Whenever someone asked what the most famous monument of the City of Fall was, they would all answer the same. Winter Portal. The pathway to the famed Winter Realm, the dream of many.
Since its popularity, there were always Guards keeping an eye on it, never leaving it unguarded. Therefore, it was impossible to sneak inside without being noticed.
However, as the citizens walked past the Winter Portal, the Guards didn't notice five strange-looking people walking right by them like they were invisible.
At that moment, the Realm Portal activated, catching everyone off-guard. The Guards unsheathed their weapons, thinking that someone had activated it without permission. However, they couldn't see anyone except the amazed citizens.
The citizens watched as the mesmerizing whirling portal froze the ground. They could only imagine how cold it was on the other side. However, that didn't frighten them. It made them curious and excited!
The five strange-looking people stepped into the portal, disappearing from the face of the planet. The portal slowly deactivated, making the Guards frown in confusion. This was the first time the portal activated without any warning.
On the other side of the Portal, in Winter Realm.
The five strange-looking people stepped into the snow, cold wind blowing through the air. The snowy valleys, forests, and faraway villages covered in snow spanned into the horizon.
A pillar of smoke came from the direction of the villages. The source was the smoking hot chimneys that kept the houses warm and safe. There was no one that could live outside the warm houses. The whole realm was freezing cold.
However, the five strange-looking people acted like they were standing in the middle of a volcano, not bothered by the cold.
Then, a wrinkle appeared on their robes, soon revealing a sharp tail. The cold air blew off their hoods, revealing their bronze skins and red eyes.
They were Demons!
As the last individual removed the hood, her beautiful face shone in brilliance. She looked vastly different from other demons with her horns and scaly arms.
She was Bella, the former landlord of Isaac!
"General, what should we do?" The demons turned to Bella, asking respectfully.
The Demons treated the hierarchy with utmost importance. It went by the following: Common Demons, Soldier Demons, Commanding Demons, Demon Generals, Demon Lords, and lastly, Demon Kings.
While the four ordinary-looking Demons were all Commanding Demons, Bella was a level higher, Demon General!
Bella softly spoke, "Finding the veil is of utmost importance. We searched for other realms to no avail, and this is the last Realm before the place where Gods reside. However, we can assume that the veil isn't here either, instead at God Realm."
The Demons nodded. They thought that as well. However, they still searched for other Realms because their Demonic Scent was still too strong, and they had to wait until the scent diminished. They had to do that to hide from the Gods.
The closer they got to God Realm, the higher the chance of them finding their presence. Thus, getting rid of the scent made their journey easier. However, they still didn't want to go to God Realm, the Headquarters of their enemies.
"Finding Veil is a must. Thus, we will go to God Realm!" Bella gave an order with a solemn face.
"B-But General, we will get found out!"
"No, if we go with our Human Forms," Bella said and saw the change in the Demons' faces. They grimaced with disgust.
"We can't use our demonic prowess in that disgusting form!"
"Doesn't matter. Do not fight, period!" Bella said seriously, causing the Demons to lower their heads. The Demon Generals' presence wasn't a joking matter. They were strong enough to give a proper fight to the Gods.
"We will go to God Realm. However, since the scent is still an issue, and our Human Forms can't fool Odin and his minions, we must tread with extreme caution!"
"Yes, General."
Bella opened her pocket, pulling out a shiny pearl. Her mouth opened, and she spoke a strange language. As soon as she finished, hers and the Demons' forms began changing. They returned to their Human Forms.
"Now, be careful, and if you see any ravens, kill them." Bella glanced at the empty trees, frowning, "Odin's spies are everywhere."
"Yes, General!"
…
"Argh, climbing sucks," Zachary said as he grabbed Isaac's hand.
Isaac pulled him up. As Zachary leaned against the mountain wall, he could see the overview of the enormous realm. They stood around 200 meters high on a mountain ledge. They decided to go to higher ground where they could get a proper look at the realm.
"These mountains are close to each other," Zachary said while glancing at the nearest mountain that was barely a hundred meters away. To infiltrate a neighbor would take less than a few minutes.
"Yes, but there are far bigger threats. Those are the people we need to keep an eye on." Isaac said while roughly calculating the distance between them and the furthest mountain.
"Like who?" Zachary asked curiously.
"Like people who can move in superspeed," Isaac said with an arched eyebrow. In the distance, he could see a pillar of smoke.
"Hah, there is someone like that?" Zachary asked with his mouth wide open.
"Yeah."
"Fucking overpowered," Zachary said with a chuckle. However, his emotionless eyes flashed with a strange glow when he said the word 'overpowered'.
"Yeah…" Isaac sighed as he agreed with that. Xerxus was a person he respected. Without him, he wasn't sure whether their journey would have gone as smoothly.
"Oh, fire." Zachary then noticed the pillar of smoke.
"They are burning the trees," Isaac said. Gladly, the smoke was far enough not to disturb them.
"Hah, what for?"
"Well, I have a theory." Isaac glanced below at the faraway ground, "They are betting that no one will try to attack them if there is a danger of getting sneak-attacked. After all, the smoke makes the visibility quite poor."
"But, the smoke won't last forever."
"It will last enough. They must have found the clock. The stage lasts a week, and this much smoke could last that long."
"Damn, but won't they suffocate because of all that smoke?"
"They must have discovered a way to prevent that or forgot such a simplistic manner. I don't know."
"Damn, should we do that?" Zachary asked with excitement.
"That would be the last thing we would do." Isaac immediately shot down that idea.
"Why?"
"They forgot one important thing."
"What's that?"
Isaac unloosened the laces that strapped a wooden spear to his back, "There are people who can see through the smoke, like me!"
