On the other side of the continent of Halconiket, at the border of the Demon Lands, a lone, lower level Demon sat with his back against the invisible barrier that kept his kind from moving freely about the world of Rit. Every day for more than one hundred turns he'd served his time, keeping watch, waiting for the day when the barrier would fail or change, but it never did, despite the promise from the powers that be that it would some day fail and allow Demon kind to take its rightful place as the rulers of this world.
His attention was on the small, white square in his hands. Images on a glowing screen moved back and forth and quiet sounds emanated from the device. His long clawed fingers manipulated the toggles and buttons on either side of the device. It was a game, something to pass the time and it was growing old after all this time. He'd made improvements, changes, reinventing the thing really, but at its core it was still the same thing, over and over. It just wasn't challenging any more, it wasn't ever really, just a way to pass the time without having to really think.
He felt the tremble in the ground and looked up from the device in his lap. He hoped the full blown earthquake it portended would be enough to really give the mortals in the valley beyond the barrier a damn good fright, maybe even kill off a large number of them. Nothing more than they deserved. Maybe it would drive one of more of those Wizards across the border, the barrier never stopped them. If he could catch a couple of the more powerful Wizards he would have enough jzirittiah to change his lot in life, make him more powerful than some of those that were responsible for his being here doing this interminably boring duty.
The tremor returned, more sustained this time and he realised that it wasn't the earth that trembled, it was the invisible wall he leaned against.
He placed his game on the ground beside him and stood. He listened but heard nothing besides the chirping of birds and rustling of animals in the forest around him. Now that he wasn't leaning against the barrier he could barely tell it was trembling. It was like a distant low noise, felt and not heard. He reached out one long arm and placed his hand against the barrier, his long fingers splayed out to touch as much of the barrier as he could. His skin tingled at the touch of the barrier, as it always did, like a mild shock.The vibration of the barrier was new and added to the sensation. Perhaps the prediction by Demon leaders that the barrier would eventually fail was not as far fetched as he'd thought.
He considered for a moment that he should do as he'd been sent here to do and report this to his supervisor. He considered this for only a moment. His gaze moved beyond the barrier he couldn't see any way to the tiny town not too distant, nestled in the valley below. He knew for certain there were two fairly powerful Wizards living there, enough jzirittiah to nicely raise his status among Demons. He'd wait, besides, if nothing came of this it was entirely likely his supervisor would blame him and he catch more grief.
The trembling stopped. He waited for several more minutes. He'd just about given up when the tremble returned, stronger this time, more of a wave rolling along the barrier than a mere tremble. He could feel the wave beneath his hand still pressed against the invisible wall. The trembling didn't lessen this time, instead it grew stronger, the small wave growing to a larger wave. He pressed both hands against the barrier, the disturbance grew so much that it began to affect the air, trees and grass around it, causing vegetation to sway. A large rock some feet away burst suddenly under great force, sending rock shards flying. The barrier shimmered and began to spark and was quite suddenly no longer invisible but instead swung back and forth like a glittery, sheer, golden curtain. It was time to report this to his supervisor he decided when the disturbance ceased and the resistance he'd been pushing against stopped. He stumbled forward a step, right to where the barrier had been. He was surprised and he stepped back instinctively.
He reached out with one hand to where the barrier had always been and his hand met nothing. His other hand found the same result. He stepped forward carefully, looking both directions as well as up toward the sky. The barrier was gone! He realised what this meant and his gaze flew to the mortal town in the valley/ He could make it there in just a few minutes. There was no threat from any of the mortals who lived there. He could get what he needed and then report to his supervisor. He'd likely be stronger than his supervisor then and he would no longer have to listen to that idiot!
He left his things on the ground and stepped forward. Just at that moment the barrier returned, right through the middle of him. Surprise painted his face for only a moment before his body fell in two, the front of him falling into the Blessed Lands and the rear of him into the Demon Lands. Very few things in the mortal realm could kill a Demon. This was definitely one of them.
