For more than an hour the tall, dark-haired man continued impatiently pacing the room. More than anything in the world, he wanted to break something, and even better - to kill someone, but it was not proper for a royal person to lose her temper over trifles. Seemingly trifles, and how Astaron actually reacted to the challenge of this upstart Verrier - it would be better for no one to know. Recently, the Dark State has already become restless ...
“Your Majesty,” interrupted his thought, a girl who entered without knocking, the same dark-haired as himself. Astaron turned, and a smile involuntarily touched his lips, which, except for the girl, no one in the whole dark world saw.
"What's the official tone, my little fury?" He immediately went up to the girl and took her by the hand. Even now, Astaron felt how strong his daughter would be, how much she would surpass him. He was proud of this and was afraid at the same time, in the future the girl would have a hard time.
“Because I came to you not as a father, but as the head of the Andras dynasty, and in general to the Great Ruler as a whole.
Hiding a smile, the dark-haired man asked seriously:
“Then I’m listening to you, my dear.
“Your Majesty, I think that you should refuse the challenge,” the girl blurted out, a fire flared in her eyes, which spoke, if not of anger, then of the strongest anxiety at least.
- And what are your arguments? Astaron asked just as seriously.
“I… He’s from the Vaylir dynasty, father!” You yourself know very well that they are famous for their atrocities and deceit! This time, the fire in the girl's eyes flared so brightly that Astaron became worried. My daughter often had uncontrolled releases of energy, but now it would be very inopportune.
“Keep yourself together, Daniella!” he put the girl down. - And figure it out, I am now your ruler or your father.
Danielle, that was the baby's name, lowered her eyes, trying to concentrate and master the Force, but at her age it was almost impossible. What can I say, even her father, the Great Ruler Astaron, a descendant of Andras and the head of his entire dynasty, did not succeed every time.
“That’s great,” the dark-haired man noted the efforts of his daughter. “Now go and hug your father,” he extended his arms to her, and the girl obediently approached, quickly burying herself in her father’s shoulder.
You will refuse, right? She didn't seem to believe it herself.
– No, my little one, the Ruler cannot afford such a thing.
“You are the most important person here, you can do everything!” - but Danielle definitely believed in this: for her, her father really was the strongest and most powerful.
Astaron pulled the girl closer to him and sighed:
- No, my dear, not all ...
And he turned out to be absolutely right, because that night he could not defeat the descendant of Vaylir ...
Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I sat quietly on the sidelines and waited for the decision of the commission. The rest of my strength was spent on holding the illusion, and in my mind I hurried a bunch of five demons, who were discussing something tensely at the moment. More precisely, not something, but someone. Me. The demons were discussing me. That's what they, one wonders, so pull? Is it really difficult to pass judgment on the most average demoness in the whole dark world? No wonder I waited so long for my turn.
- Charlene? a harsh male voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up.
A blond-haired demon of the second level was looking at me, which in itself was already impressive and even frightening. The higher the level of the Demon's Strength, the more it affected those around, and since there were some of the strongest among the members of the commission, there was something to be afraid of. But I wasn't scared, just a little. Under the tenacious gaze of the white-haired man, I silently got up and approached the commission. My legs wobbled nastily, my heart was beating like it was about to jump out of my chest. Perhaps, about the "very little" I'm in vain. But, on the other hand, it was not the blond who scared me at all.
I stopped in front of a semi-circular table where the Greater Demons sat with a regal air. Now five pairs of eyes looked at me at once, and, oddly enough, this could be considered luck, because usually seven demons sit at this table at once. In general, the pressure on applicants is rather big.
What do you say, Philip? – all the same blond-haired with a grin turned to the Higher One, who was sitting to his right. He also had blond hair, and meeting two blond demons in the same room at once is, I will say, a rarity. In addition, Philip was quite young, hardly more than three hundred years old, but he had the same second level. Even under the canopy of the order of the illusion that exhausted me, I saw that his level was not innate, but acquired, and this made me respect Philip even more.
“I’ll say that the girl is rather weak,” he answered lazily, and I mentally took away all my words about respect. "She's level six, the bare minimum," he drawled, as if the first sentence wasn't enough.
“Exactly, the minimum for admission,” a middle-aged dark-haired demoness wedged in, looking at me sympathetically, sitting next to the malicious Philip. – We have no visible reasons to refuse her, she passed all the tests, her Strength is enough to study at the Academy.
- So there is no reason? Looking at me slyly, the blond squinted even more.
- Do you think there is?
“Maybe we should ask her ourselves?” What's her name there?
- Charlene! I lifted my chin and proudly replied. My name is Charlene.
Before such demons, the main thing is not to show your fear. And I was afraid, but not of refusal. I was afraid of being caught.
“Here, she even has a common name. And I thought we were recruiting exclusively talents, - Philip did not give up, nervously waving his hand. Against my will, my gaze caught on his gloves: black, made of thin leather, they seemed to be an extension of the black uniform in which the demon was dressed.
- Do you have any other objections, besides the name, Mr. Judge of the High Commission? I asked, staring straight into his eyes, slowly changing color to poisonous green.
Did such a trifle pissed off the Higher Demon? No, it's unlikely.
- There are no objections, but there is a question.
In that case, I'm ready to answer it.
“Why are you wearing an illusion… hmmm…”
- Charlene.
- Exactly. Why are you under an illusion, Charlene? - under the curious glances of the other members of the commission, he closed his eyes for a second, and after a moment they returned to their usual gray color.
Immediately after that, I myself was rewarded with curious looks. Now I understand why his eyes suddenly began to turn: he was studying me. Scanned using the so-called demonic gaze. Now two more have followed suit.
It's bad, but not fatal.
“Because my ancestors were members of the Ronwe Dynasty, Mr. Judge. Tell you about the area of influence of the Great Ronwe? I asked calmly.
I prepared the answer to a similar question in advance, which at the moment I was very proud of. I would not want to get lost under the tenacious gaze of Philip and the other Mentors, already hated by me.
“It’s not worth it,” the same dark-haired demoness came to the rescue. “We are all well aware that he was the Supreme Illusory Demon.
“And this does not explain your illusion at all,” the vicious blond did not give up. Something in me obviously annoyed him beyond measure, no doubt about it.
“Calm down, Philip,” the head of the commission besieged the demon.
© K. Waltz, 2017
© AST Publishing House LLC, 2017
* * *For more than an hour the tall, dark-haired man continued impatiently pacing the room. More than anything in the world, he wanted to break something, and even better - to kill someone, but it was not proper for a royal person to lose her temper over trifles. Seemingly trifles, and how Astaron actually reacted to the challenge of this upstart Verrier - it would be better for no one to know. Recently, the Dark State has already become restless ...
“Your Majesty,” interrupted his thought, a girl who entered without knocking, the same dark-haired as himself. Astaron turned, and a smile involuntarily touched his lips, which, except for the girl, no one in the whole dark world saw.
"What's the official tone, my little fury?" He immediately went up to the girl and took her by the hand. Even now, Astaron felt how strong his daughter would be, how much she would surpass him. He was proud of this and was afraid at the same time, in the future the girl would have a hard time.
“Because I came to you not as a father, but as the head of the Andras dynasty, and in general to the Great Ruler as a whole.
Hiding a smile, the dark-haired man asked seriously:
“Then I’m listening to you, my dear.
“Your Majesty, I think that you should refuse the challenge,” the girl blurted out, a fire flared in her eyes, which spoke, if not of anger, then of the strongest anxiety at least.
- And what are your arguments? Astaron asked just as seriously.
“I… He’s from the Vaylir dynasty, father!” You yourself know very well that they are famous for their atrocities and deceit! This time, the fire in the girl's eyes flared so brightly that Astaron became worried. My daughter often had uncontrolled releases of energy, but now it would be very inopportune.
“Keep yourself together, Daniella!” he put the girl down. - And figure it out, I am now your ruler or your father.
Danielle, that was the baby's name, lowered her eyes, trying to concentrate and master the Force, but at her age it was almost impossible. What can I say, even her father, the Great Ruler Astaron, a descendant of Andras and the head of his entire dynasty, did not succeed every time.
“That’s great,” the dark-haired man noted the efforts of his daughter. “Now go and hug your father,” he extended his arms to her, and the girl obediently approached, quickly burying herself in her father’s shoulder.
You will refuse, right? She didn't seem to believe it herself.
– No, my little one, the Ruler cannot afford such a thing.
“You are the most important person here, you can do everything!” - but Danielle definitely believed in this: for her, her father really was the strongest and most powerful.
Astaron pulled the girl closer to him and sighed:
- No, my dear, not all ...
And he turned out to be absolutely right, because that night he could not defeat the descendant of Vaylir ...
Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I sat quietly on the sidelines and waited for the decision of the commission. The rest of my strength was spent on holding the illusion, and in my mind I hurried a bunch of five demons, who were discussing something tensely at the moment. More precisely, not something, but someone. Me. The demons were discussing me. That's what they, one wonders, so pull? Is it really difficult to pass judgment on the most average demoness in the whole dark world? No wonder I waited so long for my turn.
- Charlene? a harsh male voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up.
A blond-haired demon of the second level was looking at me, which in itself was already impressive and even frightening. The higher the level of the Demon's Strength, the more it affected those around, and since there were some of the strongest among the members of the commission, there was something to be afraid of. But I wasn't scared, just a little. Under the tenacious gaze of the white-haired man, I silently got up and approached the commission. My legs wobbled nastily, my heart was beating like it was about to jump out of my chest. Perhaps, about the "very little" I'm in vain. But, on the other hand, it was not the blond who scared me at all.
I stopped in front of a semi-circular table where the Greater Demons sat with a regal air. Now five pairs of eyes looked at me at once, and, oddly enough, this could be considered luck, because usually seven demons sit at this table at once. In general, the pressure on applicants is rather big.
What do you say, Philip? – all the same blond-haired with a grin turned to the Higher One, who was sitting to his right. He also had blond hair, and meeting two blond demons in the same room at once is, I will say, a rarity. In addition, Philip was quite young, hardly more than three hundred years old, but he had the same second level. Even under the canopy of the order of the illusion that exhausted me, I saw that his level was not innate, but acquired, and this made me respect Philip even more.
“I’ll say that the girl is rather weak,” he answered lazily, and I mentally took away all my words about respect. "She's level six, the bare minimum," he drawled, as if the first sentence wasn't enough.
“Exactly, the minimum for admission,” a middle-aged dark-haired demoness wedged in, looking at me sympathetically, sitting next to the malicious Philip. – We have no visible reasons to refuse her, she passed all the tests, her Strength is enough to study at the Academy.
- So there is no reason? Looking at me slyly, the blond squinted even more.
- Do you think there is?
“Maybe we should ask her ourselves?” What's her name there?
- Charlene! I lifted my chin and proudly replied. My name is Charlene.
Before such demons, the main thing is not to show your fear. And I was afraid, but not of refusal. I was afraid of being caught.
“Here, she even has a common name. And I thought we were recruiting exclusively talents, - Philip did not give up, nervously waving his hand. Against my will, my gaze caught on his gloves: black, made of thin leather, they seemed to be an extension of the black uniform in which the demon was dressed.
- Do you have any other objections, besides the name, Mr. Judge of the High Commission? I asked, staring straight into his eyes, slowly changing color to poisonous green.
Did such a trifle pissed off the Higher Demon? No, it's unlikely.
- There are no objections, but there is a question.
In that case, I'm ready to answer it.
“Why are you wearing an illusion… hmmm…”
- Charlene.
- Exactly. Why are you under an illusion, Charlene? - under the curious glances of the other members of the commission, he closed his eyes for a second, and after a moment they returned to their usual gray color.
Karina Waltz
W. ShakespeareFor more than an hour the tall, dark-haired man continued impatiently pacing the room. More than anything in the world, he wanted to break something, and even better - to kill someone, but it was not proper for a royal person to lose her temper over trifles. Seemingly trifles, and how Astaron actually reacted to the challenge of this upstart Verrier - it would be better for no one to know. Recently, the Dark State has already become restless ...
“Your Majesty,” interrupted his thought, a girl who entered without knocking, the same dark-haired as himself. Astaron turned, and a smile involuntarily touched his lips, which, except for the girl, no one in the whole dark world saw.
"What's the official tone, my little fury?" He immediately went up to the girl and took her by the hand. Even now, Astaron felt how strong his daughter would be, how much she would surpass him. He was proud of this and was afraid at the same time, in the future the girl would have a hard time.
“Because I came to you not as a father, but as the head of the Andras dynasty, and in general to the Great Ruler as a whole.
Hiding a smile, the dark-haired man asked seriously:
“Then I’m listening to you, my dear.
“Your Majesty, I think that you should refuse the challenge,” the girl blurted out, a fire flared in her eyes, which spoke, if not of anger, then of the strongest anxiety at least.
- And what are your arguments? Astaron asked just as seriously.
“I… He’s from the Vaylir dynasty, father!” You yourself know very well that they are famous for their atrocities and deceit! This time, the fire in the girl's eyes flared so brightly that Astaron became worried. My daughter often had uncontrolled releases of energy, but now it would be very inopportune.
“Keep yourself together, Daniella!” he put the girl down. - And figure it out, I am now your ruler or your father.
Danielle, that was the baby's name, lowered her eyes, trying to concentrate and master the Force, but at her age it was almost impossible. What can I say, even her father, the Great Ruler Astaron, a descendant of Andras and the head of his entire dynasty, did not succeed every time.
“That’s great,” the dark-haired man noted the efforts of his daughter. “Now go and hug your father,” he extended his arms to her, and the girl obediently approached, quickly burying herself in her father’s shoulder.
You will refuse, right? She didn't seem to believe it herself.
– No, my little one, the Ruler cannot afford such a thing.
Astaron pulled the girl closer to him and sighed:
- No, my dear, not all ...
And he turned out to be absolutely right, because that night he could not defeat the descendant of Vaylir ...
Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I sat quietly on the sidelines and waited for the decision of the commission. The rest of my strength was spent on holding the illusion, and in my mind I hurried a bunch of five demons, who were discussing something tensely at the moment. More precisely, not something, but someone. Me. The demons were discussing me. That's what they, one wonders, so pull? Is it really difficult to pass judgment on the most average demoness in the whole dark world? No wonder I waited so long for my turn.
- Charlene? a harsh male voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up.
A blond-haired demon of the second level was looking at me, which in itself was already impressive and even frightening. The higher the level of the Demon's Strength, the more it affected those around, and since there were some of the strongest among the members of the commission, there was something to be afraid of. But I wasn't scared, just a little. Under the tenacious gaze of the white-haired man, I silently got up and approached the commission. My legs wobbled nastily, my heart was beating like it was about to jump out of my chest. Perhaps, about the "very little" I'm in vain. But, on the other hand, it was not the blond who scared me at all.
I stopped in front of a semi-circular table where the Greater Demons sat with a regal air. Now five pairs of eyes looked at me at once, and, oddly enough, this could be considered luck, because usually seven demons sit at this table at once. In general, the pressure on applicants is rather big.
What do you say, Philip? – all the same blond-haired with a grin turned to the Higher One, who was sitting to his right. He also had blond hair, and meeting two blond demons in the same room at once is, I will say, a rarity. In addition, Philip was quite young, hardly more than three hundred years old, but he had the same second level. Even under the canopy of the order of the illusion that exhausted me, I saw that his level was not innate, but acquired, and this made me respect Philip even more.
“I’ll say that the girl is rather weak,” he answered lazily, and I mentally took away all my words about respect. "She's level six, the bare minimum," he drawled, as if the first sentence wasn't enough.
“Exactly, the minimum for admission,” a middle-aged dark-haired demoness wedged in, looking at me sympathetically, sitting next to the malicious Philip. – We have no visible reasons to refuse her, she passed all the tests, her Strength is enough to study at the Academy.
- So there is no reason? Looking at me slyly, the blond squinted even more.
- Do you think there is?
“Maybe we should ask her ourselves?” What's her name there?
- Charlene! I lifted my chin and proudly replied. My name is Charlene.
Before such demons, the main thing is not to show your fear. And I was afraid, but not of refusal. I was afraid of being caught.
“Here, she even has a common name. And I thought we were recruiting exclusively talents, - Philip did not give up, nervously waving his hand. Against my will, my gaze caught on his gloves: black, made of thin leather, they seemed to be an extension of the black uniform in which the demon was dressed.
- Do you have any other objections, besides the name, Mr. Judge of the High Commission? I asked, staring straight into his eyes, slowly changing color to poisonous green.
Did such a trifle pissed off the Higher Demon? No, it's unlikely.
- There are no objections, but there is a question.
In that case, I'm ready to answer it.
“Why are you wearing an illusion… hmmm…”
- Charlene.
- Exactly. Why are you under an illusion, Charlene? - under the curious glances of the other members of the commission, he closed his eyes for a second, and after a moment they returned to their usual gray color.
Immediately after that, I myself was rewarded with curious looks. Now I understand why his eyes suddenly began to turn: he was studying me. Scanned using the so-called demonic gaze. Now two more have followed suit.
“Because my ancestors were members of the Ronwe Dynasty, Mr. Judge. Tell you about the area of influence of the Great Ronwe? I asked calmly.
I prepared the answer to a similar question in advance, which at the moment I was very proud of. I would not want to get lost under the tenacious gaze of Philip and the other Mentors, already hated by me.
“It’s not worth it,” the same dark-haired demoness came to the rescue. “We are all well aware that he was the Supreme Illusory Demon.
“And this does not explain your illusion at all,” the vicious blond did not give up. Something in me obviously annoyed him beyond measure, no doubt about it.
“Calm down, Philip,” the head of the commission besieged the demon.
He looked as calm as a rock, which is a rarity among demons. Although at his age ... According to my most modest estimates, he has long passed over the ninth hundred. I think what was happening at the moment amused him a little: I, too, would be interested in watching a bunch of young, short-tempered demons bickering over trifles.
“I came here to learn how to level up and control the Force!” – again I issued a memorized phrase, shifting my gaze from the demoness to the Head. They felt much more benevolence than the rest.
“Are you saying you have poor control over illusions?”
Technically, I control illusions just fine, but all blondes do not need to know about this.
“I think since you have noticed my Power, the answer is obvious. Badly.
– Girl, you have the sixth level, not some fourth.
- I highly doubt it.
– When excited, everyone has Force outbursts, Philip, – it seems that I already love this demoness, because she once again stood up for me. “And you talk about the sixth level as if it were the ninth. She's not that weak. A century ago, you weren't much stronger than her yourself.
The blond grimaced as if he had eaten a bucket of Ascorian citruses.
“All right,” he muttered. - I have no more questions.
- Amalia? – the blond, who had been silent until now, addressed the demoness, whose name I did not yet know.
- No questions.
“We don’t have either,” the Head of the Commission forestalled the demon, answering immediately for the silent Supreme to his right. He nodded in confirmation of his words.
Didn't see them talking. Head that, just decided for him?
“Then I have a question,” the first blond “delighted.” It seems that the color of the hair greatly affects the nastiness of the character, how Philip smiled contentedly when the others were able to keep a neutral expression on their faces.
“I hear you,” I said calmly.
And what is the name of the nameless blond? For the life of me, I don't remember. It seems that they all introduced themselves before the start of the exam, but, as a sin, the names did not stick in my memory, it was too painful for me to be focused on my little deceit.
– I know that you completed all the tasks successfully, but I have another question. One of the members of the commission does not yet have the second level of Strength. He is not the Supreme. Your task is to determine who exactly, - the nameless blond smiled as if he was giving me a gift. Such an awesome gift.
Some demons could determine someone else's level with a half glance using the same demonic gaze. But for this you need to have a lot of strength. Very large, no less than a third. Of course, I knew for sure who was not up to the rest, but how to explain my knowledge? It was hard with this ... Excitement immediately came: is it really because of such a trifle that I won’t be able to do it? After all, the only explanation that I can provide is very weak, even stupid. And what kind of task is this? After all, it is clear that the most ordinary demon will never pass him.
Catching the grin of Philip, who did not like me at first sight, I could hardly resist a visual demonstration of the reciprocity of our feelings. Restraint has never been my hallmark, but it could be said about many. True, hot temper was often considered an indicator of the demon's weakness over its Strength, but personally this theory always seemed delusional to me.
The members of the commission looked at me expectantly, of course, everyone was looking forward to my answer.
“This is the judge of the High Commission, sitting on the right,” I pleased, deciding not to pull the echidna by the tail.
The Level 3 Nameless One unexpectedly smiled broadly and nodded to confirm my guess, the demoness Amalia grinned at the pair of blonds, and the Head of the Commission put the Power seal on my name card without further questions. At that moment, I was ready to kiss him with pleasure, because the seal meant only one thing: they accepted me and from that very moment they have no right to expel me. For no reason, of course. And there were only three conditions under which I could fly out, and I would never fall under any of them, I would have to take care of that.
“Thank you, Mr. Head,” looking at the form disappearing into the emerald-green haze, I smiled and could not resist a victorious look, although I was somewhat surprised by the haste of his decision. Of course, it's not for me to judge, but...
“You are in a hurry, as always, Alessandre,” the blond man, the one that Philippe, got in. It seems that no one was even surprised by this, except that Amalia sighed barely perceptibly.
- Do you have any more questions?
I have, it's strange that you don't.
“Maybe stop torturing the girl already? - this, of course, is Amalia's plea. “We have many more of these ahead of us.
That's it, save your strength. And that's not enough for everyone.
“I'm ready to answer all your questions, Judge Philip, if you have any,” I said, staring at the demon.
It is clear that he is simply not capable of falling behind just like that, and he will still have to explain himself, and my strength is already running out. That is, of course, I have a lot of Forces, but my body and mind are already completely exhausted. In addition, the thought that I was accepted and now certainly would not be expelled gave me courage, and perhaps impudence.
“Then answer,” the blond grinned, losing interest in the Head at once. The latter, by the way, was delighted, and if he did not breathe a sigh of relief, then he was very, very close to this.
“You didn't ask a question, Mr. Judge.
“Tell our not particularly curious commission what Judge Felix gave himself away.
“Well, I only had to be a little more attentive - and four out of five names are already in my pocket,” I remarked to myself contentedly. Felix is just a judge with a third level of Strength, I believe. In appearance, he was much more pleasant than both blondes at once: his features were not so hard, and his hair, according to all demonic traditions, was dark and not very long. He made a very good impression, even without striving for this, although he belonged to the most controversial and destructive dynasty. At the moment, Felix was smiling and also waiting for an answer, it was noticeable that he was also interested. Well curious.
Coughing and reluctantly returning my attention to the not-so-pleasant demon in the dark world Philippe, I answered absolutely calmly:
“I’m sure you all understand very well that I obviously don’t have enough Forces to determine the level,” I made an effective pause, noticing the condescending smiles that flashed with strange satisfaction. “So I had to rely on observation alone. Judge Felix did not take a visible part in the discussions, Head Alessandre was responsible for him, so I decided ... - having caught the already frankly laughing looks, I cut off my speech.
“So, if I were silent, would you think of me?” Philip laughed indefatigably.
Yeah, if you were able to keep quiet.
“Quite possibly,” I shrugged, keeping my air of indifference. That's how I knew that my version was so-so, but, to my great regret, it was the only one. And what's the difference now, since I did?
The blond, so far nameless, joined Philip's chuckles, I don't know what they found so funny in my words, but I remembered it just in case. Nameless, by the way, was also wearing gloves, and this fact aroused curiosity. What, all white-haired people wear gloves? I have not heard about that.
The head remained indifferent to my answer and simply shrugged his shoulders, saying that he had assumed something like that, while Amalia turned her gaze to Felix.
- Well, Charlene's opinion has every right to exist, - he concluded, apparently from this moment deciding not to be silent. In the end, she guessed right. Congratulations, Charlene, you have been accepted into the Academy of the Seven Dynasties,” he was already addressing me, accompanying his words with a short but endearing smile.
I logically took what was said as a proposal to make room for the next poor guy and not provoke more blondes, quickly bowed my head in farewell and briskly flew out the door opposite the one I entered.
"Ascorian Highs," I cursed as I wandered down the wide, deserted corridor. To be honest, the last thing I expected was such close attention to my rather modest person, but no, they clung. Once again reminding myself that it didn't matter anymore, I took a few deep breaths and moved on.
The corridor was distinguished not only by its emptiness, but also by its length. Dark wood-covered walls, even darker floors, and diffused yellowish lighting created the slightly gloomy environment we all loved so much. Absolutely all those who arrived in the order of the queue fell into this corridor, what would happen next - I knew very vaguely, because I was not particularly interested in such trifles. In the end, I'll still find out, if, of course, I manage to get to the end.
Oddly enough, I succeeded: at the exit, a demon with a bored face was waiting, thank Andras, dark-haired, offhand not higher than the fourth level. The guy watched my approach without emotion, holding a demonic scroll in his hands. The poor fellow must be tired of hanging around like this.
“Charlene O’Ray, take your left,” he said. “And don’t forget that from now on, you can leave the city of the Academy only after the end of the entire period of study.
- And no exceptions? - just in case, I clarified.
“Nothing,” the demon said sternly.
- So that's great.
The demon gave me a searching look and pursed his lips, probably wondering what was so wonderful I found in voluntary imprisonment for a period of five to seven years. Well, great, he will have food for thought while he waits for the next poor fellow tortured by blondes.
As I was advised, I turned left into exactly the same corridor. I took a few steps, and then an incomprehensible wave of Force covered me, as if doused from head to toe. My heart was beating loudly, I greedily swallowed the air, trying to cope with the gamut of sensations. And calm down a bit. It took me a full minute, after which I turned around. And I saw nothing, absolutely nothing. What was it? Turning my head and not seeing anything, I took a step back, that's where I was hit. Once again making sure that there were no spectators, I began to peer into the void. I don’t know what I expected, but I saw a rather powerful force barrier. The strength emanated from him.
“However,” I commented on what I saw and chuckled.
It seems that the imprisonment of students here is indeed severe. I did not reach out my hand and try to find the Force, I just moved further along the corridor. Firstly, any intrusion into someone else's Force is quite dangerous, and the barrier was very, very powerful, and secondly, if someone is watching me at the moment, I will look at least suspicious. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn't have felt anything.
This time, a demoness with red hair met me at the end of the corridor. Unlike her colleague, or whoever they related to each other, the redhead smiled contentedly and even sincerely. I even smiled myself, infected by her joy.
I can’t imagine how you can be so happily confused, but just in case, she nodded, confirming the correctness of her guess.
“Just think, just three years ago I was in your place!” – meanwhile the redhead continued, then she caught herself and held out her hand. I'm Mirra, by the way.
I'm a quick-witted genius, not otherwise.
- Yes. And the whole first year I will help you, - the redhead delighted. “I'm sure you and I will become even more friends than Terry, he was my handler. Oh how he helped me! I remember how he met me, in the same place ... I didn’t know then whether I should faint from horror or from happiness, but Terry told me everything.
How to faint? It's unclear somehow.
- Your curator? I managed to catch one suspicious word.
“The whole… is it the whole year?”
- Of course!
After such encouraging news, I took a closer look at her: beautiful, however, like all demons, she was slightly shorter than me, that is, quite tall. A flexible figure, a round face with large yellowish eyes and an upturned nose. Hair, as I have already noticed, is red, with a rare bronze tint. There was no special Power in her, hardly higher than the fifth level. Now it was difficult to determine for sure, and I didn’t really want to. And I do not think that I will be mistaken if I say that she is from the dynasty of Asmodeus. Demons-tempters, there were quite a lot of various rumors and speculation about them, but which of them are true is hard to guess. Although now I don’t have to guess - I’ll find out everything empirically, that’s why I came to the Academy. Learn and watch your brothers.
“And what kind of help can I expect from you?” – I asked, pacing next to the imposed girlfriend.
- Absolutely anyone. This is one of our rules: each newcomer is assigned a more experienced and stronger demon. You see, at first it will be quite difficult for you for a number of reasons, but don’t worry, she immediately smiled reassuringly. - I still remember how I was in your place, and if it were not for Terry ... By the way, I will definitely introduce you to him someday. You see, he is already a graduate, so it won’t work out in the near future,” the demoness mourned.
- Great, - I commented, completely unwilling to get acquainted with the unknown Terry. Just think, I had not had time to receive the seal of the Force on admission, as I began to acquire acquaintances, in my case obviously unnecessary. Well, at least Terry faded into the background for a while.
“Um… is he lucky?”
However, Mirra did not pay any attention to my half-question, continuing to chirp:
- Now we will quickly run around the town, then I will show you where you will live, then we will run for dinner. Excuse me, but we simply don’t have time for anything else, you were accepted among the last. Although, if you think about it, you are lucky: some do not have time to see the town at all until the next day, and it deserves it, there are so many interesting things here! Oh, I can already imagine your reaction…” she drawled with such anticipation that I promised myself to try not to disappoint the demoness.
We turned a couple more times, quickly passed a spacious hall, the furnishings of which differed little from the corridor, all the same dark wood and flickering light. But in the hall, I finally saw other demons, which made me incredibly happy: from a long wander through the endless corridors, I got the impression that I was completely alone here. Not the most pleasant feeling, but very familiar. Mirra waved affably at the guy with the strange messy haircut, but didn't stop, stubbornly moving towards the exit.
- Are you ready? – meaningfully looking into my eyes, asked Mirra, slowing down near the massive door of dark wood.
“I think so,” I nodded, and finally we left the reception headquarters.
“I’ll give you a couple of minutes, and then we’ll go,” the redhead grunted knowingly, watching me, and I, feeling her gaze on me, looked ahead.
Perhaps Mirra was right, and I will definitely need a couple of minutes. I am sure that my physiognomy certainly did not disappoint the red-haired asmodean, because I still cannot describe my feelings at that moment. The reception headquarters seemed to serve as a kind of transition from the ordinary world to a completely different, academic, completely different from an ordinary demonic city. In my life I managed to see much more than many, there is no doubt, and I did not prepare for special impressions. But the place where I was to spend five whole years captivated me at first sight. Perhaps it was all about the time of day: the reddish sun that hung in the sky during daylight hours had practically sunk below the horizon and was currently shimmering with bright light, giving the whole city a sanguine hue; or maybe it was that everything looked completely different from the outside and so it took me by surprise.
A wall of dark stone stretched from the reception headquarters behind me, the town so large that it disappeared from view almost in the same place as the reddish disk of the sun. Underfoot began a wide road, paved with dark red brick, straight and as endless as the wall, it went like an arrow towards the horizon. In the distance to the right was a small village, to the left - a forest, dark and dense. Around the road - an emerald-colored lawn, it was clear that it was supported by a considerable Force. She was everywhere here.
“Trust me, you'll see more,” Mirra promised, grabbing my elbow. – And now we should have time to run to the main building of the Academy and to the student village. By the way, you can even see it a little from here, as you noticed ... Mentors, Masters and even ordinary teachers live separately and much, much closer to the Academy itself. Sometimes I envy them so much that I'm ready to curse! You will definitely hate those morning runs.
"Maybe I'll just wake up early," I shrugged diplomatically.
In response, they gave me such a look that I realized that this was not an option. Well, it's actually better not to think ahead.
“So, students aren’t allowed to use portals?” - I approached the so far unknown morning problem from the other side, not forgetting to turn my head around and look at the unusual and surprising in its brightness town.
This time I received a mockingly condescending look and even an explanation:
– I understand, now it seems to you that you will follow in the footsteps of the great ones and increase your level of Strength by at least a couple of points, but I will have to disappoint you: it will not work. As a rule, the level sufficient to create portals comes just in time for the release, rarely earlier. Of course, except for exceptionally strong students, - here the red-haired demoness involuntarily grimaced, presumably, especially gifted ones are not in high esteem with her. – But even special talents just don’t rise to the level of the Highest, it takes years, even decades. Or centuries.
Or millennia.
“Understood,” I mumbled vaguely.
“So you’ll have to run with your legs,” Mirra continued in the meantime, “and soon you will appreciate the charm of these races ... and it seems that we don’t have time to run to the Academy, we’ll see it tomorrow, we’re here!” - the redhead commanded on the move, pulling my elbow to the right at the fork.
We turned off the main road, or I would even say the streets, and moved towards the mini-town that I had seen from afar. From time to time I noticed the figures of other students, but they all loomed somewhere in the distance and headed in the same direction, towards the forest.
“Dinner time,” Mirra explained my interested look. “We have dinner right after sunset, and it’s better not to be late, usually latecomers have to be content with vegetarian cuisine.
- What does it mean? I frowned as I heard a word I didn't know until now.
So you'll be eating vegetables.
- What a horror, - I even shuddered from the presented picture: well, where has it been seen that demons voluntarily chew vegetables ?!
“That’s right,” the redhead smiled contentedly. - I advise you to start moving now.
Her advice was accepted with pleasure, because the thoughts of dinner suddenly took possession of me completely. I hope they serve meat with hot Salem peppers here, now I would destroy at least three servings. Still, all day in tension, and even with an active illusion, reinforcement was already physically necessary for me.
The place where the students lived was called the Belphegor Plain, presumably in honor of the founder of one of the dynasties, Belphegor the Generous. It seems to me that the nosy studios insisted on the name personally, since the famous demon was distinguished by the Power of luck, wealth and prosperity. On either side of the main street were three-story houses of the same dark stone as the walls surrounding the Academy. Some looked more ancient, as evidenced by the absolute blackness of the stone and thickets of wild poison ivy, while others were clearly built recently. They are still quite gray, and it is clear that they have not had time to absorb much Force.
Page 1 of 75
© K. Waltz, 2017
© AST Publishing House LLC, 2017
* * *
Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
(Hell is empty. All the demons are here.)
Prologue
For more than an hour the tall, dark-haired man continued impatiently pacing the room. More than anything in the world, he wanted to break something, and even better - to kill someone, but it was not proper for a royal person to lose her temper over trifles. Seemingly trifles, and how Astaron actually reacted to the challenge of this upstart Verrier - it would be better for no one to know. Recently, the Dark State has already become restless ...
“Your Majesty,” interrupted his thought, a girl who entered without knocking, the same dark-haired as himself. Astaron turned, and a smile involuntarily touched his lips, which, except for the girl, no one in the whole dark world saw.
"What's the official tone, my little fury?" He immediately went up to the girl and took her by the hand. Even now, Astaron felt how strong his daughter would be, how much she would surpass him. He was proud of this and was afraid at the same time, in the future the girl would have a hard time.
“Because I came to you not as a father, but as the head of the Andras dynasty, and in general to the Great Ruler as a whole.
Hiding a smile, the dark-haired man asked seriously:
“Then I’m listening to you, my dear.
“Your Majesty, I think that you should refuse the challenge,” the girl blurted out, a fire flared in her eyes, which spoke, if not of anger, then of the strongest anxiety at least.
- And what are your arguments? Astaron asked just as seriously.
“I… He’s from the Vaylir dynasty, father!” You yourself know very well that they are famous for their atrocities and deceit! This time, the fire in the girl's eyes flared so brightly that Astaron became worried. My daughter often had uncontrolled releases of energy, but now it would be very inopportune.
“Keep yourself together, Daniella!” he put the girl down. - And figure it out, I am now your ruler or your father.
Danielle, that was the baby's name, lowered her eyes, trying to concentrate and master the Force, but at her age it was almost impossible. What can I say, even her father, the Great Ruler Astaron, a descendant of Andras and the head of his entire dynasty, did not succeed every time.
“That’s great,” the dark-haired man noted the efforts of his daughter. “Now go and hug your father,” he extended his arms to her, and the girl obediently approached, quickly burying herself in her father’s shoulder.
You will refuse, right? She didn't seem to believe it herself.
– No, my little one, the Ruler cannot afford such a thing.
“You are the most important person here, you can do everything!” - but Danielle definitely believed in this: for her, her father really was the strongest and most powerful.
Astaron pulled the girl closer to him and sighed:
- No, my dear, not all ...
And he turned out to be absolutely right, because that night he could not defeat the descendant of Vaylir ...
Chapter 1
Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I sat quietly on the sidelines and waited for the decision of the commission. The rest of my strength was spent on holding the illusion, and in my mind I hurried a bunch of five demons, who were discussing something tensely at the moment. More precisely, not something, but someone. Me. The demons were discussing me. That's what they, one wonders, so pull? Is it really difficult to pass judgment on the most average demoness in the whole dark world? No wonder I waited so long for my turn.
- Charlene? a harsh male voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up.
A blond-haired demon of the second level was looking at me, which in itself was already impressive and even frightening. The higher the level of the Demon's Strength, the more it affected those around, and since there were some of the strongest among the members of the commission, there was something to be afraid of. But I wasn't scared, just a little. Under the tenacious gaze of the white-haired man, I silently got up and approached the commission. My legs wobbled nastily, my heart was beating like it was about to jump out of my chest. Perhaps, about the "very little" I'm in vain. But, on the other hand, it was not the blond who scared me at all.
I stopped in front of a semi-circular table where the Greater Demons sat with a regal air. Now five pairs of eyes looked at me at once, and, oddly enough, this could be considered luck, because usually seven demons sit at this table at once. In general, the pressure on applicants is rather big.
What do you say, Philip? – all the same blond-haired with a grin turned to the Higher One, who was sitting to his right. He also had blond hair, and meeting two blond demons in the same room at once is, I will say, a rarity. In addition, Philip was quite young, hardly more than three hundred years old, but he had the same second level. Even under the canopy of the order of the illusion that exhausted me, I saw that his level was not innate, but acquired, and this made me respect Philip even more.
“I’ll say that the girl is rather weak,” he answered lazily, and I mentally took away all my words about respect. "She's level six, the bare minimum," he drawled, as if the first sentence wasn't enough.
“Exactly, the minimum for admission,” a middle-aged dark-haired demoness wedged in, looking at me sympathetically, sitting next to the malicious Philip. – We have no visible reasons to refuse her, she passed all the tests, her Strength is enough to study at the Academy.
- So there is no reason? Looking at me slyly, the blond squinted even more.
- Do you think there is?
“Maybe we should ask her ourselves?” What's her name there?
- Charlene! I lifted my chin and proudly replied. My name is Charlene.
Before such demons, the main thing is not to show your fear. And I was afraid, but not of refusal. I was afraid of being caught.
“Here, she even has a common name. And I thought we were recruiting exclusively talents, - Philip did not give up, nervously waving his hand. Against my will, my gaze caught on his gloves: black, made of thin leather, they seemed to be an extension of the black uniform in which the demon was dressed.
- Do you have any other objections, besides the name, Mr. Judge of the High Commission? I asked, staring straight into his eyes, slowly changing color to poisonous green.
Did such a trifle pissed off the Higher Demon? No, it's unlikely.
- There are no objections, but there is a question.
In that case, I'm ready to answer it.
“Why are you wearing an illusion… hmmm…”
- Charlene.
- Exactly. Why are you under an illusion, Charlene? - under the curious glances of the other members of the commission, he closed his eyes for a second, and after a moment they returned to their usual gray color.