"Okay, hold up. Time out!" I shouted, waving my arms in front of me like I could somehow stop the sheer absurdity of the situation. My ex-girlfriend—sorry, the Demon Queen—just declared that I, Takeshi Mori, was going to be her servant.
Her glowing eyes narrowed, a smirk playing at her lips. "There's no time out in the Demon Realm, Takeshi."
"We're not in the Demon Realm! We're in the middle of Hoshikawa City!" I pointed to the confused bystanders still lingering around the edges of the scene, phones out, probably live-streaming my impending doom.
"Not for long," she replied, raising her staff.
"Oh no, you don't!" I yelped, stumbling backward. "Look, Rika—er, Your Majesty—there's been some kind of mistake. I'm just a normal guy, okay? I can barely pass algebra. What makes you think I'm cut out to be your servant?!"
The orb on her staff flared ominously. "Because you're special, Takeshi."
I blinked. "...Special?"
"Yes," she said, her voice softening ever so slightly, which honestly scared me more than the whole I'm the Demon Queen now vibe. "You're the only one who can handle the burden."
"Burden? What burden?!"
Her smile widened. "Being my royal snack-fetcher, of course."
"WHAT?!"
Rika—sorry, Demon Queen Rika—burst into laughter. "Oh, your face! Priceless. Truly, Takeshi, you haven't changed at all."
I glared at her, feeling my blood boil. "You can't just drop a bomb like that and then—"
Before I could finish, the ground beneath us started to tremble. The swirling clouds overhead grew darker, crackling with energy. A cold wind whipped through the street, sending loose papers and dust flying. Rika's expression turned serious, and she stepped closer to me.
"Stay behind me," she ordered.
"What? Why?" I asked, but the words barely left my mouth before something massive descended from the sky.
It slammed into the ground with a deafening thud, sending shockwaves through the pavement. When the dust cleared, I saw it—a towering creature, easily three stories tall. Its body was a grotesque mix of stone and flesh, its glowing red eyes locked onto Rika. Two massive horns curved upward from its head, and its claws scraped the asphalt as it moved.
"A Demon General," Rika muttered under her breath. "They found me already."
"They what?!"
"Shut up and don't move," she snapped, her voice colder than I'd ever heard it. She raised her staff, and the air around her shimmered with power. The storm seemed to respond to her, lightning arcing across the sky as if bowing to her will.
The Demon General let out a guttural roar that shook my bones. "Traitor Queen," it bellowed, its voice deep and distorted, "you cannot escape the Demon Realm's justice!"
"I'm not escaping," Rika replied, her tone calm and cutting. "I'm taking a vacation."
The General charged. The ground cracked beneath its feet as it barreled toward us, its claws raised to strike. I wanted to run, to hide, but my legs felt like they were glued to the spot.
Rika didn't flinch. With a flick of her staff, a barrier of glowing red energy sprang up in front of her, deflecting the General's attack. The force of the impact sent a shockwave rippling through the street, shattering nearby windows.
"Is this really the best they could send after me?" she taunted, her grin sharp enough to cut glass. "Pathetic."
She thrust her staff forward, and a bolt of crimson lightning shot out, striking the General square in the chest. It roared in pain, stumbling backward but refusing to fall.
"Takeshi!" she barked. "You're not just going to stand there, are you?"
"What am I supposed to do?!" I yelled back. "I don't have magic! I don't even have a stick!"
"Figure it out!" she snapped. "Or do you want to die here?"
The General roared again, its eyes locking onto me. My heart felt like it was going to explode. This was it. I was going to die, squished like a bug by a demon that didn't even know my name.
Then something strange happened. Time seemed to slow down. A voice echoed in my head, low and distant, like it was coming from somewhere far away.
"Awaken, O Chosen One..."
"What the hell?!" I gasped, looking around for the source of the voice. But no one else seemed to hear it—not even Rika, who was busy keeping the General at bay.
"Take up the mantle. The power lies within you."
Before I could process what was happening, my right hand started to glow. A symbol—some kind of ancient rune—etched itself into my palm, radiating with an intense golden light. My body moved on its own, raising my hand toward the General.
"Wait, what's—" I started to say, but the words were drowned out as a beam of light shot from my palm, slamming into the General and sending it flying backward. It hit the ground with a thunderous crash, groaning once before disintegrating into ash.
For a moment, everything was silent. The storm began to clear, and the people who had been watching from a distance stared in stunned silence.
Rika turned to me, her golden eyes wide with surprise. "Well, well," she said, a slow smile spreading across her face. "It seems you really are special after all."
I stared at my glowing hand, my mind racing. "What... just happened?"
"You awakened," she said simply. "Looks like I was right to choose you."
"Choose me for what?"
Her smile widened. "To help me conquer the Demon Realm, of course."