Demons are evil. There’s no way that such assumption would ever be wrong, for common sense dictates that they should be so. They are corrupt beings, distorted far beyond human understanding. Their foul existence is a desecration of natural order, a deeply rooted taint that sullies the very sanctity of life. Their purpose? Unknown. Nothing can be said for sure, aside from their unquenchable thirst for souls. Souls that they seek to corrupt and defile, until they are finally ripe to be feasted upon.

Demons do not want for the destruction of our world, nor the extinction of the races that inhabit it. No, for such would be counterproductive; what they seek is far worse of a fate for us than death could ever hope to be. They thrive from the corruption, from the desertion of one’s morals; the abandonment of faith as they fall deeply into the pits of depravity, forsaking that which once fueled the fires of their innermost self. Though their endgame might yet elude me, I firmly believe it to be related to their inextinguishable desire for souls. I deduce, with whatever modest amount of knowledge I may have acquired on the matter, that the souls taken by them are permanently removed from our world— instead, being taken to whatever twisted plane they might call their home.

Demons come in as many varieties as the number of species that inhabit our world. Some of them bestial and fully dependent on instinct, like our very own animals and wild-type monsters; those are called Demonic Beasts. Others, aside from a few physical differences, can barely be told apart from the humanoid races; they are what we often refer to as Demon-kin. And last, but not least, we have the transcendental beings that rule over all other demons; the Demon Lords.

Although their hierarchical structure might somewhat resemble ours, they are not beings from our world. Instead, they are summoned from another plane, through means of blasphemy and untold profanity, far exceeding the boundaries of what one could describe as just being acts of ‘evil’. Demons are servants to Ahriman, a major god from the pantheon of darkness. It is theorized by scholars that their existence is a counter-force mechanism that seeks to maintain the balance of our world. If there is light, there must be darkness. If there is good, there must be evil. If there is happiness, there must be suffering. Such is the way of life, and the theoretical balance the world seeks for itself.

I would like to point out, however, that contrary to the general perception, this fight for balance is not all black and white. Light does not mean good, darkness does not mean evil. Good can be done for evil purposes, and evil can be done with good intentions. If you kill someone innocent to save many more innocent lives, would that be an act of good? Would it be evil to kill a hundred innocent people in order to save just one that is very precious to you? One can argue that It depends on a lot of different factors and situations, but ultimately, it is but a simple matter of choice. In most cases, good and evil are subjective; two sides of the same coin. I know this: Darkness can be comforting, while light can be unbearable. Likewise, darkness can drown you, while light can show you the way forward. It is all subjective, and as such, the very definition of balance.

In one hand we have Irithel, a goddess of light, known as the bringer of justice and herald of purity. On the other, we have Ahriman, the personification of all that is foul and evil. Truly, they stand in opposition, as if one exists to deny— or perhaps balance— the other. But then, what of Merava, the one that oversees the cycle of death and rebirth? She too belongs to the pantheon of darkness, but unlike Ahriman, she does not stand for that same kind of evil. If anything, she represents neutrality— a precise mixture of both good and evil; though Ahriman’s demons are her natural enemies, since they are a threat to the souls that she oversees. If one were to see the world only in black and white, then, for not siding with the forces of ‘good’, Merava too would be deemed evil; fight as she may against the very same enemy.

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Instead of black and white, I would say that our world is painted in shades of gray. Not everything is what it seems, not all roads have a clear destination. Good may lead to ruin, while evil might bring salvation. As such, I disagree with my peer scholars; I do not believe demons to be a mechanism of balance. If balance is the state of equilibrium between light and darkness; good and evil, demons do not fit its notion— for they are far to twisted to fall within any form of balance.

The purpose of their existence goes beyond my humble understanding, but what I can say with certainty is that they do not seem to properly fit anywhere within our world’s conceptualization of light and darkness. It is irrefutable that demons are beings of evil, yet, even though created by a god of darkness, they are also enemies to a goddess of darkness. One has but to wonder how vile of an existence they must be, in order for two deities belonging to the same pantheon to become enemies over them.

Therefore, I present the following assumption: The balance achieved through the war between light and darkness, that still rages on to this to this day, represents Order; the equilibrium of opposing forces. Demons, though birthed by darkness and originated from evil, represent Chaos; the opposition of order. Intrinsically, they cannot be a mechanism of balance, for their very existence is a threat to balance itself.

Perhaps, it might be that our notions of light and darkness; of good and evil, have been mistaken all along— their nuances ignored for what we thought too obvious to further look into. Yet, I fear that it might be too late. The tenuous balance that we so hardly kept seems all but broken. Unknowingly, we fed the light that was evil, and culled the darkness that was good. Now, all that remains is unbridled chaos.

I write these notes as my last thoughts on the matter, for I believe my death to be close at hand. Tomorrow I shall leave the city of Alcara and head for the Sunless Swamp, the place where my dear apprentice has gone missing. Her party took on a quest to quell an undead outbreak, but I believe it to have been a trap set up by demon worshipers. I sent a familiar of mine with her, since I worry for her like I would for my own daughter; but a few weeks later it returned covered in injures that contained considerable traces of demonic mana. Demons and undead are natural enemies, one cannot exist in the same place as the other. If there are traces of demonic mana in the swamp… Then it can only mean that there were never any undead there to begin with.

I know in my heart that she is dead— or worse. The chances of me being able to save her are close to zero. But I have to go, I have to see it for myself. It is my duty as the one who raised her, as the one fulfilled the role of her guardian. I will go, even knowing that it will cost me my life.

I sent letters to the Mage’s Association, to the Adventurer’s Guild and to the Church. I can only hope that they will believe my words and send someone capable of dealing with this issue… As a humble scholar, fighting demons is far beyond my field of expertise.

Cecilia Morne, year 580 of the 6th age.

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End of chapter 17.5: Cecilia’s Notes.