"Eh!! W-what the heck is going on?" a squad member exclaimed as they reached the precise location in Shadowfell where the tremendous energy had been detected.
"You're right, strange things have been happening lately... from the absence of Squad Three, our reconnaissance team, to the sudden surge in energy... and here we are with nothing but a normal view of the kingdom's outskirts," Lilinette said, surveying the surroundings with a keen eye and sharp mind.
"Indeed, but there are still faint traces of molecular energy around," observed Kane.
"Captain Kane... what should we do? As the head of this operation..." Lilinette asked, her voice slow and commanding.
"We shall retreat. It might be an energy eruption, perhaps from dimensional portals in the jungle," he answered.
"What about the Juda Jungle? I thought you wanted to take a look..."
"I'll pass. Things are happening that we don't understand. Here we are with just a few Elite Squad members... if we enter the jungle and it's a trap, we march to our deaths," he said with a discerning expression.
"Elite! We retreat!" he commanded, turning back to face the squad, his matte cloak billowing as he turned.
Ellie, usually hyper and lively, remained uncharacteristically silent, her eyes darting around the Shadowfell without a word. Initially, her unusual demeanor had been noted but dismissed by her fellow squad members as they made their way to the location. What could have plunged Lieutenant Ellie into this state of unsettling melancholy?
The scene unfolded to reveal a demon realm, ancient mountains looming ominously in the distance. Towering dragon sculptures dominated the landscape. Houses built with heavy stone walls lined the streets, bustling with demons of all ages and strengths. In this world, power dictated hierarchy, and the strong relentlessly oppressed the weak.
"Hey! Hey! hey! hey! hey!... don't tell me you don't see me before bumping into me huh...?, wanna stain me with your wretched body huh!? you picking a fight huh...!!?" Among some demons walking in a group, a middle-aged demon snarled at a young demon girl, his stomach protruding beneath his undershirt.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." the girl replied in a shaky voice, bowing and nodding like an agama lizard.
"Sorry?!! Don't mess with us!!" one lunged at her, kicking her in the stomach and knocking her to the ground.
She crumpled to the ground, letting out a deep, agonized groan.
"Get your wretched presence off here" another shouted at her. The girl didn't need to be told twice, stumbling as she fled.
"tsk! scums!! each and every one of them reeks of inferiority!" one bellowed.
"Those outskirters don't know their place. The weak shall be crushed in the name of the progenitors!" he said and spat to his side.
"My, my, don't get so worked up over some scum, did you hear about the rumors about the progenitors convening today?" a slender one among them asked.
"No, tell us why" one answered eagerly.
"I only heard that much" he replied.
"We aren't close to the great palace, but I gotta warn my brother about it, and some folks I know who lived around the palace," the eager one said nervously.
"A rare occasion indeed, I wonder what happened" the middle-aged one mused as they continued their group stroll.
Then, the palace came into view, the seat of the seven demon progenitors, it was an imposing structure, its dark spires reaching towards the sky. Shadows danced across its massive stone walls, as if the palace itself was alive, breathing with the malevolent energy of its rulers. The air around it thrummed with a palpable sense of dread and authority, marking it as the heart of this fearsome realm.
Seven thrones were arranged in the palace, each radiating energy, and bearing the word "EVOLUE." The first five were occupied by figures shrouded in dense molecular energy, while the last two thrones stood empty.
"Tsk! That Verona, what the hell is she doing getting herself killed," a voice snarled from the third throne.
"Well, well... don't blame her, after all, she was sent on an errand by her senior," retorted a voice from the fifth throne.
"That one, I wonder what she is doing in the mortal world all these years," the voice from the third throne responded.
"Leave her, let her have some fun"
"Having fun you say? the fun she had till she sent Verona to her death? you are kidding"
With each word exchanged, dense molecular energy spewed from the thrones, making the palace rumble as if an earthquake was about to occur.
"It is her fault for being the weakest of us; after all, power prevails," echoed a voice from the fourth throne.
"Well, well... don't be angry."
"Now there is a power imbalance on the thrones! Which mortal dares disrupt the progenitors' equilibrium!!?" the echoed voice bellowed again, the rumbling intensifying as the palace trembled under their wrath.
"Mortal defeating an Evolue? Interesting. I would wish to meet that mortal," a voice resounded, echoing through every surface of the palace, ending with a chilling laughter. Dense molecular energy erupted with each syllable as the being on the first throne spoke.
"First time in a decamillennium," agreed a voice from the second throne.
The seven progenitors, known as the Evolue, ranged from the UNE EVOLUE (the strongest) to the SEPT EVOLUE, each a terror of immense energy. They rarely convened, and whenever they did, any demon within a hundred-meter radius of the palace had to depart to avoid having their soul crushed by the overwhelming molecular energy the progenitors exuded.
This rare gathering was prompted by a dire event: the SEPT EVOLUE, the one ranked last among them, had been defeated and killed during an errand assigned by the SIX EVOLUE, the Transition Lord, the very one who had elevated her to the rank of a progenitor.
Demons only need to eat humans to evolve, not for survival, they can survive by eating prepared food or fruit as humans do.
The Evolues are demons that have undergone tremendous evolution, each step fueled by consuming countless humans. Upon reaching the apex of their transformation, they become Evolues—the ultimate form of a demon. These beings are overpowered, brimming with immense energy, each wielding a powerful and devastating secret technique unique to them, much like the states of being humans possess. In this final, fearsome stage of their evolution, Evolues stand as the pinnacle of demonic power, their very existence a testament to their unrivaled might.
The young demon girl arrived at the outskirts, a place far less developed than any other in the realm. A thatched cottage came into view, where a demon guard, clad in leather armor and armed with a spear, was talking to a lean middle-aged demon. She ran towards them.
"Papa, where are you going?" the young demon girl, about six years old, cried, clutching her father's black hooded mantle, her eyes teary and her black hair tousled.
"Lyra dear, Papa is going on a journey. Papa will be back," the lean demon said, smiling affectionately and patting her on the head.
"Liar! Papa, you're lying," she replied tearfully.
"No... I don't want Papa to go, no..." she squealed, tears streaming down her cheeks, her soft little hands gripping her father's mantle tightly.
"Hey! Hey...! You'd better be thankful, huh? Our great progenitor, the Transition Lord, goes out of her way to choose from you scum outskirters to serve her in the land of the Mortals," the demon guard said with a smirk, tossing an armband embroidered with the word 'Draknor' at the lean demon.
"Draknor, you and the chosen ones shall march to the dimensional portal in service of her Lordship. Be proud, for you are called to a great service," the demon guard declared, raising his spear to the sky.
The questions linger: why are demons transported to the Mortal world, who is the Sixth Evolue, the Transition Lord, and what sinister plans does she have for the transported demons?