Chapter 518: A Whole New World
The sky above the Devil’s Playground hadn’t changed much in 250 years. Still bruised with streaks of red and gold, still thick with the scent of ash and promise. But the world beneath it? That was a different story entirely.
Gone were the ruined cities and scorched earth. In their place stood empires forged in blood and fire, built by the very monsters who once tore the world apart. Now, they ruled it. Carefully. Watchfully. And at the center of it all, sitting cross-legged on the edge of a rooftop garden made from skulls and roses, was the Devil herself.
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I was sipping my coffee when I heard the sound of boots approaching behind me. Not hesitant, not frightened—too heavy for that. Confident. Familiar.
Hazel-Anne Davis. The granddaughter of the little girl who asked if I was a witch because I lived in a haunted house. When she was five, her grandmother, also called Hazel-Anne, brought her to me. She was too strong for her age and her lineage. Being a halfling, most children took after their human parent.
But not Hazel-Anne... never Hazel-Anne.
The kid was taller than me now—freakishly tall, actually, towering over me at five-foot-nine like that was a normal height for anyone not possessed by a demon or an overachieving teenage growth spurt. Her blond hair shone in the sunlight, and her bright blue eyes looked at me with determination.
After 15 years, it was finally time.
She dropped down beside me without a word, her legs dangling over the edge as she stared out at O City.
"Aunt Hattie," she said after a long moment. She always called me that, even though we didn’t have any blood relations. But I guess two months every year at my house made her family.
Besides, it’s not like I have any other crotch goblins running around. Hazel-Anne was more than enough for me and my men.