Joy knelt slowly, the dirt soft and damp with thawed ice as it crumbled against his claws. The sun was cool against his back, far removed from the hot Outlands heat that he had grown used to, that he had grown up in. The scent of char and death clung to his nostrils even now, the gentle wind that blew down from the hills doing little to scatter the smell of blood. That metallic scent stung with every breath, a mild irritant as he dug through the dirt. Black claws thumbed carefully through the dried mud, flicking the clumps of clay and silt from his clawtips. His gaze searched carefully, blinking slowly as he thumbed through more of the earth before finally coming to a halt.

There was a quiet clink, as if tapping glass, and he slowly raised his palm up closer towards the light. Brushing off more and more of the debris, he finally isolated what seemed almost to be a small gemstone that was a milky white in color. Its surface was utterly smooth, devoid of any features whatsoever as it sat in the center of his hand, the size of a large pebble. It seemed to gather the very sunlight around itself, with a shimmering halo of light collecting around it that prevented him from staring too closely. There was a gentle heat as it rested in his palm, a growing intensity upon being unearthed that seemed only to grow with every passing heartbeat.

With a low hiss, Joy stood up and turned around to throw his gaze across the riverbank. His demons were gathered, sating themselves on whatever corpses had not been burnt by fire or frost. Those humans had fled already, retreating beyond the hills to whatever walls that hid behind. Their words had promised him alliance, but he cared not if they clung to it. They would fight in the end—be it by choice or force, it mattered not. His gaze sifted through the crowd until it finally settled on a slender figure, with black markings lining a pale-white face. “Kha.” he called out, and those slitted eyes blinked open before the demon slinked over.

“My king...have you…” Kha asked softly, and Joy opened his hand to display the gem that lay within. Kha could barely contain his excitement, his long tail whipping back and forth along the ground. “Indeed, my king...you truly are the god’s chosen…”

Joy snorted at these words, feeling nothing but contempt for the weak, who clung so dearly to faith. “Your god? What makes him different from the dark god in the south?” he growled out as he dropped the gemstone into Kha’s waiting hands, the sunlight gleaming brilliantly.

“There must always be a balance…” Kha whispered softly, those horizontal eyes staring unblinkingly at the center of that blinding light. “Light and shadow...creation and destruction…” Slowly, his slender fingers began to wrap around the gemstone, his hands rotating ever carefully. “The dark god’s brother...has slept for too long...yet now he wakes...now he whispers to me...now he tells me of you…”

Faster and faster those slender hands continued to spin, rays of brilliant light flashing out of the gaps between his fingers. “My god was weak...and for a time, Atal was strong…” Kha’s words were nearly inaudible now, the demon’s mouth hardly seeming to even move as he became enraptured by the light before him. “Now the dark god weakens...and Ajah’s power grows…”

“Enough of this,” Joy barked out impatiently, the claws of his feet digging into the dirt. “You promised me a gift of your god. Tell me now why we hurried to this land that reeks of man. Tell me what so many of my people have died for.” Yet as Kha declined to answer, he felt his frustration slowly begin to grow.

“Atal’s arbiter has been stolen…” Kha spoke finally, that strobing light continuing to grow brighter and brighter until it nearly seemed a star having fallen to earth. It had attracted the attentions of the other demons as well, interrupting their squabbling and drawing their gazes over. “Stolen power has returned to Ajah...and my god is pleased…”

Leaning close towards his hands, the demon gently whispered, “A boon…” His hands suddenly opened, that bright light floating in the midst of the air. The gemstone could no longer be seen in its heart, the center of the star too bright to even gaze at. Yet Joy was shocked as that star abruptly split, abruptly shattered into a hundred shards that hung in the air. Like so many stars in the night sky, like so many flamebugs darting about, those sparks glittered for a brief moment when everything was still.

Yet swiftly, they began to soar through the air, each one seeking out a demon that knelt in the dirt. Joy himself found one of them drawing closer and closer, found himself unable to tear his gaze away from that enrapturing light. Its warmth and gentle heat was scorching even at this distance, its unspoken promise making his every heartbeat grow heavy. It neared his chest, slowly sinking into his flesh with a searing flash of pain that made his vision flash and made his thoughts flee from his head. Yet he had suffered worse, gritting his teeth as he fought to stand. The heat spread throughout his limbs, swiftly suffusing through him until even his feet could feel the flame.

Gently, that star began to spread through him, its intensity waning as it dispersed. Yet there was a single knot in the center that did not break apart, a small core that remained nestled near his heart. It was intangible in flesh, unreachable in spirit, yet somehow he could feel it inside of him—a foreign presence that nevertheless felt equal parts welcome and expected. When he finally opened his eyes, it was with a sudden vigor, with a shuddering gasp that made him realize he had somehow sank to his knees.

All around him, the air was suddenly filled with the sounds of retching. He himself felt a faint urge as well, although he swiftly suppressed it as he gazed around in shock. All of the demons around him were bent over, their expressions one of pain as they gasped and struggled to breathe. Spittle and bile dribbled out of their mouths, splattering on the dirt as they heaved in empty motions. Their faces growing redder, some seemed nearly about to faint as they strained with effort. Their throats bulged, their necks distending as something fought to work its way back up. Then, with a final howl of pain, their jaws popped and widened, opening to allow a single stone to fall out onto the ground.

The stones were large affairs, perhaps the size of a fist, with leathery surfaces and uniform appearance. They were covered with a thin film of bile, falling to the ground with a thud only to slowly rock from some internal movement. With a start, Joy suddenly realized that it was, indeed, no stone—but rather an egg. There was nearly a hundred of them scattered throughout the riverbank, nearly every demon driven to birth almost immediately. Joy found his thoughts turning once more to those discrete lights that hung in the sky, sinking into their flesh. Just what were they? His musings did not go unnoticed, for he turned to see Kha looking quite pleased with himself, those slitted eyes blinking slowly.

“A seed, my king...a seed of life, from my god Ajah…”

End of Book 2