November 27, 807
In a distant place from Fort, a castle stands, now in ruins. Situated on a small hill and surrounded by mountains, it is challenging to reach, especially now due to the snow, making every passage impassable.
At that moment, in one of the rooms on the ground floor, two sisters are engaged in conversation. They are demons embodying two of the most significant fears in the world: Death and Famine.
Seated around a table in a large hall, Death, the shorter of the two with a lively childlike face and long red hair, asks Famine with great curiosity: "Have you been in contact with Dominion?"
"No, it's been more than three years since that bastard reached out."
"What could he be doing? Could it be that... his plan has failed?" Death inquires, feigning concern, while Famine, remaining indifferent and calm, replies: "If it had failed, we wouldn't be talking now. Trust him; there must be a reason he's not contacting us."
Death falls silent for a moment and then starts to smile, trying to contain herself. Excitedly, she asks:"And if... he's dead?"
"Famine! You always think of that!"
"It's a legitimate question. What should we do if he's really dead? He's the one who put us in this situation!"
Famine becomes thoughtful: the issue Death raised is delicate.
After a few minutes of reflection, she asks: "Perhaps... it's better for you to go find him. I can't; I haven't regained my strength yet."
"Heheheh, it will be a pleasure heheheh... Finally, I'll get out of here heheheh."
But Famine dampens all her enthusiasm: "You must not kill anyone. Neither humans nor demons, as we are not in a position to fight the hunters."
"Eh? But I haven't weakened that much! It's not fair; you're mean!"
"If you haven't weakened, why do you look like a child? He killed you over five years ago, remember? Do as I say, and then I'll let you kill anyone you want. Will you listen to me, Death?"
"Fine, fine, you're right, big sis! But I don't know if I'll be patient until then!" She says, already savoring the blood of her victims.
Meanwhile, Famine contemplates something else: "I'm hungry. Can you tell me where that demon went to find food?"
Just then, the doors of the hall open, revealing the figure of a demon resembling a elegant man. He is carrying a tray several meters in diameter, supported only by the fingers of his hand. Covered with a lid, the contents remain hidden.
"You've finally arrived; I was starving," Famine tells him, eagerly anticipating the meal.
"I apologize, Lady Famine. I couldn't find suitable fauna nearby. I had to venture further."
"Alright, alright, now bring that tray here and let me see what you've brought."
The demon places the tray on the table in front of Famine, then lifts the lid.
"Ah-Ahhh-Ahhh-Ah"
Inside is a middle-aged man, visibly overweight. Both his arms and legs have been severed and positioned on either side of his torso, serving as a grotesque side dish.
Despite the severe wounds and the blood continuously flowing, he's surprisingly still alive. Emitting strange noises, he is completely ignored by those present.
Famine looks at the demon who brought the food and praises him: "Well done! A truly exquisite dish! Given all that fat, I think it will be very tasty..."
The demon expresses gratitude before stepping away.
Before leaving the hall, Death taunts him: "Hey... Did your master die? We can't reach him anymore... Do you know anything?"
The demon turns slowly towards her with a disturbed expression.
Famine, no longer paying attention to them, is focused on her dinner: she has started eating the limbs one by one, saving the main course for last. It's quite unsettling because she doesn't even need to chew while ingesting. Famine takes a limb and shoves it directly into her mouth, swallowing it slowly, savoring every moment.
Meanwhile, Death, proud of her provocation, joyfully receives the disgusted and hateful look from the demon.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Doppelganger? Do you want to fight? You know as well as I do that, you wouldn't stand a chance against me... Even Dominion feared a confrontation; that's why he was always kind to me."
Doppelganger looks at her with disgust.
"I'm not kind like Lord Dominion."
With that, he begins to transform: demonic energy envelops him, and slowly he changes from a human into a large steel ball, remaining suspended in the air.
"Oh... Are you serious? Really?" Exclaims Death in excitement.
Famine has just started to eat the fourth limb, so she should remain occupied for a while.
Not wanting to disturb her further, Death slowly raises her arm and points the palm of her hand towards Doppelganger.
"We'll fight outside; I don't want to disturb my sister while she eats."
A shockwave is unleashed from her hand, sending Doppelganger out of the room.
"Make it entertaining for me... Doppelganger! Hehe eheh"
Displaying surprising agility, Death rushes towards him, who has been pushed about thirty meters away.
"To my Lord, this won't please him..." He says, wedged into the wall in his ball form.
In a matter of seconds, he frees himself and pulls out numerous firearms from his metal body.
Death points to the castle's entrance and tells him: "Let's go outside... If you use those abilities in here, you'll destroy the castle."
After a moment of reflection, Doppelganger retracts the weapons and transforms back into a human.
Death looks at him disappointedly and asks:"What are you doing?"
Doppelganger sits on his knees and begins to bang his head on the floor, repeatedly until it breaks. But he doesn't stop there; he regenerates it and repeats the process several times.
"I apologize, Lady Death, I was wrong!" He says remorsefully.
"Eeeeeehhhhh?" Exclaims an incredulous Death.
She only wanted to have some fun with a little physical exercise, never considering his lack of respect.
"You're a disappointment... Anyway, I don't understand why you took the form of that human. Don't you have one of your own?"
Receiving no response, Death turns away and walks back to the hall, visibly disappointed.
As soon as she crosses the hall's door, she sees Famine starting to eat the torso, starting from the groin.
The sight is simply repulsive as Famine's mouth has widened almost a meter to swallow the man who, fortunately or unfortunately, seems to be unconscious.
Death already knew her sister's eating habits, so the vision doesn't bother her much... or so it should be: Death vomits on the floor.
After ten minutes, Famine finally finishes eating.
"Ahh... I feel much more energetic. I think it will take another two or three years to fully regain my powers; then, I'll limit myself to eating for pleasure."
Death nods sadly.
Famine, seeing her desolate expression, gets up from the chair and approaches her. Her body remains unchanged as the absorbed man seems to have been instantly assimilated.
"Death... don't tell me you're sad because I didn't leave you a piece." Suppressing her disgust, Death looks at her and asks: "When are we going to save War? I miss her..."
Famine caresses her head and consoles her: "We can't do it yet... We must first recover the Weapon demons. Try to hold on for a few more years at least."
"Do you think Dominion made the right choice? Maybe... we shouldn't have followed him..." Death says, growing more uncertain.
Famine just looks at her with bitterness, without saying anything more.
...
....
November 30, 807
Dawn.
Death is about to leave the castle, and Famine accompanies her to the entrance.
"Death, I beg you. Don't kill anyone..."
From her tone, it sounds more like a threat than advice.
"Alright, alright. I promise, are you satisfied now?" Death replies, a bit annoyed, noticing how insistent Famine is.
Famine looks into her eyes and says, "No, I'm not satisfied. At least try not to get caught... And when you introduce yourself to someone, don't say you're the Death demon, at least not that."
Death makes a displeased face and insists:"Do you take me for a fool?"
Without giving her an answer, Famine just looks at her condescendingly.
Death opens the gate and waves goodbye to her sister, who thoughtfully asks her one last thing, "Death... You returned only a few years ago. Do you know where Dominio is, really?"
Upon hearing those words, she freezes.
"Death...? Did you hear me?"
Death turns back and looks at her sister with confusion.
"Uh..."
"Fort. Go to Fort's Academy. Once you get there, you should be able to sense him."
"See, I knew it, I was about to say that. Now I'm going!" She exclaims with anger, then flies away with high speed, making it impossible to see her with the naked eye.
Famine looks behind her and tells the assisting demon:"Doppelganger..."
"Tell me, Lady Famine."
"Don't you want to meet your master?"
Doppelganger looks at her with mixed emotions and confesses: "I can't... Not yet."
Famine doesn't insist further but orders him:"Then go capture another human for me; I'm getting hungry."
...
After just five minutes, Death has flown about a hundred kilometers away from the castle when she suddenly lands in the middle of a forest.
With her gaze lost in emptiness, a small doubt arises: "But where is Fort?"
Not knowing the answer, she falls to her knees and starts banging her head on the ground.
"Should I go back?" She wonders, looking around.
"Which way should I go to get back to my sister?"
Realizing she's officially lost, she lies on her back on the ground and gazes at the clouds.