"Most of you have probably heard of the saying, 'If you wanted a good time you should've parity with demons,' or at least have heard of some similar saying."

"However, despite their well-deserved repetition of indulging in all sorts of carnal pleasures and amusements, demons generally aren't good people to invite to a parity, let alone plan one. Or at least that's true if you're faint of heart."

"Believe me when I say demonic amusement is only shared with the most bloodthirsty among us."

— Snippet of a seminar on demonology taught by Rasathlab.

== = ==

Location: < A walkway within 'Uggrock's Den' > - One of many caverns found throughout the upper stratums of the netherworld.

POV.: Nameless silver-haired demon larva.

Before long the succubus had led us to the first set of proper doors I had seen well since ever. They were ginormous, easily more than three times my height and made of solid stone. On them, there was an intricately carved scene of a humanoid demon stabbing a sword right through a three-headed wolf-like monster.

The details of the carving were so perfect that for a second when the doors were slightly opened from the inside to let an adult demon out, I had almost thought that the monster was coming alive and stepping out from the door.

As we approached the door, I noticed with my aether sight that the doors had faint traces of some sort of magical energy, probably an indication that it was carved using magic.

However, instead of entering through those doors, the succubus let us through a much smaller side path right to the left of the doors. Then the succubus motioned us through a smaller unadorned stone door, which led into a perfectly rectangular room that had been cut into the reddish-brown stone of the netherworld.

After the seven of us entered the perfectly rectangular chamber, the succubus told us to wait and that we would be called one by one to enter through the door on the opposite end of the chamber, before closing the door.

When the door slammed shut, Amethyst who had already been walking close behind me reached out and grabbed my arm, holding it to its bare chest while half hiding behind me.

Then I heard something I hadn't expected, for the first time, Amethyst said something without being prompted to. In a Hesitant and quiet voice, Amethyst asked me, "Whi- What's hi- happening?"

Reaching over with my free arm I patted Amethyst on the head, "I'm not entirely sure, but we are probably going to be called out one by one to fight something."

Looking even more scared Amethyst asked, "Fight? On our own? Thi- That's scary..."

"Don't worry," I assured her, "with all the practice you put into cultivating your Id-Qi, you're stronger than all," I gestured at the other five demon larvae, "these larvae."

Amethyst, still clinging to my arm seemed to calm down, at least a little, at what I had said. Noticing this I let my gaze wander across the dimly lit chamber. Like the doors, the walls of this perfectly rectangular room also had little bits of some magical energy clinging to the walls. Likewise, I guessed that this room must also have been created using some sort of earth magic.

It wasn't long before the door opposing to the one we entered through opened, an adult demon stepping through. Looking around for a second the adult demon seemed to randomly point at me before saying, "You there, follow me!"

Knowing there was no point in refusing, I followed the adult demon through the door and out of the chamber.

Stepping out of the chamber I was surprised to see the second largest cavern I had seen so far. Just barely smaller than Uggrock's throne room, this cavern was filled with smoke and the sound of demons talking.

I could see easily two dozen or more demons sitting around tables playing some simple dice games or standing in groups talking. I even caught a glimpse of a few succubi (certainly not the ones I had seen with Uggrock) sitting on some other adult demon's lap.

The smell of blood and alcohol mixed in the chamber to create an intoxicating scent that set my instincts ablaze.

However, the adult demon I was following led me to a raised platform in the center of the cavern. As I approached the platform, I could tell the the scent of blood that wafted through the room was primarily coming from there.

Sure enough, as I stepped onto the raised platform I noticed that it was already stained with dried blood, and it wasn't all the crimson red I was used to.

For a few seconds which felt like minutes, I was left standing there, on the raised platform. However, eventually, another adult demon walks toward the platform carrying a cage that I could have easily fit in and lying down.

The adult demon placed the cage on the raised platform, before opening it letting out a flaming lizard that was as long as I was tall.

Then as the adult took away the cage, runes surrounding the raised platform started glowing red. Reaching out a claw I found that above the runes was now an invisible barrier that even my clothes couldn't cut through.

However, my experimentation with the barrier was cut short when I noticed just in time to dodge a stream of fire that the flaming lizard had breathed my way. Apparently, I noted to myself this lizard monster could breathe fire, something that none of the demon larvae I had fought could do.

And if the searing heat I had felt from the stream of fire despite having dodged it was any indication, its fire could seriously damage me if I let my guard down. Moreover, most of its body was covered in flames, hopefully, those weren't as hot as it would be quite the painful process to fight this monster.

To complicate matters even more, well I had fought many demon larvae this was the first monster I'd ever seen, let alone fought. And unlike when I had fought demon larvae, I didn't have my instincts telling me where its core was and what its vital points were.

-=== = ===-

"Have you ever heard music played by an expert, someone who has invested their whole life into perfecting just one instrument?"

"Now, have you ever heard the music played by an angel?"

— Snippet of a seminar on angelology taught by Elnor.

== = ==

Location: < Ground floor of the 'Temple of Birth' > - One of a few such places scattered through the isolated corners of the lower heavens.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

POV.: Nameless silver-haired fledgling angel.

Soon I was sitting beside Lyra on a soft cushion a safe distance from the fire magical fire that danced over the Temple's soft stone floor.

Some part of me was surprised that they had lit such a fire inside the Temple, while another reasoned that the temple's ground floor was open enough and it wasn't like the magical fire would catch anything else on fire. Yet another part of me didn't care either way and was just enraptured by the Temple's ambience.

I couldn't help but look around at the golden shadows that stretched across the Temple's floor from the setting sun seeping in through the colonnades. These golden lights mixed perfectly with the orange and yellows of the magical fire.

Looking up at the Temple's ceiling I noticed the shadows cast by the fire formed intricate scenes of animals and angels that danced across the ceiling. As I was attention was captured by the shadow's slow dance Lyra had taken out her harp and begun to play.

There were no words to her song and yet it didn't need it. The melody drifted and echoed through the Temple as if not one but many were playing her harp, and yet it was all in harmony. As she played, the calm feeling of freedom that my flight through the skies with Taurus had given me was echoed and multiplied.

My gaze still captured by the shadows as they seemed to dance to the sound of Lyra's harp. Elegantly weaving in and out of each other in a hypnotic dance.

For a while, I felt like was up there on the ceiling, dancing with those shadows.

But all good things have to come to an end, and so it was with Lyra's music like everything else. As the sun finally dropped completely bellow the horizon the last dying embers of golden light fading away below the clouds, Lyra finished her song.

Soon conversation once more resumed between the angels as they talked about this and that. At one point Eri had come up from her office with a grin on her face.

Seeing me dressed in my white robe which was stained in blood her smile had faltered and I saw her count the angels that were sitting around the fire.

Then trying to hide her look of worry she had walked up and after gently ruffling my hair for a second she had walked over to Lady Berenices.

Eri whispered something to Lady Berenices, as I listened to Fornax, the coven's alchemist, share a story about how Taurus had once barged into her shop panic all across his face because he had accidentally damaged a ts'unu'um's wing and didn't know what to do.

As Fornax described how Taurus was acting like he had killed someone, I saw out of the coroner of my eye Lady Berenices and Eri walk off somewhere talking in hushed tones.

I listened my attention fully captured now as Fornax continued weaving her story explaining how when she and Taurus had finally tracked down the ts'unu'um it had already healed its wing with some its own innate magic, and after playfully pecking at Taurus once in revenge it had flown away.

And so it was that I didn't even notice when Eri returned sitting down beside me.

Adventuly the conversation around the fire moved on to our guest who I learnt was called Marut.

Apparently, before the System Marut had lived a secluded life away from any coven. He explained how he and his twin sister had left their coven of storm mages as they looked down on the art of sorcery that he and his sister had been called to practice.

Marut explained that just weeks before the System had come, he and his sister had adopted a byrth fledgling that they had found in a church's orphanage while revocared.

Marut went on to explain how the day that the System had come his sister had been off looking for their old coven since they had known the importance of a Tempe of Birth and professional caretakers when raising a fledgling.

And apparently so had the System since it had offered him a quest right as he left the tutorial. Similar to the quest to find me and the settlement that my coven had received, Marut had been told to protect the baby fledgling from the elite holy aberrations while bringing the fledgling to the nearest Temple of Birth, here.

Additionally, he explained that if had managed to make it here ahead of the legions of lesser aberrations and had warned us that they were coming he would have received an extra reward.

After hearing his story the adults had let off a short prayer to the System and Phoebus requesting that Marut and his twin sister be reunited.

And so the conversation around the fire continued. Until eventually, Fornax brought out some food that she had made with a mix of alchemy and magic.

The majority of the food was a thick creamy beverage that tasted like a blend of fruits that she served us in potion bottles.

Fornax also produced some white cubes of a sweet and soft white sponge-like food that she had tossed towards the magical fire. Then using some magic of her own Fornax had kept the cubes flowing just far enough from the fire that they didn't burn but close enough to melt. After the cubes had turned a nice golden colour she had sent them flying back to her where she put them between two crispy, semi-sweet flour-based cookies.

While I had the distinct impression that these were not normal foods they tasted amazing, and apparently the creamy fruit blend was perfect for the baby fledgling to eat.

It wasn't long after eating that the baby fledgling fell asleep on Marut's lap, with a content look on its cute and pudgy face.

Seeing that his charge had fallen asleep Marut smiled down at the baby fledgling while lightly caressing its dark chartreuse hair with his hand. Then turning to Eri he asked, "Am I correct in assuming you will be okay with helping me raise this fledgling like it was one of your own?"

In response, Eri nodded her head, "Of course you are, although if you want to spend time with it on any of the lower floors of the Temple you're going to have to become a member of our coven, and that is a matter take up with Lady Berenices."

At that, I saw Marut look to Lady Berenices who was sitting quietly in the corner still drinking her quadruple-sized creamy fruit blend, with an inquisitive look on his face.

Before Marut could ask her anything I heard Lady Berenices reply in her soft but powerful voice, "It's okay with me, unless anybody has any objections?"

When no one said anything Lady Berenices smiled, "Okay then," then turning to Fornax she inquired, "you wouldn't happen to have an extra of those bottles, would you?"

As I watched everything happening around me I noticed that I was growing increasingly tired and my thoughts were becoming more and more sluggish. So although some distant part of my mind did wonder what a potion bottle had to do with Marut joining the coven, I was too tired to formulate my thoughts into a proper question.

It wasn't long before Lady Berenices had laid out a clear potion bottle and knife in front of her. Then she said to Marut, "A few days ago I would have had you repeat this long oath after me as we did this but with the System and my class the process can be shortened significantly."

As she was saying these things, Lady Berenices took the knife and pricked her thumb with it before letting out a few drops of yellowish-gold blood into the bottle. Then after cleaning the knife with a spell, she headed it to Marut who repeated the process.

Marut's red blood mixed with Lady Berenices' yellowish-gold blood as she extended both hands towards the bottle. Then chanting something under her breath she began to cast a spell.

Soon a ring of glowing golden runes had materialized in the air around the bottle before the ring contracted around the bottle until the runes were plastered against its clear surface. Then as the entire bottle began to fade away, runes, blood and all Lady Berenices told Marut, "You should be getting a contract through the System any time now. All you need to do is read through and accept it."

As Marut was staring off into space, I heard Eri grumble to herself, "Great, I need to make adjustments to the learning plan already, I hadn't expected there to be an opportunity for the little one to learn about sorcery. Plus I'll need to cook up something for the baby, making a lesson plan for byrth fledgling will be an interesting challenge..."

Eri trailed off having apparently seen my sleepy face, then getting up from her cushion, she walked over to me before softly saying, "Hey little one, it's about time for you to go to bed," Eri paused for a second a grin forming on her beautiful face, "you will be needing a good nights sleep since you will start training first thing tomorrow morning; and it's going to be intense, especially since you now have the Phoebusin legacy..."

== = ==

Byrth demons, unlike their spawned counterparts, originate through the act of copulation. Byrth demons emerge from the union of two demons, or even the union of a demon with a sapient lesser creature, such as humans. The prevalence of byrth demons is heightened by the proclivity of demons for the carnal acts.

Conversely, while byrth angels do exist they are a much more rarer phenomenon, since angels typically abstain from such carnal engagements during their extended lifespans, dedicating themselves to higher callings.

Byrth demons often just referred to as demons are not an uncommon sight in many worlds since it only takes one demon summoned from the netherworld to copulate with a sapient such as humans and before long you have a lineage of byrth demons walking around.

[...]

For both demons and angels the term "revocare" encompasses the act of willingly being temporarily summoned to another world from their homeworld—the netherworld for demons and the heavens for angels—for a relatively short time.

[...]

Now while byrth demons or angels are born, spawned demons or angels are well spawned. For demons, this happens en mass in the netherworld's many spawning pools which are mostly located in spawning caves. Demons are known to spawn in groups of around 29 although most are killed by their spawn mates shortly after birth.

In comparison, angels are typically spawned one at a time in the spawning pool located within each Temple of Birth—when two angels spawn at a time in a spawning pool it is a rare event and they are called twins. Moreover unlike demonic spawning pools which repeat the cycle of spawning demons every few days, angelic spawning pools typically only spawn a few angels every decade.

— Excerpt from 'The Birth and Life of Demons and Angels' a collaboration between Rasathlab and Elnor.