"W-Where am I?"

  Camille spoke out loud without realizing it. Her head was pounding.

  What the fuck happened? I can't feel my legs, and my arms are frozen! My nose hurts like hell!

  "Hmm? What the fuck..."

  She tried to move her arms, but they were chained to what looked like a slightly tilted upright table.

  She found herself in a cold room, all in a single metallic color. No windows, no natural light. The only light came from a few lamps on the ceiling, but it was dim and of little use. Who would ever live in a room like that?

  "I only remember that slime, or demon! I swear, next time I—"

  Camille's anger was quickly quelled by a noise. Someone had entered the door behind her. Judging by the heavy footsteps, it must have been someone quite large.

  "I see you're awake..."

  A cold, emotionless voice spoke to her, but she couldn't see who it belonged to.

  Despite this, Camille remained calm– she had been in far worse situations.

  Whoever's holding me prisoner is crazy if they think I'll give away information for free! I've figured it out now! They're only keeping me alive so they can learn about the Theocracy! Maybe I can trade my former state for freedom.

  She'd realized there was no hope in that situation, but she refused to die there. She'd do anything to survive—Camille still had a sister to kill.

  More footsteps were heard, and finally she could see her captor: a vaguely humanoid figure covered in metal, tall, stocky, and with a red glass over one of its eyes. She wasn't sure what it was; it looked like a golem, but made of a strange purple metal, which would explain the stillness of its face.

  Did they use golems as torturers? And had she even heard it speak? She'd never seen anything like it.

  Despite this, she put on her smile like a mask; Camille could not show weakness.

  "If you think I'm going to give you information, you're sorely mistaken. You and that other guy are idiots!"

  “We don't need information.”

  The other replied coldly, raising a finger to his forehead and touching it a couple of times.

  “We took everything while you were in stasis-"

  What? You're kidding, right?!

  Camille widened her eyes and clicked her tongue.

  But it could be the truth. After all, mind control or mind manipulation spells exist. Damn! I can't tell if he is lying or not! His voice is like his face: a blank sheet of paper that lets nothing shine through! Could he really be a golem?

  Camille was at a loss for words. She was a highly experienced warrior, yet she had never seen beings like the one before her.

  "Then why am I still alive? You need me! Don't you dare lie to me, the Illustrious Camille!"

  "That's not entirely correct. Your body is useful to us, the rest is just for the archives..."

  Archives? What is he talking about?

  The girl opened her mouth to get more information, but the robot silenced her before she could even utter a word.

  "It would be logical for you to save your breath. You won't have much of it during the procedure..."

  "Procedure? What?!"

  The golem approached a workbench filled with unfamiliar tools. The only one that looked even remotely familiar was a sort of circular blade.

  These are torture devices! What do he want to do to me?

  "I'd say we start the procedure. First experiment…”

  The golem turned towards her, holding a strange purple cable in its hand, which emitted some electrical discharges.

  What does he want to do to me? It doesn't matter! The Theocracy's training has hardened me to become accustomed to torture! Get over it, you idiot!

  Even though she was in that desperate situation, she laughed mockingly.

  "Hehe! Do your worst! Pain doesn't scare me!"

  "Believe me, this is beyond what you can imagine..."

  With that, the cable was connected to the back of the girl's neck.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Only after six long and agonizing days, the human being named Camille ceased to exist forever.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Almodeus sat on his throne, intently reading some reports on his desk. Some were from his wife, still undercover in some cities of the Nexia Empire.

  Others, however, were from scouts sent into the Dark Jade Forest, less than a kilometer away from the Fear Tower. If the beasts began to approach them, drawn by the inhuman magical power they produced, it would draw too much attention. If the Fear Tower had been discovered earlier than expected, they would have been in trouble.

  Should I exterminate all the demi-human races in the forest? Or should I subjugate them? A difficult choice...

  The therianthropic, or demi-human races were difficult to command without knowledge of their culture. Some were particularly proud and would rather be exterminated than bow their heads.

  “Maybe I could use this opportunity to teach Almodea something.”

  Almodeus nodded at his own words. A conquest mission would be a perfect way to test his daughter's maturity and ability to think.

  “Sorry to interrupt, my lord.”

  Sergio's figure stepped through the doorway. He bowed before the desk, a sign of respect.

  “Do you have any new information?”

  “Let's say yes, my lord."

  The robot started, fixing his hat.

  "Lady C and Hirashi have arrived in the city of Arel. We still have no news on the Dark Jade Forest, but we could begin conquest operations soon.”

  “Very good! Do we know anything about Nikusa or Abadon?”

  “Unfortunately, not. Please, forgive me.”

  Sergio lowered his head further, but Almodeus motioned him to not worry about it.

  “It doesn’t matter. Do we have anything more on the Theocracy?”

  “Oh, yes! Camille wasn't particularly knowledgeable about their private affairs, but we've obtained information about the Twelve Gods. We're assessing whether it's accurate. Cautious as it is, it's possible the Theocracy may have filled the heads of its less trustworthy members with false information. Camille seemed more of a murderer than a reliable subject. Most of her thoughts were focused on killing her sister.”

  “Killing her own sister? What a disgusting human being. I am glad that she is no more one of that kind. Now…She is better.”

  Almodeus smiled, thinking back to the directions he had given his scientist regarding the use of Camille.

  “What about the Book of Life?”

  “He begs to come back to you, he's very insistent. What should I do?”

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  Almodeus rolled his eyes. He had dozens and dozens of books more powerful than the Book of Life. To him, it was just a collector's item, but using it as a servant wouldn't hurt.

  “Put it in my library. In fact…give it to Anxy! She likes to read, and I think she could be the perfect owner for the book.”

  “It will be done!”

  “What about Almodea?”

  "She's on a mission disguised as Alcina. She's exterminating a band of bandits. If we're lucky, she'll bring back someone who can use the Battle Arts. Studying them would be a great advantage!"

  “I would underline the IF. With Almodea you never know.”

  Almodeus sighed softly. It would have been a good thing if his daughter hadn't returned covered in blood from head to toe. She really enjoyed slaughtering people she didn't like.

  She takes so much from me…

  He was so damn proud of her.

  “My report is over; can I retire?”

  “Sure. Get some rest, okay?”

  Sergio nodded and left the room.

  Alone again, Almodeus sighed sadly.

  “Nikusa…Even when you're gone, you only cause me trouble. You're a good friend, but also a bothersome mother-in-law.”

  He laughed lightly. Calling the Queen of Chaos a mother-in-law was something no sane person would do. Almodeus's thoughts returned to his old friend, Abadon.

  "It's clear now that he's not here with us. Is there a way to return to our world?"

  It was then that something struck him deep in his mind: it was a question.

  Do we want to go home?

  He asked himself. That was not a stupid concern to have.

  I suppose so, but if Almodea makes friends here…She should say goodbye to them. And if she loses a friend she will-

  Almodeus shook his head. He didn't want to think about it- he couldn't. It would be a problem for the future. Leaving his daughter in that world was out of the question. Staying instead? It was an option, but it had to be carefully considered.

  Almodea…What do you want? How can I give it to you?

  Almodeus clenched his hands into fists. He had to figure out what to do with his daughter. What was the best way to raise her?

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  A male figure walked towards his black throne, a glass of amber liquid in his hand.

  His castle was luxurious, but he didn't care much. His dark clothes were elegant, but slightly worn in some places, as if he hadn't changed them in a long time. They might have been antiques, but it would still have been wrong to show himself to his servants like that. However, he didn't care at all how others perceived him, and he wasn't one to employ servants. He wasn't entirely without subordinates, but preferred to operate alone. He wouldn't call himself a recluse, as he often encountered beings of various races when wandering around, seeking entertainment. aIn the background of his footsteps, the sound of a symphony of violins could be heard, yet there were none in that room. It was a low-level spell, allowing the caster to play the melody he most desired. He adored that kind of music, not that anyone could tell him to change that, since he lived alone in that manor.

  He finally sat down on his throne, sipping the red amber wine he had in his hand.

  "Tasty."

  He commented, savoring the reddish liquid. The devil smiled slightly and shifted his gaze to the crystal ball on a pedestal beside him. It was a convenient way to observe what was happening in the human world.

  “Hell is so boring…”

  He snorted, letting his smile fall.

  The devil was truly bored. In that dark place where demons were born, he was unchallenged. But he didn't care about strength; for him, it was just a means to obtain what he most desired: entertainment.

  Maybe I can find something interesting in the human world this time.

  He grasped the sphere in his right hand, concealed in a white glove, and gave it a quick glance. The demon expected the usual wars and conflicts—boring, hackneyed stuff.

  Nothing…Huh?

  His red pupils dilated slightly.

  “What is this? Interesting…Very interesting.”

  He smiled mischievously. He'd sensed something in the Nexia Empire. Usually, he wouldn't have wasted time even thinking about a nation as devoid of prospects as that, but now there was something that intrigued him.

  "The voice of the universe has spoken. After centuries, someone else has arrived! Perhaps they'll be more interesting than the last few arrivals here..."

  The devil brought his hand to his chin, as if trying to remember something that was escaping him.

  “If I remember correctly, they were some members of the Twelve Heroes. What pathetic amateurs!”

  The voice of the universe was a mystery even to a primordial being like him. Every now and then she summoned beings from other worlds, often throwing the universe into total chaos. He had no idea why she did it, but he didn't care—he enjoyed those situations too much. Rituals were sometimes used to summon sentient beings from other worlds, but they were usually weaker than those called by the voice of the universe herself.

  “I can feel myself shaking! I can't contain my excitement!”

  He brought his hands to his shoulders and massaged them—it was a unique tremor. Ever since the others had left, and had become the most powerful demon in hell, he had been bored to death. Knowing that the voice of the universe had summoned someone new filled him with joy.

  The devil tried to observe who had been summoned, but the images wouldn't show; it almost seemed as if the sphere refused to show what it was seeing. When he tried to pry it open, it cracked slightly on the right side.

  Curious…Defensive magic? Even capable of shielding from me?

  He smiled amusedly. Perhaps someone interesting had been summoned for the first time in millennia.

  “I haven't been this excited since the Seven Great Sins arrived! What a happy moment in history…”

  He had remained in Hell during that time, but had seen it all and…had adored it. The world had been ablaze for centuries thanks to those seven monsters who had confronted the Gods of the Theocracy.

  What a glorious moment…

  He stood up, dropping his goblet to the floor, spilling the amber liquid onto the red carpet.

  “I have to find out more! But going to Earth would be risky…”

  Normally, nameless demons couldn't enter the human world without being summoned, and even if they were summoned by someone, they couldn't evolve without obtaining a name. For demons and devils, a name was essential to anchoring them to reality itself. They weren't allowed to lie about it, and they couldn't change it at will. Even receiving it wasn't easy; it required the person naming it to have enough life force to do so.

  If unnamed, demons could not remain in the mortal realm for too long and would be automatically sent back to hell once the energy of the sacrifice used to summon them, usually corpses or souls, had run out. But for him? Those rules didn't apply. He was one of the Ten Primordial Demons: Nightshroud Black, the black progenitor. He could travel between the human world and Hell without needing to be summoned, given his great power. Despite this, he still preferred not to leave Hell often to avoid encountering the other Primordials, who had spread across the earth. He wasn't afraid of them, much less feared a clash with one or more of his brothers and sisters. Only two of them could stand up to him; the others would be utterly defeated. What Black wanted to avoid was wasting time. He found the power struggle between demons boring, so why indulge in others affairs if he wasn't interested in the first place?

  “What a torment…”

  Black huffed, smoothing his bangs. His long black hair matched his dark clothes, not that he cared about style. He didn't have to introduce himself to anyone…For now

  “If I at least had a clue, I could send some of my subordinates…”

  They were perfect pawns to be sacrificed.

  “I think I’ll have to get serious...”

  Black looked at the sphere again, trying to make something out of it. Once again, he could see nothing but a small image.

  “Oh…Interesting.”

  Black was surprised. What he saw was a girl with long red hair and a childish smile. Could she be the being summoned by the voice of the universe? Normally, he would have been disappointed, but just one look was enough to understand that this was no ordinary girl: she was a demon, one of a kind.

  “I need to learn more about her. Let's see-”

  He put his right eye close to the crystal ball and…

  "-Impossible!"

  …A cold shiver ran down his spine.

  Black took two steps back and dropped the sphere to the ground, which shattered into a thousand pieces. It was something he had never felt in his life: fear.

  “What was that amazing power…Did it terrify me with a simple and genuine smile?”

  A grin spread across Black's face- his happiness was sky-high.

  "I, who am the sovereign demon of despair, was afraid. This is an event that must be remembered!"

  He raised his right hand and cast a magic circle, summoning two very different demons. They had black skin covered in purple scales, like insects. The smaller one was inside the belly of the larger one, and his body was visible from the torso up. They looked like a deformed matryoshka, two badly made Siamese twins.

  “Did you call, Lord Black?”

  They asked in unison.

  They were the twins Grim and Gram, two Archdevils who were under his direct service. He had taken them in as his subordinates only because he was intrigued by their strength. Normally, a devil might take decades to ascend to the level of Archdevil- or Archdemon- yet they had achieved it in just two and a half years.

  They are rare pieces, but not unique.

  Black could consider himself a collector. His subordinates weren't those who swore loyalty to him, but rather those who couldn't be easily found. Sending them would be risky, since they were among the strongest in his service. Losing them would have been a real pain, but he didn't really care—now he was obsessed with finding out more about the girl who had made him flinch.

  Those two in front of him were just pawns on a chessboard; extremely expendable to set up a checkmate

  “I have a mission for you. You must go to Earth and find this demoness.”

  Black waved his left hand, and the image of the red-haired girl appeared before them. It was a product of his mind, so it might not be 100% accurate, but he'd only recently seen her, so the margin for error was minimal.

  “Why are you interested in someone like that, Lord Black?”

  Gram asked confused.

  “It's none of your business.”

  Black replied coldly, before smiling slightly.

  "Just know that there's a possibility this girl was summoned by the voice of the universe. Be careful, she might be a bit strong."

  The two twins nodded.

  “As you wish, Lord Black! We will not fail!”

  Gram declared proudly.

  “Exactly! We will not disappoint you, glorious progenitor!”

  Grim reiterated, moving inside Gram.

  They're disgusting, but loyal. I'll give them that...

  Demons were chaotic and unpredictable creatures. Some sought absolute power, others stability, and others again a master from whom they could receive praise. Every demon desired something and would do anything to obtain it. Black was not an exception to this rule.

  She had red hair…Is she a descendant of Crimson Cremesis? No…There was something different in her smile.

  After the two Archdevils had retreated, Black sat back on his throne, lost in thought.

  Was it really the voice of the universe that called her here?

  Not even an ancient being like him could understand the motivations behind the actions of the entity that ran their world, and this made everything more interesting and funnier for him.

  Black's heart was racing with joy. He could finally find someone to entertain him.

  “Yes! Yes! That's what I was missing! I wonder what this girl will be like! A mistress to serve? An opponent to defeat? Or both? How exciting!”

  He couldn't wait. A fight against an unknown being intrigued him, as did the possibility of serving such being. Both were options.

  Black was a Primordial, one of the ten strongest demons and considered among the three most dangerous in the entire world. It would have been strange to see him serve another being, but for Black, that wouldn't have been a problem.

  He did not seek power like Crimson Cremesis, the Red Primordial, and he did not want total control like Le Blanche, the White Primordial. He did not crave total chaos like Carria, the Orange Primordial, nor the poisonous confusion like Viola, the Purple Primordial.

  Black wanted only one thing: entertainment!

  “This will be so much fun! I can't contain myself from the excitement!”

  And so, secretly, the stage was set for Black's meeting with this mysterious red-haired girl.

  Would it have been sooner or later?

  Who would win?

  Will they fight? Or will they become allies?

  Those were questions not even Black himself could respond.