My Girlfriend’s a Demon Incarnate!

Elen's eyes snapped open with a jolt, the cold stone wall pressing against her horns next to her bed. The last of the sun's light was a mere smudge on the horizon, painting the abandoned church a deep shade of blue. The city of Bird's Eye had gone quiet, the echoes of the day's panic fading into the night. William lay beside her, his chest rising and falling steadily. She could feel the warmth of his blood in her veins, a temporary reprieve from her insatiable hunger.

"It seems it's almost night," William said as his eyes shot open.

Elen nodded, feeling the tension in his body as he sat up. "We can't stay here too long. We need to find answers."

"You keep saying that Elen, but do we really have to rush them? I couldn't find any here and with the drunken mistake I made earlier today it might be best for us to look for them in a different place." William said as he rubbed his aching temple.

Elen's gaze was sharp as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I guess you're right. We don't have a choice. The longer we stay here, the more likely we are to be found. We need to be proactive."

"Exactly..."

Elen's voice trailed off as she stood up, the leather armor creaking slightly with the movement. She stretched, her horns scraping the low ceiling, and felt the energy from William's blood pulsing through her. It was a strange feeling, this newfound power, and she was still getting used to it.

"Hey, Elen do me a favor and open your status screen." William asked as he slid out of the bed.

Elen rolled her eyes, "Why? You're the one with the knowledge of Terra Morte. Can't you just tell me?"

"I need to see your personal stats right now to see if the temple that's here affected you now due to being a demon. Demons usually can't be inside of them, even if they're in this bad of shape." William countered petting her head. "Besides, you hit me this morning with a punch so prying into your private settings is my payment."

Elen sighed but did as he asked, her eyes focusing inward to pull up the translucent menu that hovered before her. The screen was filled with the familiar stats and skills that defined her existence in this new world. She felt his gaze on her, and a small smile played at her lips as she revealed her stats.

William took a long, hard look at them while stepping towards her. They showed common traits of a stat screen including her name, Elen Amore, her age of 23, her gender and her race and level set as demon and 3 respectively. She was rather weak seeming as one but things looked far more interesting when William peered at her stats. She had an effect on her [Status: Golden Eyes "On"] William remembered, when Terra Morte was just a game, clerics had the ability to track monsters and demons using a skill called Foresight. They could pull from the power of a patron deity to search for someone using enhanced eyes that gave them limited search powers as long as they possessed enough of their unique stat called Favor.

In the game, classes were all divided up into four main groups warriors, clergy, mages and wanderers each with stats in Aether, Spirit, Strength, Fortitude, Intellect, and Agility. Every one of these classes possessed a single stat special to them with warriors getting Courage, Mages gaining Research, and Wanderers attaining Fortune. These affected the game in unique ways like Favor did, however, when he opened his own window next to hers to compare them he noted that they shared the special stat Depravity. He hadn't thought about what it could do, but now he desired to because a clergyman was watching them. One final thing of note was that while she had this condition he didn't in spite of their classes listing as Demon Soldier and Devil Worshipper.

"Hey, don't you think this status condition should target us both?" He pointed out, tapping next to it for her to see.

Elen blinked, "Maybe it's because I'm the demon and you're just a worshipper?" She shrugged, the leather of her armor shifting slightly as she moved.

Elen's eyes narrowed. "We're not evil," she said, her voice firm. "We just have to survive in a world that sees us as monsters."

"I get that honey, but I'm not sure the people we considered part of our community are going to just not hunt us because of that."

Elen nodded reluctantly. "You're right," she murmured, her hand drifting to her swollen belly. "We need to be careful."

"Which is why I think we play a trick on them. We can't stay in the city anymore, so during the night here we figure out how to transfer your status condition to me, have me run around a bit and while that's happening you can carefully walk out of town." William explained.

Elen's eyes widened at the proposal. "But if you go out with that condition, they'll know it's you."

"That's the point. If I run around making any people with this clergyman or the mayor believe I'm you, well, you can slip away Scott free." William reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Okay, but do you have the fortitude and agility needed to avoid them and save yourself from their wrath?" Elen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm going to need you to cause a bit of a distraction once you are out of Bird's Eye so I can join you I think. I won't be able to avoid death forever." William frowned.

Elen nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Alright, but we have to be careful. I don't want to risk losing you again," she said, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"Dying once as your human boyfriend and coming back as a devil worshipper was bad enough. I won't try to make the same mistake of dying again, especially if it's going to be humans that will be killing me instead of goblins." Will let go of her and stepped out of the ruined church, passing below a bent rafter beam.

Elen followed him, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. The moon hung high in the sky, casting silver light over the dilapidated buildings. The town had gone eerily quiet, as if holding its breath waiting for something to happen.

Elen was a creature of the night now, her eyes reflecting the moon's glow as they pierced the shadows of the abandoned city. She had been a simple woman before Terra Morte had swallowed her world, before the game she played had turned into a reality she never wanted. But here she was, a demon with horns and a tail, navigating the ruins of Bird's Eye with a man who was more than just a worshipper of darkness. William was her anchor in this chaos, her lover and her protector, even if he didn't have the same unearthly powers she did.

They had agreed on the plan; it was risky but necessary. William would take on her status condition, the Golden Eyes that marked her as a demon, and lure the hunters away from her. It was a temporary solution, but it bought them time to escape the city and find answers about their new lives. The only question remaining was how he would transfer this status effect to himself. Some classes like wizards could provide a limited amount of buffs, but usually the ability to transfer or remove them or conditions fell on priests. Unfortunately, those people seemed to be among the groups looking for them.

Elen thought back to her time playing Terra Morte and remembered that sometimes status effects could be transferred through spells or rituals. "Maybe there's something in the game lore we can use?" she suggested, her voice a whisper in the quiet night.

"Huh?" William replied.

"I was thinking there was something in the game lore we could use to give you my status effect." Elen stated as she crossed her arms.

"There are a few things we could do, but the primary option I have is something you might not like." William said as he turned and bowed.

"What might that be?" She asked giving him a concerned look.

"Watch," he told her. He picked up a piece of wood from the ground nearby and drew a circle around her the encircled himself with a drawn circle as well. When he finished, black energy leaked off him.

"Transform!" He cried. Within a matter of seconds his face became more feminine and filled in with Elen's hair and eyes. His height decreased, causing him to stumble a moment, but then his shifting spine, chest and hips rebalanced him as his manly form melted away and became an exact copy of Elen's down to the clothes she wore.

Elen's mouth dropped open, "What in the world is this? Why are you me?"

"It's one of my skills as a Devil Worshipper. I can transform into someone with whom I am in range of and drawn a circle around. For a few days, roughly 5-7 I can live and act as you my dearest." William spoke up with her voice trying to calm her.

Elen stared at the mirror image of herself, her mind racing. "But how will we manage the distraction?"

"I copy ever measure of your current being so right now I am affected by "Golden Eyes" like you are. The cleric and others looking for us will see both of us and may have to divide their forces to confirm which of us they need to capture."

Elen felt a chill run down her spine. The thought of William in danger was something she couldn't bear. "We'll need to be careful," she murmured. "If they catch up to us, we might not be able to pull this off again."

"Of course not, they will see one of us is fake and may try to definitely eliminate both of us either way." William said, "But it will at least seed a small amount of confusion. All you need is to slip out of town and wait for me if things go as planned." William instructed walking over to hug her.

Elen hugged him tightly, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of his body against hers. "I will," she promised, her voice muffled against his chest.

"Do you think I'm cute?" William joked giving her a smile from her own lips.

Elen couldn't help but chuckle, "You look ridiculous." She playfully punched his arm. Despite the tension of their situation, she appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood. "But it'll work. They won't suspect a thing as long as they don't see us both together."

They quickly gathered their belongings and moved to the edge of the city, the crumbling walls of Bird's Eye looming in the moonlight. Elen's heart thudded in her chest as she watched William's transformation take hold. His eyes glowed with the same golden light as hers, and she knew that he was now the bait. He had been marked as a demon by some unknown priest and yet he was actually a human.

"I'll make it to the forest," she whispered. "And I'll cause enough of a commotion for you to join me."

"Huh? You don't need to if I can simply slip out the gates after you have." William chided. "It may help to cause one, but don't unless you have to. In this form I can look like you, but I definitely don't have your skills. If you fire any off the jig may be up."

Elen nodded, understanding the risks involved. "Be safe, William," she whispered.

He leaned in, transforming back into himself briefly and kissed her, his lips lingering for a moment too long. "You too, Elen." With one last squeeze, he let go and stepped away, his body shimmering once again as he transformed back into a form that looked like her. "Now go," he said, his voice firm.

Elen took a deep breath and slipped into the shadows, her tail flicking anxiously behind her. The streets of Bird's Eye were eerily still, the only sound the occasional crack of a breaking twig under her feet. She moved swiftly, her eyes peeled for any signs of the cleric or the mayor's men. The plan was risky, but she had to trust William.

Her mind raced as she approached the city gates, her hand on the hilt of her sword. Would she be able to blend in with the night? Would they believe William was her? The uncertainty made her heart pound, but she had to keep going. For them, for their unborn child, she had to be strong.

The gates were guarded by two burly men with torches, their eyes scanning the empty street. Elen took a deep breath and stepped into the light, trying to mimic William's swagger. The men tensed, their eyes narrowing as she approached.

"Move along, Miss," one of them growled.

Elen swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'm just looking for my sister," she said, playing the innocent role. "She went out to gather some herbs before the curfew. Have you seen her?"

The guards exchanged a suspicious glance. "You know the rules," the other one said, his hand tightening around the handle of his spear. "No one is allowed outside the city walls at night." The other pulled out a hand gun.

Elen's heart raced, but she kept her composure. "Please," she begged, trying to sound desperate. "I just need to find her."

"Well, since you sound so desperate you can go out a few minutes to search, but don't take too long and come back, even if you don't find her." The guard with the gun stated.

Elen nodded, "Thank you," she said as she slipped past them and into the night. Once outside, she took off into a sprint, not stopping until she reached the edge of the forest. She had to be quick and create enough of a disturbance for William to make his escape without being caught. Looking around she saw a few animals in the woods and grinned darkly as her stomach growled. "I'm sorry little ones, but I might have to set your home ablaze tonight."

With a flick of her wrist, a small fireball shot out and set a patch of dry grass alight. She watched it spread, her eyes glowing with the power she had gained. It was a strange, exhilarating feeling, one that was tempered by the fear for William and their unborn child. The fire grew, crackling and popping as it spread through the underbrush, the animals scattering before it.

Back at the gate the guards saw the rising smoke and quickly ran to a bell to ring it. "Fire!" They shouted in unison. Meanwhile, William saw the fire from afar. Some of her demonic nature must have come out. He sighed and realized that running around as her wouldn't be helpful and dashed towards the gate Elen had exited through.

The guards didn't expect to see Elen again so soon, especially not looking so calm. "What's going on?" One of the guards demanded.

William froze and said sweetly, "I was wandering nearby and saw the fire and wondered what was going on."

"Yeah, but didn't we just let you out of this gate?" The guard with gun pointed his firearm at William's chest.

William thought, "She went through the nearest gate?" He quickly stuttered aloud, "Well, are you sure I did? If you think I have them maybe it could have been a twin?"

The guards exchanged glances, confused but William pressed on, "I don't know what's happening, but if you think there's trouble, I'm happy to help."

"The other girl said she was looking for her sister. Are you her?" The guard with spear grunted as he moved forward to press the spear at Willam's neck.

"No," William said calmly, "I was out for a walk and saw the fire. I don't know anything about her." He hoped his lie would hold.

It didn't. He stepped aside to avoid a spear thrust to the throat followed by ducking to avoid a shot in the head from the other guard's hand gun. His body changed back into his male form as he swiftly tackled through both guards and snatched the keys. Panting, he unlocked the door and finally slipped out of Bird's Eye.

While this occurred, citizens of Bird's Eye arrived at the scene. At least 20 stood ready for a fight but Will fled through the door and out to the burning wilderness where Elen waited. When he got there she waved at him while happily devouring a rabbit she burnt alive at the edge of the continually burning forest. "WILL!"

"Elen, what do you think you just did? I had to revise the plan for us and nearly died!" He ripped her food away from her tossing it into the grass.

"Sorry," she mumbled, licking her fingers clean, "but I had to create a distraction."

"No, more like you had to eat," he pointed to the rabbit on a stick he had tossed aside.

"Well, I was hungry," she said with a shrug. "But it did work, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and I almost died." He grasped the sides of his head and slumped down onto the ground.

Elen knelt beside him, her eyes wide with concern. "William, are you okay?"

"No. I'm just glad I look like myself again because I'm not turning back into you for a long while." William groaned as he glared at her.

"You're the one who said we had to leave the city," Elen reminded him, her cheeks flushing slightly. "And suggested this plan."

"I did that because I thought you agreed to it." William answered angrily.

Elen looked at him, her expression softening. "I know you did," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just worried about you."

"Doesn't look like it," William said as he turned away.

"I'm sorry," Elen replied, hugging him.

"It's not okay," William said, his anger remaining as he slapped her hands away. "If we agree to a plan we can't have each other doing other things outside of it."

Elen felt a pang of regret. "I know," she whispered. "I just wanted to make sure you had enough of a head start. That's why I caused the fire way outside of town."

"And how would that help me?"

"A crowd would come to the exit to investigate it and you could slip out using them, which you did." Elen explained.

"But they saw me as I left," William retorted as he stood up and started walking away from the hot flames. "Never mind that though. They won't be foolish enough to chase someone willing to burn a forest. Let's just get out of here."

Elen nodded, her eyes still on the fire she had created. It was a stark reminder of her new reality, one she hadn't quite come to terms with. "I'm sorry," she murmured again.

"Learn to control your powers better than now and I might forgive you later," William huffed as he walked.

The forest was now a sea of fire, crackling and popping, casting a flickering glow over their escape. Elen watched William's back, feeling the heat from the flames lick at her skin. The scent of burning wood filled the air, mixing with the smell of their fear and the excitement of their escape. She knew she had to be careful with her abilities. In the game, she had been a powerful player, a human player, but in this real world, she was a monster, a creature to be feared.