Jack raised a brow as he spotted the demon waiting for them outside the restaurant, leaning casually against the wall. The way he stood there, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at his lips, made Jack's irritation bubble beneath the surface.
"How did you know we were going to sign up for the tournant?" Jack asked, his tone sharp and demanding.
Daemon's smirk didn't falter, but there was a flicker of unease in his crimson eyes. "Well, it's hard for any demon to pass up such an opportunity... It was rely a guess."
Jack didn't believe him. He hadn't ntioned the tournant outright, yet sohow, Daemon already knew about it. That ant he had been listening. Watching. A troubleso pest indeed.
If he was eavesdropping on their conversations, he could easily interfere with their plans. And if worst ca to worst... Jack already knew exactly what needed to be done to eliminate the nuisance.
But for now, he would play along.
'...Let's hear him out first,' he thought to himself, forcing his impatience to simr beneath the surface.
Jack wasn't always a careful person. He had a tendency to act on impulse, often making decisions in the heat of the mont. But this was different. Their mission was crucial, and every step had to be taken with caution. With the Queen of the Planes possibly already present, causing trouble wouldn't be beneficial in any way.
He needed to keep a low profile.
He needed to blend in.
Daemon seed to notice the tension, giving a nervous chuckle as he gestured forward. "Shall we?"
Jack scrutinized him for a long mont, his piercing gaze unwavering. Finally, he exhaled slowly. "Alright then. Lead the way."
A triumphant smile stretched across Daemon's lips as if he had won sothing. Without wasting another second, he turned and started walking, his confident strides cutting through the busy street.
Jack and the others followed closely behind.
As they moved, Jack noticed sothing peculiar—most of the crowd was heading in the sa direction. The further they went, the louder the murmurs and chatter of the demons around them beca. The city pulsed with an electric energy, as if the very air vibrated with anticipation.
There was no doubt about it. They were going the right way.
Despite the growing excitent, their group remained unusually quiet. The only exception was Missy, who couldn't seem to contain her fascination with the sights around her. Every few steps, she would gasp or shout, pointing at sothing new.
"Wow! Big brother, look! It's a dog!" Missy exclaid, her small finger jabbing toward a nearby alleyway. Her bunny-like ears twitched excitedly, and her bright green eyes sparkled.
Jack followed her gaze.
What he saw made him pause.
At first glance, it did resemble a dog. A German breed, perhaps. But the mont he focused on it, his expectations crumbled. Bat-like wings sprouted from its back, flapping as it effortlessly lifted off the ground and soared into the sky.
Missy's expression fell for a split second, disappointnt flashing in her eyes. But just as quickly, her sadness transford into wonder.
"A flying dog!!" she squealed, jumping up and down with excitent. "Aweso!"
Daemon, who had also taken notice of the creature, tilted his head in confusion. "That's a Gukaj," he corrected casually.
Missy whipped her head toward him, puffing her cheeks out defiantly. "No, it's a flying dog!"
Daemon blinked at her reaction, montarily speechless. But when he glanced at Jack and caught the sharp gleam in his eyes, he decided not to push the matter. Instead, he chuckled awkwardly and looked away.
"We Maugrins have a tradition of living alongside beasts that possess a certain level of intelligence," he explained, as if trying to divert the conversation. "So don't be surprised to see creatures like that here."
Jack listened intently. Daemon's words had piqued his curiosity.
"As soul experts, our abilities allow us to suppress the bloodlust in certain monsters," Daemon continued, puffing his chest slightly with pride. "This makes them more manageable and allows them to coexist with us."
Jack narrowed his eyes. He had already noticed that the Maugrins were different from the other demons he had encountered. They were more advanced, both in terms of their security and their architectural prowess. Their society functioned in a way that closely resembled human civilization.
If it weren't for the golden patterns on their foreheads, the horns so of them bore, and the unnatural hues of their skin, Jack could have mistaken this place for a city from his own world.
But what intrigued him the most was their culture.
"Tell ," Jack said at last, his voice calm yet firm. "Where did your people get the designs for these structures? And this idea of living among beasts?"
Daemon glanced around as if appreciating the city for the first ti, his expression shifting into one of pride. "These designs?" He exhaled softly before answering. "The Queen herself introduced them into the planes a few decades ago. Since then, our race has been recognized across all twelve planes."
Jack's fingers curled slightly at his sides. 'The Queen, huh?'
That made sense.
To change an entire culture, one would need imnse authority. But even then... Jack found sothing unsettling about it. The introduction of human-like structures, technological advancents—these weren't things demons would naturally adopt.
'Missy is here. If she reincarnated into this world... then could there be others?'
The thought made his stomach coil. He didn't like it. The idea that others from his world might have been reborn here, interfering with the natural order, was an unsettling one.
Daemon, unaware of Jack's inner turmoil, continued speaking, his voice filled with admiration. "The Queen is the most intelligent demon in the planes. She played a pivotal role in the war against the heavens. Without her, we wouldn't have achieved half of what we have today."
Jack wasn't surprised. He already knew about the Queen from the book. She had been one of the key figures during the war—a strategist, a leader, and soone who had helped Asriel when he first arrived in the demon planes.
But sothing didn't add up.
If she was capable of reshaping an entire civilization, why would she incorporate human elents? Why introduce technology and culture that had no place in a demon's world?
Sothing was off.
"We've arrived!" Daemon suddenly announced, snapping Jack out of his thoughts.
Jack lifted his gaze.
A massive stadium lood before them, its do-shaped structure gleaming under the eerie glow of the blue sun. The upper part of the do was crafted entirely out of glass, allowing light to filter through, while the lower section was made of smooth, polished stone. Golden patterns spiraled across the walls, forming intricate designs that made the entire structure feel grand and majestic.
For a mont, the group stood still, awestruck by the sight before them.
Daemon smirked. "Let's head inside. The tournant is about to start, and we need to sign up before it's too late."
Without another word, they stepped forward, passing through the grand entrance.
Inside, the brightness of the blue sun poured in through the transparent ceiling, casting an ethereal glow over the vast coliseum-like interior.
Jack's breath hitched slightly.
'Now this... this is surprising.'
The outside was one thing, but the inside—Jack was certain—was completely derived from their world.
Back on Earth, when technology had reached terrifying levels, the Olympics were no longer hosted in just any stadium. Instead, they were held in multi-terrain stadiums where everything could be done in one place.
These modernized stadiums were called Aetherdos, and Jack, although he had only ever seen them on the large street display screens, was certain he had just stepped into one.
The demon AetherDo was a technological marvel that blurred the line between reality and spectacle.
Its semi-translucent do shimred with shifting holograms, displaying live footage while pulsing with electric-blue energy veins running through its sleek tallic fra.
Inside, the arena floor was a living battlefield—capable of morphing into any terrain, from solid ground to weightless space, adapting in real ti to the ga's demands.
Rows of adaptive seating lined the stadium, adjusting to each spectator while embedding them in the action through AR projections.
Hovering, bat-like magical orbs zipped through the air, capturing every angle for those connected via neural uplinks.
Suspended skybox suites floated mid-air, offering an exclusive, gravity-defying view of the battlefield.
In the tunnels leading inside, holographic banners flickered to life, displaying the nas and achievents of competitors.
AI-driven announcers roared their arrival, their voices amplified through invisible speakers embedded in the very walls of the stadium.
Every inch of the AetherDo was designed for one thing—imrsion.
And this— it was where the ground shaking battle would happen.
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