Everything felt odd as I slowly pulled myself upright. My fingers and limbs twitched at the slightest thought of moving them. My body felt light and airy, like I might float off and get stuck on the ceiling any second. My mind was swirling with so many thoughts, it should have been a jumbled mess. Thankfully, I was also thinking more clearly, able to process and sort through all the frivolous and not-so-frivolous ideas.
My senses, especially my esoteric senses, had received another upgrade too, deepening in a way I couldn’t define. It was like a barrier between me and the world had been removed, and I was now receiving all the information firsthand instead of peering at it through tinted glass.
It was these new senses that allowed me to pick up on the pressure rising inside Mia. Her mana coiled and lashed out, barely contained and twitching like a badly tuned machine. I realized a second later that my mana was behaving the same way. Interestingly, though, Mia seemed to be far more in control of her physical body than I was of mine. I couldn’t detect any of the tremors I was experiencing in her frame.
“Congrats,” I offered with a grin, which she actually returned. “I can’t believe we’re both Archmages now.”
I was tempted to tack on ‘just like that’, but that didn’t exactly do justice to the process. There was nothing simple or easy about what we had gone through.
Mia seemed to agree. “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” the cat girl said, frowning as she gazed up at the two demons standing over us. “Why did the ritual hurt him? I didn’t feel a thing.”
It was a good thing advancement had given me better control of my emotions. Darkness rose up to grip me, threatening to bog me down in self-accusation. I did the mental equivalent of hitting a dog with a newspaper, and it sank back into its pit.
“We knew it would happen, unfortunately.” Bronwynn took on the task of explaining things, though his expression suggested he hated what they had put me through. “With everything he’s experienced, his soul’s already started to solidify.”
“And that equated to all the pain why?” I was proud of myself for being able to inject some snark into my words without being crushed by guilt. Considering how much I owed the three of them, the darkness in me whispered that I shouldn’t even dare look them in the eye.
“Ever wondered what happens when you become a demon?” Bronwynn asked rhetorically, because of course we had. “In order to make the leap from mortal to something at least partly eternal, your soul… ossifies. It becomes stronger. Tougher. Far more durable. Unfortunately, it becomes quite rigid, too. It’s much harder for a demon’s soul to change and grow than it is for a mortal to advance.”
My eyes widened and darted to Glaustro, whose face confirmed Bronwynn’s words even before he spoke. “It’s true. It takes a lot more for a demon to go from a superior soul to a radiant soul like you just did. From radiant to ascendant? It’s an even greater jump with a much steeper difficulty, especially for a demon. It’s the one advantage we ascended demons have. The stronger we were as mortals, the higher up we can start as demons.”
“But then… why doesn’t the legion put more effort into training its mortals? The regular rank and file are encouraged to ascend as soon as possible!” I demanded loudly, thinking of all the times I had desperately wished I was a demon, and all the sneers from my ‘fellow soldiers’ who already belonged to the Abyss.
“Why would they?” Glaustro asked mockingly, though I could tell the anger lighting up his eyes with actual fire was not directed at me. “Born demons are superior. Now, what would happen if a bunch of former mortals all started off at a much higher rank than them? Sure, the born demons would catch up eventually, with their better access to resources and superior strength, but why give the former mortals the satisfaction?”
“That’s it?” Indignation colored my voice freely, and I let it. “They don’t like ascendant demons lording something over them, even temporarily, so they kneecap the power of the legion from the start? Just for… what? Pride?”
“It’s not quite that simple, I’m afraid.” Glaustro sighed, though distaste was still plain on his face. “The legion was never perfect, but it was never quite so… discriminatory before, either. Not until a certain ascended demon reminded everyone of what ‘mere former mortals’ can achieve. I do believe you know about him. Melchom.”
I didn’t even fight to keep the scowl off my face. The mere memory of Mercutio simultaneously filled me with dread and made me want to punch someone.
“Granted, it wasn’t like the legion went out of its way to help mortals in the past, either,” Bronwynn chimed in with a wry smile. “But there was more of a support network for those who wanted to try. Now? You have to catch the eye of the higher-ups to have serious resources invested in you. Which, as a mortal, definitely isn’t easy.”
I just nodded. It wasn’t like I didn’t know that Mia and I were much luckier than most.
“So… now what?” I blatantly changed the subject, no longer wanting to dwell on the mess that was my extended family.
“Now you two rest, and we’ll figure out when the next available trip back to Lagyel is.” Glaustro sighed again. “I really wish we could wait longer for you both to rest and recover properly, but it’s best we go back as soon as we can. For all the beneficial effects of Passion, neither of you should spend much time in the Abyss until you’re ready to ascend. I’m hoping you’ll be ready by the end of this invasion.”
The large demon stomped towards the door, and I watched him leave. He was obviously relieved that Mia and I were past this particular hurdle, but I couldn’t miss the worry in his eyes when he looked at us.
Once this whole mess was over and things hopefully wound down, I really needed to do something nice for Glaustro and Bronwynn.
—
When we passed through the portal and onto the sandy ground of Lagyel, I experienced the worst vertigo of my life.
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The last time I’d visited this world, it took my breath away and staggered me. Now? Sure, the number of golden chains manifesting to bind me down was a lot smaller, but I still felt like countless swords were stabbing right into my soul. I had to grit my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut to stop myself from whimpering.
Honestly, I was starting to respect the rank and file of the legion a lot more. In spite of the fact that the world’s suppression hit them much more harshly than it did me, the most they showed were some grimaces and a hitch in their step.
I dove down into my soul as the chains began to fade, curious if I could spot something new about them there.
The sight that greeted me was one of stark beauty. My soul glittered like a massive garnet, lit up from within by a soft glow. Even the ‘scarring’ was no longer as ghastly as it used to appear. Sure, the opaque sections stood out, but the evolution my soul experienced had smoothed the texture of its entire surface, making the shift between ‘transparent’ and ‘opaque’ look less like corruption and more like an ongoing transformation.
At the moment, I was actually thankful for the tougher sections of my soul. Whereas outwardly, the golden chains had merely constricted me, inside my soul was a different story. There, the chains sought to dig into my essence, binding it to the world.
This attempt utterly failed where the chains met my scarring. Still, they pressed painfully into every other place they reached, which explained the pain I had just experienced upon arrival.
Maybe the demons aren’t that much tougher after all. They just have better defenses.
I was definitely not bitter at the realization, but I could admit that I looked forward to my ascension all the more with every passing day.
When the moment passed and I could focus on my surroundings, I was shocked to find myself staring up at the breathtaking trunk and crown of the massive tree city, Faun’s Cradle if I recalled correctly, whose siege I had participated in not so long ago.
“Why is everyone massing here? What’s wrong with the Lagyel capital?” I asked Glaustro as we headed for the nearest way up to the city.
“Because a push deeper into jinn territory has already started,” he replied, sounding amused.
“The lieutenant general told Glaustro to meet him here on our return,” Bronwynn informed us with just a touch of smugness. “As one of his most trusted units on Lagyel, we were picked to join the main assault .”
That was when I realized the other demons of the unit were listening in eagerly. Bronwynn’s words caused quite a stir, with several of Glaustro’s demon soldiers breaking out in excited chatter.
I understood, really. Life in the legion got progressively easier with people batting for you high up the chain of command. You really couldn’t hope for much better than having a lieutenant general in your corner.
“That would be correct. However…” Glaustro paused, raising his voice. “I’d like to point out that this means the expectations placed on us will be more intense. If we succeed, we can expect rewards aplenty. If we fail, we will have a much harder time advancing up the ranks.”
Another stir, more anxious than celebratory this time. But I was relieved to notice that most of the demons didn’t seem cowed by this. If anything, they looked all the more eager to prove themselves.
I never pried into who Glaustro chose to recruit, but I had a strong feeling he went after demons in similar circumstances to himself. These were likely the soldiers who had been overlooked and pushed down despite all their attempts to advance. So long as the payout was good enough, I was willing to bet that more than a few of them were ready to take calculated risks.
Not-so-well calculated risks too, for that matter.
To the relief of some and the quiet grumbling of others, we weren’t all presented to Crewe, not that the logistics of shoving a thousand demons into a single room would have been easy to figure out. Instead, while Glaustro was called away to meet with the lieutenant general, the rest of us were relegated to Bronwynn’s tender care.
To the legion’s credit, Glaustro’s right-hand man did receive an information packet to brief us on, and they even provided a courtyard large enough to house our entire, very recently reunited unit.
The ‘packet’ itself was a fascinating thing. It looked similar to a soul, because in a way, that’s exactly what it was. Bronwynn later explained to me that these objects were made when a demon absorbed a soul, stripped it of all its memories and most of its essence, and then shoved the memories they wanted to pass on into into a small, marble-like crystal the recipient could absorb.
According to Bronwynn, it was a bit of a waste, not to mention something only ‘stronger’ demons could accomplish. Because of this, the legion usually relied on written or spoken word to pass on orders.
What Bronwynn had to share from the packet was more interesting than his tidbits about demonic communication, however.
“While we were taking a break and fetching some of you, things have progressed.” Bronwynn kicked off the announcement looking sharper and more confident than I had ever seen him. “Our lieutenant general was not happy with the trick the jinn pulled. With relentless reinforcements to back him up, he has organized a push deep into jinn territory.
“I’m sure most of you could feel it when we arrived, but Lagyel’s suppression is much milder than it used to be. This is because over eighty percent of the golems which were in charge of that disgusting sandstorm have been found and eliminated. The jinn were using them to influence the world, somehow, and destroying them has bought us goodwill from the World Will.
“But the war is hardly over. We’ve located no less than five major jinn cities, all of which have multiple golems of the sandstorm-conjuring variety seeded around or within them. That’s excluding their capital, which we have also discovered.
“In two days, Lieutenant General Crewe himself will lead an invasion force to bring the capital down. We will be a part of this invasion force. In other words, use this period of time to wrap up your preparations. Purchase any weapons you need. Look into useful potions. Do whatever you think will help you both contribute and survive.
“Glaustro wants each and every one of you to fight to earn that survival merit. All the officers agree it will be a big one, with everything that’s happened on this world. This could be your chance to advance, so don’t fail his expectations!
“Don’t save souls, don’t spare any consumables you have, and in the name of everything unholy, do try to use your brains when we finally face off with the jinn. Their civilization isn’t one we can afford to underestimate, as I’m sure you’ve all discovered during this campaign. If either Glaustro or I catch any of you doing something stupid, there will be hell to pay.”
I couldn’t ignore that Bronwynn looked directly at me as he spoke those last words. Thankfully, I managed to weather his disapproval without shrinking back.
For a long, tense moment, the whole unit just stood there. We stared at Glaustro’s right-hand man, and he stared right back.
Then Bronwynn cracked a smile. “Well, whatcha waiting for? Dismissed! Go make your preparations.”
Mia and I lingered, waiting for Bronwynn to join us so we could go grab a meal and then do some shopping together. My heart felt lighter than it had in days. We were almost done with this frustrating world. We were facing the prospect of incredible rewards. And I was an Archmage.
But even as I looked forward to the end of Lagyel’s invasion, the darkness in my chest began to swirl. It laughed in the back of my mind, demanding to know why I was so certain that everything would go well.
I did my best to ignore it. I focused on arguing with Bronwynn about the choice of restaurant, shoving down the darkness’s incessant monologue of doom.
Still, as I caught my reflection in a shop window, I couldn’t help noticing my smile had taken on a permanently brittle edge.