Surviving in the Demon's Academy as a Human

The garden was quiet, save for the occasional chirp of a bird-like creature that didn't look remotely like anything Aiden had seen on Earth. Lilith, as always, moved with an air of elegance, placing a tray of tea and snacks on the small table between them. Aiden shifted awkwardly in his seat, acutely aware of her scrutinizing gaze.

"You've changed," Lilith said at last, pouring tea with practiced grace. Her sharp crimson eyes studied him with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "Your physique is improved, your pupils are tinged with yellow, and…" She paused, her nose wrinkling slightly. "Is that miasma?"

Aiden froze. "Uh… yeah. It's… new."

Lilith set the teapot down, staring at him with wide eyes. "How in Hell's name does a human possess miasma? And control it, no less! Handling miasma is dangerous for humans. It corrupts, demonifies… and yet you're sitting here perfectly fine. Care to explain?"

Aiden scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, you see… there were these, uh, whispers. In the chapel. They kind of… led me to power." Aiden explained everything that happened to him in this past few days. Including the the whispers and what he saw when he entered the chapel. Silence followed and he was sure that Lilith would scold him for entering a forbidden area but what followed was not the thing he feared the most.

Lilith blinked. "You followed voices? that led you to the chapel?" Her expression shifted from shock to incredulity. "Let me ask you something, Aiden. Did you take drugs before you came here?"

"What?! No!" Aiden's face turned red. "Why would you even ask that?"

"Because," Lilith said, leaning back in her chair, "following voices in your head is exactly the kind of thing demons high on soul powder would do. Did you know that some demons call it enlightenment? They get high, hear voices, and claim to see prophecies. It's all fun and games until the withdrawals hit. They call that phase 'the weakening.'" She smirked, her tone teasing. "You sure you didn't dabble?"

"I promise I didn't take anything!" Aiden groaned, burying his face in his hands. "The whispers were real, and I don't know why they spoke to me."

Lilith chuckled softly, her teasing finally subsiding. "Relax, Aiden. I believe you. Mostly. But this is no small matter. To be blessed by Hell itself is rare—especially for a human. There has to be a reason."

"Why would Hell bless me?" Aiden asked, genuinely puzzled. "I'm just some random guy. What possible reason could there be?"

Lilith tapped her chin, listing possibilities. "One, you're destined for something great—perhaps a key role in Hell's eternal power struggles. Two, you're being prepared as a vessel for someone… or something. Three, Hell has a twisted sense of humor and thought this would be hilarious."

"Great," Aiden muttered. "So I'm either a chosen one, a glorified container, or the punchline to a cosmic joke."

"Oh, there's also a fourth reason," Lilith added. "Hell might just… like you. Sentient dimensions can be fickle."

Aiden sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Do you think I'm a demon?"

Lilith tilted her head thoughtfully. "That's… debatable. The term 'demon' isn't what it used to be. Once, it referred to a single race, but now anyone living in Hell can technically be called a demon. That said, you're still human… for the most part."

"For the most part?" Aiden echoed, frowning.

"You're what we'd call a human warlock," Lilith explained. "Though there are some… debates about your existence. For instance, the animal activist group Pets of Hell would argue that you're a demon and therefore welcome. The Labor and Slaves Department of Hell would insist you're a demon and, thus, essential to society. Both would agree you're technically a demon."

Aiden perked up. "Does that mean I get rights? Like in Earth?"

Lilith stared at him in silence for a long, uncomfortable moment, then sipped her tea without answering.

Aiden slumped. "Figures."

Changing the subject, Aiden leaned forward with a newfound determination. "Lilith, I need your help. I want to control this power—the miasma. Train me."

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "You're sure? My training isn't for the faint of heart. It's grueling, unforgiving, and if you fail…" She trailed off, a mischievous grin forming on her lips. "I'll name you."

Aiden's brows furrowed as Lilith mentioned the idea of naming him. He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, trying to make sense of her words. "Wait, hold on. Naming me? How does that even work? And why would that be a punishment?"

Lilith crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look, as though the answer should be obvious. "In Hell, names are not just labels; they're deeply tied to a demon's very existence. A name defines a demon's power, their identity, and their standing in this realm. It's not something you take lightly."

Aiden tilted his head, still not entirely following. "Okay, but what does that have to do with me?"

Lilith sighed, clearly amused at his ignorance. "When a demon—or someone of sufficient power, like me—names another being, the act is recognized by Hell itself. The named entity becomes stronger, more defined, more… real. Hell blesses the name, reinforcing the individual's existence and power in this plane. It's essentially a shortcut to becoming stronger."

Aiden blinked, his confusion only deepening. "That… sounds like a reward, not a punishment. Why would you call it a punishment?"

Lilith's lips curled into a sly smirk, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Ah, now here's the catch. The name isn't just a power boost. It's also a permanent label. A mark. A declaration of your place in the hierarchy of Hell. And the strength of the name—and how others perceive you—depends entirely on the one who gives it. If I name you, for example, Hell would bless it, but the name I choose might not be… flattering."

"What do you mean by 'not flattering'?" Aiden asked, a sinking feeling forming in his stomach.

Lilith leaned in slightly, her smirk widening. "Imagine your name wasn't Aiden anymore. Imagine it was something like… Pocchi."

Lilith's grin widened. "Oh, it means I'll give you a very special name. Something like… 'Pocchi.'"

"Pocchi?" Aiden blinked, confused. "What does that even mean?"

"It's what we call loyal, obedient little dogs," Lilith said, her tone dripping with mock sweetness. "Think about it: whenever someone calls you, they'd say, 'Come here, Pocchi!' 'Good boy, Pocchi!'" She chuckled, clearly enjoying the thought. "And Hell would bless it. The entire realm would recognize you as Pocchi, a name tied to loyalty and servitude. No matter how strong you'd become, you'd always be 'Pocchi.'"

Aiden's jaw dropped as he imagined the humiliation. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh, I'm very serious," Lilith said with a grin. "Names in Hell are eternal. They shape how others perceive you and how you perceive yourself. The stronger the namer, the more profound the blessing… and the more permanent the identity."

"That's insane," Aiden muttered. "So, if you name me something ridiculous, I'm stuck with it forever? Even if it makes me stronger?"

"Exactly," Lilith said, clearly pleased with his growing horror. "That's why it's a punishment. Sure, you'd get stronger, but at what cost? Do you really want to go down in history as 'Pocchi,' the mighty dog-warlock of Hell?"

Aiden buried his face in his hands, groaning. "I can't believe this."

Lilith laughed, standing up and brushing imaginary dust off her skirt. "Consider it motivation, Aiden. If you don't want to be saddled with an embarrassing name for all eternity, don't waste my time. Show me you're worth more than Pocchi."

Aiden sat back, still processing the bizarre rules of Hell. Names tied to existence? Eternal labels? And the possibility of being called Pocchi for the rest of his unnatural life? He shuddered. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was this: whatever it took, he would not be named Pocchi.

Aiden's face burned. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would. And if you decline my offer, I'll make it even worse."

"Fine!" Aiden groaned. "I'll do it. Just… no Pocchi."

Lilith clapped her hands. "Good! Now let's begin."

Lilith's hands gently grabbed both of Aiden's hands. Aiden could feel something entering inside his left hand, this thing he suspected as the Demonic Energy or the Miasma. The Miasma entered his body and he could feel it filling his entire body, like a water flowing inside a water bottle. He could also feel the Miasma leaving his body at his right hand where it was absorbed by Lilith. The Miasma now are flowing throughout his body.

The training began with Lilith teaching Aiden to flow miasma through his body. At first it was somewhat manageable and an alien feeling but as Lilith poured more Miasma that is when Aiden began to feel pain. The miasma—the demonic energy—felt foreign and violent within him, searing through his veins like liquid fire. It was like forcing water through clogged pipes; the resistance was excruciating. "Let it flow," Lilith instructed, pacing around him. "And don't cry. Demons don't cry."

"I'm not crying!" Aiden snapped, though his face was contorted in pain. Hours passed as he struggled to circulate the miasma. Finally Lilith let go of Aiden's hand and let him move his own Miasma in his own body. Aiden hold both of his arms and let the Miasma flow from his left hand to his right hand.

Lilith observing Aiden finally said something after minutes passed. "Well the amount of Miasma flowing in your body is not constant, there is a great change in Miasma drop. Try to make the Miasma flowing through you be constant as much as possible." Aiden heeded her words and did this.

When he finally succeeded, Lilith nodded approvingly. "Not bad, Poc—Aiden. But this is just the beginning, the next step is letting your Miasma travel in the air, which means that you have to pull out the Miasma from your body. As for your other hand, let it absorb the Miasma you just released. Basically you will make the air as your medium to move your Miasma from one part to another."

Aiden did this made his left arm and right arm face at each other without any of them touching. There is light being distorted in the space between these two hands, small black like tendrils could be seen. Extracting the Miasma that you just extinguished without these hands touching was hard to Aiden, it clawed at his insides, making every breath sharp and ragged.

Lilith took a step forward. She came close to Aiden and raised both of her hands to meet where Aiden was channeling the Miasma in the air. She forcefully absorbed Aiden's Miasma on his left hand and she manipulated her Miasma to forcefully invade the right hand of Aiden. She did all of this without touching them. She continued this process and looked at Aiden, he was blushing with a dumb look on his face which she couldn't help but chuckle.

She finally let go after a few minutes and manipulated Aiden's Miasma to flow from his left hand to his right hand but with a space between them. She looked at this process and had a satisfied expression on her face.

The next task was to master a spell called Prismatic Spark. Lilith pointed her palm to Aiden's body which he felt something invading his body. "I have given you the blessing to cast this spell Aiden, this spell has been passed for generations in my family. I hope you will come and succeed in mastering this spell." 

Aiden felt like having an additional finger he didn't knew about and be a part of his body, but this finger couldn't be moved by a muscle like any parts of his body, instead he used Miasma to wield this spell. He could feel his body fighting against it, his mind struggling to maintain control. Sweat poured down his face, his vision blurred with the intense pressure of the magic.

His limbs trembled as if they might give out at any second, but he forced himself to endure, gritting his teeth against the overwhelming weight. The stress of trying to wield this power was suffocating, pushing him to his limits, yet he knew he had no choice but to push through.

Aiden spent hours attempting to replicate the spell. Sweat poured down his face, and his arms felt like lead, but eventually, he succeeded. The sparks danced in his hands, their vibrant colors reminding him of Earth's fireworks.

He stared at the display, awe-struck. "This… is amazing."

Aiden imagined that there might be some type of evolution of this spell. Like if he practice this enough then maybe he could imitate the flames that spews out of a flamethrower. Surely this would not be the end of it, he spend hours practicing this.

Lilith smirked. "Congratulations. You've mastered Prismatic Spark."

Aiden grinned. "So… is this a combat spell? Can it be used for protection?"

Lilith tilted her head, confused. "Protection?"