Paradise of the Demon Realm; Kagura: Kanna, I want to truly follow him. Next day.
Dog Demon City floated above the clouds, sunlight pouring through its transparent dome and dyeing the entire palace a warm gold.
Kagura stood on the terrace outside the palace, both hands braced on the white jade railing as she looked down over the sea of clouds beneath her feet.
The wind was strong, whipping her hair and the hem of her clothes until they snapped loudly in the air.
"Kanna."
"Mm."
"Do you think... this place is really somewhere we can stay?"
Kanna did not answer.
She lowered her head and looked at the mirror in her arms. Reflected on its surface was the full view of Dog Demon City below.
The demons moving through the city.
There were dog demons, cat demons, fox demons, bird demons...
All kinds of demons lived peacefully together in this city.
No slaughter, no devouring, no survival of the strongest.
In the past, Kagura would not even have dared imagine it.
"Look over there."
Kagura lifted her chin slightly, pointing toward an area in the east of the city.
There were several houses there with somewhat different designs. Their roofs were flat, their walls opened with large windows, and colorful cloth banners hung outside the windows.
Around the houses was a small square.
In the square, several children were chasing and roughhousing with one another.
Those children looked a little strange.
Some had fluffy ears on their heads, some dragged a bushy tail behind them, some had faint scales covering their skin, some had vertical pupils, and some had webbing between their fingers.
They ran, laughed, and played, their voices carrying from far away, clear as wind chimes.
Half-demons.
Every one of them was a half-demon.
Kagura's pupils contracted