The Celestial Gala was a big event where gods of great renown from every pantheon gathered every decade. Glittering starlight poured down on the divine palace floating in the void between the heavens—the Silver Sphere—where marble walls shimmered with sacred energy and every conversation held the weight of ancient history.
Kiyoshi-no-Mikoto sat stiffly with his nose buried in the Celestial Testament Trial Handbook. He traced the sacred characters with one finger, silently mouthing the lines on emotional mastery. His silver-white hair fluttered gently with the ethereal wind, and his sea-blue eyes were focused and determined.
Kiyoshi’s father, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, storm and sea god, sat nearby and in the middle of a debate about the leaks in Yomi’s borders with Lucifer Morningstar.
“Yomi’s borders are leaking, Morningstar. My people are trying their best to close it and fend off the escaped demons.” Susanoo said calmly.
“You think Yomi is under my watch? Yomi is your underworld, I only rule over Hell.” Lucifer shot back.
“Yomi is also Hell. I believe this is your doing.”
“My doing? Please, if I wanted to release Yomi’s demons, I would with pleasure. Sadly, I have other things to do. Such as making sure none of Hell’s rings explode.”
Kiyoshi had pushed the argument to the back of his mind, completely focused on the Handbook. Yet he did not know that behind him, chaos was stirring.
Zanalaeth Morningstar had just downed three hellfire wine glasses like it was water. Now, he was bored. He flapped his wings once, then tucked them in again with a sigh. He hated being here. Gods, with their polished manners and stiff robes, were exhausting. But the promise from his mother echoed in his mind:
“Survive the night without causing trouble, and you can skip your punishments for the next hundred years.”
That was enough motivation.
Zanalaeth scanned the room lazily. Odin and Zeus were trying to see who had the biggest ocean pet. He snorted. Then, his eyes fell on Kiyoshi. Demi-gods were very rare (not in Greek mythology, though, but we’re talking about Japanese mythology so it's different). It’s not an everyday thing you see one. Zanalaeth tilted his head.
Kiyoshi was kind of popular around both Heaven and Hell. Son of the storm god, kidnapped by demons, emotionally frozen… basically a walking myth.
So naturally, like any demon with common sense, Zanalaeth swaggered over to him, his boots clicking on the polished floor.
“Hey,” he said.
Kiyoshi looked up, curious. Then froze.
Horns, wings, claws, tail, red eyes. Demon. His breathing locked up, pupils shrank.
Kiyoshi’s body moved on its own, towards Susanoo. “Father,” he said with urgency, his voice trembling a bit. “There’s… there’s a demon…”
Susanoo put a hand on his son’s shoulder to ground him. “Demon?” Then his eyes flicked to Zanalaeth, who got the most deadly death stare ever.
“Zanalaeth, what did you do?” Lucifer’s voice broke through.
“Nothing, I swear! I only said ‘hi.’” Zanalaeth defended.
Yet Susanoo wasn’t having any of it. “You frightened my son, demon. Get away before I spray holy water on you.”
Zanalaeth looked horrified. Lucifer chuckled. Holy water was like acid to demons—it burned.
Kiyoshi didn’t speak. He couldn't. Not with that demon thing still standing there, wings twitching like a predator about to pounce.
But Zanalaeth just stood still for a moment, eyes lingering on the trembling demi-kami.
Interesting.
Then, with a shrug, he turned and walked off, tail flicking behind him.
Kiyoshi’s heartbeat slowly returned to normal, though his mind still buzzed. He’d faced demons before—horrors from Yomi. But this one… why had his reaction been so visceral? (visceral = deep-rooted)
“Focus on studying, Kiyoshi,” Susanoo said, patting his back.
Kiyoshi sat up again, straightening his clothes. “Yes, Father.”
Yet that demon never left his mind.