The lights were flashing in a rhythm not known to man but instead of the demons that occupied the space. Paradigm was an elusive beast that no mere mortal could comprehend nor apply logic to. Any buildings that somehow found a home in the neverending space were inconsistent and forever changing at a blink of an eye. For acknowledging something in Paradigm means condemning it to limits. 

The demons that escorted her to the Paradigm council looked gaunt and haunted but also bored. Their red eyes seemed to glow as the only thing reflected in them was a familiar void. The hover van would rattle and the demon guards would remain stationary as she tried to find her footing. As if Paradigm was testing her limits. The map she took great care to memorise proved to be no use as even if her mind tried to keep up with the forever changing layout it was of no use. Paradigm couldn't be contained by mere thoughts.

But she had a mission to accomplish. For she was one of the few leaders chosen to have Rehabilitated demons join her unit. And, much to her relief, she gets to choose which of the new batch will join her on the mission to stabilise the world. At least that's what she tells the higher ups. Afterall, they don't need to know what she really wants. 

"Here."

The demon's voice was normal but there was the sense of danger lurking underneath the shell of boredom. Fascinating as it was unnerving.

The van rattled once more before coming to a complete stop. Two of the guards approached her and suited her up. The ether of Paradigm is so concentrated that it covered the lands in vapors and mist. Sometimes there's a clear source for the vapors, their roars were hard to miss, but sometimes the Ether seemed to come from nothing before it swallowed one whole. 

Minji stood still as the pair finished the last of the suit set up. Pulling & tugging on straps and hoses to ensure that they were secured less they have a mortal die on their hands. The suit was bulky, constraining & hefty. Her muscles strained against the weight and her instincts yelled at her for being in such a vulnerable position. 

But things had to be done to accomplish her goal.

Her vision. 

The hatch opened with a groan and Ether rushed in to fill the space as soon as there was a crack. Soon her sight was filled with nothing but a purple haze.

Out of reflex she flinched. 

"Easy, mortal. Don't wanna trigger a reaction," Another demon commented as she was gently shoved out. 

Holding back a growl, Minji looked up at the only stable building in Paradigm. A castle so grand and ancient that she wondered if maybe Paradigm itself, and all its demons and sins, spawned from it. Spires rose up from the Ether and walls at different heights. They were so sporadic that it was difficult to gauge just how big this castle is. The bricks looked eroded and not one of them looked out of place. The Ether was taking care of this castle as much as the castle was taking care of the Ether's creatures. The windows were hazy with purple and reds as if there was a light source within. Could fire exist in Paradigm? 

Before Minji could appreciate the architecture, there was another rough shove. 

"The council is waiting and the next 10 paths are coming up."

Minji nodded as she followed her escorts. The demons were finally relaxed in the open space. One breathed in the Ether deeply as another complained about being in such a cramped space for so long. 

The door opened to a void. 

She blinked.

The door opened to a lavish hallway that turned left.

She blinked.

The door opened to an empty hallway that turned right.

She blinked.

The door opened to a short foyer that went left and right.

"Close your eyes or we're going to miss the paths."

With a small grumble. Minji had to obey.

With her mortal eyes, she brought upon the laws of man into their world of irrationality. And like any creature being attacked, Paradigm defended itself. Without the native demons or special tech of the map no more mere mortal could hope to navigate even 10 feet within Paradigm without risking their sanity. 

One demon tied a rope to her waist. After a small tug of assurance they began to move.

Even with her eyes closed, Minji knew that everything around her was changing. One minute a draft would be coming in from her left. The next second it would come in from behind her. The next couple of seconds there would be no draft. Her internal compass was also useless. Left became up before becoming down. Right became up and left before becoming right again. There was no rhyme or reason to what was happening around her and it left her senses spinning in trying to find reason. What was probably seconds felt like years and aeons and milliseconds all at once. 

She could only hope that the journey would be over soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, is this the chosen mortal deemed worthy to lead two demons, two animalistics, and two humans? The Sacred Order must really be getting desperate or bored.”

Minji held her hands behind her back as she stared at nothing and at everything. The rotunda was dark and the only light that illuminated the meager few feet in front of her was from her own suit. The only thing that danced along the edges were black shadows that twisted and warped and switched between being humanoid to being monstrous.

She tilted her head towards where she thought the voice was coming from. 

“Fascinating. Kim Minji, one of the few humans that managed to not be tied down to just one partner but instead two! I wonder what the Order thought of that.”

“Stop musing, Skellam. We have a job to fulfill.”

“You’ve been around mortals too long, Poisson. Have some zest in ya feeble whisps. Oh, too soon?”

Minji saw the shadows laugh before changing back to formless globs that meander about like a lazy river of purple. Her patience was waning, but she read about the head of the courts and knew she had to maintain control if she wanted to even survive this introduction. There was a goal she had to accomplish, and she wasn’t going to let a couple of demons ruin her chances.

“Skellam, Poisson, stop your pathetic spat. I have places to be, people to torture, beasts to tame.”

“Ah, a momentary lack of judgement, Maxwell. Shall we begin?”

A gust filled the circular room and threatened to topple her. Widening her stance to root herself, Minji squinted for a moment as the winds battered against her feeble frame. The winds wailed and mocked her as they her suit. The purple and black hues weaved in and out as if she was underwater during a big wave. The winds tugged at her as if they wanted nothing more than to rip her to shreds.

“There, is that better for you, Maxwell?”

Minji looked up and finally saw the demons that were to judge her and her will. As human as they looked, her instincts were on edge. 

“I’ll start off then,” A demon that came straight from her nightmares stared at her with glee, “Hello! I am Skellam, head of the Obsession court.”

Rows of sharp teeth glistened underneath the sudden light that flashed. A Cheshire grin that hid nothing. Red eyes glistening with a simple desire to quench their curiosity no matter the outcome. Morals had no value to them.

“I am Poisson, head of the Spectra court,” The demon that spoke was the opposite of Skellam. If it was not for the red eyes, then Minji would’ve thought that the being in front of them was just another tired human. 

“I am Maxwell, head of the Possession court,” This demon was in between Skellam and Poisson. Their body looked human enough, but it was in the details that the monstrosity of the demon stuck out. The pointed ears, sharp teeth, red eyes, and an unnatural paleness that matched those of corpses. Their hair was unkempt like Skellam but had enough natural characteristics like Poisson that it was more like a bad case of bedhead. Although, the habit of their lips with their pointed tongue was a bit concerning.

“And I am Gayomard, current head of the Fairies court,” The demon spoke with a cadence reminiscent of a prisoner accepting their death sentence. Compared to the other three, this demon looked more haggard and vacant. Like an assigned retail worker during the mandated holidays.

“Now, this is where you tell us about you,” Skellam’s grin widened and their eyes glistened. Curiosity looked hideous on the demon’s face.

Squaring her shoulders, Minji looked up at the damning demons demanding answers.
“What more do you want to know about me?” Minji questioned them all. They all have her file and everything about her from her birth till now was written in those pages. Nothing was hidden. Well, no, that was a lie. The only thing that was hidden, as with everyone and everything, the inner thoughts remain illusive from outside forces. 

“Hm. She has a point,” Maxwell mused with a mild chuckle of mockery, “Then let me ask the real question. What is your purpose with the two demons.”

Taking a deep breath, Minji contemplated if this was the right path. But there was no choice. Sacrifice the few to save the many.

“Simple. To act as liaison between the mortal realm and Paradigm in a combined effort to ease the divide between the two while protecting invested parties.”

Minji’s voice was steady and even despite the race of her heart and rush of blood coursing through her veins that made her feel the very pulse that ensured her that she was alive. She spent weeks researching Paradigm, its nature and environment, and on the demons that call the horrid hellscape home. But, like every report she had read, nothing is conclusive. Every trek into Paradigm, every visit with the courts and their heads, resulted in wild results that there was nothing to grasp on to in terms of logic. Everything could change in the blink of an eye. 

“Simple you say. Hmm, then why has it always been a struggle? Other units, like Unit M, have gone by with just a few of them. That’s including the lion Animalistic that caused so many problems before,” Maxwell continued to be the speaking head of the court. 

“Unit M has been an exception many times,” Minji took a breath before she continued so she wouldn’t lose control of the obvious hypocrisy, “They’ve accomplished many things and remain the pinnacle of mortal and Animalistic pride, but…”

Minji stepped forward as she looked the demons in the eye.

“…..It’s all for their own gain.”

“Hm. A bold claim and assumption but not surprising,” Skellam yawned, “You humans always think that any other human is your rival. Always thinking that you’re a main character when all of you are just ants and thus limit yourselves to the mundane.”

“Getting philosophical, Skellam?” Poisson growled but only ever continued to stare at Minji, “What makes you say such a claim, Jiu?”

At the mere muttering of her codename, a blanket of confidence overtook her nerves. A switch was flipped.

“I should’ve worded it better. It’s all for the leader’s own gain. And anything done for just the few at the expense of the many deserve to be put in their place.”

“Ah, so more than some simple revenge?” Maxwell mused with a wicked grin as if they were gifted the greatest gift of all time. 

“Hmmm, so some twisted sense of duty and justice, huh?” Skellam leaned forward with glee as their fingers tapped the sides of the chair in a chaotic rhythm, “So, what is your end goal besides stamping out one problem?”

“It is as I said,” Minji met their red eyes one by one, “It is to bring balance. Ever since the Heavens left nothing but chaos has plagued us all, but if there can be balance, then doesn’t that show we never needed them to begin with?”

 “So you want to make a deal with the devils in order to be spiteful and prove everyone wrong while also serving this sense of justice and duty at the same time?” Gayomard’s voice was solemn but startling.

“I am human after all,” Minji shrugged.

“But if you do achieve this balance,” Poisson measured their words carefully as thoughts and possibilities raced through them, “Will that not also prove that you humans have no use for Paradigm also?”

Minji spoke her inner truth.

“Not my problem.”

Silence was suffocating.

She came here just to get the final two members she needed for her unit and now even something as simple as that was at risk. But these were demons she was dealing with. Their courts and fickle logic hold nothing to her drive and desire to save the last of humanity. No matter how nonsensical it seemed to the average person. Everything that does make sense is worthless to her cause.

“Bwaaaahahahhahahahahahahah,” Skellam erupted into a fit of laughter, “Does this not work in our favour?”

“For once you’re making sense, Skellam,” Poisson sat back into the purple chair and tapped their fingertips together in contemplation, “I vote in favour of granting the leader of Unit D two demons.”

The other three demons nodded in agreement and in unison.

“But the question remains……… demons from which court?” Gayomard asked the obvious in a drone tone. They looked at no one ever since the meeting began.

“I say one from Spectra and Obsession,” Maxwell glanced at Poisson and Skellam.
Minji could only watch as the demons debated. She thought of every possible outcome except this one. 

Clicks and hisses filled the room as tremors rippled throughout the floor beneath her. The palace itself was aching to move. It wanted to be observed.

“Hah??? My court?”

“This is a record Skellam for I agree with you again.”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? The assassins of Spectra would be a great match for the Order and their uses,” Maxwell waved a flippant hand towards Poisson.

“Hm, yes, but what of my court?” Skellam huffed.

“Is your court not filled with loud, action oriented, fiends?” Maxwell asked with a raised brow. A smirk tickled the edge of their lips as they tried to hide their enjoyment from messing with the other demon.

“True, true,” Skellam contemplated for a record of two seconds before turning into wisps of shadow. 

Minji tracked the shadow but after one blink Skellam was in front of her and leering.

“Then, let’s start big, shall we? I’ll let you see my first creation and Poisson’s,” The rows of teeth were blinding.

“Speaking for me? You’re lucky I have other things to take care of,” Poisson got up before disappearing into shadow

“Alright, what’s their name?” Minji couldn't help but think of what she would be able to accomplish with demons from Obsession and Spectra courts. 

"My creation is named Bora while the other is named Handong."

"Do they not have last names?"

"They never chose one so maybe you can finally change that for them."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only dust and debris could be seen through the window. The hover van remained on course as the scanners detected nothing but the lost spectrals that wandered the wastelands of the old world. Minji stood at the center and stared ahead. As if the specs of dust would tell her the future.

"Minji?? It's late and not your turn on watch," Yoohyeon's groggy voice filled the small cockpit.

"I know, but Bora was acting up in her sleep so I let Siyeon go watch over her as I filled in," Minji explained with a tender smile. A small part of her berated herself for showing such softness towards the youngster but she quickly silenced that voice. 

"Ah, I thought they would be better by now at least," Yoohyeon walked over to Minji's side as she contemplated how best to help her demon teammates. Although, there wasn't much a mere human like her could do. But, that won't stop her from trying.

"Usually, yes, but with the added stress of Paradigm's call...." Minji's voice faltered as she tried to figure out the best way to articulate just how much her demon is hurting without making Yoohyeon worry even more.

"The call......Is there anything we could do about that at least?" Yoohyeon's head found its home on Minji's shoulder. A place of familiarity. A place of comfort.

"Besides chucking her into a vat of Ether or into Paradigm then there's not much else we could do," Minji sighed as her hand naturally found Yoohyeon's. A comfort item, "Yubin brought extra canisters of ether for them both so they could recover a bit quicker. And Siyeon and Gahyeon are staying by their sides."

Yoohyeon could only hum in acknowledgement. Like before, everyone else was taken care of and thus didn't need her. 

"Yooooooooh, don't think like that."

Minji's voice cut into her thoughts before they could form various threads she would've gotten lost in.

"What?"

"I know that hum. That was the hum you do when you think that no one needs you," Minji stepped in front of her, and in a single motion, cupped her chin so she could only look into her eyes. 

Yoohyeon's breath hitched the moment Minji's fingers touched her skin but soon she was mesmerised by the pools of affection that are Minji's eyes. Despite being their leader, a leader chosen and proven by the Sacred Order, there was a certain tenderness in her actions that would leave Yoohyeon weak in the knees. It was hard to believe that the tender and loving person in front of her was the same person that mercilessly ended the lives of any that dared cause harm towards innocents or her unit. Minji's hands were rough with a certain softness to them that sent shivers down her spine.

Yoohyeon bit her tongue to keep her sanity under Minji's touch.

"Don't think so low of yourself, Yoohyeon," Minji's eyes twinkled with passion, "I chose you for a reason."

Despite hearing the claim many times before, Yoohyeon's heart couldn't help but skip a beat. 

Although, this time she has something to say back.

"Minji....I---"

"At least put a sock on the door or something."

Yubin's voice cut between them with the vigor of annoyed acceptance.

"Oh! Is it your turn already?" Minji quickly recovered and stepped around the frozen statue named Yoohyeon.

"You two can take my spot," Yubin waved a hand in front of her as she tried to retreat and gave Yoohyeon an apologetic look. 

"No, no, Yoohyeon was just telling me I should probably get some rest," Minji smiled and grabbed Yoohyeon's arm and began to drag her along, "Come, Yoohyeon, we better go get some sleep."

"Yoohyeon's bed is not in that---" Yubin started before she caught herself, "Ah, right. You two have a good......sleep?"

Yubin grimaced at her own words before wondering if she should check in on Yoohyeon's sanity later. Minji's grip was tight on the taller one's arm so it was obvious that Minji wasn't going to let go anytime soon.