Chapter 1 - The Bond

Karen expected her death to be painless and peaceful. However, reality betrayed all her expectations. Her stomach exploded in a burst of burning pain. Her eyes widened as she screamed in agony. They were flitting in and out of focus. Suddenly, she remembered her body being consumed by fire and lightning.

"No! My entire body!" She yelled.

"Slow down, you moron. You'd only just awoken, but you already started screaming. Your body should be fine at this point." An unknown person rebuked Karen. It had to be the one who had punched her. She had a vague recollection of this voice, but she couldn't identify it. She felt around her body and discovered that everything was fine. She suddenly heard the mystical voice from before in her head.

[Greetings, Host]

[The transition is complete]

[Opening Status]

Soon a black screen appeared in front of her.

Karen

Species: Young Demon (Royalty)

Level: 1

Stats:

Available Points (0)

Vitality -8

Strength -6

Endurance -6

Agility -6

Mana -5

Intelligence -7

Skills:

Available Skill Points (0)

Identification - Level 1

(Hereditary skills will become available as your level increases)

Soul-Binding Skills:

Telepathy - Level 1

Soul Transfer - Level 1

Intermediate Regeneration – Level 3

(As your bond grows, new skills will become available.)

Penalty (Permanent) – As a result of the forbidden technique used by the hosts to save their lives, their level will increase 20 times slower than before.

After reading everything written on the black screen, Karen's mind went blank. She had no idea what was going on or what the symbols on the screen meant. The screen soon vanished.

Karen heard Eliza say, "Stop acting like a retard." She quickly scanned her surroundings but couldn't find Eliza. Instead, she noticed a young human girl with white hair staring at her. She had ocean blue eyes and plain white hair. Surprisingly, her appearance resembled Eliza's.

"Don't look at me that way. You should start by looking at yourself." The young girl made a mocking remark.

Karen became conscious of something after having heard this. She was still wearing her ragged clothes but they felt a lot bigger. She also noticed a significant change in her body. Her appearance had returned to that of her younger self. She tried using her demonic powers but discovered they had vanished. She punched and pinched herself to see if she was hallucinating, but nothing happened.

From the sidelines, the little human girl was thoroughly enjoying the show. When Karen looked at the girl in the eyes, she heard Eliza's mocking voice say, "Stop making a fool of yourself. Even looking at you makes me feel like laughing now."

Karen suddenly realized something at that moment.

"Are you, Eliza?" she asked as she took a few steps back and turned to face the human girl.

"Affirmative, your one and only," the girl said, bending her body and flawlessly performing a human bow.

"Look, what have you done to me?" Karen started yelling while pointing at her body.

"Me. I believe it was you who agreed to it in the first place," Eliza responded with a retort.

Karen recalled being asked a question as she lay dying. It meant that Eliza, who was now a young girl, was aware of what had happened to them.

"You might be wondering about a lot of things. To begin with, we were both going to die on that battlefield, so I used a forbidden technique to escape," Eliza elaborated.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Karen patiently asked. Her rage had subsided in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of their current situation.

"Well, that technique requires two different individuals to use," Eliza remarked uncomfortably.

"How exactly does that technique work?" Karen inquired further.

"It's actually quite simple. We formed a link by using our souls as a medium. I then violated Zantra's laws by utilizing the power of the link, and we teleported to an unknown location. But, as a result of our injuries, we were on the verge of death. So, to save our lives, I drew a recovery magic formation, and we both went into hibernation. However, it appears that our injuries were too severe. As a result, we lost all of our abilities, and our bodies returned to their youthful state," Eliza explained patiently.

Karen was having difficulty processing what she had just heard. Her gaze was drawn quickly to the bright red sky above her. She noticed that they were surrounded by dead black trees as she looked around. She had vivid recollections of this scenery. Without a doubt, they were in Hell. She let out a small sigh and returned her attention to Eliza.

"What about the whole status thing?" She was curious about the mystical voice and the black screen.

"You're unfamiliar with the system?" Eliza's expression was one of astonishment. "Seeing you fight so well at such a young age, I assumed you had a system."

"This is the first time I've heard of the system," Karen stated flatly.

"The system is like a blessing from the world," Eliza quickly recovered her composure and stated. "Only one in every 100,000 people is born with it. Those who have a system experience extremely rapid growth in strength. It's unusual to come across someone with your level of talent who doesn't have a system."

"Oh!" Karen's face was filled with contemplation.

"You are aware of who ambushed us on the battlefield. Is that correct?" Eliza asked, recalling Karen's expression during the attack.

"It might seem unbelievable to you," Karen pondered whether or not to tell her.

"Try me," Eliza said boldly.

"It was the Demon King," Karen decided to tell Eliza.

"It was the Demon—what do you mean, Demon King?!" Eliza exclaimed.

"My name is Karen Gulzack. I am the granddaughter of the previous Demon King. I am, or was, a threat to his position. He must have reasoned that the best place to get rid of me would be on the battlefield." Karen apologized, "I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess because of me."

Eliza clenched her fists and remarked, "Even if it was the Demon King, something doesn't add up."

"What do you mean by 'something doesn't add up?'" Karen was perplexed and inquired.

"The thunder's power belonged to the Gods; others might not notice it, but I've seen it before," Eliza explained.

"Do you mean Gods and Demons worked together to kill us?" Karen inquired, a dry laugh on her lips.

"It couldn't have been all of them, but some had to have done it." Eliza concluded, "They can't attack and raze the same area if they didn't."

"We're not going to get anywhere by making random guesses," Karen said after a brief pause in thought. "But I'm going to find those cretins who plotted my death and make them regret it." Her rage was visible in her eyes.

"Do you think there's anything else I should know about this Soul Bond?" she inquired, her gaze falling on Eliza.

"If one of us dies, the other will die as well," Eliza said softly.

Karen felt like a bucket of icy cold water had been dumped on her. She asked, her eyes fixed on Eliza's petite frame, "How old are you?"

"Telling based on body size. Probably eight years old," Eliza replied cheerfully.

Karan laughed involuntarily, but the laugh was tinged with melancholy.

She'd reverted to a younger version of herself. She'd completely lost all of her abilities. She was also being pursued by the Demon King and, most likely, the Gods. And on top of that, she had to look after a young girl, and that also here in Hell.

"Hey, you thought I was a burden, didn't you?" Eliza sounded irritated.

"No, maybe you were imagining things," Karen tried to shift the blame.

"You just have to wait until I regain my strength," Eliza grumbled under her breath.

"I'm looking forward to it," Karen said, her ears perking up. "However, while we're here, you'll listen to whatever I say. This place is not the same as Zantra. Even a minor blunder can result in death."

"All right, I'm not a big fan of dying after having experienced it once. How old are you, by the way?" Eliza approached Karen, who appeared to be around ten years old.

"Same as you. Eight years old," Karen replied cheekily.

"How did you end up being taller than me?" Eliza was a little envious.

"Because I was a demon, I grew faster than humans when I was younger," Karen smirked. She was enjoying the feeling of being superior to Eliza.

Karen's response caused Eliza's thin lips to purse in irritation.

"I think I know where we are," Karen said as she continued to look around at their surroundings, which were filled with dried trees and pervaded by fog. "Stay close to me and don't touch anything haphazardly."

Eliza gave a slight nod and started following Karen.

They had previously been enemies, but in order to survive, they needed to work together. In this hellish place, they could only rely on each other for help. Their animosity was gradually giving way to trust. As a result, the most unusual duo in the world was formed.