I was wandering through the forest, and my soul felt... overcast. I mean, seriously? She just up and ditched me. Just vanished, leaving me alone with a pile of dead snakes and my own thoughts. Abandoned... what a nasty word. Like I’m some old, useless shoe that’s too much trouble to even fix.

  I had almost decided to teleport somewhere far away from this place when I suddenly heard heavy, raspy breathing.

  I pushed the bushes aside. There, leaning against a pine trunk on the grass, was Cloudy. She looked pathetic. Deep, jagged scars covered her body, and glowing white lines—like cracks in porcelain—ran across her skin. She was gasping for air, unable to even lift a hand.

  "Hey," I crouched down beside her. "What’s with you?"

  She slanted her white eyes toward me.

  "Vessel..." she wheezed. "Didn't develop enough. Too much... power... Overdid it with the bear."

  I sighed. Silly girl. Trying to jump higher than her head before the head has even finished growing. I simply placed my hand on her shoulder.

  ZIIIIING.

  The emerald light of my mana passed through her body in a soft wave. Before my eyes, the jagged wounds began to close, and the white lines faded, sinking beneath her skin.

  Cloudy froze. Her breathing evened out. She slowly stood up, stretching her shoulders, and looked at me. Something resembling gratitude flickered on her face. She even reached out her hand, as if she were about to thank me or...

  WHAM!

  Her fist slammed squarely into my jaw. My head snapped back; I barely kept my feet.

  "AND WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?!" she screamed, shaking her bruised knuckles. "Waiting for gratitude? 'Thank you, great Zenhald, for saving my worthless life'? Dream on!"

  I rubbed my jaw, feeling a tooth click back into place.

  "Hey! Why are you hitting me? I was just helping. Human-to-human."

  "Out of pity, right?!" she was literally sparkling with rage. "You pitied the Demon of Oblivion?! You thought I was weak?!"

  "Well... yeah," I answered honestly. "You were lying there like an overripe vegetable. It was hard not to pity you."

  Apparently, that was the last thing I should have said. Cloudy boiled over completely. The air around her began to vibrate with white heat.

  "I’LL KILL YOU! Right now! I won't wait to accumulate strength!"

  She sharply stomped her foot, making the ground beneath her shudder, and then froze.

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  "Calm..." she hissed to herself. "Just calm. The vessel must be stable."

  I lost it.

  "HA-HA-HA-HA!" I nearly rolled off the fallen tree. "Have you seen yourself from the side? You look like a teakettle trying not to whistle."

  "What are you laughing at?" she granted me a short, contempt-filled look. "You're pathetic."

  "Hey, that hurts!" I hopped down to the ground and fell in line beside her. "Listen, since we're a team now... I mean, you're following me, and I’m in the lead... what’s your name?"

  "Doesn't matter," she cut me off, continuing to drag the bear carcass behind her.

  She just gripped the beast’s hide and plowed straight through the bushes. I swirled around her feet like a nuisance fly.

  "So, what are the plans for the evening? How’s life? Oh, look—a birdy! Whoa, and look at that little cloud over there, it looks like your personality—just as gray and grumpy!"

  I got distracted looking at the sky, tripped over a root, and sprawled face-first into the mud.

  Cloudy stopped and gave a sincere smile. A mean one.

  At that moment, the sky finally turned dark, and a downpour collapsed onto the forest.

  "OH, CRAP!" the demoness howled, looking at the soaked firewood. "And how am I supposed to light a fire now, in your opinion? My powers weren't made for campfires!"

  I sighed. Always have to do everything myself.

  I simply touched the damp earth with my palm.

  CRACK. RUSTLE.

  The soil heaved, stones began to crawl over one another, and five seconds later, a neat stone shelter stood before us. It was dry inside. I stepped in, snapped my fingers—and a cheerful little flame immediately started dancing in the center.

  I stuck my head back out and waved to her merrily.

  She walked in, looking around suspiciously, and dropped the carcass in a corner.

  "So, taking advantage of my temporary helplessness?" she grumbled, sitting by the fire. "Sure, sure. Tomorrow, when I become truly strong, I’ll remind you of this. Don't expect mercy."

  "Why are you always talking about the future?" I stretched out on the warm stones. "Live in the moment. Look, the fire's burning, the roof isn't leaking. Beauty."

  She didn't answer. She just started tearing the bear carcass apart with her bare hands. Bones crunched, tendons ripped—there was still plenty of strength in her "underdeveloped" vessel. She skewered a couple of pieces of meat on branches and stuck them near the embers.

  I couldn't help but smile, watching the scene.

  "What are you grinning at?" she growled.

  "What, is smiling banned in this world now? Article forty-two, section three—'prohibition of good moods in the presence of demons'?"

  She was silent for a while, watching the fat drip into the fire. Then she suddenly blurted out:

  "Listen. Since you're so... useless, but you know a few things... teach me how to cast magic. Human-style. Without all your circles and dancing with tambourines."

  I sat up abruptly.

  "WHOA!" I rounded my eyes. "The Lady of Oblivion herself is asking me for help?"

  She gave a crooked smirk.

  "For us demons, pride is just a tool. If you want, I’ll even get on my knees and beg you. It’s not hard for me, if in the end I get the power to finish you off."

  "Do it," I nodded eagerly. "Beg. I’m all ears."

  "What a jerk..." she hissed, but of course, she didn't get on her knees.

  "Come on!" I goaded her. "Or is all you can do throw words around? 'I’ll destroy the world,' 'I’m accumulating strength'... but in reality, you can't even light a campfire. It's always the same with you demons: a million's worth of pretension, and a penny's worth of results. Not like us humans..."

  "WOULD YOU STOP WITH THE 'HUMANS, HUMANS, HUMANS'!" she boiled over, jumping to her feet. "Do you think they're any different from us? We are all parts of one system; we all depend on each other! Some eat, others fear!"

  She looked down at me, and her white eyes narrowed.

  "Too many smart thoughts for such a small skull. Is your skull feeling tight from all that heavy lifting? Because I can help—I can air it out from the inside."

  I lay back down on the stones.

  "It’s not tight. There’s plenty of empty space in there for your grumbling."