Chapter 234 - Black Capital ( Part 1 )

The first thing that Jennie learned about the Demon Continent was that the sky did not change.

The reddish clouds stretched across endless above the black mountains, casting blood-red light everywhere beneath. There was no Sun. There was no Moon. There was no Stars. Only the eternal suffocation of red glow—eternal and suffocating, as if the skies themselves had been wounded and could not stop bleeding.

The second thing she learned was that demons had cities.

Real cities.

With roads, markets, taverns, merchants, guards and people haggling over the prices of vegetables.

For some reason, it was more disturbing than those monsters she had battled on Ashen Isle.

Jennie stood on a rocky hill above the city that lay before her.

Black stony walls surrounded the city, adorned with strange symbols that glowed faintly under the crimson sky. High towers rose above roofs, their spires reaching high enough to pierce the clouds like claws trying to grasp something unseen. The smoke came out of chimneys spread throughout the city—thin grey trails, bringing in the smells of cooking food and burning coal.

Outside the gates, travelers were coming in and going out of the city continuously. The merchants with heavily laden carts. The soldiers dressed in dark armor. The families with kids. The couriers on fast horses.

The demons of all possible shapes and sizes were walking in the streets.

Some had horns—curved, straight, spiral, some as small as finger nails and others as large as swords. Some had tails, some had scales that shined like polished gems, some had wings hidden under their clothes. A few of them looked almost human, but with unnaturally glowing eyes, slit pupils and colors that were impossible in a human world, as well as sometimes two horns on their foreheads.

And they seemed to be perfectly comfortable with that.

One demon was carrying the basket with fruits, humming quietly to himself.

Another one was bickering with a merchant over the broken cart, their voices growing louder.

Another one was chasing the small horned kid who stole something from the bakery.

The kid was laughing.

The baker was screaming.

The world was ending somewhere in the background, but it seemed that somebody still needed to buy bread.

Jennie watched the city. Her voice was flat with astonishment.

"...That was unexpected."

"Which part?" Rudy asked. She stood beside Jennie, looking at the city in wonder, too.

"The part about the Demon Continent having functional economy."

Rudy tilted her head. "What were you expecting?"

"Lava rivers. Skeletons everywhere. Maybe couple hundred of monsters gathered around a huge throne and waiting for someone to declare the end of the world."

Snow, who was currently dressed up as a large white wolf with

one tails instead of nine, glanced at her. His eyes showed his opinion clearly—unimpressed.

"You have read too many absurd stories."

"I was trying to prepare myself for it."

"By imagining the continent, where everybody shares the same interior design?"

Jennie looked at him. Her eye twitched.

"...You are becoming increasingly unbearable."

"I learned from the best."

Rudy covered her mouth, barely hiding her laughter.

Jennie ignored them and returned her gaze to the city.

The settlement was larger than she had supposed initially.

From the hill, she could see several districts that were separated with stone walls, and a big road stretching from them to a huge structure that looked like a fortress. High black towers surrounded a huge castle-like building far away from the city—an enormous structure, dominating the landscape like a mountain of shadows and metal.

Even from such a distance, it was impressive.

Black Capital, probably. Or some other stronghold of one of the Demon Generals.

It would be somewhere, where they will eventually have to go.

But not now.

Jennie had five Divine Swords. Rudy owned one of the Legendary Divine Marks. Snow was a Divine Wolf of an ancient race, able to turn any battle field into a frozen graveyard.

They were also three people, who had crossed enemy territory without knowing anything about the laws here, military structure and even the name of the nearest city.

Running straight to the biggest building was a particularly stupid thing to do.

Even for her.

"We need the information," Jennie said.

Rudy nodded. "And disguises."

Jennie looked at her appearance. Her silver-white hair. Her eyes. Her face, which could catch the attention in the middle of a human crowd easily.

"...Right."

Snow glanced at her. "You could start with covering your hair."

"I am getting there."

"You have been watching the city for several minutes."

"I was observing the surroundings."

"Obviously."

Jennie decided that the wolf would be the first casualty of their infiltration.

Eventually.

The disguises were, in Jennie’s opinion, reasonable convincing.

In Rudy’s opinion, they were suspicious.

In Snow’s opinion, they were just waste of time.

Jennie had managed to obtain a dark hooded cloak from one of the traveling merchants near the city gates. She used little magical energy to change the appearance of her hair, making it look like dull silver-grey and covering it under the hood.

Her eyes were harder to conceal.

She opted for a very minor illusion, which colored her eyes a shade of amber under the crimson glow of their surroundings.

Rudy was similarly dressed, except she had pulled the hood up to the point that it was near obscuring her face entirely. She almost walked into a wooden pillar along the way.

Snow’s costume was perhaps the easiest of all.

He was a wolf.

More precisely, he was an unusually-shaped wolf, but there apparently were enough oddities in the Demon Continent that nobody gave him a second glance.

Jennie had also taken care to cover up her swords.

Excalibur, Leviathan, Tempest, Eclipse, and Gram were hidden behind a spatial seal accessible to Jennie via magic. They were near enough to use but invisible to everyone else.

It could not be perfect. The existence of the Divine Swords still persisted. There was no way to hide their magical energy entirely. However, unless someone was blessed with extraordinary perception, they would not be able to sense them.

Their smell was a different issue.

There was a different solution to this problem.

Demons did not depend on sight alone. They could recognize each other based on magical energy, lineage, and aura. Humans’ particular smell would stand out especially well in a place such as this one.

Thankfully, Jennie had a number of helpful skills.

Using a minor illusion and altering the smell of their magical energy allowed them to mask their true identities. Rudy followed her instructions, and Snow suppressed his divine energy to the point that he hardly seemed anything other than an ordinary magical beast.

Jennie took one last look at them.

"From this day forth, we are traveling demon mercenaries."

Rudy looked down at herself. "Does it look like I am a mercenary?"

"You look like someone who has committed crimes and is going to commit more of them."

"I think that it does."

"It was not meant as a compliment."

Snow yawned. "And what am I now?"

"Your pet."

Snow stopped her action and slowly turned her head toward Jennie.

"...What?"

"A wolf traveling with a band of mercenaries is perfectly normal."

"I am the Divine Wolf."

"Not anymore. You are a pet."

"I am a Divine Wolf. With a celestial power. I am practically a god."

"A god that has a collar now."

Jennie attached a piece of leather onto Snow’s neck.

The latter stared at it as if Jennie had personally offended her entire ancestry line.

Rudy lost her battle with laughter.

Jennie almost smiled for just a moment.

Almost.

But then she thought about the woman with golden hair held within the Imperial Palace.

The smile died out.

Lilia was somewhere here in this place. According to Azrael, she was alive and waiting.

Jennie put her hood back.

"Let’s go."

The entrance of the city was guarded by six demons.

Two of them held spears. Another one was clad in black armor with curved horns growing out of her helmet. The other three were standing next to a pillar, covered in glowing runes.

As Jennie’s group was approaching, one of the guards lifted her hand.

"Identification."

Jennie halted. Rudy almost walked into her.

The guard looked at them one by one, spending a few extra seconds on Snow.

"Names. Origin. Business."

Jennie was ready for that question.

More or less.

"Traveling mercenaries," she said calmly. "We are from the western territories."

"Which territory?"

Silence.

Jennie smiled under her hood. "The one that was destroyed recently."

The guard stared at her. Then she laughed.

"Ha! Another one of those."

She waved them to proceed.

"Alright. Keep your weapons hidden inside the city, do not create any problems, and do not interfere with Imperial matters. Otherwise, you can expect an even harsher punishment than in the west."

"Understood."

Jennie walked through the gate.

It was only after the guards that Rudy leaned closer.

"What was the western territory?"

"An educated guess."

"You just made that up?"

"Obviously."

"You could have got us arrested!"

"But we did not."

Rudy stared at her. "...Now I understand why people find it hard to work with you."

"Again?"

Jennie sighed.

It was less than ten minutes since they infiltrated the city. Her companions were already working against her.

Perfect.

The name of this city was Varkesh.

Jennie found it out from a sign overhanging a crowded street, except Rudy had to help her read the small inscriptions underneath it.

The streets were built with dark stones that had been walked on for generations. Buildings stood on either side, most of them were made of black bricks with metal structures. Red lanterns were hanging over the doorways, and blue flames burned in glass lamps.

The air smelled of burning wood, grilled meat, iron, and strange spices.

Beneath all of that smell, there was something else.

Demonic energy.

It permeated everything – streets, buildings, bodies of people walking around here. Jennie could feel it brush against her senses. It was not threatening nor aggressive. Just there.

Breathing.

Each demon in the city possessed different types of magical energy. Some were hot and explosive, others were cold and sharp. A few carried a dense and heavy presence that suggested a lot of years of fighting experience.

There were ordinary people, too.

An older demon with horns shorter than hers was cooking some meat on a portable stall. Two younger demons in school uniforms were arguing over a book. An ordinary demon with four hands was arranging glass bottles in a wooden cart.

A group of armored soldiers was marching down the street, and people were making way for them without a word of complaint.

Jennie watched them passing by. They were wearing the insignia of the Demon Empire – a black crown with seven crimson points around it.

The insignia of Zuko.

Her fingers clenched under the cloak.

The Demon Emperor had his influence all over the place.

However, this city was far from being united.

Jennie saw that in people’s reaction to the soldiers. Some bowed their heads immediately. Others were watching them with fear. A few looked away with disgust.

An elderly demon spit on the ground after they passed by.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" the younger demon standing beside him asked.

The old one freed his arm. "Let them kill me."

"Shut up!"

"For what? Another hundred years of waiting? Another generation sacrificed for that monster’s ambition?"

The young demon blanched. "Do not name him."

The old man laughed sarcastically. "Even the air has become his possession, hasn’t it?"

Jennie kept walking, but her mind stayed focused on the dialogue.

Rudy noticed. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean for you?"

Jennie turned her eyes on the soldiers disappearing from sight.

"That the Demon Empire has some issues."

Snow scoffed. "An empire controlled by Demon Emperor conducting some kind of forbidden ritual has its own problems. Stunning."

Jennie ignored him.

The words of the old demon were not merely anger; there was fear in them. And sorrow - the kind that comes with seeing some horror for too long and getting used to it.

Jennie knew that feeling.

She had seen it in ruined villages, among soldiers who had lost everything, and in people who had stopped hoping that tomorrow will be a little bit better than today.

She did not know what Zuko had done to that continent.

But she was starting to think that the demons themselves became his victims.

They found the tavern close to the central marketplace.

It was named The Broken Horn.

The sign hanging on the door was depicting the cracked black horn resting inside the golden circle. Music was pouring out of the opened windows along with the sounds of laughter, arguments, and the crash of broken things.

Jennie stopped outside. "It will fit us."

Rudy took a peek into the windows. "There are many people in there."

"It is the point."

"Some of them seem dangerous."

"We are on the Demon Continent."

"True."

The interior of the tavern was jam-packed with people.

Demons were sitting at the long wooden tables, drinking from the metal mugs and arguing about mercenary contracts, prices of magical ore and so on. One table was occupied by a group of armored warriors. At the end of the room there was a group of merchants counting money while a hooded figure was watching them from the shadows.

Jennie chose a table close to the wall.

Rudy sat on the opposite side.

Snow made himself comfortable by Jennie’s chair with an obvious feeling of discontentment towards the quality of the floor.

The waitress came to their table. "What do you want?"

"Three meals," Jennie answered.

The waitress looked at Snow. "Does your wolf eat?"

"Much more than you may imagine."

Snow glanced at Jennie. "It is a great exaggeration."

"You can pay for your meal then."

Snow shut up.

The waitress chuckled and left them alone.

Rudy leant forward. "How will we obtain any information here?"

"Listen."

"Is it all?"

"People talk while they think no one important is listening."

Jennie lowered her voice. "We have to understand the situation here. The military strength of the Empire, the attitude of the general population to Zuko and everything connected to the ritual."

"And Lilia."

Jennie’s eyes got sharp. "Especially Lilia."

They were waiting.

At first, the dialogues around them were mostly ordinary. Complaints about the increasing prices. Discussions about hunting grounds. Some rumors about a mine collapse in the northern mountains.

Then the group of mercenaries sitting at the neighboring table started talking about the Imperial Palace.

"... I am telling you, the preparations have accelerated," one of them said. It was the broad-shouldered demon with the broken horn and the scar on his face.

The second demon snorted. "They have been preparing for centuries. My grandfather used to say that the same."

"Your grandfather was alive when the first Imperial sacrifices happened?"

The face of the second demon changed. "No. His grandfather was."

"Exactly."

The first mercenary leaned closer. "According to the old records, the Emperor has been searching for the seven marks before the current dynasty came to power. Entire expeditions disappeared trying to find them."

The third demon, small and with the dark scales covering his body, shook his head. "It is just a story."

"Then tell me about the soldiers sent to each ancient ruin of the continent."

"Imperial business."

"Imperial business," the first demon echoed mockingly. "It is what they used to say when they robbed my village."

The table got silent.

The second mercenary lowered his voice. "Be careful what you say."

"No. I am tired of being careful."

He leant back, clenching his jaw. "My sister was taken three years ago. They told me she had a mark and that she would serve the Empire."

No one said anything.

"They never returned her."

Jennie felt something cold settling in her heart.

Legendary Divine Mark. Human being becoming a mere resource.

The ritual was not some fresh idea that came to the head of Zuko when he awoke from hibernation. The Demon Empire was preparing to it for ages - probably for centuries. Searching for the bearers. Kidnapping them. Creating the necessary conditions.

And now, having already five marks and Rudy and Lilia left, it was time for the last phase of preparations.

Jennie clenched her fingers under the table.

Rudy noticed. She did not say anything. She just put her hand on Jennie’s for a moment – as a reminder.

They are here. They are alive. And Lilia is waiting for them.

Jennie took a deep breath and listened.

They were waiting.

At first, the conversations around them were mostly ordinary. Complaints about the increasing prices. Discussions about hunting grounds. Some rumors about a mine collapse in the northern mountains.

Then the group of mercenaries sitting at the neighboring table started talking about the Imperial Palace.

"... I am telling you, the preparations have accelerated," one of them said. It was the broad-shouldered demon with the broken horn and the scar on his face.

The second demon snorted. "They have been preparing for centuries. My grandfather used to say that the same."

"Your grandfather was alive when the first Imperial sacrifices happened?"

The face of the second demon changed. "No. His grandfather was."

"Exactly."

The first mercenary leaned closer. "According to the old records, the Emperor has been searching for the seven marks before the current dynasty came to power. Entire expeditions disappeared trying to find them."

The third demon, shorter than his fellow creatures and with dark scales covering his whole body, shook his head. "It is all the tales, I swear."

"And what about the troops being sent to each of ancient ruins located on the continent?"

"Imperial affairs."

"Imperial affairs," the first demon mocked. "This is what they claimed when they cleared my village out."

Silence hung in the air for several seconds.

"The second mercenary lowered his voice. "Be careful with your words."

"No," Jennie snapped. "I am tired of being careful."

He leant back, his jaw tensed. "My sister was captured three years ago. They claimed she was marked and would serve the Empire."

No one moved.

"They have never returned her."

Jennie felt something icy cold sinking down deep into her heart.

A Legendary Divine Mark. A person turned into mere resources.

The ritual did not arise due to some new plans and ambitions of the Demon Generals. The Demon Empire prepared for it for centuries – maybe millennia. Finding the bearers. Capturing them. Creating the necessary conditions.

And with five Divine Marks already obtained and two others remaining, the final stage started.

Jennie curled her fingers under the table.

Rudy noticed that. He did not say anything; he simply put his hand on top of hers in silence – in a gesture.

They were alive. And Lilia was still waiting.

Jennie took a deep breath and continued to listen.

The deeper they listened, the more complex the situation became.

There were demons who worshiped Zuko. They talked about him as the true emperor, as the ruler who would resurrect his empire and would give it unprecedented power, ending all conflicts which were ruining the continent.

There were demons who feared him. They did not mention the Emperor in public places, they lowered their voices in presence of the soldiers, and they never stared at the imperial palace for too long.

And there were demons who hated him.

Not because they supported humanity. Not because they liked the Divine Swords. But because they had lost their loved ones in preparations for the ritual of the Emperor.

A merchant sitting at the bar complained that his whole caravan had been requisitioned by soldiers of the Empire.

The woman with the black horns explained that her son had been drafted and sent to the fortress near the capital.

An old warrior stated that the return of Zuko would destroy Demon Continent much faster than it managed to conquer anything else.

The reasons were different. The fear was common.

Jennie expected the Demon Continent to be a land of monsters ruled by one tyrant.

But she discovered a society, kept together by force, beliefs, and the fear of the catastrophe if the Emperor managed to realize his plans.

That was more dangerous than blind loyalty.

An empire filled with people fearing their ruler could still fight for him. An empire filled with people hating their ruler could still be too afraid to resist.

And an empire, preparing for something during centuries, certainly found a dozen ways to protect its secrets.

Jennie needed better information.

But suddenly, a voice came from the other end of the tavern.

"...I heard that they brought another prisoner to the palace."

Jennie’s head snapped up.

A well-built demon was sitting with his three friends near the fireplace. His armor had the emblem of the Imperial Guard, but he had taken off his helmet and was drinking excessively.

One of his friends laughed. "Another? The palace is almost like a prison already."

"But this one is different."

"How?"

The guard looked around and leant forward. "A human woman."

Several demons at the table fell silent.

"A human?" one of them repeated. "In the Imperial Palace?"

"That is what I say."

"How did she survive the journey?"

"Who knows? I heard that half of soldiers accompanying her died during that."

Another demon shook his head. "What kind of purpose could have the Emperor with a human woman?"

The guard took another huge sip. "It appears that she is somehow related to the ritual."

Jennie’s pulse quickened.

Rudy’s expression changed.

Snow raised his head from under the table.

The guard continued speaking quietly.

"Golden hair. Strange eyes. It seems that she struggled with the two Demon Generals until they managed to restrain her."

Golden hair.

Jennie stopped breathing for a second.

There was only one person they could talk about.

Lilia.

She had crossed the Ashen Sea, entered the land of enemies, and fought through the first trap.

Finally, she had received the confirmation.

Lilia was alive. And she was in the Imperial Palace.

Jennie jumped up so unexpectedly that her chair made scraping noise.

Several heads turned.

Rudy instantly grabbed her wrist. "Jennie."

Her name was spoken barely audible.

Jennie looked at her.

The fingers of Rudy tightened. "Not here."

Jennie did not move for several seconds.

All her instincts ordered her to leave the tavern, go to the palace, and fight her way to Lilia.

But this was exactly what the demons were planning.

They had tested her strength on Ashen Isle. They had opened the ancient path. They had led her into the Demon Continent.

And now, shortly after her arrival, she learned where Lilia was detained.

It was too convenient.

Much too convenient.

Jennie slowly sat down. Her face remained calm, but underneath the table, her hand trembled.

Rudy did not let her wrist go.

"She is alive," Rudy whispered.

Jennie swallowed. Her voice was quiet, but it was clear.

"I know."

She looked at the distant palace that could be seen through the windows of the tavern – dark towers rising against the crimson sky.

"I will come, Lilia."

These words were a promise. A vow. A prayer.

And in the Imperial Palace, behind the ancient walls and the dark magic chains, the Queen of Seraiya looked at the window of her prison.

Her eyes softened.

She whispered.

"Jennie."