Izax began recounting what had happened in the past. Perhaps because it had all happened too long ago, his memories were somewhat disjointed. What he remembered most clearly, and what had left the deepest impression on him, was the reaction of that eccentric old human after the demon guards captured him.
"He wasn't afraid of me at all. Even when I transformed into my true form and stood right in front of him, it was useless." Even now, Izax found it somewhat unbelievable. "The flames on my body set his robe alight, but the old man merely patted out the fire with one hand, then seriously demanded that I put him back so he could continue his experiments. I had never seen anyone like him before. I found him fascinating, so I gave him two choices.
"I told him that because he was a very interesting human who had brought me a great deal of novelty, I could make an exception and let him choose between two paths. The first was to spare his life. He could leave this place freely, but he wasn't allowed to take anything with him, because those things were spoils of war belonging to the demon army. The second was for me to allow him to return and continue his experiments, but he would have only one year left to live, and after he died, his soul would belong to me."
At this point, Izax suddenly pulled a face—or perhaps he had merely rolled his eyes. After all, that man's usual expression already looked like a grimace, and every expression he made had an uncanny ability to distract from the real point. "Looking back on it now, it was a little... well, embarrassing. I was young back then, and wanted to keep up with the