The light of the mortal world could not reach that place.
The sky was a mixture of purple clouds, dimensional fractures, and flashes of raw mana.
At the center, upon an expanse of land suspended between realities, a circle of divine runes burned with an unnatural light.
Five figures stood within it.
The Heralds.
None of them spoke.
Until a crack appeared before them.
Reality tore apart.
From within it emerged a figure whose very presence warped space.
A demon.
It stared at them for several seconds.
Then it burst into laughter.
"Former servants of the gods summoning a demon?"
Its voice made the runes tremble.
"What irony."
The High Herald stepped forward.
"We know who you are."
The demon smiled.
"Then you also know how much time I have left."
No one answered.
The air grew heavier.
The Heralds activated their divine blessings simultaneously.
Even so, several of them were forced to step back.
The demon looked at them with contempt.
"You don't have enough power to kill me."
"We didn't come here to fight."
The High Herald slowly raised a hand.
A small container appeared between his fingers.
Inside it, a golden substance glowed.
Divine mana.
The demon's eyes changed.
For the first time, it stopped smiling.
"Speak."
The High Herald held the container out toward him.
"We have a proposal."
The demon remained motionless.
"You want to survive."
"I want many things."
"Then listen."
The demon fell silent.
"The gods offer you divine mana."
A slight vibration rippled through the void.
"In exchange for a task."
The demon stared at the container for several seconds.
Then it let out a low laugh.
"They were always good at bargaining with other people's lives."
It slowly extended a hand.
"What do you want?"
The High Herald conjured a map.
A territory appeared, illuminated against the void.
The Douglas Duchy.
The demon tilted its head slightly.
"Douglas?"
The atmosphere changed.
For the first time, some of the demon's indifference disappeared.
"Sofia Douglas?"
The Heralds remained silent.
That was enough.
The demon burst into laughter.
"You want me to face that woman?"
A wave of demonic mana swept through the space.
Even the Heralds had to brace themselves.
"It won't be easy."
"We know."
"Then you're idiots."
The High Herald did not react.
"Sofia Douglas is currently separated from two of her magical beasts."
The demon narrowed its eyes.
"Two?"
"Thunder and Umber are accompanying her son."
The demon remained thoughtful.
"So you've separated her from part of her power."
"Not through our intervention."
"But you're taking advantage of it."
"Exactly."
The demon slowly smiled.
"I think I'm beginning to understand."
One of the Heralds spoke.
"The Douglas Duchy has become far too independent."
"And that bothers the gods?"
"It interferes with the order we are trying to build."
The demon laughed.
"I don't care about your gods."
It looked at the container again.
"I care about this."
The High Herald closed his fingers around the divine mana.
"You will receive it when you finish."
The demon growled.
"Then don't try to deceive me."
A shadow spread behind it.
"Because if I discover this is a trap..."
It smiled.
"It won't be Sofia Douglas who has to worry."
The Heralds remained motionless.
The demon slowly disappeared into the rift.
Before disappearing completely, its voice echoed once more.
"Leave the woman to me."
The rift began to close.
"I'll deal with her."
Silence.
The Heralds waited until the presence had completely disappeared.
Then the High Herald turned his gaze back toward the map.
The Douglas Duchy continued to glow before him.
"Now it begins."
The runes went dark one after another.
And somewhere far away...
the first piece had already been placed.
The wagon entered the city shortly before nightfall.
Its wheels creaked beneath the weight of the sacks and crates it carried.
The driver wore a brown coat covered in dust. Three other men traveled beside him.
At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about them.
Merchants.
One of them even carried a small notebook where he recorded the goods they were supposedly delivering.
"What are you carrying?" the gate guard asked.
The driver climbed down from his seat.
"Cloth, oil, tools, and some grain."
He handed over the documents.
The guard quickly checked them.
"Where are you coming from?"
"The east."
"How long do you plan to stay?"
"Two days. Maybe three, if we find buyers."
The guard returned the papers.
"Find an inn before dark. The gates close in an hour."
"Thank you."
The merchant smiled.
He climbed back onto the wagon.
The wagon continued forward.
None of the four men spoke until they were well away from the gate.
Then the man sitting behind the driver murmured:
"Did you see it?"
"Yes."
"The barrier?"
The driver shook his head slightly.
"No."
The others fell silent.
"But I felt the flow."
That answer seemed to reassure them.
The city was protected.
That much was obvious.
Not just by the walls.
There was a second layer of defense.
A network of mana spread around the city.
Invisible to most people.
But not to them.
"Where?"
The driver glanced toward one of the towers.
"I don't know yet."
"Then we'll have to search."
"Not here."
The man gently flicked the reins.
"First, we're merchants."
The wagon continued deeper into the city.
The city was much livelier than they had expected.
The markets were still open.
The blacksmiths were working even after sunset.
Soldiers patrolled the main streets.
And, above all, there were priests.
Many of them.
One of the men discreetly observed a priest walking beside a small chapel.
"There are more religious people here than I expected."
"The mana phenomenon has increased monster attacks," the driver replied. "People need protection."
"And the Douglases need to prove they can provide it."
The driver said nothing.
They turned onto a narrow street.
Eventually, they found an inn.
A three-story building constructed around an inner courtyard.
A wooden sign hung above the entrance.
The Traveler's Crown.
The driver climbed down.
"We'll stay here."
They entered.
The innkeeper looked up.
"Rooms?"
"Four."
"Individual rooms?"
"Two double rooms."
The woman made a note.
"Will you be eating here?"
"Yes."
"Then you can leave your goods in the courtyard. But if anything disappears, it won't be our responsibility."
The merchant smiled.
"Don't worry."
As he spoke, one of his companions accidentally dropped a small box.
"Careful!"
The box struck the floor.
The man quickly crouched down to pick it up.
No one paid attention.
No one except him.
His fingers brushed against a mark carved into one of the floorstones.
A rune.
Very old.
Very small.
He stood up.
"Everything all right?" the innkeeper asked.
"Yes."
He smiled.
"I'm just clumsy."
The woman laughed.
"Then try not to break anything."
"I'll try."
The four men carried their belongings to their rooms.
An hour later, when the inn had fallen silent, one of them closed the door.
He waited.
He listened to the innkeeper's footsteps fading away.
Then he removed his coat.
Underneath, he wore a dark robe.
The others did the same.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
They were no longer merchants.
They were members of a cult.
"I found a rune."
The man pointed toward the floor.
"Here."
Another knelt down.
The man ran his fingers over the stone.
His eyes began to glow.
"I found something."
"What?"
"A connection."
"To what?"
The man looked up toward the tower.
"That is what we're going to find out."
Silence.
The leader of the small group pulled out a map of the city.
It wasn't complete.
Only the main streets were shown.
But they began marking points.
The tower.
The chapel.
The northern gate.
The inn.
"Tomorrow, we'll keep searching."
One of the cultists frowned.
"What if someone gets suspicious?"
The leader smiled.
"We're merchants."
He looked toward the window.
Outside, the city continued with its daily life.
People walking.
Children running.
Guards patrolling.
No one knew that four strangers had just entered the city.
"Merchants ask questions."
He folded the map.
"Merchants observe."
And extinguished the lamp.
"Merchants go home."
The room fell completely dark.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then, beneath the table, a small mark emitted a faint reddish glow.
Then it disappeared.