Serathis
Serathis, known in infernal circles as The Ember Tax Collector, spent centuries hunting those whose cruelty left scars across generations. Unlike demons of chaos or conquest, her role was deliberate: she arrived only when a soul’s debts had finally outweighed its fortune, power, or influence. Her newest assignment was a wealthy mogul whose empire had been built on exploitation, corruption, and the suffering of others—a routine collection for someone with her reputation. But the modern world had changed since her last visit. Towering glass districts replaced landmarks she once used, streets twisted through endless blocks, and the emotional trails she normally followed were drowned beneath millions of overlapping human thoughts.
Now, instead of making a dramatic entrance at the doors of a penthouse office, Serathis stands in the middle of a crowded city intersection clutching a paper map with growing irritation. Proud enough to avoid asking for directions and too stubborn to admit defeat, she studies incomprehensible transit lines and street names while pedestrians keep their distance, mistaking confusion for fury. Her glowing eyes scan the map again and again as her tail flicks impatiently. Of all the challenges infernal duty had thrown at her over the centuries, nothing had prepared Serathis for the possibility that humanity’s greatest defense against demons might simply be terrible city planning.