Pyre sighed as he leaned against the makeshift cave wall and stared at the writhing black cocoon. His stomach grumbled, and his lips were cracked. Four days had passed since Palan started his evolution, and Pyre’s skills at sustaining himself were not up to par. He had survived by drinking dew and eating grass that turned his poop green. Even his slightly toxic plant supply was getting low.

“Hurry up and evolve,” Pyre said to the cocoon, his voice hoarse. “I feel like I’m going to starve to death.” His stomach gurgled again, and Pyre put a brown root into his mouth while making a face. He muttered, “It’s a shame I can’t see what the evolution process is like.” He stood up and touched the cocoon. It felt squishy, like the inside was liquid. “Does he dissolve? How does his memory stay intact?”

For a brief moment, he considered lighting a fire underneath the cocoon, but dismissed the thought. The contract he made with Palan would kill him if he did. Pyre sat back down, and leaned against the cocoon. It was pulsing like a heart. “How strong would an archdemon of pride be?” he asked himself as he took out his pipe. His eyes closed as he tried to recall all the texts he read, but there weren’t any passages about pride demons. They had all chosen to die instead of live in captivity—except Palan. Pyre lightly knocked on the cocoon and asked, “Are you even a pride demon? Aren’t you a bit too shameless?”

His eyes widened as he felt the cocoon solidify behind his back. “About time,” Pyre grumbled as he stood up and dusted off his pants. Cracks formed on the surface of the cocoon, and flecks of black powder began to fall off. A red, clawed hand with scales broke through the top of the cocoon: thick, purple veins snaked down the arm, writhing as if they were alive. A second hand burst through and began tearing away the hardened threads.

“Why’s he red?” Pyre asked as he took a step backwards. The arms continued to tear apart the cocoon, shredding it away with their razor-sharp claws. “Guess he ate a bit too many angels.” He shrugged as Palan’s head emerged. His forehead, scalp, and cheeks were covered by a layer of shiny, red scales. The parts that weren’t covered were still dark purple. His irises were still red, but his black pupils had turned sky-blue. Once again, he lost his hair after his evolution.

Palan exhaled, and a dark-green mist escaped from his mouth. His teeth had turned black and jagged like shards of obsidian, but they were still arranged in neat rows. He shrugged his broad shoulders, and his torso squirmed out of the cocoon. The crocodilian-like skin on his back had transformed into a layer of red, snakelike scales which spread to his ribs. His chest and abdomen were still purple, but a black, vertical line extended from his sternum to his navel. When he inhaled, the line spread apart, revealing the outlines of teeth.

The cocoon disintegrated when his torso left it, revealing his lower body. Red scales ran down the outside of his legs much like Raea’s. His metatarsals and phalanges had extended, making his feet similar to a dog’s. But the biggest change occurred in his tail. Instead of one snake, there were now three: They were each over twenty feet long and weighed over five hundred pounds. Danger Noodle had turned pitch-black, and retained the center position. One of the remaining tails was red while the other was purple. Despite their weight, they lifted themselves off the ground and began to scan the surroundings. Their gazes landed on Pyre, causing the angel to gulp and take a step back.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Palan?” Pyre asked as he wet his lips with his tongue.

Palan turned his attention away from his body and gazed at Pyre. His foot rose out of the mound of black powder as he took a step forward. The ground beneath him cracked, and webs formed on the surface of the earth. Palan’s brow furrowed at the sound. “How long was I dreaming for?” he asked. His voice was deep and seemed to reverberate in the cave. During his evolution, he was once again subjected to the bodies of different animals. Like last time, he excelled at surviving as a snake, and failed miserably when it came to being a bird.

“Four days,” Pyre said as Palan’s tails curled around his body. Danger Noodle wrapped itself around his torso while the other two tails each occupied an arm, starting from the wrist and ending with their heads resting on his shoulders. There was lots of slack, but their at least their bellies didn’t drag against the ground. “How do you feel?”

“Excellent,” Palan said and laughed. He walked out of the cave, leaving behind a trail of cracks in the ground. He could probably kill an angel with his weight alone.

“Do you, err, want some clothes?” Pyre asked as he looked at Palan’s fourth snake. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze away while offering his blanket towards the demon.

Palan grunted and took the blanket before wrapping it around his waist. His stomach growled, and the vertical mouth on his torso opened. Palan’s brow furrowed as he stared at the gaping void in his body. If he knew this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to survive as a starfish. The hole in his abdomen made him feel vulnerable. “Where’s the food?” Palan asked, turning his attention away from his second mouth.

Pyre’s face turned strange as he picked up a brown, dirt-covered root and offered it to Palan. “I can’t hunt,” he said. “And the buried bodies have probably started rotting by now.”

Palan snatched the root out of Pyre’s hand. The tips of his claws only grazed the angel’s palm, but Pyre’s skin split open and began to bleed. Palan sniffed the root before tossing it to the side. One of his tails uncoiled from his arm and wrapped around Pyre’s waist. “Please don’t eat me,” Pyre said and sighed.

“I’m not,” Palan said. “You’re a bag of bones—not filling at all.” A black glow enveloped the duo as Palan crouched. “Which way to Hailing?”

Pyre’s forehead wrinkled. After a few seconds, he pointed to the northeast. Palan exhaled and leapt into the air, leaving behind a miniature crater where he was standing. A laugh escaped from his mouth as he soared through the sky. He finally understood why archangels were so powerful. It didn’t even feel like he used any mana to make his body lighter. As he floated through the air, the sound of a carriage caught his attention. The driver was wearing a golden robe. The black glow enveloping Palan’s body disappeared, and he began to drop to the ground, causing Pyre to shout from the sudden change. Palan’s landed in front of the carriage like a meteor, shattering the road. He licked his lips as the passengers screamed and the driver’s face paled. It was time to experiment with his new strength.