The Eve [Tesiah]
I met them eight years ago. Back when I was growing up as an utterly ordinary girl in an utterly ordinary family.
Others insisted I wasn't ordinary, but no matter how much I racked my brain, I was just a normal little girl. As the daughter of the house, it was my duty to uphold the family's glory. Southern Arkanthia. It wasn't an exaggeration to say this vast continent was ruled by the houses of Rugia, Harun, and Ravi.
The young prince who had inherited the throne from the dead emperor—in other words, the incompetent emperor—held no real power. And so, the influence of each continent's three great noble houses only grew with time. I was one of them.
Born the second daughter of the Ravi house, I endured days of being scorned by my older sister. An unhappy child, but otherwise utterly ordinary. That was me: Tesiah Ravi.
To be honest, I was jealous of my sister. She monopolized our parents' attention, possessed a brilliant mind, and had even been chosen as the next heir—truly exceptional. And yet, that trash of a woman treated me like dirt. Sometimes, at her command, the maids would dump filth all over me. When I told Father, he never once punished them.
"Clumsy girl! Can't you be more careful?!"
I couldn't trust them. No—maybe they never cared about me in the first place. That's when I learned the truth about my father. Every maid in this house... was his mistress. The wastrel spent his nights rutting like an animal, filling the halls with their moans.
Mother was gone. I'd only ever seen her face in pictures, since she died right after I was born. What part of me wasn't ordinary? Why did they discriminate against me, torment me like this? Why, why, why?!
I couldn't understand it. Even if I wanted to, reality made it impossible. I cried. I buried myself under the covers and sobbed late into the night. Then, one night, I flung open the window.
...Would jumping from here make things a little easier?
It wasn't a thought a child should have. But it was my family who had driven me to this point—they were the evil ones.
That night, the outside world glowed an especially vivid red. Strange, yet somehow welcoming. The perfect night to die, I thought. Was there ever a more fitting day? A laugh bubbled up. Madness flickered in the eyes of this fifteen-year-old girl. I can't see my face from back then, but I can picture it clearly even now.
That was when it started.
I began to break, little by little.
I stepped onto the windowsill. Was even God wishing for my death? Not a whisper of wind to push me. I just stood there, quietly awaiting the end. All those prayers I'd offered over the years, and no one had ever come to save me.
"Yeah. Let's die!"
Innocent words, spoken with a face that should have twisted in sorrow—instead, it bloomed with ecstasy. Falling like this wouldn't kill me outright. I pulled the emergency escape rope from its box, tied it to the tree, and fashioned a hook. I knotted it tight so it wouldn't slip.
A strange satisfaction welled up. It was dawn, but the mad laughter surging inside me was impossible to contain.
"...Pfft!"
The absurdity of it all was hilarious. I'd done nothing wrong, yet here was the victim laughing on the brink of death while the perpetrators got off scot-free. Laughter was all that came.
I didn't even want to know why anymore. Reason? There was none. Death was the only path to peace in my life. The only way to live.
That's what I thought.
"How can you see into the abyss?"
A whisper, so close it tickled my ear. The old me would have fled in terror, but now it was just a thrilling echo. He was speaking to me.
"...Huh? Can't you hear me?"
"Who’s there?!"
"Whoa! You scared me. Don't just whip your head around like that..."
Red skin, black eyes. Two horns and a tail fading from red to black. But above all, those eyes—gazing right into my soul—were inches from my face. His skin was smooth yet rough, like a snake's. And yet... it didn't repulse me. It felt like seeing distant kin.
"You were about to kill yourself, right?"
"...Yes."
"Puhahaha! What an idiot. Walking right into Pandemonium on your own two feet. Are you insane?"
"Pan...demonium?"
"Ah, you wouldn't know. It's fine—no need to tell you."
"Who are you...?"
"Huh? That's your first question?"
He spun in a lazy circle, then perched on the branch like a cat, and opened his mouth. Even his teeth were pitch black. A repulsive color. But to me, it was the color of salvation.
That's when he spoke to me.
"Want to know my name?"
"...Yes."
"Why?"
"I... don't know what to call you. And honestly, I can't make sense of any of this."
"Same here."
Same here. That word sparked a sense of kinship.
"I'm Tesiah. Tesiah..."
"Noble, aren't you? Family name?"
"...I don't have one. That disgusting name..."
He nodded, then tilted his head.
"But how can you see the red?"
"...This?"
"Yeah. How are you getting so close to hell without a contract?"
Excited now, he shouted, arms spread wide, body trembling, drool flying. He welcomed me with utter shock.
"This is talent! A heretic power unseen in a thousand years—the authority of corruption!"
"W-wait, what are you even—"
"...You have people you want dead, right? Probably... yeah! Your family."
Revenge. A chill raced up my spine. The whirlwind of emotions inside me ground to a halt. My eyes cooled, and a smirk tugged at my lips.
...Hehe.
"Yes... revenge. That's right... revenge! That's what I want!"
"Puhuhu... What a lunatic. Born with the seed of corruption already rooted. Guess I should check if one of your ancestors was a heretic."
He whispered.
"Hey. Want to make a contract with me?"
"A contract?"
"Yeah. I'll give you power. You feel it too, don't you? This red energy."
"...I do."
My smile stretched ear to ear, baring sharp black teeth.
That face, that horrifying situation—it filled me with rapture. My savior had finally come. Unlike the god who ignored my prayers, this was true salvation, arriving right when I needed it.
I'd read about it once in a book. The greatest king of all time, sealed away by the dogs of god. The Demon King. And his people, the demons.
And I—with the power of corruption—would contract with the worst of them.
"Puhuhu... I'll grant your wish!"
"Yes...! Please, make my wish come true!"
"I'll give you power. So what will you give me?"
Obvious, isn't it?
"Me! I'll offer myself!"
"Puhuhuhu! What a crazy bitch. I like you!"
Stab!
His red hand pierced my left breast. Crimson blood sprayed out with a spurt! It hurt. A sweet, greedy agony.
He gripped my heart. A chill spread. Black energy—red and black, black-red—corrupted it. It awakened the primal seed of corruption inside me.
My skin peeled and regenerated, over and over. The new skin glowed pale pink. Then it tore again. Regenerated. My regeneration outpaced my skin. My flesh turned redder, inching toward his hue.
I was happy.
"Kyahahahaha...! Yes, this feeling!"
I wanted it.
"Power's surging!"
"Puhuhu. See? You're no ordinary girl."
Words I'd heard a thousand times. Not ordinary. In that moment, they were the happiest words in the world.
My tailbone ached. Flesh and veins extended. A black tail sprouted. Dark demon horns pushed through my blue hair.
Even pain became pleasure. I shed my humanity. For revenge, to follow him, I chose the path of the demonkin.
They said contracting with demons was dangerous, but to me—facing death—this was salvation.
The faintly red world outside now blazed brighter. I could fully sense the demonic energy. I reached out. No idea why—just instinct.
Demonic energy gathered thickly, forming a pillar. It coiled around my hand. Softly at first. Sharply the second time. The third, it bit deep enough to draw blood. Then it hardened into a sharp spear.
He rejoiced at the sight! Arms wide, utterly thrilled. And he whispered:
"Welcome to your rebirth, Tesiah."
"...Yes!"
That morning, the Ravi house disowned me.
The Magic Tower's ceiling shattered. Yuria's galaxy-filled dimensional link spell vanished in a shower of starlight, and snow poured through the gap.
Boom! A deafening roar echoed as demonic energy and mana clashed, warping space. Moon, sun, and darkness—the three energies collided, painting the heavens red.
Mio scorched Tesiah's arm with a pillar of fire. Tesiah swung her demonic spear lightly, severing it. The grotesque limb regenerated.
Mio frowned, annoyed. That power resembled the Four Heavenly Kings under the King of Corruption—subordinates she'd fought before. She remembered it well. Annoying bastards. No matter how strong she was, they kept regenerating. She had to burn them down to the cellular level.
But the Magic Tower lay beneath her. No massive spells allowed. All she could do was inflict constant pain to slow the regen.
"Time Zone!"
Her childish voice, laced with grit, rang out with the incantation of supreme magic. Giant clock hands pierced the clouds. Tick-tock. A mana ritual in the shape of a clock blanketed the sky.
A massive eye. Second and minute hands whirled atop it, then froze. In that instant, Tesiah's body slowed in Mio's vision. Her time crawled.
Mio wouldn't miss. No big rituals? Fine—use the surroundings.
And she wasn't fighting alone. Uba's idiot disciple. Kadan's son's maid. Arahan.
Arahan read Mio's intent. Tesiah's eyes wavered in her slowed state—the perfect prey for Arahan. A still target was ideal.
Arahan strode across the sky. Thunder at Mach speed! Rosbriel unleashed golden gravity chains in all directions.
Rumble! The area quaked; even the sturdy Magic Tower swayed. Inheriting Uba's spirit, she evoked a great warrior.
Rowen, dragging his weary body, looked up. Yuria's face mirrored his awe. Nostalgia hit. It felt like history from his past life replaying here.
Uba and Mio's combo: buffs and attacks in sync. Memories overlapped with the scene. Giant clock overhead, Uba radiating golden fury. He'd chant his mantra, Mio would bind the foe, then sweep them with Meteor.
That memory replayed before his eyes.
Bang!
Arahan spun, unleashing a powerful roundhouse kick laced with her full intent. It sent Tesiah flying far.
"Gah...!"
"Don't underestimate me."
Now distanced from the Magic Tower in the sky. Mio smiled. Uba's disciple for real—master and pupil fought alike. Brutal yet precise. The reincarnation of Uba, champion of Kalia Rune.
Runes wove complexly, enveloping the area. Red runes from Mio stretched to the cosmos.
Hummm! Mana overflowed without core spin, warping gravity. Flames hot enough to ignite orbiting meteors. They locked onto Tesiah hurtling through the air.
"Take this. Meteor!"
Roooar— The sky split, clouds parting. The world burned red; snow melted to steam. No haze visible. A massive Meteor plummeted.
Normally dozens would rain down, but Mio held back. Otherwise, the tower would vanish. She couldn't destroy her precious disciples' creation.
Right in Tesiah's face. Meteor brought death by fire.
Crunch— But.
"Hehe... Lord Lucifer...!"
Tesiah, devourer of countless souls, opened her third eye. Red energy shattered the slowed time. Meteor's mana met the devouring demonic surge.
Compression. Explosion. A miniature big bang erupted before Arahan and Mio.