“P-please…”

  Her voice was barely louder than the crackling embers still drifting through Zone 3.

  Mira’s face was so red it almost matched Sparky’s sparks. She stood there trembling, eyes darting everywhere except at me, clearly still suffering from the aftereffects of what would forever be known in my personal trauma archive as The First Kiss Incident.

  Honestly.

  Of all the ways this day could’ve gone.

  I crossed my arms and looked down at her. “What’s your name?”

  Silence.

  She clenched her fists. Her lips pressed together stubbornly.

  “…You’re really going to do this?” I sighed. “After all that?”

  Still nothing.

  My eye twitched.

  “I will kill you,” I said ftly, “if you don’t even tell me your name.”

  Her head snapped up. She gred at me like she wanted to stab me emotionally. “…You’re awful.”

  “Correct,” I replied. “Name.”

  “Mira.”

  “Mira,” I repeated.

  The name rolled oddly well off my tongue. Too human. Way too human.

  I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “Sorry. But you’re under arrest.”

  Her eyes widened. “W-what?! No! Wait...please...!”

  She stumbled back, panic written all over her face. “I didn’t mean to...! I wasn’t trying to...!”

  “Sparky!” I called.

  “Yes, My Lord!” Sparky appeared instantly, spear already in hand, eyes bzing with enthusiasm that honestly scared me sometimes.

  “Put her in jail.”

  “Yes, my lord!”

  Mira shrieked. “WAIT! PLEASE! I CAN EXPLAIN! I DIDN’T EVEN FINISH MY PLAN YET!”

  That… sounded worse than reassuring.

  She tried to bolt, but did not succeed.

  Sparky moved like lightning, and the guards swarmed in perfect, terrifying coordination. Mira was restrained in seconds.

  “LET ME GO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” she shouted.

  “I absolutely can,” I muttered. “That’s kind of my whole job.”

  The demons watching erupted into cheers.

  “THE LORD PROTECTED US!”

  “THE HUMAN IS CAUGHT!”

  “ZONE 3 IS SAFE!”

  [Announcement: The Human at Zone 3 has been caught!]

  I closed my eyes.

  “…I need to sleep,” I whispered.

  I turned around, suddenly aware of how tired my legs felt.

  “Lazi!” I called. “Lazi?”

  No response.

  “…Lazi?”

  Silence.

  Oh no.

  I slowly looked around.

  No bnket.

  No sleepy teleport demon.

  “That means,” I said quietly, “I have to walk back.”

  [Announcement: Demon Lord Stress Level, Extreme Critical.]

  ---

  Several eternities ter.

  [Announcement: The Demon Lord has entered Zone 1.]

  I finally reached the castle.

  My feet hurt. My head hurt. My soul hurt. Passing through Zone 2 was its own special kind of torture.

  [Announcement: Demon Lord Stress Level, Extreme Critical.]

  By the time I dragged myself into the castle, Grando was already there, standing perfectly straight.

  “Welcome back, my lord.”

  I nodded weakly. “Grand…”

  I took exactly three steps toward my coffin before...

  “My lord!” Charmie stormed in. “How dare you not take me with you?!”

  “…Charmie,” I said slowly, “I am running on fumes.”

  “You went to Zone 3 without me!”

  “Yes,” I replied. “Because chaos follows you like a hobby.”

  She gasped. “That’s rude!”

  [Status: 7% HP — Low Health Point!]

  I pointed at the invisible warning in the air. “See? I need sleep.”

  Charmie froze. “…Oh.”

  “We’ll talk tomorrow,” I said, already climbing into my coffin.

  “If I’m in the mood.”

  She pouted hard enough to generate wind pressure.

  I waved weakly. “Good night.”

  [Announcement: The Demon Lord is sleeping.]

  ---

  Morning came far too quickly.

  [Announcement: The Demon Lord has woke up!]

  “Good morning, my lord.”

  I opened one eye. “…Morning, Grand.”

  I sat up and immediately regretted every life decision that led me here.

  Crack. Crack.

  “Ouch... I will work hard,” I groaned, “and get myself a mattress.”

  Grando nodded solemnly. “A noble goal.”

  Then, “My lord,” she continued, “I have news.”

  I sighed. “If my iPad is still missing, don’t tell me.”

  “The iPad is still missing.”

  I screamed internally.

  “But,” she added, “the human requests a negotiation.”

  I ughed. “She accused me of being a pervert, questioned my authority, kissed me without consent, and now wants to negotiate?”

  “…Yes.”

  “Bold,” I admitted. “Very bold.”

  ---

  The prison was quiet.

  Too quiet.

  Mira sat behind the iron bars, knees pulled tightly to her chest. The blue of her skin was faint now—patchy in pces—revealing something dangerously human beneath. Like bad paint peeling off a wall.

  The untouched bowl of rice sat beside her.

  “Human,” I said.

  She looked up sharply, green eyes burning with hatred. “Did you come to mock me?”

  I leaned against the bars. “Honestly, I’d rather be watching my favorite vlogger on my iPad than standing here.”

  “If I had it,” I added bitterly.

  She frowned. “How do you even have internet?”

  “That’s a secret,” I replied smoothly. Mostly because I genuinely didn’t know.

  She studied my face in silence for a long moment. “You’re not what they said.”

  “They say a lot of things,” I shrugged. “Most of them wrong. Some of them loud.”

  Her grip tightened around her legs. “Demons... are monsters.”

  “Some are,” I said. “So are humans.”

  She flinched.

  “Will you start a war? That's what demons always did...” she asked suddenly.

  “No.”

  The answer came out instantly.

  She froze. “You didn’t even hesitate.”

  “I don’t need to,” I replied. “I don’t want war.”

  She stared at me like I’d just told her the sky was green.

  I asked Mira, “Why... Did you come here and disguise yourself as a demon?”

  She hesitated, her fingers fidgeting as she avoided my gaze.

  I sighed. “How long have you been here?”

  She looked unsure, but answered softly, “Two days...”

  I gnced at her again. “Did someone send you? To kill us?”

  She gasped, far too easy to read.

  I smiled and leaned closer. “You wanted to kill me?”

  Her eyes widened. “I…” She couldn’t finish, and that was answer enough. Yet no demons had been killed so far.

  I let out a slow breath. “Would you make a deal with me?”

  She looked surprised and asked, “What...is it?”

  “I want to learn from humans,” I continued. “Their technology. Their systems. Their stupid rectangur glowing objects.”

  “…iPads,” she muttered.

  “Yes. Those.” I gestured vaguely. “So demons can live better. So we don’t eat only rice forever.”

  Her lips parted slightly. “You’re serious?”

  “Dead serious,” I nodded. “Unfortunately.”

  She looked away. “Liar.”

  I tilted my head. “You think I’d lie about something that inconvenient?”

  “Demons don’t want peace,” she snapped. “They killed humans… they killed my—”

  Her voice broke, unable to finish the sentence as she trembled, and silence fell heavily between us.

  I exhaled slowly.

  “If demons really did that,” I said, “then I’ll find out who.”

  She stared at me, conflicted. Angry. Lost.

  “Eat the rice,” I said gently. “It’s all we have.”

  She hesitated.

  Then slowly reached for the bowl.

  She took a bite.

  Paused.

  “It’s normal,” she muttered.

  “Congratutions,” I said. “You’ve survived demon cuisine.”

  She huffed despite herself. “You’re terrible at intimidation.”

  “Good,” I replied. “Means I’m doing something right.”

  She lowered her voice. “You… aren’t what I was told.”

  I smirked tiredly.

  [Announcement: Demon Lord has unknowingly begun changing a human’s worldview.]

  I pinched the bridge of my nose.

  “Stop narrating my life,” I muttered.