*Full story spoilers ahead*
A note before starting the summary
The God Eater series by Rob J. Hayes is an enthralling fantasy trilogy of trilogies, and Demon serves as an essential part of this universe. This Archive of the God Eater – Demon summary delves deep into the early events of the story and its characters.
Before diving into the plot of Demon, note that the series consists of three trilogies—Herald (present-day) is the first book of the Age of the God Eater trilogy; Deathless (1,000 years in the past) is the first book of the Annals of the God Eater trilogy, and Demon (3,000 years in the past) the first book in the Archive of the God Eater trilogy. Although you can read the trilogies in any order, I chose to begin with Demon in order to avoid being “spoiled” by Herald and Deathless.
The Beginning of Demon: Chaos in Berrywhistle
The Archive of the God Eater – Demon begins with the protagonist, Dien, living in the village of Berrywhistle. The village operates under strict rules, one of which forbids the use of fire due to the danger it poses by attracting demons. Fire is limited to a single use for the oven, and even then, measures are taken to hide the smoke, such as using wet nets and leaves. The villagers rely on resourceful methods like creating bug bread for extra nutrients to survive. Dien’s peaceful life is shattered when her father is attacked by three local thugs. These thugs, enraged over his carpentry work, try to kill him. One of them carries a torch, which nearly sets the forest on fire, threatening to draw in demons. Dien heroically intervenes, snatching the torch and fighting off the attackers to save her father.
The next day, the village is thrown into chaos when a trader bursts into town, screaming that the demons are coming. Without warning, demons—horrific creatures with horns and immense strength—descend upon Berrywhistle, slaughtering the villagers. In a frantic bid to find her parents, Dien runs home only to be pulled into the forest by her mother, who tries to protect her. As they flee, her father fights the three thugs from earlier but is ultimately tricked and killed by them. The demons, relentless in their hunt, soon capture Dien and her mother. Dien’s mother is savagely attacked by hellhounds, and Dien herself is tied up along with the other slaves.
The Journey of Captivity: Dien’s Struggle for Survival
Chapter 3 begins the excruciating march to the demons’ village, where Dien and the other villagers, including her friends Helena and Luci, are kept as thralls—slaves who are barely surviving. Those who are weak or falter along the journey are killed and fed to the others when the demons cannot find food during their hunt. The demons spare no one from their cruelty. The survivors of Berrywhistle are forced into the brutal reality of eating their neighbors and becoming slaves to the demons. Along the way, they encounter another group of captives from a different village led by a different demon clan. Swordere, the leader of Dien’s group, fights and kills the rival demon leader, consolidating the captives into one massive group of slaves.
Life as Slaves and the Planning of an Escape
Once they arrive at the demon camp, Dien and the others are shut in cages. These cages are unlocked but also unsafe to open—the creaking of the hinges would alert the demon hounds. The slaves are chosen each day for various jobs: mining for metal, mushroom picking, and the most coveted position, working for the blacksmith who forges powerful weapons for a mysterious war. The blacksmith, although a demon, treats his female slaves with more humanity than the others, offering food and breaks during the grueling work.
Dien, ever looking to escape for her and her friends, takes note of the blacksmith’s operations and begins to plan. She notices a barrel of grease while talking to the blacksmith, sparking an idea. During a mining trip, Dien breaks through to a hidden area where something ancient sleeps. With this knowledge, she builds a plan, but things take a turn when Enna Rusk, a fellow captive, wants in on the escape but betrays Dien. The morning after divulging her plan to her friends, the demons arrive, and instead of capturing Dien, they take Helena. Helena is tortured brutally throughout the night while Dien and the other prisoners are forced to listen to her screams. Dien devastated, sneaks out and kills Helena out of mercy but is caught by a hellhound who mutilates her face.
Dien’s Transformation: A Plan for Revenge
Dien, gravely injured, is cared for by Luci under Swordere’s orders. Luci is forced to keep Dien alive, knowing that her own life depends on it. As Dien recovers, she realizes she’s being fed Helena’s remains, causing her to vomit in horror. Fueled by rage and the need for justice, Dien concocts another plan. Luci has access to herbs that help Dien heal faster, and Dien uses them to regain her strength. She gets into a cage with Enna, the traitor, once she is healed enough and exacts revenge by attacking her and forcing her to swallow herbs that induce violent illness. During the fight, Dien bites off one of Enna’s fingers and ultimately kills her. Enna’s death becomes the key to Dien’s next few steps.
The hellhounds tear into Enna’s intestines, eating the herbs that Dien shoved down her throat, causing them to become very ill over the next few days. One of them dies a few days later, while the other one remains weak. With the finger that Dien had bit off, she works on carving it into a sharp needle. Once it’s finished, she passes it to her friend to give to Luci, saying she’ll know what to do with it.
Luci uses the needle in a decisive moment to kill the bug-eyed demon now guarding the cages, paving the way for the slaves to break free. Dien and Luci rally the others to flee while they can, but Dien insists on retrieving her father’s hammer, a connection to her family. Luci follows along despite Dien telling her to flee while the sounds of battle are raging all around them and in the chaos to retrieve the hammer, she and Luci are attacked by the surviving hellhound. They fight the hellhound together, and Dien is able to get the hammer and slay the hellhound while it is trying to kill Luci.
The Final Battle: Defeating Swordere and Joining the Angels
The climax of The Archive of the God Eater—Demon sees Swordere fighting a flying being, an angel. Swordere almost kills the angel, but Dien and Luci end up distracting Swordere before he can finish the angel off. Dien and Luci are about to be killed while Dien’s core group of friends throughout the book come back and put an end to the vile demon leader along with the help of the angel’s brother. In the aftermath of this victory, Dien allies herself with the angels, vowing to end the demonic reign and bring peace to the world.
Character Index
Dien: The protagonist of The Archive of the God Eater – Demon. A strong and determined young woman who evolves into a leader. Her journey is marked by loss, betrayal, and, ultimately, the fight to save humanity.
Helena: Dien’s best friend, who endures the horrors of demon captivity alongside her. Helena’s tragic death is the result of Dien’s escape plan being betrayed, leading to her torture and death.
Luci: Dien’s other best friend who got tied alongside the men who killed Dien’s father while on the trip to the demon camp. Luci helps Dien escape and plays a critical role in freeing the slaves and saving Dien’s life.
Swordere: The main antagonist, a powerful demon leader responsible for uniting various demon clans. His cruelty is central to Dien’s suffering, and his death marks the turning point in the war against the demons.
Samir: A trader who alerts the village to the coming demon attack. He becomes a close friend to Dien during their captivity and helps her survive the ordeal.
Karta: A loresinger from the Ice Village. Initially cold toward Dien, Karta proves to be an invaluable ally, providing essential support during their time in captivity.
Gartlen: A long-term slave whose family was killed by demons. He becomes a trusted friend of Dien and hails from the Fire Village.
Enna Rusk: The traitor who betrays Dien’s escape plan, leading to Helena’s death. Enna is killed by Dien as an act of revenge, and her death is instrumental in Dien’s eventual escape.
