The world was falling to its demise. Everything was burning into ashes. A being watched it all from above, as if he himself had caused it. He looked at his own hands, trying to remember everything. The sound of fire grew louder.
Lutz woke up with a start, sweating.
"Mr. Harridwen?" a male voiced sounded.
Lutz reminded of all the pain he went through in the courtroom. He held his own face, overwhelmed. He was still feeling pain, but it was significantly lesser, low enough to not be constantly bothering him.
"Mr. Harridwen, are you feeling better?" the man emphasized, in a concerned tone.
Lutz: "Get away from me!"
The man backed away, scared. Lutz was panting, until he calmed down and looked at the guy in front of him. He was not wearing a mask. He was an young man with brown hair and a very plain appearence.
Lutz: "Are you... that judge?"
"Ah, I see why you were frightened," said the man, dismissing Lutz's concern. "No, I'm not him; I work for him instead."
He extended his hand to Lutz in a friendly manner.
"My name's Scott. The Judge's already told me about your situation."
Lutz stared at the fellow's hand for a while, contemplating whether or not he should shake it.
Lutz: "You know... I don't think it's a good idea for me to touch you."
Scott: "Oh, you're right—sorry!" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "I almost just died, hehe."
Lutz: "How can you be so... reckless?"
Scott: "Well, I was told to wait for you to wake up to guide you on your first mission, so I thought that touching you wouldn't be any different from standing right next to you."
Lutz: "You were... waiting for me to wake up? Wait, how long have you been here?"
Scott: "Since you blacked out... three days ago, I think?"
Lutz: "Three days?!"
Scott: "Of course, I didn't stay here the whole time. A coworker and I would take turns every now and then..."
Lutz: "That's not the matter! How did you manage to survive this long being next to me? Isn't this armor poisonous?"
Scott: "Well, it is to a certain extent—but only when it's looking for a new host. It was dormant before it chose you, so the only way to die would be through physical contact, not just by being near it. Besides, it has already accepted you as its new master, so it has returned to that state."
Lutz: "I'm... its master now?"
Scott: "Yeah, but the armor is also a parasite. Neither of you can live without the other."
Lutz's mind was flooded with memories of that trial. He hadn't been paying much attention at the time due to the pain, but the armor had recorded everything. It was like having a new brain and a new body, all rolled into one.
Lutz: "The Judge said something like that... Ugh, my memories are all scattered around... I feel like my head is about to burst."
Scott: "Are you feeling alright? Well, I think that's a stupid question. Do you want to rest a little more? There's still plenty of time until your life essence runs out."
Lutz: "My... life essence?"
Scott: "Yeah, your mana, your soul energy... it's all interconnected. But if you don't replenish it soon, you're going to explode."
Lutz: "Sorry, come again? The Judge said that if I don't kill a deity within the deadline, I'll blow up. But how am I supposed to do that? There's a limit to what a human can do—no human could ever face a god."
Scott: "I'm afraid you're mistaken Mr. Harridwen."
Lutz: "You can call me just Lutz."
They stepped outside. The sky was blood-red, and the red moons cast an infernal light over the demonic society. Various monsters passed by—walking or flying—curious about the strange humans.
Lutz: "Do you also have to offer them human bodies to be here or something?"
Scott: "Not really. The Judge struck a deal with the local demon lord, since weakening humanity is in his interest too. But, well, that pile of cultist bodies around you didn't exactly go to waste..."
Lutz frowned, feeling nauseous.
Lutz: "That information was not necessary..."
Scott: "Well, you asked it yourself. A painful truth is better than a comforting lie."
Lutz: "Can't say I disagree..."
They stopped before a cliff. It wasn't very high, but it offered a view of Tristan in all its glory. Dragons swarmed the sky, and winged demons flitted from place to place. Yet, aside from that, there wasn't much internal conflict. Of course, they needed to unite against the humans, but in a way, they were more civilized than humanity.
Scott: "Somewhat peaceful, no?"
Lutz: "Not when I'm on a timer..."
Scott: "Well, about that, I'm not going to waste your time. Ucathia is that way."
He pointed to the horizon.
Scott: "Your first mission is to go there and kill any local god, demigod or angel."
Lutz: "I'm sorry, what? Are you telling me to go there by myself?"
Scott: "If you fly fast enough, they won't notice you immediately. Of course, your scent is very strong to deities, but you might have a few seconds to react."
Lutz: "That's not the only problem! How am I going to fly? How am I supposed to fight a god? I have no skills other than espionage and assassinating humans!"
Scott: "Ucathia is full of low-tier angels—you can start from there. As for controlling your new powers... let's just say it all comes down to instinct. You'll master them in less than a day."
Lutz: "I'm not sure about that..."
Scott: "Come on, be a little more optimistic! It's better than killing millions of humans."
Lutz: "But not easier..."
Scott: "Yeah, but this way, you could become a hero. Both gods and demons have been tyrants for too long. The time has come for humans to thrive."
Lutz: "I don't have a choice, do I...?"
Scott: "To be honest, I'm scared too. But it's better to fight and die than to cower in fear and also die eventually. Otherwise, the strong will always rule over us, and the it will always—and I mean always—get worse.
The hellish yet gentle breeze caressed their faces and hair. The city's stench was abominable. Lutz covered his nose, taken aback.
Lutz: "I only just noticed the smell of this place! It's horrible!"
Scott: "Haha, right? At least it's natural, unlike the royal family."
Lutz: "Something tells me you don't like the elites..."
Scott: "Why should I? They took everything from everyone for their own benefit!"
Lutz chuckled, already feeling nostalgic for his old job back when he was human.
Lutz: "I guess we aren't so different in that regard."
He took a step forward, keeping one foot suspended over the precipice.
Lutz: "So, do I learn how to fly like the birds?"
Scott: "W-Wait, step back! The impact would probably be dangerous!"
Lutz stepped back, feeling disappointed.
Lutz: "I thought you could take a joke..."
Scott: "It's better not to cause any meaningful damage, otherwise all the demons will have a very good reason to attack humanity."
Lutz: "I see..."
Scott: "So, take a few steps back and imagine a straight line. If you jump, the city could be destroyed; so, just picture yourself traveling along this line."
Lutz: "A line...?"
He closed his eyes imagined a perfectly straight line.
Lutz: "I think I've got it..."
Scott: "Then you're ready to go. And Lutz-"
Lutz opened his eyes to look at the young man, who smiled at him.
Scott: "It will all work out in the end."
Lutz smiled back and nodded.
He could not comprehend what had just happened. He briefly lost consciousness and saw the space around him stretch. After some time, he regained consciousness. He was in a square in a human city.
He scanned his surroundings, trying to recognize the city.
Lutz: "Is this Ucathia...?"
"Correct!" a male voice rang out behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt an intensely hot light burn his skin and blind him.
Dazed, he felt his brain flooded with stimuli. He tried to process something. Although he could not see and his skin was burning with heat, he gradually began to sense his surroundings. He felt a presence in front of him.
"Hm?" said the same voice. "What are you made of?"
Lutz tried to speak, but his vocal cords were burned. The pain was slowly subsiding.
"Has the cat got your tongue?" said the man with an air of superiority. "Let's see if this brings it back."
Lutz sensed immense danger. He couldn't understand why, but he felt he was going to die. He ran to the side as fast as he could.
His vision was returning, and his body was slowly healing.
"Huh?" The man sounded a bit impatient.
Finally, Lutz could see again. The man standing a few meters in front of him wore an expression of indignation. His skin was rosy, and his short, straight hair was white. His eyes were closed. He wore a white, aristocratic-style garment and blue pants. He also had wings and looked like a fairy. In his right hand, he held a black and white wand.
Lutz: "Who are you...?"
"I asked you a question," he emphasized, losing his patience. "What are you?"
Stretching out before the mysterious man was a cone-shaped expanse of scorched earth. It was no small area; it extended for kilometers, obliterating even the mountains that stood in its path.
Did he do that...?
"Last chance to answer me, insect," he reiterated, pointing his wand at Lutz. "You're not human, are you?"
Lutz sensed danger again. The only thing he could think about was killing that mysterious being. The fairy fired his wand, and Lutz dodged to the side. It was a beam of destructive light that stretched all the way to the horizon.
But Lutz was so fast that he managed to land a kick on the side of the man's head before he could react. The angelic figure fell to the ground, eyes flying open in pain. A black trail of emptiness began to consume him at the spot where Lutz had struck. He was holding his head as if it were about to burst.
"The Primordial Goddess?!" he screamed, writhing in pain. "Where did you get that armor?!"
Lutz couldn't believe he had just done that. The man's body was rapidly disintegrating.
"Answer me, human!" He pointed his wand at Lutz again, ready to fire. "I am Lux, the Angel of Light! Do you have any idea of the heresy you are committing right now?! If you don't stop this, I'll tell the Council that humanity has rebelled against us! Do you hear me?! A war is going to break out because of you!"
Lux fired an even more destructive beam of light. Lutz instinctively blocked it with his arms. The light split into two smaller beams that veered off course, as if there were a barrier in their path. The black void consumed him completely, leaving behind only a floating black-and-white essence. After a few seconds, it flew toward the white crystal on the chest plate of Lutz's armor.
His body and mind were flooded with information. He saw and felt everything about Lux, which overwhelmed his brain. Then, everything around him went black.