“If I may… just how much do you know of demons and the truth behind them?”

“Truth?” Nikolay asks. He’s fully unaware of what Luna is trying to hint at.

Shen seems to know what she’s speaking of. “Probably why they exist and how they’re created? We’ve been trying to figure that out the past few months.”

She closes her eyes and sighs, contemplating just how much she should tell them. Upon opening them, she looks at Schmidt trying to illicit some sort of aid as to how she should proceed. Her gaze shifts to Nikolay, who’s curiously awaiting an answer like some sort of starry-eyed child. She then looks at Shen, who seems a little sad.

“Have you met any humanoid demons? They tend to be on the weaker side, so I’m sure you’ve stumbled upon some of them…”

SID, Two-Faced Standards, and a few more come to mind. Half of the demons Nikolay had come across were humanoid. SID and Two-Faced even invoked strange feelings within Nikolay. Sadness stemmed from SID, while Two-Faced had hit Nikolay with playfulness and joy. Even Mirror was communicating in a way that a person could understand.

“I think I know what you’re getting at…” Shen knows the truth. The signs had been there since Day 1. Ever since he laid his eyes on the first demon he had come across, Shen couldn’t help but question a few things. His questions just doubled when he came across Sandman. If not for the fact that they have yet to recover its Devil Seed, this conversation may have come a week sooner.

“Would you be fine with just figuring out how demons are created?” He holds Nikolay’s hand.

“How? What about what, where, and when?” Nikolay is a little frustrated trying to pin down what they’re talking about. But he knows Shen is trying to be considerate. “So? Point is?”

“A lot of the demons you encountered were formerly Dream Catchers.” Her eyes are avoiding theirs. As Nikolay looks Shen and Schmidt for confirmation or some sort of denial, he’s met with that same sort of avoidance. She’s pointing out the ring on her ring finger. It’s pure white with a moonstone embedded into it. “The more inner turmoil I experience, the darker it gets. Being exposed to copious amounts of dark magic has the same effect as does using up all of my light magic letting residual dark magic dominate my fate.”

So far, Shen has surmised that Dream Catchers and the supernatural operate on six fundamental elements. These elements are likely laid out on three axes. Light and dark magic sit on opposing ends functioning as positive and negative charges or negative and positive mass. Spiritual Charge is likely opposed to Void Charge. The soul is believed to be a pure mass of spiritual charge, while the void remains an unknown constant that people have yet to discover. Natural Force and Physical Force are the last elements whose presence dictates how living beings manifest. According to their Vambrances, most mammals have a 1 to 99 ratio, while plantlife seems to bear the reverse.

“Soul Solids, right?” Nikolay asks. “I’ve never seen those before, but Schmidt just spoke of them.” His hands are trembling, but he’s fairly well composed. Shen can’t tell what he’s thinking, but he knows they ought to talk about it later.

“More and more talented people have risen to the top these past few years. To perform superhuman feats without a contract is impressive!” Luna says.

“That’s not an answer.” Nikolay is a little snappy following these revelations. “What are Soul Solids?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to…” Luna replies, feeling rejected. “You’ve come across Z’s, right? They claim to deploy us to fight demons, but considering they give us Soul Solids increasing our chances to turn into one, that can’t be true. They do grant us wishes in exchange for those contracts, but they always employ kids who cannot be aware of what awaits them or are desperate enough to agree to any condition.”

“Any wish? Becoming god too?”

“No… They stalk their prey and stake out what kind of wish you’d ask for. One of them likely is around right now, waiting for the day that you two form a contract with them. If you’re dying and at wit’s end, you can expect them to show their presence.” These scheming creatures seem awfully cruel. Their sights are set on their own goals and it seems as if no one is any wiser.

“There’s no way to eradicate them either?” Shen asks.

“Not that we know of. They’re some sort of hivemind whose origin remains unknown. We’ve never seen their births either, and whenever they are killed, the other members of their hivemind eat the remains. Even if you were to stop them from devouring the leftovers, they miraculously disappear after just 100 hours.”

Schmidt scoffs at them. “So, now that your grand mystery has been uncovered… What now? Without purpose, you’re bound to give up, right?” He seems thrilled with just the thought of having these two kids give up living normal lives.

Yet his joy immediately diminishes, knowing that he’s likely not getting anywhere with these two. “What’s your new objective then?”

“Oh, given up already? Our mighty smith is surprisingly docile. Look at that, Shen! This man is pathetic!”

“Zip it.”

“We’ll look into how they’re created and check whether or not all of them are Dream Catchers. Sunny has come across animalistic demons, and a few of them are based on objects. We can’t dismiss the many possibilities that still remain.

There’s also how and why they branch out into these strange classifications. Subclasses and the like ought to exist. I doubt we can just boil them down to the few we have at hand.

Lastly, we want to check whether or not that ‘demonification’ is reversible. If Dream Catchers are turning into demons eternally trapped with the perpetual need to feed on people… We can’t just dismiss that. Finding an alternative form of feed or turning them docile likely could be of benefit. MoB could have been used as a training dummy.

We also want to explore many more domains. Maybe there’s even a universe beyond this planet begging to be seen. It could be within reach, you know.”

Luna seems surprised, maybe even alarmed. Maybe these views could align with hers.

“You embody the Magi like no other Dream Catcher. You cannot remain here wasting your time on that journey alone! Join us, and we’ll accommodate you with anything we can offer.” She’s almost fanatic and begins to power down as she takes notice of the surprised faces. “I’m sorry…”

“No! We’re capable of observing and learning and have to use that power! Wasting away, not growing any wiser, is stupid!” Nikolay counters. She’s met with the same enthusiasm. Bouncing back and forth between ideas and concepts while she respectfully keeps her tabs on facts she believes Nikolay to be unaware of.

“Let’s pipe down. We agreed to meet, not just for your little theories, right?” Schmidt has other plans for the two of them. “Before you go off to discover demons, check for the heights and limits of Dream Catchers. It usually isn’t wise to make your abilities known. Many Dream Catchers are territorial to the point that gangs will wipe each other out over territory disputes. But we’ll start off with a little lesson on killing demons.”

Schmidt had purposefully prepared a scenario for the two of them. This awfully quiet demon, containing its urges to kill trespassers, is fairly powerful, with no henchlings to protect itself. After careful consideration, Schmidt has decided that this powerful beast ought to be made a display.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

This behemoth of a bony figure feels incredibly powerful. A lone Ravager is hovering above a grass planes on its lone spot of respite. Butterflies floating by attract its attention ever so slightly as they perch on the flowers around them. Posted up on its invisible throne, a rag wrapped around its neck concealing its torso while keeping its arms hidden, another rag covering its lower half all the way down to its knees, and a face wrapped up in bandages…

With them is a stranger whose hair is flowing like passionate flames. The only thing he’s wearing is white cargo shorts waiting to be sullied in battle. He’s young, muscular, and sounds rather powerful due to their confident stance.

“What are we waiting for?” Nikolay asks. He’s ready to engage in battle. “It’s not doing anything, but since you’re so intent on killing them, let’s get this over with.” Yet he’s not entirely willing to kill a demon not threatening their immediate safety.

“I thought you had special detection powers? Shouldn’t you know of its status as a Ravager? You can’t rush to your death!” Schmidt is quick to point out his impatience.

“He’s full of passion, Schmidt! Don’t quell his flames!” He seems eager to send them out into battle.

“Your apathy is why no one ever wants to fight with you! Just do as told and stand by before you get these two killed!” Schmidt seems rather furious. Luna may agree, but she’s still uncomfortable with the animosity between them, even if entirely on Schmidt’s part.

“Selen! Anything you can observe about its combat capabilities?”

He desperately tries to gauge its strength, but the only thing he can take away is that these quiet monsters are akin to powerful video game bosses. Something about it is unsettling. Shen finally finds something to hold onto. “It’s always trying to face us. Even though it wishes to interact with the butterflies, its eyes are set on us.”

“Correct! Even if a demon seems aloof and harmless, you ought to observe them. But you can’t observe them for too long. I’ve had several lose their patience and irrationally attack their prey without any kind of strategy.”

“I see… But we haven’t encountered too many demons with strategies,” Shen says.

“You’re wrong. Shortly after conception their powers are simple and limited. A small fledgling may just bite and scratch you. After several encounters, it may evolve to develop powerful fangs and sharp talons. Eventually, they’ll learn to hide in the shadows and fire its talons like nail guns. It may not seem like much, but every little ability every deviation from simple powers are strategies. Rapid evolution, especially the willful kind found in demons, is a survival strategy. You can observe it in animals as you can in demons.”

That piece of insight may extend their lives for a little longer. However, they have yet to learn how to handle these threats with clarity and strategy in the heat of the moment. Luna quietly listens and nods as Schmidt hands them his piece of advice. The moment Nikolay turns to Shen to badmouth Schmidt, this Ravager delivers its first blow, almost shattering Nikolay’s dome. A shield bash by Schmidt prevents his near-demise as their fifth fighter, Burnin, manifests a halberd made of flames. Luna is quick to push the two of them in a portal, letting them observe the battle from afar.

“Stay with the rookies, Luna! The two of us can handle this thing!” Schmidt is quick to order them around.

However, several arms emerge from the rag wrapped around its neck, revealing its total number of appendages. Powerful blows strike Schmidt’s shield, bending it out of shape. Burnin is quick to attempt cutting off its arms, yet quick reaction speed allows the Ravager to punch the swing so that its arm may be seared but not detached with the halberd lodged in and slowly burning out of fuel. Of course, that alone isn’t enough to shatter their wills. A fireball directed at its head burns off the bandages covering a multitude of eyes. It seems not entirely immune to the flames but resistant enough that simple burns aren’t a finishing blow.

Schmidt and Burnin are pulled into a portal before the Ravager could initiate its revenge. Yet, with its eyes revealed, a powerful roar unleashes several beams sprouting from its eyes. Luna, once again, teleports them away.

Now that they’re even further away, they can discuss how they should deal with this hellspawn.

“There’s no way we can close in now that its eyes are exposed. Maybe we should retreat.” Schmidt is uncertain whether or not victory is even an option. Being faced with sudden death surely can have that effect when you barely evaded it. “But we can’t just let it remain either.”

“I could always track it down. We can try again another day even if more people were to fall victim to it,” says Luna, willing to accept a few more civilians as sacrifices.

“And what if it evolves past that, you idiots?? We can beat it if we try harder! I hurt it so you two can plan like cowardly little puppies! Just tell me how to kill it!” Burnin clearly isn’t as willing to allowing civilian sacrifices. He seems indifferent to Dream Catchers running off to their deaths.

None of them consider Nikolay a capable fighter, and Shen clearly has no grasp on his powers, nor can he activate them, so his participation is out of the question. Being on standby like two little toddlers waiting for adults to be done talking is frustrating. To be utterly incapable of rendering aid stings.

“Say, Luna, how many portals can you manifest at once?” Shen asks.

“It depends on distance and size, but as long as I still have the stamina to do so… like infinite pairs?” She gently smiles, believing Shen to be up to something that may drag them out of this rut. “Is that anything the two of you can work with?”

“Let’s test it with just one portal. I don’t want to die looking stupid,” Shen says to add some humor. “Sunny, fire a stream of blood as soon as it pops open. Please?”

Nikolay was in a trance processing what just happened, but Shen’s confidence is pulling him out into reality. He nods as he draws blood by dragging his nail across his palm. As soon as Luna creates the portal, he fires into it, letting them observe an explosion from afar. For a second, the beam stopped, only to continue and almost strike Nikolay. He’s blown off his feet along with Shen as he barely intercepts the beam with another shot.

“I see!” After closing her portal, she believes she has discovered some sort of fatal flaw nestling within this Ravager’s choice of attack.

“Sunny can rapid fire his blood, ejecting it from his body like it’s nothing, and as long as he’s in contact with it, he can harden it.”

“Only small amounts! I can harden small amounts. A gallon is my limit.” His wound has already closed, and his interception speaks of insecurity. He’s not entirely sure he can be of use to them.

“What about continuous streams? Outside your body?” Luna asks. She seems to have something in mind.

“Oh? Can you keep track of all your portals?” Shen likely knows what she’s thinking of. Their minds are in unity as their intellect merges.

“No. Keeping track of more than three pairs is exhausting and rather hard. But I think I only need to think of Schmidt’s and Burnin’s entryways.”

“That’s true! They’re our heavy hitters. Niko-… I mean, Sunny’s attacks are only a distraction.”

Schmidt is starting to catch on as well. However, he’s leaving the planning to just the two of them, proudly watching them piece together their grand plan. Nikolay has a clue to what they may be thinking of while Burnin feels entirely out of the loop. After a short discussion, their plan is fully developed.

“Now, onto the final test! Sunny! Do your worst!” Shen says.

Biting off all his fingertips, Nikolay creates a dozen masses of blood. However, a few of them burst before they can even be used as weapons. A few more burst after firing their beams leaving behind puddles of blood, partially sullying Burnin’s pants.

Luna instead just has him firing beams directly out of his fingertips into smaller portals. That alone likely isn’t enough, so they have Burnin cut off his toes for more beams. With twenty beams, they have far higher chances of overwhelming the Ravager.

Finally, the operation can start. Nikolay begins firing away into Luna’s portals. She skillfully places them all around their target to create some sort of smokescreen. In a panic, the Ravager fires away, trying to eliminate these threats. However, the distraction alone isn’t enough to create an opening. Dealing with its dreadful arms follows as Burnin emerges from a portal spending almost all his stamina to cut off the arms on the right while Schmidt cuts off the arms on the left. Luna delivers the finishing blow by decapitation with a chakram thrown through a portal. The four of them, exhausted, have beaten this demon in swift fashion due to Shen’s strategy. The collective might of five Dream Catchers has led to the defeat of this beast.

Shortly thereafter, they part ways as Schmidt, Burnin, and Luna have their lives to deal with. For now, they’ll part ways with contact information exchanged for future endeavors.