Chapter 8: Lost Princes and Street Food
Raviel stood before the ancient gate, still reeling from what he had seen. His father—alive. Watching. Waiting.
The weight of that revelation settled in his chest like a heavy stone. But before he could process it fully, a loud clap sounded beside him.
"Alright," Horizon said, stretching lazily. "So… what now? You gonna stand here and brood all day, or are we actually doing something?"
Raviel exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You are insufferable."
"And you are dramatic. We balance each other out." Horizon grinned.
Ignoring him, Raviel turned back to the pulsing gate. The energy it radiated was strange—not like the usual demonic portals. It felt… unstable, like it had been forcefully reactivated after centuries of dormancy.
And then he saw it.
Among the demonic script, small human-like etchings were scrawled along the edges of the stone, glowing faintly beneath the ancient markings.
Raviel's eyes narrowed. A human tampered with this gate.
"Well, whatever this thing is, it's definitely active," Horizon said, peering at it. "Where do you think it leads? The Demon Realm? Some fiery abyss? The inside of a toilet stall?"
Raviel shot him a glare. "You are seriously testing my patience."
"And yet, you haven't killed me. Feels like friendship to me."
Raviel turned back to the gate. Wherever it led, it was their only way forward. The ruins were a prison, and this was their key.
He placed a hand on the sigils.
A deep hum resonated from the stone, the glow intensifying.
The air twisted. Reality bent.
Then—
The world collapsed.
—
Somewhere… Else.
Raviel hit the ground hard.
For the second time that day, he found himself gasping for breath, completely disoriented.
A groan sounded beside him. "Okay… Not my worst landing, but definitely in the top five."
Raviel rolled onto his side, his vision still spinning. He was no longer in the ruins. No longer in the demon realm.
Instead, he lay sprawled across a paved stone road, the scent of cooked meat and smoke filling the air.
And there were… people.
Humans.
Walking. Chatting. Completely unbothered by the fact that two otherworldly beings had just materialized out of thin air.
Horizon sat up and blinked. "Oh. We're in a town."
Raviel's gaze swept across the scene. Buildings lined the streets, rickety wooden stalls displayed everything from fruit to jewelry, and humans bustled about their daily lives.
For a brief moment, Raviel considered the possibility that this was an illusion. A test.
Then, a fish hit him in the face.
Not a small fish. A large, wet, still-flopping fish.
Raviel froze.
Horizon choked on a laugh.
"HEY!" A vendor pointed an accusatory finger. "STOP STEALING MY FISH, YOU DAMN CAT!"
A blur of fur bolted past them—some sort of spirit beast, its cheeks stuffed with stolen food. It barely spared Raviel a glance before vanishing into the crowd.
Raviel, a literal demon prince, had just been mistaken for an accomplice in a fish heist.
Horizon collapsed on the ground, wheezing with laughter.
"This… this is amazing," he gasped between breaths. "You—oh my gods—your face—"
Raviel clenched his fists, trying to suppress his urge to incinerate everything in a ten-mile radius.
"Shut. Up."
Horizon wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, this is the best day of my life."
Raviel exhaled sharply, regaining his composure. Fine. They were in the human realm now. That was the important thing.
The next step? Finding out where they had landed.
He dusted himself off and turned toward the crowd. Time to gather information.
And possibly kill Horizon.
Maybe both.
—