The younger brother nodded seriously beside her. “That feels reasonable.”
His mother looked delighted already while stepping toward the portal. “I cannot wait to meet human mothers.”
Anderson was moments from collapse. “This trip is going to destroy international stability.”
I laughed in relief for the first time.
The portal opened fully a second later. Silver light exploded across the chamber while cold dimensional wind rushed violently through the palace arches. Earth shimmered beyond the magic like broken glass reflecting another life entirely.
Then suddenly, we stepped through. The transition hit differently this time. The first time I entered Hell, everything felt impossible. But now stepping back onto Earth felt…smaller.
The familiar hallway outside my apartment building smelled faintly like old paint and somebody’s burnt cooking from downstairs.
Human sounds echoed through the building from every direction. Televisions played through thin apartment walls, neighbors argued somewhere down the hall, and distant traffic drifted in from outside. It all felt painfully normal.
Nina blinked beside me after the portal sealed shut behind us.
“…Why does the Earth feel tiny.”
The younger brother surveyed the narrow apartment hallway with open judgment. “Humans live stacked on top of each other vertically?”.”
“That’s called rent prices.”
“That sounds like suffering.”
Meanwhile, my demon had gone unusually quiet beside me as he looked over the familiar apartment corridor like he remembered every part of it. The terrible lighting, the unevenfloorboards, the apartment door where this entire disaster had first begun.
God.That realization hit harder than expected. His mother appeared behind us next while looking deeply fascinated by literally everything.
“Oh this is adorable.”
“This building has mold.”
“Yes,” she answered calmly. “Tiny mold.”
The father stepped through the portal afterward carrying absolutely none of the bags because apparently ancient rulers didn’t believe in practical labor.
One neighbor opened their apartment door halfway down the hallway. Stopped. Stared directly at: two terrifyingly attractive men, ancient demon royalty, and four suspiciously overdressed people standing outside my apartment. Then retreated back inside without a word.
Nina pointed instantly. “See? THIS is what I warned you about.”
The younger brother drew himself up indignantly. “We are dressed normally.”
“You look like organized crime.”
“That feels culturally insensitive.”
Meanwhile, I found myself staring at my apartment door while nervousness twisted unexpectedly in my stomach because this was it. No more palace chaos and no more distractions waiting around every corner in Hell.
Real life. Real parents. And real consequences.
My demon noticed it instantly. Then quietly, only for me:
“You don’t have to do this alone.”
Before I could recover, Nina gasped dramatically while checking her phone.
“Oh my God.”
