The Hidden World

Yuki woke up to the loud and persistent beeps of the bracelet on his right wrist. He didn’t even know that it had a function like that. He rolled out of bed, tired from his late night training from the day before. From the clock on his wall, he barely got four hours of rest.

 

“I hope this is important,” he said as he tapped the Compendium. The familiar screen popped up and a large alert was written on it.

 

“Please Gather In The Basement. This Is Urgent.”

 

‘Some of those words shouldn’t be capitalized,’ Yuki remarked in his head. Before he left, he grabbed a random school jacket that he put on while walking out of his room.

 

Leaving the room, it seemed that the others had already gone. Yuki didn’t think he took that long to get ready.

 

When he arrived on the last floor, everyone was gathered in a circle near the entrance of the hangar. They all seemed to be engrossed in observing a large iron prison that was partially covered in a cloth and didn’t notice his arrival.

 

Yuki found Sayuri standing near the edges of the group and went to her.

 

“What’s going one?” he asked awkwardly. Yuki didn’t normally initiate conversations.

 

“They captured something and it’s in that cage!” Sayuri said excitedly as she turned to look at Yuki. “They’ll be revealing what it is real soon. What are you wearing?!”

 

“Hmm?” Yuki replied and looked down. “Ah.”

 

It seems that Yuki wasn’t paying attention to what he was wearing when he had left his room. Before he had went to sleep the day before, he was experimenting with his wardrobe and forgot to take off the skirt from the female uniform that he had put on.

‘Well I don’t think I look bad in it, but people are going to start odd rumors,’ Yuki thought to himself. ‘I can’t really go back to change either. Oh well.’

 

[I think you look very cute,] Akira said.

 

‘Thank you.’

 

Yuki looked at Sayuri who had a face of complete confusion and shock.

 

“I was just trying it on. Does it look bad?” Yuki asked in a flat voice.

 

“No, no it’s not that,” Sayuri rushed to say. “Rather, why are you wearing the girls uniform?”

 

“Ah. For fun?” Yuki said tilting his head.

 

Sayuri stared at him for a couple of seconds before turning away, her face bright red.

 

“It looks good on you,” she muttered quietly.

 

Before Yuki could reply to her, Robert who was standing next to the covered cage clapped his hands and called for everyone’s attention.

 

“I’m sorry for calling everyone out here so early in the morning,” Robert apologized. “But this is very important. What I am about to show you will shock you so all of you must steel yourselves. Inside of this cage is a weakened demon that we have captured.”

 

Shock rippled throughout the room. Yuki saw the shadow of whatever was in the metal change move.

 

“Though it is weakened, it still is powerful,” Robert warned. “Do not approach it. We are showing it to you trainees so that you have an understanding of what your enemies are. After this, the demon will be executed tomorrow after we try to interrogate it.”

 

He reached to the cover and grabbed it.

 

“Prepare yourselves,” Robert said before he yanked the cloth off, revealing the creature that laid behind it.

 

Before Yuki’s eyes was a teenage girl who had an unearthly beauty similar to what Akira had. On her head were two tiny devil horns. Behind her were a pair of small bat like wings and a small, thin tail that ended in a spade.

 

‘A succubus,’ Yuki thought.

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Erica was mentally kicking herself right now as she sat in the dark iron prison. How did she even get into this situation? She just wanted to take a small trip to see what the humans’ world looked like when she was attacked by some strange men then captured by more strange men.

 

“Haaa,” she sighed. “I wonder what’s going to happen to me.”

 

Then the male human that stood just outside her cage began to speak. Erica didn’t have any trouble translating, magic was a wonderful tool.

 

‘Hmm, I’m going to be a display piece? Ha, as if,’ she laughed. ‘I have to hide. Maybe I can scare them? Heh heh.’

 

She closed her eyes and released the last of her mana in a thin wave that entered the minds of all those around her. If she wasn’t weakened she would have been able to completely control these weak willed humans but during the fight she had expended to much mana trying to run away. Instead, she slightly altered the way these humans would see her. They wouldn’t see a pretty girl succubus but rather an evil looking devil.

 

‘Fu fu fu, I can’t wait to see their reactions,’ Erica said evilly to herself. Then she heard more of what Robert was saying. That she was to be executed.

 

The blood drained from her face and the smile fell to the ground.

 

‘Wha, what? Why do they want to kill me?’ she thought to herself in panic. ‘This isn’t what supposed to happen. Is this how humans do justice?’

 

While she was panicking, the cover fell off and flooded the cage with light and momentarily blinded Erica. Once her eyes adjusted she say the faces of dozens of humans staring at her with horrified faces. Normally Erica would enjoy this reaction but she had more urgent matters to attend to. Like not dying.

 

‘Gah, why are humans so ugly?’ she thought absentmindedly to herself. ‘Wait no, right now isn’t the time for that. Ah, why did I have to hide what I looked like? Someone might have helped me if they saw how cute I am.’

 

She scanned the crowd to find anyone, anything that could help her. A friendly face or at least someone that didn’t look disgusted or hostile. For every face that looked scared or horrified, Erica’s fragile hope cracked.

 

‘I’m really going to die,’ she thought to herself going numb. ‘Why did I have to come here? Why did those people attack me? Why, why, why…?’

 

Then one person’s face caught her attention like a beacon of light. A face with piercing grey eyes that showed no fear or aggression.

 

‘Maybe she could help me?’ Erica thought. ‘And she’s so cute~! Ah wait, Erica, it’s not the time for that.’

 

Erica then tried to convey her panic through her eyes to this potential savior before she realized something.

 

‘This girl. Can she can see me?’ Erica thought, shocked. ‘My real form? She doesn’t even look disgusted, if anything she looks amazed. Then...can she save me?’

 

‘Please. Help me,’ Erica begged with her eyes, nearly in tears. ‘I don’t want to die.’