The world was wrong when I woke up. My head pounded, my mouth was dry, and I still couldn't move. Then I realized that the world wasn't wrong; I was just upside down.

  Actually the biggest miracle is that I woke up at all.

  It wasn't lost on me that there was a clarity in my mind that wasn't there before I was captured.

  Nothing like losing consciousness to knock some sense into you.

  The eight-eyed woman was humming as she played with a marionette. She was making the little doll dance. I could smell her peach perfume a lot heavier now.

  “You're quite lucky, you know that, right?” She didn't even look up to me. “A public menace like yourself is usually put down by now.”

  “So why aren't I?” I was hanging upside down from the ceiling of a room I'd never been in before. “But given the smell, you took me to the Association branch office.”

  Yasura tilted her head towards me. “Ah, so there is a rational mind in there after all.” She wrapped her toy up and tucked it in the waistband of her robes. “A little boy said some very interesting things. You mean a lot to him, and he's why I haven't killed you—yet.”

  I sighed. “I don't deserve him.”

  She laughed. “He doesn't deserve you. Kalands don't deserve any of us.”

  I stared at her, stunned. “What?”

  She frowned as she unhooked me and set me down on a table. “You don't have to play dumb. You are far more powerful than them, and you know that. They know that too.” She tapped my head with a finger. “That's why they give us extra rules.”

  “Us?” I looked at her arachnid half. “Other than that we are both monsters, we're nothing alike. You have thumbs.”

  Yasura looked at her hand and then gave a thumbs up. “They are pretty handy, aren’t they? But we are more alike than you think. You have the Wrath Demon Ancestry.” She placed a hand on her chest. “I have Pride Demon Ancestry.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  Wait. Monsters wouldn't just go around saying that. Of all the sins, pride would wear it like a badge of honor. She's telling the truth.

  “Okay, so what?” I asked. “You are the one enforcing their rules.”

  She grinned. “That's because I'm not stupid, like yourself. I'm better than that.” She wagged a finger at me. “They aren't the ones in control; I am. Every time something endangers their fragile lives, they come running to me because they need me. I love reminding them of that fact.”

  “And that's why a child convinced you not to kill me.”

  Yasura grabbed my snout. “Shut up! He didn't convince me of anything.” She let me go and crossed her arms. “I'm entitled to my curiosity, at least until it bores me. It was his story that caught my attention.”

  She scuttled behind me. I could hear threads snapping. “I've already decided not to kill you, regardless of what they decide.”

  I was free from the cocoon she put me in. I got up to my feet. They barely stayed under me and held me up. “And why is that?”

  She grabbed up the discarded silk. “Because I remember Luther. And most of all, I remember that gryphon, Dios. They beat me in the B rank-up tournament.” She wrung the webs in her hands tighter until some of them started snapping. “I remember his face; so passive, so indifferent. Like defeating me was a given. He walked past me after the match without even acknowledging me. As if I wasn’t worth seeing. Then they left before I could make him pay for the indignity.”

  I flattened my ears. “Dios died, just so you know.”

  She froze for half a second. “Good riddance. But he wasn't the one I was after. If I had known he was here, I would've left him a little present.”

  “What does this have to do with not killing me?” I looked around the room for the door. There was one; it was closed. The doorknob protruded out like it was taunting me.

  I'm going to have to break down another door.

  “You're going to kill him for me,” she whispered into the webs she continued to strangle. “I don't have to be the one who kills him, so long as a monster does it. He thinks he's above monsters like us. Well, he's so very, very wrong. Kalands like him need to be put in their place: shattered and begging for mercy despite knowing none will ever come. You want that too, don't you?”

  My lips curled into a snarl. “You have no idea.”

  She slowly turned her head towards me. All eight of her eyes bore a hole straight through my soul. “Oh, but I do.”

  She is the only other monster I know that has a sin bloodline like me. Maybe she does know. At least she is a lot closer to understanding than most. But I'm not killing Luther for her. This is personal.

  The door opened, and three people walked in: Borris, Keagan, and some dude I had never seen before.

  Tall and broad-shouldered, he wore the most weather-worn long coat I'd seen in this world. There were several patches across it, even a spot that had worn through and needed one on his left shoulder. His sleeves were rolled up, showing long, thin scars on his forearms. His hair had small flecks of grey.

  His eyes were pale grey. He bore himself with a heavy silence. The mud crusted on his boots flaked to the ground as he stepped in.

  When his gaze swept to Yasura with a sigh of familiarity. “Please tell me you have a good reason for this.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Yasura brightened. “Oh. Frank. Took you long enough.”

  He's got to be her trainer.

  Frank’s brow furrowed.

  “Yasura, why is she loose?”

  Yasura stretched her arms over her head, her joints clicking softly. “Because I let her out.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “It is.” She flicked a wrist, and the marionette peeked out of her robe again. “She’s harmless—well, harmless enough.”

  Borris cleared his throat. “Yasura, protocol requires the suspect to remain restrained until…”

  “Oh, spare me,” she said. “She’s not going to do anything. There's an S-rank monster within arm's reach. It's pretty obvious I can handle her.”

  My heart climbed to the back of my throat. S-rank? Now it all makes sense. I am nothing more than a toy compared to her. But if she really is that powerful, she likely didn't put much effort into stopping me.

  Keagan eyed the spider lady with a whole new level of fear. His hands tugged at his satchel’s strap.

  My tail dropped. “You’re… what?”

  She smirked, baring small, sharp fangs. “S-rank—above A-rank. You know, the reason towns like this stay standing. As in, the reason they don’t fall down under the first calamity monster that sneezes.”

  My ears sank lower. Her earlier comments weren't empty boasts. What can I do about her? Do I have to? Am I just going to die?

  Frank exhaled through his nose in a long, exaggerated display. “If Yasura says she's no longer a threat, we’ll… listen.”

  “This time,” Borris muttered.

  “Every time.” Yasura wagged a finger. “Otherwise, you can try if you think you can do a better job.”

  I tried to swallow, but my mouth was still dry.

  “So she was… detained by… an S-rank?” Keagan stammered. “I said all that to an S-rank monster?”

  “She was wrapped like a breakfast pastry by an S-rank.” Yasura leaned forward and over the boy. “Don’t panic, little boy; you can shower me with praises now.”

  Frank stepped forward. “Ease off.”

  She shrugged and backed off.

  “Lucia,” Borris began, “the Association reviewed initial reports of your rampage. Given the presence of testimonies from multiple civilians, your partner, and two officers, the ruling at this stage is as follows.”

  I braced myself.

  “You are suspended from participating in all tournaments for one month.”

  My ears flattened. “What? Why?”

  “Second,” he continued as if I didn't say anything, “you will undergo a series of interviews and evaluations demonstrating reform, emotional stability, and control of your Wrath Demon attributes.”

  I groaned. I'm still alive. I guess I should count my blessings. But now what do we do about money? We have debts to pay. Looks like we will have to make what money we just won last. “That all?”

  Borris folding his arms. “Destruction of property. Endangerment. Public panic. Those aren’t minor offenses.”

  I huffed. “I didn’t hurt anyone. Believe it or not, nobody in this town was in any danger.”

  “Because Yasura got to you first,” Frank said bluntly.

  Yasura raised her hand. “You’re welcome.”

  Keagan stepped forward suddenly, almost too quickly for someone who should've been in a bed resting.

  “W-wait.” His voice was still scratchy. “I know the rules, and I know things look bad, but she’s got a good reason for it. She’s exhausted. She’s been through a rough time. She just needs to go home and rest.”

  It seems odd that he would say it like that. Keagan isn’t good at lying. But while I was unconscious, he apparently bargained for my life. Otherwise, why would he agree with that verdict so readily?

  But I couldn’t read him right now. He wasn't giving me any clue that he had a plan.

  I tried to sniff out the truth, but that was a long shot that fell very short.

  “Just let her go home,” Keagan said again. “Please, Lucia, let's just go home.”

  Frank looked at the boy. Then at Yasura. Then at me.

  Yasura shrugged. “I don’t care where she goes. We had our little chat, and right now, I could go for someone to eat.”

  “Yeah, it's past time we left,” I growled. “We'll have to figure out some other way to make money.”

  Keagan’s face tightened at the mention of that. “Lucia, you don't have to worry about that right now. Your focus should shift towards recovering from this.”

  Again, he's being too cryptic. He didn’t argue. He's planning something.

  I turned my head. “Whatever you want, kid.”

  The boy walked up to me and placed a hand on my cheek. “Trust me,” he whispered.

  I gave him a subtle nod. We left the building with Yasura and Frank following us. Lagan already had our saddlebags waiting for us at the door. I had no idea how he knew what the outcome was going to be. We were escorted to the edge of the town.

  The boy climbed onto my back. He was doing better, but he was still sick and would be for the next few days. I waited until we were an hour away from the town before saying anything.

  “So, are you going to fill me in?” I asked.

  Keagan twirled a finger through my fur on my back. “How do you know I have a plan?” He sighed. “Of course you know. I was actually surprised that you didn't resist them more.”

  I flicked my ears. “Losing consciousness has a way of resetting one's mind. Before you ask, yes, my wrath is still brewing.”

  He shifted his weight forward more. “I already figured that. We're going to find Luther, and… and kill him.”

  I stopped walking and turned my head to look at the boy. He was looking straight down. “Are you serious? I don't have to force you to stay with Gordon while I hunt him?” He shook his head. “I don't have to explain that the system failed, and if they won't do anything, I will?”

  “No.”

  I blinked. “Well, uh, okay then.” I resumed walking. “So why?”

  Keagan coughed a few times. “It’s because of the letter. Luther had planned on me showing it to you. He knew it would trigger your demon bloodline. This isn't going to stop. And when he finds out you're still alive, I'm afraid of what he'll do.”

  I swallowed hard. Is he that forward-thinking? He attempted to kill me with four wild monsters. It almost did. Then he had a letter sent to ignite my rage until it couldn't be stopped unless I was knocked unconscious or dead, for if that failed. He isn't underestimating me.

  “So, to keep you safe, I have to help you kill him,” Keagan finished. “Before, when your rage took control… I don't know. It was different this time. I've never seen you so angry.”

  “You've changed,” I said. “But are you sure you want to help? You could just stay home and let me take care of it.”

  “How will I know when, or if, you're coming home? Do you know where to go? What if you run into wild monsters? How will you know which to run from or their weaknesses?”

  His barrage of questions felt like he was driving a nail through my heart with each one. “Fine. You're right. I have no idea where to start. But this will be dangerous. Luther spared you once; I doubt he will do it again.”

  Keagan placed a hand on my head. “You said that you once let evil live, and you regretted it until the day you died. This time, I won't let you live with regret.”

  I let out a dry chuckle. “If it were only that easy, kid.”

  I stopped and let him scratch behind my ear. After he was done, he gave me a hug while still atop me. “I'm trying to be better for you.”

  You are already better than I was at your age. “Thanks, kid.” I cleared my throat. “So, are we really heading home, or did you just say that to get us out of there?”

  “No, we need to go home.” His voice was a little lighter. “The first lead is there. On top of that, I miss Nieve’s cooking.”

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