Five: Shadow Demons

For as long as humans had known the Nazus, Elysium had existed for equally as long. From the Nazus came the knowledge of Elysium, and from Elysium came the knowledge of the Shadow Demons. These creatures plagued the world of Elysium night and day. Searching for human flesh to devour.

Though this knowledge was not new to Saturis, what he found the most frightening, was that there weren't supposed to be this many Shadow Demons during the day. Not on the island they were in.

Staring at the multitude of giant Shadow Demons, the scenery looked like a canvas of a beautifully painted forest which had been smeared with a sinister blackness that bore very defined shapes.

Turning his sights to the closest Shadow Demon, Saturis frowned when he saw a multitude of Encodeds impaled on the back of a Shadow Demon that looked like the shadow of a porcupine with a human body. 

Looking at them, Saturis felt annoyed.

'Hopefully those weren't the ones I risked my life for.' Saturis had said with great indifference to their misfortune.

Upon hearing this, Nuisance felt his being pulsate. 

Turning to Saturis, who was now looking to the top of the tree, he didn't know what to even say.

Searching himself, he took a gulp before speaking.

"What do you mean?"

Saturis did not reply immediately because he was analyzing the top of the tree. He needed to confirm something, and right now, all the branches above were prohibiting him from getting answers.

"I forgot you could read my mind." Saturis said as he latched onto the tree and began to ascend it.

"You mean...you feel anything for them?" Nuisance said as he turned his sights back to the Encodeds. He watched as a giant Shadow Demon with tentacle-like fingers pulled a few Encodeds out of the forest.

It was evident they were screaming, but there voices couldn't be heard because of the sound barrier in this world.

"Caring is a weakness I cannot allow myself to have. They served no purpose so there is no reason for me to risk my life for theirs. I have a greater mission to accomplish." Saturis said with a flat tone.

Unable to watch any longer, Nuisance turned his sights to Saturis, stomach churning.

"Then why did you risk your life when you first came into this world?" Nuisance said with a broken voice.

"I had hoped they would make themselves useful to me." Saturis said as he continued to climb, then something hit his neurons, causing him to pause in place.

"How...you still have memories from before our Fusion. How much for this world do you know?" Saturis had asked, but Nuisance did not respond.

'The one time i wanted him to talk.' Saturis said with a frown, before continuing on his way to the top.

Upon reaching the top, Saturis felt his heart rate spike.

"That explains it." Saturis said with an ironic grin when he saw what was above him.

Far into the sky, right in the middle, three enormously black orbs were circling one another in a triangular pattern.

"Three pulses, so I'm on the Third Island then." Saturis said with a bitterness to his tone.

Though he didn't want to believe it at first, he knew all along. Nothing about this place was right, there weren't supposed to be this many Shadow Demon's during the day. 

The only reason there would be this many was if he were in the Third Island or above.

Not even able to linger on this or dread this fact for more than a second, Saturis saw at the corner of his eye a figure approaching him.

"Look out!" Nuisance screamed, ignoring hid gripes and watching out for Saturis.

With the incentive of Nuisance's warning, Saturis at once turned to the figure. When it came into view, the hairs on his skin began to rise when he saw a Winged Shadow Demon trailing the skies for him.

It looked like the shadow of a hawk and a bat. The Shadow Demon was eating up the distance between it and Saturis with an otherworldly speed. So that even though it was more than thirty meters away, within the span of four seconds, it was now ten meters away.

Without wasting anymore time, Saturis ducked then fell.

*CRASH*

"Ahh!" Nuisance screamed.

The Winged Shadow Demon had torn the top of the tree with it's talons, so that leaves and splinters fell down along with Saturis.

Reaching out for a branch, Saturis halted his descent. Then he let go so he fell onto a branch below, before making his way down in a controlled manner.

Once he had gotten onto solid ground and now safely away from the Winged Shadow Demon's clutches, Saturis began to breathe. Only now realizing he was holding his breathe.

His breathing slowly overturned into a pant, as his heart began to beat rapidly. 

This was as a result of what he felt when he was near the Winged Shadow Demon. Even though the creature was ten meters away, Saturis felt an overwhelming pressure. So much so that he feared his body would give out under said pressure.

Though he did his best to keep his composure, when he finally made it to safety, his body began to react to what he felt. Immeasurable fear.

This only served as a painful reminder to his reality. The reality that he was in the Third Island.

The world of Elysium was split into Seven Islands, each named accordingly. And each being filled with Shadow Demon's of equivalent rank.

Which meant that the bulk of Shadow Demons he and any other Encoded unfortunate enough to have traveled here would be facing, will be of the Cerberus rank. The third rank in the Shadow Demon ranking system.

The weakness which were found on the First Island were called Parasite. The second rank was a Gorgon, followed by Cerberus, the Basilisk, Kraken, Leviathan and Kronos.

Someone of his rank was supposed to be facing a Parasite. Or at the very least a Gorgon. But now the bulk of Shadow Demons he would be facing would be a Cerberus.

Special bloodline be damned, he wasn't even given a greater rank to accommodate for the Island he was on.

Taking in a deep breath, Saturis tried to calm his nerves. This was the worst case scenario. The rebels had already informed him that there was no guarantee he would be in the First Island.

In actuality, everyone was praying that if all else failed, he would end up on the Third Island. At least then there would be hope. Better that than falling into the Fourth Island.

If that had happened, then it would be over before it even began.

Right now, he needed a plan. And that plan was to get extra hands to aid his cause.

Now having recovered from the shock that was this Island, Saturis took steady breaths as his thoughts became clear.

"Are you alright?" Nuisance had asked, yet he was unsure of how he felt toward Saturis.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Saturis said, before turning his sights back to the top of the tree.

Looking up the tree, Saturis felt compelled to scale it once more. He needed the height to get to a specific location. But he didn't linger on this thought a second longer when he saw the Winged Shadow Demon fly by. And though it flew overhead, blocking out the sun's rays with its massive self, not a single shadow was cast on Saturis.

Discarding this thought, Saturis decided to gain some distance from this tree. So he could scale another tree and find out the direction of where he needed to go. 

Not wasting any time, he began to walk away from the tree, while moving in the opposite direction from the giant Shadow Demons.

If there was anywhere he needed to be, that place wasn't it.

"Hopefully." Saturis said.

Trailing behind, Nuisance made to not utter another word. He didn't even know if he could. Because he didn't know what to feel regarding Saturis.

He had chosen Saturis because he thought he was a kind person, how strange it felt to be proven wrong. He felt, betrayed in a way.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. It's not like he could've just let Saturis fall to his death anyhow.

"I need my weapon." Saturis had said, pulling Nuisance out of his head.

"Right." Nuisance said, then commanded the dagger to appear in plume of smoke in Saturis' hand.

He watched in silence as Saturis inspected his weapon.

What Saturis held was a dagger of a very simple design. It looked durable and sturdy but it didn't look special. Saturis even wondered to himself if it even had an Affinity of its own.

'I doubt that.' Saturis thought, while feeling a hint of annoyance for not being able to check its stats right now. As doing so would require him to summon his framework, which would leave him numb to any and all danger that could be lurking nearby.

So for now, he decided to hold off on further inspections until he had reached said certain location.

As he swung his dagger, trying to get a feel for it, Saturis noticed movements in a shrub five feet away from him.

Getting into a defensive stance, Saturis prepared himself for a fight. Or searching his surroundings for the best possible escape route should the fight prove difficult or impossible.

Ducking behind Saturis, Nuisance made sure to find safety while readying himself to dissolve into Saturis should things get too hot.

As they both waited, with fear becoming them, the creature hiding in the shrub jumped out, startling Saturis.

The creature was furry and small. With long droopy ears, four eyes and long limbs.

Looking at it, Saturis' nerves had calmed down when he realized it wasn't a Shadow Demon.

"A Radig." Saturis said with an exhale. This creature was one of the many lifeforms that inhabited this world beside the Shadow Demons.

And the strange thing about them, was the fact that they were never preyed upon by the Shadow Demons.

Only humans.

Sniffing at Saturis, the creature scurried off, not eager to get itself into danger.

Likewise not eager to wait around and get himself in danger, Saturis continued on his way forward.

Nuisance just followed, without saying a word still.

And though Saturis had questions to ask, he didn't feel it appropriate to do so now. So he decided to let it go for now.

Several minutes into their walk had Saturis more than uncomfortable. And not just because of his torn clothes, but because of the world itself. And the utter silence it possessed.

Training and preparing for a world filled with silence was one thing, but as always, experiencing it was another. Saturis did not like the thought that a Shadow Demon could be walking near him and he wouldn't even hear it unless he was close enough.

This sound barrier of a thing needed some getting used to. And depending on how long it would take him to get used to it could either save his life, or cost him it.

Easing his tension were the numerous lifeforms he had encountered. Glowing rats that scurried up trees, worms the sizes of dogs digging in and out of the ground. Hovering armadillos and transparent birds came and wait.

Some trying to feast on Saturis, others running away.

No matter the encounter, Saturis found them very pleasant and relaxing.

"Ahhh!" A voice broke into the air. And what followed was a object speeding toward him.

With the reaction time of an energy bullet, Saturis took a defensive stance, ready to cut down the object zooming toward him.

Fortunately the object lost its momentum and fell a few feet in front of him.

Upon inspection, Saturis' eyes widened when he found the object was no object, but a person, an Encoded.

The Encoded looked battered up and bruised. Like Saturis, her clothes were ruined, exposing much of her now wounded skin.

The Encoded didn't move an inch, giving Saturis the assumption that she was dead.

"Oh my God." Nuisance said, then rushed over to her side and checked on her.

Ignoring them both, Saturis made his way forward as he was now taken by what was in front of him.

Beyond the trees and the curtain of vines that had obscured his view, Saturis could see a slew of Encodeds, fighting off a four meter tall Shadow Demon. Giving all they had.