Demon Metamorphosis I

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Grayfia's eyes opened in a dark and cold room, the first thing she noticed was a hovering screen with weird symbols being displayed in succession, the system was doing some crazy stuff again.

She felt briefly enveloped by what she thought was a loving warmth. The last thing she recalled seeing was her palpitating heart that had completely stopped in Richter's hand, turning into gold.

'You finally woke up, Grayfia' His voice she recognised right away, turning her head to the side where he was, she was being in his arms.

'Richter....-sama...?'

'Took you long enough.'

'W-Where are we?'

'This is the trial, Grayfia… it is inside your mindscape'.

The two looked all around only to find a pitch-black room that had two doors, one of the doors was just as black with the texture of wood differentiating it from the rest and giving it the outline of a door.

The other one was much worse; a rotten white door with blood splattered all over it.

One was behind them, the other in front of them.

In this room, the only thing that produced light was Richter's golden hair which was shining together with his red eyes with a slit that was also shining.

'T-That..' she looked at both doors in confusion.

'I tried to open either of them and I couldn't, you're gonna have to try yourself, it must be the trial'.

Grayfia's heart sank when he mentioned that. The door shed with blood and partially destroyed didn't look reassuring at all, especially when it was highlighted in this pitch-black room. As for the other, it resembled an abyss.

Eternal massacre or eternal desolation, which one was worse?

"How are you here?" She questioned with intrigue, if this is her mindscape he shouldn't be here.

Richter thought about what would be the best explanation to give her, truthfully, this process was also new to him, he only knew what the end consequence would be for someone who acquired the Heart Lineage. That person would become the leader of demons. The process, however, was unknown.

His knowledge was limited but he could at least tell what their current location was.

"It is because of my blood and the scale I gave you… it contains my flesh and spirit; do you think I would impose this on you, yet leave you on your right after? we're doing this together" He smirked and kept drawing lines across her silver hair.

"..." Grayfia didn't answer and instead sank her face further in his chest, hiding her blush.

'I thought you would... I was wrong again, Richter-sama' she recalled her doubts, when he held her heart and smiled she thought she had been played, so much for 'love'.

Richter sighed before tracing his finger along her cheek.

"I wouldn't leave you alone... and be careful what you think, since we're in your 'mind' you can't conceal your thoughts from me" He frowned in her direction, having heard perfectly what she thought.

!!!

'No way! then I can't think about…!!!' Before continuing, Grayfia pressed her hands against her mouth as if that would help, it wasn't her mouth speaking, it was her mind transmitting everything in this room as if it was on speaker.

"About what?" He furrowed his brows, 'So you're indeed hiding something from me'.

"Nothing!" She blushed profusely, refusing to think anything else.

"Are you hiding things from me, Grayfia?" He growled and one of his sinful hands sank inside her maid attire, taking a handful of her perky chest.

Grayfia moaned and evaded his gaze.

"I-I am… but Richter-sama, those things I am hiding won't cause you harm, I'm merely… not ready to say them yet…" Her troubled gaze seemed to work for the moment and he retracted his hand, not as she desired him to do so.

'It is not like I'm not hiding things from you either' He sighed, secrets belonged to everyone, if they didn't exist, there would be no magic. He doubted her to be hiding anything that could threaten him.

"I see… in any case. It is time you step in that door" He didn't linger any longer, pointing towards the door, they were here for one purpose and the faster she did it, the better.

The maid used his hand to stand upright; reluctant to leave the warmth of his arms and face the coldness of this room head-on.

With short steps, she approached the pitch-black door first. Only now she noticed she was wearing her maid attire but not the new one. The one she had arrived at that world with. Blue and white with metal plates on the shoulders and legs.

Richter watched her walk elegantly towards the door, expecting her to give on a show and gain that inheritance with her sheer strength.

Grayfia looked in his direction as he remained sitting in the same spot; her heart palpitated faster than it ever had!

'How come I didn't notice he's naked?!'

"You certainly didn't" He answered her thoughts with a deadpan, she seemed to forget the conversation they just had.

"Why are you naked?"

"You ask me? this is your mind, the form that I take here should be according to your desires".

!!!

'N-No that's impossible' Grayfia would never admit it.

"If it was impossible I wouldn't be here with my dick in the air, Grayfia... you're having naughty thoughts about me~," He said teasingly, resisting the urge to stand up just so she could get a better 'view'.

"Please stop being so shameless and reading my mind!" The maid was about to hyperventilate, in this world she felt more exposed than if she was naked, thankfully... it seems that images are not showing around the way 'voices' are, otherwise she'd be in deep shit.

"... I can't stop, and I don't want to stop either~" The dragon shrugged his shoulders.

Before she went insane, Grayfia rather starts this trial once and for all, her shivering hand took a grip of the door's handle before opening it abruptly, the problem is: that door didn't open.

Richter frowned as Grayfia tried to open that pitch-black door several times, unfruitfully.

She turned around towards him, confused.

'Try the other door? are you concealing some hidden power or something? why would there be a hidden domain in your mind?' He inquired.

'I-I don't know... I don't know what this door is' The silver-haired beauty was clueless, her father was a Lucifuge, her mother was also a Lucifuge -her father's cousin. So, she couldn't possibly have a hidden power. They had no time to linger so she moved on, leaving that for later.

She walked slowly to the gate she was trying to avoid early on and twisted the handle, it opened... inside the room, it was pitch black; like a portal to a different world. She couldn't see what lay on the other side of this gate.

'That must be the trial, go on' Richter asserted.

Taking a deep breath, she entered with confidence, feeling rather lightheaded after the moment they just shared.

Her head turned around one last time as she crossed only to find him smiling warmly and confidently.

"I will see you later, Richter-sama".

"Good luck".

**

**

[Grayfia's POV]

Upon entering the pitch blackness, the door behind me closed itself, leaving me in utter obscurity. There was a floor I was stepping on, that's all I know.

But then, what I would have never expected occurred, the system again.

["$^%£UHEHDGKJE$"&*&%*(^%£"!!!!]

[Aborting...]

...

[Task Completed: A little Journey]

[Task Info: Take Richter on a little journey out of the Treasury Realm for a whole day].

[Reward: Devil Fruit - Hie Hie no mi]

'What is the meaning of this?' I don't understand when did I take him out of the treasury realm? right now we're in my mindscape, I assume our bodies are still there so this shouldn't count.

Could it be that his consciousness being outside of the treasury realm counts for this task? did I cheat the task somehow?

There were more doubts than answers, especially because I don't see where this reward is, the fruit that I was supposed to get.

"Welcome, aspirant."

"..." my head turned abruptly on guard, discarding my earlier thoughts, I heard that voice literally beside my ear.

"You have obtained the [Heart Lineage] which means that you have been chosen by the demons as the one that shall rule them, the next Demon Emperor"

The voice wasn't either forceful or eerie, it was calm and masculine.

"..." I kept my mouth shut, awaiting his next words.

"However, since when do ants get to choose their King? the only truth is… if you're not qualified to hold me, you shall die."

"You are the [Heart Lineage]?" I asked, his words indicating so.

"I'm 'Legion'... the Primordial Demon. As for what I am… you could say I'm all the demons as one across the endless multiverse~" The voice no longer sounded gentle and masculine, now... it sounded like a creature was crawling out of the abyss. I stood my ground.

"I don't understand".

"You don't need to understand, Grayfia Lucifuge… because you're going to perish here".

"Uh?" I didn't appreciate the random threat.

"Ever since that Dragon God introduced me in your heart, I could tell many things about yourself… including the fact that you're not strong enough. Physically, mentally… spiritually. You're not ready for this".

I was starting to grow tired of people underestimating me, even Richter-sama thinks I'm weak. I may be by his standards, but I won't give up.

"We won't know until we try" I wasn't ready to give up on this opportunity… what he is saying might be true, but I won't surrender the chance to attain the strength I need to protect those I hold dear… and now, to remain with the one I want to hold in my arms. For dozens of years during the war, I desired it. Now that I have the chance, I won't let go.

'Richter-sama trusted that I could do it'.

"Stubborn I see… at least one redeeming quality. Very well, Grayfia Lucifuge. This trial you shall go through has two phases. The first phase is the resistance trial; enemies shall appear and you have to defeat them. Once you defeat all of them, you're clear to go to the next area".

It sounded rather straightforward.

"Once you complete the first phase, you have pretty much completed the trial~ the second phase is called 'gathering' what you will do is receive the information contained in the myriad reincarnations of the Demon Gods engraved in the Heart Lineage".

I didn't like the sound of that.

"You will receive millions of years worth of experiences, feelings and ideas."

"How is that a trial?" I didn't understand just yet how ominous that phase was.

"Hehe, you don't get it? Grayfia Lucifuge, how old are you? or better said, how many years have you lived?"

"I'm… a hundred and twenty-two years old?" I was young in a devil's standards.

"What do you think will happen if you receive millions of years' worth of information?~"

When I finally caught it, my eyes widened.

"That is right, Lady Lucifuge, the last trial… is for you to remain as yourself or to be corroded by the Heart Lineage~"

!!!

"But if you don't complete the trial, it doesn't matter anyway… the result of that phase shall give way for the fall of a new Demon Emperor, it will be your body... whether it is your consciousness or not, however, that's another story~"

"N-No…"

"Let the Nightmare begin" the voice sounded the most ominous it could before dead silence and darkness engulfed me.

There is no way I'm going to be able to remain as myself! what can a meagre hundred years represent in front of millions of years?!

It was like asking a newly born infant to defeat an endlessly experienced immortal in a fight hand to hand.

Regardless I needed to try and hence remained on guard, waiting for some light in this room or whatever it was, enemies rushing at me from all sides.

Alas, it never happened. For a whole minute I was shrouded in darkness and before I could even utter a word, I felt an intense pain in my chest, like a sword impaled me through the front, protruding to my back!

"AHHHHH!!!" I howled in pain and despair, unable to even see what had attacked me, and then it was another and another and another.

As the pain increased, the voices began to resonate coldly, mercilessly and without any consideration, corroding as my body kept getting battered in the darkness, torn to shreds without the least mercy.

"DIE BITCH, DIE! DIE DIE DIE!"

"USELESS PIECE OF SHIT! LEAVE THIS WORLD!"

"FUCKING LEAVE!"

"TRAITOROUS BITCH! YOU'RE NOTHING! YOU LUCIFUGE FAMILY IS NOTHING!"

"DEVILS ARE WEAK AND USELESS, A FAILURE CREATED BY THE BIBLICAL GOD"

"ALL OF YOUR BELIEFS ARE NOTHING BUT SHIT, GRAYFIA, DIE!"

"YOU'RE NOT FIT FOR THIS"

"I'M SO DISAPPOINTED IN YOU, MY DAUGHTER. YOU DISGUST ME DEEPLY"

"THE DRAGON GOD SENT YOU HERE TO DIE SINCE YOU'RE SO USELESS"

"YOUR FAMILY, EVERYONE WILL BE DESTROYED ANYWAY, WHAT CAN YOU DO?!"

"IT DIDN'T MATTER IF YOU STAYED OR LEFT, DEAR GRAYFIA~ YOU'RE SO WORTHLESS YOU CAN'T CHANGE NOTHING"

***

***

[Richter's POV]

It had only been three minutes or so when Grayfia entered that room. I wasn't worried about her performance, unaware of how difficult the trial was or its nature... but I realised how wrong I was when that door finally opened.

A battered and dismembered body was shot out like a piece of trash, the chunks fell all over the room as I gasped with the biggest chunk of flesh and silver hair landing right in front of me.

Grayfia was unconscious, this is her mindscape, she can't die... however, the time it takes her to recover will depend on how clear-headed she is, judging by how this world is currently flickering. I think she's not right.

I had already expected this, that's why I gave her my scale.

I waved my hand and her dismembered body began to float in my direction, I held her tightly; a little awed at how battered she could get in mere three minutes, it even made me desire to fight whatever was on the other side.

My hand caressed her silver hair coated with blood -her blood, I then rotated my powers before whispering to her ears.

"Shhh... everything's okay, I'm here..." The warmth spread all over her body before the chunks began to regroup in the middle, joining her body again.

...

Half an hour later her eyes fluttered open, as good as new.

"W-What happened?" She asked, clearly not recalling anything.

"You don't remember what happened on the other side?" I asked with tilted eyebrows.

"That-" When her eyes turned ghastly and she palled, I realised that she did remember what happened inside that door.

Her body began to shiver and she embraced me harshly like she never wanted to let go for dear life.

"P-Please! I don't want to go in there again!" She yelled to me in despair, completely different from the person that I had seen half an hour ago; frightened beyond belief and crying her tears out as if on the other side she had seen the most fearful thing in existence.

"Grayfia… I see. If that's the case then we will have to remain here for eternity".

"Uh? w-what do you mean?" She held my chest and looked up, meeting my gaze in disbelief, not understanding what I just said.

"I said we will remain here... I placed my consciousness into your body to be here. I am unable to undo this trial… now that I have invaded your consciousness, the two of us are trapped here until you accomplish this trial. Or until someone outside yanks the heart out of your body" I scratched my head again with a slight smile of amusement, what a problem.

"Richter-sama, y-you're trapped here with me?!" She couldn't believe it.

"That's right... Our bodies are in Goldstein, but right now I'm in your mindscape and I'm just as much a part of this trial as you are, even if you're the one to rip the benefits".

"How could you do such a reckless thing, master!?" She was crying harder now.

"You're calling me mas-" I teased her but she wasn't in the mood, her hands shook my shoulder repeatedly.

"WHY!? I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE TRAPPED HERE WITH ME! WHAT IF WE NEVER COME OUT!?"

"Well, what can I say, it just happened..." I don't know why people need to focus so much on the little details.

It's now like we're going to be here forever, she will eventually surpass this trial, no matter how many times she tries, I made sure of it... by coming here.

"You can't manipulate your body outside?!" She insisted.

"No, I can't… Unlike other primordials, I only have a single consciousness which is this... my body outside is slumbering together with yours, I would be able to easily leave your consciousness if it wasn't for the trial keeping me here, remember... this bastard is also a Primordial. Moreover, when it comes to soul manipulation, Legion is stronger than me" My proficiency is mostly physical, I have already tried to leave but am unable to, it felt rather thrilling to be in this situation.

When was the last time that I was caught hands tied?

"N-No… d-did you know this was going to happen?"

"I didn't… it was a surprise, do you know what this means?"

"If I don't… pass this test, are going to be here forever?"

"Yes~"

"Why are you smiling?! the situation is critical!"

I embraced her body tightly, whispering in her ears.

"You wanted to be of use to me, to become my maid, right?"

"..." Her body shivered again.

"Your master is trapped here with you, and you're the only one that can do anything to save him... what are you going to do, Grayfia?~" I took a light bite of her ear but Grayfia was quiet, I couldn't even see her expression that was covered by her silver bangs.

At that moment I had no idea what kind of monster I awoke when I said those words.

I was wrong and she was right, they're not like Divas.

Devils and Demons are very alike.

***

***

[Grayfia's POV]

Using my magic again I formed dozens of icicles that shot in all directions, I don't know where they're coming from, but if I attack everywhere, it should work!

The noise of piercing flesh entered my ears, bodies tumbling on the floor.

Just when I thought I was doing it okay, something mercilessly sliced my way, I managed to yank my head away just in time, but the blade or whatever it was still pierced through my neck!

"UGH!"

"DIE BITCH! YOU'RE NOT A DEMON!"

I felt the blood oozing out of my neck in torrents but didn't fall, it was a deep cut that almost beheaded me, I couldn't see it, but my head was wobbly and dislodged as if half of it had been sliced off.

Not very hopeful I shot an icicle in that direction and pierced something, only to receive yet another barrage of slices from my back and even from below! those bodies that had fallen on the floor were still crawling towards me.

"DISGUSTING PIECE OF FLESH!"

"DIE!"

I failed again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

'I-I must... take master out of here!'

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

It didn't matter how many times it took, or how corroded my mind became.

**

**

Grayfia shot out of the door again, this time her body was separated from her head, blood splashed all over, I think she has already tried more than a hundred times, whenever her body was already formed, without even looking at me she'd head back into that gate again.

'Even though she could try to make a strategy with me... what a heartless maid' I sighed, but this is her trial, not mine... I can come and help her, but the fundamental purpose of this trial is to change the subject's mindset into a fitting Demon Emperor. That much I could tell.

'It must be a quite difficult test' I sighed in envy, recalling my time with Monique in the Fort Ascension, that was the most difficult and thrilling period of our lives.

I loved difficulty, struggle, fights... plundering treasures. That aspect of me went into a slumber once I became a Primordial.

Grayfia was waking me up slowly.

I had tried to get inside the test through the door once she opened it already, but I wasn't allowed to cross it no matter how rough I became or how hard I punched that invisible barrier. Being forceful like that only caused her damage.

There was an idea in my mind that I was reluctant to execute, but there is no choice. I don't think Grayfia can do this on her own.

Another half an hour and Grayfia was opening her eyes once again this time she wasn't as frightened as the first time, as if she didn't care about her death at all.

"I failed again… but… I think I'm beginning to understand, master" This time she spoke to me with some sort of reassurance, I could tell she was progressing just by how battered her corpse came each time, the less damage she sustained, the better she was becoming.

I nodded, ignoring the fact that she addressed me as 'master'.

The maid stood up quickly and headed back to the door without even looking in my direction, she didn't even notice I was missing an arm.

**

**

[Grayfia's POV]

I don't know how many times I have tried already, but I don't feel like giving up.

Or so I thought, but this time is different. My eyes opened again but something had changed, the warmth that enveloped me each time wasn't there anymore.

I shot up from the cold floor to be received by a cold pitch-black world where I was by myself.

"M-Master?"

Silence engulfed me regardless of wherever I looked.

"Master?! where are you?!" I grew frantic, struggling to stand up only to fail to do so, falling on my knees.

I fell on top of something hard and noticed what it was.

It was a small golden ball... shining with a small light that barely reflected a portion of my countenance. Its size was the same as candy.

'Master?' I asked, but didn't receive any response. This is him, but why? why did he become like this?

My thoughts drifted to the last times that he held me, only to recall... when I opened my eyes the last time, I only saw his head.

There were no arms, no legs, no torso... just a bisected floating head. And even when I saw that I just ignored him and headed back into the trial.

'H-How was I heartless enough to...' I wept, feeling horrible. He healed me each time, using his power. He had been disappearing slowly every time he healed me.

I took that small ball between my palms a wept, looking at it. The small pellet brimmed with his power.

'Master, master...'

It looked just like him, so gold... pristine, beautiful and...

DeLIcIOUs.