"Me? I'd like to join your empire as an equal—side by side under the same sky."

"Huh?" Confusion bloomed like fog.

What kind of random turn was that? We were talking Beastfolk, and suddenly the road bent to this.

It wasn't just Ling left blinking in the mist; Alicia looked just as lost.

"N-no, Rafi. I need to be clear. The Mystic Realm isn't fit for Daemons to live. Don't tell me you plan to—" Her words tripped like pebbles on a slope.

Alicia's refusal didn't finish; Ling's small hand covered her mouth like a leaf on a stream.

"Don't listen to her fuss. If you want in, come in! The Mystic Realm welcomes everyone, like an open gate in spring."

Aer meant to rule every race, Daemons included. When fate delivers a gift to your door like morning mail, why turn it away?

She hated to admit it, but at heart she was a lazy mutt, happy to nap in sunlight and skip hard work.

"So your empire's called the Mystic Realm, Ling? Nice name, like a bell in fog."

"Uh... the Mystic Realm isn't an empire, it's—" Her words trailed like smoke.

"Doesn't matter. Consider my terms: let us join the Mystic Realm as equals. We'll lend you Daemon soldiers as pieces to complete your play."

Rafi said it stone-serious, like a blade laid flat. Ling shed her playful air and slipped into her crisp secretary self.

"Statement: in the Mystic Realm, everyone joins as equals. No high or low, no gilded pedestal or clay stool."

Simple words, falling like rain. In Rafi's mind, they churned into a tangled river of meaning.

If Ling rescues the Beastfolk, they'll join as equals too. That means Rafi would stand level with them, like trees sharing one horizon.

She could live with that. But for proud Daemons, it could be a thorn, sharp as winter thistle.

Still...

"It's fine. I'll take responsibility, like tying the tent in a storm."

The words barely fell when a big hand lunged at Rafi again, like a hawk diving. Same trick; it wouldn't work on a Daemon.

Dynamic sight, full bloom—time stretched like pulled taffy.

Falling droplets crawled like snails in her view, and that hand crept just as slow.

"Huh?! Impossible—" Thunder cracked under a clear sky.

The hand hit a pause and trembled. It broke through some veil. In her sight, its speed surged back like a river unleashed.

Fear surged like cold water; she swallowed it first. She tilted aside to dodge that claw, but another hand stormed in.

"Can't... can't dodge!" The words stuck like sap.

No doubt—Rafi's face was seized again. Five jade fingers locked her head like an iron trap.

That monstrous strength froze her will. Fear beat like drumfire that she'd be crushed before she could break free.

Her skull had only just healed. Tough body or not, she was a new Demon King. Two head hits in a row—what if a memory slipped away like a torn page?

No bone-crush came. Instead, a strand of red hair drifted before her eyes like a flame ribbon.

"One chance. State your true aim. You can fool Ling about joining, but you'd better give me a reason that holds water."

"No! My lady, I truly just want to join you—plain as daylight."

"...Why?" Her voice cool as moonlight.

"Because... because of future possibilities—like seeds waiting under snow."

"Future possibilities? Spell it out, like writing on wet sand."

"Think about it. With you and Ling anchoring the Mystic Realm, it won't be weak later. Better hug the oak now; later it's hard to climb. And Daemon life isn't as rosy as you think. If joining the Mystic Realm can mend it, I've got no complaints."

It was sound, like stones stacked tight—painfully convincing.

From Daemon interests to everything else, Alicia found no angle to refute. The reason felt so perfect it sounded scripted, like lines on silk.

Alicia hesitated two heartbeats, like a pendulum stilled.

"Fine. This time, you pass—like slipping through a half-closed gate."

The adamant grip let go. Rafi felt she'd walked right past the Ghost Gate—close enough to the Underworld anyway. She exhaled, life returning like a warm breeze.

She steadied her heart, racing like a runaway horse, and only when calm pooled did she return to the thread.

"We were talking about the Mystic Realm, right? Let us join, and we'll send troops to play their parts. How about it?"

"Deal. That's easy. You won't need to move back and forth. We'll open an Underworld Gate in the Mystic Realm to link here. Best of both worlds."

"Yeah. Surviving up top is rough for Daemons. Aside from a few, most can't handle the outside—pollen allergies, or even normal and low temperatures. Triggers are common on your side and absent here. So some Daemons can only live in the Underworld."

Weird ailments, like thorns in odd places. Whatever—my job's just to open a gate.

"But let me be clear: you must—absolutely—without fail—follow every rule of the Mystic Realm. Can you?"