Page 65 of The Misfit Mage and His Dashing Devil

“He can’t. No one from that world can open its door. Only a complete devil can tear through the dimensional walls surrounding Hell’s realms. I took his heart, so no matter if the demon monarchy rules in Beelzebub’s stead or the god-king himself restored his power, he’d lack the ability to open a portal while missing a key piece of his essence which I have.”

“But demons were ripping him apart, taking his essence the entire battle.”

“Yet, they stood in his realm, his very being. A devil encompasses so much more than their form, they shape the reality of Hell, and that reality is an extension of their being. I left Hell. Left with a vital piece and took it outside Beelzebub’s domain.”

Tactically, that was masterful. Bez not only escaped with his freedom and enhanced his Diabolic power, but he trapped every enemy he had in that realm. Given the satisfaction he took when watching the demon hierarchy obliterated in combat, I gauged he considered them all enemies.

“Couldn’t he ask another devil to open a portal?” I mused aloud.

“Unlikely.” Bez walked across the shadows, hands in his pockets and a bit of pride in his expression. “Beelzebub, like most devils, doesn’t ask or perform favors for his kind. If he managed to reclaim his position, he’d never let the other devils know he’d lost a piece because they’d see his vulnerability. And if the demon lords now rule after vanquishing their devil, they’d do their best to hide that fact from other devils for fear a new devil would claim or consume their world.”

“And if another devil found out? Learned you had part of a devil?”

“I doubt they’d care. Most devils refuse to step into this plane of existence. A few, perhaps, over the millennium, to retrieve something trivial they found of interest. Some occasionally send a vanguard of demons to scout, but I’ve never encountered anything in this world capable of harming a devil.”

“There’s the orb.”

“That contained a Diabolic, not a devil.”

“It could.” I shrugged.

“It really couldn’t.”

That explained why Diabolics so rarely ventured in our world. Devils didn’t consider our reality of interest, and only they had access to reaching it. Considering how cruel and overwhelming a true devil was, I considered our world fortunate that our presence bored them more than annoyed them.

“Some demons get leave to explore. Sort of like mortal gap years. Only they tend to last a few centuries, so I avoid those demons.”

“Because you worry?”

“Because I dislike demons more than I dislike mortals, which is quite a lot.” Bez sauntered past me in the shadows of this faded memory. “And to answer your question before you can ask it, I lie about my identity because, as a devil, I invoke more fear. It used to earn me more quiet nights and fewer bouts of violence, yet mages continue to grow bold over the centuries.”

“What happened next?” I asked, waiting for the shadows to transform into my world and show the next memory. It didn’t happen. We simply stood in this silent void.

“I arrived in the mortal world and dealt with the same bullshit I left the Diabolic realm over.” Bez got really quiet, staring off into the distance, lost in his thoughts.

I suppose we were both lost in his thoughts, with my sleeping body nestled against his, pouring mana into his body, saturating a link between our consciousnesses. I chose not to press him for information. Humbled or honored or both that he trusted so much of his history, his secrets with me.

“Not sure how long we’re gonna linger in shadows, aware yet unaware. It’s weird. Like am I sleeping still, or because I’m aware of my dream state, will I wake up exhausted?”

“I think you’ll be fine. And I guess we’re here in the shadows until your beeping alarm awakes us.”

I fidgeted, looking for the right thing to say. “This changes things.”

“How so?”

“My plan sort of relied on your invulnerability, but if you’re not really a devil, then you could really die. My link was already a weakness I didn’t want to chance. But now—”

“In the centuries I’ve been here, I’ve never concerned myself with death. Few have attempted, none have come close, and most assumed I couldn’t die. A benefit to living with a devil’s name.”

“I’m still not okay with it.”

Bez meant… Something to me.

I couldn’t figure out what that something was. He saw me for who I was. Accepted my flaws. Cherished my weaknesses. He was a monster. Absolutely. One who reveled in chaos, but the more I learned about him, the more I wondered if it came from the harsh reality of his eternity in Beelzebub’s Hell realm, the mysteries of his beginning in my realm, or a combination of those factors.

No matter his reasons, his drive, his rage, Bez went out of his way to save me. Protect me. Even when it’d have been easier to let me die. Literally. He could’ve ripped the remaining bond from my chest and allowed me to die. He hadn’t, though. He had saved me.

I wouldn’t risk him. Not after that. Maybe it was wrong. Naïve. Weak. I didn’t care. I wanted to learn everything he had to offer and prove… I didn’t know. Something.

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