Mind Demon's Path of Domination

"You will understand it after I give the shard back to you."

"You are inside the ice, how are you to give anything?"

"You don\'t have to worry about the ice," she said. "I have an… idea."

…

For a while, Mark didn\'t ask her about her idea, or any questions for that matter, and walked out of the basement instead.

He had to sort everything he had heard already first, before anything. The fact that Reol\'ran was his Destined Partner, the knowledge about Heaven Souls, the things he had gleaned about the River of Destiny, his new power Clown\'s Circus.

Everything had to be sorted up first in his mind before anything more.

He would take in the shard of the mirror using Reol\'ran\'s idea after that. He could guess it was probably bad news.

But for now, he needed some fresh air.

In the lab, Dona was in a cute, white, and fluffy hoodie, and she was eating a packet of chips—more than eating, she was gorging it down.

Yuri, on the other hand, seemed focused on a computer screen showing some important news. Mark\'s focus shifted to the news, too, feeling somewhat uneasy.

…

Anchor 1: "Good evening, I\'m Jane Thompson."

Anchor 2: "And I\'m Mike Reynolds. We begin tonight with an urgent situation in the south of Regrania, where intense rainfall has caused the ancient dam on the Sukra River to break, putting the state in peril."

Jane: "Authorities have reported that emergency evacuations are underway. Specialized Hunters alongside rescue personnel are working tirelessly to move residents to safety. The situation remains critical as the water levels continue to rise."

Mike: "Turning now to a significant development in the world of Hunters. The Association has issued a directive immediately banning all Hunters from killing any more Demons. This decision comes amid warnings that further demon casualties could have dire repercussions for our civilization."

Jane: "Indeed, Mike. It appears that eliminating more demons could trigger an even greater threat. Sources indicate that such actions might lead to the arrival of Angels—beings potentially much mightier than the demons themselves. The critical concern here is whether these Angels would be allies or adversaries."

Mike: "Discussions are ongoing at the political level about how to handle this potential new threat. The world seems to be leaning towards allowing the Angels to arrive, but as of now, no definitive decision has been made."

Jane: "We will continue to follow these stories closely. Stay tuned to the Hera Channel for all the latest updates on these developing situations."

Mike: "Make sure to stay with us. We\'ll be back after a short break."

…

Dona saw Mark closing in on her and pulled his wings closer to her face, there were much chip-crumbs still on her face and she rubbed them against his wings. Her face soon became clean and she smiled broadly.

Mark caressed her head.

"Now what do you think about this, Mark?" Massaging her eyes, Yuri said, "Seems like lots of trouble for you. Angels, I mean."

"It could be a lot of trouble indeed," he groaned. "But maybe there is still some time remaining before it all goes to shit."

Reol\'ran mused within Mark\'s mind. "Yes, you probably do have some time. In fact, if no other A-Rank Hunter goes berserk like Hanmo did and kills too many demons, you will have time. It should take some serious pressure for the higher authorities of this world to allow the entry of Angels."

Shaking his head, Mark took a deep breath. "I bet the higher guys wouldn\'t let the Angels come in before at least half of the World is covered by the mega-dungeon. They won\'t want to lose the authority—the little that they have—to Angels either."

Reol\'ran chuckled."You might have time but you should prepare a backdoor escape first."

"Indeed." He nodded.

"The humans here are wise to be worried about Angels when their reputations are so stellar in every world I visit," she said, "In fact, humans are quite dumb in less advanced worlds. More like monkeys. So, I am impressed with the humans of this world."

"Oh, are the Angels bad for this world if they do descend?"

"Well, let\'s say it\'s not that black and white. Demons bad and Angels good is just propaganda that the big-game Angels are spreading around the entire Universe. And yeah, that thinking is not certainly wrong either—most demons are inherently evil and most Angels are inherently righteous."

"What am I then?"

"...You are inherently human, now that I think of it. Humans I\'ve seen never have a predetermined disposition for neither evil nor righteousness. And they are unlike most other species in the world who only care about survival and growth—they are more complex than that—and they don\'t follow a certain destiny most of the time like the Heaven Souls either."

"You follow a certain destiny?"

"Of course. Our meeting itself was one."

His eyes twitched. He didn\'t like destiny indeed.

That was a concept he just couldn\'t digest.

Reol\'ran mused, "Humans are blank slates that create their own worldview first with truly open minds, but then, the usual human I have met grow really narrow-minded even while believing their minds are open. Well, humans do look very similar to us Heaven Souls at least."

Mark mulled about her words and walked around the lab silently.Yuri looked at him curiously for a second before she focused on her own things.

Walking helped him think more clearly than being in one place.

"I also had a similar thought about humans," he said, "I mean, about all sentient life in general. It is interesting, to be honest."

"Oh?"

"No matter whether a creature was a mouse or a lion, when they are born, their placement in the food chain is somewhat like it\'s predetermined, as you say. A lion stands at the top of the jungle and the mouse at the bottom. That\'s nearly unquestionable. But that isn\'t how it is for sentient life.

Put a human in a jungle full of lions and even if he can\'t beat them with his hands, the lion is no longer invincible at least."

"An interesting observation indeed..."

"Doesn\'t that mean the mind is a really strong weapon by itself?" Mark asked.

He had a hand on his chin as he walked around, and curious, Dona trekked behind him with her own hands imitating his gesture. The demoness seemed deep in thought but her smile was just cocky.

Mark chuckled and continued the conversation with Reol\'ran.

"And I also noticed something distinct between sentient and non-sentient life. Look at Dona, she became more \'sentient\' by being around me. I think that is because I added thoughts into her mind which gave birth to more thoughts."

"..."

"Maybe, I have the power to turn non-sentient lifeforms into sentient ones if I use Heart Input that way."

Reol\'ran finally had enough.

"Mark, you shouldn\'t waste too much time on these unnecessary distractions," she said. "I came here with all the rush to show you the shard and it\'s of paramount importance for you to check that first. The news I have is vital for you."

Soon enough, he had walked so far and Dona was now slunk around his back. He told her to stay on the couch nearby and muttered. "Wait a while here, I\'ll be back."

He returned to the basement.

Now, his mind was sharper; he could handle any bad news. Since she had come so quickly with the shard, he could guess it was no good news at least.