As the dust around the Suprem Devil cleared, Sunny was finally able to make out its figure.
The Devil's stature was greater than his own, but not by a large margin. It was still in the range that human beings could reach, although on the extreme side. It was certainly taller than anyone Sunny himself knew. From the front, its body was not unusual for a mammal, with a torso covered in brown fur. The hands of the creature were somewhat strange, as they resembled human hands, but didn't have any visible flesh on the fingers. Instead, they were tough and bony, curved in a manner that made Sunny think it was going to scoop something up. Its legs were stubby, and its feet were flat.
As for the head, the Noble Creature had a snout that ended in a small black nose. Its eyes lacked sclera, drenched in an everlasting darkness that seemed sprinkled with an endless amount of stars.
What really stood out, however, was what rested upon the creatures back. Enormous crystals the size of buildings jutted out of its back like spikes, piercing into the sky in their violet glory. There must have been over a hundred of them…
Sunny wondered how the Devil was able to crawl through th earth with so much baggage, looking down at the hole below it for answers.
The opening wasn't even large enough to hold three people…
The creature's nose twitched, leading to it turning its head around a few times. The stars in the sky suddenly shifted, and once the did, something unexpected happened.
A pillar of light fell from the sky, falling upon the Supreme Devil.
'What the Spell?!'
Only a second later, the pillar of light disappeared, taking the Supreme Devil with it.
Sunny looked up at the sky, analyzing it once more. Before it could change, he memorized the entire pattern, connecting the stars in his head to see if he could form a constellation. A moment later, he stepped out of the shadows, back to level ground. He used his Aspect to create a stick as he carved into the dirt.
Was this the 'door' that Herta had been referring to? If so, why would a Supreme Devil know about it?
Wasn't that a security failure?
Either way, Sunny eventually figured out thet the constellation had arms and legs, as well as a torso and a head, so it was clearly a person. The harder part was figuring out the finer details, but now that he figured out that the stars formed a finger that pointed at the Supreme Devil, he was able to at least find a starting point.
Stepping away from the finished product — assuming he was right — Sunny tilted his head. Then, he furrowed his brows. Then, he scowled, before turning around and summoning the Covetous Coffer.
***
Sunny didn't bother thinking about the constellation any longer. Whatever that thing was, it could wait. More pressing matters existed — namely, the strips of meat already skewered over the fire.
A thin shadow held the skewer in place, hovering steadily above the coals. Another shadow acted as a brace, and a third occasionally flicked the meat to make sure it cooked evenly. Sunny sat beside them, watching the surface darken and tighten as fat dripped into the glowing embers with quiet, sharp pops.
The air smelled faintly of smoke and iron. Not appetizing, exactly, but hunger had its own opinions.
Sunny leaned forward and tested one of the pieces with a fingertip. Firm enough.
He slid the first strip off the skewer and bit into it. The meat was hot, a little tough, but real food — good enough for now. He chewed slowly, letting the warmth settle into him, eyes drifting toward the unfinished carving in the dirt.
The constellation was that of a woman in a strange pose, pointing down at the spot the Supreme Devil had been. The question was: when the stars changed again, would they follow the same rules?
Did Sunny simply have to go where the woman in the sky pointed?
'Guess I'll just figure it out.'