Greetings, it's Zilvagias, and this is my first time standing before a rift in the world.
The Dark Portal. There's no other way to describe it except as a black hole.
No matter what angle you look from, it appears as a flat, black circle. It feels unreal, hard to grasp its entirety. Without the magic circle drawn around it, I wouldn't even be able to judge the distance.
Just staring at it feels like I'm being pulled in.
My body, my mind, and my soul.
An overwhelming sense of danger washed over me. My hair felt like it was standing on end.
The world itself was telling me that this was something alien.
"...What on earth was the first Demon King thinking when he decided to jump into that thing?"
The question slipped out of my mouth. Now it's considered a gate to the Demon Realm, but without knowing that, jumping in would just be suicide, right?
Maybe he was desperate, worried about his race's future. But even so, that seems like a reckless decision.
"The First King must have had some plan in mind, I'm sure..."
Platifia replied with a knowing expression. Words are convenient like that—they can make "I don't know" sound profound.
"Well, whatever the reason, beyond that thing lies the Demon Realm, right?"
"Yes. And you seem remarkably calm, Zilvagias, I find that reassuring."
Platifia genuinely sounded impressed.
"Even I was a little overwhelmed the first time I saw it."
"Maybe it's because it's so bizarre that I'm strangely okay with it."
I mean, I've been living surrounded by strangeness and alienation all the time. Everything is foreign to me. The Dark Portal is extraordinary, but once I decide it's just one more of those strange things, that's all there is to it.
"Well, I'm off then. For my first time, maybe I'll just look for a servant or something?"
"It'll work out. Some start by contracting with a low-tier demon, while others immediately form a formal contract with a high-tier one. You'll encounter whoever you're meant to."
"Understood."
Time to go.
Without overthinking it, I walked steadily toward the Dark Portal.
Even I was surprised at how calm I felt. Had any hero from the Holy Church ever charged into the Demon Realm before? This is a remnant of the War of the Gods—we're talking about mythology. Crossing into another world, when you think about it, that's incredible.
...I'm not aware of it, but maybe I'm more desperate than I realize.
Oh well, whatever happens, happens.
I sighed lightly and leaped into the hole.
†††
For a while, I felt... disoriented.
I needed time to adjust to the unfamiliar winds, the unfamiliar light, and the unfamiliar sounds.
It was like being drunk on strong liquor. The world felt blurry, and my senses were unreliable.
I was standing on dark ground.
Or maybe it was bright? The light here was black.
Was this a forest? It was hard to tell. The horizon stretched endlessly, but when I tried to focus on it, it disappeared into shadowy trees swaying at the edges of my vision.
Everything was dense.
The information, the way things existed here—it was different.
I felt small.
I felt... thin. Insignificant.
"Greetings."
A voice called out from behind me, and I turned around.
There stood a cane, dressed in a tailcoat. …That's the only way I could describe it. A worn wooden cane, somehow inserted into a formal tailcoat, standing upright on its own.
"It's rare to see someone like you come here."
The voice was calm and masculine. Was the cane itself the demon? Despite appearances, was it high-ranking?
I couldn't tell. My ability to sense magic seemed dulled.
"Hello. Who might you be?"
I responded naturally, surprised by how relaxed his demeanor was despite the surroundings.
The Dark Portal was supposed to lead me to the demon I needed. Was this cane it?
"Nice to meet you. I am Odigos, a guiding demon."
Though no hands were visible, the tailcoat moved as if to press a hand to its chest and bow politely.
I suddenly understood. This demon, Odigos, was fashionable. The exposed cane wasn't enough for him, so he dressed in a tailcoat to complete the look.
"Ah, well, thanks for the formality. I'm wait."
Hold on. What was I about to say?
"—Zilvagias. A prince of the demon race."
"Oh, my, what a rare guest indeed."
Odigos swayed gently, as if amused. Despite having no face, I could almost see an expression of curiosity.
"My role is to guide visitors from the mortal realm to the proper places in the Demon Realm. And so, I will guide you to the path that suits you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Odigos suddenly collapsed as if his strings had been cut.
Thump, flop.
The cane rolled, and the tailcoat crumpled to the ground.
The direction they pointed? Toward the distant horizon.
Where a black sun rose in the west.
"Head that way."
Odigos stood up, brushing imaginary dust off the tailcoat as if nothing had happened.
...Wait, that was the "guidance"? You just... collapsed?
"Is it really that way?"
"My guidance is never wrong."
Odigos's voice brimmed with confidence.
"I am, after all, a guiding demon. I show the way."
"What kind of demon is over there?"
"That, I do not know. Predicting the future is beyond my abilities."
Is that really true…?
Well, if a demon says so, then I guess it must be.
"Alright. Thanks, then."
With no better options, I bowed to Odigos and began walking.
"You'll never reach it if you just wander aimlessly."
His voice stopped me.
"What's your purpose? Focus on that as you walk. Farewell."
When I turned around, the tailcoat-clad figure had already vanished.
I had the sense that I wasn't in the same place I'd been moments ago.
"Purpose, huh..."
Well, that's obvious.
"To kill the Demon King. And to destroy the Demon Kingdom. I want the power to make that happen."
I need to make a pact with a demon for more power.
Like the first Demon King did.
Suddenly, I felt as if my body was being pulled forward.
I was accelerating if speed even had meaning in this place.
The scenery shifted rapidly.
I crossed mountains in a single bound, leaped over great rivers in a single step.
I passed through valleys, climbed waterfalls, crossed deserts, and sailed across seas.
It felt like I was traversing the history of the Demon Realm.
Heading west.
Toward the place where the black sun rises.
And then, I found myself standing before a palace.
Or was it a graveyard? Towering stone structures loomed around me, and I couldn't tell if they were towers or tombstones.
I walked on tiles of black and white, through empty corridors.
At the end of countless halls, I reached a dark chamber.
"Oh? A visitor?"
The voice that rang out was childish, yet sweet enough to send shivers down my spine, sickly sweet like poison rotting your insides.
In the center, seated on a throne of obsidian.
A girl. Her skin was a smooth, deep brown, her hair a silver-white like the stars in the night sky.
She was too young to be called a girl, yet too mature to be called a child.
Sitting sideways on the throne, her posture was languid, legs thrown casually over the armrest.
Her eyes—vivid, swirling with chaotic colors—gazed at me lazily.
So this is the demon I'm supposed to meet?
I couldn't gauge her strength. Her magic was unreadable. As I tried to assess her, those swirling eyes narrowed with a hint of irritation.
"Why is a human here?"