Heat rose from the gap between the rocks as Morana fearlessly swung down. The orange became brighter and brighter until she felt she was delving into an ocean of fire. She skidded down the narrow path and, from one moment to the next, she emerged in a massive cave. Her feet met a solid plateau, and she landed on it to take a breathless gander at her surroundings.

And finally, she found the demons.

This wasn't her first massive cave, but this one was properly lit, contrary to those of the dwarves or the titans.

An enormous plane stretched before her, reaching far to its own horizon in the distance. It covered the ground of the entire cavern, and the misty orange air illuminated the far corners of their towering ceiling.

From her elevated position, Morana could look out across the full area and get an idea of her surroundings.

The buildings housing the demons were tightly knit. They had peculiar shapes, pointier and much cruder than elven architecture, but they served their purpose. Morana spotted some sort of arena and a marketplace. On a hill on the far end of the cave from her side throned a palace like a gargoyle, looking out over its people. It was grand, but just as jagged and sinister.

Morana liked it.

Looking out over this place wasn't what she expected. In a way, it felt familiar, this heat, the demons out on the streets with their horns and tails. She fit into the darkness and liked their depths, but at the same time, it felt too rough and crude to her. The stars were too far away, and she missed their light. There was no guidance for her path, no twinkle of light when she sighed into the sky on long walks. No wonder only dark elves felt comfortable living down here. She didn't spot a single green tree. They were all dark and ashen.

But she was here, and she was curious to explore this place. So she tapped on her shoulder so Onyx would stay close, even if he was just as excited as she. Who knew if the demons would grill him upon sight?

Together, they descended the narrow winding path from the lookout point, delving into the demon settlement.

Morana's father hadn't mentioned much of this place, and the books Yeosang had given her were either too boring or hardly described the home of the demons. From Mingi's perspective, it was harrowing. The people here hadn't been kind to him, and he had been cast out from any social community until he married Seonghwa. The demons were cruel like that, looking down on any weakness. Even after he married their emperor, the demons harassed him.

Aside from that, Morana knew the story of the Demon King betraying them during the war. Knew he tried to get the imperial throne and was killed that day. Strong and prideful, but dumb. That was how he led.

Anything else was a mystery to both her and Mingi. How their politics worked in their closer circle, how the current process of finding a new ruler came along, no one knew. So Morana had to keep her head held high and find out.

She wasn't like them. Not a full-blooded demon. Didn't kill her mother once she grew up. In their eyes, she might be invalid, but Morana learned from the gryphon-borns how to get people to listen to her. A good punch on the nose would hurt a demon as much as anyone else.

She dipped into their streets, marching across the uneven ground to explore the area. People wandered about, some on business and some idly. Demons were flirting with each other amongst the shadows and some kids were playing pranks on the street, trying to trip people up. The demons were well-dressed in expensive leathers and beautiful jingling dresses of chains and metal pieces that flattered their bodies. Morana tried not to ogle too hard, but she adored the female demons and their graceful saunter, the pieces of armour covering them scandalisingly little and yet too much.

Morana also got looks. She stood out among them, despite her horns and her dark skin hue. Compared to most demons, she looked bright, though she spotted shades of blue and yellow among them, one shining white dragon creature.

Darkspawn weren't unheard of down here, but none had celestial parents. Morana brought the light of the moon into their cave, and it befuddled those who witnessed her.

Interestingly, Morana saw only a few demons actually doing some work. Some were building houses and others functioned as servants, but they were dressed in more humble clothing, and rare to spot. Did the demons work so little?

She tested her observation on the marketplace. There were a few smiths with grimy hands whose swords got ogled by those dressed well. Most merchants wore the same fancy garbs, however, and shooed their servants around. They sold jewellery and armour and clothes, but barely any food. Morana saw a pedestal where slaves were sold, fellow demons who looked skinnier and smaller than the rest, to be used as servants.

Was this what would have happened to Mingi, too? Was he only disregarded since he had no sight and made no dutiful servant?

The imagination made Morana clutch her hands into fists. How did they sell people but no meals?

She snooped around some more, weaving among the strange crowd that both treated her as one of their own and an outsider. Although she moved among them smoothly and nobody held her back, she could feel their eyes on her. Some just curious, others hateful. Whatever they saw in her branded her as an outsider. As someone to look down on. Since she was a halfling?

Morana didn't dwell on it. She was used to being the odd one out among all other people and she didn't care for criticism from people she didn't know. Especially since she knew how they treated her father.

So she kept her chin held high and Onyx did the same on her shoulder when she marched over to a crowd of demons mingling in a corner, not looking busy. Two of them were in armour, but the rest wore the clothing of commoners as they took in the goods displayed on the market. When they spotted Morana striding over, they snickered and pointed at her, but she only glared at them from below her horns, not intimidated.

When she was close enough, they turned her way, intrigued enough to entertain her. The one closest smirked down from the height he had on her.

"Oh? What do we have here? Don't see many of your kind around," he snickered meanly, but his companion braced a hand against the building by their side to peer down at Morana, taking in her sight. (Dusty, dressed like a pirate, scowling.)

"You're pretty, doll," he flirted, but Morana couldn't be less interested. What was so great about a big demon with big horns? They were dumber than any gryphon.

"Tell me where I can find the one in charge," she demanded authoritatively, and the demons chortled at her firm stance. She was a mouse scowling at a pack of wolves, but she wouldn't back down.

"Go back to the surface, elf girl. Nothing for you down here," a woman purred at her, almost sounding empathetic, but a poisonous bite was veiled behind the comment. She was looking down on Morana, treating her as a child.

And yes, fine, Morana wasn't fully grown yet in demon years either, but almost!

"I need to find some political executive down here," she repeated, losing her brittle patience with their cackling. As if she were some spectacle to enjoy.

"Seeking company? Your elf parent chose well," the leaning demon offered again, stepping closer to caress his hand through her hair, but Morana took a brusque step back. She was wise enough not to slap at them immediately, not keen on causing problems, but her rage bubbled ever hot. She tried to breathe deeply, to do what Yeosang told her.

"Shut up, you don't even know me," she gritted out, hoping to sound threatening enough, but the first man was in on the game now and tilted his horned head at her.

"Oh, then let us get to know you, beautiful. Where are you from?" He asked with a sugary tone, and Morana was sick of it. Aodhán might have fallen for false friends, but she wouldn't. She was safe only as long as they considered her yet another darkspawn. As soon as the curtain fell and she was exposed as Seonghwa's daughter, all hell would break loose.

So she turned on her heel and kept walking, ignoring their mean snickers behind her. Not as if she wanted directions from morons, anyway.

This time, she tried to dip deeper into the streets and find people who might not be out for mischief. She addressed a woman, but the demon brushed past her without even sparing her a glance, carrying herself with a lofty air of superiority.

Maddening as it was, Morana also found it amusing. They could pretend all they wanted, but they were all stuck in their cave down here. Unaware the future empress walked among them.

After a brief break leaning against a building to wolf down some bread and cheese she packed into her bundle, Morana exchanged ideas with Onyx. The raven kept fluttering towards the palace, demanding her to try her luck where most politicians would be, but Morana was hesitant. If she was recognised there, she might get locked up. The past king wasn't fond of her family. It would be wiser to approach whoever else was fighting to earn the throne.

If anyone even wanted that seat right now.

So she picked up her pace again after her meal. Her path wound through the streets and past some of those charred trees, depressing like in the Crystal Sphere, only that these were on purpose. They knew no sunlight, were fused with the stone into their very own species. She spotted a few bat-like birds in its branches, but she kept Onyx' curiosity away from them.

When she felt like she had crossed the entire cave, she searched for another person to address, hoping the people further away from the centre would be kinder, but barely anyone was around. There was a huge staircase winding down through the rock, but no people walked it.

Morana curiously peered down, expecting a mine or some canyon where they hunted, only to find neither.

A second plane, just as massive as this one, stretched into a cave right below. It wasn't as high, but just as far as its spread disappeared somewhere into the shadows.

The buildings here were humble. Ducked and small and spread sporadically instead of crowding close as above. But there were also fields. Lifeless and burnt, but fields nonetheless. Morana spotted proper forests of ashen trees, and many more people were about to do their work. Cutting up food, sewing, tending to the crops. They looked hunched, their clothing thin and not fitting right on their lanky bodies, but they were demons just as above.

Stunned, Morana made her way down the stairs.

Was this the division her books had mentioned? The gap between the rich and the poor? Since the war, everyone hungered, but even still, only this lower class was working while the rich played their games.

Morana wouldn't find any political ruler here, but she was curious to explore the place. This was where Mingi had grown up. Where he potentially still had family that had long since forgotten about him. Morana would stick out like a sore thumb, but her curiosity drove her to take a look.

So she left the bustle of the upper area behind, the haughty cackling and ignorant gazes of their people. Onyx circled around her, excited about the extra space he had to spread his wings. On her way down, Morana spotted a child playing with a goat near the staircase. The girl looked at her with big eyes, not understanding what she saw, but tilting her horned head cutely.

"Hello," Morana whispered as she passed her and the girl nodded back, surprised she got addressed by someone who came from above. When she ran off with her goat, Morana slowly trudged into this second village to hopefully find a normal person to talk to.