Before I could say anything, Max shoved my arm away and strode toward the devil. His steps were quick and spaced. I followed him closely, quickening my pace when I saw his warrior’s blade materialize in his hand.

“Wait!” I called, grabbing his arm and making him spin on his heels to face me.

Max’s teeth were gritted, and his blue eyes were wide.

“What?” His voice, heavy with his European accent, tore through the air between us, and I could see his skin flushing red with anger.

Mila, following close behind, stopped as soon as her eyes locked with Max’s. She recognized that look.

“We don’t know him. We don’t need to do this.” I released his arm, even though he hadn’t resisted. He was boiling inside, but he kept his composure.

“I’m not saying we should be friends with him. If you don’t want him to join us, that’s fine. It was just a possibility, but you don’t need to kill him.” I argued.

“Why shouldn’t I kill it?” Max tilted his head slightly, as if trying to make sense of my words.

“Because he clearly isn’t a threat to us.”

“But it can be in the future. You heard the messages, and you told us one of these creatures tried to attack you.”

“Don’t people get robbed where you live? Murdered? Should I be punished for what someone else from our species did?” A part of me felt ridiculous saying these things out loud—they seemed so obvious to me, but not to Max.

I saw something soften in his eyes, but then the anger returned to his face. That’s when I realized the problem: he simply didn’t recognize the creature’s humanity. To him, they were only devils we needed to fight.

It was hard to judge him. They were indeed our competition, and their appearance resembled the worst nightmares of a catholic priest. But I had seen the devilman’s eyes when he fought and when he surrendered. He looked like a demon, but he wasn’t only that.

“Let’s at least try to talk to him.” I patted Max on the shoulder. When he didn’t respond, I took it as a resigned agreement. Maybe a conversation with the devilman would smooth things over.

“Hello. Are you okay?” I moved slowly toward the creature, raising both hands in the air.

With each step, more of its features became apparent. Its face was bony and elongated, its skin a deeper crimson than the first devil I’d encountered, his horns were pointed and tiny at the top of his forehead, no bigger than a rose’s thorn. Its eyes were sunken into its skull and it looked completely malnourished.

If the first devil I’d met looked like a bodybuilder, this one could win a weight-loss competition against Christian Bale preparing for a role.

“Believe it or not,” the devil began, coughing blood. Its voice was raspy but deep. “I’ve had worse.”

“Yeah?” Max asked from behind my shoulder.

“Yeah.” The devil didn’t elaborate.

I wasn’t sure it could. I saw it slowly stretch out a hand, as if trying to summon something from its inventory.

Before I could react, Max was already on the creature, snatching whatever it had before it could use it.

I only needed a glimpse to realize it was a health potion.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Hey, man. Relax. He needs it.”

“How do you know that? We have no idea what these creatures are. He could be deceiving us, like he did with the goblins.” Max’s eyes were fixed on me, almost pleading for me to agree with him, as if I were blind to see and I just needed to open my eyes.

You are being watched.

You are being watched by a deity.

You are being watched.

You are being watched.

The messages kept popping off on the corner of my vision, but I ignored them, concentrating on the task ahead.

“Do you plan to kill us after you drink it?” I asked.

Before the devil could respond, Max interjected.

“C’mon, man! Of course, he’ll say no. Don’t be naive.”

The impatience on Max’s face turned into a grimace of anguish. It was hard to tell exactly what he was feeling, but trust issues were clearly at play.

I pulled him to the side and locked eyes with him while gripping his shoulder.

“Trust me, Max. I’m anything but naive. I was raised among liars, and I can spot one. I need him to talk if I’m going to judge him—the same way I needed you to talk so I’d know you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

“What?” Max tried to step back, but I held his shoulder firmly.

“I know you didn’t tell me everything. Maybe it’s about the murderer title or the fight with the elves. I don’t know. But I chose to give you the benefit of the doubt. Can you please do the same?”

He swallowed hard, his expression softening just the slightest.

“Besides, he was almost overwhelmed by two goblins. If he’s a problem, I bet the three of us can handle him just fine.” I patted his shoulder again, harder this time. Max blinked as if seeing me for the first time, then nodded.

“Now, give me the potion.”

I gently took it from his hand and turned toward the devil, crouching before it.

“So, what do you say? Are you going to attack us?” I smiled at the wounded devil. He shook his head weakly, both eyes losing focus and its arms falling limp.

I opened the potion and poured it over its lips. It had already used some of it, so I wasn’t sure if it would completely heal, but all I could do was wait.

“Is he going to live?” Mila asked from behind, her voice sounded strained.

“Yes. Look.” I pointed to a hole in its tunic and watched as the wound beneath it began to close, though not entirely.

After a few seconds, the devil’s eyes lit up again, revealing black irises remarkably similar to human ones.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice filling the tunnels. After clearing his throat, he adjusted his posture and remained seated, breathing slowly.

“Are you really humans?” He looked at me, his gaze unreadable.

“We are,” I replied, unsure why he was asking. There was an edge to his voice, a note of anticipation I couldn’t grasp.

“Then I advise you to start moving. I’m not going to attack you, but my brothers and sisters will skin you alive if they get the chance.”

The devil rose to its feet, leaning against the wall. The movement put Max on high alert.

The Russian man stepped toward the devil, sword raised, and I saw fear in the devil’s eyes.

“What? Is that a threat, you piece of shit?” Max spat, saliva flying as he spoke. His sword hovered an inch from the devil’s neck.

“No! It’s nothing like that. It’s just that my people—”

“Are a bunch of murderous devils!”

“Max, stop!” I pulled him back, freeing the creature from near death. Max locked eyes with me again, rage simmering in the blue depths of his gaze.

“C’mon, man. I saved your life. You owe me. Let me talk to him—he clearly has information we can use.” I shoved Max, hearing his back hit the wall. I was done with this nonsense. Max was acting like a rabid dog while our lives hung in the balance, and we could learn a thing or two about the other competitors.

“What were you saying?” I turned back to the devil, who looked relieved.

Before he could speak, his eyes widened, and I heard Mila’s voice.

“Stop!”

Then, a bright yellow light exploded in the corridor.

The devil’s hand grabbed my shirt with a strong grip. A part of me seemed to be removed from my body and as I lost my balance I caught a glimpse of myself and the devil running to the other side of the corridor. Max’s had a grimace of anger on his face when I fell to the ground, a rectangular shape glowing on the wall alongside a bright light behind me.

My instincts worked for me, my dagger summoned in a flash of a second and intercept a blade coming for my neck, but it wasn’t aiming at me, it was aiming at the strange image that mimicked myself. I was pulled again.

I crashed face-first.