The sound of crackling thunder echoed out from the pulsing portal. Through the bars of my little window, I could perfectly see the rift begin to activate. Electricity arced from the edges of the portal and into nearby buildings, filling the air with the smell of smoke and ozone.
The Demonkin on the other side of the portal all began to roar as they crowded around, impatiently waiting for the moment they could pass through. Some smaller Demonkin were trampled by their larger counterparts. Fights broke out as the frenzy turned into utter chaos. Teeth met claws as each demon tried to be the first one to pass through the portal, but just before the situation broke down into complete carnage all the Demonkin suddenly froze.
The chaos from a moment before only intensified the unnaturalness of how still everything had become. It was only by looking closely that you could see even the slightest trembling in the eyes of the Demonkin. Even from a distance, I could see the fear on each and every one of them.
A shadow passed over the Demonkin as the other side of the portal became eclipsed in darkness. Like a curtain drawing closed, the sky above the portal was blacked out by something… massive.
It was bigger than any mountain range. Layers of thick black scales stretched from horizon to horizon for as far as the eye could see. My view from this side of the portal could not even begin to make out the full breadth of the creature. Just a small piece of its body was enough to eclipse the entire sky… It was the Leviathan…
With the appearance of the Leviathan, another figure appeared. Compared to the massive creature blacking out the sun he seemed almost unassuming. The handsome youth would have looked completely out of place if not for the pressure he radiated. Even from the other side of the portal, I felt my breath catch in my throat. His bloodlust felt almost tangible, stifling and strangling all life out of anything that met his gaze.
At Envy’s appearance, all the Demonkin that had been on the verge of creating a bloodbath lowered their head. None of them were willing to look in his direction for fear that they might draw his attention and ire.
Envy waved his hand towards the portal as he spoke in a collected authoritative tone. “Go, conquer in my name, and if it cannot be conquered, drown it in blood until nothing remains.”
The roars of the Demonkin were deafening as they once more turned to the portal. This time, they marched in an orderly almost robotic uniformity. Overhead, dozens of flying figures moved in line with the marching army. Five of them stood out above the others. Each looked different. One resembled a snake, the second looked like an octopus, and the third was nothing more than a mass of squirming vines wrapped around each other into a ball. Despite these differences though, all five of these creatures had one thing in common. They were all enormous, like small mountains come to life.
I recognized them as children of the Leviathan at once and Envy was sending five of them through the portal alongside no telling how many Alphas. The sight was enough to cause even the bravest of soldiers to despair. All the sacrifices we had made to weaken the enemy’s army and in a single moment all of it was being undone.
From inside my prison cell, I could only watch helplessly as countless Demonkin began to enter our realm. That was why Andras had chosen this cell and chained me to this spot on the floor. He wanted me to lament as Envy’s forces invaded my home and truthfully, it worked. I wanted nothing more than to rush out of this cell right now and destroy that portal at all costs but in the end, I could do nothing. Even if I did break free of my cell, none of the Demons would ever let me get close to the portal, and even if I did, it would take hours to collapse a portal that stable.
I could only watch as one by one Demonkin stepped through. The portal rippled like water as the first Demonkin crossed the realms. It roared victoriously as its feet landed on the broken cobblestone road. The second Demonkin was not so lucky. It entered as a giant bull-like creature with several sets of horns but when it came out the other side of the portal there was nothing left but a few butchered pieces of meat and loose hanging organs.
An unstable rift in space was dangerous to step through at the best of times. The more powerful the entity trying to pass through was, the more unstable it became. This was the reason Envy had not yet invaded the realm himself. No matter how tough the demon, he would not survive being torn into countless pieces and scattered into the far-reaching edges of the universe by the irresistible laws of space.
This portal was stable enough to allow fairly powerful Demonkin to pass through without collapsing but it was far from safe. About one in four of the Demonkin that stepped through the portal either came out the other side dead or missing large chunks of their body. It was a gruesome sight as the dead corpses began to form a small mountain at the base of the portal. Yet, despite the obvious danger, the Demonkin did not hesitate to take that step. The commands of Envy were absolute and none of them could disobey.
Even the children of the leviathan were no exception. All five of the enormous creatures entered the portal but only four came out the other side. I rejoiced as I watched the oversized whale-like Demonkin get shredded to pieces. It was a small victory, seeing it die, but it still left me feeling happy at its plight.
Andras was far less delighted. He was furious. The average rank-and-file Demonkin were disposable. The children of the leviathan were not.
He fumed as blades of wind wiped across the courtyard. Several weaker Demonkin too slow to get out of the way were directly sliced into pieces by the sudden storm. However, his outburst was not entirely childish rage. When the horde of Demonkin stepped through to the other side of the portal, their connection with Envy was weakened and without the demon’s direct control, the creatures returned to their animalistic instincts. Some began to attack each other, resuming their fight from before, while others spread out in every direction mindlessly fulfilling Envy’s last orders. Demonkin only obeyed those that were stronger than them and Andras was not yet their master.
I watched with some curiosity as the Demon’s domain spread across the courtyard. The weaker Demonkin immediately bowed their heads in fear but many of the stronger ones directly ignored him. The four remaining children of the Leviathan in particular paid no attention to Andras at all.
I openly laughed at the sight. It made me think of the phrase ‘like herding cats’ as Andras tried and failed to exert his control over the army Envy had given him. Despite his success capturing me, it was clear Andras was no Berith. She never struggled to control the stronger Demonkin nor did she ever embarrass herself like this.
It was only when the second Demon, Aym, appeared that the army of Demonkin began to calm down. The two domains working in tandem forced the majority of the stronger Demonkin to stop fighting amongst themselves and obey, with only the four Leviathans remaining belligerent.
I glanced past my cell where the Demon Abigor still stood watch. He leaned against a nearby wall with a scowl on his face but he did not leave to assist the other two Demons.
I raised an eyebrow as I examined the Demon. He looked more human than any of the other remaining Demons and if I did not know better, I would have thought he had just wandered in from some rural village. He wore an open fur vest that showed off the rippling muscles of his stomach and arms, a simple red headband, and leather britches. The wild man's look clashed so much with the refined and sophisticated clothes of Andras it was hard to believe the two were part of the same group.
“Shouldn’t you be helping them?” I asked curiously.
Abigor scoffed in annoyance. “Andras commanded me to watch you and that is what I am going to do. Let him struggle with those pests by himself.”
“You willingly obey Andras’ command?” I remarked with a frown, “I thought that out of the remaining Demons, you would be the strongest. Can Andras’ wind blades even hurt you in any meaningful way?”
“I am the strongest,” Abigor growled. He spoke as if it was a statement of fact but I could hear the frustrated undertones in his voice.
I resisted the urge to smile by adjusting my broken leg. The pain kept my expression neutral but inwardly I was rejoicing. If Andras did not have complete control over the other Demons and Demonkin, they would hesitate when he gave orders, and, on the battlefield, even the smallest hesitation could be the difference between victory and defeat.
“If you are the strongest, why did Andras leave you here?” I asked with my best impression of innocent curiosity, “He could have gotten Aym to watch me. His talent would make it far easier. Then, you could help him gain control of the Demonkin without all this… embarrassment.” Abigor paused when he heard my question. His eyes narrowed as he looked out the window to where Andras and Aym were struggling to gain the acceptance of the children of the leviathan. As he was thinking, I inwardly chuckled. “Just out of curiosity, how much of the Demonkin army does Andras let you command?”
“I don’t… command troops,” Abigor responded hesitantly, “I let the others handle the complicated stuff. So long as I get to fight the strong enemies it doesn’t matter to me who controls the cannon fodder. Andras is good at planning, good enough to capture you. That is why I let him command.”
I openly laughed this time, earning a glare from the Demon as his bloodlust flared up. If not for Andras's command, I had little doubt he would have broken another of my bones. “Sorry, sorry,” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand, “I just think it's funny. You say you let Andras command the troops so that you can fight strong enemies but since Berith’s death, I haven’t seen you on the battlefield even once. When Berith was in command, you clashed with our domain warriors every day. You got to fight Sebastion the king of the Novus empire, Gaius an ace of the Seventh Division with the title of Demigod, and even a dragon. Meanwhile, since Andras took command, have you fought anything at all?”
“I…” Abigor hesitated to answer, a look of befuddlement on his face.
“Even when the storm came and our army was at its most vulnerable, only three Demons were there, Aym, Seir, and Andras. Where were you?”
“Andras said… I was the only one strong enough to protect the city if you tried to sneak in during the attack.”
“You? Alone against an entire assault force? Even Berith couldn’t manage that when combined with one of the Leviathan’s children. No offense, I have no doubt you are stronger than me in a one-on-one fight but what were you going to do if I had shown up with ten? If Andras is as good at planning as you say, what do you think his plan was for leaving you behind?”
“Enough!” Abigor roared furiously, “I know what you are trying to do and it will not work. I may not like dealing with complicated matters but I am no fool. Your words will not turn me against my allies. I will carry out Envy's commands to perfection.”
I shrugged as casually as I could while sitting with my hands chained to the floor. “It doesn’t make them any less true,” I replied with a grin, “If I were you, I would be wary. Andras has already killed one demon since arriving in this realm. I doubt he would hesitate to stab another in the back.”
The sound of crackling thunder echoed out from the pulsing portal. Through the bars of my little window, I could perfectly see the rift begin to activate. Electricity arced from the edges of the portal and into nearby buildings, filling the air with the smell of smoke and ozone.
The Demonkin on the other side of the portal all began to roar as they crowded around, impatiently waiting for the moment they could pass through. Some smaller Demonkin were trampled by their larger counterparts. Fights broke out as the frenzy turned into utter chaos. Teeth met claws as each demon tried to be the first one to pass through the portal, but just before the situation broke down into complete carnage all the Demonkin suddenly froze.
The chaos from a moment before only intensified the unnaturalness of how still everything had become. It was only by looking closely that you could see even the slightest trembling in the eyes of the Demonkin. Even from a distance, I could see the fear on each and every one of them.
A shadow passed over the Demonkin as the other side of the portal became eclipsed in darkness. Like a curtain drawing closed, the sky above the portal was blacked out by something… massive.
It was bigger than any mountain range. Layers of thick black scales stretched from horizon to horizon for as far as the eye could see. My view from this side of the portal could not even begin to make out the full breadth of the creature. Just a small piece of its body was enough to eclipse the entire sky… It was the Leviathan…
With the appearance of the Leviathan, another figure appeared. Compared to the massive creature blacking out the sun he seemed almost unassuming. The handsome youth would have looked completely out of place if not for the pressure he radiated. Even from the other side of the portal, I felt my breath catch in my throat. His bloodlust felt almost tangible, stifling and strangling all life out of anything that met his gaze.
At Envy’s appearance, all the Demonkin that had been on the verge of creating a bloodbath lowered their head. None of them were willing to look in his direction for fear that they might draw his attention and ire.
Envy waved his hand towards the portal as he spoke in a collected authoritative tone. “Go, conquer in my name, and if it cannot be conquered, drown it in blood until nothing remains.”
The roars of the Demonkin were deafening as they once more turned to the portal. This time, they marched in an orderly almost robotic uniformity. Overhead, dozens of flying figures moved in line with the marching army. Five of them stood out above the others. Each looked different. One resembled a snake, the second looked like an octopus, and the third was nothing more than a mass of squirming vines wrapped around each other into a ball. Despite these differences though, all five of these creatures had one thing in common. They were all enormous, like small mountains come to life.
I recognized them as children of the Leviathan at once and Envy was sending five of them through the portal alongside no telling how many Alphas. The sight was enough to cause even the bravest of soldiers to despair. All the sacrifices we had made to weaken the enemy’s army and in a single moment all of it was being undone.
From inside my prison cell, I could only watch helplessly as countless Demonkin began to enter our realm. That was why Andras had chosen this cell and chained me to this spot on the floor. He wanted me to lament as Envy’s forces invaded my home and truthfully, it worked. I wanted nothing more than to rush out of this cell right now and destroy that portal at all costs but in the end, I could do nothing. Even if I did break free of my cell, none of the Demons would ever let me get close to the portal, and even if I did, it would take hours to collapse a portal that stable.
I could only watch as one by one Demonkin stepped through. The portal rippled like water as the first Demonkin crossed the realms. It roared victoriously as its feet landed on the broken cobblestone road. The second Demonkin was not so lucky. It entered as a giant bull-like creature with several sets of horns but when it came out the other side of the portal there was nothing left but a few butchered pieces of meat and loose hanging organs.
An unstable rift in space was dangerous to step through at the best of times. The more powerful the entity trying to pass through was, the more unstable it became. This was the reason Envy had not yet invaded the realm himself. No matter how tough the demon, he would not survive being torn into countless pieces and scattered into the far-reaching edges of the universe by the irresistible laws of space.
This portal was stable enough to allow fairly powerful Demonkin to pass through without collapsing but it was far from safe. About one in four of the Demonkin that stepped through the portal either came out the other side dead or missing large chunks of their body. It was a gruesome sight as the dead corpses began to form a small mountain at the base of the portal. Yet, despite the obvious danger, the Demonkin did not hesitate to take that step. The commands of Envy were absolute and none of them could disobey.
Even the children of the leviathan were no exception. All five of the enormous creatures entered the portal but only four came out the other side. I rejoiced as I watched the oversized whale-like Demonkin get shredded to pieces. It was a small victory, seeing it die, but it still left me feeling happy at its plight.
Andras was far less delighted. He was furious. The average rank-and-file Demonkin were disposable. The children of the leviathan were not.
He fumed as blades of wind wiped across the courtyard. Several weaker Demonkin too slow to get out of the way were directly sliced into pieces by the sudden storm. However, his outburst was not entirely childish rage. When the horde of Demonkin stepped through to the other side of the portal, their connection with Envy was weakened and without the demon’s direct control, the creatures returned to their animalistic instincts. Some began to attack each other, resuming their fight from before, while others spread out in every direction mindlessly fulfilling Envy’s last orders. Demonkin only obeyed those that were stronger than them and Andras was not yet their master.
I watched with some curiosity as the Demon’s domain spread across the courtyard. The weaker Demonkin immediately bowed their heads in fear but many of the stronger ones directly ignored him. The four remaining children of the Leviathan in particular paid no attention to Andras at all.
I openly laughed at the sight. It made me think of the phrase ‘like herding cats’ as Andras tried and failed to exert his control over the army Envy had given him. Despite his success capturing me, it was clear Andras was no Berith. She never struggled to control the stronger Demonkin nor did she ever embarrass herself like this.
It was only when the second Demon, Aym, appeared that the army of Demonkin began to calm down. The two domains working in tandem forced the majority of the stronger Demonkin to stop fighting amongst themselves and obey, with only the four Leviathans remaining belligerent.
I glanced past my cell where the Demon Abigor still stood watch. He leaned against a nearby wall with a scowl on his face but he did not leave to assist the other two Demons.
I raised an eyebrow as I examined the Demon. He looked more human than any of the other remaining Demons and if I did not know better, I would have thought he had just wandered in from some rural village. He wore an open fur vest that showed off the rippling muscles of his stomach and arms, a simple red headband, and leather britches. The wild man's look clashed so much with the refined and sophisticated clothes of Andras it was hard to believe the two were part of the same group.
“Shouldn’t you be helping them?” I asked curiously.
Abigor scoffed in annoyance. “Andras commanded me to watch you and that is what I am going to do. Let him struggle with those pests by himself.”
“You willingly obey Andras’ command?” I remarked with a frown, “I thought that out of the remaining Demons, you would be the strongest. Can Andras’ wind blades even hurt you in any meaningful way?”
“I am the strongest,” Abigor growled. He spoke as if it was a statement of fact but I could hear the frustrated undertones in his voice.
I resisted the urge to smile by adjusting my broken leg. The pain kept my expression neutral but inwardly I was rejoicing. If Andras did not have complete control over the other Demons and Demonkin, they would hesitate when he gave orders, and, on the battlefield, even the smallest hesitation could be the difference between victory and defeat.
“If you are the strongest, why did Andras leave you here?” I asked with my best impression of innocent curiosity, “He could have gotten Aym to watch me. His talent would make it far easier. Then, you could help him gain control of the Demonkin without all this… embarrassment.” Abigor paused when he heard my question. His eyes narrowed as he looked out the window to where Andras and Aym were struggling to gain the acceptance of the children of the leviathan. As he was thinking, I inwardly chuckled. “Just out of curiosity, how much of the Demonkin army does Andras let you command?”
“I don’t… command troops,” Abigor responded hesitantly, “I let the others handle the complicated stuff. So long as I get to fight the strong enemies it doesn’t matter to me who controls the cannon fodder. Andras is good at planning, good enough to capture you. That is why I let him command.”
I openly laughed this time, earning a glare from the Demon as his bloodlust flared up. If not for Andras's command, I had little doubt he would have broken another of my bones. “Sorry, sorry,” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand, “I just think it's funny. You say you let Andras command the troops so that you can fight strong enemies but since Berith’s death, I haven’t seen you on the battlefield even once. When Berith was in command, you clashed with our domain warriors every day. You got to fight Sebastion the king of the Novus empire, Gaius an ace of the Seventh Division with the title of Demigod, and even a dragon. Meanwhile, since Andras took command, have you fought anything at all?”
“I…” Abigor hesitated to answer, a look of befuddlement on his face.
“Even when the storm came and our army was at its most vulnerable, only three Demons were there, Aym, Seir, and Andras. Where were you?”
“Andras said… I was the only one strong enough to protect the city if you tried to sneak in during the attack.”
“You? Alone against an entire assault force? Even Berith couldn’t manage that when combined with one of the Leviathan’s children. No offense, I have no doubt you are stronger than me in a one-on-one fight but what were you going to do if I had shown up with ten? If Andras is as good at planning as you say, what do you think his plan was for leaving you behind?”
“Enough!” Abigor roared furiously, “I know what you are trying to do and it will not work. I may not like dealing with complicated matters but I am no fool. Your words will not turn me against my allies. I will carry out Envy's commands to perfection.”
I shrugged as casually as I could while sitting with my hands chained to the floor. “It doesn’t make them any less true,” I replied with a grin, “If I were you, I would be wary. Andras has already killed one demon since arriving in this realm. I doubt he would hesitate to stab another in the back.”
