Through the darkness, Miria stepped out of another frame of a similar gate—the anchor in her domain. Only, in her domain, it was merely the anchor—the foundation her realm had stood on for decades. But for this one, it was the real gate, the link between her realm and the world it had extended from.
Miria looked at the empty room for a moment before sighing and vanishing without so much as a breath.
When she appeared again, she stood in a lavish throne room. Miria sighed once more at the familiar sight as she took it in again. Enormous stone pillars stretched in parallel lines along each side of the throne, their surfaces adorned with legends from the Demon World of Planet Narut—grand and awe-inspiring in design. Crimson banners hung from each pillar, displaying the demon factions in order: the farther from the throne, the lower in rank; the closer, the higher. Beneath every pillar and banner stood a high demon, the heads of their factions representing their authority under the Demon Queen.
With a distant expression, Miria watched these high demons bow in the presence of their queen. None of them spoke, but their hesitant eyes looked upon her in secrecy, as if seeking some unspoken answer. Miria smiled beneath the veil she wore and began descending the steps of her throne, while the other demons remained bowed.
When she reached the floor, her glowing red eyes swept across the entire hall, falling upon each of the demons—and only then did she command in a cold voice.
"Rise!"
The demons stood instantly, without a second's hesitation, as if Miria's command stirred something deep within their blood and souls that compelled a perfectly timed response. Then, each of them began adjusting their fashionable clothing, disheveled only slightly by the bow. Miria sighed to herself beneath her veil. She didn't know where her followers had picked up their sense of style, but it was likely the result—or a blend—of the various planets they'd destroyed and imitated. If only they had copied her. Miria still wore the same simple black robe she had arrived in—it would've made their lives easier. But she couldn't blame them entirely. She rarely set foot on Planet Narut to influence demon culture the way she wanted—or should have. In truth, her isolation in the upper realm made her seem more like a deity in the eyes of her people, appearing only to lead them in repairing the cosmos, as they believed. Even most of the ornate stone pillars that decorated the room were in fact dedicated solely to her divine deeds.
Miria sighed once more and focused her eyes on an individual with honey-colored eyes and silver hair. The woman in question was the head of one of the top factions, standing beneath the first pillar on the left. Under Miria's gaze, the high demoness Zelina moved gracefully toward her queen.
Miria then turned to the right and locked eyes with the individual beneath the first pillar on that side. Niyemat's violet eyes didn't meet hers, but he too stepped forward under his queen's will.
Upon reaching her, Zelina had taken quicker steps than Niyemat. Both dropped to their knees once again, heads bowed low.
"We welcome your return, Your Majesty!" they said in perfect unison, their voices filled with reverence and worship.
Miria didn't bother ordering them to stand again—she simply made her intent clear through presence alone. As a result, Zelina and Niyemat rose. Both were far taller than her, but before her, they seemed much smaller.
"I felt some curiosity and hesitation from you when I arrived," Miria said calmly to the top two authorities in her world beneath her, her voice quiet, almost indifferent. "Do I owe you an explanation, or do you find yourselves needing one?"
Zelina and Niyemat both drained of all color, and the same was true for every demon in the hall. They looked at each other as if ready to blame whoever's eyes met theirs first.
Miria watched all of this unfold with quiet amusement beneath her veil. She wasn't going to add anything else—she wanted to see how things would develop. But Niyemat finally spoke on behalf of everyone in the hall, much to their relief.
"Your Majesty, we were simply concerned. This cycle, your promised descent was delayed, and we... could not suppress our curiosity."
"We didn't know what to do without your command or your power to open the gates to the fated world," Zelina followed up for Niyemat. Unlike him, her reverent eyes never strayed from Miria's form. "Our forces have been stationed for over three years, ready to establish a foothold in the fated world to welcome your descent and prepare the world for it. But…"
Miria raised her hand, cutting Zelina off. She had heard enough. She was late in opening the gates for her army to establish a presence in the fated world, and she was the one to blame. But Miria wasn't about to blame herself. If anyone deserved the blame, it was Lian. But again, Miria couldn't bring him here—she didn't really owe anyone an explanation. Still, she would offer a weak excuse, since she had a favor to ask of her subjects.
"I had matters to take care of… or to take care of me!" Miria laughed aloud at her own joke, under the shocked stares of the high demons in the hall. Niyemat to her right stumbled back a few steps as if he had seen a ghost, but Miria ignored him and continued.
"But there is no need to worry. This cycle is a bit different. Meaning—I want it to end as quickly as possible. So, I will be the first to step through the gates to the fated world."
Miria fell silent again, observing the reactions of the demons throughout the hall. But in the end, she decided she didn't care enough and kept speaking.
"After dealing with the fated world, your mission will be here—one much more important than what you usually do. That is to prepare this world, tend to it, and build it into a world truly belonging to our race. I no longer want it to be just a place for raising warriors and preparing armies…"
Miria paused at the strange looks her subjects were giving her. Their eyes seemed to say, "What are you talking about?" She turned toward Niyemat and made her curiosity clear. Soon enough, he began to speak.
"Your Majesty, we do not believe our planet lacks the qualities you described. While we have strict laws for raising soldiers, that is based on individual choices. We have schools that teach various subjects, not just warfare and combat. We have infrastructure suited to our nature, and laws that apply to everyone. Our race is not inferior to any other—we are the superior race, the one that brings order to this universe. But since our queen has high standards for what our superior race should be… we can only listen and serve."
…Miria was truly speechless.
She had always thought of demons as tools of war for her personal use. And while she had provided them this world, she had never cared enough to personally oversee it. Her only connection to this world was through her realm linked to it—and the demons who exploited it. Even though she had seen that they had built their own legends and history to distinguish themselves as a race, Miria had never seen them as anything more than tools of war.
She stood motionless for a few seconds, her closed eyes scanning Planet Narut for the first time in a very long time—to see for herself whether Niyemat's words were true. All it took was about three seconds for her to take in the entire planet at once. But those three seconds were enough to leave her stunned.
Her world—no, the demons' world—was truly a sight to behold. Everything Niyemat said was true, if not an understatement. Now, Miria felt like a fool for making such racist assumptions about her own race.
Miria slowly opened her eyes to look at her subjects, who waited for her to speak. She opened her mouth and said, "Yes, I know best… but that's not good enough. You're doing well without me—I trust that your progress will be a source of pride for you, before it is for me."
She spoke without shame. She was the Demon Queen—she couldn't be wrong, especially to demons who viewed her as a god.
Again, Miria watched the atmosphere of the room shift—from hesitation to excitement, as if her words had lit a hidden fire within them. But she had to cut it short this time. As she had said, this cycle would end as quickly as possible. So she needed to issue the same set of orders to mobilize her army. She also needed to open the gates to send her forces through. All of that would take a fair amount of time—time Miria, for the first time, didn't want to waste.
Miria felt a little sorry for the hero who waited, but Lian was waiting too. She knew what mattered most to her.