"Is this really a demon?" Sophie asked skeptically, turning to Serei for confirmation.
"Yes. No doubt about it," Serei replied, recalling Count Sibiya's firm assurance.
"Hey! Stand up and let me see you!" Sophie cautiously approached the cell, speaking softly to the demon inside. She was burning with curiosity—she'd encountered nearly every race described in books, except gods and demons. Now was her chance to study the differences between demons and humans.
"Don't waste your breath. He won't talk," Serei said with a shrug, watching the motionless figure in the corner. "Before we got here, Hilbaut broke all ten of his fingers. Still nothing."
"What? Hilbaut did that?" Sophie gasped. "I never knew he could be so violent!"
Hilbaut had always seemed so composed, even shy. Who would have guessed that beneath that gentle demeanor lurked such brutality?
"What did you expect? Demons are our enemies—invaders threatening our kingdom. Any means to extract information is justified," Serei said firmly. "If we can learn their invasion plans, we can minimize casualties. If it were up to you, who would you choose—our people or the demons?"
Sophie rolled her eyes. "Obviously our people! Why would I side with demons? I was just making an observation!"
Turning back to the demon, she ordered the guards, "Drag him out here. I want a closer look."
As two guards hauled the demon into the light, Sophie circled him three times, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
*This* was a demon?
He looked more like a half-evolved fish than the terrifying creatures of legend. His head was covered in scales, with no trace of hair. Tiny, round eyes blinked beneath missing eyebrows. His nose was little more than two gaping holes, and his mouth stretched grotesquely wide, nearly reaching his ear slits—which were just holes fringed with fin-like flaps.
His neck was barely visible, as if his fish-like head had been glued directly to his torso. The only remotely human features were his limbs—though his fingers were bent at unnatural angles, black and slimy. His webbed feet, bare and amphibious, completed the nightmarish image.
Sophie was deeply disappointed. After all the tales of stunning, violet-haired demons, this creature was just... ugly.
"Listen," she said, crouching to his eye level. "I'm the queen of this kingdom. Cooperate, and I might convince them to release you. Don't you want to see your family again?"
The demon remained silent, his mouth slightly agape.
Sophie sighed. Even her best persuasion tactics—borrowed from old interrogation dramas—had failed.
---
The underground prison was shaped like a T, with high-security cells at either end. The demon had been placed in the far-left cell.
Charles, Agatha, and Milta, following the glow of enchanted lanterns, soon reached the main corridor. Spotting Sophie and the others, they rushed forward excitedly.
"Mom!"
Sophie turned, startled. "Charles? What are you doing here?"
Serei frowned. "How did you three get past the guards?"
Charles quickly clamped a hand over Agatha's mouth before she could blurt out the truth. "We, uh, came to protect you! With the demon threat and Mom pregnant, someone's gotta watch her back!" He thumped his chest dramatically.
Milta crossed her arms. "Why should *you* get to go wherever you want, but not us?"
Serei sighed. "Because some places aren't safe for kids. Like *here*."
"We're here to protect Teacher Sophie!" Milta declared, ducking behind Charles.
Agatha, meanwhile, was staring at the demon. A strange sense of familiarity washed over her, though she couldn't place why. Her chest burned hotter, as if something inside her strained to break free.
"Mom, what *is* that?" she asked quietly.
Sophie picked her up. "That's a demon. If you ever see creatures like this, run. Understand?"
Agatha nodded, her gaze still locked on the prisoner.
Charles and Milta, meanwhile, were busy critiquing the demon's appearance.
"Ugh, he's *so* ugly!"
"His nose is just... holes!"
Agatha barely heard them. Something about the demon called to her.
Softly, she asked, "What's your name? Where are you from?"
The demon's head jerked up. For a brief moment, his dull eyes brightened—then dimmed again. His lips moved soundlessly.
Agatha tilted her head. "'Not'? Not what? Who did you think I was?"
Everyone stared.
Sophie shook her gently. "Sweetheart, what are you talking about?"
Agatha blinked. "He said I'm 'not.' I was asking what he meant."
"You... *heard* him?" Sophie's voice wavered.
The demon hadn't made a sound.
**Why can Agatha hear the demon's voice—and what does his cryptic message mean?**