It had been a couple months now since Kuisha joined Sairaorg's peerage. In the first couple of weeks, she stopped by the manor a lot to grab things she'd forgotten or just to eat a quick meal with me, but as time went on, her visits became less frequent. I busied myself with my training and finalizing my plans.
With the house now more or less uninhabited by anyone but myself, I could be a lot less careful about hiding my activities. There was a hidden room connected to the basement through a secret passage that I'd been working out of when Kuisha still lived here. I found the place when I was younger. I'd been searching for a spot to start my research projects and noticed the wall stuck out further than it should. From there, it was just a matter of finding a way into the hidden area. I'd been using that area for a while now, but I didn't need to hide down there anymore. I still did some work down there just because I already had a good workspace set up, but with Kuisha gone, I was spending more time upstairs.
Without having to hide my activities from my sister, I made a lot more progress than I would have expected. I still lacked actual combat experience outside of sparring with my sister, but I felt confident I could pass the High Class test with ease now. If possible, I wanted to reveal only my skill with Hole. I was an Abaddon. It was expected that I would be good with it. A large majority of devils born with bloodline abilities often over relied on it, never branching out or learning to use something different. I hadn't, branching into various disciplines of magic and a small amount of weapon practice, but I would rather everyone think I had. I wasn't in a strong enough position yet where I felt comfortable showing off my strength on the Underworld's stage. Isolated and friendless as I was, it would be too easy for someone to sweep me up into their faction or peerage.
Unfortunately, the only way to gain the allies I would need to defend myself were to join a peerage, an option I wasn't very inclined to choose, or passing the High Class test and getting my Evil Pieces so I could start recruiting for my peerage. I had no desire to join a peerage, whereas my plans for the future all revolved around the peerage I planned to recruit. I'd prepared as much as I could to recruit the individuals I wanted. All that was left now was to do it.
In preparation for this moment, I'd already done my research on how to apply to take the High Class test. I already had all the paperwork I needed to submit, it was just a matter of filling it out and sending it in.
Suppressing a sigh, I sat down at the dining room table and started pouring over the documents.
I hated paperwork.
X
I was sitting in a waiting room with a slew of other devil hopefuls, each aiming to receive their own set of Evil Pieces. The room was filled with a wide assortment of individuals. Young devils in expensive clothing, devils at least three times my age in clothes you'd see on a commoner. There were about a dozen of us. These were people who'd worked their whole lives to reach this point just like me, but many of them had been training far longer than I had. Where Pillar devils are handed their Evil Pieces, lower ranked devils or reincarnated devils have to earn them. Since most people in this world weren't born with a Sacred Gear or a really awesome bloodline power, Hole was my eternal savior and I would always be grateful that it graced my humble self with its presence, they had to make do with nothing but a cna-do attitude and time.
We'd each passed the simple written test that covered basic Underworld history and were now waiting for the practical test. From what we'd been told, it would be a tournament-style contest of 1v1 matches. You didn't have to be the last man standing to pass the test, you just had to impress the officials judging you. That would likely be easier if I could see said judges, but they were watching us through scrying.
Everyone looked to the door to the room as an official with a clipboard entered.
"Cleria Fall. Balthazar…Abaddon." the official looked up at me as he read my name, clearly recognizing it. I got a few looks as I stood up, but paid them no mind. I was too busy sizing up the woman who would be my opponent.
She was older than me and a few inches taller with broad shoulders and short cut brown hair. It was hard to tell the exact age of a devil due to how we stopped aging after a point, but she appeared to be in her late twenties, so she had reached the point where she would stop aging. She could be 29, or she could be 290. There wasn't any way to tell without tagging her with spells, which would probably not go over well before our match. Regardless of how old she was, I was confident I could beat her. With any luck, she would be the only opponent I had to fight.
The official led us down the hall, explaining the rules of our match as he guided us to where we would fight. No maiming, cease fighting when ordered, no outside assistance allowed – fairly simple and expected rules, but devils being devils, they had to be stated regardless.
The official left us as we entered a large arena. There were no spectators, but I saw several spell circles floating through the space. People may not have been present, but they were watching all the same.
"Hey!"
I turned from my inspection of the room to look at my opponent. "Yes?"
"That guy said you're an Abbadon. That true?"
"It is."
The woman grinned, smacking her fist into her open palm. "Good. I guess I'll get to make a name for myself sooner than I thought. Hey, after I beat you, you wanna join my peerage? You're cute enough."
Well she certainly didn't lack confidence, did she?
"As tempting as your offer is, I must respectfully decline."
Her grin thinned into a line. "Think you're too good for me, huh? This is why I hate you noble bastards, always looking down on the rest of us."
"I assure you, that was not my intent. If I have somehow offended you, I apologize." I didn't really care what this woman thought of me, but I didn't know who was watching. The New Satans were in charge of High Class promotions and were also big proponents of reincarnated devils and lower-bron devils being afforded the same opportunities as purebloods. I figured it was best to play nice lest I risk someone high up on the totem pole watching this fight and thinking I held prejudice against those without recognizable names. If I could get out of here without making any enemies or making too big of a splash, I'd be content.
My opponent opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by an announcement that echoed through the space.
"The match will begin in thirty seconds. Combatants, prepare yourselves."
"I'm going to enjoy roughing up that suit you're wearing, pretty boy."
I frowned, narrowing my eyes at the woman across from me. I didn't want observers to think I was prejudiced, but I also didn't want to seem like a pushover. I couldn't let Cleria's taunts go unanswered.
"You will not land a single strike against me." I said, clasping my hands behind my back and taking a relaxed stance.
Cleria snarled. "I'm gonna make you eat those words, bastard."
The same voice that announced our thirty second began to count down from ten. Cleria settled into a boxer's stance, glaring murderously at me. She was likely a melee combatant then. I would have preferred facing a ranged opponent, but I could make this work.
The sound of a gong rang through the space, signaling the start of our match.
Cleria's wings exploded out of her back, beating against the air even as she ran across the ground, propelling herself towards me. A point of blue light spread across her right arm, coalescing into a hardened blue gauntlet. "Twice Critical!" Cleria roared, her power swelling to new heights as she lunged towards me with her gauntleted hand, aiming to smash her fist through my skull.
I hadn't expected to fight a Sacred Gear holder during this little test. Cleria must have been a reincarnated devil.
Cleria's fist closed in on me. There was a lot of power behind that strike. If it connected, I would probably have a bad time. Good thing it wasn't going to connect.
Moments before Cleria's fist would have smashed into my nose, a dark orb appeared in the path of her strike. Her fist sailed into the Hole I opened, passing through it and out of the paired Hole I'd opened directly beneath her chin.
Cleria's head snapped backwards as her own Sacred Gear armored fist uppercutted her, causing her teeth to snap together with a sickening clacking sound. The force of the blow sent Cleria flying to the side. She rolled across the ground a couple times before coming to a stop. She lay in an unmoving heap, blood seeping out of her mouth.
I made a show of dusting myself off. I had not moved a single step since the 'fight' had begun.
"That concludes the match." the voice of the announcer returned. "Balthazar Abaddon, please proceed through the door to your right."
A section of the wall slid open in the direction, and I walked through into the hallway. There was someone there waiting for me.
"Balthazar Abaddon?" a dark-haired woman in a sleek suit asked as I approached.
"Yes?"
"My name is Sola Holt. I work for Satan Beelzebub. The judges have determined that you do not need to participate in further bouts. You have officially earned the rank of High Class. I will be conducting the ritual to provide you with your evil pieces. Please follow me."
I was a little taken aback by how easy this had been, but I wasn't going to complain. I had beat a devil who had trained and earned her way to this test the same way I had who also had a Sacred Gear, minor though it was, and I beat her without taking a single step or even moving my arms.
Sola led me into a side room with a ritual circle scribed into the ground.
"Please stand in the middle of the circle." Sola said, taking up a position in front of it.
After some quick analysis spells to make sure I wasn't stepping into a trapped circle, I complied. If Sola was offended by my precaution, she didn't voice her complaints.
The circle flared to life beneath me and Sola held out her hands. Popping sounds like a crackling campfire sounded around me as small flames burst into being, orbiting around me through the air. One by one, the flames stopped in front of me, condensing down into glowing red chess pieces – pawns, rooks, bishops, knights, and finally a queen. With a final pop, all of the pieces vanished, but I knew they weren't gone. I could feel them, tethered to me.
I held up a hand, experimentally flexing my power. In a flash of fire, one of my pawns appeared. I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I turned the small chess piece over in my hand. I had my own Evil Pieces. I could build my own peerage now.
"Congratulations, Mr. Abaddon." Sola said, pulling my attention away from the pawn in my hand. "Your promotion will be announced at the conclusion of today's test with the names of the others who passed. You are now free to leave at your leisure. If you are so inclined, you may also stay to watch the other matches."
"Thank you for your help, Ms. Holt. I believe I will retire for the day."
She nodded easily. "As you wish. I will escort you out of the building." She guided me through the halls and out the front door, stopping at the threshold. "Once more, allow me to congratulate you."
"Thank you again for your help."
"Of course." With that, she turned around and reentered the testing facility.
I stood on the steps for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Today was a good day.
A Hole opened up around me, whisking me home.
X
The High-Class test was almost too easy. I'd been in and out of the building in a couple hours. Sure, I embarrassed my opponent, but I would have thought there would be a more involved process. Sola had seemed rushed to give me my Evil Pieces and send me on my way.
Still, I couldn't complain about the result. I had my Evil Pieces now, and I hadn't revealed anything that was not already common knowledge. I did exactly one thing in my fight against Cleria, opened a Hole. The Abaddon could use Hole. What a wildly unprecedented eventuality! No one would gleen any new information about my capabilities from my High Class test, and I could not be happier about that. Today had gone almost perfectly.
Almost. A mutation piece or two in my set would have made this a perfect day. I ran a hand over the demonic chess set sat before me on the dining room table, gently brushing the pieces with my fingers. Sadly, all of my pieces were normal. I didn't get a single mutation piece. I couldn't be too upset about that fact though. Mutation pieces were rare, and I was already set up in a really good position. I had a private manor with private land. My full capabilities were still secret. I had my Evil Pieces. Today was a good day.
I received a ping through the manor's wards.
I frowned. A letter had just been sent and was seeking permission to pass through the wards. I hadn't received a single letter in my entire life. Why was I getting one now?
I allowed the letter to pass the wards, my curiosity too great to be denied. In a burst of bright orange fire, an envelope inlaid with gold trim appeared in front of me, floating patiently in the air. Who wasted money on gold trim?
After inspecting the letter for magical traps, curses and other unsavory surprises, I plucked it out of the air and looked it over. The envelope only had two words on it, my full name written in swirly script. Was that gold ink? Who would use gold ink?
Now beyond curious and tired of waiting, I tore the letter open and quickly read through it. I felt my good mood slowly erode as I progressed through the letter. Frowning, I set it down on the table.
Today was not a good day. Today was a fucking terrible day.
This… Well, I officially had no idea what to do about this. Why was Magdaran Bael inviting me to the Bael Estate for lunch?
Sairaorg didn't have the same platform he once did as the Bael heir, but he had still announced that he'd taken Kuisha as his Queen. I'd followed the reaction on the Devil Net. As was always the case with the internet, the Devil Net doubly so, there was a fair helping of trolls shouting about how terrible Sairaorg and my sister were, but there was also a large amount of praise. The Abbadon name wasn't a strong one, but it was a recognizable one. Combine that with Hole and my sister's proficiency with both Hole and magic and people were saying that Sairaorg had chosen a good queen.
Of course, they wouldn't say such things in public. He was still the disgraced Bael heir. Being seen openly supporting him could put you at odds with the Baels, the undisputedly strongest Pillar at present. Especially considering some of the other things that were said on the Net and by the more brazen news publications.
Magdaran Bael, the current Bael heir and Sairaorg's half-brother had yet to acquire a single peerage piece. He was young, so that could be excused, but there were still questions raised both on the Devil Net and by certain news outlets about whether or not he was too indecisive and whether or not the Bael without the Power of Destruction would have made a better heir. Those were not the kind of accusations a devil would accept lying down, especially one who was, for all intents and purposes, Zekram Bael's puppet.
Sairaorg was praised for taking an Abbadon as his Queen. Magdaran still had no peerage pieces and was under pressure from the wider Underworld and likely his own family to fill his peerage. A quick search on the Devil Net turned up a brief article about how 'The Bastard of Abaddon' had become a High Class devil. It seems the news travelled fast. Kuisha never took the High Class test before joining Sairaorg's peerage, meaning I could now boast accomplishments she couldn't. And, most annoyingly, for the first time in my entire life, I'd received an invitation to lunch, lunch at the home of the most influential Pillar in the Underworld.
"Fuck." I bit out, supremely pissed off.
This was bad no matter how I looked at it. I was hoping I was wrong about Magdaran's intentions behind this invitation, but I didn't think I was that lucky. He needed peerage pieces. Zekram, his ancestor, headed a faction that toted pureblood devil superiority. I, a pureblood devil who shared a last name with his brother's Queen, had just shown I was strong enough to be recognized by Devil society. He wanted me in his peerage.
From a political perspective, I couldn't help but admire the move. This was not only an opportunity for Magdaran to silence his doubters, but also to snub his brother at the same time. If he were to reincarnate me, the Abaddon sibling who had passed the High Class tes, as his bishop, the story would then become that Sairaorg was over-valuing the Abbadon's power by taking one as his Queen, something the Bael's media machine could easily push out. At the same time, he would gain a powerful pure-blooded devil to serve under him, satisfying his obligations to the Great King faction.
It was a good move. The only problem was that it royally fucked me over.
I wasn't going to accept his gracious offer, that was a foregone conclusion. Yes, the Baels held more power than I would likely ever be able to attain. By serving under them, my status would skyrocket overnight, but I didn't want to be pulled into Zekram's games. It would never really be my status, it would be the Bael's, and I would be their good little lap dog that they showed off to all of their Pillar friends. Not to mention the fact that serving the Baels would mean joining the side openly opposed to the New Satans. I wanted to be as far removed from that particular drama as possible, not stuck right in the middle of it.
Then there was the fact that serving Magdaran didn't satisfy the conditions I would need to agree to joining a peerage. Even if I could get him to agree to make me his Queen, I didn't know Magdaran enough to trust him. I did know of Zekram both from my first life and the news in this life. I knew enough about him to know that I never wanted to find myself subservient to him, even by proxy, which I would be if I took Magdaran's offer.
Finally, joining Magdaran, the devil that took Sairaorg's heirship, after refusing Sairaorg's offer would be akin to spitting in Sairaorg's face, and by extension spitting in my sister's face. I wasn't going to do that.
I suppose I could take Sairaorg's offer first, joining his peerage as a bishop, but I wasn't too keen on that route either. He would definitely be a better King than Magdaran, but if he regained his heirship the way he did in canon, then I would still be subservient to Zekram. Not an attractive outcome.
That left me with sorting out the problem of how I was going to navigate the political minefield I found myself in without setting off any explosions. Refusing Magdaran could be taken as an insult to the Bael family which would royally fuck up all of my future plans. I had aimed to use Hole to open a secure shipping trade, something I wouldn't be able to do if the most influential Pillar in the Underworld threw their weight against me to repay a perceived slight.
"Fantastic fucking timing this. I should have waited to take that stupid test until I had everything prepared." I whined aloud. I had my peerage pieces, but I wasn't ready to use them yet. I was planning to do some esoteric ritual to abuse Hole's power to get myself some real heavy-hitters, but it seems as though fate had other plans. I had to deal with this Bael situation first, preferably in a way that didn't have them hating my guts. I could just refuse the meeting, but that would definitely be taken as a slight. Noble devils didn't like it when their 'lessers' didn't come running at their call.
The silver lining here was that Magdaran had given me a week's notice. I had seven days to try to figure something out.
My original plan for my Evil Pieces saw me acquiring my knight first. I had someone in mind who would make acquiring the rest of the people I wanted much easier. Their abilities combined with Hole would make it almost trivial to gather the others at my will, but that knight wouldn't be much help to me at the moment.
Truthfully, no one I had intended to recruit would be able to get me out of this jam. When I was outlining my plan, I chose power, willingness to join and loyalty over ability to maneuver political shitstorms. I was seeing the folly of that decision right now. I needed someone who could help me navigate messes like this one. I wasn't stupid, but I was far from experienced in politics, let alone devil politics where some of my opponents predated the medieval era.
I needed to reevaluate. I needed to find someone for my peerage who could stand on somewhat even footing with the likes of Zekram Bael and the New Satans, someone who could help me navigate the mess I found myself in and any future messes I would inevitably stumble upon.
The clincher was this person would also have to be willing to accept being reincarnated. It took a lot of careful consideration and planning to find candidates for my peerage that would both be boons to my peerage and be willing to actually join it. It was one thing to walk up to the greatest swordsman alive and offer them a place in my peerage. It was an entirely separate matter to appear when that swordsman lay broken and dying and give them the same offer.
Manipulative? Yes, but I was a Devil. It was practically synonymous with my race.
So was there even someone who fit all this criteria that I would be able to summon in less than a week? Or should I go back to square one and try to figure out a way to solve this on my own?
My mind wandered, settling on an individual I had briefly considered when initially making my plans, but discarded due to the uncertainty of whether or not they'd be loyal. If they would work with me, they were exactly who I'd need. The problem was I didn't know if I'd be able to get to them in under a week. In order to recruit them, I would need to arrive at a very specific time. I wasn't sure if I could pull that off on my own.
"Fuck." I said aloud, scribbling a quick acceptance of Magdaran's lunch meeting on the blank letter provided in the same envelope. A moment later, the letter burst into flames, sent back to the Bael heir. I was committed now.
Whether I could make this work or not, I was damn sure going to try. What did I spend my life training for if not establishing myself in devil society?
I headed to the basement where I'd set up my workshop. Kuisha never came down here even before she moved out. She said it was cold and dreary. That suited me just fine. It let me work on my future projects without her looking over my shoulder. I liked my sister, but I wasn't sure I trusted her with this. This was how I planned to elevate myself. I didn't want to give it up to anyone.
After opening the secret passage I found when I was twelve and dispelling several illusions, my workspace was revealed to me. There were a slew of potions and thick tomes on shelves along each wall, but I ignored them all, heading directly towards an intricately drawn spell circle in the center of the floor.
I sat down in the center of the circle and began feeding it mana. Instantly, it flared to life, filling the space with an orange glow.
I'd been experimenting with Hole ever since I awoke in this world. At first, I'd thought it would only function like the portals from the game that first taught me how to think with portals. I quickly learned that was not the case. As I experimented more, I learned more. Up until I accidentally opened a Hole that connected to the Dimensional Gap.
I was trying to push myself to the limit, see exactly how far away I could place a Hole. There had to be a limit, and I wanted to know what that limit was. As I came to find out, the limit was only limited by one's imagination. I should have expected that. Devil magic in general was powered by imagination. Whatever you dreamt of, you could accomplish given enough power and time. I'd imagined a Hole opening beyond the boundaries of the world, and I'd achieved that dream.
I shut the Hole the moment I realized what it was connected to. I even had a minor panic attack and refused to train for a few days. I could have very easily killed myself if the space of the Dimensional Gap had made it through my portal. I did a lot more research before attempting that again.
As I experimented further, I found I could reach even further beyond. I opened a Hole to a place beyond the Dimensional Gap. It was exhausting, I'd had to rest for a full week, but I'd done it. I didn't know if I would be able to return if I stepped through, so I remained on this side of the portal. From what I was able to determine, the world I'd connected to was bereft of life. An expanse of endless desert scorched eternally by an uncaring sun. Not an ideal vacation destination, but it got me thinking. If I could reach past the infinite to the worlds beyond, who was to say I couldn't reach past the infinite to find a specific world?
I spent the last several years poring over scrying and divining texts in between bouts of training. After a lot of hard work, I was able to construct this ritual circle and the accompanying ritual, allowing me to use Hole as a medium to scry beyond the Dimensional Gap. It took me another three months of searching to finally find a world I was interested in. It took me three months of careful searching to find the world where I could find the person I wished to reincarnate as my knight. Three months. I hadn't even pinpointed their location, just found the right world. Although, the world they were currently in didn't function by logical rules. Hopefully it would be easier to find the individual I was looking for now. After all, I only had a week to pull this off before I needed to meet with Magdaran.
I knew it was a desperate gambit, but I needed this to work. I activated the ritual, opening a Hole behind me connected to the pocket dimension where I stored all of the demonic power I had stored up over the years to supplement my training. This was not how I'd envisioned myself using this well of overflowing power, but needs must. If this worked out, it would be a worthwhile trade, more than worthwhile.
Holes appeared around me as I activated the ritual, throwing my perception beyond the bounds of reality, propelled forth on a current of demonic power stored up over my entire life. I was betting my life on this. I needed it to work.
X
It was raining.
The dark sky rumbled overhead. Choking all joy from the air. Maybe that was why she was so cold. It could also be her rapidly weakening hold on life, but it was at least partially the rain's fault. The uncaring downpour had soaked through her cloak and dress. She'd lost one of her shoes, leaving her bare foot to slowly sink into the mud beneath her.
She hated rain.
Perhaps she should have spent her final moments lamenting her end, but she'd been through this song and dance before. She knew it would do no good. Things never went her way, not since she was a young, blind girl, too infatuated to realize she was throwing everything she'd ever cared for away for the sake of a bastard that would toss her aside on a whim with no regrets.
Her second chance was over before it had even begun. She'd been summoned to fight her master's enemies, to earn a wish, to build a life. When she was young, she'd had everything she could have ever wanted. Time and again, she threw it away for that bastard. She'd thought she'd found a new home at his side, a new family. Then she realized it was all an illusion. Then she was tossed aside.
Witch of Betrayal? The title fit her well, but only because she had grown so used to betrayal. Everything she touched, everything she loved was brought to ruin. Anyone she put her faith in would abuse, harm and disappoint her. Even at this time, in this place, this was true. The man who'd summoned her here to act as his partner was too concerned with his own ineptitude to understand the future she offered him. She'd presented him with the power to achieve his dreams, her power, and he'd leashed her, too prideful to allow himself to be less than her.
She was enraged. Time and again, she'd given everything she was to another only to be abandoned when she needed help the most. Here she lay, dying in a muddy puddle, forgotten. It shouldn't have been this way, but that was then that was true for her entire life. She should never have suffered as she had, but she chose to to aid those close to her. She should never have had to betray those nearest to her, but a spiteful goddess thought it would be amusing to watch her dance to its tune.
She had power, but that power had never been sufficient to grant her desires. She had her beauty, but that had only led to being used and discarded. Was it really so greedy, so unjust to ask for that which so many others were able to enjoy without suffering through the trials she had? The simplest of life's pleasures had always eluded her. She would give up her power, her beauty, her legend if she could just be happy.
Moisture trailed down her cheeks. She told herself it was from the rain. She felt herself fading away, the last of her mana spent. In the end, she died with the same regrets as the first time, the same thoughts. She just wanted to be happy. Was that truly so evil?
The dark sky vanished. Her vision must have faded. It was time. She closed her eyes.
She gasped, her eyes flying open as energy, vitality flowed into her. She felt her form, moments from dispelling into nothing, stabilize.
Mana.
Disgusted at the state she found herself in, she waved her hand, drying her clothes and cleaning the mud that had dirtied her all at once. She sat up, looking around with a suspicious eye. She was no longer surrounded by trees. There was no sky. She was surrounded on all sides by darkness. The only break in the abyss was a figure sitting across from her. He was sitting with his legs crossed. Golden hair tumbled wildly down from his head. His eyes were blue like a gentle sea. Sweat beaded his brow. He was breathing heavily.
"Who are you? Where am I? How…how am I alive?" The moment the words left her mouth, she frowned. Perhaps she wasn't alive. This is not what she experienced the last time she died, but it was possible she was sent somewhere else after failing to achieve her wish.
"My name is Balthazar Abbadon. I am a devil. You are currently within a pocket dimension of my making. You are alive because I am sustaining your form with my magic. I won't be able to keep you here for much longer. Finding you was…far more taxing than I expected."
She frowned. A devil? He was very upfront about that, but he did not look like any devil she'd ever heard of. He looked like a young man – handsome, unburdened by time. Perhaps that was one of his powers, a way to lure foolish maidens to their doom.
Regardless of whatever plot was certainly at play, she was certainly thankful this devil had deigned to impose on her when he did. She felt herself fading. Only his power was sustaining her form now, but it was hard to believe a devil was searching for her for reasons that would benefit her.
"What do you want?" she asked, cutting to the point.
"I need allies. I need…good counsel. I am not from your world. The devils of my world developed a method to reincarnate individuals of other races into devils, binding them to the service of the King that turned them in the process. I want to reincarnate you as a devil."
She let herself think about that for a moment. "People, especially devils, in need of allies typically are embroiled in conflict. You want me to fight your battles for you."
The devil took a deep breath, causing her to frown. She could feel the stream of mana flowing from him into her. It was slowly growing weaker.
"I'm young. By devil standard, I am very young. Older, more experienced devils, want to use me to further their own ends. I'm not currently fighting battles against anyone, but I do need help navigating hostile politics. And yes, it is inevitable you would have to fight for me."
She didn't answer, considering the devil across from her.
He let out a long sigh. "Look, I get that I have just appeared out of nowhere and you have no reason to trust anyone right now, least of all an admitted devil. Finding you was the single most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I can't maintain this connection for much longer, especially with how I'm having to split my focus to maintain you at the same time. I'd love to be able to give you time to think about this, to ask all of your questions and receive your answers, but I can't."
He took a deep breath, features determined. "I need a strong ally, someone who will fight at my side and will help me make informed decisions. I need someone I can trust not to turn their back on me the moment a better offer comes along, because a better offer will come along, especially for you. I am fairly low-ranking on the Underworld totem pole. The moment those above me realize who you are, they will be tripping over themselves to give you more than I can offer. I'm asking for a lot of trust from you here, but I'm offering just as much if not more. If you agree to let me reincarnate you then leave me for another, stronger King later, I will have lost everything. I am quite literally betting my life on you. I can't offer you anything other than my word that I will treat you well and ensure you want for nothing I can provide. I'm aware that may not be enough coming from a devil, but it's all I can give."
He cringed. She felt the stream of mana maintaining her lessen once more.
With grit teeth, he looked up at her. "I wish we had more time to talk and get to know each other, but I need your answer now. I can't hold this connection much longer."
She let his words play in her head, studying the face of the devil who'd appeared in her most dire moment.
He was a devil. It was clear that he was attempting to manipulate her, but she couldn't sense any outright deception in his words. Most damning was his face. He would need to be an actor the likes of which she'd never heard of in order to fool her with what he now displayed. Dismay, regret, hopelessness – she had seen that look before in the mirror. She likely wore it herself not minutes prior as she lay dying. This devil had bet everything on her. If she were to take him at his word, and she strangely believed the devil whose entire species was known for untruths, he had moved across worlds to reach her. She lay dying in the mud, and who had come to her aid? It was not a man nor a god, but a devil. It was amusing in a self-depreciating way. She'd failed to achieve her wish through other means. Perhaps a change of tactics and of scenery was in order.
"Very well." she said.
The devil blinked, tilting his head to the side. She couldn't stop herself from giggling at the expression of pure, dumbfounded confusion on his face. It was cute.
"I'm sorry… What?"
"I agree. I will become your servant. You will need to continue sustaining me with mana, but–"
"That won't be an issue." he responded almost absentmindedly, still appearing as if he did not understand the happenings of the world. "Evil Pieces are capable of granting spirits and entities similar to them like yourself fully incarnated bodies."
She froze, not daring to hope. "You…you can grant me a body?"
The devil grunted, pained. She felt the mana from the devil decrease again.
"I…can."
Reincarnation. Something heroes from ages past fought to the death in the hopes of achieving, was just offered to her with very minimal strings attached. What was a devil lord but a Master of a different race?
"If you reincarnate me, I will serve you. Your goals will be my goals, your enemies my enemies." She looked the devil in the eyes. If this devil sought her out across worlds, then he knew who she was, what she was known for. He had wagered everything on her. She had done the same before, and every time she had been disappointed, she had been destroyed. That would not be the case this time. Willing the devil to feel the sincerity of her words, she said, "And I will never betray you."
The devil looked taken aback. For a creature known to be synonymous with subtlety and manipulation, he certainly wore his heart on his sleeve.
"I…thank you." he said dumbly. He held up his hand. In a flash of fire, a glowing red chess piece appeared in his hand.
She looked at him with an amused grin. "Am I to be the Queen to your King, then?"
He sighed. "Devil society in my world has a bizarre fascination with chess. Each of the objects we use to reincarnate others is a chess piece with corresponding values and abilities."
"Then next to the King, the Queen would be the strongest piece?"
He hesitated a moment before answering. "Yes."
She was smiling. Why was she smiling? Why did she feel so warm in her chest? "How does this work?"
"I push it into your chest and it reincarnates you as a devil. You're sure? This is your last chance to–"
"I am sure. You said you were weakening, and I feel the evidence of that. If we wait any longer, I will fade. That is an outcome that serves neither of us." she said as she stood, walking up to the devil before sitting back down in front of him. "No more stalling."
He huffed out a short laugh. "No more stalling." He lifted the chest piece up, reaching towards her. She felt as it briefly halted as it came into contact with her chest before the devil applied more pressure and the artifact was absorbed into her.
She gasped, feeling foreign magic explode through her; power. It was like someone had injected lava into her veins. The flesh of her back tore and rapidly mended as two new limbs burst forth. Wings. She had wings. It was a conscious effort to control her breathing. It was…
Breath. She was breathing.
Hesitantly, she reached up, fingers lightly feeling her face, throat, chest. She had a pulse. She couldn't turn immaterial. This devil had really reincarnated her.
She felt a rush of magic as the still sitting devil suddenly went slack, as if a mountain of tension suddenly left him. The void of eternal darkness around them was gone. They were in a space with walls and floors made of stone brick. Magical implements lined the walls. They sat together in a magical circle. Even were she not a mage, she would be able to easily recognize this as a laboratory.
The devil inhaled a deep breath as he sat slumped across from her, spent after whatever working he'd done to unite them. "Welcome to my home. Once more, I am Balthazar Abbadon, your new King. It's a pleasure to have you here. Forgive me…but…" his head lolled to the side, eyes closing.
She was at his side in an instant, catching his collapsing form before he could fall to the ground. Slowly, carefully, she knelt, lowering the devil's head onto her thighs. She gently brushed his hair away from his eyes, smiling down at the face of the devil who would be her new master. And wasn't it a handsome face.
As she stared down at him, her mind wandered. He was young. He was desperate. He was unconscious. He would be so easy to take advantage of. She needn't even work that hard.
A wicked dagger whose blade twisted at jagged angles appeared in her hand, the meager weight of the blade comforting her in this dreary space.
The moment the devil put that chess piece in her chest, she felt a connection form between them. There were likely fail safes built into the design of the artifact that changed her to prevent a servant from abandoning their master, but she could simply break the rules if she so desired. She had a body now. She had a whole new world to explore. She didn't need this devil.
She ran her hand over his forehead, the sweat and dirt that marred his features was swept away by a minor cleansing charm. It would be easy to be free of him, even to bend him to her will, but that wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to wander the Earth alone again. She didn't want a mindless slave. She wanted a partner.
This devil had risked much to bring her here, saving her life in the process. Betraying him now would make her no better than the bastard that ruined her life.
The dagger in her other hand scattered into motes of light, but she felt its presence. If she ever required it, it would return to her side in a moment.
She laid a single hand on the devil's forehead, rubbing gentle circles with her fingers, soothing magic bleeding out of her fingertips. In locating her, the devil had overexerted himself, stretching his power beyond what he was capable of. She couldn't take all of the pain away, but she could at least ensure he rested well. And in the meantime…
A trio of shadowy ravens coalesced in the air around her, flying through the room's only exit and down a corridor. When they ascended a staircase, the ravens split up, two of them flying within the building she had appeared in while the third nudged a window open with its beak and took flight outside.
Seeing through the eyes of her familiars, the woman frowned disapprovingly. The defensive wards in this manor were sorely lacking. She would see to that at once. A mage was strongest when they had prepared the battlefield in their favor.
With practiced ease, the woman wove magic with her free hand, still observing the manor and its surroundings through the senses of her ravens. The one she'd sent to the upper floors made an interesting discovery. Once she knew the layout of the whole manor and the immediate grounds beyond, she ordered her ravens to return, bearing the prize they'd found in their talons.
Her ravens returned just as she finished setting up the first layer of defenses for the home. The ravens gently set a small laptop down in front of her before flying out of the room, moving to keep watch for any intruders.
The woman pulled the laptop closer. Such interesting things; these computers. She hadn't had much opportunity to use her new knowledge of them before her and her master's…falling out. A link on the desktop caught her eye. It read, 'Devil Net'.
The woman grinned. "Well hello there." She opened a browser and began to learn, all the while layering defensive wards over the manor and massaging soothing magic into her new master's forehead. She was a skilled woman. She could multitask.