Chapter Forty-seven: Fatal Encounter

As I watched over the forests where Mayzel had raised me, I began to realize how simple things really are. I had been dead set on marrying her and calling her my own. With us being cousins, that changed my mind. I could understand the closeness we had, but it wasn't meant to be.

I sighed as the river flowed before me, glimmering with the light of the crimson moon. Hekin's stay here had been short, but he was a welcome friend. Hell, he taught me all I know about gambling.

Thorn and Chichi's busy bed nights kept me awake, wondering who I'd like to spend my life with. My heart ached for love, a sense of belonging to someone. Waking up to a happy and satisfied woman in my bed, or two, maybe three. It was a dream, and I felt that's as close to reality as it would ever be.

A crash in the house alerted me, and I ran to see what was going on.

Thorn and Chichi were in their silk robes, Chichi with her greatsword, and Thorn ready to throw a wind nymph attack.

I turned towards the living room to see what they were staring at. A shadow moved across the floor before another crash sounded.

"It's harmless," Thorn sighed with relief. "Damn cat."

The thought of a stray feline in my home perked my interest. I headed into the living room and froze when I saw her.

Silver fur glimmered as if she had the essence of the old moon. Her ocean blue eyes reminded me of the warm beach I had left behind.

"Easy, girl," I muttered to her. Her frightened eyes and laid back ears tensed as I knelt and offered a grilled fish filet. She stared at me until I placed it on the floor and left the room. "Don't bother her," I told Thorn and Chichi. "Leave the doors open, and she'll leave the way she came."

There were many nights when I stared at the stars and wondered why was our world so screwed. I had turned into a demon to save it, and because of that, I would never find peace. It was one of the reasons why I had decided to return here, but I had a feeling this wasn't my true home, either. Attacking demons put me on edge. They were coming from someone, but who? The fact that I didn't know kept me awake. I couldn't bear to see Chichi or Thorn injured because of me. I decided to test this theory and traveled deep into the woods. It was farther than I had ever dared, and the stories the locals told about the northwestern forest weren't pretty.

There was a legend that cannibals roamed the forests and ate any trespassers. The silence was enough to make people go mad. The seemingly endless wilderness was Jopp's dream, and it made me wonder if that allowed the cannibals to spread. Wouldn't the demons have eaten them? Did they become stronger and evolve to something heinous? There was only one way to find out.

I took a deep breath as I listened with my ears and demonic essence. I could sense something beyond the horizon, but I didn't know whether it was friend or foe. Was it more dangerous than King Ozzim? I found that hard to believe, but it was possible.

A loud roar echoed from the northwest, and for the first time since I had become a demon, I shivered.

Fast and heavy footsteps sounded from ahead. I cast a demon shadow barrier that warbled with tortured souls. The pain of their last moments hit me like a thousand lashes, and I couldn't help but scream for mercy. I crumpled to the ground, and it hurt to breathe, much less move. The footsteps approached my head before a hot claw grabbed my hair and raked my scalp. I didn't have the energy to fight back or speak, and another hot claw gouged out my eyes, leaving me blind and terrified. Sharp claws cut into my legs, taking pieces of me until they scraped my bones. The pain surged through me, but I couldn't control my body to move. I tried to cast a spell, but my mouth and tongue were frozen shut.

What will happen to the others when this creature reaches them? I couldn't bear to think of it, and that's when I found my strength.

A deafening rumble shook the earth, and my chest felt like it was on fire. A sudden coldness on my cheek felt familiar, and I reached out to find what it was.