On the balcony of a sprawling gothic castle, Anzu found himself in the presence of someone he could never afford to underestimate: Amuria. She occupied the seat opposite him at a small, ornate table, where a servant carefully poured fragrant tea into their respective cups. An uneasy silence hung between them, broken only by the soft clinking of porcelain.

Amuria possessed an otherworldly quality; she was almost always surrounded by several ravens that seemed to bow to her every whim. Everything from her striking pink eyes to her black hair, dress, and feathered cloak, all served to add to her enigmatic aura. Anzu never liked speaking with Amuria. It was just too hard for him to get a read on what was on her mind.

Amuria raised an ornate porcelain cup to her lips, taking a leisurely sip of tea, her eyes never leaving her brother's face. "So, brother, it seems you failed in bringing our dear eldest sister back home."

Anzu's gaze dropped to his own hands. He found himself unable to meet his sister's piercing pink eyes. "Regrettably, I did fail, sister."

"Raise your head, brother, there is nothing to be ashamed of." Amuria said.

With slight hesitation, Anzu obliged and raised his head. "If you wish to express your disappointment in me, I would understand."

"Disappointment? No, such a thing is only possible if you perform below expectations." Amuria leaned in closer, staring directly into Anzu’s eyes. "Know this, Anzu, your failure was sealed from the start."

"You are saying that I was doomed to fail before I even began?" Anzu asked.

Amuria leaned back against her chair and shrugged. "Yes, I never expected much from you. And to be blunt, neither did Apep, Arachne, or Andras."

"If that’s the case, why did Father choose me to bring Alza back home?"

"My dear Anzu, you are the youngest out of all of us, so perhaps you are still confused as to how certain things work in the family."

"I’m already over three thousand years old." Anzu scoffed.

"And that makes you nothing more than a child in the grand scheme of things." Amuria shrugged. "Father did not choose you to retrieve Alza because they thought you would succeed; he chose you because he knew you would fail. "

"If that’s the case…why didn’t Father send you instead? Or perhaps even Brother Andras."

"Because your failure is a necessary one, Anzu. Do not be mistaken, you’ve done a great service to the family."

"I…still do not understand."

Amuria shook her head. "Anzu, as you are aware, Alza isn’t quite the same as how she once was."

"She does seem to prefer being a mortal now." Anzu said.

"Precisely, and the family has no use for weaklings. Hence, we need the real Alza to return, not her weakened self."

Anzu’s eyes soon widened as realization dawned on him. "So I was sent to Alza not to actually bring her back, but simply to try and push her into using her true powers?"

"You are mostly correct." Amuria chuckled lightly. "Because you are the weakest out of all the demon princes, you were a more suitable foe for Alza to fight."

"She did seem much weaker than how I remembered her." Anzu muttered.

Amuria took another sip from her teacup. "She is much weaker indeed. It’s hard to believe that the Alza I saw fighting you was the same Alza that I admired millenia ago."

"I suppose the Sun Knight’s seal must have been much more potent than anticipated."

As those words left his lips. Anzu’s muscles tensed as he realized that he had made a critical error. The floor shook and rumbled as an immense pressure emanated from Amuria. The demoness seemed livid at the mere mention of the Sun Knight, so much so that she shattered the teacup in her hands.

Amuria's voice dripped with venom as she seethed. "If I ever see that bastard elf again, I’m going to skin him alive."

"U-understood, sister." Anzu muttered.

Suddenly, the tension ceased. As Amuria slumped back into her chair, she seemed almost like a different person, her demeanor shifting to a more relaxed stance. With a small sigh, she spoke again, "My apologies, Anzu, I can be rather…passionate when it comes to our dear eldest sister."

"You two did seem rather close."

"She was everything I wanted to be, Anzu. She was the person I looked up to most and she was the only one I could turn to in my time of need. She was perfect." Amuria said in a wistful tone.

"And then she met the Sun Knight." Anzu said.

"Precisely." Amuria spat. "I don’t know what Alza sees in that man, what was his name again?"

"I believe the mortals call him Melchio."

"Right, yes. That bastard, to think that someone like him could steal Alza from me, it’s truly disgusting."

"Right…" Anzu agreed blankly, staring off to the side.

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"Anyway, enough of that." Amuria dismissed with a wave. "I think it’s about time I inform you of our next move."

Anzu raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

"Father has told me that he wants to see you try and retrieve Alza again in a few months' time. Said he wanted to give you another chance to prove yourself." Amuria said.

"That…is surprisingly reasonable." Anzu replied.

"Personally, I would have let Arachne do the job instead. But alas, we can’t always have everything we want in life." Amuria teased.

"Very funny, Amuria." Anzu scoffed sarcastically.

Amuria flashed a smug grin. "I know, I am just hilarious."

Anzu crossed his arms. "I wonder if Father expects me to fail again this time around."

"Oh he most definitely does, if he wanted to get the job done seriously, he would have sent either me or Andras."

"Then why do I even bother," Anzu sighed.

"Cheer up, brother. You should think of this as an opportunity to grow stronger." Amuria said. "There may come another day when the Demonic Empire fights a difficult foe, and during that time, it will need warriors powerful enough to defend it."

"I understand that, but I am still woefully outmatched by Sister Alza at the moment. And she didn’t even seem to use much of her demonic strength at all."

"On the contrary, you did push her to overexert herself somewhat, which was a good start. Now you need to do that again, but better."

"And how do you propose I do that exactly? Not like there’s much I could do to improve in just a few months."

"You’d be surprised, Anzu."

"What, are you going to train me or something?" Anzu asked half-jokingly.

A sly smile graced Amuria's lips. "You know what? Just for you, my youngest brother, I will."

Anzu was astonished. He sat in stunned silence, taken aback by his sister's response. This was certainly not the reaction he had anticipated from Amuria.

"You…will train me?"

"Yes I will, you aren’t yet able to use your ascended form yet, haven’t you?" Amuria asked.

"No, I have not." Anzu replied.

"Then that will be the focus of our training."

"From what I understand, training to unlock a demon’s ascended form can take countless years. How am I supposed to- "

"I will push you, Anzu." Amuria interrupted. "You are the weakest among the demon princes, that is true. But you are still a child of the Demon Emperor. I will get you to unlock your true potential, whether you want to or not."

***

One month after Alza’s necromancy was sealed.

At the heart of an open field, Alza and Elysia were preparing to spar against one another, the former having only recently gotten used to using earth magic.

"You’ve improved a lot over the last few days, Alza, I think it’s time we put things to the test." Elysia said.

A wry smile curved Alza's lips. "While the prospect of chucking rocks your way sounds fun, I must ask that you give yourself a handicap for this one."

"Very well, I will also only use earth magic for this duel." Elysia said.

"Excellent, so the rules are the same as always I assume?" Alza asked.

Elysia nodded. "It is. No lethal attacks, and the first one to hit the other person with an attack, wins."

Alza squared her shoulders, her determination clear. "I’m ready when you are."

As they prepared for their duel, Alza and Elysia walked several paces apart so that there was sufficient distance between them. Such was the tradition for mage duels since ancient times.

"In three, two, one, go!" Elysia exclaimed.

Immediately, Alza stomped her foot on the ground, causing it to tremble as shards of rock erupted from the earth, hurtling toward Elysia. In response, the elf oracle responded with a wave of her hand, conjuring a thick, viscous wall of mud that absorbed every stone shard Alza hurled at her.

However, Alza was still far from finished. She dashed around and took in a deep breath. When she unleashed her breath, dozens of stone shards erupted from her mouth, all once again hurtling towards Elyia.

Despite this, Elysia seemed utterly unfazed. With an almost dance-like elegance, she maneuvered around the stony onslaught with ease. She then pressed her hands against the earth beneath her, channeling her magic into the ground, giving rise to a river of muck that surged upward and swept Alza off her feet, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Seems like it’s my win for today." Elysia said as she walked towards Alza.

"Damn it all." Alza cursed.

Elysia extended a hand towards Alza. "Honestly, you didn’t do too badly! You’re already casting a variety of spells without chanting in just a few weeks, that’s genuinely impressive."

Alza accepted Elysia's hand gratefully, pulling herself up from the ground. "What you said before was true, many of the motions are rather similar to what I use for necromancy. It’s been an easy adjustment."

"I’m glad that earth magic has come easy to you, but I’m warning you, no other magic that you will learn after this will come as naturally."

Alza shook her head in mild exasperation. "For goodness sake, just let me enjoy the moment will you?"

"My apologies, but I can’t let you do that." Elysia replied with a light chuckle.

"At any rate, I think this could be a good time for me to get some real field testing for my newly learned earth magic."

"About that, I have something to tell you." Elysia said.

Alza arched an eyebrow. "I’m listening."

"I had a vision the other day. It’s about your siblings."

Alza sighed. "I’m going to assume that Anzu is coming back to get me, and if my last encounter with him is anything to go by, Amuria will be there too."

Elysia nodded. "Precisely, it’s only a matter of time."

"Is it just them? Or will my other siblings come for me as well?"

"No other demon princes will take part, but Anzu and Amuria will not come alone. They will be at the forefront of a demonic incursion and they will come for you in just over four months’ time. You will have to be ready by then."

"It’s not like I have much of a choice."

"Indeed, and while Anzu was manageable…Amuria being there may complicate things." Elysia said.

"You still remember her?" Alza asked.

"I do very well. It is hard to not remember the second strongest among the demon princes after all."

"You know, now that you mentioned strength. I do wonder why my father would send Anzu of all people to come retrieve me. If anything, I’m surprised Amuria didn’t come to face me herself."

"Your father must have a plan; the only question is what."

Alza crossed her arms. "I imagine it’s likely because my family wants me back in my true form and not how I am now."

"If that is the case, they will want to try and push you far enough to where you will be forced to use your demonic power." Elysia said.

"We both know that Anzu is the weakest among the demon princes, the fact he was given such an important task, I believe, gives credence to my assumption." Alza said.

Elysia paced around lightly. "I am inclined to agree with you. So all this means is that you must become much stronger if you wish to avoid drawing on your demonic prowess."

"Correct, but if I’m completely honest, I don’t think I’ll be strong enough to take on both Anzu and Amuria at once with just earth magic at my disposal." Alza said.

"Unfortunately, our options are limited."