Demon Manananggal quickly explained, “The other two came with me, but you are free to tame them as well if you want.”

Meryda said as she signed the papers with the wooden pencil the man gave her, “Thanks, I suppose… Now what?”

“Now we enter the City Byadri, and we try not to make too much noise because it is rather late and a lot of people are sleeping. It would be better if we didn’t speak, but we can whisper if curiosity takes the best of you.”

When the man entered the enormous building again, Craydon asked, “Was that a Demon as well? Because he looked Ooman if it weren’t for the horns.”

“He is a Half-Demon. A mix between Ooman and Demon to be more accurate.” Seeing that Craydon looked even more puzzled, Manananggal explained, “Millennia ago, Demons captured Oomans and Demis and forced them to breed with Demons. Over the centuries, Oomans and Demis that started living here, with time, chose a Demon or a Half-Demon for a partner. There are also Ooman and Demis couples, or couples where both partners are Oomans. And couples where both are Demis. Despite Demons encouraging interbreeding with Demons and Half-Demons, we don’t force anyone to pick a partner. Everyone is free to fall in love with whom they fancy more or not fall in love at all. There are also some cases of arranged marriages, but that doesn’t happen so often nowadays. You can say our society is way more developed than any other in the World.”

While entering the City, Craydon looked up at the tall buildings, noticing that some windows had lights, meaning there were people still awake.

Along the street they were going, there were light poles every few metres with a Magic Crystal on top, providing light. That made Craydon ask his guide, “Why are there so many Magical Crystals around? Are crystals in such abundance that you can even use them to illuminate the streets?”

“The entire mountain range is made of Magical Crystal, you know? I mean, after the top, that is. There are a few veins of crystals on the other side, but the mountains on our side are entirely made of Magical Crystals.”

“Then why don’t you let the Oomans mine the crystals on the other side? It’s not like you need so many crystals!”

Demon Manananggal sighed and said, “We need them more than you think. Demons don’t eat food, and we don’t breathe air. We eat and breathe Magic. Oomans have already mined all the crystals in the World, besides our mountains. If we let them take the crystals, next they will come for us, and they won’t have to fight because we will be long dead. We tolerate the sporadic Ooman incursions in our mountains, but we can’t let them take the crystals. Besides, they already mined a lot of crystals, so we see no reason to give them any more than they already have. If Oomans sell crystals to other countries, and now they don’t have many, it is their problem, not ours.”

“Oomans need Magical Crystals to help them fight Monsters and wild animals, you know?”

“Again, not our problem. We are guests in this World like they are. We arrived sooner, and we learned how to thrive in this harsh and new environment. If Oomans can’t, we have nothing to do with that. Demis are also thriving — worse than us, but they are. Half-Demons are a special case. They can eat normal food, besides Magic. They are our evolution and our greatest hope.”

With wide-open eyes, Craydon said in a low tone, “So that is why you guys capture Oomans and Demis in the front lines! You need new blood to have Half-Demon kids! And since Half-Demons don’t live solely on Magic, they are better adapted to this World, so they can live anywhere else besides near a Magical Crystal!”

With a sigh, Demon Manananggal said, “That is correct. That is why our country has grown so much, and our population is already starting to colonize a few islands near our shore. One day, they will colonize islands further away and maybe start to live in other countries. But that is a project for the future. I also need to say that you can’t speak about what I just told you to any living soul. Some things are far too dangerous to speak out loud, and I have already said too much.”

Meryda looked at her father and saw him slowly nodding, lost in deep thought. She then looked up when Manananggal pointed at the building in front of them. “We are here. Follow me inside.”

A windowed door was the entrance to a vast lobby, with sofas near one wall and some tables and chairs on the other. Right in front, there was a long counter with a Demi-Cat woman smiling at the newcomers.

The moment she recognised who was in front of her, she made an enormous smile and a deep bow while saying, “High Demon Manananggal! It is truly an honour to receive you and your guests! Your room is ready, and your guest’s room as well! Allow me to call someone to guide you there!”

She touched a small blue crystal on a plate in front of her, and a young boy came from the back room with the same pattern in his uniform as the Demi-Cat woman, but he was a Demi-Dog Half-Demon, according to his ears, tail, and horns. “I will be your guide this evening! Please follow me! Anything you need during your stay or anything you want to ask, or if you see something you don’t like, just call the reception, and I or any of my colleagues will do everything we can to make your stay as enjoyable as possible!”

He stopped near a door that he quickly opened, and there was a room after that door. When everyone was inside, he closed it, touched the last top crystal on a line of five crystals, and the entire room went up, making Craydon ask, “An elevator? This is an elevator?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I don’t know that word, I am afraid. This is merely a lifter. With this, we just need to touch the crystal, which signals the floor we want to go to. A person who can’t use Magic can still use this lifter.”

The moment the room stopped moving, the young boy opened the door and told everyone to follow him. In the middle of the corridor, he gave a crystal to Demon Manananggal, which she used to open the door of her room by placing the crystal against the doorknob.

She opened the door and smiled at Meryda. “Have a good night. You can sleep for as long as you want. When you wake up, go to the reception and call for me so that I can take you to eat something, and we will then continue our voyage. Have a good rest. To you too, you cute Demi-Cat!”

After the door closed, the young boy signalled for them to follow him, and in front of the next door, he gave another crystal to Craydon and said, “This is yours. The young lady will be in the next room with her Monsters. Usually, Monsters are not allowed in this hotel, but High Demon Manananggal made a special request just for you. The Fae can also stay in your room if they desire.”

While melting into the floor, the smiling green being looked at Meryda and said, “We will not need that. We will check how things are with the Oomans at the campsite, but we will also be nearby, so in case you need us, just call.”

As he was opening the door, Craydon asked, “Why so much reverence for that strange, winged woman? She said she was a member of the Dark Eight.”

“She is one of our rulers. A very important person. It is an extreme honour to have such a distinct person in our humble hotel, so of course we would grant her anything she might ask, be it Monsters to be allowed to enter or anything else you might need or want.” With a wink, the boy explained, “Even female company, or a masseuse.”

Craydon made an awkward smile and then faced his daughter and said, “If you need anything, I am right here, so you can come to me.”

The young boy pointed to a door on the left wall inside Craydon’s room and said, “As per the request High Demon Manananggal gave us, your room has a door that connects to the next room where this young lady will be, and you can leave that door open if you want. On the next wall, there is another door that connects to High Demon Manananggal’s room. You can leave that door open or closed. If you wish to leave it open, it would be better to ask her permission.”

Craydon nodded and watched while Meryda went to her room with the Salamander, the Slime, and the Emptiness.

As soon as she closed the door, she looked at her room and gasped. It was enormous and richly decorated with a long sofa, a marble table, two velvet chairs, and an extremely large bed with a canopy adorned with a thin white curtain. She dashed to the door that connected to her father’s room and knocked on the door. He opened it, looking as surprised as she was.

They both went to the door next to that one and were baffled at the sight of a spacious bathroom with a basin over a cabinet, a bathtub, plenty of towels, and, what was more surprising, working taps, which worked by touching the small crystal embodied on them, making clean, drinkable water come out.

Feeling his head spinning, Craydon came out of the bathroom and sat at the table, and when Meryda was sitting next to him, there was a knock on the door, which communicated to the adjacent room.

Craydon went to the door, and when he opened it, the strangely beautiful woman was there, smiling at him. “So, do you like your room? Pretty cool, right?”

“Yes… this is amazing… Even clean tap water? How? I have to get water from a well on my farm! And use a bucket!”

“Are you not going to invite me in?”

Craydon moved to the side, and he thought Manananggal made a sad face when she saw that Meryda was also in that room, but she quickly smiled at her and asked, “Do you like your room as well? Wait until you see the room I have for you in our capital! That will blow up your mind!”

“It is amazing! And so big! Are all the rooms in this hotel like this?”

“Not exactly. This is the special suite. The other rooms don’t have a canopy around the bed, nor are they this big, but they are very comfortable as well. So, questions so far? Or is everything to your liking?”

Meryda made a big smile and said, “So far, way better than what I was expecting! From all the rumours I heard, Demons didn’t exist, or they were all vicious, mean creatures! No offence!”

“None taken. I am very aware of what Oomans and Demis think of us. All lies and fantasies, I might add. We were the ones to spread a few, so no one would be sure if we actually existed or not. Well, I shall let you rest. If you need anything, my door will be open.” She then said in a low tone as she was passing by Craydon, “Especially for you, you cute thing!”

As she closed the door with a wink, Craydon gulped, and he then went to Meryda, making her ask, “Why are you so pale? You looked as if you had seen a ghost!”

“Not a ghost… I think she likes me! And she has such a smile!”

“Careful, because if Rusha finds out you were looking at another woman, she might cut off your tail!”

Craydon nodded and went to the nearby closet, and as he was taking off his clothes, he said. “We better go to bed, or we are going to sleep all day, and I want to see what the City looks like. It is not possible that this City is such a paradise! It looks a lot like one from Earth! They even have a hotel with an elevator!”

Meryda nodded as she was going to her room and said, “Yeah, very strange indeed! And everyone was so friendly! We were better received than any City in all those countries we crossed while flying to get to the Ooman Alliance!”

The moment she closed the door, Craydon laid on the bed and looked up at the enormous chandelier, noticing there were crystals on it as well, spreading light all over the room. As he searched around, trying to find a way to turn off the light, he saw a small crystal encrusted in one pole of the bed, and as he touched it, the room went completely dark, making him whisper, “Amazing… a light switch… How advanced is this country?”