Azazel stared at Adeline, then the rest of the group, with cautious eyes as his pupils regained their dark brown color. He was still very wary of them, even though they had just saved him. This could be a ploy to get to her, after all. Azazel never thought of himself as a fighter but more of an intellectual, but being tortured underground had warped his mind. He grew more suspicious of his surroundings, especially when humans were involved. The fact this demon in front of him was accompanied by a human increased his suspicion.

  “I have spent the st four decades held in captivity, and the first thing you ask me is where the dragon is?”

  “I understand your annoyance, but it is important for the task I am about to partake in.”

  “How about you enlighten this old soul? What is this task?”

  “To unite all of the creatures of this forest under me and break free from human tyranny.”

  Azazel let out a hefty ugh at this grandiose dream, which he knew was impossible. He had seen his brethren try the same thing only to fall in front of the humans. The main problem was numbers; even if it was possible, humans would outnumber them twenty to one. This was because humans regurly hunted them, especially during breeding season. He also didn’t understand why she needed a dragon.

  “How will a dragon help you to begin with?”

  “I need its help to fight against the impending war with the human nations.”

  “Dragons are not fighters.”

  “I will make them one. What retionship do you have with the dragon?”

  “That’s none of your business. Listen, child, I appreciate you saving my life and all, but I don’t trust you. I don’t trust anyone.”

  Adeline expected this much, but it didn’t mean she would back down. Time was of the essence; the quicker they amassed the forces, the better.

  “Azazel, I understand this dragon is someone important to you, but if we fail, it will be as good as dead, and those who survived will be in chains.”

  “You may be right, but how can I trust you? You are so out of pce.”

  “I am the goddess’s cruel hand. I will unite every one under me and build a prosperous future for those who live in the forest.”

  “You misunderstand me. I am asking what are you? Your soul doesn’t have a demonic scent; that’s why I did not recognize you earlier.”

  “I am not really a demon per se. The goddess snatched my soul and asked for a favor, so here I am.”

  “What do you mean, snatched your soul?”

  “I was a human in a different world. I died, and here I am.”

  Azazel’s eyes widened, with the rest of the group looking at Adeline with confused faces. In his long time living, this was the first time he had heard of this. He couldn’t even think that the gods were able to do this. His head hurt as the infinite possibilities came crushing into his head. Bihse and Tymon, on the other hand, stared at each other with amazement and confusion.

  “What?” Adeline didn’t see what the big deal was.

  “Have you met the goddess?” Bihse pressed as she got closer, her face filled with excitement.

  “Yes, that’s why I am doing all this, because she asked.”

  Bihse nearly fell over as Tymon caught her. Not only was she from another world, but she had also met the goddess. Only a select few were able to accomplish this feat. They had statues and books in their names, which was taken as gospel. Some of these people were the ones who brought forward the age of humans and crucified the creatures of the forest. The elves were not able to meet the goddess, but they were impnted with pieces of memory in their sleep, and no other creature was able to do that, so Adeline was the first in recorded history to accomplish this. Azazel completely lost his train of thought as he viewed Adeline in a different light.

  “Adeline, you are the chosen one. You carry the will of the goddess herself. No one has more authority than you.”

  “I am confused. You guys didn’t know this? The queen of the elves knows this, so did Joseph, Melora, Scales, and Fangs. I thought this was common knowledge.”

  “They all know you are from a different world and you met the goddess?”

  “Not the first part; I did forget to tell them that, but the other part they know.”

  Azazel was stunned beyond belief; this was not something he expected. Bihse, who was still being held by Tymon, quickly corrected herself with a slight blush as he too realized and let out a small cough. Adeline had the widest grin on her face, which made Bihse more embarrassed.

  “Azazel, I don’t have time; just tell us where the Dragon is. You can contempte about everything on our way there.”

  “You don’t need to go; she will come to us. Once I have recovered my magical power, I will contact her.”

  “Contact her how exactly?”

  “Our souls are bound; if I call for her, she will come. If she calls for me, I will go to her.” Azazel trusted Adeline and her group more, but he was not willing to divulge everything. He used this excuse to spend more time with them and see if they had any ulterior motives.

  “Is the dragon your wife?” Bihse asked as her body shot up from the ground with new interest.

  “Yes, she is my partner.”

  “See, I told you, Adeline, it was…”

  Adeline quickly muffled her mouth as Tymon looked at the two with slight embarrassment. Azazel found the group refreshing, seeing them act in such a manner, but he could also sense great strength within them, especially Adeline. His eyes shone slightly as he saw her rge core; root like veins could be seen slowly spreading through her body. He then stared at her horns, which were filled with magical energy, slightly pulsating like a beating heart. He turned to Bihse, who had a core rger than Adeline’s; her core was very different as it spread its magical energy like waves. Her horn also had a small amount of magical energy. He turned to Tymon, who was already staring at him; his core was also rge, but compared to the others, it was smaller. His core was mounted on his heart as it spread magical energy throughout his veins. While his was smaller, it was definitely more efficient at controlling it.

  “It seems we might have more demons walking among us.”