Eüreuse began to follow the immense dragon that had just flown away without finishing its story. A deep pull in the pit of her stomach drove her to walk in its tracks, a mix of irresistible curiosity and an emptiness she had never been able to fill. Since childhood, she had grown up with the feeling of being a stranger in her own world, searching for meaning, for a truth about herself and the meaning of the word "love." Many times, she had wondered why her heart felt so heavy, even in moments of simple happiness with Nigin. This quest for a true connection, this need to be recognized and understood, had haunted her forever, despite her adoptive father's efforts to reassure her. When the dragon had spoken, in a broken voice, of love and waiting, Eüreuse had felt a disturbing resonance with her own life. He hadn't spoken like a predator or a supernatural creature detached from human emotions. In his voice echoed the pain of an absence, a lack that, in some inexplicable way, Eüreuse recognized in herself. Each step she took in the dragon's tracks reminded her how alone, incomplete, and different she felt. Hearing this word spoken by a being as formidable as this dragon shook her almost as much as the monster's enigmatic confession. Above all, Eüreuse felt that her path was dictated by the search for her identity, for that place she had never found among her own or elsewhere. Approaching this dragon, discovering its story, and understanding what it meant by "beloved" went beyond mere curiosity. It had become a vital necessity, as if grasping this notion would finally allow her to understand who she was and what she had to accomplish. Even if it might delay her, this need to understand, to feel connected to something or someone, won out over caution. Her loneliness weighed on her, like a secret wound that no word, no story from Nigin had ever healed, and at that moment, she found herself believing that this dragon might hold the key to her identity and her destiny.
The dragon soon disappeared from her sight, but Eüreuse felt compelled to continue following its trail. After a while, it vanished into the mountain mists rising on the horizon.
"It will take several years to cross these mountains."
Mountain roads are nonexistent; in most cases, they must be bypassed. However, the boldest prefer to climb the mountain and descend the other side, which seems more feasible than taking a long detour. Still, the risk of death remains very high.
"It was just an ordinary dragon," murmured Eüreuse, convinced that he was no different from the others and perhaps inventing his whole story.
She turned away and resumed her journey.
A few hours passed, and night fell. Eüreuse set up a makeshift camp with what she had in her bag, including some survival rations.
Then she fell asleep.
The morning sun shone on Eüreuse's face, waking and dazzling her as soon as she opened her eyes.
To shield her eyes from the sun's rays, she placed her hand in front of them, plunging herself into darkness.
"I chose the wrong spot," she murmured as she began to get up.
"There's a lake not far from here, maybe I should go rinse off and wash."
Eüreuse packed all her things into her bag, then set out toward the lake, guided by the sound of water.
She crossed a small grove before reaching the lake.
The lake was small, but its clear water, teeming with fish, proved its purity.
She drank the water, rinsed her face, then undressed to wash her whole body.
After washing, she resumed her journey.
After five hours of walking on the second day, she finally arrived at an ancient human village. The stone walls of the houses were destroyed, leaving only ruins overgrown with nature.
On the main road, Eüreuse discovered a row of skeletons still wearing their clothes.
The young girl honored their souls by offering a prayer, in the name of the God of Goodness.
The village bore witness to a terrible war between demons. The villagers had tried to flee, but the demons had killed them in cold blood. Yet the bodies were arranged neatly, as if they had been prepared for burial. Contemplating this scene, Eüreuse felt a lump in her throat and a shiver run down her spine. Between fear, sadness, and anger, she stood frozen for a long time in front of the silent remains of the massacre, unable to look away from the strange tranquility of the dead. This sight revived the weight of her own loneliness, and a dull malaise overcame her in the face of the cruelty of those capable of such horror.
"Demons can sometimes assimilate the customs and morals of other races. That's what Nigin had explained to me. But here, the work is sloppy, which means the assimilation was not completed. That can only mean one thing..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the ruby turned red, signaling the presence of a demon.
"It means a still-unknown demonic race attacked the village."
She was not worried about the presence of a demon nearby, convinced that it was a race that no encyclopedia had yet catalogued. From her studies with Nigin, she knew how to distinguish dangerous species from those that, like this one, were confused and clumsy in their behavior. This lack of assimilation to the customs of other races often meant ignorance of hostile tactics or the hierarchies of evil.
Demonic society was structured according to very precise hierarchies: at the top sat the Demon-Nobles like Nigin, holders of immense power, followed by higher demons, intermediaries, and finally subordinates or minor demons. Each of these strata had its codes, rites, and duties, and every demon had to demonstrate adaptability to earn a place or climb the ranks. Assimilation to customs, whether demonic or borrowed from other peoples, was seen as proof of cunning, intelligence, and power. Those who copied the ways and customs of the dominated races showed a high degree of integration, ambition, and self-control. This gave them access to more exclusive circles and powerful alliances. Conversely, a lack of assimilation often betrayed a marginal race or caste, unable to grasp the implicit rules governing demonic society. Such ignorance made them less dangerous: they had neither a solid hierarchical structure, nor discipline, nor the ability to conceive and execute complex plans, and thus were rarely worthy opponents.
Eüreuse knew that this social stratification determined how she acted in each encounter. When she met a Demon-Noble like Nigin, she had to pay attention to his words, as the slightest breach of protocol could be seen as a provocation. Conversely, when facing less integrated demons or those with misunderstood customs, she knew they were often unpredictable, their actions driven more by instinct than by strategy. Being human, a member of a hunted race, always put her in potential danger at the heart of these power games: an ambitiously integrated demon might try to use her to climb the hierarchy. Finding herself in front of these clumsy demons in this church, unable to conform to customs, was almost reassuring: she sensed that they would not try to manipulate her or take advantage of her presence in the complex games of demonic power. Her knowledge of their hierarchies was thus not just a history lesson: it guided her decisions at every moment, for relying on the right attitude—choosing caution or boldness depending on the rank of her interlocutors—could determine her survival as well as her freedom.
In other words, they were far less threatening than the organized demons. Rather than out of overconfidence, Eüreuse advanced with a cold certainty forged by her knowledge: as long as a creature did not accept the rules of the demonic game, it did not present an immediate danger. This race understood nothing of orders, otherwise it would have assimilated properly.
Eüreuse searched all the houses for demons, but found nothing.
Only the church remained.
She approached, and the medallion turned blood red, proving the demons were in the church.
Eüreuse opened the church door, strangely intact, and discovered demons with angel wings, praying inside.
"Angels."
When the demons heard the young girl's voice, they stopped praying and all turned to look at Eüreuse.
There were five of them, lined up in the church's shadows. Each wore a frozen, almost unreal expression: one showed exaggerated joy, a smile too wide to be human; the next seemed about to collapse in sadness, eyes filled with endless suffering; another was marked by fear, his gaze furtive and trembling, as if terror was eating away at his soul; the fourth's features were deformed by burning anger, his jaw clenched, fists tight; finally, the last radiated icy arrogance, chin held high and gaze contemptuous.
Eüreuse felt her stomach twist. The air in the nave vibrated with a strange tension, as if the very walls were holding their breath. Her heart pounded violently, each beat echoing in her temples. Cold sweat ran down her neck as she struggled not to retreat. In this heavy, oppressive atmosphere, she sensed that every gaze upon her held unfathomable intentions, as if these demons could read her every emotion. Her throat tightened, and she dared not breathe too deeply, for fear of breaking the fragile balance of this confrontation.
Their faces remained motionless, plunging Eüreuse into incomprehension.
What are they about to do? she wondered.