11

The sky above Elith is still as bright as any typical sunny morning. It must be the portal rather than the demons themselves that causes the sky over Pasema to go dark, then, because there are demons swirling in the street. The first demons you've seen since Min's revelation about your ancestry. Staring up at them, it's difficult to imagine any part of you could be something so alien.

With their mercurial forms, it's difficult to say precisely how many of the demons there are. You're finding it hard to remember how many illusory demons you summoned the first time, staring at these very real creatures and hearing their broken-glass screams. If Alvis is right, maybe that doesn't even matter.

On the street outside Verity's office, the city guard is trying to pin one spinning dark cloud with their pikes, while its tendrils lash through the sky all the while. Another is peculiarly motionless in the sky, and just underneath it, a woman stiffens and then reaches out to grab a pike from a guard running to join his fellows. Startled, he parts with the weapon, and the eerily silent woman immediately spins it around with unnatural strength and pins it into his shoulder. In a rush of horror, you recognize her—it's Verity's assistant Sophia. Alvis watches her go, looking grim, and his shoulders set like he's made some sort of decision.

You don't see Meredith anywhere. Or, you realize after a moment, perhaps you do—there's no way to be certain if one of those blurring masses in the sky is her.

Evander soon appears to join you, sprinting from the direction of the inn. Around you, your companions have fallen into horrified silence—all but Verity. She straightens her shoulders and throws her head back. "I told you what needed to be done, didn't I? Get to it!" She strides off to the north with the bulk of the guard, toward a large mass of demons. Evander quickly falls into step beside her.