Anger and sadness were woven into the demon’s every word. When Tragthan finished speaking, he led the way and Dreu followed with his mouth shut. The young man feared he would say anything that might draw the wrath of the demon. Even with the blade by his side, the young man felt certain he wouldn’t last seconds against the demon. The battle atop the walls was proof of how big of a gap it was between him and Tragthan. The two traveled down a well trodden path in silence and, as the two stepped into a clearing, Dreu caught sight of a moon. At least, it was what he would call a moon back home. While the moon wasn't blinding to look at, he still felt the object releasing a high intensity of light.

“I will address a problem up ahead.”

Dreu’s eyes widened when Tragthan vanished without a trace. Being in unfamiliar territory, he thought better of wandering around and getting lost. He also wasn't too keen in discovering what Tragthan might deem as a problem. As he was about to lean against a tree to take a quick rest, something piqued his interest. Initially, Dreu mistook the plants as barren trees easily reaching five meters height. Tree of this height was unheard of within the human kingdom. Tall trees were the first to be cut down for the ample lumber they provide. Upon putting his hand on the trunk, Dreu felt a texture closer to clay than bark. As he sat down to ponder the matter further, Ilveroz and Aggich jumped into his lap and made themselves comfortable. When neither of them seemed to be sleeping, Dreu started petting them, enjoying their soft fur against his hands. The two creatures seemed delighted with the attention he showered them.

“Let’s keep moving,” said a stern Tragthan.

The demon’s sudden appearance made Dreu jump up. He clumsily caught the two creatures before they fell to the ground and followed the demon. Unsure what was going through the demon’s head, Dreu chose to not ask what problem Tragthan had to address. An hour or so later, the demon brought the group to a small clearing with a wooden fence closing much of it off. Small creatures and a handful of small demons were within the enclosure. Even though he couldn’t see any other demons, Dreu could sense being watched as he approached the fence.

“Those are the future of the demons,” said Tragthan, with a hint of pride in his voice.

Once the meaning of the words sank in, Dreu understood the small demons he saw from afar were actually demonic children. He was always told demons originated as beasts and the stronger or smarter ones developed humanoid characteristics. Only the strongest demons looked like humans with demonic features.

Tragthan might be right. All the propaganda from Xemir has distorted our image of the demons…and maybe other nonhuman races as well.

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The sight of demonic children made Dreu desire the chance to see more of the continent. If there were survivors of the Purificator, then he would like to see them personally. As he got closer to the demonic children, Dreu was further shocked by their similarities to human children. These were innocent souls who enjoyed playing like any other children. A couple of them glanced at him briefly but he didn’t feel hostility towards him. The demonic children resumed playing once they lost interest in him.

“You are with me so they trust you.” Tragthan responded as though he could read Dreu’s mind. “I suggest you join them! You will be traveling with them to a safer location. The creatures at their feet are called demon worms and they are the weakest creatures you can find in these parts.”

The demon worms resembled caterpillars more than worms. Being the size of a squirrel, these caterpillar-like creatures appeared to only possess mandibles that could serve as weapons. The tiny pair of appendages were demonstrated by the demon worms to be best used for cutting food down to smaller chunks. While playing with the demonic children, the creatures retracted their mandibles without being told. Given what he observed, Dreu approached one of the demon worms that was without a playmate. The creature was wary of his approach but it didn’t run away. The two of them made eye contact as the young man wondered how he could interact with the creature.

<

This creature can become your summoned creature. Would you like to make it one? ( Yes/No )

>

Dreu jumped at the sight of the prompt. He couldn't recall the last time the prompt window communicated with him after Azorius casted the unknown spell on him. When he was unable to open the prompts, the young man believed that his Emperor Class was completely removed by Azorius. The sight of the prompts brought renewed hope that he might see Bayard and the others once again. Yet, the “Recall Units” option revealed there were no units available.

Curses! They are indeed gone! Bayard and the others….

Tears threatened to come out of his eyes but he held them in, knowing it would not be wise to show his emotions around the demons. He couldn’t afford to show weakness and took several deep breaths. Once he got his composure back and read the text, the young man pondered the choice. Previously, he inherited the summoned units. He never questioned how those units came to be because he assumed they came with the power. Now, he was faced with a choice to build his roster from scratch. This bit of information opened up endless possibilities regarding what he could accomplish. While Dreu was deep in thoughts, the demon worm crawled up and rubbed his foot in affection. With a smile, he selected the “Yes” option.

< Congratulations! You acquired a summoned creature! >

Dreu got down to pet the demon worm. Enjoying the attention, Dreu's summoned creature rubbed against his hand. This got the attention of Ilveroz and Aggich who headed over to investigate the stranger. Few minutes later, the three chased after one another while Dreu supervised from the side.

Bayard, I promise I’ll stand up with my own two feet.