The Dive: Birth of a Hero Read online

  “Now, you see, that was a much better introduction!” Just before the shadows dissipated, I could hear the succubus queen’s happy voice. Once we could see again, standing next to me was Lilith, wearing a long flowing dress that clung to her curves. It was the first time I had definitely seen her out of her armor, and believe me there was no way she was hiding it under that.

  “Wait, her name is actually Lilith?” Kirasami grinned next to me after she appeared, looking her over.

  “I’ll have you know I rather like that name, Kirasami.” The demon returned his grin. “Oh, yes, I know about you. Kliffoth’s disciple, as I recall. Ah, did Jin already tell you about him? That’s a surprise.”

  Kirasami laughed briefly, before nodding. “A pleasure to meet you, Queen Lilith.”

  Smiling, Lilith offered a polite curtsy. “And you as well, Kirasami.” Turning around, she spotted Cynthia, her smile growing. “Are you going to introduce me to your other friend?”

  “Yes, I was getting to that. Lilith, meet Cynthia. She’s the person we chose to act as our vanguard, once we get her properly trained. Cynthia, meet Lilith, the ruler of Hell.”

  “P-p-pleasure to meet you..” Cynthia was stumbling over her words, obviously fighting the desire to run for the nearest hole to crawl into.

  “Aww, don’t be afraid dear.” Lilith frowned to Cynthia. “I’m sorry if I upset you, I thought you’d be expecting me if Jin called.” Looking to me, she seemed genuinely worried. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, don’t worry. She just hasn’t had much time to adjust to the concept of you being one of the good guys. Hmm, think it’d help if you showed her your daughter?”

  Smiling brightly, Lilith nodded. “Yes, good idea! Levy?” As if she was there all along, a petite woman stepped out from behind Lilith. I could swear she’s grown since the last time I saw her.

  Oh, I have. Now stop those perverted thoughts! I should be close to evolving again, I think. We’re not really sure. Like always, Levy went straight to having a mental conversation with me. Walking slowly up to Cynthia, she smiled. “Hello, my name’s Levy. What’s yours?”

  Maybe because Levy looked so human, aside from the almost unnoticeable horns and the tail hidden behind her, Cynthia seemed a bit more relaxed. “I’m Cynthia… Are you a…?”

  “A demon? Yeah. Don’t worry, I’m not really that strong yet. And we really don’t like hurting people, especially friends.” Levy nodded quickly to her.

  “Fri...friends?”

  “Of course! You’re an acquaintance of Jin’s. That makes you a friend to us. He’s done a lot to help my mom when we were all in trouble, so this is the least we can do to thank him.”

  “But… aren’t demons..?” Cynthia appeared to be having trouble with the whole ‘demons good, angels bad’ concept. Not surprising, since she hadn’t seen any examples of it firsthand.

  Lilith laughed softly, cutting into the conversation. “Don’t worry, we’re not evil. And I won’t hold it against you that you thought we were. You’ve basically been brainwashed to think that by the angels.”

  “Brainwashed..? Uhm.. could you maybe explain the whole thing..? I don’t really understand so far..” Cynthia sounded like a scared little girl, afraid that saying the wrong thing would land her in time out.

  Nodding, I decided to speak up. “Actually that sounds like a good idea. I haven’t heard the full story yet either, so would you mind talking about how it all began between the races?”

  Lilith seemed to consider it for a few moments, before she nodded. “Okay, I guess there’s no harm in a history lesson. This is the kind of thing you are on your current journey to discover anyways, but I doubt an accurate record still exists.”

  Denise made a small campfire to cook a stew made out of leftover meat for those of us gathered, while we all sat around it to listen to Lilith’s story.

  Chapter 11

  “Well, I suppose the only place I can start this story is at the beginning.” Lilith smiles to the five of us as she sits down. “The very beginning. Back before humans or elves or dwarves. At the first days of this world, there existed only two types of people. The first were the angels, looking similar to the humans of today except for with glowing wings.

  “The second race were the demons. At that point, when we were brand new, we were all in our beginning stage of life, as imps. There was no Heaven or Hell at that point, and we all lived together here in this world. It really wasn’t so bad for the first few decades, since the angels didn’t bother us much. I guess they decided that our uniform appearance meant we would follow along with their order.

  “After a while, the first of us began to evolve. There were twenty of us in that first batch of evolutions, and we all assumed a different shape. That was about the time that the angels started to disrespect us.” Lilith looked over towards me, “As you know, a demon will evolve based on their personal growth. Well, in those days, magic hadn’t been discovered yet. But by some chance, the ones seeking to learn more about the world we lived in gained the magic evolutions. One of them was Azamoth, who evolved into a Rune Fiend.

  “After gaining his first evolution, Azamoth claimed to see strange symbols floating through the air around certain occurrences. He made it a habit to write these symbols down, in an effort to understand them. That was the first recording of runes in this world.” She let out a lonely smile at this memory. “It was about a year later when the first death occurred. One of the original twenty were slain, killed at the hands of an angel because he did not conform to their standards.

  “From there, it was just a downward spiral. When we reached our second evolutions, those of us left from the first generation banded together as a council for the demons. At that point, I myself had turned into a Reborn, and was the weakest among us. But still, I was considered one of the eldest demons so my voice was heard. At the same time, Azamoth turned into a Rune Devil, and had those strange markings all over his body. But this time, he knew what they meant somehow.

  “Azamoth determined that for there to be peace, this new power had to be shared between angel and demon alike. To accomplish that, he wrote down every rune from his body, as well as their meanings, and presented them to the angels while we shared them with the demons. For a while, it seemed like the plan worked. Both sides were more interested in developing magic than in fighting.”

  “What happened?” Kirasami was the first to interrupt the story, tilting his head curiously.

  “Well, after another century, the attacks started coming. Each side had discovered how to create basic equipment, aided in part by their developing magic. It was mostly just the imps that had yet to evolve, but the angels were brutal in their assault. Many of us lacked their natural ability to fly, so there was no way to escape them. I myself had several close encounters. And it was around that time that our final evolutions came.

  “Of the twenty of us from the first generation, seventeen remained. But only twelve of that group reached that final step. My position immediately shot up from the weakest to the strongest, and many angels feared my new strength. Together with Azamoth, we repelled the attacks to defend our home. The twelve of us who received the final evolution came together again, forming a more powerful council than before, a war council.

  “The war lasted for centuries, our people hiding underground or in dense forests to avoid detection, and the angels swooping in to try and wipe us out. They had seen our potential for growth, and declared that it was too much to be allowed to live. Their king, the angel that first received the runes from Azamoth, fought with me again and again. Each time our battles were too evenly matched to determine a victor, but the damage we caused when we fought was extreme.

  “It was clear that we were losing the war, as our ranks were filled mostly with imps that had yet to achieve their power. Meanwhile, the angels had only a single form, and were capable of training their troops in the safety of the skies. Our war council was at a loss trying to find a solution, any way
for our people to survive. We came to the conclusion that the only way we could win was if we made a frontal assault on the angel cities with everything we had.”

  Lilith let out a soft sigh, looking at the fire. “It was the eve of battle, and eleven of us had gathered. The only one not present was Azamoth, who had at that time already become my husband. We did not know why he was missing, but couldn’t afford to wait. So, we attacked. Our armies rained from the skies, poured forth from the earth itself. But we were still being pushed back.

  “And that’s when Azamoth arrived.” Laughing bitterly, Lilith shed a single tear. “He stood on the city’s highest wall, and declared the war to end. No more blood would spill upon the ground. No more children would die by the sword. And as he spoke, two gates opened behind him. One, a slab of black obsidian, while the other was a glittering golden gate.

  “I didn’t know what he was planning, but once he had finished his spell, every angel and every demon had vanished from the field of battle. The demons all arrived in a single vast cavern, and I was somehow sitting in a shining throne. I could hear his voice radiating from the air itself, declaring that these worlds were our own. And with his dying breath, he locked each world so that neither race could trespass in the other’s home.

  “Despite his effort, the angels refused to believe that the war was over. They would send their armies to the middle world for years looking for us, but we had what we wanted, a safe place to live. While they were hunting for us, we were developing our race further than they had ever tolerated.

  “We discovered that with this new realm, we had also gained a new form of magic, what today is known as infernal magic. Likewise, the angels had received holy magic. Each race’s magic was tied to the throne of their home world, and through that connection every member of the demon race was bound together. Using that connection, we strengthened ourselves until we were more than a match for the angels, and then we made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

  “Of the twelve of us on the war council, there were only eleven left now. With my role as Queen, the other ten became my generals. By furthering our research into magic, we developed a way to bind both races into a non-aggression pact. But to do this, we needed the cooperation of the King of Heaven. At first, I thought this to be an impossible task, but once our forces were prepared it was surprisingly easy.”

  Lilith’s smile grew a bit warmer as she neared the end of her story. “All at once, every demon in the army exited Hell at a single point. Both earth and sky were shrouded in our forms, our eyes glowing like the night stars. I called out to the King of Heaven in challenge, daring him to try and attack us. But if he felt he was unable, we were willing to allow peace.

  “We stood there, waiting for three days and two nights. At dusk of the third day, he appeared before me in a flash of light, reluctantly accepting my call for peace. As such, we formed the Treaty of Heaven and Hell, a binding contract so powerful that it reached through the connections to the thrones and bound every single angel and demon. Neither could willingly attack or order the attack of the other race. We thought it to be the perfect compromise, a way to coexist peacefully with them.”

  This time it was Cynthia that spoke up. “What… what happened?”

  Lilith grinned slightly. “To put it bluntly? You happened. After we moved to our respective realms, elves and dwarves emerged in the world, and not too long after them came the humans. We mingled with these races, but strived not to interfere with them, and allow them to progress as they chose. The angels, however, must have seen this as their golden chance.

  “Sending representatives to every race, they presented themselves as holy messengers, brought by the creator himself. They preached how they were the one true force for good, and how demons were innately evil, to such a degree that the races turned on us. By establishing their religion, they assured that we could never openly coexist, and had succeeded in oppressing us yet again.

  “So, we went back to Hell, and only those of us that could remain hidden would step out into the middle world. Ever since then, we have been the outcasts, the so called plagues of society. Our names have become a curse, while the angels are revered.” Finishing her cliff-notes version of history, Lilith let out a long sigh.

  Cynthia looked at Lilith with what seemed almost like pity. “I’m sorry… I was so… rude to you.. I didn’t know.”

  Lilith tilted her head back and laughed, catching Cynthia by surprise. “Don’t worry dear, that started thousands of years ago. Believe me when I say I am used to it. If you really want to apologize, how about a hug?”

  With the pouting face Lilith gave, Cynthia reluctantly walked over and gave the succubus a hug. While her actions might have been hesitant, Lilith’s certainly weren’t. As soon as she was in reach, she pulled the human girl in and crushed her in a tight embrace. “All is forgiven. Like I said, we’re friends. I hope we can get along in the future, as well?”

  “Yeah… yeah, I think so… uh…” Cynthia’s face was buried in Lilith’s ample bust, causing her voice to be muffled. “I.. I need to breathe… help!”

  Laughing, Lilith finally let Cynthia go, smiling to her. “Thanks for listening to my story.”

  Kirasami grinned to Lilith, dusting off his lap. “It was rather interesting. To think that was the truth behind religion. I learned quite a few interesting things today. You seem like a pretty honest person, and I doubt Jin here could lie to save his life with all the stuff he’s let slip to me. If I had the chance to start over, I think I would have liked to try being a demon.”

  Lilith bit her lip for a moment, hesitating before she spoke. “Well… If you want to… there is one way…”

  All of us, Levy included, were taken aback at this. Kirasami just blinked rapidly for a few moments before clearing his throat. “A.. uh.. to become a demon? Really?”

  Lilith nodded her head before explaining. “Any of the queen variant races have the ability to convert a willing soul into the body of a demon. It is a spell that hasn’t been used since we were outcast, except in rare circumstances, but I still know it.”

  “And… you’d use that spell on me? Let me become a demon of Hell?” Kirasami’s confused face slowly spread into a grin.

  “Yeah… Well, I’m not sure how much of your power you’d keep. People tend to retain their knowledge and magic, but physical abilities are often reset. Unless you were a decent caster, you’ll be converted into an imp.”

  Kirasami glanced over to me. “Don’t suppose you know when the imp period ends?”

  My glance in turn shifted towards Levy. “Fifty.” Level fifty was when Levy evolved from an imp to a Bonded Acolyte.

  “Fifty.. hmm…” The ninja looked over his character information for a bit, likely doing some quick math. Given how spread out his abilities are, I doubted he had a total of fifty levels in magic. “Alright… I’ll convert. Can you give me just a minute to let my friends know?”

  Lilith nodded slowly, so he stood up, walking to the other side of the tree. At this point, the stew Denise was cooking was finally ready, and bowls were distributed to everyone. “I… didn’t think that he’d really want to do that. Not many people can choose to be a demon, an outcast of society. Right?”

  “Yeah, he’s definitely an interesting guy. But I had a feeling he’d go for it.” I smiled to Lilith as Kirasami came back smiling.

  “Okay, I told the boss that I found a one in a million chance to be reborn as an exclusive race, and that I was going for it. How long will this spell take?”

  “Not long. Do you want to eat first?” Lilith motioned towards the bowl that had been saved for Kirasami, and he dutifully sat down to eat. “Now.. keep in mind. If I do this, there’s no going back. You will be bound to the throne of Hell like every other demon.”

  Between spoonfuls, Kirasami nodded his head. “I get it. You guys don’t have any weird laws or anything, right?”

  At his question, Lilith smiled. “As long as you don’t remove another person
’s freedom to choose for themselves, and don’t force your will on them, there won’t be any problems.”

  “Now, you see, that is a proper law system.” He returned her smile, causing the demoness to laugh.

  “Oh, Lilith, something you should probably remember. I had the option to choose Levy’s evolution, so he might get that same choice. Make sure to include the different types of demons as part of his education early on, just in case.” Turning to Kirasami, I explained a bit more. “If you put off the evolution, it can cause serious damage so you have to do it as soon as it is available.”

  “Right… I get it.” Kirasami seemed to understand, and Lilith nodded as well. “Anything else I need to know ahead of time?”