《Demon King's Downfall》 Prologue Long ago, a small kingdom called Eden prospered inside a vast forest. The kingdom itself wasn¡¯t special and probably would¡¯ve been lost in history if it wasn¡¯t for a certain event. A thousand years ago, the entire populace of Eden vanished in a single night. To this day, no one knows how or why. ¡°Well the historians say they don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s quite obvious who the culprit is.¡± ¡°The Demon King?¡± Lighting flash across the sky which allowed me to see the man¡¯s terrified expression for a split second. ¡°Yes, wasn¡¯t it obvious? Only the Entities are capable of wiping a kingdom out in an instant.¡± An audible gulp lifts from the man¡¯s throat. It was satisfying seeing the hulking brute tremble in fear from my story. ¡°Aaron, stop trying to scare my men.¡± A pretty boy with long blonde hair walks towards the campfire. ¡°Sorry Alexander, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°Wait, you were messing with me?¡± The brute jumps to his feet and balls his fist. As expected of a brute, it seems he can only solve problems with his fists. ¡°Yea, I was messing with you, but I wasn¡¯t lying. I really do believe the Demon King was responsible for Eden disappearance.¡± ¡°I can see the connection. The Demon King disappear the same time Eden populace disappear.¡± Alexander added. ¡°It definitely adds up.¡± Lighting once again flashes, brightening the abandoned building we hid in. Standing in the darkest corner of the room, a man wearing a white kimono stares out the window.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. A brute, a pretty boy, and a man that clearly doesn¡¯t belong in this land. I get the feeling the story of how these guys met is far more interesting than the story I just told. ¡°!!!!¡± ¡°What the hell was that?¡± My eyes darted around every dark corner of the room, trying to find where the noise came from. ¡°It''s probably the goblins from before.¡± The man in kimono said as he looks out the window. ¡°They still sound far off, at least I think, this storm is making it hard for me to judge how far they are.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been following us this entire time. Shouldn¡¯t we do something about them?¡± ¡°Only if they attack us, right now, we should save our strength. We got something much worse to deal with.¡± ¡°Huh? Want can be worst then goblins?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± A small smile form on the brute face. ¡°The Demon King,¡± Alexander concluded. ¡°What?! You guys plan on fighting the Demon King?!¡± ¡°Of course, why else would we come to these ruins?¡± I guess that makes sense. The only reason why people would come to this dangerous ruin is that they¡¯re either seeking dangerous thrill or they want to solve the mystery behind Eden¡¯s disappearance. I fall into the latter; I have no intention of fighting the Demon King if he¡¯s actually here. ¡°You guys are going to die you know, that right? The Demon King is an Entity. Which means he can¡¯t be killed.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of his immortality. The reason why the Entities are still in power is because no one can kill them, but that ends today.¡± Alexander pounds his fist together and glares at me like I killed his puppy. ¡°I will dethrone the gods.¡± These guys are crazy, but I guess I can¡¯t say anything since I too want to see the Demon King. Well, I should say I want to find out why is he here? History says that the four Entities defeated the Demon King and imprisoned him and an unknown place, but it doesn¡¯t look like he''s trapped here. There¡¯s no barriers or guards keep him in this place, which means he can walk out of here at any time. So why is he still here? Is he afraid to fight the Entities again or is there something else keeping him here? ¡°Aaron, will you join us?¡± Alexander extends his hand towards me while giving me a warm smile. ¡°Of course, I lead you guys out here; it would be rude of me to leave you here.¡± For now, I¡¯ll keep guiding these people, until I discover everything about this place and the Demon King. Chapter 1: The Demon King and The Slumbering Princess Chapter 1 The Demon King and The Slumbering Princess ¡°De....mon King.¡± A weak and miserable voice called out to me from the darkness. I slowly open my eyes to see the entire world around me covered in flames. ¡°W-What?¡± Unable to wrap my head around what was happening, all I could do was stare at the blazing fire in front of me. Wake up ¡°This is all your fault.¡± A charred body crawls from out the flame. ¡°You monster, you killed everyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bad omen. Everywhere you go, everything you touch falls into ruin. It¡¯s all your fault.¡± More bodies crawl out the flame. Every single one of them was chanting the same thing. ¡°All your fault. All your fault. All your fault. Wake up. All your fault. All your fault. All your fault. Wake up!¡± I once again open my eyes, to see a beautiful woman with bright blue eyes filling my vision. ¡°Ah!¡± The girl lets out a squeak and quickly back steps away from me. Everything about the woman in front of me was annoyingly perfect. Her long golden hair that seems to glow when the sun shines on it, her pure white gown and her equally white skin that is void of blemish or any flaw that you see on a normal human being, but then again, she isn¡¯t human, so none of this is surprising. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± She said while giving me a warm smile. ¡°Yea¡­why the hell are you here, Athena?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Athena tilts her head like I asked a weird question. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I came to check on my little brother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your¡­.¡± I quickly close my mouth before I could say anything else. For some reason, Athena thinks that being of the same race means we''re related. ¡°Anyway, aren¡¯t you happy I¡¯m here? It sounded like you had a bad dream.¡± ¡°Sounded? How much did you hear?¡± I didn¡¯t give my plans, away did I? My heart started to beat faster as I waited for Athena response. ¡°You didn¡¯t say much; you were just apologizing to something or someone.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Thank goodness, my plans haven¡¯t been ruin. If Athena weren''t here I would¡¯ve sunk into my chair and let out a huge sigh of relief. ¡°So, who were you apologizing to? It must¡¯ve been someone special since I never seen you apologize before.¡± ¡°Who knows, I already forgot.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Athena gives me wry smile. ¡°Well whenever you feel like talking, I¡¯ll be here to listen to you.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I rather you were not here at all.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice out today?¡± Athena looks out the throne room window ignoring what I just said. ¡°Yea, I guess so.¡± Realizing she doesn¡¯t plan on leaving anytime soon. I decide to ignore her and enjoy the view. The entire kingdom of Eden could be seen from the throne room. Well, at least what¡¯s left of it. I remember seeing this place in its prime. I remember the streets being filled activity and the buildings standing tall. Now it''s just a ghost town, and the buildings that are still standing are broken and cover with plants. How long have I been here? No, more importantly, is my plan even going to work? I shake my head to rid myself of the doubts forming in my mind. Now is not the time to doubt myself. I sacrifice too much to quit now. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking¡­.¡± Athena pause and look at me. ¡°thinking about what? How to annoy me more?¡± ¡°No, I was thinking about talking with the others about letting you go.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother; no one wants me to leave this place.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Athena quickly covers her mouth as if that would somehow take away her sudden outburst. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m proud of you. You stayed here and didn¡¯t hurt anyone for a thousand years. I think you deserve to be free.¡± It¡¯s starting to feel like Athena is treating me like a kid that¡¯s been grounded. Then again, since she thinks all of us Entities are related, she probably sees me as a child or something. ¡°Athena, I appreciate your kindness, but you¡¯re the only person in the world that wants me to be free. I¡¯m sure Atlas still wants to strangle me for killing him, Venus finds me repulsive, and Loki, actually Loki probably be happy to see me free, but that¡¯s only because he would find it hilarious to see Atlas strangle me.¡± ¡°¡­At least you got two votes.¡± ¡°More like one in half, no one takes Loki seriously.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true,¡± Athena said quietly, casting her eyes downward ¡°Listen, Athena, even if you did somehow manage to convince the other Entities to let me go, the rest of world wouldn¡¯t accept me. There¡¯ll be mass panic in the streets if people saw me walking around without a care in the world.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re different now! I¡¯m sure if people see you now they would¡­.¡± ¡°Shh.¡± I raise my hand and gently push Athena out my way so that I could see outside. In the distance, I could see four humans cautiously making their way through the ruins. Adventurers? This makes it the third time this week. Why the hell are humans so interested in this dead kingdom? ¡°Are you going to kill them?¡± ¡°Of course not. You guys would be on my ass again if broke my promise and killed someone. By the way, isn¡¯t it time for you to go? I¡¯m sure by now the others are starting to wonder where you went.¡± ¡°Yea, probably¡­.¡± Athena¡¯s voice trails off as she stares at the approaching group. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m just going to scare them off like I did every other curious soul that came here.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sure the rest of the world will change their opinion about you, once they see how much you change.¡± Sunlight passes right through Athena¡¯s bright smile as she became transparent. Finally, she¡¯s leaving. ¡°By the way¡­¡± I guess not. ¡°I¡¯m still going to talk with others, so don¡¯t break your promise ok?¡± Athena narrow her eyes at me like I¡¯m a kid she caught lying. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t.¡± Giving her an assuring nod, Athena finally allows her body to disappear completely. ¡°Finally, she¡¯s gone.¡± I take a deep breath and look at the group again. A man with long blonde hair was looking right at me, well at the window I¡¯m staring out of. I¡¯m sure he can¡¯t see me from that distance. I don¡¯t know why but it feels like these guys came here looking for a fight. Well if that¡¯s what they want, I¡¯ll gladly give them one, but right now, I got something more important to deal with. I take a quick look around the room, before pushing the throne out the way to reveal a trap door. I should thank the previous king. If he didn¡¯t create all these trap doors around his castle, I¡¯m sure Athena or someone else would¡¯ve discovered my plan a long time ago. I take one last look around before jumping into the hidden room. A crack in the ceiling allows a ray of light to fall into the center of the hidden room, and in the middle of the room is a ghostly pale girl resting peacefully on her throne. Well, it looks like she¡¯s sleeping, but really she¡¯s¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter because she¡¯ll be waking up soon. ¡°Sorry, did I keep you waiting, Anna?¡± Chapter 2: A Thousand-Year Promise Chapter 2 A Thousand-year promise (One thousand year earlier.) ¡°Eek!¡± A piercing cry filled the air as a maid and the plates she was holding crash to the ground. ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re¡­.¡± The girl froze instantly the moment she looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry please kill me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, just be careful next¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry!¡± Two maids ran to the girl side and prostrated themselves before me. ¡°It was an accident please forgive her.¡± The hall fell silent as everyone attention was on me. Every single one of their eyes were filled with terror. ¡°How cruel, is he really going to kill them?¡± ¡°I heard once he killed a man for simply breathing the same air as him.¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean we¡¯re in endanger too?¡± You bastards, if you¡¯re going to talk about me then at least whisper so I don¡¯t hear it! I let out a sigh and focus on the girl who slams into me. Her entire body was shivering with fear, and her face grew paler the longer she looked at me. Knowing there was nothing I could say or do to get this girl to be less afraid of me, I walk past her and continue down the hall. The crowd quickly disperse before I could reach them. ¡°You think he¡¯s holding our king hostage? I mean why else would our Lord allow such a repulsive creature to roam freely around the castle?¡± ¡°Shh. Be quiet, or else he¡¯ll kill you.¡± These girls really can''twhisper, can they? I quicken my pace so that I could escape from the maids¡¯ gossiping. As much as I hate being treated like a monster, I fully understand humans can¡¯t help but see me as one. If I was human and I bump into a tall (handsome) dark red creature that had sharp horns and pointy teeth, I would probably be running in the opposite direction too. As sad as that may sound, that pretty much describes every interaction I had with humans. The moment someone sees me, they¡¯ll either run in the opposite direction or try to kill me. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t gone insane yet. Then again, I did try to destroy the world once¡­. I stop at the end of the hallway, to see two giant iron doors that look like they belong in a prison stood in my way. The doors make a loud grating sound as I push them open. On the opposite side of the iron doors was an extremely pale girl with long brown hair staring longingly out a window. ¡°Anna¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The girl jumps slightly at the sound of my voice. The shock looked on her face slowly transform into a gentle smile the moment she looks at me. ¡°Sorry, did I interrupt something?¡± ¡°Oh no, not at all I was just simply staring outside.¡± The smile on Anna¡¯s face vanishes as she strains her neck to look over me. ¡°My dad didn¡¯t come with you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s at a meeting, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come by to see you once it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Anna returns her attention to the window, letting the room fall into awkward silence. Did I say something wrong? Her mood drastically changes the moment she mentions her father. Did they have some fallout or something? What can I do to cheer her up? I don¡¯t really have any exciting stories to tell her besides me burning cities down and people chasing me with pitchforks. I doubt either one of those stories will cheer her up, or me for that matter. ¡°Demon King, I think you should leave.¡± ¡°Ah¡± Was the only word that came out my mouth. For some reason even though I¡¯m use to people running from me. Hearing her say that greatly hurt me. ¡°Right, sorry for bothering you.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not bothering me. Its just I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow she does know I¡¯m immortal right? ¡°My dad didn¡¯t tell you that I have a contagious disease? That¡¯s why he¡¯s avoiding me. That¡¯s why¡­. Mom isn¡¯t around anymore. I always knew she was sick, her pale skin and the fact she never leaves her bed kind of gave it away. But what I didn¡¯t know was that her mother died because of her illness, and her father, fearing that he might get sick avoids her.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I guess that explains why she isn¡¯t afraid of me. She must be starving for social interaction, so much so that she¡¯s even willing to talk to a demon like me. ¡°Alright, I think I understand. If I heal you, you¡¯ll stop acting melodramatic right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Let me see your hand so I can heal you" Carefully, she placed her small hand on mines. The moment I grab hold of her hand, a white light emanated from my body. ¡°Ah.¡± Anna let¡¯s out a moan as I transfer some of myenergy to her body. Her complexion became more colored as energy flow through her body. That should be enough. I let go of Anna, who stared blankly at her hand. ¡°Well, how do you feel?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Ignoring my question, Anna vigorously shook her hand. ¡°I feel¡­. Great! Did you cure me?!¡± ¡°Um, yea, sure.¡± ¡°Wow¡­.¡± Anna¡¯s eyes widen ¡°That¡¯s amazing! You¡¯re incredible!¡± ¡°Of course, I am a god after all.¡± Well actually I¡¯m an Entity, but that¡¯s pretty damn close to a god, I think. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t get too excited. I¡¯ll need to visit you daily to make sure my¡­. power is¡­ working¡­. fuck.¡± I quietly curse myself, realizing that I¡¯ll have to listen to a bunch maids whisper rumors about me daily to check on her. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Snapping out of my thoughts, I notice Anna crawling towards me. Her blanket slips off her body which reveals her light pink nightgown. ¡°Not bad,¡± I mutter to myself as I watch one of her straps slide down her shoulder. ¡°Hm?¡± Confuse as to what I was staring at; Anna looks down to see her breast were about to spill out of her gown. Letting out a shriek, she quickly wraps her blanket around her body. ¡°Pervert!¡± She exclaims with a flushed face. How am I a pervert? You¡¯re the one wearing revealing clothing. ¡°I should probably leave.¡± I rather not have any more weird rumors spread about me. ¡°Wait!¡± Anna quickly grabs my hand, nearly falling out of her bed in the process. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± ¡°Why indeed?¡± I look up at the ceiling as if I expected my answer to be written up there. Even though she¡¯s a princess of this kingdom she doesn¡¯t have any political power, nor does she have anything I want. And yet despite knowing that I find myself visiting her regularly. ¡°Who knows, maybe it¡¯s because you didn¡¯t run away from me.¡± ¡°That it? You¡¯re helping me because I didn¡¯t run from you?¡± Her eyes widen in disbelief. ¡°Yea, is something wrong with that?¡± ¡°Oh no, there¡¯s nothing wrong, it¡¯s just I couldn¡¯t run away from you even if I try.¡± ¡°Are you saying you would run away from if you could?¡± ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t!¡± Anna shouted. ¡°Well, at least I don¡¯t think I would. I¡¯ll admit when I first met you, I was a bit scared, but the more I talk to you, the more I realize how wrong everyone was. You really are a nice person.¡± ¡°Nice huh? I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be saying that if you knew what I¡¯m capable of.¡± ¡°But I do know; you just show me.¡± Anna raises her hand that I transfer my energy to. ¡°You have the power to heal people, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yea.¡± Feeling a bit guilty, I shift my attention to my hand which is cover with a black aura. She couldn¡¯t be more wrong. I don¡¯t have the power to heal anyone. The only reason why she¡¯s feeling good right now is because I filled her exhausted body with energy, her sickness is still killing her. Although probably at a slower rate. ¡°Hey, you think once I¡¯m fully healed, I will be able to go outside?¡± Anna once again looks out the window longingly. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°Then will you promise me, once I fully recover you will go on an adventure with me.¡± ¡°Adventure?¡± ¡°I always wanted to leave this castle and see what¡¯s out there, although I¡¯m kind of afraid of doing it alone, so I¡¯m hoping when I''m fully cure you¡¯ll come with me.¡± I think I¡¯m starting to understand why I¡¯m helping her. My whole life everyone treated me like a monster, at some point I started to see myself as one. I begin to think that my sole purpose in life was to destroy. But every time I talk to her, I feel like I have another choice. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Really?! Then Let¡¯s seal the deal with a handshake.¡± With a gentle smile, Anna offers me her hand. As I reach for her it, I silently made a promise to myself that one day, no matter what, I will save the girl that didn¡¯t treat me like a monster. . . . ¡°How long has it been since I made that promise?¡± I look at Anna, half hoping she would answer my question. Of course, that isn¡¯t possible. Like a sculpture, she remains perfectly still in her wooden chair completely unaffected by the passing of time. I guess that¡¯s thanks to me giving her energy daily, it somehow stopped her body from aging and decaying, although unfortunately, it couldn¡¯t stop her illness from killing her. Which means now to keep my promise, I¡¯m going to need more than energy and some miracle cure. What Anna needs now is a soul, preferably a soul strong enough to survive outside of its body. And as far as I know, only me and the other four entities possess these kinds souls. The reason why everyone sees us Entities as gods is because of our immortal soul. Even if our bodies are completely and utterly obliteratedour souls will simply create a new one. So, Anna should be revived if I can somehow put an Entity soul inside her. At least I think she¡¯ll be resurrected, honesty at this point I¡¯m just guessing, I doubt anyone of my ¡°Siblings¡± will happily let me experiment with their souls. And despite being immortal, I¡¯m not too fond of dying. Should I kill Athena? No, a fight with her will result in complete destruction of what remains of this kingdom. If I break my promise and leave, she and the rest of my ¡°siblings¡± would destroy this place and then hunt me down. ¡°Hah.¡± I let out a sigh as rack my brain for answers. I guess I have no choice but to wait for someone strong enough to kill me. ¡°Damn, where is he?!¡± The ceiling loudly creaks as a group of people stomp on it. Oh right, I forgot about our guest. ¡°I swear when I find him, I¡¯m going to kill him!!¡± Following the threat, a loud boom shook the entire room. Just by listening to his voice, I can tell he¡¯s an idiot that likes punching things. ¡°Why don¡¯t you shout that a little bit louder Ed, so he knows exactly where to find us.¡± A calm voice spoke up momentarily silencing the raging idiot. ¡°You know what, at this point, I hope the horny bastards come to us!¡± ¡°¡­. Horny?¡± ¡°You know because he has horns growing out his head.¡± As I listen to their conservation, I found myself insecurely rubbing my horn. It¡¯s not like I wanted to be born with these. ¡°That¡¯s was a terrible joke, and you should be ashamed of yourself.¡± ¡°What? It was hilarious, right Aaron?!¡± ¡°Yes, sir! Very funny!¡± A timid voice entered the conversation while making clapping sounds. ¡°You three cut the chatter and keep moving.¡± The three fell silent the moment the fourth voice spoke, I guess that¡¯s must be their leader, I can¡¯t even hear their footsteps now. ¡°Well, that was an interesting group, huh?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± A painful silence filled the room, as I once again realize I was talking to a dead person. ¡°Right¡­ I should deal with the intruders before they break anything else.¡± Chapter 3: The Final battle Chapter 3 The Final Battle ¡°Last room, everyone ready?!¡± A giant man clad in light leather armor raise his fist towards two imposing iron doors in front of us. ¡°Ready.¡± The samurai in white kimono places his hand on his sheath. ¡°Can we not do this.¡± Is what I wanted to say. Instead, I nervously nodded my head at the giant man. ¡°Do it, Ed.¡± With Alexander permission, Ed slams his fist into the iron doors completely knocking them off their hinges and sending them flying deep into the room. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I saw him do that multiple times today, but I still can¡¯t help but be impressed by his monstrous strength. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± Alexander gently pushes me into the room. A wooden chair stood in the center of the empty room facing a wall made of transparent glass. ¡°Is this the throne room?¡± Amaze by the view. I absentmindedly walk towards the window. The entire kingdom and the forest beyond could be seen from here. ¡°Seems like it, so where is the King?¡± Alexander question snaps me out of my daydream and reminds me of the great danger I¡¯m in. Unlike me, these guys didn¡¯t come here to solve the mysterious disappearance of Eden citizens. They came here to fight an Entity, The Demon King. While the three investigated the room, I slowly back step towards the entrance. I feel bad for leaving without saying a word, but I rather not get into a fight with an immortal being. ¡°Damn it!¡± Letting out a roar, Ed picks up the chair and throws it across the room, nearly hitting me in the process. ¡°What was that about?!¡± ¡°You said he was going to be here!¡± he snaps at me. ¡°I said it was nothing more than a theory. One I wanted to solve.¡± ¡°Well, did you get your answers?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I took another look around the room. While the window offers an amazing view of the ruined kingdom, it feels like nothing more than a distraction from the dread and loneliness that engulf this room. If the Demon King truly lives in this castle, he must spend his time sitting in this empty room, staring outside and watching time go by. But, why? ¡°I think the question we should be asking right now is if the Demon King is really here, then what exactly is he doing here?¡± ¡°That is a good question, although the answer is kind of embarrassing.¡± The sounds of someone voice and footstep approach me from behind. Everyone including the brute who boldly declare he would strangle the Demon King stared at the thing behind me in absolute fear. ¡°You see, I planned on using this place as my base of operation to take over the world, but my so-called ¡®siblings¡¯ destroy this place and imprison me here before my plans could take off.¡± Wait, the other four Entities were the one that destroys this place and not the Demon King? Why would they go to such extreme length to stop him? And, how can he be imprisoned here? If he really is the Demon King, then there shouldn¡¯t be anything preventing him from leaving. All these questions came to my head, but none could leave my mouth. Instead, I kept them to myself and quietly listened to the footsteps pace back and forward behind me. ¡°Now that I answer your questions, I have a few of my own.¡± A tall shadow carrying what looks like to be chair brushes past me. Placing the wooden chair back in the middle of the room, an impossibly tall humanoid creature with dark red skin sinks into the chair. ¡°What the hell are you guys doing in my castle?¡± A chill ran through my body as the temperature in the room plummets. White vapor escapes from my mouth as I desperately tried to find something to say, but nothing would come. All I could do was stare at the being in front of me with my mouth agape. ¡°Well, I¡¯m waiting.¡± My paralyze body became heavier the moment the Demon King focus his crimson gaze on me. ¡°We¡­¡± The giant man next to me broke the dreadful silence the Demon king entrap us in. ¡°We came here to kick your ass!¡± Every single one of us stares at Ed and disbelief.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Hm, so you came here to kill me, huh?¡± The Demon King leans back in his chair completely unfazed by Ed¡¯s bold declaration. ¡°Normally, I would¡¯ve accepted your challenge, but as I just told you, I¡¯ve already been defeated. I¡¯m no longer a threat to you humans. So, go home, there¡¯s no point in sacrificing your lives to fight a pointless battle.¡± Is he sparing us? I thought the Demon King was a vicious creature that killed people for fun. I guess there¡¯s no point in thinking about it, while I would like to know more about what¡¯s going on here, I should leave before he changes his mind. ¡°Not a threat huh? I didn¡¯t know you were a comedian, Demon King.¡± Before I move to retreat, Alexander walks towards the Demon King unbroken by his terrifying presence. ¡°Even if you never destroy a city again, the fact that you creatures exist means we humans will never reach our true potential. And order for us humans to advance, every single one of you needs to be eliminated.¡± What the hell is he talking about, and why is everyone hellbent on antagonizing the Demon King?! ¡°Eliminate huh?¡± The Demon King quietly chuckle to himself. ¡°Very well, try to eliminate me.¡± (Demon King¡¯s P.O.V) They all seem to regain their composure ever since that giant idiot opens his loud mouth. Good, it¡¯s been awhile since I fought. I quickly cover my mouth to stop the sinister smile that was spreading on my face. Right, I forgot I promise Athena I wouldn¡¯t get into any fights. Plus, if I go wild here, I might damage Anna¡¯s body. ¡°This is my final warning, turn back, or die.¡± ¡°Another threat? My, you¡¯re not as cruel as they said you were, or could it be you''re scared of the four of us?¡± A wide smirk formed on the pretty boy¡¯s face. ¡°What do you mean four? All I see our three idiots.¡± The cocky grin immediately turns into a look of confusion. While the pretty blonde boy was giving me his epic speech, their little bowman was slowly exiting the room without anyone of them knowing. Seems like he was smartest one of the group. ¡°Hey, where the hell did Aaron go?!¡± Finally realizing they were missing someone the group frantically scan the empty room. Seeing them desperately look for their comrade that abandon them, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You''re already down a man, and I didn¡¯t even have to lift a finger. Are you guys sure you want to fight me?¡± ¡°Calm down Ed, he was just our guide. He had nothing to do with our plans.¡± ¡°Yea, you¡¯re right.¡± Listening to the samurai words, their biggest member takes a deep breath and calmly walk towards me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you three plan on fighting me alone?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be taking you on myself.¡± The giant idiot tightly clenches his hands which cause his muscles to bulge to the point it looks like they¡¯ll tear right through his clothes. Steam began to rise from his body as his muscles continue to expand. I can see why he¡¯s so cocky now. This man can freely manipulate the energy within his body, the two watching from the sidelines is probably capable of the same thing. ¡°Here I go!¡± Announcing his attack, the man kicks his feet off the ground and throws himself at me at a speed that completely betrays his humongous size. ¡°So, you really plan on fighting me alone huh? I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re brave or a dumbass.¡± I raise my hand to intercept his attack. My hand flies in the air the moment his fist collided with me. Before I had the chance to recover, an unbearable pain struck my stomach. My entire body arches forward as the man¡¯s fist bores into my stomach. ¡°What the matter? Is this all you got?!¡± My painful grunts turn into a fit of laughter as I listen to his insults. ¡°I was going to say the same thing.¡± Grabbing his arm, I easily pull his hand out of my stomach. The proudful look on his face, immediately turns into one of horror the moment he saw the hole in my stomach heal. ¡°Super strength, is that really it?¡± With one arm I easily fling the giant man across the room. ¡°Come back when you have something interesting to offer in this fight!¡± ¡°Impressive, your wound healed instantly. You Entities really do possess immortal bodies.¡± Despite me sending their largest member flying with one hand, the pretty boy continues to observe the situation calmly. ¡°What the hell is with the calm analysis? Don¡¯t tell me that guy was nothing more than a test dummy?¡± ¡°I needed to see if you Entities truly possess immortal bodies. Now that I know, this fight can truly begin.¡± So, he has a plan to combat my immortality? Curious to see what his plans were, I watch him unsheathe his sword. The blade gives off a dazzling light as he lifts it in the air. How disappointing, all he did was imbue his energy into his sword. Indeed, it has become more powerful, but it¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t seen before. ¡°Did you forget about me?!¡± The giant brute roar as he once again rushes me. ¡°I¡¯m your opponent!¡± ¡°I¡¯m joining in too.¡± Announcing his presences, the samurai throws multiple swords that magically appear in his hands. A summoner, huh? How interesting, too bad he¡¯s wasting his talent of summoning swords. I once again raise my hand although this time I don¡¯t have any intention of blocking their attacks. It¡¯s obvious those swords the samurai threw are nothing more than distractions. So, I¡¯ll just ignore them and focus on the big guy. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± Letting out a roar the brute threw his fist directly at me. Ignoring his attack, I reach for his neck. Just as I was about to grab him, the man and the swords vanish before my eyes, in was replace with a pretty boy carrying a dazzling sword. All I could do was stare dumbly at the man as he cut off my outstretch hand What the hell just happen? Where the big guy go, and how the hell did he get so close to me without me noticing? ¡°What¡¯s the matter? That should easily heal, right?¡± An annoying grin formed on the pretty boy¡¯s face ¡°Cocky bastard, once my arm is back, you¡¯ll be the first to¡­¡± Wait, why haven¡¯t my arm healed yet? It only takes a second for me to regrow a new limb, yet right now, my body isn¡¯t showing signs of healing. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± The grin on his face grew wider to the point he started to look like a monster. ¡°Simple, I made you mortal.¡± Chapter 4: Defeated Chapter 4 Defeated ¡°This isn¡¯t good; this isn¡¯t good at all.¡± Nervously muttering to myself, I quickly drop to the ground and watch a large group of wart infested creatures marches through the empty streets. Goblins?! What should I do?!! Should I fight them? No, there¡¯s no way I can beat all of them. But I just can¡¯t ignore them. My hometown is nearby, and they¡¯ll definitely attack it if someone doesn¡¯t do something. My only other option is to warn Alexander, but that isn¡¯t possible either. I look back at the castle. A bright flickering light radiant from the top floor followed by what sounds like explosions. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s happening up there, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll die if I go back and check. It seems the goblins are thinking the same thing. Just like me, they¡¯re silently watching the flashy spectacle that¡¯s taking place on the upper floor of the castle. No, rather than watching, it looks more like they¡¯re waiting. ¡°!!!¡± The goblins let out an excited roar as one of their members quickly climbs up a building. Unlike the others, His skin was free of blemishes and warts instead; there''s a red painting of a bird on his chest and back. That must be there leader and from the looks of it he knows there¡¯s a fight going up there. Did he come here to challenge the Demon King too? Well whatever the case is, it seems whoever wins the battle in the castle will have to deal with the goblins next. (Demon King P.O.V) What the hell is going on? My left arm isn¡¯t regenerating at all. I¡¯m not sure what trick he used, but right now, what¡¯s bothering me more is I have no idea how he got into striking distance. One moment I was fighting a giant idiot, and in the next, the blonde boy was in my face. If I don¡¯t want to lose my head next, I need to quickly figure out how he instantly closed the gap between us. ¡°You let your guard down, Demon King!!¡± Again, somehow not learning his lesson, the giant brute of a man charges directly at me. I easily sidestep away from his predictable attack and wrap my arm around his neck. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware of this, but it¡¯s not really wise to announce your attack.¡± ¡°Bastard, let go of!!!¡± I tighten my grip on his neck, choking the words out of him. As he gasped for air, the idiot once again expands his muscles desperately trying to break free from my grip. In response to his growing strength, I simply pour more power into my arm to hold him. That¡¯s strange. I can still freely transfer energy into my arm, which means I should still be able to heal. But my left arm, the one that bastard cut, I can¡¯t gather energy in that place at all. I think I¡¯m starting to understand, that glowing energy surrounding the pretty blonde boy¡¯s sword isn¡¯t just a simple power boost. From the looks of it, its main purpose is to seal off energy in the area that¡¯s been struck. ¡®Made you mortal my ass.¡¯ I¡¯m sure if I kill you, the curse you place on my left arm will be lifted. Now that has been solved, I just need to figure out how he got close to me so fast. And something tells me my little hostage will help me solve this mystery. I dug my fingers deeper into my hostage¡¯s throat causing him to gag. Both the blonde and the samurai tightly gritted their teeth as I strangle the life out of their friend. My, my, these guys are quite cautious. Most people would¡¯ve attacked me the moment I started torturing their friend, but they¡¯re just watching from a safe distance debating whether to interfere. I guess I need to push them a little more. ¡°You know, I can¡¯t stand people like you. You guys that go around talking about justice like your something special, but I got news for you; you¡¯re not. I see plenty of men like you before. Men who cowered in fear the moment their ideas are tested. Just like now, you¡¯re watching in silence as I strangle the life out of a person who believe in your goal. Watching people die to accomplish your goals, aren¡¯t you exactly like me?¡± ¡°We¡¯re nothing alike!¡± The samurai who was mostly mute the entire time snaps at me and throws three swords that appear out of nowhere. More swords huh? As long as it''s not that glowing sword I should be fine, but just to be safe¡­ While still tightly holding onto his throat, I place my hostage in the path of the swords. Just as the blades were about to turn my meat shield into a pincushion, the brute vanishes from my hand and teleports near the samurai. So, it was the samurai doing huh. Now that I figure out who the culprit is, I just need to figure out how his ability works. ¡°I wasted three swords saving you.¡± The samurai said coldly. Wasted? My eyes fell on the broken swords that littered the floor. A wide grin formed on my face as I quickly put the puzzle pieces together. ¡°What an interesting ability you possess.¡± The three men immediately took up a fighting stance the moment I spoke up like they just remember that I¡¯m a threat to them. ¡°At first glance, it looks like you¡¯re only capable of creating swords, but the truth is your real ability is reverse summoning, and those little swords of yours are like summoning circles.¡± Well, I guess the better word is sacrifices.¡± Summoning a human requires a lot of energy. So, to lessen the burden on teleporting his friends around, he sacrifices those swords he throws at me. ¡°I''m impressed, and here I thought you were just a mindless beast.¡± I know he''s messing with me, but I still accepted his compliment. It¡¯s been such a long time since I got into a fight like this, that I couldn¡¯t help but be proud of myself. ¡°Now that I know how all your abilities work, it¡¯ll be rude if I don¡¯t show off mines.¡± I slam my fist into the ground cracking the floor beneath me. Giant vines that have been growing inside the castle burst from the cracks and lunge themselves at the samurai. The brute quickly jumps in front of him and rips straight through the thick plants with his bare hands.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. What the hell is up with that guy?! Is strength rival that of a demigod! I mean I can still beat him easily, but I just can¡¯t carelessly approach him while that arrogant blonde is still carrying the so-called ¡°god slayer¡± sword. Plus, I have to watch my back since I have no idea where the samurai might teleport them next. And to make things worse, I can¡¯t go all out since Anna is nearby. This really sucks. Oh well, at least I know how heroes feel when they try to protect a damsel in distress. It¡¯s not a good feeling. While trying to come up with a plan, I shroud my arm in a black aura. The samurai responses, by pulling two swords out of thin air. Why two this time? Last time he threw three, and the time before that he threw five. Seeing how upset he was when rescue his partner, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a limit to how many swords he can create. So why is he throwing so many? Let¡¯s find out. Vines breaks through the floor beneath the brute feet and pulls him into the hole. ¡°Ed!¡± More plants burst out from the cracks and chase the samurai away before he could grab his partner. ¡°Relax, I doubt the plants can kill him, although he fell quite far, so if you what him back in the fight, you¡¯ll need to summon again.¡± ¡°Bastard.¡± Another sword materializes in the samurai¡¯s hand. The three swords shatter into pieces the moment he threw them. Just like I predicted the brute magically appears right where the swords broke into pieces. From the looks of it, the amount swords he needs to summon depends on their body size. Since the brute has a large muscular build, he needs to sacrifice three swords and order to summon him. And since the samurai was holding two swords before I threw his idiotic friend down a hole, I¡¯ll assume it takes two to summon the pretty boy. ¡°Demon King!!¡± An obnoxiously loud voice jolts me out my thoughts. Balling his hands into fists. The brute stomps his way towards me, his face beet red from anger. ¡°That¡¯s the second time you almost killed me; you¡¯re going to pay dearly.¡± ¡°Why are you mad? What I¡¯m doing right now is nothing more than self-defense, the only person who''s allowed to be pissed in this situation is me.¡± ¡°Playing the victim card? You have no right to do that, after all, it¡¯s because of you, humanity and is in such a terrible state.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± It took every ounce of my willpower to stop myself from recklessly charging in and choking the life out of the blonde. There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t stand more than being blamed for something I didn¡¯t do. ¡°Are we really that insignificant, that you can¡¯t even see how your existence is a detriment to humanity?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t see, nor do I care.¡± My voice grew flat. It looks like I might end up back on Athena¡¯s hit list because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting these guys leave my castle alive. ¡°A response I expected from a self-proclaim god. I guess we have no choice but to show you that we humans don¡¯t need you, creatures, anymore.¡± With those words he brandishes his sword and lunge at me, at the same time, the samurai throws a couple of swords in the air. ¡°Yea right, you seriously don¡¯t expect me to believe that a self-important man like you will risk his life to challenge me head on?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stand there and find out!¡± ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t move an inch.¡± I let my arm drop to my side leaving myself completely open for an attack. Taking advantage of the situation, the blonde headed man thrust his sword directly into my chest, but before it could pierce me, he vanishes into thin air. Unsurprised by the feint, I turn my attention to ceiling to see a sea of swords falling from the sky. This doesn¡¯t look good, the samurai only needs to sacrifice two swords to summon that blonde guy, and with all those swords hanging above me, he can easily do it an infinite amount of time, well if he has the energy to do so. I¡¯m positive summoning all those swords took a lot out of him, which means he won¡¯t be able to teleport the pretty boy out of my attack anymore. I push my senses to the limit as my eyes darted between swords looking for the one the samurai will use as to summon him with. ¡°There you are!!¡± I thrust my hand at a pair of swords that were breaking apart. The pretty boy appears in front of me the moment the swords crack into pieces. His eyes widen in surprise when he saw my hand already reaching for him. ¡°It¡¯s my¡­.¡± ¡°Win.¡± The samurai suddenly appears in my peripheral vision, before I had a chance to react, his sword sinks into my arm, cutting it in half. ¡°You were so focused on finding Alexander that you let your guard down.¡± I could hear the samurai talking to me, but none of his words reach me. I was too busy trying to figure out how I would get out of this situation. The samurai wounded me with a regular sword, so my arm will heal, but the blonde is already in the midst of swinging his sword there¡¯s no way it¡¯ll regenerate in time to stop him. Should I use corruption? No, if I do that then Anna will¡­. My thoughts are completely halted the moment his sword pierces my chest. ¡°Damn.¡± I collapse to the ground completely drain of my strength. Honestly, there¡¯s nothing more infuriating than losing a fight you could¡¯ve easily won. ¡°We got him!¡± The brute fist pumps like he just did something even though he really didn¡¯t do anything in this fight. I take that back; there¡¯s nothing more infuriating than watching the people you could¡¯ve easily beat celebrate your defeat. ¡°Let¡¯s finish him off.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± The pretty boy held out his hand stopping the samurai from finishing me off. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask him.¡± Despite his victory, the blonde didn¡¯t smile at all, he kept a scowl on his face like something was bothering him. ¡°I know you¡¯re stronger than this. So, tell me, why didn¡¯t you use your full power?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you.¡± ¡°Humor me.¡± For a moment, I debated whether or not I should tell him the truth. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to protect, unfortunately, my power isn''t designed for protecting anyone. And because of that, I couldn¡¯t fight you guys with my full strength.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde man quietly stared at me processing my story. ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t believe you.¡± The sword in his hand once again gave off a brilliant glow as he placed it on my chest. ¡°Monsters like you don¡¯t have a conscience. ¡°Is that so?¡± I wide smirk form on my face as I waited for the final blow. Even though I sacrifice everything to protect someone, in the end, people still treat me like a monster. But I guess that¡¯s to be expected, after all, I am the villain of this story. . . . . ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to fulfill my promise.¡± With my body destroyed, my soul sank through the castle¡¯s floor an into a little room I kept hidden from the rest of the world. Inside the room was a ghostly pale girl slumbering peacefully in chair like my desperate struggle for survival didn¡¯t happen. A part of me was relieved to see her unharmed from my fight, but another part of me was filled with regret. If her body was destroyed, I wouldn¡¯t have to go through with my promise. Actually, I don¡¯t have to keep my promise, I can still resurrect myself, there¡¯s still a lot of things I haven¡¯t accomplish. Like what? I completely froze in place as I try to answer the question that invaded my mind. What did I want? Conquer the world? Yes, that has to be it, I spent a good amount of my life trying to achieve that goal. But if that¡¯s the case why did I give up on it so quickly? The moment I discover this kingdom and Anna I focus all my effort trying to cure her, but why? What the hell am I actually trying to achieve?! ¡°Hahaha¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at myself. I was supposed to be selflessly sacrificing myself and order to save someone else, yet here I am having a mid-death crisis trying to figure out what my true motivation is. In the end, it doesn¡¯t matter. Even if revive myself and figure out what I truly want, I¡¯ll never be able to accomplish anything. The other Entities will tirelessly hunt me down, the moment I leave this accursed castle. My life both literally and figuratively is over. But you, you¡¯re a different story, aren¡¯t you? The room darkens as I spread my soul out creating what looks like a black mist. My conscious began to fade as the empty shell absorb what remained of my soul. You slept long enough. It¡¯s time to wake up, Anna. How I wanted to end my old story I still feel kind of bad that I didn¡¯t end my old story. Even though it was a mess, at least to me it was. So, to lessen my guilt for not giving you guys the complete story. I¡¯ll just tell you how I planned on ending it. Also, there might be potential spoilers for my new story, as I plan on reusing some of my concept from my old story. You¡¯ve been warned. After the intense fight in the forest, Anna will be sent to a dojo, where kids who are inspiring to become adventures are training. During her recovery, Anna will be bonding more with her brother, Aaron and everyone else. Becoming more ¡°human¡± in the process. At some point, she¡¯ll debate whether or not she should continue her reckless journey. After all, she has never been this happy before. Shrugging that thought away, she continues to the Monster Den with her gang. They fight there way through the monsters that have been corrupt by Ragnarok. Only to find out that the wielder of Ragnarok is a dragon. Dragons in this world are noble creatures that follow the bidding on Entities. Although this one has been corrupted by Ragnarok dark powers. An epic fight breaks out as the Anna and everyone else desperately try to find a way to beat this powerful creature. Although thanks to the miasma in the cave slowly weakening the group things begin to look bleak. Realizing they can¡¯t beat it the conventional way, Aaron uses the black shard he stole from his sister. To transform into the demon. Thanks to his newfound power, Aaron was easily able to defeat the beast, although it cost him his humanity and sanity. Completely broken by this, Anna becomes bedridden, refusing to eat or talk to anyone. Sensing her brother distress. Athena, begs Joseph, the hero to help her. As Joseph and everyone else tries to help Anna. The monster that lived in the monster den break free. Since the new owner of Ragnarok is Anna. During this outbreak, Anna runs away from her friends and challenge the horde alone and hopes of saving the citizens that got caught in the attack.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Despite her best effort, she fails to save anyone, in the end, she was the only survivor. In this heartbreaking moment, she realizes that she can¡¯t save anyone, and that she will always be the villain of the story and that she never has a happy end, hence the title of the story ¡°Downfall¡± Revert back to her evil old ways, Anna, no the Demon King challenge Joseph to a one on one fight. Both Max and Claire watch in horror as their friends fight, despite the city being under attack by monsters. The intense fight, between the Demon King and the hero, nearly results in the destruction of the city. In the end, the Demon King loses, but before Joseph could deliver the fatal blow, Aaron jumps in to save his sister. Demons are insane creatures ruled by their desires. So, the fact that Aaron despite becoming a demon saved his sister. Proves that his one and only desire was to protect her. Realizing this, Anna has a complete mental breakdown. Taking advantage of this situation, Joseph prepares to finish her off, but remembers his conservation with Athena and decides to spare her. Joseph takes Anna to an isolated place where they can heal and also figure out what to do with her. Aaron, taking the form of a dog. Follows to protect his sister. As they¡¯re recovering, the clown guy in my old series finds them and reveal that he is Demon King older brother, Loki and there¡¯s a way to fix Aaron. But the cure is the power that stole the Demon King¡¯s immortality in the first place, and order to save her brother she¡¯ll have to give up becoming the Demon King. Anna deciding her place is with her human family decides to head to the Fairy Continent with Joseph and Aaron. A place unexplored by humans. And the last arc will take place on the Fairy Continent. What happens on the Fairy Continent you ask? Multiple ideas ran through my head, but I really couldn¡¯t find a proper way to end this story. Also, I know all I said was kind of dark, but do know all I did was give you a quick summary of the events I planned on creating, there was going to be levity and uplifting moments sprinkles in between those dark moments. Also, the form Demon Aaron takes, at least when he''s not attacking anyone is a cute little puppy, which he uses to rest on his sister lap or head and he''ll growl at anyone that tries to get close to her. I don''t know I find that kind of cute despite the dark moment. Anyway, I won¡¯t say more since I might give spoilers to my new story, but the main reason why I gave up on the old one is that it was turning into a mystery novel, something I never intended, and because of that the story kind of became a mess to me. Hopefully, you guys can find closure in this. If you have any more question about my old story or even the new one let me know in the comment and I''ll try to answer them. Chapter 5: Awakening Athena: An elven goddess that is loved by all. Loki: A childish god that loves to play pranks on people. Venus: A beautiful goddess who uses her powers to spread love and warmth to the world. Atlas: A powerful god who uses his immense strength to protect those nearest to him. And then there¡¯s the Demon King, a creature who¡¯s fear by all for his name is associated with most of the world tragedies. But who exactly is the Demon King. Is he as evil as they say, or did the world misjudge him? What exactly are his intentions? Why do the other Entities fear him? There are many mysteries surrounding the Demon King, but one thing is for certain, wherever he goes, death and destruction follow. Chapter 5 Awakening I jolted forward desperately gasping for air like I just swam through the deepest depth of the ocean. My body trembles violently as the horrific nightmare I barely escape from play in my head. No, that wasn¡¯t a dream, it definitely happened. I really did die. Without realizing it, I began rubbing my chest, unconsciously looking for the wound that killed me. My thoughts froze when my hand sank into something soft. ¡°Huh?¡± A high pitch yet sweet voice escaped from my mouth, although I was too preoccupied to worry about it. My mind was too busy trying to figure out why there was two perfectly shaped mounds on my chest. ¡°T-Tits?!¡± I try to stand up but my legs crumple from my weight. With my legs failing to support me, I fell headfirst onto the floor. ¡°Ouch, that hurts.¡± I quickly cover my mouth to stop my voice from spilling out. What the hell is going? My voice got higher, I can feel my hair touching my back and I got lumps growing on my chest, it¡¯s almost like I became a¡­. My mind went blank as I slowly look down at myself. ¡°No, it couldn¡¯t be¡­¡± My hands shook nervously as they slid down my body towards my crotch. ¡°It¡¯s gone¡­¡± I stare blankly at nothing as I frantically patted my body down looking for my missing male identity. Nothing, not only is my junior missing, but even my horns are gone. What did those bastards do to me? No, what did I do to myself? I vaguely remember doing something after I died. I went to see Anna and then, Wait, where¡¯s Anna? The chair I fell out of was the one I had her resting in. Not only that, but this nightgown I¡¯m wearing looks identical to hers, even the strap that is sliding down my arm is just like hers. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± I turn my attention towards a mirror that hung on a wall. Fear began to well inside me as I tried to imagine what will look back at me when I approach it. No, what scares me more is the fact I will never be able to reach it. The hell was that? It felt like someone else was talking in my head. Ahh, I¡¯m not going to get any answers unless I get up. Since my legs refuse to listen to me, I lean on the chair¡¯s armrest and push myself back onto my feet. I quickly hug the wall to stop myself from falling back down. I feel awful. My legs are wobbly and weak, my arms feel heavy and for some reason even though I just woke up, I¡¯m incredibly exhausted. The only thing stopping me from falling is the overwhelming joy I felt when I stood up. Like a child learning how to walk, every step I took felt like an achievement.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. This has to be a dream. Not only does my body feel completely foreign, but even my own thoughts and emotions don¡¯t feel like they belong to me. With unease building inside me, I continue to awkwardly move forwards until I could see myself in the mirror. A beautiful girl with pale skin and scarlet eyes looked directly back at me through a mirror. ¡°Anna?¡± Both of us look forward to get a better look at each other. This body is definitely Anna, at least I think it is. The shape and nightgown are definitely hers, but Anna doesn¡¯t have scarlet eyes, and the fact that was one my prominent features. Not only that, but Anna¡¯s light brown hair has become pitch black just like mines. Did we fuse together? When I died and gave a piece of my soul to her, instead of reviving her liked I hope my soul took over her body. So much for being a god. I possess a power that threatens nations if not the entire world. And a soul that can be revived from the dead. But no, reviving one girl from the dead is going a bit too far, huh? ¡°Fuck me.¡± The girl in the mirror covers her mouth and shies away from the mirror. I can¡¯t help but feel weird hearing a gentle and lovely voice talk like me. This definitely going to take some time getting used to. ¡°Wait, if I¡¯m inside Anna¡¯s body, then where the hell is mines at?¡± I look up at the ceiling which was filled with holes from the all the swords the samurai threw at me. I don¡¯t hear the homewreckers anymore did they leave after killing me? Those bastards I bet they¡¯re celebrating right now. I can see it now, the pretentious blonde sitting in the bar proudly bragging how he landed the final blow on me as a bunch of girls fawn over him. ¡°Damn it, I just had to go easy on him, didn¡¯t I?¡± I let out a heavy sigh and try to shake the irritating thought out of my head. ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡± I reach for the latch on the ceiling only to grab nothing but air. ¡°Eh?¡± I looked up to see my hand is nowhere near close to the latch. I shrunk quite a bit. In my body, I could easily climb out of this hole, although in Anna¡¯s it seems I got to jump to reach the latch. I rather not though, since my legs are wobbly as a drunkard who thought they could drown their problems away. Since I sacrifice myself to save this body, I might as well fully commit and continue protecting it until I figure out what to do next. I drag the chair which I woke up in earlier and climb onto it. This is humiliating. I need a chair just so that I can boost myself out of a hidden room. Thank goodness Athena isn¡¯t here. Who knows how she would react if she saw me like this, ¡°Oh my, is the little Demon King stuck in a hole? Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll help you out. After all, you¡¯re my little brother, oh, I guess you¡¯re my little sister now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your fucking sister!!¡± The trap door flew into the air with one well-placed punch. ¡°What¡­.?¡± Completely taken aback, I look down at my hand to see it was shrouded in a white aura. Is this Anna¡¯s energy? It¡¯s so small like a flickering flame trying it¡¯s best to stay lit, well, she has been dead for hundreds of years, the fact that I can muster up this much energy in this state is quite impressive. Wait, if I¡¯m using Anna¡¯s power then does that mean my power didn¡¯t transfer into this body? I guess I¡¯ll find out once I get out of here. I desperately tried to climb out the hole to inspect my body. Tried, my body dangles helplessly in the air as I look for the strength to pull myself up. ¡°Looks like I have no choice huh?¡± I pour what little energy this body had left in my arms and slowly lift myself up. It seems punching the door off its hinges took most of Anna¡¯s strength, because even with the added strength I imbue into my arms, it took an incredible amount of effort just to get myself over the edge. ¡°Haa made it!¡± I let out a sigh of relief the moment I got the upper half of my body over the edge. Exhausted I collapse into a pile of shattered swords that litter the ground. I weakly lift my head up to see an obnoxiously bright sword where my body supposed to be. ¡°It¡¯s gone¡­¡± Normally, I''m not surprised by this. My body is made of energy. If its body is destroyed, it¡¯ll go wherever my soul went and recreate itself. But since I woke up in Anna¡¯s body, I thought it would still be here. Does that mean Anna completely absorb me? If so I guess that explains why I¡¯m still alive, and how Anna¡¯s body inherit some of my traits. ¡°So I¡¯m Anna now, huh?¡± I stare blankly at my now small hands trying to absorb everything that happened to me. Not only did I let myself get killed by a bunch of pretentious assholes, but I failed to save the girl I¡¯ve been protecting for thousands of years. I feel like I should be more upset, but right now I¡¯m just upset at the fact that I¡¯m not really upset that I didn¡¯t save Anna. I guess it because I don¡¯t think she¡¯s dead. Well, at least not anymore. When I woke up in this body, I felt a strange array of emotions. Like uncertainty that I would never reach the mirror, happiness when I manage to stand up, and this feeling of awe when I stare out this window. The setting sun casts an amber glow on the ruin kingdom cover in foliage and the forest that lies beyond it. I have seen this view a million times before, and yet right now I can¡¯t help but stare breathlessly at it like it¡¯s my first time seeing it. These are your emotions aren¡¯t they Anna? You''re alive inside me somewhere. If so then tell me... ¡°What the hell do we do next?¡± Chapter 6: Finally Free At first it was just a thought, but eventually, it invaded my dreams. A desire to go anywhere I want and be anyone except me. Yet due to sickness and health, I know this can never be. But still, I hope one day I can finally be free. Chapter 6 Finally Free I involuntarily jumped at the thunderous roar that echoes throughout the castle. Rain pelted the throne room window, obscuring the view outside. ¡°It was a dream?¡± I sink into my chair, my heart still pounding from the nightmare I awoke from. I think I was locked in a cage. And if that wasn¡¯t interesting enough, my body was paralyzed, so all I could do was cry demand someone free me, but no one came. ¡°That was your dream, wasn¡¯t it, Anna?¡± It had to be, ever since I woke up in this body, her memories have been steadily flowing into me. And I have to say, I''m surprised. I never thought I see someone with ¡°family¡± issues worse than me. I know I¡¯m not a saint, but still, I can safely say that the King of this doomed kingdom is the definition of an asshole. Because his daughter was too weak to do anything, he tried to marry her off to neighboring kingdoms and hopes of gaining allies. But because of her illness, she was turned down. Enrage at his daughter uselessness, the king locked her away and never visited her again, leaving her care to the maids. I¡¯m glad I killed him. That man was nothing more than a manipulator that treated everyone as a tool. Of course, I already knew that. While he used my power to conquer and expand his empire, I used his army to cause as much grief and misery as I could to the other Entities. Well, that was the original plan, I kind of got sidetrack when I met Anna. Somewhere down the line my dastardly evil plan of torturing my ¡°siblings¡± changes to how can I save the princess. Which resulted in me destroying the kingdom and somehow becoming said princess. I think my title should be changed from ¡°God of Corruption¡± to ¡°God of failure,¡± because I doubt anyone can fuck up as bad as me. But then again, perhaps I''m a little too hard on myself. After all, this kingdom would¡¯ve been destroyed even if I stuck with my original plan. Once the other Entities found out I was working with the King, they would have killed everyone anyway. This place was doom the moment I came here. That¡¯s why I decided to destroy this place and hopes of saving at least Anna life. I used the rubbles to hide her, and then turn this place into my prison to satisfy my ¡°siblings.¡± And I guess I kind of succeeded if you count fusing together and becoming one being as saving. ¡°Haha.¡± A hollow laugh escapes from my mouth and echoes throughout the room. ¡°Now what do I do?¡± I¡¯m not sure how Athena will act, but I do know the others won¡¯t hesitate to finish me off if they see me in this weak state. ¡°I have no choice, but to leave, don¡¯t I?¡± My heart started beating nervously at the thought of venturing outside.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I¡¯ve been trapped in this place for hundreds of years, so I have no idea what¡¯s happening outside, plus I don¡¯t I have any allies that¡¯ll come to my aid. And to top it all off, this body is incredibly weak and frail. I¡¯m probably going to hurt myself if I tried to punch someone. But despite all the danger I can¡¯t help but feel excited at the thought of leaving! Carefully, I stand up on my feet, making sure my legs don¡¯t give out on me again. I''ve gotten used to moving around in this body, although because Anna has been bedridden for most of her life, it still takes an incredible amount of effort to stay on my feet. Thunder continue to rumble in the distances as I made my way slowly down a dark hallway. Rain crept through a crack in the windows damping the floors, which were litter with overturned furniture and broken doors. It¡¯s a good thing I hid Anna¡¯s body well. It looks like they were trying to find a hidden treasure the way they tore this place up. After our fight, they must¡¯ve taken a break before they decided to ransack the castle. And given the fact I fell asleep again the moment I woke up in this body. Two days must¡¯ve passed since our fight or at least a day in a half. Two days, that should¡¯ve been plenty of time for them to make it back to civilization and brag about their victory. I wonder how long it¡¯ll take for Athena and the other Entities to get the message? As weird as this sounds, I¡¯m kind of glad my body was completely absorbed by Anna. Since my body isn¡¯t around anymore Athena and the others will hopefully think that I¡¯m reforming myself. Which should buy me some time to get as far away from this place as possible. But where to exactly? That question lingered in the back of my head as I made my way through the castle. The closer I got to the entrance, the more I desperately looked for an answer. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll go visit a hot spring since I¡¯m a girl now, I can easily sneak into the women side.¡± I giggle softly to myself as I imagine a bunch of big busty girls surrounding me and taking turns washing me with their well-endowed chest that was bestowed upon them. ¡°Alright screw taking over the world, I¡¯m going to start spring hopping from now on!¡± Even though I¡¯m no longer a guy, that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t live the dream all men fantasize about, a harem of big busted ladies! With new-found resolve, I continue towards an iron door that leads outside. The door loudly creaks as it slowly opens. My mind went blank the moment the door fully opened. For some reason, the world looked some much bigger and amazing than before. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m looking at things through Anna¡¯s eyes. Her life she could only see the world through a small window that lay beside her bed. But now, there¡¯s no wall obstructing our view. There are a few buildings, but through the cracks, you can see the world continues to expand infinitely. ¡°Is this really real?¡± Still, in complete awe, I take a step out of the castle in into the storm. Cold droplets of rain splash on my body assuring me that this isn¡¯t a dream. I look up at the sky and let the rain splash on my face. I take a deep breath like I¡¯m trying to inhale world. ¡°I¡¯m finally free!¡± I roar at the heavens. Thunder roar back at me like the world itself was congratulating me. Overwhelm with joy; I jumped into the nearest puddle. I happily splash my feet around until my legs grew tired. ¡°Hahaha!¡± I collapse into the puddle giggling to myself. I know none of these emotions are mine, but still, I¡¯m happy that I can feel them. Ever since I woke up in this body, I¡¯ve been deeply frustrated with myself. I don¡¯t want to sound pessimistic, but up to this point, my whole life has been nothing but failure. I failed at conquering the world, I failed to defeat a group of thugs that invaded my home, and I failed to save one girl¡¯s life. But, this uncharacteristic happiness I¡¯m feeling prove I at least did one thing right. Even though it didn¡¯t happen the way I wanted, I still manage to free her from the castle. And from the looks of it, that was enough to make her happy. ¡°!!!¡± I quickly turn my head towards the direction the scream came from, My heart rapidly beat against my chest as I peer into the darkness, trying to figure out what creature could make such an awful noise. Lightning flashes across the sky, briefly illuminating my world and giving me a quick glimpse at the creatures. ¡°Goblins,¡± I whisper to myself. The small green creatures cautiously approach me with a perverted grin on their face. Shit, I was so busy celebrating my escape that I didn¡¯t notice them. ¡°Relax, they won¡¯t hurt you, at least not while I¡¯m here.¡± A human confidently walks pasts the goblins. At least I thought it was a human. He talked and walked perfectly upright like a normal human, but his skin was just as green as the goblins. ¡°Who are you?¡± A wide grin form on the creature¡¯s face like he was hoping for me to ask that question. ¡°I¡¯m the future king of this castle, but you darling, you can just call me Cain.¡± Chapter 7: No Escape Chapter 7 No Escape ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s a beautiful little thing like you doing out here, alone?¡± I could see the creature was talking to me, but none of it reached my ears. My mind was too busy trying to understand what exactly he is. Goblins are stupid little barbarians that¡¯ll destroy or steal anything that falls into their sight. But this one is different. Not only is he the size of an average human male, but he also talks like a human, and is even wearing human clothes. Although those trousers are clearly too big for him, most likely stole it from one of his unfortunate victims. Is it possible he¡¯s a hobgoblin? But I thought they were just a myth. ¡°No response. Hey, I didn¡¯t scare you, did I? If so, then let me¡­¡± ¡°Stay right where you are!¡± The goblins freeze in place. I take a few steps away from them to put some distances between us. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± The green man raises his arms up and holds them over his head. ¡°See? We come in peace,¡± he said while forcing a smile on his face. Of course, I don¡¯t believe him. While he¡¯s trying his best to put on an innocent act, the little ones next to him didn¡¯t even bother to pretend. Saliva flowed from their mouth as they stare at me intensely like they were starved wolves that just corner their prey. I instinctively responded to their intense gaze by covering my chest with my arms which seemed only to excite them more. Calm down, their just goblins, I should still be able to take care of them. ¡°What exactly are you doing here? This place is off limits to mortals.¡± At least it should, but it doesn¡¯t seem like anyone got Athena¡¯s memo, since for a dead kingdom this place been lively these past few days. ¡°I heard, which is why I came here. A place where no human or monster can hunt us is a perfect place for my people to thrive. Plus, that castle looks pretty lonely, it looks like it needs a king to sit on its throne.¡± So they came here to conquer the castle huh? Not that I care. In a few days when my ¡°siblings¡± discover I¡¯m dead, they¡¯ll visit this place and probably kill everybody in it. Which is why I need to get out of here as soon as possible. "If you want it, you can have it. I have no need for this place anymore.¡± Good riddance, I thought to myself. Thanks to Anna¡¯s memories melding with mine, I have grown to hate this place. If I could, I would gladly destroy the remains of this castle, so I wouldn¡¯t have to look at anymore. ¡°Now that you have what you want, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± I cautiously walk towards the goblins. Half making sure my legs don¡¯t give out on me, and a half making sure they don¡¯t attack me. ¡°Wait.¡± The green man sticks his arm out in front of me just as I was about to walk past him. ¡°There is something else I want.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The goblin wraps his arms around me and pulls me towards him before I could fully understand what¡¯s happening. ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± I squirm to break free from his grip but to no avail. His arms didn¡¯t budge at all, despite me struggling with all my strength. ¡°Damnit! Let me go!¡± ¡°Sorry, but I just can¡¯t let a beautiful treasure as you go.¡± The goblin tightens his grip on me and pulls me closer to the point I could feel his heart excitedly beating against my back. ¡°You idiot, do you have any idea who I am?!¡± I shouted out in frustration. Just a couple days ago I could¡¯ve easily annihilated these bastards. ¡°No, but I like to get to know you better.¡± One of goblin¡¯s hand creeps down my body and finds its ways into my nightgown. ¡°!!!¡± I let out a confused yelp when I felt his cold, wet hands touch my skin. The goblins laugh at the strange noise that came from me. Burning with embarrassment, I shut my mouth making sure no more sound would come from it. I swear once I recover my strength the first thing I¡¯m going to do is put these guys on the extinction list. ¡°No need to be embarrassed. Just ignore everyone and enjoy yourself.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± My mind went blank as something hard rub against my ass. Please don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s what I think it is. I slowly look behind me to see a bulge forming in the goblin¡¯s pants. ¡°What the hell are you getting hard for?! I¡¯m a guy damn it!!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The goblin flips up my gown letting the other little digesting green get a good look at my naked body. I unintentionally let out a shriek while quickly pulling my dress back down. ¡°For a guy, you have a nice pair of tits.¡± The green man chuckles. ¡°Now, I wonder what you¡¯re hiding down there.¡± One of his hands slides down my body and grabs my underwear. If I don¡¯t hurry up and do something I¡¯m going to be violated by goblins. Like hell, I¡¯m going to let that happen. ¡°Like hell, I¡¯m going to let a man, especially a goblin fuck me!¡± I thrust my elbow into the goblin¡¯s stomach. He collapses onto the ground, gasping for air.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Huh?¡± I look down at the goblin clutching his stomach in pain. Just a few seconds ago, I couldn¡¯t break free from his grip no matter how I tried. Did Anna¡¯s strength return? No, last time I use her power I was able to punch a door off its hinges and send it flying to the roof. This time all I was able to do was knock the wind out of a person. This body is growing weaker, not sure why or how, but right now, I have bigger things to worry about. The little creatures who were trembling with excitement were now shaking in fear. Without saying a word, the goblins quickly split apart and open a path for me to walk the moment I looked at them. As satisfying as it was seeing them learn their place, I know this won¡¯t last long. Goblins are cowardly creatures that¡¯ll gang up on an injured or weak person. Which pretty much sums up how I feel right now. I confidently walk towards the exit of the circle while trying to hide how tired and exhausted I was. The moment I left the circle I ran as fast as I possibly could. It looks like they can¡¯t make a decision without their leader. Thank goodness for that. It should me buy some time to get out of here. ¡°What are you guys doing?! Catch her and bring her back to me!¡± A roar of excitement erupted behind me. Shit, he¡¯s already up and barking orders. I guess this is what I get for thinking it¡¯ll be easy to escape this accursed place. In an instant, I could hear one of the goblins footsteps behind me, like they just teleported to my location. It looks like I can¡¯t outrun them in this body. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll just have to outsmart them. I abruptly stop and collapse onto the ground. The goblins that were directly behind me flew past me, thanks to the ridiculous speed they were moving at, I quickly pick myself up and run towards the nearest alleyway. ¡°Thank goodness, looks like I can fit.¡± I let out a sigh of relief as I squeeze into the narrow alley. No way my old body could fit in here, although I wouldn¡¯t have to shamelessly run away if I was in my old body. A green arm enters my vision and reaches for me. I push myself deeper into the dark alley and out of the goblin¡¯s reach. More goblins piles on top of the one trying to grab me. Letting out a frustrated roar the goblins push and pulled each other away while trying to squeeze into the alley. ¡°Ok, keep calm and just keep moving.¡± I continue moving down the narrow path trying to ignore the discomfort of my chest rubbing against the building each time I moved, and the heavy rain beating against my head. ¡°Once I¡¯m out of here I¡¯ll run straight into the forest.¡± ¡°Heh, heh.¡± My entire body froze when I heard the snicker. Directly in front of me, a goblin walks towards the alley with a wide grin like he just caught his prey. All I could do was watch in horror as the creature squeeze into the narrow passage. W-What do I do? The goblins behind me have completely blocked off the exit, and there¡¯s no way I can fight in this narrow passage, and even if I could with my current strength I doubt I can beat a toddler let alone a goblin. I guess I have no choice but to climb. I doubt I can climb up a building, but I don¡¯t have any other options right now. ¡°!!¡± My eyes lit up when I saw the slightly open window directly above me. Is lady luck finally smiling down at me? Well, whatever the case, I still have a chance to get out of here. I muster whatever little strength I had left and climb through the small opening in the window. ¡°Ah!!¡± A cold, wet hand grabs my leg and tries to pull me back down. ¡°Let go!¡± I wave my feet around until I hit something. With my leg free, I wiggle the rest of my body through the window and collapse on the floor. Exhausted, I laid on the ground trying to catch my breath, until I saw a goblin climbing through the window. ¡°Crap!¡± I quickly got up and slam the window shut on the goblin¡¯s arms. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sound of the goblin screaming in pain and crashing back to the ground. ¡°No time to rest, those things will be on my ass again any second.¡± Reminding myself of the grave danger I''m in; I move my weary body through the decaying house. The floor loudly creaks with each step I took, practically announcing my location to anyone that may be hiding in the house. Although if I¡¯m making this much noise, then I¡¯m pretty sure if someone else were in here I would¡¯ve heard them by now. ¡°Yea, this house is far too quiet.¡± The goblins should be breaking in by now. I mean the ones that were chasing me in the alley had plenty of time to call for backup and surround the building while I was climbing through the window. Are they wary of me because I injury their leader, or am I overestimating them? I know I already mention this, but goblins are not that smart. In fact, out of all the beast men, most consider them to be the slowest. And that¡¯s including minotaurs and lycans, creatures who are ruled by their instincts. Yea, they hunt in packs, but because of their low intelligence, they¡¯re incapable of doing anything fancy with their numbers besides overwhelming their prey. The fact that they pile on top of each other and try to squeeze into the narrow alley, prove that they are not working as a team, which means they''re not communicating, which also means most of the goblins have no idea I¡¯m in this house right now. ¡°Looks like I may have a chance to escape after all.¡± I slowly open the front door, and a peeked outside through the small crack. Thankfully this body inherited my sharp eyes. Even though it was pitch black and rainy, I could see like it was a sunny day. After carefully checking my surroundings I finally opened the door. As if luck itself was torturing me, the moment I open the door, a group of goblins walked past the house. We all stop and stare at each other, confused by the other party sudden appearance. ¡°Ahahaha, can you guys just pretend that you didn¡¯t see me?¡± ¡°!!!¡± The goblins roar, as they ran towards me. ¡°Yep, didn¡¯t think so.¡± I quickly slam the door shut on them before they could pounce on me. They pounded on the door trying to break it down. I press my back against it to prevent them from doing so. ¡°C¡¯mon, will you guys just leave me alone, I never did anything to your kind!¡± Ignoring my plead the goblins continue beating on the door. ¡°You guys like women, right?! If you let me go, I¡¯ll introduce you to Athena. She¡¯s way hotter and has bigger tits than me! You guys like big breasts, right?!¡± The banging abruptly ceases, leaving me in awkward silence. ¡°Did they actually listen to me?¡± A knife pierces through the door just as I was about to check outside. ¡°Ah! What the hell wrong with you guys? Are trying to capture me or kill me?! There¡¯s a huge difference you know?!¡± While I was trying to keep the goblins from stabbing me and breaking down the door, my attention shifts towards the window at the end of the hallway, standing directly outside the window a goblin lifts a rock and slam it against the window, creating a large crack in the glass. ¡°You got to be kidding me!¡± It¡¯s bad enough that my powers are fading away for some reason, but I also got to deal with these obsessive midgets that won¡¯t leave me alone! I frantically looked around the room trying to find a way to escape. My eyes eventually fell to the floor which was cover with broken glass. ¡°Nowhere to run or escape to. I guess that leaves me with only one choice¡­.¡± While keeping my back against the door, I kneel and pick up a shard of glass off the ground. I tightly gripped the shard which cuts my hand. ¡°One way or another, I¡¯m getting out of here alive!¡± Chapter 8: Hunted Chapter 8 Hunted ¡°Ouch.¡± Blood trickle down my hand which held a glass shard. ¡°!!!¡± The goblins continue to pound on the door roughly. At the same time down the hallway, another one of those disgusting green bastard bashes a rock into the window. ¡°Will you guys please just fuck off already!!¡± As a man that once aspired to take over the world. I¡¯ve seen and been through a lot of things that would¡¯ve drive a normal person mad. But when it comes to a dangerous situation this, this easily takes the cake. It¡¯s bad enough that I have to walk around in this body I¡¯m unfamiliar with, but I also got to deal these sexual deprave monsters trying break into the house. And to add icy to the cake my powers which could have quickly dealt with these creatures is nowhere to be found. I would ask what the hell did I do to deserve this. But upon pondering that question, about twenty answers came to me, ten of which involved me destroying this kingdom. Honestly, the only way I can see this getting worse is if lightning suddenly decides to strike me¡­. ¡°Wait a second.¡± The world explodes into a bright flash of light. The panic of being consumed by a white light, quickly subsided as I listen to the rain pelting the window. Right, I''ve been so busy running away that I forgot I¡¯m in the middle of a storm. And from the looks of it, I wasn¡¯t the only one startled. Sometime during the lightning strike, one of the little creature¡¯s that was trying to break into the window drop the rock it was using as a weapon. It covers both of its eyes and walks into a wall. It looks like the lightning blinded it. If I recall correctly, goblins can see in pitch darkness just like me. Although from the looks of it their eyes are quite sensitive to bright light. If that¡¯s the case, then the next time lightning strike, I¡¯ll use that chance to escape from here. ¡°C¡¯mon Lady luck, if you truly hate my guts, then here¡¯s your chance to smite me where I stand!¡± The world fell silent. The sound of the rain and the goblins bashing themselves against the door faded away. I tightly grip the glass shard and waited patiently. The moment the lightning struck, I bust open the door. The goblin in front of the door looked up at me with his eyes wide open. I¡¯m not sure if it was blinded by the sudden flash of light or was merely surprise I open the door. Either way, I¡¯m not letting this chance slip by. I plunge the glass shard into the goblin¡¯s eye before it could react. The little creature collapsed on the ground and cried out and pain. I dropped the glass shard out my hand and tried to run past the other goblins, but something grabs one of my legs. ¡°Damnit!¡± I shouted as I fell to the pavement. I look behind me to see the goblin I impale was tightly holding onto my leg. Blood spew from his missing eye painting half of his face dark red. ¡°Let go!¡± I repeatedly kicked the one-eyed freak in the face, but it refuses to release me. Before I knew it, the other goblins have already surrounded me. The smile that was plaster on their face annoyed me to no end. ¡°If I just had an ounce of my strength, I could easily wipe the smiles off your faces.¡± The goblins laugh at me which only infuriated me more. One of the goblins suddenly drops to his knees. The light in its eyes fades away before he fell to the ground revealing an arrow sticking out the back of his head. Before I could process what was happening, another arrow whiz past me and pierce the one-eyed goblin¡¯s forehead, the moment the arrow struck him, the creature loosens his grip on me and collapse on my leg. ¡°Now¡¯s your chance. Run!¡± The voice wakes me from the daze I was in. I kicked the dead goblin off me and made a break for the forest. More arrows flew me past striking the goblins that were behind me. I follow the path the arrow took and notice a shadow standing on top a distance building. Usually, I would be asking who¡¯s that mysterious person is, and what are they doing here. But after everything I been through these past few days, I honestly wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a dragon suddenly decides to show up and tail whip the rest of the kingdom out of existence. I took one last look at the mysterious figure and ran into the forest. . . . After I enter the forest, I ran as far as I possibly could, which sadly wasn''t that far. The Storm clouds broke away letting the moon cast a silver light on the forest. ¡°Ok, Anna.¡± I collapse to the ground gasping for air. ¡°We seriously need to talk about your stamina.¡± I know Anna was born with a weak body and couldn¡¯t move well in her life, but still, we¡¯re not going to make it far if I have to take a breather everytime I take two steps. I need to get this body in shape. I doubt a random archer will come by and use whatever is chasing me as target practice next time. Speaking of which, that Archer did a pretty damn good job at covering me. None of the goblins follow me into the forest; they most likely went after him. I hope he¡¯s okay, I still need to pay him back for saving me. I quickly shake that thought out of my head.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Calm down Anna. We have no idea who that guy was. Plus, with all those goblins swarming the area, I doubt he made it out alive. ¡°No, I made it.¡± I quickly spun around and swung my fist at whoever was standing behind me. ¡°Whoa!¡± The person behind me leans backward barely avoiding my fist. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you!¡± A brown haired boy that looked to be the same age as Anna held his hands in the air while smiling at me, the bow and quiver on his back immediately told me that he was the one that saves me earlier, of course, that wasn¡¯t enough for me to trust him. ¡°How did you find me?¡± I thought I did a good job hiding when I enter the forest. ¡°Easy, your footprints.¡± The boy pointed down at the ground, showing a line of small footprints in the mud that led directly to me. ¡°Ah.¡± I immediately felt stupid when he pointed out the obvious. What¡¯s the point of hiding in a forest, if I just leave a trail that shows exactly where I¡¯m hiding? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I erase most of your footprints as I follow you. They shouldn¡¯t be able to find us.¡± ¡°Us? Sorry kid, I appreciate your help, but this is a one-man team.¡± Dusting myself off, I get back up on my feet and walk in the opposite direction of the boy. ¡°Wait!¡± The boy grabs my arm and pulls me towards him. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding!¡± blood drip from the hand the kid held. I open it up to see a deep gash in the palm of my hand. A jolt of pain struck me when I saw the wound. ¡°We need to take care of this before it gets worse.¡± ¡°Let go of me!¡± I shake my hand free from his grip and quickly put some distance between us. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? I¡¯m just trying to help!¡± ¡°Everybody I met these pasts few days have tried to kill me, so sorry I¡¯m having a hard time trusting people.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The intense glare the boy was giving me softens. ¡°Fine.¡± He says as he reaches into his pockets. ¡°Since you don¡¯t trust me, you can take care of your wounds yourself.¡± The boy tosses a ball at me, at least that¡¯s what I thought it was until I caught it. My eyes widen when I open my hand. A beautifully clear crystal with a strange white light emanating from it laid in the palm of my hand. An energy crystal? This is something only the Entities¡¯ knights and elite guards should have. What the hell is a brat doing with this? ¡°Um, to use that you need to¡­.¡± ¡°I know how this work!¡± I shouted quickly shutting the kid up. I look back down at the crystal. The crystal itself isn¡¯t special; it¡¯s the content inside of it. The white light emanating from it means that the energy stored inside it is either a healing type or an explosion one. I held the crystal in the air and looked directly into the boy¡¯s green eyes. Unlike the goblins who looked at me coldly like I was a toy, they can easily replace. This boy''s eyes were much more gentle and soft, if I didn¡¯t know any better, he seems to be concern about me for some strange reason. Well if this a healing crystal, then I¡¯ll be just fine, but if this the latter. Then I guess I¡¯ll be saying goodbye to my hand, and probably half of my body as well. I tighten my grip on the crystal until it broke into pieces. The white light that radiates from it envelops my body. A gentle warmth spread throughout my body. I let out a sigh of relief as the pain that tormented me vanish alongside the light that surrounded me. The moment the light faded, I examined myself. Not only was the gash on my hand gone, but the cuts and bruise I got from running away also vanish. Unfortunately, it did nothing about the ungodly fatigue that¡¯s slowing me down. ¡°See, told you I¡¯m not here to hurt you.¡± The kid said with a wide grin. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± The smile on the kid¡¯s face vanished, and he looked at me like I said something weird. ¡°Because it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± An awkward silence fell upon us. I remember Anna showing me a scene like this in one of those books she uses to read. An adolescence kid risks his life to saves the princess from a dragon or a bandit or whatever evildoer that decided to kidnap her that week. And every time he saves her the kid would give her a bright smile and say. ¡°You don¡¯t owe me anything.¡± ¡°Haa. I wish my price would come and save me.¡± Anna said as she vigorously flips through the book she read a hundred times, completely forgetting that I¡¯m sitting in the room with her. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t expect me to believe that you risk your life to save me for no reason.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, isn¡¯t that what everyone would do in my situation?¡± My god, he¡¯s even smiling like the stupid main character in Anna¡¯s book. If I didn¡¯t know any better, it looks like he read and memorize the story. If that¡¯s the case, then I guess I¡¯ll play along. I grab the boy¡¯s hand and look at him with pleading eyes ¡°Is there any way I can pay you back?¡± The boy quickly pulls his hand away from me. His face was flush red with embarrassment. ¡°Um, y-you don¡¯t have to do anything.¡± I grab his hand again before he could escape from me. ¡°Please let me repay you back. I¡¯ll do anything~¡± I seriously wanted to vomit, but watching the kid freak out was definitely worth it. ¡°I, um, ah.¡± Unable to form a sentence the kids turn away from me. A wide grin spread across my face when he showed his back to me. ¡°Bang, you¡¯re dead!¡± I jab the boy in the back with my finger causing him to jump slightly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t turn your back to a stranger, that¡¯s the quickest way to getting yourself killed.¡± I pulled my finger and blew on it like it was a flintlock. ¡°There, Satisfied now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The kid looked back at me, his face still beet red. ¡°I repay you for saving me, by giving you some advice on how to survive. So, we¡¯re even now.¡± Even though I was directly talking to the boy, I was actually speaking to Anna. The last thing I want is the little princess inside me to start acting like one of the damsels in one of those erotic novels I caught her reading. Oh hero-sama, thanks for saving me. Please, put a baby in me! ¡°Anyway, we wasted enough time here. We should get moving before the goblins find us.¡± ¡°Wait, we? Does that mean you trust me now?¡± ¡°Of course not, but, seeing that you''re stupid enough to let your guard down around a stranger. I¡¯m confident I can deal with you if you decide to backstab me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The boy''s shoulder slouches forward, not bothering to hide his disappointment. Ignoring him, I head deeper into the forest. I hate to admit it, but in my current state, this kid may be my chance at escaping this forest. At least, if that goblin doesn¡¯t get involved in this. That goblin, I¡¯m not sure where he came from, but from the way he was acting, it looks he was raised by human rather than a goblin. I seriously I hope I¡¯m wrong on this, but if I¡¯m not. Then I seriously hope that whoever raise him, didn¡¯t teach him how to hunt like a human too. Or else escaping from this forest is going to be borderline impossible. (Cain¡¯s P.O.V) "Damn!" I collapse back onto the ground. The unbearable pain in my side made it impossible for me stand back up again. ¡°That girl, where did she get that strength from?!¡± I slam my fist on the ground, annoyed that I let such a beautiful treasure escape from me. ¡°Tell me, why is our brave leader lying on the ground like some weakling?!¡± An obnoxiously loud voice pierces my ear. I weakly lift my head to see a giant man with a red bird painted on his round green belly towering over me. ¡°Abel? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I heard you let a girl escape.¡± ¡°Who told¡­¡± ¡°The little ones,¡± Abel answered my question before I could ask it ¡°Those guys, I told them to capture her, not gossip.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me a little girl seriously injure you.¡± ¡°And if I did?¡± ¡°Then, I will take your place as leader. I refuse to be ordered around by someone weaker than me.¡± I tried to laugh, but the pain in my side refuses to let me. ¡°If you can bring that girl back then you can have my position, but I should warn you, she¡¯s incredibly strong, I think she broke one of my ribs.¡± ¡°Quit joking.¡± A small smile forms on his face, but it quickly fades the moment he noticed my somber expression. ¡°So, we¡¯re dealing with a strong fighter huh? Abel flops down next to me causing the ground to shake. ¡°Please, tell me more.¡± Chapter 9: Before Dawn Chapter 9 Before Dawn ¡°It¡¯s dead ahead of us!¡± I pointed to the pitch darkness where the moonlight didn¡¯t reach. A small figure jumps out the shadow and charges straight at us. ¡°I see him!¡± An arrow flies from the boy¡¯s bow and pierces the goblin¡¯s forehead. I breathe a sigh of relief when I saw it collapse on the ground. ¡°We really make a good team, if we keep moving at this pace, we should be able to make it to my hometown before dawn breaks. ¡°Please don¡¯t jinx us with your optimism.¡± I tried to wave away his happy thoughts, but a part of me was overjoyed about the news. If we can survive the night, then I¡¯ll be able to escape this nightmare. But that¡¯s a big ¡°if.¡± No way the goblins going to let us leave that easily. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± The boy walks over to the goblin and looks at it with a strange curiosity. ¡°How did this goblin get ahead of us? I¡¯m pretty sure I erase our tracks they should have no idea where we¡¯re at.¡± ¡°I doubt this goblin was part of the group that is chasing us.¡± The boy looks at me confused. Before he could ask his question, I begin answering it. ¡°The goblins that been chasing me all had a red bird painted on their chest. Plus, it looks like this one hasn¡¯t eaten in weeks.¡± I poke the dead body easily visible ribcage with a twig I randomly pick up. The goblin was sickly green, and his body was shriveled up like a mummy. ¡°This one probably came from another tribe and from the looks of the tribe wasn¡¯t good at hunting. They probably died from starvation or was killed off by a stronger monster.¡± I nodded my head satisfy with my own theory. ¡°The only thing I don¡¯t understand is why did it come here. There aren¡¯t any creatures for it to hunt.¡± Thanks to my presences and Athena forbidden people from entering this area. This place has been void of both humans and monsters for a long time. At least that used to be the case, these past few days I¡¯ve been getting a lot of guests. ¡°That probably why it came here because there¡¯s no one here.¡± The boy said as he pulls his arrow out of the goblin head. ¡°Because no guards or knights is patrolling this area a bunch of horror stories was creating in my hometown. Stories like monsters coming here to grow their numbers or bandits bury their victims here. Of course, none of this was proven since everyone is too scared to come here. but from the looks of it¡­¡± ¡°¡­. The first story is becoming a reality.¡± I said, finishing his sentence. Now that I think about, that hobgoblin did say that the reason he came here is because there''s no human presence in the area. Goblins are creatures that need to be eliminated immediately because, if you see one you best bet there¡¯s at least ten hiding somewhere in the shadows. Failing to react fast enough and those ten will quickly multiply to twenty, then thirty, and then well, looks like you got yourself in an infestation. And seeing that an intelligent goblin is leading this group, this infestation might turn into an organized army. ¡°That¡¯s why we need to get out of here. We need to warn the others before it¡¯s too late.¡± It looks like we¡¯re on the same wavelength. The escaping part I mean. I honestly don¡¯t care what happens to the nearby towns. I tried to follow after the boy, but my legs refuse to move, no more like they couldn¡¯t move anymore. I guess this really isn¡¯t surprising; it¡¯s honestly a miracle that I manage to make it this far with a body that¡¯s been bedridden for most of its life. Exhausted, I sank to my knees and stared at the boy¡¯s back as he heads deeper into the forest. What do I do? I can¡¯t just sit here and rest while the goblins are chasing me, but I have no idea how the boy will react if he sees me in such a helpless state. ¡°H-Hey!¡± I nervously called out to the kid. The boy¡¯s eyes widen when he turns around. Did he seriously not notice I¡¯ve fallen behind? ¡°What happen!?¡± The boy rushes over to me nearly tripping over an overgrown root ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?!¡± ¡°No. I''m just a bit tired.¡± ¡°Thank goodness.¡± The boy lets out a sigh and examines my legs. ¡°Can you stand at all?¡± ¡°If I could I would¡¯ve been done it.¡± The kid continues to calmly examine me despite my smart remark. ¡°Looks like I have no choice but to carry you.¡± ¡°What?¡± In the next moment, I was easily lifted and held like a princess. ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Put me down!¡± I repeatedly punch him in the chest which didn''t even faze him. ¡°Relax I¡¯m getting you out of here.¡± ¡°I rather die than be seen like this!¡± ¡°Listen! If the goblins get a hold of you, you will wish they kill you!¡± My body froze in place. Remembering that hobgoblin hands feeling on me made me want to vomit. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let you carry me this once!¡± A soft smile spread on the boy¡¯s face. Great, this turning out exactly like one of those romance stories, in Anna¡¯s book although I don¡¯t particularly feel safe in my prince¡¯s arms. He¡¯s good with the bow, I¡¯ll give him that, but he can¡¯t use it while he¡¯s holding me. To make matters worse it, the trees are stopping light from entering the forest. If something attacks us, the kid won¡¯t notice it until it¡¯s too late. He should be aware of this, yet he¡¯s holding me like I¡¯m a long-lost friend or something. I guess I don¡¯t have any right to complain. Even though this is humiliating, it¡¯s better than being left behind in the forest with a; please kill me sign written on my back. I just need to suck it up and keep a lookout for the kid since I¡¯m the only who can see in the dark. I took a deep breath and focused on my surrounding. Regardless how dark it is, nothing can hide from me, probably. The fatigue that rob me of my mobility seems to be aiming for my eyes now. My eyelids grew heavy, and my conscious begin to fade. I¡¯m going to fall asleep if I don¡¯t find something to distract me. I squirm around in the boy¡¯s arm to try to keep myself awake. The boy tightens his grip on me and pulls me closer to stop me from moving. With my head now resting on his chest, I could feel his heart beating abnormally fast. I look up to see his face turning red. The boy looked straight ahead focusing solely on escaping. At least that¡¯s what he tried to do. Every few seconds he¡¯ll shoot a glance at me and look away. What the hell are you embarrassed about? I¡¯m the one being held in this embarrassing position. I follow his gaze to see that the soak gown clung to my body, allowing the kid to see my skin through it.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I tightly hug myself to hide my exposed skin. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking!¡± The boy shouted, his face growing redder. Huh? But I didn¡¯t even say anything. The boy quickly looks away from me. Seeing him trying to hide his guilt drain the last bit of suspicion I had of him. There¡¯s no way this kid, who just loudly announced his crime is capable of backstabbing someone. ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who would break the rules, so tell me, why did you come to this place?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± The boy kept looking forward avoiding eye contact with me. ¡°I¡­. was waiting for someone.¡± He spoke slowly like he was trying to choose his words carefully. He¡¯s waiting for someone? Does that mean there are other humans out here in this forest? The only ones I encounter was that¡­ pretty boy. ¡°By the way, did you see anyone in the castle? I was waiting for a group I lead here to leave, but you were the only one that left the castle.¡± ¡°Wait, no one else left the castle?!¡± I jump up in shock nearly falling out of his arm. Does that mean those guys are still in the castle? No, I would¡¯ve seen or at least heard them when I was leaving. Did they take another exist? If so that¡¯ll explain why the castle looks like it was turned upside down when I left. The king built multiple hidden rooms and escape routes in the castle in case someone ever attacked. Although I don¡¯t understand why they went out of their way to look for a hidden exist when they could¡¯ve just walked out the front door. Is it possible they knew the goblins were coming? Still doesn¡¯t make sense to me though. The way that pretty boy was preaching about advancing humans, he should¡¯ve been more than happy to kill some goblins, since they¡¯re more of a threat to human then I am. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t see anyone?¡± The boy looked at me with an unreadable expression. ¡°No, the castle was empty.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. ¡°I guess, we¡¯ll just have to find someone else to help us with our goblin problem.¡± He said with a wide grin on his face. Our problem? I almost scoff at the kid for trying burden to get me involve in this. I appreciate his help, but I want nothing to do with this place or those goblins anymore. Once we get out of this forest, I¡¯m getting as far away from this place as possible. ¡°By the way, what were you doing here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­.um¡± My eyes wander around trying to find an excuse. ¡°I¡­my¡­hometown was attacked by bandits, and they chase me all the way here.¡± I immediately wanted to slap myself for coming up with such shitty plot riddle story. For one, he was watching the castle I¡¯m sure he would¡¯ve noticed a group of bandits chasing a girl. Not to mention he saw my original form even though I look nothing like my old self, my black hair and red eyes still give away I¡¯m not human. ¡°Are the bandits still chasing you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I look at the boy who was staring at me with a serious expression. ¡°I¡­have no idea.¡± He seriously didn¡¯t believe that terrible story, did he? ¡°Well don¡¯t worry, I promise I¡¯ll get you out of here no matter what.¡± ¡°¡­Idiot.¡± I lightly hit his chest with my fist ¡°I made it this far by myself, I don¡¯t need any help.¡± The kid lets out a laugh. ¡°No need to be prideful, it¡¯s ok to rely on others you know?¡± He said with a smile so bright, I had to look away. He¡¯s definitely an idiot. Only an idiot would believe a stranger¡¯s word. I guess that makes me an idiot too. For some reason, I believe him, or maybe I should say I want to believe him. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m tired. It¡¯s hard to think when your brain is trying to make you go to sleep. The cold air brushing against my wet skin, combined with the kid¡¯s body heat made it all the harder for me to stay awake. ¡°Just for a few seconds,¡± I mumble to myself. If the boy is really serious about helping me, then nothing bad will happen if I close my eyes for a few seconds¡­ . . . When I open my eyes, I was alone resting against a tree. Panicky, my eyes darted around the area looking for the boy, but the only thing that remained of him was his brown jacket that covers me. ¡°He left me....¡± I felt my heart drop when I heard those words come out my mouth. Of course, he did. This world is filled with nothing but backstabbers and lying bitches. I learned this a long time ago, and yet here I am letting my guard down around someone again. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to brood.¡± I shake head to free myself from the depressing thoughts. The sun isn¡¯t out yet, but the sky is starting to get brighter. Which means I was out for a couple of hours at least, if the goblins are still chasing me they should be close. I stood up and threw the boy¡¯s jacket on. Because of my now small figure, the jacket looked more like a dress than anything else. A short dress that barely went to my thighs. Oh well, at least it¡¯s better than running around in that little gown that looked like it would slip off any minute. Plus, it¡¯s really warm. I can still feel his body heat¡­. I tightly gritted my teeth as anger begin to boil inside me. He¡¯s a sweet talker I¡¯ll give him that. I bet he¡¯ll be good friends with Athena since they¡¯re both good at deceiving people. I swear the next time I see him I¡¯ll¡­ ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡± The kid makes his way out of a thicket while eating an apple. The anger instantly vanishes, and I was simply left confused by his sudden appearance. ¡°Where did you go?¡± ¡°I went back to erase some of our footsteps. I didn¡¯t want to lead the goblins to my home.¡± ¡°Ah, I guess that makes sense¡­.¡± I awkwardly fiddle with a strand of my hair, trying to figure out what I should do next. Just a moment ago I planned on killing him the worst way imaginable yet seeing him come back to me with an unbroken innocent smile froze me in place. ¡°Oh, I brought you an apple.¡± The boy tosses an apple at me which I easily caught. ¡°My name¡¯s Aaron, by the way.¡± He said as he took another bite out of his apple. Caught off guard by his introduction all I could do was stare at him stupidly. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Anna.¡± My mouth moved on its own. I quickly cover it up to stop it from saying anything else. Too late to change my name now. Oh well, it¡¯s better than going around calling myself the Demon King. ¡°Well Anna, I know it¡¯s kind of late for an introduction, but I¡¯m happy to meet you.¡± ¡°Ditto.¡± I take a bite out of my apple while trying to avoid looking at the innocent aura that was brightly radiating from him. He has to be putting on an act, there¡¯s no way someone can be this kind, right? ¡°My hometown is a just a few minutes away from here, you can walk the rest of the way, right?¡± ¡°Of course I can! I¡¯m not that pathetic!¡± I said that but a goblin easily overpowered me and on that same night, I fell asleep in a man¡¯s arms. I feel if I stay in this forest any longer I¡¯ll lose what little pride I have left. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be prideful if you need help¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± A trace of irritation leak from my voice. Aaron shrugs his shoulders and walks ahead of me. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to act tough, I really do feel a lot better than yesterday. This body feel a lot lighter, and I can move easier now. It took a few days and a whole lot of me falling on my face while trying to walk, but it looks like the illness that rob Anna of her strength and life is finally starting to fade. I tightly clench my right hand like I was trying to flex. Rather than a muscle forming, a white aura covered my entire arm. When I woke up in this body, I could barely muster the strength create an aura around my fist. It looks like I did cure you, Anna. Although I doubt you''re happy since I''m currently in control of your body. ¡°Can you see it?¡± Aaron points to an opening in the trees. In the distance beyond the trees was a town resting down a hill. ¡°That''s my hometown! We made it!" Aaron happily shouted as he ran towards the edge of the forest. I never thought I be so happy to see a human settlement. My heart started beating faster the closer I got to the exit. I guess Anna must be excited since she¡¯s been locked in the castle for her whole life. Now that I think about it, it was pretty easy to escape from them¡­. Far too easy. An uneasy feeling creeps on me. The twisted and cocky smiles that hobgoblin gave me flash in my head. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right.¡± I know its stupid of me to be wary at this point. But my instinct is screaming at me telling me this is far from over. My eyes darted back and forth looking for anything that seems off. Eventually, it fell upon a single leaf that gently fell from a tree. For some reason, my heart stop. What exactly made that leaf fall from the tree? I slowly look up to get my answer and saw something I never wanted to see again. Its green skin allowed it to blend in perfectly in the tree. If I didn¡¯t look at the leaves falling from the branch, it stood on. I would have never noticed it. Realizing I was staring right at it, the goblin slowly places a finger on its lip and slightly said ¡°Shh.¡± ¡°Aaron, run!!!¡± I shouted as I ran for the opening in the forest. The moment I warn him a giant creature jumped out from a bush and swung a club at him. Aaron stares dumbly at the creature unable to process what''s happening. ¡°Duck, you idiot!¡± I scream at him, but it was too late. The creature slams his club against the boy body sending him flying to the nearest tree. Aaron opens his mouth wide like he wanted to scream in pain, but no sound came out. Staring blankly at nothing, he fell to the ground like a puppet that had its string cut. ¡°Weakling, can¡¯t even take a single hit.¡± With a look of disgust on his face, the giant green blob of a man spits on the ground. A group of goblins came out from the bushes and trees and created a giant circle around me. Shit, so this was a trap, but how did they know where we were going?! ¡°So, you¡¯re the girl that injured my brother? I heard you were you strong.¡± With a wide grin, the giant blob raises his club over his shoulder and beckons me with his hand. ¡°Fight me!¡± Chapter 10: Abel Chapter 10 Abel Damn, they must¡¯ve known about the town. That explains why they didn¡¯t chase me in the forest. Instead of wasting their energy looking for me, they waited around a place I might show up, and like an idiot, I walk right into it. I guess there¡¯s no use complaining about it now. I got myself in this situation the only thing I can do is get myself out of it. I took a deep breath and walked towards the fat goblin that stood in my way. ¡°Ooh, you want to fight me?¡± A wide grin spread on his face. ¡°Good, if you got on your knees and surrender I would¡¯ve fed you to the little ones. Salvia drip from the goblin¡¯s mouth and their body twitch uncontrollably like starve beasts excited to pounce on their prey. Yet despite their overflowing excitement, they obediently held the circle around me. ¡°If you want to get out of this alive you have no choice but to fight me!¡± ¡°Fine, if you want a fight so bad, then I¡¯ll give you one.¡± I tried to sound confident, but my heart was beating so fast I couldn¡¯t but wonder if they knew I was bluffing. I personally have no confidence in my current strength. I feel a lot better than yesterday, but that still doesn¡¯t change the fact that this body that I¡¯m currently in is a princess who most likely never been in a fight before. ¡°Let¡¯s get started then!¡± the hobgoblin threw his massive body at me. My body froze from the murderous glare he gave me. He¡¯s going kill me! Of course, I wasn''t surprised by this, but for some reason, my mind currently couldn¡¯t understand the overwhelming hostility emanating from him. ¡°Defend yourself!¡± He roared as he raised his giant club over my head ¡°Wait, wait times out I¡¯m not ready!¡± ¡°Ignoring my plead, he swung his club down at me. Fuck, I¡¯m dead! I close my eyes and prepare myself for the end. Which strangely didn¡¯t come. I heard something heavy slam into the ground near me. I open my eyes to see the hobgoblin hunch over staring at the cracks his club created in the ground. Did he miss? No, when I closed my eyes he was in front of me, now I¡¯m on his left side. Did someone move me, or did I move myself? ¡°Aghhhh!¡± he lets out a roar as his club flew towards me. My mind once again went blank. All I could do was stare at the large object coming at me at fast speed. Just as I was about to get crush my legs kick me out the way. ¡°Not bad, avoiding my attacks.¡± I dodge those attacks myself? I guess that should¡¯ve been obvious to me, there¡¯s no one else around that¡¯ll come to my aid. But still, I can¡¯t imagine myself avoiding anything since each time he attacks, my body was paralyzed with fear. ¡°Let¡¯s see how many of my attacks you can avoid!!¡± He swung his massive club at me vertically. ¡°Wait, give me some time to think!¡± Seeing such a huge weapon coming towards me at a deadly speed I felt all my thoughts vanish, but at the same time, something inside me click. I threw myself backward out of the way of his attack. Clenching his teeth, he charges at me like a bull. Each step he took to cause the ground to shake. The moment my feet touch the ground I sidestep out of his path. The goblin¡¯s near him quickly jump out of his way before they got crush. What the hell going on? My body is moving on its own. But at the same time, it feels like I¡¯m in complete control. What a strange feeling. ¡°Aahh!¡± The hobgoblin roar breaks me from my trance, I look up to see the green giant looming over me already in midst of a swing. Again, my body tenses up at the danger coming at me, but before it could hit me I instinctively duck. Instinct? I see. Anna may not have gained my strength, but from the way I¡¯m moving, it seems all my experience were engraved into this body. It likes I¡¯ve been fighting in this body my whole life. ¡°Stop moving!!¡± irritated, the hobgoblin raised his club over his head and swung it down at me. I calmly step out of the way. The ground cracks from his overwhelming strength, although he wasn¡¯t satisfied at all, vein pops from on his head as he stares at my uninjured body. I unconsciously threw a punch at his unguarded face. ¡°Eh?¡± He stares dumbly at me, unfazed by my weak punch. ¡°What the hell is with that weak attack? Are you making fun of me?!!¡± Enrage, he wildly swung his weapon around. I calmly back away from him while swaying my body left and right to avoid his wild attacks. Every time his weapon flew past me, it was accompanied by a massive gust of wind. I knew he was strong after seeing the kid get hit, but now that he¡¯s directing those powerful strikes at me, I can¡¯t help but shudder at the thought of what would happen if this frail body gets hit once. Of course, that¡¯s never going to happen. Ignoring the oversize stick the goblin was swinging at me, I focus solely on his massive green arms. Every time his muscles twitch this body reacts instantly like it done this a million times before. ¡°Stop running! And fight me already!!¡± ¡°Very well.¡± I plant my feet on the ground and raise my hand towards the giant stick approaching me. The hobgoblin¡¯s eyes widen in surprise as I casually push his heavy weapon away from me with my bare hand. After parrying his attack, I take a step towards him and tightly balled my hand into a fist. A transparent energy wraps itself around my fist as I sent it flying the towards the goblin. ¡°Gaahh!¡± The green giant hunched forward as my fist digs into his round belly. That one had to hurt. Satisfied with the painful scream he utters, I looked up to study his face, only to see his huge fist crashing down at me. I quickly jump back before it could crush me. It looks like my punch was too weak to take him down. But he¡¯s definitely hurting though. Confidence well up inside me as I stare at the hunch over beast violently coughing. The weapon he proudly wielded lay on the ground cover in vomit I force out of him.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You¡¯re really strong, just like my brother said.¡± The hobgoblin forces a smile on his disgusting face. ¡°And you¡¯re surprisingly weak.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The smile on his face quickly vanishes. Veins pop out of his forehead as he tightly gritted his teeth. Looks like I hit a sore spot, good. ¡°I¡¯m just saying for someone who¡¯s calling everyone else a weakling you¡¯re quite weak yourself.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± He lunges at me with his bare hands. The goblin roar as he threw his fist at me. I simply tilt my head out of the way. ¡°Oh my, did I say something to offend you?¡± ¡°I said shut it!¡± he stomps the ground and throws his right fist forward. The momentum causes his body to accompany his fist. I jump back to avoid being crush by his weight. His long arm continues to propel forward, its only goal to rip me apart. I lift my hand up and gently tap the underside of his arm, pushing it upward away from me. For a brief second, shock flashed through his eyes but was quickly replaced with rage. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± He shouted as he threw a flurry of punches. I continue to calmly back away from his charge while redirecting all of his punches away from me. Each attack that miss seems only to anger him more. ¡°So much rage¡­Tell me, what pisses you off more? The fact that you can¡¯t hit me? Or the fact that you¡¯re not as strong as you thought?¡± ¡°Shut up!!¡± He cups both of his hands together and raises them in the air like a hammer. I thrust my elbow into his stomach before he could attack. He stumbles backward while gritting his teeth. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s tough or my attacks are just weak. Either way, I can¡¯t keep this up much longer. The aura around my body is getting thinner. And my heart beating so fast it feels like it¡¯ll burst out my chest any second. ¡°Haa, haa.¡± While holding his stomach, the goblin pants heavily as he slowly approaches me. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re doing so well. Why don¡¯t you call it quits? You should know by now you can¡¯t beat me.¡± ¡°Never.¡± He said lowly still gasping for air. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, you are stronger than me, but that¡¯ll just make beating you all the more satisfying.¡± ¡°Interesting, you¡¯re aware that I¡¯m stronger than you, yet you still want to fight me. Is this the so-called ¡®warrior spirit,¡¯ or are you just an idiot? ¡°Neither.¡± A disgusting and twisted smile spread on his face. ¡°It just excites me thinking how I can turn someone as strong as you into my slave. ¡°¡­.¡± My involuntary body shudder. For some reason even though I have him on his knees, he still feels like a threat to me. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting little fantasy you have. Although you¡¯re far too weak to make it a reality.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Something slams into my back nearly knocking me off my feet. A pair of green arms wraps itself around my waist. ¡°Get off me!¡± I squirm my body around trying to break free. More arms grab my limbs holding me in place. ¡°Oh my, it seems the little ones gotten bored watching us play and decided and joy in on the fun. Sorry about that they can be hard to control. Although I¡¯m sure someone as strong as you don¡¯t mind the handicap, right?¡± ¡°Really?¡± I close my mouth to stop myself from laughing. But it was too funny seeing him trying to pretend he didn¡¯t order his men to attack me. ¡°Is this really the best plan you could come up with to defeat me?! Fine, since you actually use your brain, I¡¯ll play along.¡± I¡¯m too exhausted to break out of this hold anyway. Of course, I won¡¯t tell him that. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s settle our fight just like this!¡± ¡°You, cocky bitch.¡± The hobgoblin¡¯s body trembles with anger. ¡°You really think you can beat me like that!¡± he roars as he charges at me. ¡°Of course, I can.¡± After all, you already destroy your plan.¡± The goblins holding onto me jumps out of the way the rampaging bull''s path. ¡°You cowards, get back here!¡± ¡°Relax, as I said, I¡¯ll go along with your plan, so don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t move from this spot.¡± The hobgoblin abruptly stops his charge and pulled back his arm for one final punch. ¡°You¡¯re wide open.¡± I kick him directly in the crotch. Before he could land his attack. ¡°!¡± I involuntary wince like I was the one that got hit. I guess this is what you call phantom pain. ¡°You¡­¡± My fist slams into his face before he could finish speaking. The force of the blow sent his body flying a short distance from me. ¡°Did that do it?¡± I nervously watch him, waiting for him to spring back to his feet. After a minute of silence, I let out a sigh of relief. That took way too much effort, but at least I know where my current strength is at. Now, I just need to get pass these goblins. The circles the goblins form around me remain unbroken. They stare blankly at their defeated champion unaware of the boy wobble towards the circle. Of course, he wakes up after the fight is over. But I guess it¡¯s a good thing he didn¡¯t get involved. Seeing that he can barely walk straight he would¡¯ve just got in my way if he jumped in. ¡°You¡¯re finally up.¡± ¡°I was asleep?!¡± Looks like he got hit in the head pretty hard if he doesn¡¯t remember anything that happens. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later.¡± I grab him by his collar and pull him towards an opening in the circle. ¡°Right now, let¡¯s focus on escaping.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± My body froze in place. I slowly turn around to see the hobgoblin getting on his feet. Are you serious that wasn¡¯t enough to beat him?!¡± ¡°You seriously think I let you go after you humiliated me?!¡± The hobgoblin stomp towards me seething with rage. The kid steps in front of me blocking his path. ¡°Anna, I¡¯m going to create an opening, use that chance to escape. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡± The kid tries to give me a reassuring smile but I easily saw right through. He plans on sacrificing himself for me. ¡°I have a better plan¡± I push the kid out of the way and walk towards the enraged beast. ¡°If, you guys are discussing who to sacrifice, don¡¯t bother, both of you are going to die.¡± ¡°Please at least let him live, I¡¯ll do anything you want.¡± I drop to my knees and place both my hands on the ground. The thin aura surrounding my body gathers into the palms of my hands and seep into the dirt. ¡°Anna!¡± I shoot a glare at the kid freezing him in place. ¡°So, you finally learn your place?¡± I kept my head low to the ground to hide my smile. Just like I thought he¡¯s an egotistical idiot. ¡°I have no use for the boy. But I¡¯ll keep you alive if you become my personal and pet admit I¡¯m strongest. ¡°Fine.¡± I take a deep breath and look him dead in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a dumbass.¡± Roots burst from the ground and wrap themselves around the hobgoblin and lift him and the others surrounding me. ¡°Now Aaron!¡± in the next moment I was snatched off the ground. The kid ran towards the forest exit while holding me underneath his arm like I was a ball. ¡°Kill them!!¡± The hobgoblin roar as he tries to break free. Goblins jump out the from their hiding place block our exit. The trees surrounding us sprang to life and grabs every goblin that stood in our path. ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just keep running!¡± The kid clenches his teeth and dives past the ensnare goblins and out of the forest. ¡°Woah.¡± I was completely mesmerized by the view. The morning sun slowly rose over the ocean casting an orange glow on the sleeping town, and the fields beneath us. It kind of feel like we¡¯re flying seeing the world below me and feeling the blow on my skin. Now that I think about it I wonder why we haven¡¯t landed yet. ¡°!¡± My heart stops the moment I looked directly down. The ground which I thought was directly below me was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Aaron, where¡¯s the ground?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s fifty feet below us.¡± He said matter of factly, like it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°What the hell you mean fifty feet?! What did you do?!¡± ¡°I ran like you told me to!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want you run off a fucking cliff you idiot!!¡± ¡°Wait, this isn¡¯t part of your plan?!¡± His eyes widen in surprise. ¡°Of course not! What did you expect me to do in midair!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know since you can control plants I thought you could fly too! ¡°No I can¡¯t, wait, plants?¡± I look back at the cliff. On top of it is a lush forest, which means the roots should be embedded in the rocks, hopefully. ¡°I swear kid, you better survive this, so I can kill you later!¡± Fatigue swept through my body as I focus the last bit of my strength on the cliff. A large crack appears on the cliffside and quickly travels downwards as if it was chasing us. A giant hand made of vines burst from out the cliff. That should be enough to save us, although it still probably going to hurt when we land. Exhausted, I close my eyes and prepare myself for impact. My conscious begin to fade away. . . . ¡°You just can¡¯t stay out of trouble, can you?¡± A stack of papers falls out of my hand and scatters on the desk. I stare at the papers trying to find the energy to read them. Eventually, my eyes fell on the report that rob me of my strength. On top of the paper and bold letters it simply read, ¡°Demon King is dead, and a human declares war on the Entities.¡± When I said don¡¯t kill them, I didn¡¯t mean let them kill you. Now that your dead, mortals are going to think they can kill us. ¡°Athuna!¡± The door to my office burst open. A little girl with messy red hair stands in the doorway breathing heavily with a burnt bread in her mouth. ¡°The Deman kang is dew! And a humaw¡­.¡± ¡°Claire, why don¡¯t you finish eating before you talk?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Claire looks down in surprise, somehow forgetting about the bread in her mouth. She must¡¯ve stayed up all night playing games again. Quickly swallowing the last piece of her breakfast, Claire takes a deep breath. ¡°Your brother is dead! And¡­.¡± ¡°I know, I just read the report.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°First thing we should do is tell the others.¡± Claire tilts her head confused. ¡°By others you mean¡­ ¡°Yes, my siblings. It¡¯s about time for a family gathering.¡± A little update I thought I write this to let you guys know that I haven''t dropped the story, in fact, I''ve been working on the latest chapters. It just I have been real disappointed in my work, so I''m constantly rewriting it trying to make it better, but that just never happen. Rather than getting better it feels like I''ve been getting worst, which really infuriated me. So I decided to take a break, and well here am I. I should probably stop trying to overthink what I write. Before I go, and since I don''t have enough words to post this. I''ll use this opportunity, to explain my story a little better, so you guys know what you''re getting in the next arc, there may be slight spoilers. First thing first, I assure you Anna, is most definitely strong. I might even say a bit overpower, as she those posses all of the Demon King''s power, except immortality. So, she''s kinda a demigod.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I know that hard to imagine since, the first few chapters depict her as weak, but I was trying to be a bit realistic, Anna isn''t used to moving in that body, also she''s been dead for a thousand of years and the Demon King been dead for like two days, so naturally, they''re not going to be at their best when they wake up. Seeing that I have to explain this here, shows that I''m terrible at explaining things in the story, I''ll make sure to improve on that. ALSO, Anna sexuality I feel like I should explain since I''ve been getting ask this, but I avoid the question or talk my way around it. Anna, or should say the Demon King still like girls so yes, there will be yuri eventually. (knowing me eventually means 5 years later). But Anna herself the princess Anna is still looking for a romantic prince so that kinda complicated things. Long story short current Anna is bisexual. And I thinks that''s about, imma see if I can have next chapter up by next and hopefully, I can stop overthinking things write chapters on a regular schedule. I apologize for the absent and also thanks for reading. Chapter 11: Family Gathering Chapter 11 Family Gathering ¡°Good morning Athens!!!!!¡± An annoying voice echo through the sleepy city. Everyone that was for some reason awake during this unholy hour looks up at the blimp that hovers over the urban jungle. ¡°Today it¡¯s going to be another beautiful day! So, rise and shine my little elflings, and remember, our goddess Athena is watching over us. Now, for the other news.¡± ¡°How can anyone be this hyper this earlier in the morning?¡± I became even more exhausted watching people happily leave their homes ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be so tired if you went to bed earlier.¡± ¡°But the game was so good, I couldn¡¯t stop playing," Athena let¡¯s out a sigh and knelt next to me. She brushes her soft hand through my bed hair. ¡°You really need to take better care of yourself, Claire.¡± I cast my gaze downwards to avoid looking at Athena and the curious onlookers that pass by us. I¡¯m supposed to be Athena¡¯s bodyguard, yet she treats me more like her child. Normally I would tell her to stop embarrassing me in public, but today, I simply couldn¡¯t. Athena¡¯s trying her best to hide it, but I can tell under her happy and caring fa?ade she¡¯s was in a lot of pain. I''m guessing the Demon King meant a lot to her. She¡¯s been depressed ever since she found out he was dead. I still don¡¯t fully understand why she¡¯s upset over his death. The Demon King should be immortal just like Athena. I guess to the immortals hearing one of their own dies, is equivalent to us mortals finding out someone we care for was injured. Yea, they¡¯ll eventually recover, but you still can¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Athena?¡± My ears twitch from hearing her Athena¡¯s name. Even though I was looking at the concrete, I could feel people gazing at us. Just like I thought, the stupid sunhat wasn¡¯t enough to hide her. Even if the hat hides her face, her golden blonde hair and flawless beauty is still easily noticeable. With the Demon King dead, multiple countries are going to be sending assassins after Athena, thinking that she can be killed. ¡°Um, Lady Athena, isn¡¯t about time for the meeting to start?¡± Athena flinches slightly. ¡°Is it that late already? I was hoping we could walk a little more.¡± Athena forces a smile on her face. Realizing I wasn¡¯t falling for it, she tilts her hat and looks away from me. ¡°Doesn¡¯t today seem even more peaceful than usual?¡± I follow Athena¡¯s gaze and look at the city that was slowly waking up. Indeed, just as Athena said everyone seems livelier today. But that¡¯s to be expected. The man who can easily throw the world into disorder is dead. I''m honestly surprised no one has thrown a party yet; I guess because everyone knows he¡¯s immortal. ¡°It bothers me,¡± Athena whispers to herself. ¡°He hasn¡¯t done nothing for a thousand years yet, people still fear him. I¡¯m sure once I tell the others he died, they¡¯ll just shrug it off. It looks like he was right, he¡¯ll never be able to fit in anywhere ¡°Athena¡­¡± I reach my hand to touch her, but she seemed so far away. I had no idea what to say to her. All I could do was stare at her lonely back. ¡°Claire, it¡¯s time to go.¡± Athena took off her hat and tossed it into the air. ¡°It is Athena!¡± The crowd lets out a roar of excitement and rushes towards Athena I quickly jump in front of Athena to block them. ¡°Lady Athena, where¡¯s is the meeting going to be held at?! ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± ¡°What?¡± I turn around to see Athena, no both of us was standing in a flower field. The loud crowd, the tall buildings, and even the sun was gone. ¡°Where are we? I stare in disbelief at the bright blue world that was hanging in the purple color sky. I always knew Athena was a summoner, but I didn¡¯t think she could move us without me noticing. And to a different world no less. ¡°I call this place ''Sanctuary''; it¡¯s a gateway that allows me to travel to different parts of the world.¡± ¡°Amazing. I heard summoner had access to a pocket dimension which allows to them store or moves things, but I didn¡¯t think it was possible to transform it into a world. ¡°You plan on having the meeting, here aren¡¯t you?¡± Since this is a pocket dimension, it¡¯s impossible for anyone to sneak in here or spy on us. The only way someone can enter this space is if Athena herself brings them here. A sanctuary indeed.¡± ¡°Yes, I plan on holding the meeting but here, but bringing my family here isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡± Indeed. It requires a massive amount of energy to summon powerful beings and creature, not to mention each Entity live on a different side of the world ¡°Hey, do you think you can help me?¡± Athena knelt next to a beautiful white flower. ¡°I know you¡¯re there, you can come out hiding now.¡± She said gently like a mother would to a child. Curious, I look over her shoulder to see a glowing little creature hiding inside the flower.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°What is that?¡± The creature quickly hid inside the flower the moment I spoke. ¡°I call it a fairy. They¡¯re the sole inhabitants of this world, although I have no idea where they came from or how they got here.¡± ¡°Wait, they?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Athena! Athena is here!¡± One by one, the fairies jump out from their hiding spot pop. ¡°Greetings everyone does you think you can help me with my summoning?¡± ¡°Summoning?¡± The fairies¡¯ eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°Yes, I plan on inviting my family over. So, I was hoping you guys would help me.¡± ¡°Family? Athena family is coming? They¡¯re coming here?¡± The fairy-like creatures happily chanted as they dance in the air. Gold dust fell from wings and gently fell to the ground. Athena slowly raises her hands towards the sky. Her body begins to glow as the gold dust gather around her. ¡°Come, children of Gaia, let us gather once more.¡± The warm energy gathered around Athena disperse into the ground causing the entire garden to glow brightly. I stood in the sea of light amaze by how much energy Athena was emitting. I seen her use her ability to summon people before, but not on such a vast scale. With this much energy, not only can see call the gods, but she can probably pull an entire country here. ¡°She really is a goddess,¡± I said to myself in awe. Of course, I always knew this, but since Athena never use her power in front of others, I saw her more as a kind leader, now I can see why other countries are afraid of the Entities. If a pacifist like Athena is this strong, then how strong are the others? I guess I¡¯ll be finding out soon. My heart begins to pound at the thought of meeting the other three Entities. Before I knew it, I was nervously fixing my unkempt appearance. I should¡¯ve gone to bed early. There¡¯s no way I have enough time to fix my bed hair or get rid of these dark rings under my eyes. ¡°She¡¯s here; She¡¯s here!¡± I jump slightly at the announcement. The fairies gather around a body envelop light rise from the golden sea. Athena grabs the person''s hand and helps them to their feet. The light fades away revealing a beautiful woman with purple skin and long white hair. Her long devil-like tail wraps itself around her waist holding her towel in place. ¡°You pick a bad time to call me Athena, or perhaps you knew I was taking a bath and wanted to join me. With a mischievous grin, she wraps her arms Athena and pulls her in pucker her lips. Ahh, are they going to kiss?! But they¡¯re both girls and sisters too?! I felt my face become flush thinking about the perverted act. Embarrass, I cover my face. ¡°Venus¡­¡± Athena gently pushes her away¡± Your scar it still hasn¡¯t healed.¡± Athena traces her finger down the large scar that stretches downward on Venus¡¯ chest. Why isn¡¯t her body healing? Entities possess powerful bodies that can recover from any wound; even death can¡¯t stop them. So, what¡¯s preventing her from healing? ¡°Who cares!¡± Venus grabs Athena¡¯s hand place it on her breast. ¡°It¡¯s been such a long time since we¡¯ve been together, so let¡¯s enjoy ourselves a little.¡± Venus¡¯ tail unravels around her waist and coils around Athena body. ¡°Venus, I didn¡¯t call you here for this.¡± Clearly uncomfortable, Athena tries to push Venus away, but she presses herself against Athena more. I wanted to jump in and free Athena from the woman¡¯s clutches, but for some reason, my body wouldn¡¯t move. All I could do was helplessly watch as Venus toyed with Athena. ¡°C¡¯mon, you seriously don¡¯t expect me to believe, that right? Why else would you bring me here?¡± ¡°Obviously to discuss something important.¡± Venus was suddenly lift off the ground, by a towering dark skin man. His head was shaved completely, and various tribal markings were etched into his bare chest. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± For a brief moment, Venus was shocked by the man¡¯ appearance, but she quickly recovers. ¡°Why do you care? Can it be your jealous, Atlas? If you want I could¡­¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± The man flings Venus high enough in the air that it looks like she became one with the stars. So, this is Atlas. His intense presence makes him feel like a giant, but he¡¯s surprisingly lean, and he¡¯s about the same size as a human adult. I guess the tales of him be strong enough to lift worlds was a lie, then again, he did throw the "goddess of love" into space. ¡°Your still as soft as ever. Why didn¡¯t you push her away?¡± Atlas took a step towards Athena, the intense pressure he gave, cause me to involuntary back away from him. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt her,¡± Athena said softly. ¡°She¡¯s immortal Athena; you can¡¯t hurt her even if you wanted to.¡± ¡°I know, but those scars on her body worries me.¡± ¡°She still has those scars huh?¡± Atlas looked up at the sky. After a moment of silence, he shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Oh well, she¡¯ll be fine, she does have wings after all.¡± ¡°Atlas!!¡± Venus screams at the top of her lungs. Wings sprout grew from her back as she dove towards us at high speed. ¡°See, told you she was fine,¡± Atlas spoke calmly as if he wasn¡¯t the target for Venus¡¯ rage, or simply didn¡¯t care. Venus slams into Atlas¡¯ back despite dropping from the sky and putting all her strength into the attack; Atlas didn¡¯t budge at all. Venus fell to the ground like she slammed into a wall. She clenches her teeth in frustration as she rubs a bruise on her arm that vanishes as fast as it appeared. ¡°Venus, you should know by now attacks like that don¡¯t work on me.¡± ¡°Right, how could I forget you¡¯re Invincible¡¯¡± A mischievous smile forms on Venus¡¯ face. ¡°At least you were once until our little brother beat you.¡± ¡°Are you picking a fight with me, Venus?¡± Irritation seeps into Atlas¡¯ voice. ¡°I¡¯m not a huge fan of fighting, but if the reward is taking your pride down a few notches, then I¡¯ll gladly enter the ring.¡± ¡°Then enter.¡± Venus steps into Atlas personal space, because of the height difference, Venus had to look up to look into Atlas¡¯ eyes. The fairies fled to their flowers afraid they might get caught in the fight. I doubt that will be enough to protect them. The determined look in their eyes tell me they¡¯ll do whatever it takes to beat the other regardless of the collateral damage. ¡°Atlas, Venus that¡¯s enough!¡± I was both surprise and scare when I heard Athena snap. This is the first time I saw her angry. And it seems the two gods wasn¡¯t used to it either. They both flinched when they heard her. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring you two here so that you can fight. Now hurry up and makeup.¡± The bloodlust in their eyes soften. They awkwardly looked away from each other, like kids that didn¡¯t want to admit they were wrong. I guess Athena is the mother of this weird family. ¡°It looks like some things never change.¡± A young yet confident voice broke the awkward silence. I quickly turn around to see a young pale skin boy with dark green hair and emerald eyes walking towards us. The kid wore suspenders over his white dress shirt and a clown mask dangle off his black trouser. ¡°Whoa, everyone is here, something big must be going down.¡± The kid walks towards the Entities and stands confidently in the middle of the gods. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Umm, why is there a kid here?¡± Venus and Atlas both cover their mouth to try to hide their laughter. ¡°It¡¯s fine; she doesn¡¯t know any better.¡± The kid quietly mumbles to himself clearly annoyed by something. ¡°Umm am I missing something?¡± Athena kneels next to me. ¡°That kid is Loki.¡± She whispers to me. ¡°Eh?! You¡¯re telling me this little kid is a god?¡± Veins budge from the kid¡¯s forehead. ¡°Little girl, I¡¯ll have you know I have lived thousands of your lifetimes.¡± ¡°Little?¡± I grind my teeth in anger. ¡°I¡¯m not little I¡¯m over a hundred years old!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m still thousands of years older than you!!¡± The kid snaps back at me. Venus begins to laugh hysterically at us. ¡°Just what you expect from kids, using their age as an argument.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Both the boy and I snap at Venus at the same time. I quickly cover my mouth after I realize I was shouting at a goddess. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lady Venus.¡± I bow my head in shame. ¡°Quite the rude little elf we got here. Who is she by the way?¡± I could feel all the gods¡¯ staring at me ¡°Her name is Claire. And she¡¯s the captain of my royal guards, so please show her the respect she deserves.¡± Athena pet my head which made feel even more embarrassed. This is the one time where I wish I were small to the point I was unnoticeable. ¡°Now, that everyone has been introduced, let¡¯s begin the meeting.¡± Chapter 12: Slight Complications Chapter 12 Slight Complication ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here let¡¯s begin the meeting.¡± I slowly lift my head to see Athena was guiding her siblings towards a large wooden round table in the middle of the garden. Two fairies grab my hand and guide me to a seat next to Athena. I awkwardly stood near my chair and watched the other gods sit down. A group of immortal beings is meeting around a fancy table in a different world. No matter how you look at it, I don¡¯t belong here. The more I think about the situation I¡¯m in, the faster my heart beats ¡°Claire.¡± Athena gently call my name snapping me back into reality. Everyone eyes were now on me. Even the kid is looking at me weirdly like this entire situation is just another day for him. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Athena looks at me with concern. ¡°This seems like an important meeting, so I was wondering if I should leave.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I brought you here. If something happens to me, I want you to take over and help my siblings in any way you can.¡± What exactly can happen to her? Not only is she incredibly strong, but she¡¯s also immortal. Yet despite her overwhelming power, she still brought me as a bodyguard. I guess that caution side of hers is the reason the Entities remain the uncontested rulers of the world. I nervously sat down next to Athena. She pats my head probably hoping it¡¯ll calm me down, but it only embarrasses me more. I was about to lift my hand to stop her, but before I could, a stern voice jumps into the mix. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to interrupt you two, but are you going to tell us why you call us here?¡± Athena lets go of my head and frown at Atlas who remains expressionless. I remember her telling me that she hasn¡¯t seen her family for hundreds of years. I¡¯m sure she wanted to know what they¡¯ve been up to before getting into the main discussion. ¡°Right.¡± Athena takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh. ¡°Our brother, the Demon King, is dead.¡± ¡°Again Athena?¡± Venus lets out an annoyed sigh. ¡°Why is it every time we get together you always bring him up?¡± ¡°Seriously, do we need to know everything he does?¡± Loki added. ¡°Honestly, if I was him I¡¯ll probably kill myself too. Being trapped in that castle for thousands year can¡¯t be good for anyone¡¯s sanity. Wow, how cold. I know he¡¯s the Demon King and all, but still, I thought they would care about him at least a little since their siblings. I guess Athena is the odd one in the family. ¡°He didn¡¯t kill himself he was murdered.¡± Anger leak into Athena¡¯s voice. ¡°What? Who killed him?¡± Atlas asked, nearly jumping out his seat. ¡°Everything you need to know is right in front of you.¡± Athena lightly taps the table. A stack of paper suddenly materializes in front of everyone. In the center of the piles of paper was a picture of a handsome man with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. This is all the research I painstakingly gathered. Thank goodness Athena is a summoner since I completely forgot about them. Although to be fair, she didn¡¯t warn me the meeting would be held in a different world. ¡°Ahem.¡± Athena loudly clears her throat. I look over at her to see she was gesturing me to stand up. She wants me to present? No way I can do that, but Athena doesn¡¯t seem to be in any shape to do it either. Her body is still shaking with anger. Perhaps this is the real reason why she brought me. She knew she couldn¡¯t stop herself from getting angry at her siblings. If that¡¯s the case, then I have to live up to her expectation and take her place. I cleared my throat and stood up in front of everyone ¡°The man on the front of your document name is Alexander, and he¡¯s the one that killed the Demon King. We don''t know much about this man except for his name and motivation.¡± ¡°Let me guess; he wants to kill us all right?¡± Venus said with a look of uninterested in her eyes. ¡°Um, correct. To him, you guys are dictators that need to be eliminated for humanity to flourish.¡± ¡°Dictators huh. How, ignorant.¡± Venus flicks her document away clearly annoyed, but understandably so. The Entities spent their entire lives protecting this world, yet there are still people that believe they are oppressing them. I guess that¡¯s the curse of possessing great power. No matter what you do, someone will always see you as a threat. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you call all of us out here, Athena.¡± Atlas dropped his document on the table and stared intensely at Athena. ¡°I¡­¡± Athena opens her mouth to speak, but I quickly cut her off before she could say anything. ¡°Um, if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, then please, ask me.¡± Atlas¡¯ gaze fell on me. His amber eyes seemed to burn with anger. I unflinchingly stare back into his eyes. Realizing I wasn¡¯t going to back down, he leans back in his chair. ¡°I understand what¡¯s going on, but still find this meeting unnecessary.¡± ¡°But he killed your brother, a god.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of that. And I do find it strange a human managed to kill one of us, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that the target is a human. If you want this problem dealt with, then all you needed to do was call me, Athena.¡± With a cocky grin, Atlas proudly points at himself. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s stubborn or stupid either way it doesn¡¯t seem he fully understands the situation. Regardless if he wins or lose, the fact that Atlas, a god went after a mortal will only cause people to lose their faith in the Entities. ¡°Claire,¡± Athena gently places her hand on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll take over from here.¡± She said with a bright smile. Her smile wasn¡¯t enough to convince me she was okay, but talking to Atlas drain my will to argue. I sat back down in my chair exhausted. A former shut-in like me just isn¡¯t cut out for conferences. ¡°Atlas, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple.¡± ¡°It can be simple if we let it. All you have to do is find where he¡¯s hiding, teleport me there and I¡¯ll kill him, plain and simple.¡± ¡°Atlas, I knew you were slow, but this is just¡­¡± Loki shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Tell me Atlas, why do you think Alexander went for the Demon King first?¡± ¡°Probably because he isn¡¯t allied with us, which makes him an easier target.¡± ¡°That and he¡¯s trying to get the people on his side. People see him as a hero now. If we kill him¡­¡± ¡°¡­. He¡¯ll become a martyr.¡± Atlas gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°If he dies then the humans we so desperately protected might turn against us, believing we¡¯re evil.¡± ¡°Exactly, see I knew you could do it.¡± Loki sarcastically claps his hands, which seemed to only anger Atlas more. ¡°But there¡¯s just one thing I don¡¯t understand. How did he kill the Demon King?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Everyone fell silent. The answer to Atlas¡¯ question was simple. The only way a mortal can go toe to toe with an Entity is if they manage to ascend, but thanks to Athena, the knowledge of ascension and how to reach it has been erased from history. At least, it should¡¯ve been.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°The only logical answer is that he manages to ascend,¡± Athena spoke up breaking the silence. ¡°While I do find it unsettling that someone outside our countries discovers this power, I''m not surprised. Mortals, especially humans have always been curious creatures. It was only a matter of time before they discover it.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t good enough.¡± Atlas grinded his teeth impatiently. Perhaps unsatisfied with Athena¡¯s answer, he began to flip through the document rapidly. ¡°Um, what isn¡¯t good enough Atlas?¡± Noticing Athena concern stare, Atlas close the document and lets out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to sound cocky, but our little brother and me are built differently then you guys. When it comes to combat, we¡¯re naturally good at it. Indeed, out of all the Entities, the Demon King and Atlas were the ones that participated in most conflict throughout history earning them the titles ¡°Gods of war.¡± ¡°Defeating us isn¡¯t a simple task. Even if someone manages to ascend and gain a power that could conveniently kill us it still wouldn¡¯t be enough. Which means either two things happen. One, the Demon King fake his death, so he could escape the castle, or two he¡¯s working alongside Alexander. I highly doubt number one happen since our little brother has an easily recognizable appearance he would be found instantly if he¡¯s working alone, which only leaves option 2.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± For some reason, everyone stared at Atlas in shock. ¡°Atlas are you okay?¡± Loki suddenly appeared behind Atlas. He placed his hand on Atlas¡¯ head like he was checking his temperature. ¡°What? Of course, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it. This is the first time I ever seen you use your brain. Like this¡± Venus join in and begin rubbing Atlas'' bald head. ¡°Will you guys stop treating me like I¡¯m an idiot.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s hard to do that when you act like one,¡± Venus said coldly. ¡°When have I ever act like an idiot?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Venus and Loki quietly looked at each other. Slowly, a sadistic smile formed on their face. Sensing they were up to no good, Atlas try to scoot away from them, but they quickly grab his chair stopping him from moving. ¡°You remember that time you tried to sink an entire island just to stop a monster infestation?¡± Venus leans closer to Atlas who was beginning to blush. ¡°Or that time you threw a mountain at a volcano thinking it would stop the eruption?¡± Loki follows Venus¡¯ lead and lean closer to him. ¡°Or¡­.¡± Atlas sank in his chair as the duo continue to list all his misadventures. Slowly, his tense expression melted into an embarrass one. Watching the three gods goof off, I could feel the tension in my body fade and a grin forming on my face. ¡°See, they¡¯re not bad, are they?¡± Athena said as she watches the three with a warm smile. ¡°Yea, they almost looked like a family.¡± ¡°We are a family. Even though we¡¯re not related by blood, we have a bond much thicker than it.¡± Bond huh? Now that I think about it, it¡¯s only natural they would have a strong bond, since they¡¯re the only ones of their species. And their large lifespan means they¡¯ll outlive all their friends, lovers, even children. The only people they can rely on is themselves. Now I understand why Athena is so upset that the others don¡¯t care for the Demon King. It must be heartbreaking seeing one of her own ostracized. ¡°Or that time you¡­¡± ¡°Ok, I get it!¡± Atlas sprung out of his seat, easily flinging the two gods away from him. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I hate wasting time creating a strategy when I can easily deal with the problem head-on. But this way of thinking is how I got killed. I won¡¯t make that mistake again.¡± Atlas pound his fists together, the impact causes the ground to shake a little. ¡°I promise, whatever the Demon King is scheming, I will put an end to it.¡± ¡°Ok big guy just make sure you don¡¯t get killed again.¡± Loki slaps Atlas back hard enough to make me flinch, although it doesn¡¯t seem to bother him at all. ¡°Atlas, I¡¯m happy to hear you plan on contributing to the meeting, but what makes you think the Demon King is behind all of this?¡± Athena glare at Atlas who smirk at her. ¡°You really are too kind, Athena. Just look at history. Almost every tragedy this world suffer links back to him. What makes you think he¡¯s isn¡¯t behind this?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s kept his promise. For these past thousands of years, he remained in his prison just like he said he would.¡± ¡°And he should be commended for that!¡± Loki shouted, barging into the conversation. ¡°But Athena, even for us a thousand years is a long time. Perhaps during one of those long lonely years, he started to slip back to his old ways.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then we¡¯re the ones at fault. All we ever done is treat him like he¡¯s a monster, so it¡¯s only natural he¡¯ll act like one!¡± Athena''s voice rose higher as she spoke. Tears begin to well in her eyes as she desperately tried to prove her brother¡¯s innocence. ¡°Athena,¡± Atlas spoke softly hoping to calm her down. ¡°I understand how you feel. He is our little brother, and that will never change, but don¡¯t forget our duty is to protect this world, and he will always be a threat to it.¡± ¡°Atlas- ¡° ¡°Enough!¡± Venus slams her hand on the table, silencing everyone. ¡°To think there¡¯ll be a day, where I would be the voice of reason.¡± Venus let¡¯s out loud sigh. ¡°Anyway, we can argue if the Demon King betrayed us or not all day, but we won¡¯t get anywhere. Right now, we should confirm his death with our own eyes. What do you think, Athena?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea Venus, but-¡° ¡°Really, you think it¡¯s a good idea?!¡± Venus jumps on the table; her wings extend from her back creating a huge gust of wind. ¡°Can I get a reward for coming with up this plan?¡± ¡°A reward?¡± Athena tries to back away from Venus who was crawling towards her. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been so long since I saw you. So, I like to spend some alone time together with you. Or, if you want we can have everyone join in on the fun.¡± Venus turns her gaze towards me. Her violent color eyes glow beautifully, perfectly matching her skin color. My heart begins to beat rapidly as she waves her at me, beckoning me to come closer with a seductive smile. I walk towards the goddess. The only thing going through my head was touching her voluptuous body. ¡°Venus¡­¡± Athena grabs my hand, the fog inside my head vanishes and I find myself standing once again awkwardly standing in front of everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll gladly spend some time with you after the meeting, but only if you don¡¯t use charm on anyone else.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± With a look of dissatisfaction, Venus returns to her seat. So that was a charm? How terrifying. I knew Venus had an ability that could make people fall in love with her, but I thought it only worked on men. I guess only the Entities are immune to her power. ¡°Anyway¡­.¡± Athena let¡¯s out a loud cough. For some reason, her face was flush red. Atlas and Loki who were awkwardly looking away return their attention to the table. Their face was also red. Hey, don¡¯t tell me everyone was affected by Venus¡¯ charm. ¡°¡­. I agree with Venus. We can¡¯t do anything until we confirm if the Demon King is dead or not. The problem is the country where the Demon king lies, wants nothing to do with us Entities. We can¡¯t simply stroll there unless we want to start a war.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you-¡± ¡°Teleportation won¡¯t work.¡± Athena quickly interrupted Atlas. ¡°If the man Alexander truly manage to ascend then he¡¯ll detect me if I use my powers.¡± ¡°So, what do we do then?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± We all fell silent trying to find an answer to Atlas¡¯ question. ¡°I guess we have no choice but to infiltrate,¡± Loki said letting out a sigh Wait, what did he say? ¡°Indeed, it seems that¡¯s our only option.¡± Atlas nodded his head in agreement. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s another way if we think a little bit longer! Right Venus? Athena?! ¡°Athena, what should I wear for our little get-together?¡± Venus leans closer to Athena; her eyes were filled with nothing but lust. She isn¡¯t even paying attention. Please, Athena, it¡¯s all up to you now. ¡°Claire, do you think you can prepare a team that can infiltrate New Eden?¡± The last bit of my hope faded away. Not only are they taking action that could lead to war, but they want me to lead it too! How did it come to this?! Just a few years ago I was shut-in, now I¡¯m about to potentially become a war criminal. Mom, are you still proud of me? ¡°Claire?¡± Athena¡¯s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Seeing her worried expression, I begin to realize just how grim the situation is. A simple war is the least of our concern. If the Entities perish or lose control over mortals, then the world will fall into complete disarray. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Cain¡¯s P.O.V ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill her!¡± Enraged, Abel slams his fist into a tree nearly snapping it in half. ¡°How annoying. Someone shut him up already.¡± A couple of goblins rush after the rampaging idiot. I doubt they¡¯ll be able to stop him, but hopefully, they can at least shut him up for a bit. I turn my attention back towards the cliff. A large crack ran straight down to the bottom where a group of men circles around a large hand made of vines. They repeatedly struck the hand with shovels and other various tools until they finally manage to pry it open. I breathe a sigh of relief when I saw the beautiful woman with jet black hair resting inside the hand. Good, you¡¯re still alive, now how am I going to retrieve her from those humans? ¡°I¡¯m going to rip her apart!!¡± I guess the first thing I should do is deal with the loud mouth. I take one last look at my darling before turning my attention back to the rampaging idiot. The two goblins that tried to calm him down were now nothing more than blood spatters on a tree. The idiot bloodshot eyes darted around the area looking for another victim to unleash his rage on until it fell on me. ¡°This is all your fault!¡± He screamed furiously. ¡°We should¡¯ve killed her! But no, you have captured her! Now she¡¯s in the hands of the humans! If she tells them about us, then we¡¯re- ¡° ¡°Shut. Up.¡± I grab Abel¡¯s throat, forcefully squeezing his words out of him. he tried to pry my hand from his throat, but it seems his battle with my darling, rob him of most of his strength. ¡°You made two mistakes. One, blaming me for your failure. And two, forgetting who you are.¡± I proudly point at the red bird painted on my chest. ¡°We¡¯re the Phoenix. We don¡¯t let a simple mistake consume us. We rise above it and improve ourselves. Do you understand?¡± Abel vigorously shook his head. It wasn¡¯t enough to convince me, but his skin was starting to turn pale. If hold him any longer he¡¯ll probably pass out. I toss him on the ground, allowing him to catch his breath. ¡°W-What do we do now?¡± Abel asked, gasping for air. ¡°I guess we should inform the doctor. If I tell him I found the perfect mate, he¡¯ll gladly help us.¡± ¡°Mate? You seriously still plan on capturing her? ¡°Of course.¡± I look up at the sky, sticking out above the trees was a tower covered in moss. I finally manage to obtain my castle, but that isn¡¯t enough. After all, what¡¯s a king without a queen? Next Arc¡­ Queen of Monsters Queen of Monsters Prolouge Queen of Monsters Prologue ¡°Alfheim. Athena¡¯s pride and joy. A country she created so that all race could live in peace. Safe from monsters, bandits, and tyrants that plague the world. Somewhere in this peaceful land resides a bustling metropolis called Athens, the capital of Alfheim and home to the Goddess Athena. People come from far and wide to get a little peek at the Elven Goddess. And today is no different. The tower where Athena is rumored to live is again packed with excited tourists. And in midst the crowd, a little elf with unkempt scarlet hair and dark circles under her eyes squeeze her way through the crowd. ¡°I should¡¯ve stayed home.¡± The elf let out an exhausted sigh as she made her way to the reception¡¯s desk. ¡°Good morning Ms. Claire.¡± The lady at the desk bows her head to the little elf. ¡°The knights you requested are waiting near your office. ¡°T-Thank you.¡± Claire bows her head to the lady and then quickly made her way to the elevator, her face flush red with embarrassment. She was happy someone wasn¡¯t treating her like a child but being called ¡°miss¡± and being treated like royalty was just as embarrassing, even though she is the highest-ranking officer in the country. Highest ranking officer, huh? Just a few years ago I was just a shut-in. Now I¡¯m the right-hand woman of the Elven goddess Athena. How did it come to this? Claire thought to herself, as she pushed the highest number on the elevator. ¡°I just wanted a simple job so that I could finally buy the games and comics I couldn¡¯t afford in the past.¡± she groans. ¡°I¡¯m making plenty of money now, but what¡¯s the point, if I¡¯m too busy to use it.¡± she shudders at the thought of falling behind in her favorite comic series. ¡°I want to quit, but I can¡¯t. Athena needs me, no the world needs me.¡± Realizing what she said, she couldn¡¯t help but to laugh. ¡°To think there would come a time I would say something so cheesy unironically. But still, it feels good to be needed.¡± The elevator stops and opens on the highest floor in the tower. Claire steps out of the elevator and notices a man with short blonde hair and woman with long blonde hair wrap in a ponytail, standing by her office. They must be the knights I requested. Claire thought to herself. She looks downs at her documents to see pictures of the two knights on the front. Joseph and Elizabeth. Nothing noteworthy stood out in their files expect for them being children of nobles, but that isn¡¯t the reason why Claire call them here. What caught her attention is that they¡¯re both skilled trainees who haven¡¯t taken the recruitment test yet. ¡°Since they have no military record, they should easily be able to sneak into New Eden.¡± Claire nodded her head satisfy with her plan. ¡°Now for the hard part, talking to them.¡± Being a former shut-in, Claire¡¯s greatest weakness is talking, especially to strangers. Unlike most people who desire fame she more than happy to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, the unreasonable task Athena given her this time won¡¯t allow her to remain hidden in the shadow. ¡°H-Hello, my name is-¡° ¡°Sorry, no kids allow.¡± The man swept her off her feet and carried her back to the elevator. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not a child! See, look!¡± Claire grabs her I.D that dangle from her neck. ¡°You¡¯re a part-time worker how cut- ¡°The man drops Claire onto the ground. ¡°C-Captain Claire, it¡¯s good to see you!¡± ¡°You idiot what are you doing dropping a child?!¡± The woman stomps down the hall and slaps the man in the back of his head. ¡°S-She¡¯s not a child. She¡¯s the Captain of the royal guard!¡± ¡°What? No way this kid our captain.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Here we go again.¡± Claire mutter to herself as she raises her I.D in the air. ¡°C-Captain!¡± The woman quickly bowed her head to Claire. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fin-¡° ¡°What are you doing? apologize already!¡± ¡°R-Right!¡± The man bows his head to Claire. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I thought you would be taller!¡± ¡°You idiot! You¡¯re making the situation worse!¡± The Woman punches the man in the gut. ¡°Um, that isn¡¯t necessary,¡± Claire said timidly, as she watches the girl beat the boy down until he stopped moving. Did I witness a murder? Claire slowly backs away from the girl who was wiping the victim''s blood off her hands with a satisfied smile. Noticing the fear in Claire¡¯s eyes, the girl bows her head again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Captain, please forgive us for not recognizing you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Claire said, wondering how many times she¡¯ll have to repeat herself. ¡°By the way, is he ok?¡± Claire points to the corpse next to the girl. ¡°Of course! He¡¯s used to this, right?!¡± The girl kicks the corpse causing it to twitch. ¡°See? He¡¯s fine.¡± She said with a fake smile. Was the twitching his way of responding to the girl¡¯s question, or was that the sign of the last electric signal in his brain going out? Claire decides not to think too much about it and ignore the body. ¡°By the way Captain, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why did you call us here?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because-¡°Claire froze. A low thud sound behind her caught her attention. She turns around to see an apple fall off a table an ominously roll down the empty hallway. A white aura emanated from Claire¡¯s body. The girl next to her shiver, as the invisible energy, passes through her and slowly travels down the hallway engulfing everything in its path. ¡°Nothing¡­.¡± Claire turns her attention back to the girl ¡°Did you see anything?¡± ¡°N-No ma¡¯am.¡± The sharp alertness in Claire¡¯s eyes caught the girl off guard. My aura didn¡¯t sense anyone on this floor, and the girl didn¡¯t see anyone. So, what could¡¯ve caused the apple to fall off the table? Claire fell into deep thought She could¡¯ve shrugged it off and said it fell on its own, but she wasn¡¯t trained to do that. In this world filled with creatures with supernatural powers. One must stay alert and analyze the tiniest of details if they want to survive. ¡°Joseph, Elizabeth get behind me!¡± The two quickly took cover behind the little elf. They grab the hilt of their sword and look at each other confused. They had no idea what was happening, but the serious expression on their captain¡¯s face was enough to tell them to be on guard. The apple rose off the ground and floated in mid-air. Claire raises her hand towards the apple the invisible energy surrounding her body tightly coils around the apple, causing it to burst apart. ¡°C-Captain did you do that?¡± Elizabeth slowly back away. She couldn¡¯t see what caused the apple to levitate and collapse on itself, but for some reason, she could sense Claire was behind it. ¡°Captain?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a bomb nor was it a familiar, it was just a regular apple¡­¡± Elizabeth¡¯s words fail to reach Claire who was lost in her thoughts. After running multiple scenarios in her head, she came to one startling conclusion; she was being followed. ¡°For them to make it all the way up here without being notice must mean they¡¯re pretty skill or have a strong ability. Perhaps invisibility? No, that isn¡¯t possible, my aura would¡¯ve picked them up unless they ran away, but the elevator hasn¡¯t moved at all. The only way to access this floor is via elevator. Unless you¡¯re a summoner.¡± Athena flashes in Claire¡¯s head. Whenever Athena had something to do in office, she would teleport herself into the building to avoid her rabid fans. ¡°Yea, a summoner can easily bypass security,¡± Claire mumble to herself as she slowly approaches the fruit bowl the apple fell out of, ¡°But if he just simply teleported to this floor, Elizabeth would¡¯ve seen him, unless he sent a familiar in his stead.¡± The fairies that reside in Athena¡¯s pocket dimension came into Claire¡¯s mind. ¡°Something that small can easily sneak past security and hide in unconventional places like an apple.¡± ¡°Captain!¡± Joseph grabs Claire¡¯s shoulder and roughly shakes her, snapping her out of her thought. ¡°W-What is it?¡± ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Both Elizabeth and Joseph were visibly startled. Without realizing it, Claire exposes their young and untrained mind to the supernatural. ¡°Yea, everything is fine.¡± Not believing her own words she turns her attention back towards the splatter remain of the apple she crushed. Am I being paranoid? No, if something were here then it would¡¯ve seen the kids, comprising the mission before it could start. I could potentially be sending them to their death if I send them to New Eden but allowing Alexander to roam freely any longer will put Athena and the other Entities in danger, especially if he¡¯s working with the Demon King. ¡°Athena, what do I do?¡± . . . The usual scene presents itself to the half-conscious Demon King. An abandon kingdom cover in overgrown foliage. The crumbling stone structures cast large shadows, as the sun fell behind the thick forest that surrounded the empty kingdom. Now, fully awake he leans back in the throne of the previous king. ¡°It was just a dream.¡± he lets out a relieved sigh. The memories of becoming one with Anna and being chase by sex-crazed goblins were still fresh in his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it wasn¡¯t a dream.¡± The iron door to the throne was swung open, and a pale skin girl with long chestnut brown hair and emerald green eyes confidently walk towards the bewildered Demon King. ¡°No¡­. this isn¡¯t possible.¡± The Demon King jump out his seat, knocking the throne down in the process. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around it. He couldn¡¯t understand how the dead princess he watched over for thousands of years was standing in front of him now. ¡°Who are you?¡± With a mischievous smile grin that reveal her sharp inhuman fangs, the girl proudly points at herself. ¡°I¡¯m The Demon King.¡± Chapter 13: A Different World ¡°I¡¯m the Demon King.¡± The girl said with a playful smile that reveals her sharp inhuman fangs. My body trembles uncontrollably with anger. To think someone would have the balls to bust into my castle and proclaim themselves to be me while taking the appearance of Anna. ¡°Who sent you, Loki?¡± I tightly clench my hands to stop myself from ripping the imposter apart before she could give me information. ¡°Loki¡­. Loki?¡± Unfazed by the bloodlust emanating from me, the imposter quietly repeated Loki¡¯s name while tapping her cheek. ¡°Ah, Loki! That¡¯s one of our, I mean your older brother, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my brother!¡± I snap at her. Just thinking of that little kid calling me brother makes my blood boil. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I thought you made up with your sibl- I mean the Entities. Seeing that Athena is constantly checking up on you.¡± ¡°How the hell do you know that.¡± My hatred for the Entities isn¡¯t something I try to hide, in fact, I¡¯m sure the whole world knows about it now, but no one should know about Athena visiting me, not even the other Entities. ¡°Because I was watching you during those thousands of years you were taking care of me.¡± The imposter placed a hand on her heart and looked at me with the same gentle smile Anna would always greet me with when I enter her room. ¡°Stop that! You¡¯re not Anna!¡± I took a step back away from the imposter who was slowly approaching me. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m the Demon King, and you¡¯re Anna. We¡¯re one in the same now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Anna?¡± My head begins to pound as the horrible dream I awoke from flashes in my head. ¡°No¡­ that couldn¡¯t have been real¡­. Could it?¡± I look into the girl¡¯s eyes. For some reason, it felt like I was looking at my reflection. I could feel that me and this girl went through the same horrible experience, almost like we were the same person¡­ ¡°One and same huh? I see now.¡± I collapse to the ground. All the horrible memories flooding in my head drain me of my strength. ¡°So, I fail then.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at myself. I sacrifice everything. My ambition, my life, and even my immortality. And yet I couldn¡¯t save a single girl. How pathetic. ¡°You didn¡¯t fail.¡± ¡°Then what the hell do you call this!¡± I slam my fists into the ground hard enough to create a crack in the floor. Unfazed by my outburst, Anna kneels next to me. I stare at the ground to avoid looking at her. ¡°I know things didn¡¯t work out the way you expected, but that doesn¡¯t mean you fail.¡± She places her hand under my chin and lifts my head up. ¡°See, I¡¯m here now thanks to you.¡± ¡°D-Did I actually help you, I mean are you really here?¡± I swallow down the lump in my throat and lift my hand towards her. I wanted to touch her but was too scared she might vanish if I did. ¡°Touch me and find out.¡± My heart begins to beat rapidly as my hand got closer and closer to her face. Just as I was about to touch her, the world exploded into a bright white light¡­. Chapter 13 A Different World The light faded, and I found myself in a dark room with my hand reaching for the ceiling. ¡°A dream? No, not quite.¡± I bring my hand down to my face to inspect it. It was small and delicate like a princess who never worked her entire life. ¡°So, it was all real then?¡± The boy with the idiotic smile pop into my head for some reason. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then I need to repay him for saving me by throwing him off another cliff.¡± While plotting my revenge, I slowly get up from the bed. The extra weight on my chest reminded me that I was in a female body. I look down to see that my hands were instinctively reaching for the mounds on my chest. I ball my hands into fists to stop myself from touching them. ¡°Groping later, right now, I need to figure out where I am.¡± I look out the window. Heavy rain pelted the glass making it difficult for me to see anything outside. ¡°This definitely isn¡¯t the castle which means this must be a human settlement.¡± But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m safe. Humans can be just as bad as goblins if not worse. With that thought in mind, I cautiously open the door to my room. On the wall adjacent to me was an impossibly detail painting of the boy who helped me escape the forest. Seeing that the kid lived here, I felt a bit safer, but it wasn¡¯t enough for me to let my guard down since I still have no idea what he was doing in the forest with that Alexander guy. I slowly made my way down the pitch-black hallway my only light source being an occasional flash of lightning. ¡°Hmm.~Hmmm~.¡± The sound of a woman humming stop me directly in my tracks. It was coming from downstairs which naturally was the path I needed to take to escape. ¡°Please don¡¯t let it be a siren.¡± I shiver at the thought of a ghastly woman with a rotting face blocking my exit. While debating if I should just turn around and jump out the window, I reluctantly went downstairs. A delicious aroma enters my noise causing my stomach to growl at me.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The entrance was right in front of me, but my hunger and curiosity overwhelm my desire to escape. While holding my stomach, I headed for the only lit room in the house where the enticing smell was coming from. I lean against a wall and peek into the room to see a brown-haired woman with a loose braid hanging over her shoulder happily chopping up vegetables. While humming to herself, she tosses the vegetables into a pan. I greedily lick my lips at all the colorful food that was laid out on the counter. ¡°It looks like someone is hungry.¡± The woman looks in my direction. I quickly threw myself backward to put as much distance between us. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± She drops her knife on the ground and kicks it towards me. ¡°See? I¡¯m harmless.¡± What an obvious trick. If I bend down and pick up the knife, she¡¯ll charge at me and disarm me before I can do anything or if she¡¯s a summoner she can easily call it back to her hands. Either way, she¡¯ll probably have the advantage if I go for the knife. ¡°Funny, these past few hours everyone who said they were harmless tried to kill me.¡± Granted the boy was trying to help me. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that he threw me off a fucking cliff. ¡°So, tell me, why should I trust you?¡± I place my foot on the knife to make sure no one could use it. ¡°Well, you were unconscious for an entire day. So, if I really did have any ill intentions, I would have done it while you were asleep.¡± The woman said with a bright and happy smile. I¡­ I guess she does have a point, but how can she say that with such an innocent face? My stomach growls loudly again. I grab my stomach as if that would somehow shut it up. The woman giggles at me while heading back into the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m going to go finish cooking. You¡¯re welcome to join me.¡± The lady starts to quietly hum to herself as she repeatedly flips the contents in the pan. She¡¯s trying her best to act like a normal housewife, but there¡¯s no way a woman who stays at home all day could sense my presence. Nor would they happily give a weapon to a stranger they just met. I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s trying to accomplish, but it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s out to harm me. At least for now. I pick up the knife and follow the lady into the kitchen. I could feel something gnawing at my stomach as I took in the aroma coming from the pan. I knew mortals needed to eat to survive, but I didn¡¯t think it was this serious. It feels like I¡¯m going to past out if I don¡¯t get something inside my stomach soon. ¡°Go ahead and sit down, the food should be done soon.¡± ¡°R-Right.¡± I followed her orders and sat down at the wooden table. With nothing else better to do, I look around the kitchen as I waited for her to finish cooking. Strangely, even though the room is well lit, I couldn¡¯t find a single candle anywhere. The light seems to come from the glass sphere hanging on the ceiling. "It seems that technology has improved.¡± I shrug my shoulders and calmly accept the weird device hanging above me. I''ve been disconnected from the world for thousands of years, so it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯ll be behind when it comes to technology. This reminds me of when Athena happily tried to show me a device that could apparently call and messages people, although she had no idea how to use it herself. ¡°My name¡¯s Deborah by the way.¡± The lady blurted out. ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Anna¡­.¡± It felt weird giving myself a girl name, but I¡¯ll doubt she¡¯ll be happy if I told her who I really was. ¡°Well Anna, dinner is ready.¡± Deborah hands me a plate of rice covered in a strange brown sauce with chopped meat and vegetables scatter on top. ¡°Wow¡­.¡± The knife falls out of my hand as I stare dumbly at the plate. I didn¡¯t think it was possible for food to look so good. This looks like something a chef would serve at a ball or something. I look up at Deborah. She sat at the opposite end of the table with her hands clasps together as stares me quietly, the food on her plate untouched. Does she want to know what I think of her cooking? I grabbed my silverware and ate a spoonful. ¡°Hmm~¡± My body shudders in delight. How can something taste so good? Everything has a flavor to it. Even the plain white rice has a distinct taste. ¡°Well, how is it?¡± ¡°Ish gud!¡± I greedily shove more food into my mouth desperately trying to fill the painful void in my stomach. ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad you like it¡­¡­¡± Deborah fell silent. With her hands still clasp she turns her attention upstairs to the pitch-black hallway. ¡°That¡¯s Aaron favorite food.¡± She said while still looking upstairs Aaron? Isn''t that¡¯s the name of the kid who helps me in the forest. Could this be his mother? ¡°I made it hoping it would wake him up. But it looks like I woke up sleeping beauty instead.¡± She looks back at me with a bewitching smile that made my heart skip a beat. ¡°Beauty? I think you¡¯re going a bit too far.¡± I awkwardly look away to stop myself from getting suck into her amber eyes.¡± I prefer if you call me handsome.¡± I whisper to myself. ¡°Not at all. You really are beautiful. I have never seen hair as dark as yours before, and your eyes are bright and colorful like gems. You kind of look like a princess out of a fairy tale.¡± ¡°Princess, huh?¡± The dream I had where I talk to an Anna flashes in my head. ¡°So, how is Aaron doing?¡± Deborah¡¯s smile faded away the moment I mention Aaron. Sorry, I know it¡¯s insensitive to talk about your comatose son, but the less we talked about me, the better. ¡°I don¡¯t know. A doctor was supposed to come today to examine both of you. But I doubt this storm will allow his ship to leave the harbor.¡± Ships? That¡¯s strange. This country isn¡¯t near a body of water large enough for boats to be traveling here. Wait, if that¡¯s the case, then what the hell did I see when I was falling off the cliff? I¡¯m pretty sure I saw an ocean in the horizon before I blacked out. Is that possible? Can a landscape change that much in a thousand years? A crack of thunder shakes the house, snapping me out of my thoughts. The rain grew heavier and beat on the window like it was trying to shatter the glass. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ll be able to go home tonight Anna.¡± ¡°Yea¡­¡± I halfheartedly respond. Thanks to the goblins, I don¡¯t have a home to return to. It looks like I¡¯ll have to sleep under a tree tonight. Deborah abruptly stands up and stretches her arms out. ¡°I¡¯ll go find some clothes for you to sleep in tonight.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re letting me stay?¡± Deborah tilts her head and looks at me confused. ¡°Of course. Why would I kick you out into that awful storm?¡± Multiple morbid reasons pop into my head, but I decided to keep them to myself. ¡°Um, thank you.¡± Deborah quietly smiles at me and heads upstairs. Once she was out of sight, I let out a long sigh and sink into my chair, exhausted. ¡°What do I do now?¡± I look blankly outside into the storm. So much has changed that I might as well consider this a different world. Going out there without any information could be dangerous. Especially if my so-called ¡°siblings¡± are chasing after me. If they find me in this vulnerable form, then it¡¯s over for me. ¡°Anna, I found clothes for you to wear!¡± Deborah shouted happily. I¡¯m not sure why she¡¯s going out of her way to help me, but I might as well abuse her kindness, at least until I grow accustom this world. ¡°I¡¯ll leave them by the bathtub.¡± ¡°A bathtub?!¡± I jump out of my chair an excitement. ¡°It¡¯s been such a long time since I taken a¡­. bath.¡± I look down at myself to see I was still wearing Aaron¡¯s jacket and practically nothing else. Anna¡¯s milky white thighs and legs were in full view for everyone to enjoy. Embarrassed I slowly sat back down and let out a sigh. ¡°Anna, if you¡¯re still in my head somewhere then we need to talk¡­¡± Chapter 14: The New Me I have lived for thousands of years. I have conquered and destroyed multiple kingdoms, I have slain powerful monsters and defeated some of the greatest warriors this world has ever known. The gods that governor this world trembles when they hear my name. I am The Demon King! And there hasn¡¯t been a challenge I couldn¡¯t overcome until now¡­ ¡°What am I going to do?¡± I clasp my hands together to try to calm my trembling body. ¡°I-I can¡¯t do this! I can¡¯t take a bath in a girl¡¯s body!¡± Chapter 14 The New Me ¡°Nope! Not happening! I refuse!¡± I shook my head fiercely trying to wipe the perverted thought out of my head. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯ve done a lot of cruel things, but this is the one line I can¡¯t cross! I¡¯m not like those pathetic monsters that¡¯ll attack and rape any woman they see. I preferred the consent of my partner. Although every woman I ever met ran away from me, then again everyone I meet runs away from me. ¡°Haa~¡± I sink into my chair depress. Well, there¡¯s one person who never ran away from me. I lift my hand towards the strange glowing glass sphere hanging from the ceiling. When I reach for Anna¡¯s hand like this, she never ran or look at me with fear or disgust. Instead, she always happily smiled at me. Which is why I need to take proper care of this body, at least until I figure out how to get my own back. ¡°Right, it¡¯s¡­. it¡¯s what Anna would want me to do¡­. I hope.¡± I stand up and timidly made my way upstairs. Before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of the bathroom. I take a deep breath and step in front of the mirror to see Anna standing in front of me. Well, a twisted version of her that is. I lightly tap my front tooth that was as sharp as a beast fang. Brown hair turned black, Emerald green eyes turned scarlet and now fangs. I wonder if anything else changed? I let out an audible gulp and look down at myself. ¡°I¡¯m not a pervert, but there¡¯s something I have to check.¡± I unzip the jacket and toss it to the side. The pink gown I woke up in clung to my body allowing me to see her curves pale skin through the thin fabric. Slowly, I push the straps off my shoulder letting the gown fall to my feet. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± My cheeks grew hotter as I stare intensely at the blushing beauty in the mirror. My gaze naturally fell to Anna¡¯s shapely mounds. Were they always this big? Because she always wrapped herself in her blanket, I could never get an accurate measurement¡­ not that I was trying too. My eyes wander downward. I let out depress sigh after seeing that my partner who I spent my entire life with was no longer with me. After thoroughly examining Anna¡¯s body, I shyly look away from the mirror. Besides the teeth, hair, and eyes. Not much has changed, her body still looks as soft and delicate as before. Now that I think about it, even with the help of the golem I created, it¡¯s amazing a body like this survive that fall off the cliff unscathed¡­ ¡°Unscathed?¡± I slowly turn back towards the mirror and reexamine myself. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn¡¯t find a single scratch on me. Even though I spent all night running from goblins and also getting into a fight with a big one, there are no signs of me being in a struggle. No bruise, or cuts, nothing. Does this mean this body gain Anna¡¯s regenerative power? If that¡¯s the case, then that means more than just the outward appearance of this body change. I gently rub Anna¡¯s body. Her skin was soft and smooth as I expected, but I can feel some muscles hidden inside this slender body. Which shouldn¡¯t be possible, since Anna been bedridden for most of her life due to an unknown illness that robbed her of her strength. And yet despite that, the girl in front of me looks incredibly healthy¡­.. Which means¡­. Which means¡­. ¡°mmm~¡± A moan escapes from my lips. While I was lost in my head, my hands continue to happily fondle Anna¡¯s body until the growing pleasure melted my thoughts away. I awkwardly rub my thighs together hoping it would stop the aching, tingling sensation between my legs. My breathing grew ragged as my hand made it way towards my crotch. Realizing I was about to cross the line, I quickly threw my hands to my side. ¡°I¡­ should probably take a bath.¡± I made my way to the bathtub hoping the water would wake up my drowsy mind. I open the curtain to see a pearly white tub with stacks of colorful bottles lined up around little glass window. ¡°Wow, this definitely fancier than those wooden tubs I had to use outside.¡± Excited, I step into the tub only to realize it was empty. Slightly irritated, I looked around for a bucket of water until I notice a couple of strange shiny knobs sticking out of the wall.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t touch something I didn¡¯t understand, but this strange heat between my legs is eating away my sanity. I turned the knob and got blasted by a cold stream of water. ¡°Ahhh!¡± I unintentionally let out a shriek. I tried to move out the way of the frigid stream, but I trip over the edge of the tub and fell to the ground. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Deborah kicks open the door. Surprise, I quickly wrap the tub¡¯s curtain around my shivering body. ¡°It-It''s cold!¡± I point towards the bath that was still spraying water. Deborah¡¯s confuse expression melts into a smile. She walks over to the tub and turns the two knobs, slowing the stream down. ¡°Sorry, I probably should¡¯ve told you about the shower head.¡± Deborah kneels next to me and gently pats my head. ¡°If there¡¯s anything else you need help with, don¡¯t hesitate to call me, ok?¡± ¡°O-Ok¡± I responded weakly. Satisfy with my answer, she stands up and left. I remain motionless on the ground tightly holding my wet body that was shaking with anger and frustration. ¡°To think I would become so inept that I have to rely on a human just to survive.¡± I look out the bathroom window and quietly watch the storm that rages outside. ¡°Can I really make it in this world?¡± . . . The morning sunlight sneaks past the curtains and shines in my eyes, waking my half-conscious mind. I let out a groan as I slowly sit up. My long hair brush against my lower back reminding me how much my body changed. Letting out a sigh, I put on the clothes Deborah gave me Thankfully, the clothes weren¡¯t girly. Even though I¡¯m currently a female, I can¡¯t imagine myself wearing a skirt or a dress. No, rather I don¡¯t ever want to imagine it. After tossing my clothes on. I step in front of the mirror. The white shirt Deborah gave me was a bit too big for my current body. It kept sliding down my shoulder and nearly cover up the black shorts I put on. ¡°I guess it¡¯ll do.¡± I slide on the sandals that were given to me and quietly made my way downstairs, making sure not to wake anyone up. Sensing that I was getting close to the kitchen, my stomach growls at me. Didn¡¯t I just eat yesterday? Being a human is a pain. I head into the kitchen hoping to find something that¡¯ll silence my stomach. Only to find a letter with Anna''s name on and brown pouch next to it. The bag was bumpy, and I could hear something metallic bounce around when I jiggle it. Curious, I open it only to see a bunch of gold coins with pictures of Venus throwing out a peace sign. I¡¯m not sure what this is, but I have a strong urge to burn it. I place the pouch down and grab the letter. Hoping it¡¯ll give me an answer as to why Deborah will give me something so weird. Anna, if you¡¯re reading this, then that means you plan on leaving without saying bye. Even though this greatly saddens me, I won¡¯t stop you. I left enough money on the table for you to get around New Eden. Hopefully, it¡¯ll be enough for you to get back home. If it isn¡¯t or you don¡¯t have a home to return to, then you¡¯re always welcome to come back here. Love, Deborah I don¡¯t understand, we just met, and yet she¡¯s going out of her way to help me. The kid was the same way he even nearly sacrifices himself to save me from the goblins. Is it something that runs in the family? Well, whatever the case, I¡¯ll accept their kindness and take the money. Hopefully, it¡¯ll be enough to buy me something as delicious the cooking here. Just thinking about a table of colorful food put a smile on my face. I wipe the drool from my mouth and walk towards the entrance. As exciting as that is, the food will have to wait, because right now I have a mountain of things I need to do and learn. My heart pounds as I got close to the door. Last time I went outside, I was chased all night by goblins. If Aaron weren¡¯t there to help me, then I would¡¯ve¡­ I would¡¯ve. My body starts to tremble violently. I tightly hug my body to calm it down. it seems this body is traumatized from the event that night. Which is why I need to leave now if I stay here any longer I fear this place will become just like the castle, a prison to hold Anna and me. I take a step forward towards the door. My body continues to shake as if it was trying to stop me. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to see the world, Anna? Well, that¡¯s not going to happen if we just sit and wait for a prince to help us. So, stop being a coward, and move!¡± I push open the door. The fear that gripped my body instantly faded away and I was simply left in awe. The sun slowly rose over the vast ocean that spreads out before my eyes. In the midst, the sea was boats sailing to the multiple islands in the distance. ¡°No way is this really Eden?¡± I slowly walk off the porch, which led me directly to the beach. The vast and dense forest that made up Eden is now a series of islands? Is that even possible? No, it can¡¯t be, but Deborah in her notes call this place ¡°New Eden.¡± What exactly does that mean? ¡°Look out!¡± A high pitch voice scream at me. Sensing danger, I instinctively raise my hand towards the direction of the voice. Something hard and jagged lands in my hand. Annoyed at the sudden attack, I tightly clench my hand around the object. Okay, who¡¯s stupid enough to attack me? I turn towards the direction the attack came from. Two boys with blonde hair and bright blue eyes look at me, surprise. Nobles? What the hell they want from me? ¡°You saw that? she caught it out without even looking!¡± ¡°See, told you she¡¯s a monster!¡± Tightly gripping the rocks in their hands, the kids slowly back away from me. ¡°A-Are you okay miss?¡± A dark skin girl with silver hair approaches the nobles. Behind her was a fluffy tail wagging left and right. ¡°You stupid wolf!¡± One of the kids smacks the girl knocking her to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s because you warn her that she was able to catch our attack!¡± The two boys repeatedly step on the girl who rolled herself into a ball to protect herself. It looks like nobles are still assholes even in this era. I guess that¡¯s one thing that¡¯ll never change. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t mean to interrupt you kids, but do you have a problem with me?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± One of the boys throws a rock at me. I slightly tilt my head to the side easily dodging it. ¡°Monsters like you don¡¯t belong here!¡± ¡°Monster?¡± I laugh at the kid¡¯s insult. ¡°If I were a monster, I wouldn¡¯t be talking to you right now. I would simply crush your head, like this.¡± With a bright smile, I open my hand letting the dust that used to be a rock fall to the ground. The boys¡¯ pants grew damp as they tremble in fear. Ah? Did I overdo it? ¡°M-Mommy!¡± The two boys cried as they ran away leaving the little wolf girl behind. The girl winces in pain as she tries stands up. Annoyed by how slow she was moving I silently grab her hand and pull her to her feet. The girl looked at me terrified. Judging by all the bruises she got, she probably thinks I¡¯m going to hit her like those noble brats. I let out a sigh and walked away. ¡°Ah, um, thank you!¡± The girl shouted. I quietly kept walking, not bothering to look back. Those nobles are lucky I was the one that got pissed. That Lycan would¡¯ve killed them and probably me If she went berserk. I look back at the ocean. Again, the expansive view left me dumbfounded, for it was impossible for me to imagine what was waiting for me beyond the horizon. But there¡¯s one thing I do know. This world is just as dangerous as I left it. Which is why the first thing I need to do is answer the question that¡¯s been on my mind since I woke up in this body. Just how strong is the new me? Chapter 15: Not a Hero Chapter 15 Not a Hero I take a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air. Slowly, I extend my arm forward searching for any injury or lingering fatigue inside my body. Satisfied with the results, I retract my hand back. It looks like the sickness Anna had is truly gone. If that¡¯s the case, then that means I don¡¯t have to hold back anymore. I tightly ball my hand into a fist and punch the air as hard as I could. The wind picks up as I throw a series of punches. I shift my weight left and right pretending to dodge attacks. Sand flew into the air along with my leg I kick off the ground. ¡°Whoa!¡± I stare amazed at my leg that I easily raise over my head. I¡¯m pretty sure Anna couldn¡¯t do this. Hell, I don¡¯t even think my old body was this flexible. I guess this confirms my theory. Giving my soul not only wipe the illness from her body, it also developed her body to its peak performance and perhaps even past that. Although I still don¡¯t understand why some of her features change to resemble my old body. If I had to guess, her body change because its trying to adapt to my soul. I¡¯m probably the only person in the world that succeeded in soul transfer, so all I can do is make wild speculations. It¡¯s going to be hard finding a way to separate myself without any solid information. My body slumps forward. The thought of being trapped like this forever drain me of my strength. ¡® ¡°No!¡± I shake my head to free myself from the black cloud forming in my mind. This world is filled with strange things and creatures. I¡¯m sure if I look hard enough, I¡¯ll eventually find something that can help with my current predicament, I¡¯m positive of it. But, before I start looking. I should keep training. This body responds perfectly to all my thoughts, but still, it¡¯s going to take some time getting used to my shrunken height and the extra weight on my chest. ¡°Not bad, not bad at all.¡± A half-naked man wearing only short pants approach me while clapping his hand. Confused, I looked around hoping he was talking to someone else, but my hope was crushedrather quickly when he stops in front of me. The man was a head taller than me which forced me to look up at the cocky smile he was wearing. ¡°You see something you like?¡± He lifts his arms and flexes his muscles. ¡°¡­.¡± My mind went blank. Even though I knew exactly what was going on, I couldn¡¯t accept it. ¡°Oh, who¡¯s the cutie?¡± Two more guys approach me. Just like the one hitting on me, they were both shirtless, happily showing off their tan skin and tone bodies to everyone on the beach. ¡°I don¡¯t know she hasn¡¯t told me yet.¡± ¡°It looks you like you scared her silent.¡± No, I¡¯m just trying not to vomit. When I said, I wanted a harem I didn¡¯t mean I want to be hit on by a bunch of burly men! ¡°Sorry, but I have somewhere to go.¡± I tried to walk away, but one of the guys grabs my arm. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the rush?¡± ¡°Yea, why don¡¯t play with us for a little? I promise it¡¯ll be fun.¡± ¡°Let go of me. My patience is thinning.¡± I grit my teeth to hold back the anger building inside of me. ¡°And what will happen if your patience fades away?¡± My body begins to tremble with rage. Fearing, I might snap and do something stupid I look around hoping someone would step in. The curious onlookers watching me couldn¡¯t quickly look away pretending they don¡¯t see what¡¯s happening. I don¡¯t blame them. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn¡¯t get involved in something this stupid either. ¡°You see that? No one is going to help you, because they know this is our turf. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need anyone help.¡± I ball my hand into a fist. Noticing it, the three men laugh at me. ¡°Oh oh be careful, it looks like she¡¯s going to punch you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡± The man holding my arm puff his chest out. ¡°Go ahead and hit me, and I¡¯ll show you why I rule this turf!¡± ¡°Brace yourself.¡± I raise my clench fist into the air. ¡°No need, your punch won¡¯t hur- ¡°Before he could finish speaking I dug my fist into his stomach knocking all the air out of him. He drops to the ground, gasping for air. ¡°What the hell happen?¡± The two guys who were laughing face twist and horror and confusion as they watch their friend cough up blood. ¡°What did you do?!¡± One of them demanded. ¡°Nothing, I punch him just like he asked me to,¡± I said in a matter of factly way. ¡°You bitch!¡± one of men charges at me. I step out of the way and kick his leg, tripping him into the sand. ¡°How disappointing. I thought you guys would be strong since you own a territory. I guess you guys bluff all your opponent¡¯s away, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look down on us!¡± The man tries to get back up, but I plant my foot on his face and push back into the sand. ¡°I would, but you guys are like insects begging me to crush you.¡± The man screams in pain as I put more weight on my foot. Veins bulge from his arms as he desperately tries to move my foot off his face. Overwhelming satisfaction washes over me as I watch the resolve in his eye fade away. ¡°Let go of him!¡± The third guy shouts as he throws an incredibly slow and predictable punch at me which I easily catch. I twist his arm forcing him to his knees. ¡°I give! I give!¡± He screamed as he tries to wiggle his hand free from my grip. I tilt my head pretending I didn¡¯t understand him. ¡°Hmm, what exactly are you giving me?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°No! I give up, I surrender!¡± Tears formed in his eyes. I wanted to keep toying with them, but more and more onlookers gathered around me creating a circle I click my tongue and let the two guys go. ¡°Don¡¯t ever come near me again. If you do, then next time, well I¡¯m sure you guys aren¡¯t stupid enough for there to be a next time right¡­. Right?¡± I narrow my eyes at them, causing all three of them to flinch. ¡°R-Right we won¡¯t bother you again!¡± Satisfy with their answer, I turn around, the spectators that formed a circle around me quickly step out of my way. ¡°You saw that? She defeated those three guys effortlessly. Is she even human? ¡°No way, can¡¯t be, didn¡¯t you see those fangs, she¡¯s definitely a monster.¡± ¡°Should we alert the guards?¡± Have they never heard of whispering? Do they think I¡¯m deaf? Or maybe they just don¡¯t care I can hear them. Either way, it¡¯s incredibly ¡°Annoying.¡± My thoughts slip out my mouth. The crowd fell silent and back away from me. The fear in their eyes, it¡¯s the exact way people looked at me in the past. But that¡¯s fine with me, I rather people run away from me in fear then get hit on by anothermeathead. I shrug off their fearful stares and walk into the nearby woods hoping I wouldn¡¯t deal with anyone there. The sound of humans gossiping faded as my way in the forest. I guess becoming a human doesn¡¯t mean I automatically fit into human society. ¡°Maybe, I should¡¯ve never left the castle... ¡° The black cloud from earlier begins to form in my mind again. Jeez, why am I so bothered about what human say about me? I never care before. Right now, the only thing I should be concerned with is how strong I am. And this seems like the perfect place to do without getting interrupted. I take a quick glance at my surrounding to make sure no one was around. Thanks to the Entities, what I¡¯m about to do next could be considered illegal. I open the palm of my hand and concentrate solely on it. Air gathers in my palm and twirls in a circle, growing faster and hotter by the second until it combusts into a ball of flame. I stare at the fireball floating in my hand somewhat impress. ¡°Looks like this confirms it, this body has Ascended.¡± Ascension: Manipulating the energy in one¡¯s body to bolster their abilities. Everyone can use this power, but thanks to Athena and the other Entities most of the world is unaware they possess it. And if by some miracle a person discovers they possess such a power they will have to train like a madman to reach Ascension, but it seems fusing with me cause this body to ascend on its own. Well, I already confirm this in my fight with that oversized goblin, although creating this fireball prove not only have this body ascended, but it has access to all my abilities¡­ I guess I should be happy, but even in my old body I had a hard time controlling my powers, so what happens if I tried to use it in a human body? It could potentially destroy me. Suddenly, the fireball I held in my hand seems incredibly dangerous. I shake my hand fiercely to rid myself of it. Instead of going out like a normal fire, the ball of flames drops to ground setting the grass ablaze. Thankfully the fire I created wasn¡¯t that strong it spread at an incredibly slow pace, but still, I should do something before I¡¯m label as a pyromaniac. I lightly tap the ground with my foot. A green vine dug its way from out the ground. With a simple gesture of my hand, the vine wrap around the fireball snuffing it out. I can create basic elements. I can use ¡°blight¡± and even create ¡°blighted golem, the last thing on my checklist is my main ability, ¡°Corruption.¡± Last time I use it was when I wipe Eden off the map. Can the current me handle such a dangerous power? Well, I guess I¡¯m about to find out. A warm energy rises from within my body and envelops me in a transparent blanket. Aura, a sign that one has ascended. This thin veil of energy increases one strength immensely. Usually, most amateurs that make it this far are content with this level of power, unaware that true strength lies deeper within. The grass near my body withered away as the energy surrounding me grew darker and colder. ¡°So much...¡± My breathing grew erratic as more energy surge through my body. ¡°There¡¯s so much power flowing through me!!¡± filled with overwhelming excitement, I let out a hysterical laugh¡°Why the hell have I been holding myself back?! With this power, I could do whatever the hell I want, and no one will be able to stop me!¡± I continue to giggle happily while letting the black aura flowing my body to consume everything in the area, slowly turning the area into a wasteland. ¡°Um, excuse me.¡± My heart nearly stops. I slowly turn around to face the timid voice that called out to me. The wolf girl from earlier stood frozen looking at me in horror. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I take a step towards the girl, she tries to back away from me but trips over a low branch. She raises her shaky hand to show me a silver coin. ¡°You dropped this when you were fighting those big bullies, I¡­ I wanted to return it to you.¡± Are you serious? A lousy coin is the reason I got caught? ¡°How utterly stupid.¡± I cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing at my own shitty luck. Now, what to do with her? She saw me use corruption. If let her go she¡¯ll tell everyone and eventually, the other Entities will find me. No, I can¡¯t let that happen! I refuse to be caught after I finally free myself from that accursed castle! I have no choice, I have to kill her. I raise my hand in the air and let black energy wraps around my arm transforming it into a claw. The little girl¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°C-could it be¡­¡± While shaking in fear, she continues to struggle with her words. Go ahead say it, call me a monster. I stretch my arm out, preparing to finish her in a single attack. ¡°Could it be you¡¯re a hero?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The little girl¡¯s question froze me in place. While I ponder her question, my surroundings suddenly got darker. ¡°B-behind you!¡± Terrified, she points at something behind me. I turn around to see a tree slowly leaning towards me. Looks like activating my ability destroys the roots that were holding it in place. Man, I really do have shitty luck. I raise one of my hand up easily catching the falling tree, the black aura gathered around my hand spreads to the tree. Devouring it and turning it into ash in an instant. ¡°Wow, you really do have superpowers!¡± The little girl who was quivering in fear a moment ago was now standing next to me, her yellow eyes glowing with excitement. ¡°Are you not scare of me?¡± The excitement in the girl¡¯s eyes fades instantly, and she looks away from as if she was embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ll admit it when I saw laughing you I was kind of scared.¡± Iwas laughing? Crap,I must''ve lost control of myself? I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Corruption eats away at my sanity. Even in my old body, I had a hard time keeping myself in check when I used it. ¡°But, you protected me from those noble bullies and stop the tree from crushing me. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re evil, right, miss?¡± The little girl looks up at me with a smile so bright I had to look away. This is the first time someone didn¡¯t run away after seeing me use my power. Perhaps I can get out of this situation without having to make a grave. I let the energy around my body fade away, so I could approach her without hurting her. ¡°You¡¯re right, I am a hero.¡± ¡°I knew it! I knew it!¡± She said happily while jumping up and down. I place my hand on her fluffy head to stop her from bouncing around. ¡°Calm down, you need to keep this a secret. You see I¡¯m currently spying on this evil organization, so I need to remain incognito, understand?¡± What the hell am I saying? No way she¡¯ll believe such a stupid lie. ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± She energetically nods her head at me. Thank god she¡¯s an idiot. ¡°Oh, yea your coin.¡± She hands try to hand me the silver coin from earlier, but I close her hand and pushes it back to her. ¡°You keep it. Think of it as our vow of silence.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± She quietly held the coin near her heart while her tail wag happily back and forth. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll treasure this for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m counting on it, now run on home.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Shining me a bright smile, she turns around to head home but ends up tripping over another branch, ¡°Ouch.¡± She quickly hops back onto her feet and bows to me. ¡°Sorry about that!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me, you¡¯re the one that fell.¡± ¡°Oh right, sorry sis.¡± ¡°Wait, sis?¡± ¡°Well see you tomorrow, big sis!¡± After dusting her dress off she dashes out of the woods, leaving behind a small coin where she fell. How concerning, she dropped the coin she vowed to treasure her whole life. Maybe I was better off killing her after all. I pick the coin up and flip it in the air. The little girl words echo in my head while I watch it fly in the sky. ¡°A hero huh? What a foolish thing to call me.¡± Chapter 16: Dreamer Chapter 16 Dreamer Have you ever had a dream you wish you never wake from? I currently find myself in this situation. Although for some reason I can¡¯t remember what my dream was. I stare blankly at the familiar wooden ceiling while disappoint ate at me. This is why I hate dreams. I always wake up at the best part. I laid motionlessly trying to figure out why my arms and legs felt like they were at the bottom of the ocean. Unable to come up with an answer, I awkwardly shimmy my way to the edge of my bed to reach for a pouch on my nightstand. After a few failed attempts I was finally able to grab the string of the pouch. With a light shake, a crystal falls from the little bag. A brilliant light emanates from within the transparent rock. I tighten my grip on crystal until it cracks in my hand. The radiant light trapped inside the crystal covers me. A comforting warmth spreads through my weak body. I still don¡¯t fully understand how these crystals work. All I know is dad brought them from some distant land. I wish he would tell me more about where these rocks come from, or about the adventures that he had. For some reason, he refuses to tell me anything about the outside world. I guess I have no choice, but to go out and see the world for myself. I jump out of my bed, the moment the radiant light surrounding me faded, along with it the pain and fatigue weighing me down. ¡°Those crystals really are amazing, it almost like I never jump off a cliff.¡± Wait, cliff? Why did I say that? I would never do something stupid like that, right? For some reason I can¡¯t recall what I did yesterday, all I remember are pieces of the dream I awoke from. In the dream, I think was running from something. I can still remember what I felt the excitement that rushed through my blood as I ran for my life, the wind and the leaves the brushing against my skin, and the warmth of a stranger next to me. It feels like I was actually there, but I know better to think that. There¡¯s no way anything interesting can happen in this country. Light flood my gloomy dark room, the moment I open my curtain. Before me, was a clear view of the shoreline. New Eden, a country made entirely of islands. Most people would consider the place like this paradise, and in a way, it is. It¡¯s an isolated country that wants nothing to do with the rest of the world. I¡¯m pretty sure this country is nothing more than a dot on the world map due to how small and insignificant it is. The people who come here are usually trying to escape from the world¡¯s drama or just want to live a quiet life. And for a while, I was content with living that kind of life. But as I grew older, the joy I got from watching the ocean faded and in its place was a strong urge to see what lie beyond it. ¡°Aaron?¡± I unintentionally flinch when I heard mom¡¯s meek voice. I tried to turn around, but she throws herself at me, nearly knocking me down. ¡°I was so worried.¡± She wraps her arm around me and holds me tightly like I would vanish if she let go. She always did overact when I get injured, but this is the first time I saw her so distress. I must¡¯ve done something incredibly stupid. I threw my hands over her shivering shoulders and hugged her back. ¡°I¡¯m fine mom. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve been unconscious for two days.¡± ¡°Two days?¡± I barely stop myself from shouting. ¡°What happen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Her voice quivers. ¡°A couple of fishermen found you unconscious on the shores of Forbidden Island. Forbidden Island? I think that¡¯s where I was at when I was dreaming. Could it be¡­ ¡°Mom, was there anyone else with me on the shore?¡± I could feel my heart beating faster while I was waiting for her answer. ¡°You mean Anna?¡± The moment she spoke her name, everything came back me. I started feeling dizzy trying to make sense of all the memories flooding in my head. ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± ¡°She was staying here overnight, but it seems she left this morning.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I gently push her away from me. ¡°Aaron?¡± Confuse she reaches for me like a child that lost a precious toy. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit¡± Before she could say anything I ran out of the room and out the house. My heart pounded with excitement as I ran barefooted on the hot sand. The Demon King living in a crumbling stone castle, goblins that talked and act like humans, and a black hair girl that can create giant arms out of plants. Did all that really happen? Is it possible for such things to happen in this boring country so far away from the rest of the world? The only way I¡¯ll find out if I ask her in person. But, where is she? I abruptly stop after realizing I was running aimlessly. While catching my breath, I stare out at the ocean. Ships filled with people leisurely traveling from one island to another. Eden made of twenty islands. Our main transportation is boats I doubt Anna has any money to get on one of them. So, she should still be on this island, and if so probably at ¡°Little Paradise.¡± Little paradise is the closest to town to my house. That¡¯s probably the first place she went after she left. I ran up the small hill that separated the beach from a paved road that led directly to the town. I grimace in pain as I stepped on sharp rocks that covered the road. ¡°I wish I put on some shoes.¡± I murmur to myself. Thankfully the town wasn¡¯t that far, so I didn¡¯t have to endure the torture for too long. But I have another problem. I have no idea where to start looking for her. I don¡¯t know how I fool myself into thinking that I can easily find her in a place filled with people and activities. ¡°What do I do.¡± I felt something tug on my pants while I was pondering. I look down to see a little girl staring at me with curious eyes. She looked no older than ten. There were cuts and bruises all over her body. And her dress is covered in dirt. ¡°Mister, have you seen my big sister?¡± ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t think I have.¡± The girl¡¯s shoulder droops at the same time I felt my heart shatter in pieces. ¡°I see. Sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°Wait, maybe I can help. I¡¯m probably going to lose my only chance at finding Anna if I help this girl. But I won¡¯t be able to sleep at night ifI leave her here alone. ¡°Really! you¡¯ll help me!¡± A giant tail that was almost the size of the girl rises over her shoulder. ¡°Um, could it be you¡¯re a beast-men?¡± ¡°Does that bother you, mister?¡± She said with a hint of sadness in her voice. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t bother me, I was just curious. So, what does your sister look like?¡± ¡°Her skin is white as snow.¡± She looked down at the paved ground while speaking to me. I wanted to tell her there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of, but I doubt half-ass words will get rid of her fear. ¡°Her hair is black as night.¡± ¡°This girl is her name Anna?¡± I cut the little girl off before she could finish. I didn¡¯t need any more details. Since there¡¯s only one person in this small world, I inhabit that fits that depiction. ¡°Anna?¡± She tilts her head and gives me a quizzical look. ¡°She never told me her name so, that might be it.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Is Anna, really your sister?¡± I ask, unable to hold back my curiosity. They''re definitely not related by blood, and they don¡¯t seem to be close since she didn¡¯t know Anna name. ¡°No, but I think she¡¯s the big sister I always wanted to have.¡± The little girl eyes became distant. I¡¯m sure right now she remembering when she met Anna. It seems she left quite the impression on the little girl. Her tail is happily waving back and forth as she reminisces. I found myself memorize by her giant tail. It looks so fluffy, almost like its begging me to pet it. ¡°Mister?¡± She looks up at me surprised. Without realizing it, I was running my hand through her gray hair. I expected her to be more upset with me, yet her startled expression turns into a smile. ¡°You really are kind are kind aren¡¯t you mister. I can tell by your smell." ¡°Smell?¡± I pull my shirt up to my nose. The only thing I could smell was the sourness of me running aimlessly for twenty minutes while the sun slowly baked me alive. The little girl covers her mouth to hide her laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t think your nose is sharp enough to smell emotions, mister.¡± ¡°You can smell emotions?¡± ¡°Of course, I am a Lycan after all.¡± Lycans? I heard they had an incredibly sharp nose, but to think they can smell emotions. I wonder what happiness smells like? ¡°That¡¯s the main reason why I approach you. Her scent stuck to your body.¡± Her smell probably stuck to me when I was carrying her out the forest. ¡°Wait, if her smell led you to me, then does that mean, she¡¯s not on this island?¡± ¡°No, I think she¡¯s still here. My nose picked up two trails of her scent, I came to you because you were the closest.¡± ¡°So, she still on this island. Do you know where to look?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± She slowly walks around in her circle. Her nose twitches as she sniffs the air. ¡°She¡¯s this way!¡± Before I could say anything, she grabs my arm and drags me down a busy street. Despite her small and frail frame, she was easily able to pull me along with her. Onlookers quickly move out of our path. Their face twisted into disgust and fear when we walk past. I¡¯m confident their fearful gaze is directed at the little girl, yet she didn¡¯t seem bothered by it. No, she¡¯s probably just use to everyone fearing her. It must be tough being a beast-men. It¡¯s because of creatures like goblins that people mistakenly believe that all beast-men are just feral monsters that¡¯ll attack or rape anyone they see. ¡°By the way mister, I don¡¯t think I ever got your name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Aaron. I don¡¯t I think I got yours either.¡± ¡°Ah, Mines is Katherine. Sorry about that, I was in such a rush to find big sis I forgot to introduce myself.¡± ¡°No need to apologize. I didn¡¯t introduce myself either, plus I was in such a rush I forgot to put on my shoes.¡± ¡°I guess big sis means a lot to both of us huh?¡± She looks back at me and gives me a bright smile that revealed her canines. ¡°That smile, I have to protect it.¡± I quietly told myself. Ignoring the ugly glare. We made our way down the street which led directly to the town¡¯s plaza. Curious shoppers and colorful merchandise fill the area. Seeing how crowded it was, I thought it would take a while to find Anna. But my eyes almost immediately fell on her. The plaza fell silent. Nobody stopped talking. It¡¯s just that all my senses were simply focused on the girl in front of me. She sat alone at a table her head in her hand staring somberly into the distances. Everyone that walk past her table would stare at her, drawn in by the otherworldly atmosphere that surrounded her. Although she seem unbothered by it, she continues to stare off in the distance while twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. A middle age man with blonde hair approaches Anna carrying a tray of food. He wore a fancy dark suit that gave him a professional appearance. ¡°Who is that?¡± Katherine asked in a hushed tone. ¡°No idea.¡± All I know is he''s a nobleapproaching carelessly might get us in trouble. Katherine grabs my arm and drags me to a table adjacent to them. ¡°Let¡¯s see what they¡¯re talking about she said before forcing me to sit down.¡± Thankfully the two were too busy eating to notice us. Especially Anna she frantically grabs the food off the tray and ate everything her small hands could hold. The noble stares at Anna in shock as she devours everything on the trade. ¡°So.¡± The man roughly clears his throat probably to get the gluttonous girl attention. ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± She said with a full mouth. ¡°I. still don¡¯t. understand. what you want from me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. I want your body¡­¡± He reaches into his pocket. Is he reaching for a weapon? Don¡¯t tell me this bastard is trying to threaten her to sell her body. ¡°¡­To be on the cover of my magazine!¡± He pulls out a magazine with a girl wearing a bikini on the front. I slowly sat back down in my seat confuse as to what¡¯s happening. ¡°Cover of what?!¡± Anna shouted with her mouth still full of food. ¡°My magazine. You have the perfect body to showcase the latest summer fashion!¡± The man grew more excited as he spoke about women clothing while Anna seems to become more exhausted. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll decline.¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a perfect deal. Wait, you decline? Why? ¡°I want to protect what little pride I have left.¡± ¡°Pride?¡± The man laughs. ¡°If you work for me not only will you get to the wear the finest clothes you¡¯ll also be New Eden hottest babe! ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± Anna¡¯s eyes darken. From the looks of it, I don''t she''ll work for him even if offer her the entire world, although at the same time this guy looks persisted. I doubt he¡¯ll give up on her regardless how many times she refused. Perhaps this is my chance to talk to her. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Katherine grabs my hand just as I was about to stand. ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt.¡± I follow her gaze to a nearby table. Two men in business suits sat at the table. They stare intensely at the menu while occasionally glancing at Anna and the Noble. Without a doubt, that¡¯s the noble¡¯s bodyguard. They have the same intense atmosphere as him, and they seem to be itching for a fight. Are they going to interfere if Anna continues to refuse his offer? I wouldn¡¯t put it past him. Most nobles are incredibly prideful and don¡¯t like it when they don¡¯t get what they want. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about big sis. She can take care of herself.¡± Katherine said with pride in her voice. I look back over at the table and notice Anna was staring directly at me. She looked at me with a mischievous smile, like she just found a new toy. She slams her hand onto the table, silencing the noble. ¡°Sorry, your offer sounds interesting, but I already have a contract with someone else.¡± Anna stands up and walks over to me. I don¡¯t know why, but the girl in front of me feels vastly different than the one I met in the forest. The girl in the forest looked incredibly weak and frail, and the Anna in front of me seems to radiate confidence and strength to the point it feels like her very presence would crush me if she got too close. She stops right next to me. While still wearing her mischievous smile, she stroked my head like I was pet. ¡°This child is my current employer. And I can¡¯t stop working for him until I pay off my debt.¡± I could feel everyone eyes on me. I don¡¯t need Katherine¡¯s mind reading nose to figure out what they¡¯re thinking. Why did she make it sound like she¡¯s my slave? ¡°I see¡­¡± The nobles focus his cold gaze on me. Is he planning on attacking me to get her? ¡°Damn, to think I lose to a kid.¡± He said while letting out a sigh. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re done annoying me?¡± Anna said flatly. ¡°Not quite. You still have to pay for your meal.¡± The noble pointed towards the empty tray. The guys in black that were watching us step in front of us blocking our path. ¡°I was originally going to pay for the meal, but since you already have a contract with this kid, I¡¯ll let him pay. Going by hiscocky smirk, I doubt he''ll let us go even if I did bring money to pay for the meal. ¡°Honestly, you nobles always overdramatize everything.¡± Anna tosses a small pouch onto the noble¡¯s lap. ¡°That should be more than enough to pay for my meal. Now stop looking for excuses to cause trouble.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let you go. For now.¡± ¡°¡¯For now.¡¯ You nobles are a pain in my¡­.¡± Anna¡¯s voice faded away as she walks past the two guards. Katherine jumps out of herseat and quietly ran after her. And like an ant in a hive, I mindlessly follow the two. ¡°Big sis, why didn¡¯t you beat them up like the other bad guys?¡± Anna looks down at the little girl walking beside her and pet her hair. ¡°Because I feel like he¡¯s the kind of guy that will run towards the sunset while shaking his hand screaming ¡®I¡¯ll be back!¡¯ if you beat him. The only way to deal with a pain in the ass like that is toeither ignore them or kill them.¡± ¡°So, if someone is a pain in my butt, I should just ignore them?¡± ¡°Only if their witnesses nearby. If no one¡¯s watching, then your free to do whatever you want to them.¡± What exactly are you teaching her? ¡°Ah, this sucks. I was going to use that money to buy some clothes that fit me.¡± Anna lets out a sigh while pushing up her shirt up over her shoulder which immediately slides back down. That¡¯s one of mom¡¯s old shirt. If she¡¯s too small for that than does that mean she¡¯s not wearing anything underneath? My eyes wandered towards her shoulder. Strands of her unnaturally dark hair rested on it. ¡°Oh.¡± Anna abruptly stops causing me to almost crash into her. ¡°Your name Aaron, right?¡± She looks at me with an unreadable expression. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my name.¡± My words came out stiff and awkward. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you those goblins would¡¯ve killed me. Thank you.¡± She placed a hand on her chest and gave me a smile that seems strangely hollow. ¡°It fine. By the way, speaking of the goblins, how exactly did we escape?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Anna quizzical tilts her head at me. ¡°My mind still hazy so I can¡¯t remember what happen.¡± ¡°You did hit your head pretty hard,¡± Anna mumbles something under her breath. ¡°We were both injured and exhausted from being a ruthless chase. So, left with no other option, you threw both of us off a cliff and hoped for the best. I remember that part, but just before I black out, I saw a giant hand reaching for me. Did I imagine it? Or did she purposeful skip over that detail? ¡°That cliff was pretty high up. It¡¯s a miracle we survive such a fall.¡± ¡°Indeed, but I most certainly would¡¯ve died if you didn¡¯t shield me with your body. That¡¯s probably why you can¡¯t remember anything.¡± Did I shield her? It would explain why it took longer for me to recover than her. ¡°You save big sis?!¡± Katherine shouted while happily hopping around. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re a superhero too?¡± Anna grabs Katherine¡¯s head to stop her from jumping about. ¡°Did you forget our promise already?¡± Anna looks sternly at Katherine froze in place. ¡°Of course not! I just got a bit excited, sorry!¡± ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t forget.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Katherine stood up perfectly straight, like a statue. Anna let¡¯s out a sigh before walking away, leaving us behind. ¡°Katherine, can you tell when people are lying?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± She shouted while maintaining her pose. ¡°Then, did Anna lie to me?¡± Upon asking her that question, I was struck by guilt. Asking a little girl to spy on someone else emotions especially someone she looks up feels like a cruel thing to do. ¡°Never mind, forget I ask.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Katherine said quietly to the point it was inaudible. Her cheerful attitude vanished and became something gloomy ¡°I don¡¯t know if she lied to you or not, whenever I tried to read big sis emotions, the only thing I can feel is overwhelming loneliness.¡± Katherine was on the verge of crying. Unsure what to do I patted her head. When I left home, all I wanted was some evidence that the dream I had was real, yet now I find myself more and more interested in the strange girl I met on that island. Maybe it¡¯s because of the surreal atmosphere surrounding from her. But it feels like if I follow her, it''ll lead me to an even more amazing dream. Starting over As you guy notice I haven¡¯t posted a chapter in a couple of months. Sorry about that, its not that I¡¯m stuck on anything, or ran out of ideas, it¡¯s just been I guess a little depressed. I¡¯m not going to get into it, but I just what to let you guys know I¡¯m dropping this story. I honestly this was extremely hard for me to do. Since counting the old version I have been working on this story for three years, but as time went on, I felt like I¡¯ve been relying on the popularity (The little I got) of my story. Since the new year is approaching, I thought maybe this is the perfect time to try something different to start over.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I would one day like to come back to this story, but I¡¯m not going to tell you guys to wait, you did that enough. Sorry for being a huge disappointment, believe it or not, you guys have truly helped me out during one of my darkest time. It was real joy reading your guys comments and enjoying my story. I hope you guys will read my future stories whenever create I it. Seriously thank you everything, I hope you guys have a happy new year. New story (If you want to read it of course.) also a thank you It feels kind of weird advertising my story in a story that I drop, but some people said they wanted a link to my story, so there''s my excuse. And also I feel my new story has quite a lot of similarities between my old one. (Hell some characters might make an appearance in this) So if you like my old story, you''ll probably like this one, probably. Anyway enough with advertising. I like properly thank you guys for the messages you left on my old chapter even though its been three months and I haven''t replied. Just want you to know I read them. My awkwardness just stops me from properly replyingThis tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Seriously thank you again, even if you guys don''t join my new story, just want you to know I appreciate it, but still, it''ll be nice to see some familiar faces in my new story. Once again thanks for reading.