I was outside. A frantic look around revealed that the stone walls of the shrine room had disappeared. Instead, I was surrounded by an array of plants the likes of which I had never seen before.

They ranged from small purple flowers to colossal trees that blocked out the sky. Huge leaves covered everything and vines that looked like hungry snakes reached out towards me. The only light came through cracks in the canopy, but it wasn’t enough to dispel the shadows.

I shivered and unconsciously wrapped my arms around myself. Not even the hottest desert day had affected me, but this atmosphere was unnatural. The shadows were longer than they had any right to be and radiated a dark coldness.

Under any other circumstances, this would have been fascinating, but right now I was panicking. ‘Where am I? What is going on? Where is Pecta?’ My breathing quickened as I looked around frantically. The suddenness of it all was driving me mad. My eyes stopped as they landed on my claw. I flexed it. It felt… different.

Most of the time I had spent in the physical realm it had felt strange and empty. It wasn’t mine to begin with, but I controlled it. Now the emptiness was gone, replaced by a silent presence. I didn’t know what to make of it, but the distraction allowed me to focus.

I turned my attention to the main problem. ‘Think, Vindict, think. What is the last thing that you remember? Well, I was praying to Noctus and then…’ If my face had any colour it would have disappeared.

When Pecta said that I wouldn’t meet a god, he hadn’t considered it a real possibility. And why should he? Gods are omnipotent beings, so why would one take the time to summon me? If it wasn’t for the fact that I was standing here right after praying to Noctus I wouldn’t believe it either.

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. Why couldn’t my life be normal? Damit, I just want to experience the world! Not be dragged into all sorts of dangerous situations. Having the attention of a god definitely didn’t count as normal.

At least now I could say for sure that Lilith hadn’t lied. Although, maybe it would have been better if she had. ‘Nothing you can do about it now’. I just had to deal with whatever the world threw at me and try my best to get through it.

Looking around, I realised that the only way forward was an overgrown dirt trail that led deeper into the jungle. Of course, I could attempt to break through the greenery, but something told me that that wasn’t a good idea. I squinted. Was that a light? Yes, there was definitely a light shining in the distance. A clear indication of where to go. With nothing better to do, I started trekking toward the glow.

I tried my best to be quiet, but with every step I took I could hear the crack of a stick or the crunch of leaves beneath my feet. They echoed through the forest, unnaturally loud. This was another thing that creeped me out. I had never been in a forest before, but I assumed that there would be lots of animals making noises. But not here. My footsteps were the only thing that could be heard.

But that didn’t mean I was alone. I could feel the stares of countless eyes upon me and more than once I saw movement in the corner of my vision. This place had countless inhabitants, all of them silently watching me.

Suddenly, the trees parted and I found myself in a clearing. A massive bonfire dominated the centre, surrounded by stone pillars jutting out of the dirt at random angles. Their shadows danced unnaturally across the clearing.

But what caught my attention was the figure sitting on a log beside the fire. A black cowl, very similar to those worn by the carved figurines, obscured most of their body. The only visible part were their human-looking hands.

The figure was busy carving a small piece of wood with a simple knife. Suddenly, they stopped and placed the half-finished items on the ground. Slowly they twisted their head in my direction and beckoned me to come closer. A glance at their face showed that, despite their hands, this creature definitely wasn’t human.

Beneath the cowl there was simply… nothing. An inky void stared back at me. A pressure settled on my shoulders and for once I truly realised that I was in the presence of a god. Not a mortal being, but something beyond the physical world. Why people prayed to these beings was now clear to me.

I wasn’t unnerved because of the god’s appearance. Judging based off of someones looks was a bad thing to do. No, my reaction came from his presence and the fact that I had been told about the power of gods. Even though I was still alive, I knew that that could change quickly.

The god continued to motion me forward. Steeling my nerves, I approached and sat down on the log next to him. Without saying a word, the god picked the figurine back up and continued working on it.

I glanced at his work. It was a wooden armoured man without a head. The carving was largely unfinished but I could make out the symbol of a sun on his breastplate.

“Nice craving,” I said to break the silence. The figure looked down at it. Suddenly, a small tendril of darkness shot out from the shadow of a stone pillar and dragged the figurine back with it. As if nothing had happened, the creature looked back at me.

“Not so nice carving?” I corrected, trying my best to make any sense of this situation. “Hi, I’m Vindict. And I assume that you are Noctus. Nice to meet you.” Reflexively I raised my arm for a handshake. The god didn’t react and continued to stare at me. Slowly I put my arm back down.

Not knowing what to do I kept talking. “What is this place and why am I here? I’m grateful to you for saving me from the assassins and I have no problem with repaying you, if that’s what you want. As long as the prize is right. My body isn’t up for grabs.” I added that last part just to be safe.

It took a few moments before the god began to speak. His voice sounded like an old man’s, but also somehow wet. As if this old man was currently drowning in a lake. “It seems like I always find those who lack the proper decorum.”

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A wet laugh that sounded like someone’s last moments among the living followed. “Yes, I am Noctus, God of Shadows and several other aspects that you mortals constantly overlook. Welcome to my realm. Your existence is… intriguing, little demon.”

Hearing someone call you intriguing was a clear sign of trouble to come. Especially when that someone was a god.

“Could you tell me why that is? I have only been alive for a few weeks, yet is seems that people are constantly trying to harm me.” I furrowed my non-existent eyebrows. “Have I done something bad to deserve this?”

Noctus was silent for a moment. His featureless face made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. With a wet gurgle, that I could only interpret as a sigh, he explained. “Often it is not about what you do but about what you are. ‘Actions have consequences’ is a cute phrase you mortals invented but it is an oversimplification.” He paused. “In your case it is more about what you represent that is so intriguing to us gods.”

His response left much to be desired but there was one thing that I noted. Noctus, God of Shadows, talked very… normal. Apart from the god’s voice, his speech pattern was identical to that of a regular human. I didn’t know what I had expected but for a god to talk like that was unexpected.

I shook my head, trying to put his words together, but couldn’t quite fit the pieces together. It felt like something was missing. “You called me ‘little demon’. Because of my claw, right? Is that the reason why you are interested in me?” As I said this I pointed at the appendage.

Now that I focused on it I noticed that its presence had become more agitated since I had approached the god. It felt more alive.

Noctus shrugged his shoulders, a gesture that looked a little comical coming from his form. “That’s just what you are. I could call you lesser demon, half-demon, or demonic abomination. All of these names have their merits.”

“So, I am neither human nor monster,” I pressed onward. Being in the presence of a god was risky but it did have its benefits. This creature could no doubt answer a lot of my questions. “I am a ‘demon’, whatever that is. What’s the problem?”

The god let out a low chuckle. “The problem is that you are not a true demon. If that were the case, we would have already sent our servants down to smite you. No, you are only partially a demon which means that the contract forbids us from sending divine servants to the mortal realm.”

I understood less than half of what he said but what I did understand worried me. The gods weren’t big fans of demons and the only thing that saved me was some contract. What kind of contract bound the gods was a mystery to me.

“You are half demon, half human.” He shook his head in what I assumed was astonishment. “I don’t know how those crazy cultists did it, but somehow they managed to fuse a human with a demon. An abomination in the eyes of many gods. Two of the worst species combined.”

That made me stop. “Wait, what’s so bad about humans?”

Noctus burst out into wheezing laughter that rippled through his entire body. “Ignore that,” he replied between fits of gurgling laughter. The sound wasn’t very pleasant. “Just a bit of God-humour.”

He calmed down quickly after that. “But that’s not important. Your survival depends entirely on no god taking action against you. An impossibility. Sooner or later you will be hunted down.”

“But why?” I asked desperately. “Why does your kind want to hunt me down? Saying that I am a half demon isn’t a proper answer. Why is that bad? And who are these cultists who created me?” Most of the information Noctus had given me was new but it only raised more questions.

“You want to know about your creators?” Noctus asked. When I nodded gratefully he continued. “They are a group of people called-“

Suddenly, the world began to rumble. I jumped to my feet and reached for my dagger but a sudden pressure enveloped my body. Straining my muscles I tried to move, but a glance at the sky stopped me. Dozens of gigantic eyes had emerged from the darkness and were unblinkingly starring down at us.

“Apparently someone doesn’t want me to tell you,” Noctus said calmly. The god hadn’t moved from his original position and was facing the bonfire. He waved his hand dismissively at the sky.

“This is my domain. Leave before I show you the consequences of your actions. Don’t worry, I won’t reveal too much.” The eyes remained open for another couple of seconds before one closed, quickly followed by the rest.

The pressure vanished as the last one disappeared, leaving the sky as black as it had been when I arrived. Only a faint moon gave any light. With still shaking legs I sat back down.

“What the fuck was that?” A rare curse came out of my mouth. That presence had rattled me.

Noctus shook his head. “It is always difficult to work with beings that have a strict philosophy. It pains me to do so but I will respect her wishes. Don’t worry, you will get your answers soon enough. As for the demon question? Ask your religious friend. He should know more about demons than anyone else. You-”

A loud howl interrupted the shadow god. It echoed across the clearing and seemed to come from everywhere at once. I jumped, but Noctus was unaffected. Turning around I could just make out movement through the tree line.

“Another hunt has begun. Pity, I missed the start,” Noctus commented. He stood up and turned to me. “This is the end of our conversation. I am interested to see how things will end for you. Although, your survival is an unlikely outcome.”

“Wait!” I shouted. “Couldn’t you help me? I know you’ve already done a service for me but couldn’t you, I don’t know, use your omnipotent god powers to get rid of the people hunting me?”

The god let out another bubbling laugh. “Oh, how I envy the naivety of you mortals.” He leaned towards me as if he was about to reveal a great secret. “Despite your beliefs we gods are not all-powerful. There are rules that limit our interactions with the mortal realm.”

“Oh.” My disappointment was immense. “There are several ways I could help you,” the god commented. I perked back up. “What could you do?”

Noctus shrugged. “I can give Blessings. Not to you, since divine and demonic essence don’t mix. Nor to your companion since he worships Persa.” He tilted his head sideways. “Giving Lilith extra power would be an option. But it wouldn’t be worth it. Goodbye.”

He raised his hand but I interrupted him. “Why not?” I asked, frustrated at his lack of an explanation. Noctus shrugged. “Because it’s not worth the risk,” he replied coldly. “According to my predictions, her chances of survival are as slim as yours. Investing in her won’t benefit me.”

“Ah, so this is what it is all about.” Hearing his words made me remember what kind of world this was. “Everything is about benefiting oneself. What do you really want? Why are you helping me?”

The god shrugged, not reacting to my aggressive tone. “You said you were willing to give something in exchange for saving you. Fortunately for you, you have nothing of interest to me at the time. All I ask of you is that you try your best to survive and take my Blessed with you. Afterwards? Well, we will talk about that later.”

Before I could respond he raised his hand to signal for me to be quiet. It looked like he was thinking about what to say next.

“Your death doesn’t benefit me. That’s why I will share some advice with you. Free of charge.” The shadows around us flickered and I could feel countless eyes watching me. Noctus leaned forward.

“Do not trust the seekers of knowledge and beware of those who worship false gods,” he whispered. “That is my first piece of advice. The next one isn’t for you.” The god didn’t have eyes but his gaze was like a physical force. I felt it move from my head down to my claw. The appendage began to tremble.

Suddenly, it shot towards the god only to be caught by shadowy tendrils sprouting from his face. Without missing a beat Noctus continued. “You are a lost piece of a greater whole. Discarded like a lost strand of hair.” He paused. “The Broken Beast is a tragic creature. Twisted by its maker and corrupted by rage. You are not the beast. Let go of the demon’s anger. It doesn’t belong to you.”

With that everything around me disappeared.