Before I knew it, I was hung upside down, tied by my ankles to a chain dangling from the ceiling.
Below me bubbled a giant pot filled with pink liquid that looked like it was boiling.
Sweat dripped from my forehead, falling into the steam rising up.
My heart pounded hard.
How did I end up like this?
Well, I could barely resist nor do anything, that's why.
Koil rummaged through the shelves nearby, grabbing jars and vials.
She then tossed in what looked like herbs and glowing crystals into the pot.
"You know, Lothair and I struck a deal about twenty days ago. Nothing too fancy, but she came to me with this wild idea."
She paused to stir the pot with a long ladle, not even looking at me. "You do not need to know all of the details of the deal, but Lothair mentioned how she had picked up a human somewhere.
"After that, she said she is planning to turn that human into some kind of demon hybrid fusion, or at least the equivalent of a proper demon. And then she told me that I need to teach that human everything I know about Demonic Essence."
I stayed silent, just listening.
I did not want to agitate or enrage her in any way. She still had no concrete reason to kill me, unlike Caligula who was already set on it back then.
Besides, getting on her bad side now would be stupid. One would think that I might be acting like a dead sardine letting her do whatever she wanted to do, but no!
That woman grabbed me and then tied me onto a contraption, in less than three seconds! Three seconds! How the heck should I react when she was able to do all of that in less than the time I took to drink a full glass of water!
And as if that wasn't alarming enough, Eli had been dead silent the whole time Koil was concocting whatever brew that was currently boiling beneath me.
I tried reaching out in my mind again.
Eli, can you help in any way?
Nothing.
She ignored me completely. Either that she took a bathroom break in my imaginary space or she was watching everything happening through my eyes while eating popcorn, all while saying nothing.
Koil kept going, pulling more ingredients from a high shelf. "I have been mulling over how to teach a human about Demonic Essence efficiently. I mean, hypothetically, a human will not feel or even experience a damn thing about Demonic Essence.
"This is my first time seeing a human, and I only know from what I have read and heard, not directly witnessing one myself. You see, Demonic Essence takes years to achieve any real mastery. Two years minimum when it comes to proper control before going to the second phase, which is cultivating your own unique type of essence.
"One year is the fastest record I know, but the record holder is someone so smart and talented that they can already manage an estate at the fine age of six months. And then we have an Ego-less human like you on your fifteen."
"I'm twenty two years old."
"Oh my, is this thanks to you noble lineage?"
"Maybe…?"
She seemed to take a great interest in this.
The fact that a Demon would immediately think that you're some kind of noble just because two words in your name. It still felt uncanny, somehow.
"To think that you're already living twenty two years of your life without interacting with a Demonic Essence." Koil then sighed deeply, setting down a jar with a thud. "And Lothair insisted on making this human able to control it in less than a year. She knows the facts, yet she pushed for it anyway.
"Can you believe that? She acted like it was no big deal!"
"That is certainly the Lothair I know—"
Suddenly, Koil moved so fast I barely saw it.
One second she was across the room, the next her face was right in front of mine.
Her sharp teeth grinned wide, eyes popped open in a gluttonous hunger.
"Lothair promised me a taste that will surpass the flesh of a human being." Saliva started to drool from her sharp teeth. "I am trying really hard right now to not take a huge chomp out of you… Do you understand how hard I'm trying to suppress myself right now? All to achieve the deal that had been given to me? Oh, I have imagined it so many times already..."
She leaned even closer, her breath hot on my face. "Just by looking at your soft skin and fragile figure, human flesh must be so tender, like the soft underbelly of a young beast~
"Ah~ such an exquisite ingredient~! With such fine meat. I could make so many dishes~" Her sharp fingers slowly caressing my face without damaging it. "I can stew it for hours until it falls apart completely, turning it into something disgusting. I can grill it over flames to crisp the edges while keeping the inside juicy. Or raw, I can just chuck it raw! Maybe, sliced thin and marinated in acidic nectars, maybe even baked the rest into a pie~"
I'm cooked, as in literally, if this woman somehow fail to contain her demonic desire over her deal with Lothair.
So in a sense, my life was hanging on the fact that Lothair was a much more fearsome demon or maybe respected enough that it surpassed this woman's innate instinct to put anything exotic into her mouth.
Also, it might be late to realize this, but seeing her slightly bend over and her face was on the same level as me, she was really huge.
I was so short to begin with so everyone I met so far had been a giant, but Koil could easily be around 220 centimeters tall, towering over even Lothair who was about 180 centimeters.
I mustered what courage I had left and spoke calmly.
"... If all that you said is true, how will you make me able to control the Demonic Essence quickly to fulfill Lothair's request?"
Koil pulled back a bit, her glare turning into an innocent smile that did not match her teeth.
"I will achieve that by simply letting you taste it."
"What?"
Before I could process, she pulled a lever on the wall.
The chain lowered fast, dropping the upper half of my body straight into the pink liquid.
At first, I panicked. All sorts of stimulations hit my mind at once—colors flashing, sounds buzzing, feelings pulling in every direction. It overwhelmed me completely.
But then I noticed it was not boiling hot like I thought.
The liquid felt warm, not burning. And I could breathe somehow, like the air was mixed in.
And the moment I was calm enough to open my eyes beneath this strange concoction, what I saw while submerged was out of this world.
Energies swirled around me, each with its own form, trait, and color.
Some twisted like vines, others pulsed like hearts.
They intermingled, blending and separating. A few complemented each other, merging smoothly to create something new.
Others conflicted, clashing with sparks or pushes, as if they had their own minds, personalities, and preferences.
Koil's voice cut through somehow, clear in my head. "Can you hear me? If you can, try moving your legs to give out a signal."
I kicked my legs a little, still dangling above the surface.
"Alright. You are currently witnessing all sorts of Demonic Essences, but they are not real Demonic Essences per say. They are artificial ones I created using alchemy, and they can only be sensed through an amazing bodily receptor called the tongue."
I realized then why everything got clearer. I had opened my mouth under the liquid without thinking, gasping in panic, and as soon as it touched my tongue, the details of this strange world sharpened.
Koil continued, "Try seeking a Demonic Essence that you feel connected to the most. You will know what I mean when you find one. Also, take your time! The liquid you are inhaling right now also works as a nutrient.
"So in a way, you can stay there for a day or two without any problem." Koil then chuckled. She was probably smiling like a devious gremling out there. "I have something to do, so tata~!"
I listened silently and did what she said, ignoring the fact that I had simply been abandoned by that woman.
I focused on the swirling energies, watching their interactions.
Some danced together in harmony. Others fought, one overpowering the other until without completely erasing the other, as if they were only playing around.
I let my mind wander through them, searching for that so-called connection Koil mentioned.
Five hours passed like that, or at least it felt that way.
I did not find any that clicked, so I felt like I had been scammed somehow. Either way, Koil told me to take it easy, so I did.
Still, being submerged without drowning upside down for five hours was not a pleasant experience.
And it wasn't like I was able to call for help in any way
But then I accidentally pushed my awareness further. There were more Demonic Essences beyond the main cluster I had been searching.
The farther I went, the less crowded they became. Sparse, almost empty spaces stretched out.
Then I continued my search in a very casual, very distressed manner.
Seven hours had passed ever since I was being subjected to this.
Now, I firmly believe that Koil had somehow forgotten about me.
It was a depressing trial, one that was forced upon me.
Still, it wasn't as bad my memory of torture that I requested myself to be unsealed again.
Also, Eli was still nowhere to be found.
It was lonely, and I started to accept the fact that maybe I would never find that one Demonic Essence that I felt connected with.
But then I found it.
Just like Koil said, I knew immediately.
This one was alone on the extreme far edge of what I could perceive. It flickered in and out, like it was slumbering with no excitement.
As if it was dying.
Yet at the same time, it pushed to stay alive, holding on quietly.
I smiled in the liquid. I acknowledged it, reaching out with my thoughts.
I saw a bit of myself in that essence, and it no longer felt lonely now that I know there was a kindred soul somewhere inside this pot.
The Demonic Essence responded.
It burned brightly all of a sudden, overwhelming everything else in the pot like an all-consuming existence.
The other energies dimmed under its light.
Then it transformed into a humanoid silhouette, something that greatly resembled me.
It walked toward me slowly, step by step. Closer and closer.
Before I realized it, the silhouette was right in front of me.
And then it kissed me on the lips.