Behemoth

"Hey, did you notice Aqua avoiding us?"

"..."

"I don't think it's fear, but something else."

"..."

"Hey, Elisabeth. Are you listening?"

"..."

"Hey!!"

"It's been three weeks since we left the palace. It's been three weeks since I departed with Haruki."

"Is Haruki the only thing you ever think about?"

"You try being away from the person you love for centuries. Once you meet him, you won't want to leave him."

"But you're the one that said I should leave him be."

"That can't be helped. If we took him with us, the King would have died."

"The King?"

"Forget it. That problem has been solved." And Haruki has grown in the process.

"So, do you think Aqua fears us?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you are the expert on minds."

"Memories, not minds. I'm not a psychic. I only read memories."

"You know, you both are terrible at whispering," says Aqua, finally speaking to us.

"If you can hear us, tell us why you're keeping your distance from us."

She continues marching forward, keeping her mouth shut.

"Is she just going to ignore us?"

"Seems as though that's the case."

Walking through a forest pathway, we arrive at a fork in the road.

"Two paths? Which one should we take?" asks Selina.

"Either one does not matter," I say.

Aqua looks down both paths and then takes the right track.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"It's not like the right path will reveal itself. The track we need to take could end up being the right track. It's a simpleton's decision, but sometimes thinking like a simpleton is a genius decision."

"Hey... stop..."

I laugh. Both Selina and Aqua look at me. "She has a point. Plus, whatever may come our way, it will not be a problem for us, right?"

"I guess you're right." Selina sighs and gives in. "Fine," she says. "I will follow you. But it's not like I have a choice in this matter."

"You could take the other route."

"Shut up. You monotoned land-fish."

The rest of the walk was only forest. The only difference was the colour of the leaves, and the grass grew darker. That was until we reached a desolate land with withering trees and fields of burnt grass. The sun hid behind clouds, and the rumbling of thunder started to roll in.

Aqua looks around, cautious. She places her hand on her sword's grip.

"What is it?" asks Selina.

"We have company."

"Company? I would hardly call myself company."

An old man appears from behind the trees. His thin grey hair does not conceal his scalp completely. A pruned face accompanies his toothless smile. Although his height is many times smaller than ours, he has magic power contrasting his weak appearance. "Watch out. This old man is not just any ordinary geezer."

"What a rude gal you are! To call a respected gentleman such as myself a geezer. Has Aerial and Sky not taught you any manners?"

"Aerial? Sky?" I glare daggers into the old man. "How do you know the names of my parents?"

"Your parents? Those two elves you killed? I knew them personally."

"Lies, as old as you are, you are only human. I killed those rotten elves more than nine centuries ago."

"A mere nine centuries? My darling, you are but a budding flower in my eyes."

"A what!"

"Enough, Elisabeth. This gentleman seeks to rile you up. Do not fall for his tricks." Aqua steps forward and stares the man down. "You will not do as you please..."

"Silence, little girl." There is a sudden flood of murderous intent that incapacitates Aqua and Selina. "I am having a private conversation with my dear friend Elisabeth."

"This mana...? Is that you... Lucifer?"

"Took you long enough."

"Why are you here in this realm? I thought you were forbidden from entering Leagard?"

"I am the King of Netherworld. I will not oblige by laws meant to tie me down."

"Then why?"

"I was tired of waiting for Haruki to one day arrive at my castle, so I gave him a little motivation to move forward."

"You met Haruki?"

"Yes, and I gave him some mana to fight her."

"Her? Who are you talking about?"

"You will soon find out all about her. I am only here before you to warn you."

"Warn me?"

"If you go any further, only death awaits."

"What do you mean?"

"There is a creature who rivals Leviathan in power. It is known as Leviathan's land counterpart. The beast that destroys kingdoms for fun, Behemoth."

"Behemoth? I thought it was just a myth."

"It is anything but a myth. Elisabeth, you alone are not powerful enough to stop Behemoth. Regroup with your friends and take him down."

He has a point. If Behemoth rivals Leviathan, he would be as powerful as a mortal sin. Fighting him alone would be a suicide mission...

"But there's one thing you're forgetting, Lucifer." Both Aqua and Selina get up. "I am not alone. I have powerful friends who can assist me."

"Powerful, you say?" He scans them. "You're right. Although they are wobbly-legged, those two are strong."

"Then..."

"But they will slow you down, Elisabeth. And if they slow you down, then the chance of you dying increases drastically. I cannot allow you to die just yet."

"Slow me down? I never let anyone slow me down, and you should know this best, Lucifer."

He stares into my eyes and says, "I trust in your strength, but not your choice in friends. I will not allow you to move past me, Elisabeth."

"Then we will move past you," says Aqua, determined.

She unsheathes her sword, but I place my hand on the blade, pushing it down. "No, if you try fighting him, he will kill you and Selena. Let me handle this."

"But he..."

"Trust me."

She sheaths her blade and backs away. Lucifer looks as she and Selina move further away. "Are you going to challenge me, Elisabeth? Do you not remember the last time you did so?"

"How could I forget? You and that geezer Ragnarök never held back against me. It made me fear you six, known as the True Gods."

"Ragnarök, huh? It's been a while since I heard that name. And the others... The last time I met them would have been a millennium ago."

"I didn't bring his name up so you can feel nostalgic."

"Yes, you were getting ready to fight me... But unfortunately, I can't fight you."

"What?"

"If I make my presence known any more in this realm, Lumios will take notice. As much as I am raring for a fight against him, I would rather back down for now."

"So, you will allow us to pass?"

"I will allow it, as I have already overstayed my welcome. But to increase your chances of survival, I recommend accepting this." He hands me a gold amulet with a serpent-shaped jewel embedded in it.

"What is this?"

He walks to the trees and looks back. "When the time comes, you will come to know of its use," he says, disappearing into the woods.

Aqua and Selina return, panting. "Was that him? Lucifer Morningstar?"

"Yes. That was the King of Demons."

"Was that his actual form?"

"No, he takes that form when he wants to disguise himself. His true form is that of a young man with unparalleled beauty. Well, you will see it soon enough."

"What do you...?"

A roar interrupts Selina. This deafening roar shakes the already dead trees. The ground quakes as each step grows nearer. From a distance, it looks like a mountain moving closer. But it doesn't take long for that mountain to morph into a despicable beast. It is a wolf-like creature with fur covering its entire body. Jaws like a shark's. Eyes like daggers. And a stench more revolting than rotting corpses.

"That is... Behemoth...?"

Aqua unsheathes her sword - blue, like the ocean. She slices the air. The pressure forms into a blade of water that cuts Behemoth. The cut is shallow, and Behemoth doesn't seem to take notice.

"We're insignificant in his eyes."

Behemoth continues walking forward, passing us by. We stand like mannequins, awaiting his leave. Before he disappears completely, he looks back at us. A shiver runs down my spine as the beast snickers. "Not... you..." it says in a rough, beastly voice.

I release a puff of air in relief. 

"What was that? What did he mean by 'not you'?" asks Selina.

"I don't know."

"Will he be back?"

"I don't know."

"Then what do you know!?"

I look down at my shivering hands. "I know if we fought against that, we would have been annihilated."

It's mana. It's presence. Everything about it screams danger. Had it not ignored us... I fear even thinking about that possible future.

"That was my strongest attack," says Aqua, also shivering. "I was reckless. If I infuriated Behemoth, he would have killed us all."

"No. Your recklessness was our saving grace."

"What do you mean?"

"Behemoth took notice of your attack and deemed us unworthy of fighting him. If you did not attack, he would have tested us by unleashing an attack of his own."

If Haruki was with us, would Behemoth have let us go? No... he would have wanted to fight against Haruki. A clash between two monsters. A clash between demi-gods. No battle-crazed beast could refuse a losing battle. Haruki... I hope you never come face-to-face with that monster. But if you do, don't go easy on him. If you do, he will kill you.