Underworld

I'm a Daemon. . . This is strange. My hands are scaly black with the skin inside glowing red like lava and my nails are sharp like lizard claws. Then. . . I'm wearing a black leather jacket. It's not entirely leather because the inside of my collar is made out of hard glowing blue glass. My sleeves have bumps that seem to look like small volcanoes as a fashion statement. Touching my face, I realize that instead of scales, I have a fleshy face with two horns on my forehead. They're glowing blue. Damn, this is cool!

Alice turns into her Daemon Frame but her skin is normal flesh and she's not wearing armor anymore but a crop top covered by an open jacket that has pink glowing lines running along the sleeves. Her abs. . . well. . . they don't look so bad. It's the first time I've seen defined abs up close such as that but I won't stare! I'm not a simp. She wears shorts and huge boots that glow pink and red. Her hair is bright red like fire. Her eyes are pink and her pupils are shaped like stars. Her fangs are protruding from her glossy lips and their sharp tips resting on her lower lip. A lot of piercings on the ears and one nose ring on the left nostril. Lastly, her horns are short and pink.

Lucy too transforms into her Daemon Frame. She wears a black vest decorated with violet and pink lights. She has a lot of jewelry around her neck. Her abs are exposed. Her black long joggers are baggy with strips hanging off the sides. Then her boots are made out of metal and have violet spikes. Her short hair is bright violet and glowing like they're made out of plastic optical fibers. Her eyes are black but her pupils are violet, shaped like hearts. Along with her fangy smile, this outfit is suiting her so well.

"You don't look that bad," Alice remarks at my appearance.

"I think he's ugly," Lucy argues.

I glare at her but she answers with a delighted smile while closing her eyes. We just met and I hate her already.

"Alright," says Alice. "gather around, guys." We form a circle and she holds the vial in front of us. "Don't move or you'll get left behind," she says to me.

Left behind in this wasteland? I don't know much but I think it'll be bad. There will be nothing to eat but rubble, sand, and skulls.

She lets go of the vial and it shatters on the ground in the middle. The black matter swirls and spreads out along the floor and covers the three of us. A second later, all I can see are blurry stars in the black background. I blink a couple of times and realize they're city lights!

We're on top of a building in the middle of a dark city but the streetlights, holograms, and neon signs light up the darkness. Up, I can see nothing but a very high metallic dark ceiling with hatches, elevators, and windows. Some buildings start at the ceiling and end halfway down, making them look like upside-down buildings. Some make it way down like pillars. Flying cars, drones, together with gargoyles, harpies, and bats fill the air above the city, going around and through the buildings.

What is this I'm hearing? It's everywhere—the echoing bass. I can hear traces of electronic music of some sort. Far ahead, I see lights and lasers of different colors lighting up the atmosphere. I think that's where the music comes from. I can tell it's so far but the music still reaches here. It must be so loud there that my eardrums would burst.

"Welcome to my Kingdom," Alice welcomes me. "The Rave Kingdom."

"Meh," I react, acting like I'm not impressed. Praising her out loud will just make her head bigger. I'm not even sure that she rules this vast underworld.

"Now that we're here, we should party."

"Let's go!" Lucy excitedly says.

"Come with us," Alice says to me, showing her hand.

Partying is a little out of place in this world. Or maybe it's just I don't know much about it yet to judge. I need to know how this world works. Going with them would be a great start so I could get around things and get to what I want to do. I want to get to the edge of the server. I want to find out what my mother meant.

"Okay," I say, going to grab her hand but she grabs me first and pulls me.

She jumps off the building as she drags me and I couldn't help but scream. Then the shadows gather on their backs and become spider legs that grab onto the buildings, taking us through and above the streets. Some Daemons are doing the same but mostly, they're riding ground and flying cars.

"One little knowledge for you, Cancer," says Alice. "Daemons get to have this power when they're in the Underworld or in the darkness. It's called Shadowclutch. You can do it too. Try."

Hearing that from her doesn't help me feel confident that I can do it on the first try. If I fail, I could fall to my death. "No, thanks. I'll try later."

Her tone is sarcastic when she says, "Oh, no! My hand is slipping! Hold on, Cancer!"

She loosens her grip on my hands! But I'm still grabbing her! That was close! "Hey!" I yell desperately at her. "Stop that!"

"Oh, no!" She kicks my face, freeing herself from my grip.

"ARGHH!!!" I'm falling!