I kept moving, my footsteps steady, but my mind was still catching up.
Everything about this world, the sounds, the smells, the weight of the air itself was too real. The Demon Realm wasn't just some backdrop for a story anymore. It was alive, breathing, shifting, and I was a part of it now.
And the strangest part? I was adapting to that fact far too quickly.
Even after watching Emil sever a demon's head with a flick of his wrist, I hadn't felt anything. No horror. No disgust. Not even shock.
I should have felt something.
But instead, I had just kept walking.
Maybe it was the part of me that still believed this was a dream. Or maybe it was something worse, maybe the world was already changing me.
But there were more immediate problems.
Like the fact that I stood out.
Turning my head to glance at window, I could see my disheveled appearance.
My clothes were a mess from the earlier attack from that Demon. Speaking of, what am I wearing?
Stains of dirt smeared my black long coat, which now had several visible rips where the demon's claws had torn through it. Underneath, I wore a fitted tunic, the fabric torn at the sleeve where the creature had grabbed me. My leather pants were scuffed and scratched from the skirmish, and my boots, sturdy but worn, were covered in grime from the alleyways.
And lastly my face.
Dark hair fell in waves to my shoulders, messy from the rush and the chaos of earlier. A few strands hung in front of my dull gray eyes, eyes that seemed to hold nothing, no emotion in them, stared back at me in front the window. There were no warmth in them, not a single sign of the person who once wrote this very world was held in them.
My face was sharp but angular, with a strong jawline and high cheekbones that gave me an almost unnerving look of calm.
I stared at my reflection for a moment longer, the figure in the glass almost feeling like a stranger.
Was this really me?
Again I realized that I am not in my home anymore, that I am not the same person I was before. I'm now tied to something much greater. And at the center of it was him, Emil.
Wish my ass.
I pulled my hood tighter over my head, covering the cold, unfeeling eyes that now seemed to define me.
No more thinking. It was time to get out of here.
I needed information.
I had a vague idea of where Blackthorn Academy was, but knowing this city, there would be barriers in my way.
Guards. Checkpoints. Faction territories. The kind of obstacles that existed not to stop people from moving freely, but to make them pay for the privilege.
Because in the Demon Realm, nothing was free.
Food, shelter, favors, everything had a price. Even a simple conversation could cost you something. If you weren't careful, you could rack up a debt you'd never be able to repay.
That's why I stopped when I saw the alley.
It was narrow, lined with dimly glowing lanterns, and at the entrance, a worn wooden sign swayed gently in the wind.
'The Unseen Path.'
A fitting name.
It wasn't in my novel, but I had written places like it before, small, out-of-the-way shops that specialized in things you couldn't find in the open market.
A place that sold knowledge.
And knowledge was exactly what I needed.
I stepped inside.
The bookstore smelled of aged parchment and candle smoke, the air warm from a nearby fireplace. Towering shelves stretched to the ceiling, their surfaces stacked with leather tomes, scrolls, and artifacts.
Behind the counter sat an elderly demon, his horns curved back elegantly, his sharp, discerning eyes locked onto me the moment I entered.
The demon didn't speak immediately. His eyes flicked from my disheveled appearance to my wrist, where the Primordial Echo marked me as something unnatural in this world. His gaze told me he knew what he was looking at, even if he didn't understand it.
I was a human in the Demon Realm. There was a tension in the air that wasn't normal, the same kind of quiet that precedes a storm. In a place like this, no one helped for free.
"You're not from around here"
The demon said finally, his voice low but steady, as though he had already accepted that I didn't belong.
"No, I'm not."
I replied, my voice flat. I wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"I need information."
This was a business, not a friendly interaction.
"Blackthorn Academy."
His fingers tapped lightly against the counter, his expression unreadable.
"A dangerous place for someone like you."
"I don't have a choice."
His lips curved slightly. Not a smile. Something else.
"You understand how things work here, don't you?"
I reached into my coat and pulled out a small silver crest, something I had lifted from a noble's cloak earlier. It wasn't much, but it was a token of status, something that could be traded or leveraged.
The demon picked it up, rolling it between his fingers.
"Not bad. But not enough."
I kept my expression neutral.
"Then what do you want?"
He studied me for a long moment. Then, finally, he slid a worn leather map across the counter.
"This will get you there unnoticed."
I reached for it, but he placed a finger on the edge, holding it in place.
"You'll owe me,"
He said quietly.
"A favor. One I'll collect when the time is right."
I stared at him.
He had already recognized my mark. He had already decided I was worth more than money.
This wasn't just about business.
But I didn't have the luxury of turning him down.
"Fine."
I said, taking the map.
I turned to leave.
"Blackthorn is not what it once was."
He called after me.
"Be careful, traveler."
I didn't respond.
I already knew.
The moment I stepped back onto the main road, I felt it.
Someone was following me.
I kept my pace steady, making a few casual turns, but they didn't stop. They weren't closing in, but they weren't backing off either.
Waiting.
Then—
A hand grabbed my shoulder.
Before I could react, I was shoved hard against a wall, a dagger pressing against my throat.
A masked demon loomed over me, his voice low and measured.
"Where did you get that mark?"
I didn't answer.
The blade pressed in slightly, enough to draw a thin line of blood.
"You shouldn't be here."
"That mark… it does not belong to you."
I forced my breathing to stay calm.
"I didn't steal it."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"Then you have even less right to bear it."
He was about to kill me.
Then—
BOOM.
A shockwave tore through the alley, sending the masked demon flying. His body collided with the far wall with a sickening thud before crumpling to the ground, unmoving.
I barely had time to react. The force of the blast threw me backward, but I instinctively braced myself against the nearby stone wall.
The air around me rippled, and I could feel someone was standing there, not too far from me.
I turned, and there he was.
A figure, tall and imposing, stood at the alley's entrance. He moved with an almost effortless grace. His dark, silver-streaked hair and sharp features gave him an air of authority, but his piercing eyes made me feel like I was being weighed and measured all at once.
"What the hell just happened?"
I asked in a daze, still confused on the events.
"Don't get used to it kid. You're lucky I was in the neighborhood."
"Neighborhood?"
I blinked, still trying to piece together what had just happened.
"This isn't the kind of neighborhood where I'd expect to find someone who can make demons explode."
"Guess I'm just full of surprises huh?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"Who are you?"
He tilted his head slightly, as if pondering the question, before a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Name's Aiden. But the guy who just saved your ass works too."
"...Hard pass."
I didn't trust him yet, but there was something oddly reassuring about his calm demeanor. Maybe it was just the fact that he'd killed the demon who'd been ready to rip me apart. Still, I wasn't about to get too cozy with him.
"Fine, I guess I owe you one."
I said, rolling my eyes.
"What do you want for it?"
Aiden shrugged, as if the idea of a favor didn't faze him.
"Nothing right now. But that mark of yours? It's gonna get you into more trouble than you can handle."
I frowned, instinctively glancing at my wrist. The Primordial Echo was still there, burning into my skin.
"Great. Just what I need."
I muttered, half to myself.
"Another thing to deal with."
"Yeah, the world's full of them, isn't it?"
He paused for a moment, then his expression turned slightly more serious, though still not without a hint of that playful edge.
"I'm not trying to make your life harder, but if you're planning to wander around the Demon Realm, you might want to learn how to survive first."
"And how do you suggest I do that?"
"First lesson: don't go around attracting attention."
Aiden said, motioning toward the body of the demon.
"You've already got one strike against you, and unless you want to end up as another target, you need to figure out who's hunting you."
I was about to ask him more when I heard footsteps approaching in the distance, slow, deliberate. Someone else was coming. More trouble.
Aiden seemed to notice my shift in focus, his playful attitude suddenly vanishing.
"I'd suggest you move. Quick."
"Why?"
I asked, turning toward him.
"Who's coming?"
Aiden didn't answer immediately. He turned on his heel, his eyes scanning the alley with sharp, focused precision.
"They're closer than you think."
Before I could ask who, he grabbed my arm and tugged me forward, his grip firm and unyielding. I didn't have time to protest. The footsteps were growing louder, their rhythm deliberate, as if the pursuers knew exactly where to find me.
We darted into a side alley, the shadows closing in around us. I tried to match his pace, but his strides were longer, quicker, like he was used to running from something.
I pulled my arm free and slowed my pace just a bit.
"Who's after me, Aiden? Who's hunting me?"
Aiden glanced over his shoulder, his expression unreadable.
"You really want to know?"
Before I could respond, the sound of footsteps stopped abruptly behind us. Then, a voice, low and cold, called out from the darkness.
"You're not going anywhere, human."