal. I can't waste time anymore thinking about this. I should find some platinum and end this whole mess.

I get outside the house to get some air. The night is beautiful. A big moon shines brightly and illuminates the whole forest. Until I became cursed, I never appreciated the night's beauty. I would miss this scenery when I get rid of the curse. I will probably be too tired to take strolls in the middle of the night. Even in my painting, I could never depict properly low light scenery. I guess I am just a day painter.

I walk through the forest and decide to get to the waterfall as I think about this whole mess. This afternoon was again strange as I saw Mom, Selena, Asmodeus, and Olden come out of the forest.

They looked like they were coming back from a funeral. Their faces were silent and thoughtful like some dark cloud was exactly above their heads. Mom seemed in a hurry to get rid of me, and then she and Olden entered her laboratory. I heard Asmodeus and Selena's voices in the kitchen, but they, too, were mostly silent. From what I remember, Mom and Selena have always had these mood changes, and now it appears they rubbed off on Asmodeus and Olden, too.

Weagh, who cares? Soon, I will see my beloved Arya again. We will get rid of Olden and Asmodeus. At least I don't have to think any more about their intentions. Today, as Asmodeus was passing in front of me, I studied carefully the runes tattooed on his body. They are definitely what Caldeea describes as soul-calling runs. She describes the ritual carefully, but from what I read from the passages, it requires an enormous amount of mana from her to pull it off.

I wonder if maybe he is this Marzack that Caldea fears, but no, that can't be. Selena would have spotted if he and Olden were lying.

The more I think about it, he doesn't seem to shy away from speaking his mind. Nah, again, I am overthinking it. Selena wouldn't like him if he wasn't a good guy. Those tattoos must be the latest trend in the demon realm. Yeah, the demon realm that doesn’t exist anymore and is overrun by these beings that sound like a nasty illness.

I walk through the Silver forest at night as the moon reveals my path. The more I look at it resembles a silver coin. Ha, the silver moon shines on the Silver forest. How poetic. Since Selena revealed to me that there was silver upstream, I thought about it. Maybe me, too; I should go and dig some up. Not much, just enough to buy a house in town. I wonder what Selena would say if I told her my plan. Nah, she will probably kick my ass, saying that I destroy the fish's habitat or something like that. Shit, to think that all that silver will remain forever at the bottom…… Holy crap. Silver is in the water; silver hurts Asmodeus. The word dies in my mind as I put all the clues together. Silver is the damn metal. Ha-ha, Martin, you asshole, you couldn't afford a decent ring, and Asmodeus was hurt when he entered the waterfall lake. Oh no, he really is a summon. Silver damages chaos magic, and he is brought into this world by magic. He was hurt by the water that had silver in it.

I start running, ha-ha. All I need is to take a bath, and all this torment is over. I will see Arya again, ha-ha. I fall to the ground as I stumble against some fallen tree branches. I can't see much, but I get up quickly; ha-ha, nothing can stop me.

I run fast, but as I run, I see everything changing color. The moon slowly fades away, and the sky becomes brighter. No, I can do it. I am almost at the lake. I can see the glitter of the water through the trees. Noooooooo, I scream as I begin to glow.