Off To See The Demon Lord

It was midnight when I quietly made my way out of my room. I exited the inn where we were staying, careful not to wake the others. Once outside, I spotted a silhouette standing with its back to me. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the night, but I soon recognized the person. Stealthily, I approached the figure without them noticing and tickled their side.

"Eek!"

I quickly covered her mouth and whispered in her ear, "What the hell do you think you're doing? You're going to wake the whole town if you scream like that," I reprimanded her.

"What! You were the one who—" she began to shout, bursting with anger.

"Wait, is this your way of sabotaging my plans?" I interjected.

"No! I just—"

"That's enough," I said, gesturing for her to stop talking. "I'm sorry, but because of your actions, I can't trust you to come with me."

"Are you kidding me? Was this your plan all along?" she shot back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, averting my gaze.

"I think you should go back inside. I'll be on my way," I added as I started to walk off.

"So you're just going to run away after violating me like that?" Alina yelled as I turned to leave.

"What?" I turned back in confusion.

"You violently grabbed my body without permission and then left me out in the cold, broken and alone. I have no choice but to tell the others about your perverted behavior," she said, sounding like the victim.

Okay, so this is how it is.

"All I did was tickle your side. From an outsider's perspective, it's nothing but a playful act," I said.

"Too bad you won't be around to explain that yourself. Just know that my version of events will be very explicit. No one will question my story when they see me out here with my clothes all torn up, will they?" she said, her tone implying a threat.

Knowing her, that's definitely something she would do when she's upset. Dammit! She got me. I really wanted to leave her behind. I hadn't even told her what time I was planning to leave. Come to think of it, I wondered how long she had been waiting for me.

"Fine, come along then," I said.

Alina's face lit up with a happy smile as she joyfully fell in step beside me. I was really hoping to get rid of her. It would be a pain traveling with her through the Noxwood.

"You know, I never thought you could let out such a girly scream," I remarked.

"What are you implying?" she asked, frowning at my comment.

"Nothing. Just to be clear, I won't be responsible if anything happens to you while we're traveling," I told her.

"Same goes for you," she replied.

"Haah... I'll keep that in mind," I said sarcastically.

With the help of the map I brought, we made our way to the entrance of Noxwood. A strange energy emanated from the forest. From the outside, it looked completely normal, but the moment you stepped inside, you lost your vision completely. The Noxwood formed a large circle that bordered the demon's territory, with their home at the center.

Alina and I exchanged glances before entering, and with a nod, we both stepped into the Noxwood. The moment I crossed the threshold, everything turned black. It felt like I was inside a void. The absence of light created an oppressive silence that amplified the sound of my own heartbeat and breath, echoing in the emptiness. I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face, and the world around me felt both vast and claustrophobic, as if the darkness were a living entity pressing in on me from all sides.

Every sound became magnified: the rustle of leaves on the trees, the soft scuff of shoes against the dirt, and even the faintest whisper of air reverberated in the stillness.

"Banri! Are you there?" Alina's voice broke through the darkness.

"I'm here right beside you; don't worry," I answered.

"It's just... I can't see... I can't see anything," she said, her voice trembling.

The lack of visual cues heightened my other senses, making me acutely aware of the temperature, the texture of the ground beneath my feet, and the subtle shifts in the air around me. Reaching out, I grabbed Alina's hand. She seemed to instinctively know it was me and didn't pull away—maybe she was embarrassed, which made me curious to see the look on her face.

"What do we do now?" Alina asked.

"Let's wait a moment. My body is adjusting to the darkness." I explained

Using just my ears, I could discern the layout of everything around me: their size, shape, and distance from where I stood. My body began emitting high-frequency ultrasonic calls that were beyond the range of human hearing. With this ability, I could effectively navigate my surroundings.

"Let's go. Keep holding my hand; I'll guide you through safely," I instructed her.

"Okay," she replied.

Alina and I started to make our way through the forest. Her ability occasionally came in handy as she altered the layout of the trees and underbrush to make our journey easier. Thanks to my own ability, we usually spotted demons first, allowing us to launch surprise attacks from the shadows.

It had been over three hours since Alina and I entered the Noxwood. The further we ventured, the more demons we encountered, and we were currently surrounded. Fortunately, they hadn't noticed us yet.

"What should we do?" Alina asked.

Given her inability to see, Alina would only be a liability if we were to fight head-on. There was only one option.

"Use your ability to set a trap around you. I'll take care of the demons surrounding us and then head back."

"What! You can't do that; it's too dangerous!" she replied.

Maybe it was because we were wandering through a dark forest holding hands, but Alina was starting to act a little clingy. I wished I could see the expression on her face right now. I stretched out my hand and flicked her on the forehead.

"Aww... What was that for?" she exclaimed.

"Keep your worries to yourself. Don't get caught up in the moment just because we're holding hands," I replied.

At my words, she promptly released her grip on my hand.

"Fine! Go get yourself killed... see if I care," she blurted out in anger.

With that, I left her to confront the demons. Now, how would I deal with them? I could stealthily navigate the forest and eliminate them one by one, but that sounded like too much hassle. I opted for a different approach.

"HELLO!! Is anyone out here?" I shouted. "I'm a little lost! I'm trying to find the demon lord! Is anyone kind enough to help me?"

Sure enough, all the demons came running to assist me in finding the demon lord—well, maybe not, but they did come charging at me. Though I couldn't see them, their awful smell was unmistakable. One after another, they charged at me with fury. I skillfully dodged their attacks, landing clean blows that took them down with just one hit. Thanks to my fight with Ryomen, my physical strength had increased exponentially.

I managed to defeat all the demons with little to no injury. Making my way back to Alina, I found her using her ability to create quicksand spread out around her to trap any approaching demons. She must have heard my footsteps because she called out to me before I could even announce my presence.

"Banri! Is that you?" she called out.

"I thought you didn't care if I got killed," I replied.

"I was just worried you might use the cover of darkness to try something again," she shot back.

"Is that what you were hoping for?" I asked.

"Try that again, and I'll bury you," she said in a threatening tone.

I approached her and took hold of her hand, which felt a little cold. Together, we made our way out of the forest. Upon exiting, we were hit by a blinding light. Having been in the dark for so long, our eyes stung as they adjusted to the sunlight, and tears streamed down our faces.

Once our eyes had adjusted, we took in the view of the demon's habitat from afar. It resembled an ancient, ruined town steeped in an eerie atmosphere. At the center of this forsaken place loomed a large black castle, its imposing silhouette dominating the skyline. The castle's dark stone walls seemed to absorb the light around them, creating an ominous presence.