Deep in the dusky gaseous clouds of the Horsehead Nebula, there exists a lone planet known as Arcadia, home to a peculiar race of people called demons. Residing in secrecy for their entire existence, the many classes of demons are in constant confli...
Zain and I pierced the heavy layer of dark clouds shrouding the view of the realms above. When we landed, I hopped off of Zain's back, and he shifted back into his normal form. The world we found ourselves in was a stark contrast from the desolate environment of the Wrath Ring in almost every way. We strolled into a seedy town with cobblestone streets, soaked in lurid neon that gave the air an otherworldly glow. Most of the buildings were dilapidated and shambling. Towers of shacks stacked on top of other shacks crowded the narrow streets, which were already filled with unsavory-looking, scantily clad demons strutting about, clearly aiming to sell sexual favors. It became ever more obvious by all the glaring neon signs hanging from the buildings, screaming out explicit advertisements.
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"This is...a very strange place," Zain remarked. "There's an odd scent...it smells dirty."
"Everything about this place is dirty," I retorted. "I've only been here once before but...this atmosphere is sickening. I want to vomit."
"So uh, what is this Sabbath thing you mentioned?" Zain asked. "I know it's probably not my business, since I'm not a demon..."
"The Sabbath is a death game," I replied. "Each of Arcadia's seven rings are ruled by an exceptional demon called a Sin. This is a competition for all of the Sins to kill each other. The last Sin to survive will unite the rings and rule over all of Arcadia. It is something we must do, this is how our society works. Not by the rule of law, but the rule of fang and claw. This place is ruled by Belial, she's the Sin of Lust."
Zain stared at me. "You're going to kill her?"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course I am. What do you think we're gonna do, dance? Either that or she kills me. Whichever comes first."
"Aren't you afraid?" Zain pushed on.
I clenched my jaw a little. "Yes...I am. But this is what I have to do. It's the only way Arcadia can be saved. Even if I die...maybe the winner of the Sabbath will be able to accomplish something better, to make a better world than...this."
We approached a rickety wooden bridge spanning a river of stagnant, filthy water. A neon sign dangled from the arch above that read "Welcome to the Lust Ring! Have an XXXtraordinary stay~"
On the other side of the bridge stood a towering pagoda painted in vivid red. It loomed over every other building in the town, and was the only one that wasn't an utter shambling mess. A smell of thick perfume wafted from the open windows. The place was aglow and booming with the thump of distant music. "This is Belial's castle," I told Zain. "She lives here, but...it's pretty much a gigantic brothel with a party that never ends. Just...please stay next to me, okay? Don't go wandering off on your own, and don't go biting anyone's necks. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course!" Zain beamed. "I can do anything if it's for my best friend!"
After crossing the bridge, we entered Belial's castle. It wasn't particularly hard- the doors were wide open, after all. I don't think there was ever a time when they were closed. It was a revolving door of endless debauchery.
