Lilynn woke up to the constant sound of horses walking on a road. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but immediately hit her head on a ceiling. The setting was not at all familiar. A small window lit up her not-so-spacious surroundings. It felt like a small box, with all kinds of objects hanging from its walls. And the box itself was moving along the horse steps.
A carriage!
Which meant that there was a carter too.
Lilynn tried to open the carriage's small windowed door, but there was no lock inside. She was trapped. She started to knock on the other side as hard as she could. Suddenly, the horses stopped, and someone was walking to the small carriage door.
It started to open.
"Finally! You could not believe all the horrors I've been through…" Lilynn said thankfully, but as the door opened, a huge sword was aimed right at her.
"Hey, what are you doing?" she said in shock.
The one who was holding the sword was a tall young man with dark-grey hair, looking at Lilynn with a smug smile on his face.
"I knew it! I knew you were a demon." he declared.
"What? No! I am Lilynn, and you should let me out right now!"
"Good try, demon. But I knew you were not dead. The entire village thought they had lost you, getting ready for a funeral. Thankfully I was around, selling my stuff."
"I am no… wait, did you just steal a body from a funeral?"
"Yes I did, and as you can see, it was a great decision."
"You are sick."
"And you are not truly dead, just possessed."
Lilynn did not want to argue with this weirdo. But no matter how she looked at it, she really was possessed. She was supposed to be in prison, ready to get executed in two days. Or not? Is this all the demoness's doing?
"So, you say I was dead."
"Yep. Looking very cold and dead."
"And what made you think I was not?"
The stranger made a funny face, raising his eyebrows while looking up.
"Well… I saw you lie on your deathbed when suddenly a dark, red flame flew into your body. I think it came from the sky, I'm not sure. But it was horrifying. And cool. I like both of those things."
"And then you just took me."
"Listen, I know stories about demons possessing dead bodies. This was just like that. Which means I am talking to a demon right now, who somehow does not know anything about possessing dead bodies."
"I am not a demon."
"That's something a demon would say."
"Could you just lower your weapon?" Lilynn asked as the young man was still pointing the sharp end at her. "I promise I won't demon attack you or anything."
She suddenly realized she knew nothing about demons. And somehow she was one of them. The stranger stood for a few extra moments and then decided to put the sword back into its belt scabbard.
"I will trust you on this one, demon. After all, I saved you from those villagers who would have burnt you if they found out you were possessed. But remember that many enchantments are protecting me, ready to burn you to ash at any second if you attack me."
"I am terrified," Lilynn said in a bored voice.
She got off the carriage and looked around. They were on a road that crossed arable lands full of crops. The air here was fresh and pleasant, unlike the dirty prison. Which reminds her of all the terrible things she had to endure.
And so the Demoness helping her was real. Thus she really became a demoness in the human world, possessing the dead body of a young woman, as it seems. She started to realize that her height was bigger than before, along with a more muscular body. This woman must've been a farm worker in the village during her life. Now, she was in a long black dress, which was an item of traditional clothing in which the dead were buried.
The most obvious difference however was her dark black hair, resembling a raven's feathers. On a poodle in front of her, glowing red eyes looked back at her.
She became a monster.
"So… Your name is Lily?", the stranger asked, as Lilynn almost forgot that he was next to her.
"Lilynn. And I am not fully a demon, nor the girl who originally owned this body. I was… a young woman."
She did not want to mention that she was a poor maid before, living a horrible life. The stranger seemed friendly, but not at all trustworthy.
"Nice to meet you, semi-demon. I am Erwand, a professional alchemist who wanders the world for justice. And maybe money. A little amount."
Justice. The words echoed in Lilynn's head. Oh yes, she had a purpose now. She was a powerful weapon ready to take vengeance on those who hurt her. How or when, she had no idea. But a strange feeling was brewing inside her as if her demonic soul needed to get revenge in order to be satisfied.
"In which part of Arlan kingdom are we?" she asked Erwand.
"Mios."
Mios was an agricultural county right next to Trimon, where her targets were. However, she needed assistance. Being a poor maid, Lilynn never really saw the kingdom outside of her own county. Erwand was looking at her with a questioning face.
"Let me guess. You need to get somewhere, and you need a ride."
"Exactly."
"I cannot afford that. I do these trips to get some gold coins, and not demons who need a ride."
"Then why did you kidnap this body in the first place?"
"I already told you. You were possessed, and I knew a demon was still living inside of you. They would have killed you."
"But why would you save a vicious demon?"
Erwand did not answer. He opened his mouth but then closed it immediately, as if not knowing what to say. He seemed like a confident young man, wearing leather armor above his shirt, with a thick belt holding his sword and a few other tools and potions. The armor pieces fit perfectly on his shoulders and lower arm, exposing his upper arm muscles between pieces. He was a fairly handsome man with a stubbly, rectangular face and a big chin.
"I just wanted to see what they are like," he answered. This was not a very satisfying answer to Lilynn, but she did not want to waste any more time with this silly man. She had a revenge to fulfil, after all.
"I am thankful, I guess. I do not promise to tell you anything about demons, as you probably know more about them. But I will try being one, so you can have your childish dream come true."