(A/N: This chapter treads on some sensitive topics, so I would advise viewer discretion. This is a warning!)
“Little girl, are you sure you belong here?” A hoarse voice grated at Elena’s ears, and her scowl deepened.
“Hahahaha! Of course, she doesn’t! But I’m glad she is here. I can have a little fun with her.” Another equally irritating voice reached Elena’s ears, and she glared at the horned figures standing opposite her.
“You Demons are disgusting.” She hissed at them, holding up her daggers properly. The soft handle comforted her as she remembered her father’s words that reminded her not to waver in the face of danger.
“Let’s see which disgusting one of us will get to you first, little girl.” The leader of the Demons surrounding Elena smirked, revealing rows of of sharp, glistening teeth.
The Demons were a race of beings that were naturally aggressive. They loved war and conquest, and this put them at odds against the other powers of the world. Demons came in all shapes and sizes, and a lot of them even looked like plain humans.
Among the three Demons surrounding Elena at this moment, only the leader resembled a human. His two lackeys possessed horns that framed their heads, and tails that extended from their lower backs. Their skin was a dark gray color, and they looked as if they had crawled through ash to get to where they were at the moment.
“Get her.” The leader ordered his goons, and they lunged forward, pulling out a sword each. Together, they moved, like a well oiled machine. Disgusting they may be, but they knew how to work with each other to get things done.
Elena also sprung into action. She held her daggers in a reverse grip and dashed forward, meeting the two Demons halfway.
Clang!
Elena used the force that was directed at her to twist and slip past the two demons, spinning around to stab at the back of their necks. They dodged the attacks and retaliated, their blades glowing with light as they activated various skills.
The two goons were actually twin brothers, and they had followed the other Demon who resembled a human ever since they were little. The leader was a mixed breed whose name was Lance. Ever since he was a baby, his parents had set their hopes high for him. Unfortunately, he had not shown any talent until he had suddenly began casting spells at the age of fourteen. Since then, his parents had focused on cultivating his skills instead of power leveling him to increase his rank. That was why he was still E rank at the age of sixteen.
Lance watched as the human girl nimbly danced around the blades of his two loyal followers, and he felt something stir within him. Excitement? Yes, definitely. But that was not all. His mind drifted to a memory of his parents, and he scowled, irritated.
His parents were not model parents to him. Unlike most Demons, he had not grown up on the Demon Continent. While Demons were not welcome in most places across the world, there were some world powers that allowed for special cases. Lance was such a case.
He had been carted off to an academy to learn about the world at large, but he had not been allowed to practice magic, as per his parents’ request to the academy.
Lance had always detested his parents. His mother was a sick sadist, while his father was abusive. Although he hated them for how terrible they were, he could not deny that some of that negativity had rubbed off on him. If not, then why was he doing this?
‘This is not right…’ Lance told himself. But when his eyes drifted to the massive egg that stood behind Elena, his greed flared once again. He was struggling internally. If he could return with such a valuable catch from this bout, then his parents would appreciate him.
But…
‘I want to be able to beat my own path. I don’t want them controlling me.’ He told himself.
“Balak, Barak, stop.” He called out to the twins.
His sudden announcement surprised the boys and they fumbled in their movements, granting Elena a much needed reprieve from their relentless attacks. While she could keep them at bay for a time, she was still unable to gain the upper hand in the fight. If Lance joined in, then she would most definitely lose.
Panting, Elena held up her daggers, her eyes warily roaming the three boys. But she was especially wary of Lance. In her honed senses, he was like an adult lion, while the two Demons she had been fighting were merely cubs.
She gulped audibly and summoned more strength as she thought of what to do next. This was a Fight or Flight situation? If she ran, then she would be giving up on a golden opportunity. The egg behind her could turn her life around. Not just hers, but the lives of her family and friends back home.
“Why did we stop?” Balak, the slightly larger twin asked curiously. He risked a glance back to Lance and saw the conflicting frown on the stronger boy’s face. He instantly knew that Lance was going through one of his mental battles again. He grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him back to stand by Lance.
Seeing the strange behavior of the three Demons, Elena was confused. Why did they stop? Were they going to launch a combined attack?
Whatever the reason, she was going to do her best to defend the egg behind her.
“We apologize. We will leave now.” After two whole minutes of staring at each other, Lance finally composed himself and spoke. He looked Elena in the eyes once more before turning and walking out of the cave they had found her in.
“What?” Elena was stunned. “What are you playing at?” She asked.
“Nothing. I am truly sorry. I will leave now.” Lance shook his head and left without turning back. Balak eyed Elena once more before snorting and following Lance with his brother beside him.