603. Something More
Haec’s eyes grew wide as he saw the red-skinned figure stepping out of the rift. A portal that hadn’t been there just moments ago. And the man that now stood there— the Demon that wore the sickeningly wicked smile— spoke in a mocking tone.
“Please, even after what you witnessed, do you truly believe you have what it takes to become a Primordial Demon?”
It was a simple question, but it made Haec recoil. After all, the one who asked it was… the Devil.
Haec had met him once before. A long time ago. Back when he had just become the Heir of the Netherworld. Back then, he hasn’t completed his studies. He had barely been an Archdemon, andhe didn’t even know who the Devil was supposed to be.
But now, not only had he learned about the mysterious and danger nature of the Devil, he could sense the terrifying strength of the Devil’s presence alone. Haec saw the rift closing, and he found his knees growing weak.
His legs trembled. His fingers shook, before he balled his hands into fists to steel himself. Next to him, Taburas took a step back as she whispered.
“What is the Devil doing here, Haec?”
She asked as she hid behind the former Heir of the Netherworld. He inhaled sharply before he shook his head.
“I… I don’t know.”
He wished he knew the answer. He could only watch as the Devil drew closer. He warily raised his fists as he prepared for what was to come. Bertrugil tensed, and Aemula just glanced around in confusion.
She clearly didn’t know who the Devil was, nor could she even begin to comprehend his power.
The Devil opened his mouth as he grinned.
“I—”
“Dad!”
And Salvos exclaimed, cutting the Devil off. He blinked as she dashed forward, before crashing into him with a hug. He stared at her for a moment, nothing coming out of his mouth. Haec looked on too. Just as shocked at this turn of events.
Taburas worked her jaw.
“Did she just call him… her dad?”
“Are you deaf?”
A snort came from behind. Haec and Taburas turned to face Bertrugil. He gestured past them— at the Devil and Salvos.
“He called her his daughter too!”
“I…”
Taburas trailed off. Haec pursed his lips, before turning back to Salvos she peeled away from the Devil with a smile on her face.
“I’ve been searching for you! You left me alone, and I couldn’t find you because you moved your pocket space! I need to talk to you about something important!”
She spoke quickly— with extreme familiarity to the Primordial Demon standing there with a surprised look on his face. In response, the Devil just scratched the back of his head.
“Well, I’m glad to see that you’re still excited to speak with your old man, my dear daughter. However, I was in the middle of—”
He started, only to be interrupted by her once again. She grabbed him by his hands and dragged him over to where Haec stood.
“Wait, first I need you to meet someone!”
Salvos nodded eagerly, and Taburas flinched. The [Succubus] backed away, hiding behind Haec. Bertrugil himself tensed, although he didn’t shrink and hide. Aemula just looked around, still confused.
Haec stared at the Devil who was scowling, standing behind Salvos. She just clapped her hands together as she gestured at the former Heir of the Netherworld.
“Dad, I want you to meet Haec! He’s my first companion! I told you about him, remember?”
Both the Devil and Haec held each others’ gaze for a moment. Haec chewed his lips, not sure what to say. It was the Devil who spoke first, waving a hand off dismissively.
“I do recall something about that. And I believe this is not the first we have met…”
The Devil looked Haec up and down, scrutinizingly. Haec just slowly nodded.
“We have met… I, uh, believe you were mostly preoccupied speaking to the Demon King at the time. But you showed us a scene from the Mortal Realm— you showed us what Salvos was doing. So I knew that the two of you were acquainted.”
Haec shifted back uncomfortably as he turned to Salvos.
“I just didn’t know you were… her father?”
He knew what the word ‘father’ itself meant, and he vaguely understood the concept of a biological connection between two individuals. It was something Oracli had taught him that was prevalent in the Mortal Realm, but non-existent in the Netherworld.
So Haec was puzzled. How could the Devil be Salvos’ father when such relationships didn’t exist for Demons? He wanted to question it, but he was too intimidated by the Primordial Demon’s presence to speak up.
The Devil just sighed.
“Indeed, I have adopted Salvos as my own wonderful daughter. But I have to say, she has disappointed me today…”
He paused, tilting his head back. He looked towards his surroundings— at the pocket space surrounded by an infinite darkness.
“Well, there aren’t days in the Netherworld. And there definitely aren’t days here either. But you get what I mean.”
“What? What are you talking about? How did I even disappoint you?”
Salvos pouted, crossing her arms.
“I survived an encounter with the Beast!”
The Devil just rolled his eyes as Haec looked on.
“First of all— no. No you didn’t survive an encounter with the Beast. You survived being a few miles away from the Beast. But you definitely didn’t encounter it.”
Salvos opened her mouth to protest, and he raised a finger, cutting her off.
“Secondly, I am disappointed in your… arrogance. There is a difference between confidence and foolishness, my daughter. And you crossed that line today.”
“What are you talking about?”
She blinked. He just sighed, taking a step back.
“Let me show you.”
I watched as Sal began to walk up to the front of my pocket space. He came to a halt right before the cracked glass-like wall, before placing a hand on it. I narrowed my eyes.
“What is he doing?”
Haec whispered to me, and I shrugged.
“I, um, don’t know? He does what he wants, usually. But let me ask him.”
I took a step forward, opening my mouth to question my father. But he continued his speech as [The World Of My Mind] began to tremble.
“Even after witnessing absolute power— the pinnacle of our world— you refuse to be humbled. You choose to espouse your own greatness. While it is amusing at first, sometimes it can be infuriating. Because I am rooting for you. I wish to believe you can do as you claim. But…”
Sal took in a deep breath as the world around us began to change. The darkness faded away, being replaced by a blazing white curtain. My eyes went wide, and I pointed at him.
“Hey! This is my pocket space! Don’t mess with it! Use your own!”
Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf’s ears. The Devil ignored me, continuing to alter my pocket space as he pleased. Haec stumbled back, and Taburas cried out. Bertrugil frowned as Aemula just whispered.
“What’s going on?”
“I… he’s taking us back.”
I answered softly. I watched as the last of the darkness vanished, and we emerged into a white canvas. I squinted, covering my eyes for a moment. It was incredibly bright— blindingly so. At first, it almost looked like we were landing on the sun!
But I heard the notification resound in my head. And I knew that we had simply returned to where we were before we fled. I blinked a few times, lowering my hand. And I saw it.
It was the very same landscape of the Netherworld we had been walking on just an hour ago. It was the very same undulating mountain range that had seemed so vast and expansive just moments ago. But now it was different. It was…
Burning.
Everything in a hundred miles had been reduced to a burning crater. Like a lake of fire. But that wasn’t all. The sky itself was cracked— riddled with holes that looked just like the rifts of Revelation. All around us was destruction. And it was caused by a single Skill of the Beast.
I heard Haec gasping behind me. Taburas asked a question, and Bertrugil didn’t even give a retort in response. He was stunned. So was Aemula. No one but the Devil had the strength to speak, seeing the destruction that had been wrought.
“Behold!”
The Devil laughed as he spread his arms wide. In the distance, I saw a lumbering figure moving. The Beast waded through its white flames, ignoring the scorching heat like it was nothing. And I listened to my dad as he continued.
“Do you really think you can get to this level of power so soon? No… not just this power!”
He twisted his hand, and my pocket space shifted. We descended down into the center of the burning crater, and I winced. The heat of the white flames didn’t penetrate the fractal walls of [The World Of My Mind], but I could sense the overwhelming power here. I would be instantly incinerated if I fell into the fire.
“The Beast may be the most dangerous of all, but the power of Primordials is beyond your comprehension. Because to us, even death is but a nuisance. Observe.”
The Devil gestured at something moving at the bottom of the fiery pit. A melting husk lay there— the corpse of a once colossal creature. Its shell cracked, then shattered open as a tendril shot out into the sky.
And out of the shell, emerged a familiar Demon. Slowly, it dragged itself out of the corpse, its body wet and covered in slime, like a newborn being hatched from an egg. But it wasn’t a tiny thing. It was massive. Just as big as I remembered it.
And I stared at the Primordial Demon as it crawled out into the lake of fire.
“Huh.”
[The Great Agarus - Lvl. 225]
It let out a terrible roar as [The World Of My Mind] shook. The Devil just smirked at me, crossing his arms as he showed me this scene.
“I told you, Salvos. The path to becoming a Primordial Demon is going to be more tumultuous than you thought.”
And behind him, [The Great Agarus] walked through the lake of fire. It looked up once— towards the distant figure of the Beast. But the wild Primordial Demon shook its head and slowly walked in the opposite direction, groaning as it was burned by the white flames.
Sal looked me in my eyes as he finished.
“Because to ascend into the final evolution of our kind, you must first become something more.”
MelasD
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603. Something More
Haec’s eyes grew wide as he saw the red-skinned figure stepping out of the rift. A portal that hadn’t been there just moments ago. And the man that now stood there— the Demon that wore the sickeningly wicked smile— spoke in a mocking tone.
“Please, even after what you witnessed, do you truly believe you have what it takes to become a Primordial Demon?”
It was a simple question, but it made Haec recoil. After all, the one who asked it was… the Devil.
Haec had met him once before. A long time ago. Back when he had just become the Heir of the Netherworld. Back then, he hasn’t completed his studies. He had barely been an Archdemon, andhe didn’t even know who the Devil was supposed to be.
But now, not only had he learned about the mysterious and danger nature of the Devil, he could sense the terrifying strength of the Devil’s presence alone. Haec saw the rift closing, and he found his knees growing weak.
His legs trembled. His fingers shook, before he balled his hands into fists to steel himself. Next to him, Taburas took a step back as she whispered.
“What is the Devil doing here, Haec?”
She asked as she hid behind the former Heir of the Netherworld. He inhaled sharply before he shook his head.
“I… I don’t know.”
He wished he knew the answer. He could only watch as the Devil drew closer. He warily raised his fists as he prepared for what was to come. Bertrugil tensed, and Aemula just glanced around in confusion.
She clearly didn’t know who the Devil was, nor could she even begin to comprehend his power.
The Devil opened his mouth as he grinned.
“I—”
“Dad!”
And Salvos exclaimed, cutting the Devil off. He blinked as she dashed forward, before crashing into him with a hug. He stared at her for a moment, nothing coming out of his mouth. Haec looked on too. Just as shocked at this turn of events.
Taburas worked her jaw.
“Did she just call him… her dad?”
“Are you deaf?”
A snort came from behind. Haec and Taburas turned to face Bertrugil. He gestured past them— at the Devil and Salvos.
“He called her his daughter too!”
“I…”
Taburas trailed off. Haec pursed his lips, before turning back to Salvos she peeled away from the Devil with a smile on her face.
“I’ve been searching for you! You left me alone, and I couldn’t find you because you moved your pocket space! I need to talk to you about something important!”
She spoke quickly— with extreme familiarity to the Primordial Demon standing there with a surprised look on his face. In response, the Devil just scratched the back of his head.
“Well, I’m glad to see that you’re still excited to speak with your old man, my dear daughter. However, I was in the middle of—”
He started, only to be interrupted by her once again. She grabbed him by his hands and dragged him over to where Haec stood.
“Wait, first I need you to meet someone!”
Salvos nodded eagerly, and Taburas flinched. The [Succubus] backed away, hiding behind Haec. Bertrugil himself tensed, although he didn’t shrink and hide. Aemula just looked around, still confused.
Haec stared at the Devil who was scowling, standing behind Salvos. She just clapped her hands together as she gestured at the former Heir of the Netherworld.
“Dad, I want you to meet Haec! He’s my first companion! I told you about him, remember?”
Both the Devil and Haec held each others’ gaze for a moment. Haec chewed his lips, not sure what to say. It was the Devil who spoke first, waving a hand off dismissively.
“I do recall something about that. And I believe this is not the first we have met…”
The Devil looked Haec up and down, scrutinizingly. Haec just slowly nodded.
“We have met… I, uh, believe you were mostly preoccupied speaking to the Demon King at the time. But you showed us a scene from the Mortal Realm— you showed us what Salvos was doing. So I knew that the two of you were acquainted.”
Haec shifted back uncomfortably as he turned to Salvos.
“I just didn’t know you were… her father?”
He knew what the word ‘father’ itself meant, and he vaguely understood the concept of a biological connection between two individuals. It was something Oracli had taught him that was prevalent in the Mortal Realm, but non-existent in the Netherworld.
So Haec was puzzled. How could the Devil be Salvos’ father when such relationships didn’t exist for Demons? He wanted to question it, but he was too intimidated by the Primordial Demon’s presence to speak up.
The Devil just sighed.
“Indeed, I have adopted Salvos as my own wonderful daughter. But I have to say, she has disappointed me today…”
He paused, tilting his head back. He looked towards his surroundings— at the pocket space surrounded by an infinite darkness.
“Well, there aren’t days in the Netherworld. And there definitely aren’t days here either. But you get what I mean.”
“What? What are you talking about? How did I even disappoint you?”
Salvos pouted, crossing her arms.
“I survived an encounter with the Beast!”
The Devil just rolled his eyes as Haec looked on.
“First of all— no. No you didn’t survive an encounter with the Beast. You survived being a few miles away from the Beast. But you definitely didn’t encounter it.”
Salvos opened her mouth to protest, and he raised a finger, cutting her off.
“Secondly, I am disappointed in your… arrogance. There is a difference between confidence and foolishness, my daughter. And you crossed that line today.”
“What are you talking about?”
She blinked. He just sighed, taking a step back.
“Let me show you.”
I watched as Sal began to walk up to the front of my pocket space. He came to a halt right before the cracked glass-like wall, before placing a hand on it. I narrowed my eyes.
“What is he doing?”
Haec whispered to me, and I shrugged.
“I, um, don’t know? He does what he wants, usually. But let me ask him.”
I took a step forward, opening my mouth to question my father. But he continued his speech as [The World Of My Mind] began to tremble.
“Even after witnessing absolute power— the pinnacle of our world— you refuse to be humbled. You choose to espouse your own greatness. While it is amusing at first, sometimes it can be infuriating. Because I am rooting for you. I wish to believe you can do as you claim. But…”
Sal took in a deep breath as the world around us began to change. The darkness faded away, being replaced by a blazing white curtain. My eyes went wide, and I pointed at him.
“Hey! This is my pocket space! Don’t mess with it! Use your own!”
Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf’s ears. The Devil ignored me, continuing to alter my pocket space as he pleased. Haec stumbled back, and Taburas cried out. Bertrugil frowned as Aemula just whispered.
“What’s going on?”
“I… he’s taking us back.”
I answered softly. I watched as the last of the darkness vanished, and we emerged into a white canvas. I squinted, covering my eyes for a moment. It was incredibly bright— blindingly so. At first, it almost looked like we were landing on the sun!
But I heard the notification resound in my head. And I knew that we had simply returned to where we were before we fled. I blinked a few times, lowering my hand. And I saw it.
It was the very same landscape of the Netherworld we had been walking on just an hour ago. It was the very same undulating mountain range that had seemed so vast and expansive just moments ago. But now it was different. It was…
Burning.
Everything in a hundred miles had been reduced to a burning crater. Like a lake of fire. But that wasn’t all. The sky itself was cracked— riddled with holes that looked just like the rifts of Revelation. All around us was destruction. And it was caused by a single Skill of the Beast.
I heard Haec gasping behind me. Taburas asked a question, and Bertrugil didn’t even give a retort in response. He was stunned. So was Aemula. No one but the Devil had the strength to speak, seeing the destruction that had been wrought.
“Behold!”
The Devil laughed as he spread his arms wide. In the distance, I saw a lumbering figure moving. The Beast waded through its white flames, ignoring the scorching heat like it was nothing. And I listened to my dad as he continued.
“Do you really think you can get to this level of power so soon? No… not just this power!”
He twisted his hand, and my pocket space shifted. We descended down into the center of the burning crater, and I winced. The heat of the white flames didn’t penetrate the fractal walls of [The World Of My Mind], but I could sense the overwhelming power here. I would be instantly incinerated if I fell into the fire.
“The Beast may be the most dangerous of all, but the power of Primordials is beyond your comprehension. Because to us, even death is but a nuisance. Observe.”
The Devil gestured at something moving at the bottom of the fiery pit. A melting husk lay there— the corpse of a once colossal creature. Its shell cracked, then shattered open as a tendril shot out into the sky.
And out of the shell, emerged a familiar Demon. Slowly, it dragged itself out of the corpse, its body wet and covered in slime, like a newborn being hatched from an egg. But it wasn’t a tiny thing. It was massive. Just as big as I remembered it.
And I stared at the Primordial Demon as it crawled out into the lake of fire.
“Huh.”
[The Great Agarus - Lvl. 225]
It let out a terrible roar as [The World Of My Mind] shook. The Devil just smirked at me, crossing his arms as he showed me this scene.
“I told you, Salvos. The path to becoming a Primordial Demon is going to be more tumultuous than you thought.”
And behind him, [The Great Agarus] walked through the lake of fire. It looked up once— towards the distant figure of the Beast. But the wild Primordial Demon shook its head and slowly walked in the opposite direction, groaning as it was burned by the white flames.
Sal looked me in my eyes as he finished.
“Because to ascend into the final evolution of our kind, you must first become something more.”
MelasD
You can now read up to 30 chapters ahead on my patreon and support the webcomic.
Join my discord or subreddit.
Follow me on twitter or instagram.
