Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 61: Dreams and Demons

Chapter 61: Dreams and Demons

Klaus had once again found himself in an awkward dilemma.

In order to efficiently prepare for his descent into the Shadow Realm, he had concluded that he needed to train all his available cards, not just his physical might. Naturally, this included the succubus, Briar, who had been living with him.

However, there was one major problem.

Briar was lazy.

It wasn’t that she was incapable. In fact, Klaus was certain she had more potential than she let on. But outside of a few minor contributions here and there, she was completely useless. No... she was just lazy. That was the real issue.

Currently, the two were locked in a silent, intense battle of wills; a staring contest, quite literally.

Klaus stood with his arms crossed, narrowing his eyes, while Briar remained seated on his bed. At some point, she had wrapped his blanket around herself like some kind of makeshift armor, peeking out with an indignant expression.

Perhaps this is my fault, too.

Thinking so, Klaus scratched the back of his head.

The human realm was undeniably more peaceful and relaxing than the demon realm. Given such a comfortable environment, it was only natural that Briar would succumb to laziness and indulge in the luxury of idleness she had likely never experienced before.

In such a situation, where he knew nothing about the demon realm, he figured it would be best to leave Briar to her own devices. However, that decision had only backfired on him, as the demoness had grown quite lazy, moody and easily irritated just like an orange cat.

Wait, was it right to call her an orange cat when she was pink? Was there something like a pink cat?

Shaking his head, Klaus discarded the thought completely and shifted his attention back to Briar.

"... Hey?"

"What?"

"We need to talk."

"If it’s about sex, then I already told you no."

Klaus’s eyes widened.

"W-what? No, no, I’m not asking about sex. Why do you always think I’m going to talk about sex?" He sighed. "Never mind that. I’m sure you already know that the gateway to the Shadow Realm will open in just three weeks."

"Yes. And what about it?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just want to know how you’re preparing. Also, I don’t exactly know how much you can do."

Forming an "O" with her mouth, Briar then smiled slightly.

"I see how it is. You want to know how useful I’ll be when we’re in the Shadow Realm, right?"

"Well, if you put it that way, then I guess you’re right. More importantly... you’re following me into the Shadow Realm?"

"Of course. If I leave my foolish master alone, he might get himself eaten by a monstrous abomination or fall into a pit hole and die. Naturally, that won’t do."

"So you’re following me because your life would also be in danger?"

"That’s right. Why are you asking questions you already know the answer to? Did you eat something weird or wake up on the wrong side of the bed again?"

Hearing this, Klaus felt slightly relieved. Fortunately, Briar hadn’t become completely unreasonable.

As a result of the Master and Servant Soul Contract, the two of them were now soul-bound in a way. This meant that if he, the master, were to perish, then Briar, the servant, would also perish.

Due to this troublesome effect, Briar had no choice but to be protective of him.

Of course, the succubus was meant to be the master. However, due to an unforeseen flaw in the creation of the Soul Contract, Klaus had somehow ended up as the "master" instead. It was a complete accident that just happened to work out in his favor.

After all, he couldn’t imagine any sane demon willingly placing her in such an unfavorable position.

Whatever the case may be, he was graceful for his shrouded trait [Dominance].

"Ah." Klaus wore the expression of someone who had just remembered something. "Come to think of it, can demons even enter the Shadow Realm?"

"T-That..."

As expected, Briar visibly tensed at the question.

Sensing an opportunity, Klaus immediately pressed on.

"Look, we’re both stuck in this mess, and it’s not like we can break the Soul Contract anytime soon. That means we need to work together, right? In that case, wouldn’t it make sense for you to tell me something important before we end up caught off guard?"

"You don’t think I already understand that much."

"Then?"

"It’s complicated."

"I will listen. I’m a pretty good learner, y’know."

Briar eyed him for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. It seemed she had finally made up her mind.

Soon, the demoness began to speak. Her expression was unusually somber this time around.

"Fine. It’s a simple story, really. Hundreds of years ago, after our pitiful defeat at the hands of humans, we were sealed away in an uninhabited world, the place you now call the Demon Realm. To ensure we never returned, you humans somehow closed it off completely, trapping us inside. It may be a world, but in reality, it’s nothing more than a prison that’s nearly impossible to escape from."

"I see... So demons can’t enter the Shadow Realm?"

"When did I ever say that?"

Klaus blinked in confusion.

"Huh? But didn’t you just say you guys can’t escape?"

Briar looked at him.

"That’s why I said it’s complicated. Obviously, we cannot break the seal and enter your reality, but the Shadow Realm is different. Tell me, have you ever heard of the concept of dreaming?"

"Dreaming? You mean sleeping? What does that have to do with the Shadow Realm?"

The demoness sighed.

"Humanity excels in many things, but not everything, it seems. Dreaming is a fundamental form of mysticism that allows one to enter Chaos. Through this method, where the participant enters a Full-Cognitive state, the outside manifestation of the spirit which we call the ’Soul Body’, descends into the Shadow Realm. You can think of it as something akin to astral projection or lucid dreaming."

Then, she frowned.

"Naturally, this would leave the physical body unprotected in case of an enemy attack, but what’s the point? Since we cannot escape from the Demon Realm with our bodies, then we would be forced to do so with our spirit."

Klaus processed her words carefully, with his arms still crossed as he leaned against the nearby wall.

This was certainly useful information that would undoubtedly benefit humanity. Chaos has always been a mystery so nobody could fully understand or comprehend it. In a situation where even the smallest insight into its nature was rare, he had no choice but to listen intently.

Curious, he asked,

"So, what you’re saying is... demons can only enter the Shadow Realm in spirit form?"

Briar nodded.

"Precisely. However, that doesn’t mean we’re powerless. In fact, there’s no real difference between entering Chaos with a Physical Body or a Soul Body. The moment you step into the Shadow Realm, your form automatically shifts into a Spiritual State. So, in the end, it hardly matters which one you use."

"Wait, doesn’t mean that if you die in the Shadow Realm..."

"Yes, yes. If you die in the Shadow Realm, you’re gone for good. Isn’t the human term for that ’game over’? I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but there’s no such thing as an afterlife. When you die, there’s nothing. Complete darkness. You either become nourishment for the Shadow Realm or an empty Hollow."

Her nonchalant tone made Klaus uneasy. He had assumed she would downplay the danger, but she was far too comfortable speaking about death and oblivion.

Obviously, she already understood the danger, but she also disliked showing signs of weakness. Perhaps this was the pride of a demoness.

Come to think about it, doesn’t this mean there’s a possibility of encountering a demon in a Fracture?

With this thought, Klaus’s expression turned stern.

Regardless of the method, according to Briar’s words, the demon race could enter the Shadow Realm. This meant that their future possible enemies would not only be hollows, but demons as well. Unlike Hollows, which mostly possessed animalistic intelligence and instincts, demons were cunning, manipulative, and far more ruthless.

There was a reason the demon race was still hated to this day. If a hollow could kill a person with a single step, a demon would take a thousand, break them down piece by piece and perhaps even use them to spread their corruption.

Simply put, a demon was an entity that would take a target regardless of the steps taken.

In such a situation, Klaus wondered how he was supposed to fight two different kind of enemies at the same breath, especially when he knew practically nothing about the latter species.

This is going to be difficult. He thought worriedly.

Noticing his overly serious expression, Briar quickly commented,

"Hey, it’s too early for you to be depressed. Besides, the chances of us encountering one of my kind in the First Fracture are pretty low."

"How so?"

"The likelihood of humans and demons appearing in the same Shadow World is far lower than you think, especially in the First Fracture. I don’t know the exact reason behind this phenomenon, but that’s just how it is. At worst, you’ll only have to worry about facing a great calamity."

"Even if you say that, I still feel uneasy. Just because the chances are low doesn’t mean it’s impossible, right? The chances of meeting a great calamity is low in the first fracture, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, isn’t that right? There is a reason the academy added Tactical Survival to the curriculum."

Hearing this, Briar let out a small chuckle and shook her head.

"You really are paranoid, huh? Fine, I get it. You’re not wrong to be cautious." She stretched lazily, letting the blanket slip off her shoulders. "But if you’re that worried, then all the more reason to start preparing now instead of wasting time overthinking it."

Saying so, she met Klaus’s gaze with a proud smile.

"Besides, with me around, what’s there to be afraid of?"

"Don’t you sound awfully confident for someone who only knows how to eat and sleep."

"Oh? are you looking down on me? You’re underestimating my abilities, aren’t you. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to show you just how great I am and wipe that smug look right off your face."

You know, you’re starting to sound like a video game character. No. It would be scary if she actually made a video game character...

Klaus smiled wryly, briefly wondering what kind of video game theme would suit a succubus. Ah, maybe that one... No, that’s not right! Realizing his mind was slowly straying from the main subject, he shook his head and refocused before raising a question.

"By the way, what kind of abilities do you have?"

Hearing that taboo-like question, Briar merely blinked. However, her response was odd.

"You don’t know?"

Klaus frowned in confusion.

"Eh? What kind of question is that? How am I supposed to know something I don’t know? I’m not a psychic, for God’s sake! Are you seriously messing with me right now?"

Briar’s expression twisted as if she had just been deeply offended.

"You’re telling me you really don’t know? As a Master, I thought you had the ability to figure it out. Ah—!"

Realizing her blunder, the pink-skinned succubus quickly covered her mouth. But it was already too late.

Klaus narrowed his eyes.

That reaction was definitely suspicious. Her current expression was identical to someone caught red-handed. Without a doubt, she was hiding something important from him, perhaps something tied to his privileges as a Master.

How could he possibly let that slide?

In a fraction of a second, his eyes suddenly became filled with greed and a evil smile appeared on his face which caused Briar to tremble.

"Briar."

That was not good. His command rune on his right hand was flashing red. The succubus panicked but there was no way to escape.

"Tell me what you’re hiding from me. That’s an order."

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