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"A rank five? Really?" Graighast, on the other hand, sounded more intrigued than angry. "Even with what we saw, I thought it would reach rank three, four at the most… How did they manage this?"

"Chance. Chance, and pure insanity. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they actually benefited from our invasion. If their civilization could somehow survive, I’m sure they could advance rapidly in the coming centuries. Decades, even," Glaustro ground out.

"Meaning what, exactly, brother?"

"Meaning, they first studied our portal to accrue knowledge of spatial magic, then somehow got their hands on a crystallized soul or two. Well, we can’t give most of them much credit. It’s all down to one mage, really. One Reliana Tingent. She revolutionized their understanding of spatial phenomena, then proceeded to meddle with the soul crystals. She seems to have devised a sacrificial ritual that allows them to burn souls for fuel."

Graighast recoiled away from Glaustro, eyes wide. "In a world this bereft of mana? With such a low level of mana theory and only a primitive knowledge of ascension? What is she, a Grand Mage at most? How is she still sane? Most mortals that meddle with such fields of magic before hitting Archmage go mad within a week!"

"I don’t know." And Glaustro looked crushed to admit that. "This particular mage met her just days ago. As far as he knew, she’s sane enough to function, at least."

"Met her? Is she in the city? Or one of the nearby settlements?"

"No. She’s based in the capital. Apparently, before this whole mess, she was considered an apostate mage and imprisoned for her crimes of experimentation on humans. She was only allowed to leave her prison when we started forcing open the portal, so she could study it. They’re keeping her in the capital, under careful watch."

"The capital? That’s almost a month’s journey away, as far as the local mortals are concerned! How could this mage have met her days ago then?"

Glaustro took a deep breath and massaged his forehead before answering. "The barrier was not the only thing she came up with. She also theorized a bare-bones teleportation network. Only the lack of a stable mana source stopped her from developing both."

"And then she discovered how to use souls to do that…"

Was that awe I detected in Graighast’s voice? Surely not.

Glaustro nodded. "And then she discovered how to burn souls for mana, which led to the teleportation. This…. changes things. Not significantly enough to impede the invasion, but still. The general will likely want to claim her for himself. You know how much he loves to recruit promising locals."

If bitterness could be used to fuel spells, then Glaustro could have reduced all his enemies to ash in that very moment.

"True. Soul-to-mana conversion rates are not the most optimal, but the results speak for themselves. If our mages hadn’t managed to discover faults in the barrier, they could have kept us at bay for months." Graighast shook his head and settled back into his chair. "We need to inform the general of this development immediately."

"Yes, I know, I’m not stupid," Glaustro snapped. Then he gritted his teeth together, barely containing his anger. "You should go ahead. Claim the city as quickly as you can, but don’t think you can get ahead of me and report this yourself! I’ll be right there. I just need to deal with him."

He gestured carelessly at me.

I couldn’t hold back an audible gulp, much to Graighast’s amusement. I hadn’t meant to listen in. Could I help it if they were just talking right in front of me? Still, I was keenly aware that I’d probably overheard far more than a mere recruit should know.

Glaustro didn’t address me immediately. Instead, he waited for Graighast and his two guards to depart before turning his full attention on me.

With only him and his own handpicked guards present, I knew he could execute me on the spot. No one would ever know. Even fewer would care.

"Of all the surprises I expected when I took up my post, owing a mortal thanks twice was not one of them."

The words were surprising enough, but it was the almost friendly tone of his voice that floored me.

Glaustro went on, "Don’t look so shocked, mortal. I didn’t mention it, but I am thankful that you stepped up when you did. Without you, the Proving Grounds would have gone rather differently. Just forcing my brother’s demon to challenge a mortal was a significant victory. If it were another commander and not him, you would have been assassinated by now, whether I tried to protect you or not."

Oh.

I hadn’t thought of that.

The demon burst into laughter. "Your face, ha. Yes, you did something risky. Still, it paid off, didn’t it? And in turn, I provided training that I knew you would be suited for. You showed a fair bit of talent for mana manipulation during your bouts. You should cherish that talent. I’ll tell you right now that demons with a true talent for mana are far more valued than ’mere’ warriors."

There was anger in these words, and deep bitterness, though I made a real effort to pretend I didn’t notice.

"Anyway, I do believe you deserve something more than another round of training this time. You… you’re an ambitious little mortal, aren’t you? You want to ascend. No, don’t say anything. It’s not a bad thing. Still, I do wonder if you know what you’re signing up for."

The demon eyed me a moment longer, then raised his head sharply toward his guards. "Leave us. Go and secure the teleportation anchor. Make sure neither my brother nor his lackeys use it to report to the general before I do."

The guards quickly saluted the sergeant and hurried off into the depths of the city. We both watched them go until they disappeared out of view.

Only then did the commander speak again.

"Would it change anything, if I told you that you will struggle even after you ascend? Unless you put in considerable effort, you will not be reborn stronger than a baseline demon. An ascended baseline demon, at that. It is not a truth set in stone, but you’ll probably lack some of the advantages Abyss-born demons have. Wings, tail, venom, and more. They are born with dangerous and useful weapons and abilities. You’ll have a harder time carving out a place for yourself. A harder time ascending the ranks of the legion."

His eyes were intense. Whether he had intended it or not, they had ignited with that intimidating inner flame. Despite that, and despite the terrifying weight of his scrutiny, I felt compelled to speak.

"I have to try. It would still be better than… this."

The stern gaze lingered a few more seconds. Then he smiled.

I was caught off guard by how much it softened his face. When not creased in an angry grimace, Glaustro’s countenance was downright handsome.

"I see," the demon said wistfully. "You remind me far too much of myself."

My gasp of shock probably wasn’t the best answer, but rather than sending him into a rage, it only amused him further.

"Tell me, could you guess that I’m an ascended demon?" he asked.

I shook my head, and he sighed.

"You see, when my brother and I ascended, we thought it would be a fresh start for us. Two refugees of a conquered world, now officially part of the Abyss! I wanted to prove myself. I strove to be better. Stronger. I earned as many merits as I could, hoping that I could rise through the ranks of the legion. And do you know what happened? Well?"

My mind immediately went back to the day we were introduced to our new commander, and then to a few comments Graighast had made. "You were overlooked."

"Yes, I was overlooked. No matter what I did, no matter how strong I got, I was overlooked. My brother was in the same position, until he decided to play their games. I refused. I didn’t want my worth to be judged by how far up someone’s arse I could shove my tongue. I refused to ’make connections’ and ’promote my worth,’ as my brother put it. So he advanced, and I didn’t. I didn’t because I refused to hide the fact that I was once human."

I very carefully did not react to his description of what was necessary to advance within the legion, but it made me uneasy. After all, the Glaustro I knew was not at all proud of his roots. What had changed?

His next words confirmed my suspicions.

"I refused, until I didn’t have the will or the patience to struggle anymore. I put souls in the right hands. I flattered the right people. And what happened? A promotion, within a couple of months, just like that!"

There was unmistakable anger in his voice. His hands closed around the armrests of his chair with enough force to make them creak.

"And then I run into my brother again. The same brother I scorned and denounced when he was promoted and left me. The same brother who’s now acting like he missed me, and is all eager to reconnect."

Glaustro’s face was all twisted up in anger again. I held my breath, quietly wondering when he would decide he had said a bit too much and it was time to kill me.

But then, the demon slumped, all the fight draining out of him. He stared at the ground blankly. For many long minutes, neither of us spoke.

"Well, do you still want to ascend, mortal? I could promise you an enviable life as a mortal," he asked sardonically, his eyes rising to meet my own.

There were several things I wanted to say. All of them would get me killed. After all, it was easy to whine when you were a superior being that could not be fully killed without a lot of effort under very specific circumstances.

Thankfully, even if he was reading my emotions, they couldn’t give me away this time. It was resignation that dominated my heart.

"Yes."

He nodded. "I assumed as much. I did say you remind me of myself. Very well, then. In that case…"

The demon conjured a piece of parchment and a quill with a wave of his hand. The parchment affixed itself in midair, letting him scribble on it effortlessly.

My lips curled into a mirthless smile. This was exactly why I couldn’t have given an answer other than ’yes.’

Status was great, but it could only get me so far. Sure, I wanted to climb the ranks of the legion. I wanted to secure a more comfortable life for myself by guaranteeing that no one would casually challenge me.

But status paled in comparison to the safety and power offered by ascension.

A demon didn’t have to fear death nearly as much as a mortal. Their very nature afforded them control over mana that any mortal would envy. And speaking of mana, their mana reserves were literally out of this world, or any material plane, really.

My internal monologue was interrupted by a satisfied hum, and I refocused on my commander.

He scanned the parchment one final time, then snapped his fingers. It rolled up and tied itself shut with a little scarlet bow. Conjuring a drawstring bag out of nowhere, the demon snatched it and the parchment out of the air.

"Here," he said, thrusting both objects at me. "Your rewards. In the purse, you will find fifty greater souls. I picked them out at random, so I can’t guarantee what knowledge or skills you might be able to earn from them. The scroll, meanwhile, is meant for the local quartermaster. You can trust them not to cheat you or snatch a part of your reward. All administrators are under close scrutiny by the general. I’m not saying the system is perfect, but at least out here, in the field, they’re not brave enough to steal."

"I… Thank you, sir!"

I meant that, truly and sincerely. Fifty greater souls were the equivalent of five hundred basic ones. Oh, I knew I couldn’t save every single one. I had to pay for inns and food and the like. Still, even minus a few expenses, this got me about halfway to my ascension cost.

Or so I thought.

"Don’t thank me. These are your earnings, in light of the crucial intelligence you provided."

Glaustro’s eyes bored into me. I got the sense he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"What you can thank me for is advice," he went on, "and my advice to you is this: don’t hoard those souls. If you can become powerful enough, you’ll be able to save up quickly for your ascension. As you are, you’ll just get crushed along the way, or you won’t even be able to contest the souls that are up for grabs. Five hundred souls mean nothing if they’re stolen and can’t become part of your strength."

I winced, knowing he was right. In my current state, even with all my progress, I couldn’t hope to keep up with demons when they really let loose. All I could do was pray they left me some scraps.

Glaustro continued to study me. "I can see you understand your position. The scroll will help you get stronger, so unless you find a useful skill in one of those souls I gave you, you should spend them on equipment. Your armor is excellent, even if I don’t recognize the crafter’s mark. Still, you can never be too careful."

I glanced down at the mark, which I’d spent significant time admiring. A stylized demonic rune for number five, overlaid by the crossed hammer and needle.

"Thank you, sir. And it’s the mark of Yules, daughter of Tibath, owner of Amahis Armory."

Glaustro’s eyebrows climbed almost to the top of his forehead. Clearly, he recognized the armory’s name.

"Truly? I did not know she had a daughter… how did you afford their armor?"

"Ah… She is still an apprentice armorer, sir," I admitted with a blush. Still, scary demon commander or not, I did promise to promote Yules’ work. "She’s going to have her armor displayed in the shop soon."

"A lucky turn of events that you met her then. How did you encounter her?"

"Her mother has temporarily moved her shop to the city where you took command of our troop, sir."

"Zuri’s Glen? Interesting… perhaps I ought to pay a visit to the city myself, once we’re done here." The commander rose from his chair. "Enough dallying. My brother is ready to stake his claim, and I must hurry to report to the general."

Even as he spoke, a wave of mana washed over us. I glanced in the direction of the city to see the transformation was already underway. Collapsed houses shimmered like a mirage before melting away completely, replaced by demon-owned shops. The ruined streets cleared and rearranged themselves into an orderly network.

In the blink of an eye, the city was up and running. Just as quickly, Glaustro vanished from my side, leaving me behind.

I let out a long, weary sigh of relief. I was going to walk away from the whole thing with far more than I had dared to hope, but I still felt wrung out. My ribs ached. My nerves felt permanently twisted by the tension of the past few hours.

Then I glanced at the scroll in my hand, and passion reignited in my chest. I had no idea what it would net me when I finally tracked down a quartermaster, but if Glaustro’s promise held true, I wouldn’t be disappointed.

I set off at a quick trot, eager to claim my reward.

Not even cracked ribs could stop me now.