Chapter Fourteen

The girls were almost reaching the end and were glad that the exam was ending. They can't lower their guard and stay alert to their surroundings. They weren't sure if they would get jumped, but the girls knew they couldn't allow that. They go down a small valley and are now in a broader location.

"Tell us, Dominique. What made you decide to take the entrance exam?" Jean asked, now bringing up the topic.

"You see, when I returned to the city, I became apprehensive about you. I couldn't stop thinking about your safety. So I headed back, and when I arrived, the blizzard had calmed down, and you guys weren't there," explained Dominique.

"I took out my phone and dialed your guy's phone. But none of you answered it, which made me more worried. I traveled down the forest path and couldn't find you. I only found that there was a dead end. So I headed back and went home."

"And we kept you worried for three months," uttered Jean. Dominique sadly stared at the ground and nodded.

"I've been calling your phone so many times, but there's been no answer. I was about to call your family, but changed my mind since I don't want your family to get more troubled. So, I walked down West Road, and before I could reach the center, an older man wearing an eye patch appeared before me. He stared at me seriously and said, 'Such a shame you left Pixel and your other friend alone in the cold forest.' I was so anxious to speak to him. His voice was so aggressive and deep. I was even more shocked about this man knowing your name. So I asked him, 'Who are you, and how did you know my friend's name?' He responded with, 'I am her father's old friend. She might not tell you about it since she won't remember me. But either way...' He sighed gently and said, 'Your friends are heading on a dangerous path. It could be a path where they could lose their lives at the hands of these bloodthirsty demons. If you want to see them again, follow me. I will teach you the basics of becoming a Demon Slayer.' I remembered back at Teto's bar telling stories about Demon Slayers," elucidated Dominique, pointing at Pixel.

"Then what happened next?" Asked Pixel.

"I still had the same concern about it. Why would I want to do this? I am willing to risk my life for the people close to me. They're the reason that keeps me going. But I don't want to see them sad. I even had the thought of you guys. I am sacrificing for the people who are always there for you. It was time for me to be tough and help on our journey to protect the people, to protect you guys," confessed Dominique, rubbing her left arm. Pixel and Jean were proud of her.

"But I changed my mind and told him I wasn't up for it. The older man understood my choice and said I could see him again near Teto's Bar if I changed my mind. I nodded and headed back home," elucidated Dominique.

"Then what made you change your mind?" Questioned Pixel.

"You guys. You made me change my mind," let out Dominique, facing Pixel and Jean. Pixel and Jean were stunned by her conclusion.

"I remember how determined Jean was when she considered Pixel's family her second family. Jean shows perseverance and risks her life to save someone close to her. That's how I felt for the past two weeks. So I went back to the city to find the older man. I went back to the bar and told him that I was ready. He smiled and trained me for these two months," finished Dominique.

"An old man who is friends with my father? I remembered seeing pictures of this other friend who had an eye patch. I'm trying to remember what he looked like and his name," declared Pixel, resting her index finger under her lips.

"Yeah, he told me that his name was Aleksei. He told me all about the Demon Slayers, how it's unknown to the public, and their origin. It's quite tragic," sighed Dominique.

"What's the story?" Asked Jean. Pixel stretched her arms, and a bullet went directly through her collarbone. Pixel stumbles backward as she gently holds her bleeding collarbone. Jean and Dominique gasped loudly and checked their surroundings. They couldn't see anybody. A loud gunshot was heard, and it went through Pixel's chest this time. Pixel hit the ground, and she was breathing heavily. She was panicking. Tears fell from her eyes, and her vision was getting blurry from her tears. Jean and Dominique screamed her name.

The sniper hides behind a far tree and reloads her sniper rifle. The sniper climbs down the tree and soon reaches the bottom. Jean and Dominique heard noises, and facing toward the noise, the girls saw the sniper and angrily glared at her, combat knives out and ready to protect Pixel. The sniper reveals herself to them, and she has a long black ponytail, black eyes, a white tank top, black fingerless gloves, a brown belt with bags, forest green pants, and black combat boots. While Jean and Dominique glared at the lady, Pixel took this chance to eat her hearty peach. She slowly goes through her pocket and takes out her hearty peach. But as she bit it, the sniper shot the peach. Pixel cursed quietly and faced the sniper.

'Damn it,' thought Pixel, pissed.

Jean was controlling her emotions, and so was Dominique. Dominique saw how deadly and dangerous it could be not to control her emotions. Both of them were gripping their combat knives. The sniper clicked her tongue in annoyance as she dashed directly at them. Jean and Dominique took off at the sniper and swung their blades, but the sniper avoided both Jean and Dominique's attacks and glared at them. Jean goes to the ground and kicks both of her ankles. Dominique appeared before her as she fell and kicked her side with strength. The sniper slams the ground multiple times and rapidly turns her body around. She angrily yanked out her Colt pistol and aimed at the girls. Jean and Dominique were running straight at her. The sniper shot at them, and Jean blocked all the bullets. The sniper was shocked to see how talented they were. Before Jean could toss her combat knife, black chains wrapped around her body and yanked her back. Jean turned around and got slammed into the ground. Jean slowly lifted her head and saw the mysterious figure. The figure was staring at Pixel, who was slowly dying. Pixel was touching her collarbone and chest, preventing her from bleeding.

"Incredible job, woman. You took her down," praised the figure.

"It's a pleasure," bowed the sniper. The string attached to her body made her get up, and an icicle went through her forehead as she was about to take her departure. Jean, Dominique, and the figure were thunderstruck. The sniper had her eyes rolled back and blood dripping from her forehead. The sniper falls onto her knees and then onto her body. They all turn to see Pixel standing up with all her wounds healed.

"How the fuck are you still alive!?!?" Yelled the figure, clenching his fists. Pixel looks at him and points at him.

"I ain't tellin' you shit!" Yelled Pixel. The figure was now pissed. The figure unexpectedly teleported in front of Pixel and kicked her. Pixel flies backward, but she turns her body around and lands on her feet. She slid back and stopped. The figure flew directly at her and punched her, but Pixel stopped and grabbed his fist. She brought him closer, and her knee kicked his stomach. The figure gasped and soon got kicked in the face. The figure hits the ground, and the chains fade away, letting Jean and Dominique go. Jean and Dominique run up to Pixel, but she stops them. She pointed at the figure, and they looked at him. He got up, and his white cloth was now dirty. He suddenly teleports behind Pixel and kicks her. Pixel hits the ground and lies there. She coughs out blood and stings at the scrapes. Pixel lifts her body, and her eyes widen to see the figure taking out his dagger. Jean and Dominique swung their weapons at the constitution, and he immediately stopped their attacks by grabbing their wrists. Jean and Dominique stood there, shocked, and tried yanking their wrists. Dominique tries kicking him, but the figure rapidly pulls them toward each other and roughly slams their heads against each other. Jean and Dominique go to the ground and hold their injured heads.

Pixel drew her combat knife out and dashed at him at full speed. The mysterious figure ran at her, and as they got close, their weapons clashed. The figure was getting irritated. The figure jumps back and summons his chain, which goes straight at Pixel. But she dodges it, and the mysterious figure growls. Without wasting time, Pixel took off. Jean got herself up and rubbed her temples with her palms. She stopped and, without hesitation, picked up her combat knife and ran up to Pixel. The chain faded, and the mysterious figure teleported in front of Pixel. Pixel gasped and jumped over him. Pixel created water and tossed it at him. The water hits his leg, and she turns the water into ice. The figure stumbles and watches as Pixel lifts Dominique and carries her to the end. The mysterious figure grumbles, and using Pixel's shadow, chains wrap around her neck and make Pixel drop Dominique and yank back. Pixel gasped, and both girls hit the ground. Jean stops and turns her body around. She dashed at the mysterious figure and clenched her combat knife. The blade burst into a flame, and when Jean stabbed the chain. Jean takes the time to break the chain and set Pixel free. Pixel breathes and starts coughing, thankful for Jean breaking the chain. Before the mysterious figure could summon another chain, lightning struck his chest. The cat boy stood in the middle, putting his butterfly knife away.

"Wh...What?" Questioned the mysterious figure. His chest slides off and hits the ground. The girls stare at the mysterious figure and back at the cat boy.

"Ah~ What a surprise. You did get me from behind, but this isn't over. I know who you are, you damn protector! You're fated to lose everything. Humanity will fall into the hands of the Demon King, and there's nothing you can do!" The mysterious figure laughed. Hearing what the figure said left only Dominique confused, while Pixel and Jean had already heard it before. The only one who knew what the mysterious figure was talking about was the cat boy. The cat boy knows everything about the protector and the Demon King. While the mysterious figure was still laughing, Pixel tossed an icicle at the figure's chest and stabbed its heart. The mysterious figure gasped, looked down to see the icicle going through his heart, and then looked up at the girls and the cat boy.

"I...Impossible," Drawled the mysterious figure as he started to fade away.

"Ah, shame," said Pixel, shrugging and making the mysterious figure glare at her. He was about to say something when his time ran out and faded completely.

"Hey, thanks for the help," thanked Jean. The cat boy stayed quiet and walked away.

"Ah, okay," murmured Jean. Pixel got herself up and healed the pain in her back and head.

"Ooh, that shit hurts," groans Pixel, rubbing her back. Pixel went up towards Dominique and healed her head and back. Once Pixel recovered Dominique, Dominique thanked her, and they dashed to the exit.

The girls breathed heavily and were thankful they had reached the end. Bonnie saw the girls and wrote them down on his clipboard. They waited for all participants to arrive, but it was five minutes late, and the exam was over.

"Yes! We reached the end!" Cheered Dominique.

The examiners were chatting, and Bonnie finished writing down and nodded. The girls checked their surroundings and only saw three remaining participants, including six. He looked up from his clipboard and announced,

"Congratulations on reaching the end of the exam. Everyone did a wonderful job of surviving and proving that you're worthy of becoming a member of the Demon Slayers. Now, come and let me hand you your respectful camp," announced Bonnie, taking out six cards.

Everyone nodded and went up to Bonnie. They each took their cards, and as Bonnie handed the last one, he congratulated them once before walking away. The remaining participants check their cards. Bonnie assigned Pixel for camp 2, including Jean and Dominique. Pixel reveals her card, and that brings happiness to Jean and Dominique. They all cheered. The cat boy mentally rolled his eyes and checked his card to see that he was in Camp 2. The cat boy nervously glanced at the girls and slightly listened.

"Can't believe we're heading to the same camp! Let's go!" Cheered Jean, wrapping her arms around Pixel and Dominique's necks.

"Camp 2, here we come!" Smiled Dominique. The cat boy, Hideki, frowns and sighs. He didn't mind the girls, but they were too much to handle. He chooses to be independent to work in a group.

"Now that we've finished this exam, let's head back to the train station," said Dominique. Pixel and Jean nodded, and with that, they left the place and went back to the train station.