David stood at the edge of the Demon King's balcony, the wind howling through the horns of the mountains. His crimson cape flapped behind him as his gaze stretched across the dark valleys and ash-covered plains.
He turned to his assistant and growled, "Call them all."
The assistant blinked. "All of them, my king?"
David nodded. "Everyone. Every beast. Every crawler. Every cursed spirit. Every insect. I want the entire demon horde gathered at the Demon King's Castle by sunrise. I have a gift to present."
By dawn, the land around the Demon King's castle was black with bodies.
Demons flooded in like rivers winged serpents, horned juggernauts, wolves with eyes made of glass, cyclops made of stitched bone. Even the skies were darkened with flying horrors. The air stank of sulfur and sweat and raw power.
Ashley, the fallen goddess, was still asleep.
But the world outside her window had changed.
David stood atop the tallest platform of his black spire. His voice echoed through an amplification rune, carried on wind and shadow.
He raised his arms and shouted:
"Have you ever seen a goddess with your own two eyes?"
The crowd growled and shifted. Millions of eyes turned toward him.
"I bring you a miracle today! A gift! A divine being has fallen into our world into our domain! And unlike the humans we do not betray our gods!"
The monsters screamed in agreement.
I want you to worship this goddess I'm about to show you! Not because I said so but because of what she can give you. Blessings. Names. Power. Purpose. You're all too damn ugly anyway maybe with her help, you'll stop making babies cry by just existing.
Laughter erupted across the field. Some monsters howled with amusement, others rolled on the ground or slapped their companions.
Ashley stirred.
She sat up slowly, her head still spinning. She felt it that strange buzz in the air, the way the castle pulsed with magic. Her divine sense was no longer completely dead. Something had returned.
She looked toward the balcony… and then saw them.
Millions of creatures. All waiting. All watching.
David's assistant appeared beside her in a blink of smoke. "Sorry in advance," he whispered and with a flick of demonic magic, lifted her into the sky.
Ashley gasped.
She was floating held up above the platform, her white dress fluttering in the wind, golden hair glowing faintly with the sunrise. Her skin shimmered even in her weakened state.
Gasps echoed from the horde below.
Some creatures collapsed to their knees.
Others began chanting. Others stared in obsession.
David raised his voice again.
"Look at her!" he roared. "She is the most beautiful creature you have ever seen even more beautiful than my assistant, and trust me, my assistant's beauty once started a three-week war.
The demons were stunned.
Some stared with adoration.
Some blushed in confusion, unsure what they were feeling.
Others licked their lips, imagining forbidden things. Some wanted to worship her. Others wanted to possess her. Some wanted to eat her.
David smirked. "Let me make this simple."
He pointed at her in the air.
"From today onward if you catch prey, it's because she gave you the instinct. If you sleep peacefully, it's because she calmed your nightmares. She gives. She takes. And if you prove yourself loyal maybe she'll even grant you a name.
The crowd fell dead silent.
Every monster in the Demon World knew the power of a name. It was identity. Memory. Evolution. A name could turn a crawling maggot into a general of flame. A name was sacred.
David lowered his voice.
"Love the goddess like you love yourself."
Ashley's lips parted. She could feel it.
Not holy.
Not evil.
Something new.
Her divine spark flickered. The power that had once come from millions of human believers now felt different. It wasn't warm. It wasn't cold.
It was wild.
It was raw.
It was monstrous.
Her body pulsed with unfamiliar energy. Not enough to restore her fully, but enough to stand without shaking.
She wasn't a human goddess anymore.
She was something in between.
And the demons they began to kneel.
One by one. Then by the dozens. Then hundreds. Then tens of thousands.
Ashley floated there in silence, heart pounding in disbelief.
"David" she whispered, her voice trembling, "what have you done?"
The Demon King folded his arms and smiled.
"I just made you the first goddess worshipped by monsters.