The Right Side

"I have no doubt that you have more to ask, but we will have to end our talk here," the older Aeos told Kies. He nodded his left to his side and Kies turned to see that the fight beside them was as good as over.

A single demon against three powerful warriors. Who was winning? Ask that question to anybody and they will all give the same answer.

Messa was kicked around like a ball. She fought valiantly, but against the two top-notched swordsmen and an elven archer? Her own skills were by no means lacking but her fighting experience was nowhere close to a single one of the three's.

Though her body was in terrible condition with cuts and bruises all over, her fighting spirit had yet to dim. She fought efficiently, blocking the attacks that she cannot take with her magic, taking soft hits when required, and returning attacks when given an opening to do so.

If Nyana and the two royal guards hadn't just come out of a fight and were at peak performance, the battle would have ended ages ago. Messa held on extremely well, but she was nearly at her breaking point. Her magic was weakened and her movements were slow.

"Aren't you going to help her?" Kies asked, astonished that he was just going to stand by and watched Messa get cut down.

The older Aeos stood in the same spot and watched with his arms crossed. "I told you, I cannot interfere directly. However, the same can't be said for you, now can it?"

Kies raised an eyebrow. Was he hinting at him to help Messa? It was a strange way to ask for help, but Kies would have to refuse. "We're not on the same side," Kies reminded him.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm on the demon girl's side."

"…What do you mean?"

"I'm on my own side. The demon is on the demon's side. Those three are on the human side. That's a given." The older Aeos turned to Kies and said to him," But you, you're taking a neutral stance. You've taken all three sides before. It's time for you to choose." He extended his hand out to Kies, but as he did so, a big wave of sand almost buried him as the fight entered their space.

Messa saw the Aeos' outreached hand and immediately blurted out, "He's a liar! Don't trust him!"

The Aeos gave her an annoyed glance but turned back to Kies and said, "Ignore her. Join me. We are of the same kind. Together, we can rebuild our legacy."

"No! He said the same words to us but he only sees us demons as disposable pawns!" Messa screamed. Blood was streaming down her panicked face and she was gasping between words. This was Kies' first time seeing the demoness so distressed. The Aeos betrayed her, and he openly admitted to it too.

While still catching her breath, Messa mustered some words, "His real motive-"

"Silence!" The Aeos shouted loudly to shut Messa up. He did not want her to reveal his true agenda. "Do not listen to her. Just listen to me. Together, we can-"

"You cannot trust anything he says!" Messa cut him off frantically before he could finish what he was saying. Hesitantly, she turned her eyes away and said, "...Help me. I will tell you everything you want to know." She was giving up her pride and asking Kies for help since she knew that she couldn't get out of this situation on her own. However, the two royal guards and the elf whom Messa was fighting overheard what was happening and had their own opinion on the matter.

"The demon is our enemy! Don't let her convince you with her words!" Nyana cried out.

"Ah, go away!" Messa waved her hand at the ground and the sands grew purple underneath the three. All three jumped out of the way as it exploded into a burst of purple magic.

Still midair from the jump, Nyana shot an arrow at the demoness and nearly struck her face. It scraped her cheek as she turned her head around.

The Aeos, growing all the more impatient and irradiated by the interruptions, erected a wall of wind to block out all the distractions so he could speak to Kies again. "This is our wish." It was Arc that spoke and not the Aeos. "We must do this," it said like there was no other choice.

But before things could continue, Messa once again broke into their quiet space, tearing down the wind barrier with her magic, pissing off the Aeos even further.

"You really don't know how to read the mood, do you?" The Aeos was furious and his gaze felt like it could kill. If it weren't for the fact that he had to restrict his magic and the part where he couldn't interfere directly, he most definitely would have already killed Messa.

"Don't listen to him, please! His objective is not what he says it is!" Messa pleaded for Kies to not join forces with the other Aeos.

Before anything else could be said, slabs of rock shot out from the ground, trapping Messa's ankles. A short curse whispered out of her mouth, realizing that she was in a lot of danger. Ice crept across the sand and up her legs, freezing as much as her thighs before she broke free with her magic.

Arrows whistled toward Messa and she tried to dodge but she was not fast enough this time. Two arrows soared through the dusty air and found themselves hitting their target. One hit her leg and the other pierced clean through Messa's hand as she tried to catch it.

Messa bit her lip and held the pain in, choosing to not show any weakness by groaning in pain. Using her magic, she burned off both of the arrows. Biting her lips, she shrugged off the wounds. The demoness stood back up,

"It's prime time to finish her off," the Aeos suddenly said out of the blue. Messa was at her weakest right now and it wouldn't take much effort to kill her while she was exhausted. "Do it," he urged Kies to kill her.

Kies just looked at the Aeos, still refusing to follow his orders. No one was giving him a clear answer and he wasn't going to take action until he was given an explanation. The Aeos saw that Kies wasn't complying still and started to get antsy.

Rui, Lentis, and Nyana, fresh out of magic and arrows, finally decided to address the elephant in the room. Turning to Kies and the other Aeos, Nyana asked Kies, "Why aren't you helping us, and is he a friend or foe!?"

The Aeos scoffed and encouraged Kies to take his hand once more. "They're at their wit's ends too. You can easily bury all four of them here. This is your chance. Take it," he told Kies.

Naturally, hearing this put everyone on edge. "What is he talking about!? Are you two on same boat!?" Nyana concernedly asked Kies, unsure if he was still an ally or not.

"Don't agree to it! You cannot believe a word he says!" Messa yelled, desperately warning Kies. "I'll keep my word… so please, help me."

The two humans and elf quickly caught onto what was going on and also said their part to keep Kies from changing sides.

"The stone, our deal, are you going to break that now?" Nyana asked, reminding him of the agreement they came to.

Lentis also jumped in and said, "The demons are our enemy. You cannot help her!"

The Aeos finally snapped and lost all patience he had. A powerful gust of wind blew into everyone, making them raise their arms up to keep the sand away from their eyes.

"Oh deary… You mustn't lose your patience like that…" the wind spirit's voice came from out of nowhere, trying to calm down the Aeos. The attempt to soothe him was not successful, and Arc, getting the hint that he should leave, left. The light on the bracelet dimmed, signaling his departure.

"Enough." The Aeos' voice was cold and stern. The winds stopped. His gaze was fixed on Kies. The hollow gray eyes, void of any life or emotion watched him with great attention.

With a single sentence, the Aeos made everyone turn to Kies too. He did not want to drag it on any longer.

"Make your choice."

---

Grammar errors, story errors, other errors, and advice, email flightless05@gmail.com

Thanks!