The Hidden World

Five Minutes Earlier

Erica was hungry and cold. This was her life here in Ethros. She wasn’t accepted in her village and so became a wanderer that traveled around the borders of countries. She couldn’t enter any for long or she would be hunted down for being a demon.

‘A girl has got to eat, though’ she thought, walking down the streets of Fenrir.

But even though her stomach was crying, Erica felt extremely uncomfortable with walking out in the open in such a populated city. She could feel the eyes of others landing on her, most likely not by their own accord. As a succubus, she exuded a magical aura that naturally attracted the attention of others. And because she was lesbian, it worked on both genders.

‘I’m trying to suppress it but it keeps leaking out,’ she growled. ‘And then I have to get food and I’ll probably have to go into an even more crowded space.’

As she walked, her mind wandered off to the last time she was at least moderately happy. And that was quite a long time ago. It was when she was visiting Earth out of boredom and was saved by a human. Those ten minutes were probably her most enjoyable ones she had for the last decade.

‘But Yuki’s on Earth and I’m here,’ she thought, her head slumping. ‘I was lucky enough to be able to go there once. I won’t be able to go again.’

A wonderful aroma distracted her from her thoughts and she looked up in a daze. Her eyes landed on a restaurant that was to her right and saw a metal sign that read “GMD Bar and Grill”. Her stomach responded to the words and her feet began to move on their own accord.

She pulled open the door and went inside hesitantly. The room noisy and jam packed with people eating and drinking. They didn’t seem to notice her arrival yet but she knew that would change in a couple of minutes.

‘I want to eat but I have no money. I’m a poor demon that’s renting a broken down apartment.’

As Erica was about to leave, she scanned the room again and stared at the plates of food on the tables with a wistful gaze.

‘Well, I can go a few more days without food,’ she sighed. Then a waving hand caught her attention.

She looked at the bar and saw a pretty elf with her hand up sitting on a stool with a beautiful beastkin girl eating next to her.

“Nice to see you again,” the elf mouthed to Erica.

‘What?’

Erica racked her memory to see if she had ever met this girl before. She doubted it because there was no way she would forget such a pretty girl. Especially a pretty girl that was willing to talk to her.

‘Of course my memory might be wrong.’

She focused her senses and stared at the girl waving at her from the bar. Then the aura of the elf began to glow before Erica’s eyes. Along with the aura came a faint scent that she recognized immediately.

“Yuki?!” she half yelled, her eyes widening.

The elf rose her eyebrows and nodded her head.

‘But Yuki’s human. And a male. And this elf looks way prettier than he did.’

Erica made her way over to the elf that may or may not be Yuki. The elf pointed toward a seat to their left and she took that seat. On the other side of the elf was the beastkin who looked up from her meal, smiled, and went right back to her food.

“Are you really Yuki?” Erica asked.

The elf leaned in and spoke directly in her ear.

“I can’t really hear you over the noise,” the elf said. “You either have to yell or speak right into my ear. What did you say?”

“Are you really Yuki?” she repeated, louder.

“Last time I checked, yes,” the person that was clearly an elf said. “Don’t recognize me?”

“Why are you an elf?”

“Because I’m an elf.”

“Are you actually a girl? You look even more like a girl than before and your voice is higher.”

Yuki didn’t respond immediately and looked toward the beastkin girl that sitting to the right. She had a slight smirk on her face. Yuki looked back at Erica and let out a soft sigh.

“You can think about me however you like,” Yuki said.

“Girl then~,” Erica decided. “This will make things much easier for me. And not make me question myself.”

“Go ahead. At this point, I don’t really care.”

“So, Yuki. What are you going here?” Erica asked. “It’s not easy to go back and forth. I would know.”

“Akira here is the reason for that,” Yuki replied, pointing at the beastkin next to her. “She brought me here. By accident.”

Erica looked closely at the girl named Akira. She seemed to notice her gaze and stared back at Erica with a small smile.

‘She’s not a beastkin. She’s a demon of sorts.’

Erica flashed back to her first meeting with Yuki and remembered the mark on his arm. A symbol that represented a sacred bond.

‘Oh, so she’s Yuki’s partner. And she somehow opened a way to Ethros.’

“Well, I’m glad you are here now,” Erica said with a smile. “I wouldn’t have been able to meet you again.”

“Speaking of which, how did you come to Earth?” Yuki asked.

“I was lucky. With enough magic and a skilled magician, a portal could be opened between the worlds,” she explained. “I just piggybacked for fun. And then you know what happened after.”

Yuki nodded and glanced over at Akira who had just finished her meal.

“Is that your partner?” Erica asked.

“Yes,” Yuki responded, looking back. “So why are you here? I thought you would be with other demons.”

“Yeah, I thought I would be too,” she said. She turned away. “I’m not welcomed, remember?”

“I know, but did no other group accept you?”

“Well, there was one but I had to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because those bastards came and had to screw up everything,” Erica growled. “Screw up the one place where I could relax for the first time in decades.”

“Who?”

“The Shikaku. You wouldn’t know them,” she said, turning back to Yuki. Then she saw her eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, do you know them?”

“All too well,” Yuki replied. “What did they do?”

“Nothing violent, unlike their other operations,” Erica said. “They just came to recruit people. But that involved them spreading their ideas.”

“What kind of ideas?”

“It’s nothing horrible. It’s just that I disagree with their actions and how they try to achieve their goals,” she explained. “And I would have stayed if not almost everyone was convinced to join them.”

“So you had to stand by your ideals and left?”

“No, it wasn’t only that,” she said, shaking her head. “One of their policies is against all demons. That includes me. Do you know what they did to that shelter I had?”

Yuki kept quiet.

“They convinced everyone that wasn’t a demon to go hunt down the ones that were,” Erica growled. “I watched them. I watched as my friends kill the people that they were just having dinner with the day before. I had to go.”

“Do you hate them?”

“Those people I lived with for the last couple months? No, of course I don’t. I hate the people that came in and twisted those people.”

“And now you’re here.”

“Yup. Poor and hungry,” Erica said. “Just wait a few more days and you can add homeless to that list as well.”

“Do you want to give the Shikaku some payback for what they did?” Yuki asked, her eyes narrowed.

“Of course, who wouldn’t? But what can I do?” she laughed. “I just a succubus.”

“So you need some help,” Yuki said. “And there are two people right here that are willing.”

Erica looked at Yuki, not understanding.

“Akira and I also have somethings to settle with the Shikaku. Want to join us?”