Not For Kids [5.2]

I bent down to the water and peered into it. Hesitantly, I took a sip. I spat it out immediately. I rubbed the liquid off my lips, "W-What the f*ck?! Why does this taste like a Yukult Soju cocktail?!"

And why is the air making me feel intoxicated?! AHHH!

I ran away quickly, stumbling over my own feet. As soon as I got away from the strange lake, my foggy mind began to feel more clear. I wiped my brow as I took large breaths.

Really?! What was that?! So weird!

My stomach growled cutting my thoughts short. I clutched my stomach with a frown.

Ah, that's right. I haven't eaten in a while because I was too preoccupied with those trafficking camps. I had been stealing rations from each camp while I went to the next one, but I completely forgot this time.

I guess I can just go back and get some food.

I turned around and frowned.

That looks… Unfamiliar. Isn't that the direction I came from the lake? But there is no lake anymore… Well, nevermind. I must have run farther than expected.

I turned to the right.

Also… Unfamiliar…

I turned to the left.

Nope. That's a cliff. I certainly didn't climb up a cliff… Does that mean…

I'm lost?!

I started running around in a panic. I couldn't recognize anything. I began to hit myself mentally for getting so distracted. Should I use magic to get back?

...But I don't know any magical spell that could help me…

In this part of the forest, there were a lot of shrubberies and I couldn't see through it. It looked too dense and scratchy for me to even dare try to climb through it. I smacked my forehead trying to think and noticed a large tree.

Well, I could climb that. If I got to the top of the tree, I would be able to see over it. I rubbed my hands together and began to climb up the tree. As I climbed, I bit down on my lip.

Wow. I really wish I spent more of my childhood outside instead of hiding inside. Climbing trees is hard.

My hand reached for a branch.

*CRAAAACK*

My face dropped as I froze.

Suddenly, I was plummeting down to the ground.

I shouted as I threw out my mana to make a snowbank to soften the blow. Luckily, it did soften the blow…

But it was so slippery, I flew down the snowbank faster than a slip n slide. I bounced and rolled down the hill picking up more momentum. I broke through a dense bush covered in vines and picked up speed as I tumbled down. The hill moved up before dropping off causing me to roll up the curve like a ball and be flung off the side. It felt like one epic game of pinball. I landed on the ground below and finally came to a stop.

Is there blood!? Am I bleeding?! I panicked as I quickly checked myself. Then I breathed a sigh in relief. Phew… No blood. Luckily the grass broke my fall.

I forced myself to stand up while I picked out the leaves and twigs stuck in my hair. I looked around realizing just how lost I was. I was in a small valley with grass that reached my shoulders. Yellow flowers sprung up decorating the tall grass. As I walked through it, the wind gently blew it making it look picturesque. My breath caught at the sight.

This world is stunningly beautiful. I wonder if my world had such breathtaking scenery?

As I reveled in the sight, I felt a slight twinge of regret. Why did I never try to see the world and such sights before I came here? I painted landscapes often, but I wasn't truly seeing what lay ahead of me. I only painted it to hone my skill.

Something reflected the sunlight and flashed my eyes, distracting me. As if I was possessed by an otherworldly force, I walked towards it. Just in front of a cave, there was a stone tablet with intricate carvings. It looked to be old, but it was still in pristine condition. The surface was smooth and reflected my image on its mirror-like surface. It looked just like a hematite gem.

I unconsciously reached forward to stroke it. My thumb gently traced the symbols as I appreciated the skill behind the carving.

Suddenly, a bright red light burst through the carvings, surprising me so much I stumbled backward. The wind picked up and the sunny bright sky began to turn grey with dark clouds swirling menacingly. The sky rumbled and I quickly put my hand over my eyes to block the blinding wind. A bright red circle on the ground lit up, spreading around me with the stone tablet in the middle. The magic symbols on the ground shone brightly, piercing through the ground that had once hidden it under grass and dirt. The stone tablet began to vibrate, hurting my ears.

"MUHAHAHAHA!"

My heart raced at the malevolent laughter echoing around me. My head jolted to the side trying to figure out where the laughter was coming from. My confusion and panic only excited the bodiless voice more.

"HAHA! FOOLISH PUNY HUMAN! You have made a grave mistake!! Now cower before me!"

I raised an eyebrow. Did it just call me a puny human?

A red wall sprung from the ground, encircling me and trapping me inside. I quickly pulled out my wand and prepared for what was coming. The bodiless voice chortled, "Today you have made the mistake of setting me free! There is no escape for you! Not even your cries for mercy will help you now!!!"

I clicked my tongue, "Who is crying?"

"Say goodbye to your worthless human life! For today I, the great Zephyr, will be stealing your body! Be honored that I have chosen you as my sacrifice! Kneel before me!!!"

The smoke rising from the stone tablet started to condense. The wind began to rush toward it causing the smoke to swirl. From the smoke, the top of a man began to emerge. He had long silky black hair that loosely trailed down his muscular body. He had one solid strand of grey in his hair that stood out against his striking features. His light grey skin contrasted his red zircon gem-like eyes. On his head were two protruding horns with one that appeared to be broken halfway.

I blushed at his shirtless appearance. I hate to admit it, but he's well built and not that bad looking.

Smoke began to rise around him as he gave a toothy grin. He held out his hand towards me, "You can not escape from me. I am a demon who has cultivated for a thousand years. Surrender to me and I promise I won't hurt you."

I flipped my hair with a frown, "Are all demon's this dramatic?"

I would be scared, but his entrance was so theatrical it was almost comical.

He ignored me and looked me up and down with a displeased frown. He clicked his tongue, "Why did it have to be a little girl? I hate those bodies the most. So disgusting…"

I raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? Who are you calling disgusting?"

I have a feeling that this demon is rude and deserves a good slap.

He shrugged ignoring me like I was just air, "No matter."

He flew at my body without warning and I felt a chilling feeling as he entered. I grit my teeth in disgust as I felt insects crawling inside my skin. Black smoke covered my body from within seemingly spreading through my veins. My skin crawled as a paralyzing feeling spread through my limbs. The hollow feeling inside felt so uncomfortable, I wanted to scream.

Uck! I feel like I'm being possessed by a ghost or something…

Wait… Could this be demonic possession?

Huh. I guess Vicky was right. Demons really do possess humans.

My vision faded until I was in the middle of darkness with nothing around. His laughter echoed in my ears, disorienting me. "Now submit yourself to me! From this day forward, you belong to me!"

"Submit?" I felt like a flame was lit inside my chest.

In the darkness of my own mind, another voice overlapped with Zephyr's. It was a familiar, but chilling voice that sent shivers through my body. A voice that was laced with overbearing love, possessiveness, and malicious intent. "You belong to me…"

Anger erupted through my veins. I tightened my fists as I glared into nothingness. I spat out, "I belong to no one."

I pushed forward through the darkness and felt resistance pushing me back. It was like an invisible wall was before me, preventing me from advancing further. I put my hands on the invisible wall and began to push harder. I grit my teeth and forced another foot forward.

"Eh?" The bodiless voice belonging to Zephyr seemed to be confused, "Oi… What are you doing!? Oi!"

I ignored him and pushed more. I could hear my heart thumping loudly in my ears as I tried to break the invisible barrier. My jaw tightened from the effort as my lungs squeezed from the endeavor. I felt like my veins were exploding in my head, but I couldn't give up. I choked down the rising blood in my mouth as forced myself to put in more strength.

I refuse to be a victim.

White cracks began to form where I was pushing. They spread along the invisible wall until suddenly, it broke apart sending lightning-like streaks through the dark space. I walked forward even though it felt like my body was being ripped apart.

The voice panicked, "NO! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Don't go in there!!!"

I ignored his pleas and entered a strange room with no openings or exits. Vines lined the cracked stone walls. In the middle of the room, there was a solid stone table with moss growing over it. I had no idea how I got in there, but I didn't care either. My eyes were drawn to the floating gem just above the table. It was an eyecatching and alluring blood-red gem.

I stepped closer to it, entranced by its beauty.

"NO NO NO! DON'T TOUCH THAT! WAIT! STOP! I'M SORRY! JUST DON'T-"

I reached forward and grabbed the jewel. His voice immediately stopped and was replaced by a shrill scream. I ignored it and looked at the jewel. I grinned, "You know, I am really against enslaving other living beings and creatures. However, you really pissed me off. You think I should belong to you? HAH! Let's see how you like belonging to someone!"

"NONONONONO! Stop!!! I will do anything!!"

I ignored his pleas and poured my mana into the jewel. From memory, I carved the symbols I had seen in a book that was used for forcing contracts with familiars. His agonizing screams echoed off the walls with every engraving I put into the jewel. I finished the contract as his screams cracked the walls around me even more. With the last symbol added, I felt my body suddenly tossed backward. I crashed into my real body and opened my eyes.

The brightness of the real world suddenly dimmed down until I could see my surroundings. I heard whimpering at my feet and looked down to see an adorable cat-like creature looking at me with aggrievement. He was a dark grey color with two little nubs for horns on his head. The tip of his ear was light grey.