The black flames on Ty's back burned even brighter than ever as he proclaimed his readiness for any trial that he would have to face for the Demon King.
Bowing his skeletal body in the Demon King's direction, Ty thanked him for giving him a chance, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.
Still bowed, he confessed, "I have so many questions and I could spend hours just asking them but I don't want to spend any other moment away from my loved ones. Hence, I will do whatever it takes to get back home!"
The Demon King responded with a warm smile, acknowledging Ty's determination, "Good, you will need that attitude when you will be heading down to Alexira. It used to be a prized possession of mine, one that I was proud to visit every few decades.
Unfortunately, that is no longer possible."
The Demon King's demeanor shifted. "But it's no longer the same place it used to be, and with the hundreds of other worlds I maintain, I can't afford to sacrifice any of them."
"I want you to understand that sending you down there could just end up with early death for you, and when that happens, your soul will naturally be recycled, and you will never achieve what you desire."
Ty crossed his arms, unfazed by what the Demon King just said, "That's fine then. Nothing ventured, nothing gained in the world of hell. To be honest, things have been too easy so far anyway. I will do whatever it takes to complete this task."
"So, where is the relic, anyway? All I have to do is retrieve it and get out, right? Is it in a broken tomb or hidden in a treasure room?"
The Demon King scratched his chin, giving a quick and honest answer, "I don't know for sure," he then shrugged his shoulders, which got quite a reaction out of Ty, as the guy yelled back at him, "I thought you had eyes everywhere! What's the deal with that?"
"Well, when the world fell, so did most of the animals, and the resources I could spare for the planet vanished almost overnight. I do plan to restore the world one day when I have finished my mission and regained my ability to leave this place.
But for the time being, this is all I can do."
"The sudden appearance of a skeletal creature will probably attract unwanted attention, so take this watch.
It will disguise you. My daughter's technology can mimic blood and the uglier details, but keep the watch intact, or the illusion falls apart."
Ty tightened it around his bony wrist as it conformed and adjusted itself on his wrist before transforming his body into that of a young 19-year-old with long black hair, wearing a throw-over black jacket and a white shirt underneath.
The watch also changed with the icon of a skeleton on it before disappearing.
"And why can't I just use this and go to the Mortal Realm?"
"It won't conceal your energy, only your appearance, which is next to useless in the latter event."
"Well, time for you to --"
Elithira spoke up, cheeks flushed red. "I will be going too!"
However, the Demon King swiftly rejected her.
"No, Elithira, I will not risk --"
"If he is going, I will also. You've barred me from going there for too long! I don't care if it's dangerous or not. I need to know how he's doing, and if he's still alive, I have to know."
"No, and I won't --"
Just as the Demon King was about to raise his voice in annoyance, he was interjected as Ty placed a hand on his shoulder, "It could be of benefit to the planet if it is in as bad shape as you say.
We could, at the very least, provide a thorough data report, and with someone as strong as Elithira, I should have a bit of a better time down there, right?"
The Demon King relented, "Why do I feel like I have two kids begging to go on a trip? Fine. But if anything happens to her, that will be on you, and you will have to accept the responsibility for it."
"Wh-what, but I can't even --" He was cut off as the Demon King snapped his fingers, and an energy of blue aura enveloped the two. Elithira stood there, arms crossed under her chest, saying, "See you later, Father. Sorry for making you worry."
She vanished, and Ty found himself staring down at his hands.
Everything around him faded into darkness as he felt his body being hurtled through a black space at an incredible speed. Initially, the sensations were chaotic, and he tumbled helplessly through the abyss.
Something steadied him. Bit by bit, he found his balance in the swirl while the dark stretched, bent, and twisted the feeling of time itself.
As Ty steadied himself, the darkness peeled away. Galaxies hung around him like frozen fire, close enough to make his bones feel small.
Nebulas rolled in streaks of color, and stars crowded the black until there was no counting them.
The scale of it pressed against his skull. Ty had seen dead kingdoms, black flames, cages, monsters, and gods wearing stolen faces. Open space made all of that feel small. Out here, danger spread without edges: distance, color, and the ugly feeling that he was still falling through it. He gripped the illusion watch out of habit. Somewhere below, a whole world waited for him to land.
Ty tried to make sense of it and failed. The longer he looked, the smaller he felt, and somehow that made the strange pull in his chest feel louder.
Words failed him, leaving one question: "How?"
Before Ty could stare for too long, a planet filled his sight. Nothing about it felt normal.
Green land curled across deep blue water, bright enough to look carved from gemstone and left hanging in the black.
The planet's surface boasted a circular landmass surrounded by clear oceans which glistened like liquid sapphires.
Ty went quiet at the sight. For one stupid second, even with everything burning behind him, the planet looked like a place someone might have once loved.
Then gravity found him. The pull started gentle, almost polite, before it yanked hard enough to turn wonder into panic. Ty realized he was not hovering in front of the planet. He was falling toward it.
He snapped back to himself and forced the black flames on his back to ignite. Green burst through them, spiraling wide in the most ridiculous light show he had ever been part of.
His skeletal body twisted in the flare, green eyes pulsing with the mess of it.
This was not a controlled descent. It was a broken firework with bones attached.
He flailed once, then twice, trying to turn the flames into wings or brakes or anything useful. The watch on his wrist flickered as the illusion fought to keep a human shape over a skeleton currently losing an argument with gravity.
Panic clenched his nonexistent heart as he tumbled uncontrollably towards the planet's surface.
Moments later, Ty hit the planet hard enough to carve a crater into the ground. The landing should have felt heroic. Instead, it felt like the universe had slapped him flat.
Lying amidst the scorched earth of the impact zone, Ty gazed up at the sky, which to him resembled Earth's blue and white expanse.
He mused, 'I feel like I should be in more pain. Haha, I guess having a skeleton body has some benefits, eh?'
He contemplated lying there a moment longer to take in the splendor of the alien world that lay before him. But his reverie was interrupted by the voice of a vibrant purple-haired woman, who stood nearby, gazing down at him.
"Elithira?" Ty uttered in astonishment.
The woman nodded and spoke with a hint of urgency, "Yeah, it's me. I'll explain on the way to town. Let's get moving on. We have to be quick because your cute little light show is bound to have attracted attention of some kind or the other."