Chapter 1

Luz wasn't in Gravesfield anymore.

The red grass under her shoes indicated so. Guided under the moonlight she ran through the unfamiliar forest. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran from a noise that followed her. Thundering footsteps shook the forest floor. The crack of trees followed the monstrous steps. Her brown eyes darted in every direction until she caught a glimpse of a campfire in the distance. And between her thumping heart and the sound of the beast, she could faintly hear conversations.

"Help!" Her shrieks echoed through the forest. "Help me I'm being chased by a monster! Help!"

Luz's body landed in the dirt with a heavy thud knocking the wind from her her purple and white striped shirt. She felt the tips of massive talons pressed on her back. The shift in weight caused her to make an uncomfortable "oof" sound. She covered her ears trying to reduce the pain of the monster's mighty screech that sent shockwaves through her body. She felt the weight shift and after a few seconds of the ringing leaving her ears she looked up at an outstretched gloved hand and heard a high-pitched nasally voice ask her.

"Are you ok?"

Forcing her body to hold onto her savior's hand, the stranger pulled Luz up allowing Luz to see this person's face. Her non-human face. Under the moonlight, Luz could clearly see her savior. The...demon's brown neck loomed over Luz. It looked down at her with black eyes with yellow irises. It wore a somber, charcoal-hued jerkin, extending down their arms, cinched at the waist by a rustic brown belt. This ensemble pairs harmoniously with ebony harem pants and tapered brown boots, completed with matching gloves. A weak chuckle escaped Luz's lips as her muscles turned to jelly, her vision dimming. With a thud, she crumpled to the ground, the world spinning into darkness as consciousness slipped away.

Luz's consciousness slowly returned, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. The world around her was a haze at first, but gradually, her eyes adjusted to a dim red glow bathing the room. It took a moment for her to realize that she was no longer in the forest. Instead, she lay on a comfortable surface, her surroundings bathed in a soft, crimson light. Directly across from her, a red door with a gleaming golden doorknob stood in stark contrast to the room's crimson walls. Her mind was foggy, but a single question came to her mind. Where am I? Luz's body felt as if lead pumped through her blood. Any strength she had to push herself up was non-existent.

"Alright, Luz. Time to assess the situation. You're in a random room," her hand gently pressed against whatever she was laying on. "Laying on a really comfortable couch. Or bed. You got here after running through the forest and..and," the flash of the demon's face came to Luz. Her eyes widen and she gulped. "And..I saw a demon. An actual demon!"

The realization and shock sent a jolt through her body. Strong enough to cause her to shiver, weak enough not for her to shoot up from her laying position.

"If I saw a demon does that mean I'm in the bad place?!"

The fear she felt replaced the feeling of lead with heavy adrenaline through her body. She forced herself to rise from what she now saw as a couch. Her legs struggled to keep her weight, causing her to sit back on the couch.

"W-why would I even be there?! What did I even do?!" She attempted to remember anything before the woods. But her mind came blank. Outside of the chase in the woods, Luz Noceda only knew her name. And being a fan of a character named Azura who was a witch.

"Oh, God. Oh, shit!"

Her hand instinctively covered her mouth. Luz Noceda doesn't curse, she thought to herself. Or what she assumed she didn't do.

"Ok, Noceda. Calm down. You don't even know where you are, or how you got here, but you have this really nice couch," she gently petted the furniture. "And sure, you may have seen a demon, but that doesn't mean you're in Hell, right? She gently placed her hand on her chest. Luz let out a deep sigh feeling her body relaxed from the sensation of her pounding heart.

"I know...I know I'm alive."

Luz's eyes shot to the door. Watching the door knob click and slowly twist. Luz looked around the room for anything that could be used as a weapon. All she saw was a sea of red. Red walls, a red ceiling, and a red floor. Above her, a crystal chandelier illuminated the room. Stepping into the room stood a towering figure. Roughly a foot taller than Luz. The imposing figure wore a mask of gleaming gold adorns his face, featuring two imposing horns that reach skyward. His eyes peer through hollow sockets in the mask, lending an eerie emptiness to his gaze. Draped around his form is a grand cape, a mix of pristine white and earthy brown, elegantly embellished with gilded accents. Underneath, he sports a loose-fitting gray tunic and black trousers, smartly tucked into golden gloves and sturdy brown boots. Luz's eyes focused primarily on the being's horns.

"Oh, my God. You're the devil," with a trembling hand, she pointed. "You're the actual devil!"

What Luz saw as the devil only chuckled. A strangely human chuckle.

"Dear human, had that been the case wouldn't there be much more fire? Agonizing torture? I would know. My father was quite the preacher."

From under his cape came a beige glove. It hovered over the mask and revealed an aged man, with a pallid complexion and gentle, light-blue eyes. His lips are etched with wrinkles, and his weathered countenance is framed by cascading, ash-blond hair, which extends well past his shoulders. Adding character to his face, there's a prominent, sizable basil-green scar.

"You're..human?" Luz asked.

The man chuckled brushing his hair from the side.

"A secret that must stay between you and I, but yes. I am human. Amongst the natives of this world, I am known as Emperor Belos. But, to you, you may know me as Philip Wittebane."

"Wittebane?"

Luz began to rub her head. The name sounded familiar. Too familiar. But it was out of reach.

"I-I know that name from somewhere I just can't-."

"Remember?" Belos asked. "By the fall you had I wouldn't be surprised." Belos pointed at his forehead. Luz felt her forehead and gasped. Feeling the outline of stitches. "I can answer any questions you may wish, though I wish not to overwhelm you."

"Where am I?"

"The boiling isles. A land far from earth and not the bad place." Belos smiled watching Luz fully relax. "In this land, I rule as Emperor Belos leader and lord over demons and witches.."

Luz noticed the facial shift Belos made after saying witches. It was a quick look of disgust only to be replaced with a warm smile. "Witches and demons use magic, their god is known as 'The Titan,' it's also the boiling isles itself. Only such creatures can live off the carcass of a deceased being."

"That's..that's kind of gross."

Belos nodded still giving Luz a warm smile.

"I have a few ideas on how you may have gotten here, but they're just theories. For now, I suggest that you rest."

"But-."

"Rest. This world is unkind to us humans. I can admit, there are some witches. Some you may even call 'good,' he said with air quotes. "With their own uses. But, there are also wild witches. Those that wish to cause destruction, disorder, and even death."

Luz gulped at Belos's comments. Witches? Demons? A part of Luz desperately wanted to feel excited. Deep, deep down this is a world she imagined.

"Can humans use magic?"

"Sadly no," Belos said answering her question. "However, there are alternatives. Ways that will be discussed later." Belos put back on the mask and walked towards the door. "Before I depart I must ask, what is your name?"

"Luz Noceda."

Beneath his mask, Belos smiled leaving the room.

"For now. My new scarlet guard."