One of the foxes lunged at Valen. In that exact moment, he realized he actually didn't know how to use his powers—or if he even had any. Panic surged through him, and he instinctively threw a punch.
Dodging the fox, he struck down, and a large shockwave rippled through the woods. The fox he just made contact with was now on the ground, creating a massive crater.
Valen quivered as he began to shake his hands, realizing just how powerful he was. The fox that was now on the ground had begun to convulse as its eyes went white.
'One down, 30… something left to go. I can do this.' Valen thought to himself, forming a little smirk.
The foxes around were all starstruck, witnessing what had just happened.
[---]: "You… You KILLED him! I won't let you get away with this!"
Another fox behind Valen began to lunge towards him. Before the fox could reach him, though, Valen jumped above and delivered another strike downward. The wind generated by the attack gently pushed all the surrounding foxes back.
[---]: "You know—why are we just attacking him one-on-one? It's obvious that he has some sort of strength, but his durability is likely low. Queen Miaera was able to create that big of a wound on his stomach with just a flick of a finger!"
All of the foxes paused, looking confused and lost in thought. The fox that had been speaking cleared his throat and began again.
[---]: "He has the strength of a demon, but has the defense of a normal human—okay? Now let's all jump him!
All of the foxes then grinned while looking at each other, and looked back at Valen and slowly marched in on him.
[Valen]: "W-woah now! Let's not do anything rash! You know, this is very unethical to do… 30 on one? Come on now, I know at least you guys have some type of honor!"
The foxes paused and exchanged glances, then one of them began to speak.
[---]: "Honor? Who do you think we are?"
They all laughed maniacally as they resumed strutting towards Valen.
Valen was all out of options–no, there was one more. It was his trump card that he was to use if all else failed. Taking a deep breath, Valen jumped over all of the foxes and began sprinting deep into the forest.
[Valen]: "I'm going hooommeeee!" he yelled, sweating profusely.
All of the foxes then shared glances.
[---]: "Wasn't he the one just talking about honor?"
Valen kept running. It felt like it had been hours now, though in reality only 5 minutes had passed.
'This would be a lot easier if I worked out,' thought Valen. Even though he had been running for so long, he still couldn't find an end to the forest.
[---]: "Found you."
He heard a woman's voice whisper, but before he could react, he fell onto the ground.
Looking back at his legs, he realized that they had been sliced off. Howling in pain, he grabbed his knees and curled into a fetal position.
No matter how loud he screamed, the pain wouldn't subside.
Someone had begun to come out of the woods. Oh–
It's 'Queen Miaera'.
Looking up, Valen grinded his teeth as his eyes went bloodshot. Miaera's expression remained calm.
Kneeling, she began to dig her claws into his now severed leg. He screamed even louder, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Blood splattered on Miaera's face, but she wiped it away gracefully with her other hand.
[Queen Miaera]: "Honestly—I have no respect for anything that willingly works under that piece of shit. Everything I'm about to do to you is well deserved."
Digging her claws deeper into his wound, he yelped in agony as she began to also swivel her wrists, furthering the pain.
[Valen]: "Someone, please save me! Anyone! Save me!"
Valen screeched loudly, his voice reverberating through the dark forest. Before he could scream again, though, blood began to spray through the air, clouding his view. He let go of his knees and grabbed his neck, shaking violently.
[Queen Miaera]: "There—now you can stay quiet."
Valen didn't notice it, but Miaera had slashed his throat. The cut was so deep that all he could do was gurgle as he continued to tumble from side to side.
She scoffed as she pushed her entire arm inside of Valen's wounded leg.
[Queen Miaera]: "How pathetic—you did all of that talking, claiming that you were going to 'defeat us' somehow. Now, all you can do is weep in pain as you sit there like a baby. Tell me, who do you honestly think will save you? That demon? She doesn't care about you, not at all. She has plenty of pawns; losing just one wouldn't upset her. Especially not a weakling like you."
Pulling her arm out of Valen's severed leg, she made a swift motion, and his blood immediately sprayed onto a nearby tree. She examined her arm, looking for any missed spots before turning back to Valen.
[Queen Miaera]: "Because you made a decision as pathetic as siding with her, now you're going to die a pathetic death."
Raising her arm, she made a jagged downwards slash that immediately split Valen's stomach open. His entire torso was cut wide open, creating a gruesome scene. Yet Miaera's expression remained unchanged.
[Queen Miaera]: "Now, let's see if you can heal from this—"
Suddenly, Miaera was sent flying sideways into the woods by a roundhouse kick. Valen, barely unable to move, strained to look down to see who could've possibly done that.
[---]: "Valen… I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner, but it's all going to be okay now. I promise I won't let her hurt you anymore."
The voice was soothing, and he immediately recognized it. With her brown-hair flowing gently in the air, Hiera stood, smiling softly.
[Queen Miaera]: "Aahahaha—so the bitch did come after all! How surprising!"
Miaera hollered, stumbling out of the woods. Her face was now filled with rage and resentment, her eyes wide open, revealing golden-colored pupils.
[Queen Miaera]: "Foxes, come at once and bring me her flesh!"
Miaera yelled, her eyes filled with insanity. After a few moments of silence, nothing happened. She scoffed, gritting her teeth as veins appeared on her face.
[Hiera]: "Oh, those? They're all dealt with. They won't be interfering with our battle."
Hiera said, grinning widely. Despite the sinister undertones of her words, she kept an innocent expression and a calm voice.
Enraged, Miaera charged at Hiera. Though in an instant, Hiera appeared in front of her, leaving Miaera frozen in place.
Red lines began to appear all over her body, and meat-cubes of her tumbled out, plopping onto the ground.
Hiera stood still for a few moments before turning around and slowly walking towards Valen's mangled body.
Kneeling, she tore off her hand and hovered the dripping blood over his mouth. After a few moments of drinking, Valen's organs began to slither back into his stomach, and his legs slowly started to regenerate.
He thought to himself that he would never get used to this feeling. His neck regenerated rather quickly, and he immediately took a huge gasp.
Sitting up, Valen looked at his shaking hands and his stomach, which was now completely healed. Taking a glance at Hiera, she smiled gently at him.
[Valen]: " — "
Who wouldn't?
[Valen]: " — "
Valen couldn't hear anything but his screaming. His throat rattled as he kept on, the most blood-curdling scream he'd ever let out. Hiera tried to reach for him, but he pushed her away. Wrapping his hands around the back of his head and bringing his head to his knees, he kept on screaming. Tears fell uncontrollably onto the grass below as his screaming finally began to quiet.
[Valen]: "Just… Just kill me already! Kill me! I don't want to live anymore! Kill me, Hierra!"
He seized her shoulders and shook her with sudden aggression.
[Valen]: "Kill me! I'm done! I'm done…"
The desperation in his voice sent shivers down Hiera as she sat there, not knowing what to say or do.
[Hiera]: "Valen, calm down, please—"
[Valen]: "Calm down? Are you insane!?! What I just went through–no, that probably wasn't even the strongest of them! That was a lower demon! A lower one–and yet I couldn't even hold my own! You handled her so easily like it was nothing, yet I–I just—NO! I give up.. I giveupIgiveupIgiveup I give up! I'm too weak! I won't accomplish anything!"
He slowly sank to the ground, grinding his head against the grass as he continued to weep.
[Valen]: "I just want to be happy…"
His wails gradually quieted, leaving only his sniffling and the sound of a nearby river.
Valen will never amount to anything, he will always be weak, both physically and mentally.
What a disappointment.
[---]: "I… I think you can do it, Valen."
Valen's eyes shot open. Her voice… It was different this time, it sounded exactly how it did back in elementary. It was passionate. Looking back up, he saw that Hiera was crying, her eyes as soft as a kitten's fur.
[Hiera]: "You're strong, Valen… much stronger than I am. So please don't give up…"
She clenched her fists, and her tears flowed even more.
[Hiera]: "Please… Please save me!"
Immediately after, her eyes shot wide in surprise, like she had said something unexpected.
Valen sat there for a moment before a soft smile formed on his face.
'That's right. I'm not the only one who's suffering…'
You won't get better. You always say you will, but we both know how it will end.
'I'll save her… I'll save everyone.'
Stop it. You're lying to yourself.
Valen, getting off his knees, began to strut towards the meat-cubes that were once Miaera. Wiping away his tears, he knelt and began to eat a mouthful of the cubes, not slowing down at all. The taste was revolting, yet he kept on.
'Hiera… I'm so sorry how things turned out. I wish I could take everything back that I said and did in elementary.'
Blood splattered as he kept chewing.
'Once I save you, then just maybe—just maybe we can finally talk. About everything."
Valen's smile grew larger. His eyes were full of determination, glistening in the moonlight.
'So until then, stay strong, because I will save you!'
***
Pant, Pant, Pant.
Valen had finished eating all the meat cubes. Hiera sat against a tree, watching him to see what he would do next. Her expression was calm, or at least she seemed to be trying to appear that way.
[Valen]: "I ate them all… So I should be getting stronger now, right?"
He asked, turning his head to Hiera.
She continued to stare for a moment before replying.
[Hiera]: "You should. Though I'm not exactly sure how much stronger you will get from just eating a demon. Especially one as low as her…"
Valen looked down for a moment before getting up and patting his clothes.
[Valen]: "Well, we both have school in the morning, so we should be getting back home now. I don't want my grandma to think I was sneaking out…"
Hiera nodded and began to walk into the forest. However, she paused for a moment and turned her head to him. Her expression was serious—a look Valen rarely saw.
[Hiera]: "Valen… Do you promise that you'll never betray me?"
His eyes flew open. After a moment, they slowly narrowed into a nervous smile.
[Valen]: "Of course n-not! Why would I ever…"
Hiera's cold gaze chilled Valen to his bones. He felt himself freeze, as stiff as a board. After a few seconds, she turned her head back and raised her pointer finger.
[Hiera]: "One. Never—in any circumstances—tell anyone about my secret identity and true motives."
Her middle finger rose.
[Hiera]: "Two. Do not ever attempt to betray me; it will not end well."
Finally, her ring finger rose.
[Hiera]: "Three. Refrain from using your powers in front of normal humans. If anyone were to see, I would not be able to aid you."
Hiera stared at him for another moment, her piercing gaze stabbing fiercely at Valen, before she smiled gently, turned around, and disappeared into the woods.
When she disappeared, Valen let out a huge sigh. All of that tension building up inside of him was starting to make him go crazy.
However, after the initial wave of relief, he realized something very important.
[Valen]: "Wait… How am I supposed to get home?"
Looking around, Valen let out a sigh before trotting away. After about a minute, he emerged from the forest.
[Valen]: "Huh… Maybe that fox was behind it. I could have sworn I walked that way, yet I was still lost in this stupid forest…"
He shrugged as he began to make his way home.
***
Morning time came. Valen lay spread on his bed, exhausted. Today, he really didn't want to go to school. He didn't want to go anywhere, he just wanted to lie there until he died.
[---]: {"Please… Please save me!"}
Her voice echoed in his mind once more. Letting out a huge sigh, he slowly crept out of his bed.
[Valen]: "GOOOOD MORNING, HIEEERRAA!!!"
Hiera stared at Valen, surprised by his enthusiasm that morning. 1st period hadn't started yet, so they were the only two in the classroom.
[Hiera]: "You're… surprisingly energetic today, Valen!"
Her eyes were full of surprise, looking him up and down.
[Valen]: "I'm just extra thankful for getting to live another day! And see my amaazzinnggg friend!"
[Hiera]: "Oh, is that so!"
As she replied, she giggled a bit as her cheeks began to warm slightly.
Valen recalled how Hierra looked last night—she looked uncertain, like she wasn't sure if she could trust him. Of course, he didn't want her to suspect his true motives, so this was the best solution he could come up with.
'Maybe if I try my best to make it seem like I'm on her side, things will be okay.'
Suddenly, the classroom door swung open, and both of them shifted their focus, wondering who could've possibly entered at this time.
[---]: "Hey there, Valen. Look, man, I'm sorry about how things went between us yesterday, so please take this. I made it for you."
Oh.
Valen's heart dropped as he saw Marc had entered the room. Scratching his head, Marc extended his arm holding a bag toward Valen. He had a mellow look to him, drastically different from yesterday.
[Valen]: "Oh no, don't worry about it. Honestly, it's okay… You didn't have to do all of this for me."
[Marc]: "No–please take it!"
Marc shouted immediately after Valen stopped talking. He stood completely still, not knowing what to do or how to reply to Marc. Once again, the sweat on Valen had appeared out of thin air.
[Marc]: "I realize now that you've changed, greatly. It was uncalled of me to treat you like that. I shouldn't be so quick to judge people."
The air was tense for a few moments. Then, Valen took a step towards Marc. Taking the gift from his hands, he bowed and smiled gently.
[Valen]: "It's okay—really! Thank you, though, Marc!"
Marc's before-tense look quickly shifted into an expression of relief.
[Marc]: "Phew, thank god! I thought you wouldn't forgive me… Oh, wait, can I sit here? I wanna hang out with you guys too!"
[Valen]: "O-Of course! It is your desk after all…"
As the two boys talked, Hiera's soft smile faltered—if only for a moment. In that brief instant, a look of annoyance emerged.
***
[Marc]: "Hey, Valen! Are you doing anything after school?"
Valen turned around to see Marc jogging, his hand up, waving. It was the end of the day, and he was outside the front doors waiting for Hiera.
[Valen]: "Ummm.. I'm not sure. Usually, I hang out with Hiera. Though we always wait around this time to decide, for some reason..."
Marc raised a hand to his chin and then snapped his fingers, a broad grin spreading across his face.
[Marc]: "I can just hang out with you guys, too! Of course, if it's something meant just for the two of you, I understand."
[Valen]: "Oh… No, it's not like that. I honestly wouldn't mind if you joined us…"
Marc nodded and they both began waiting. 5 minutes passed, and Hiera still hadn't come.
[Marc]: "...Does she usually take this long?"
Marc asked, tilting his head towards Valen as he leaned forward.
Valen shook his head from side to side, looking puzzled.
[Valen]: "She usually comes like… less than a minute after I get here. I wonder what's holding her up."
A notification then sounded, and Valen looked at his phone.
[Valen]: "Oh, my grandma's here. Uhh… If she comes after I leave, tell her I had to go."
Marc nodded and smiled softly as he waved.
[Marc]: "See you later, Valen!"
[Valen]: "Oh—see you later too."
As Valen began to trudge his way down the stairs, Marc suddenly called his name.
[Marc]: "Wait—Valen!"
He turned around, staring at Marc, who had his hand up.
[Marc]: "Let's hang out today, okay? Meet me at the park near the school at 6 PM, okay?"
Valen stared at him for a moment before quickly nodding with an awkward smile.
[Veria]: "So, yew dropped the girl for a boy? I'm proud of you, grandson. Love to see you exploring yourself."
[Valen]: "Shut it! He's just a friend, okay? I swear. Gosh, everything's always so weird with you…"
Veria shrugged as she pulled into a parking lot. The sky had turned a cool shade of orange, and a gentle breeze swept through the air.
[Veria]: "Alright, we're here. And just so you know, I will be keeping a close eye on yew two, you got it? You're too naive to be left by yourself."
Valen sighed as he got out of the passenger's seat and turned around.
[Valen]: "He probably invited Hiera, too, so we can all have a big hangout session. Besides, there are plenty of people here, so I don't think he would try to do anything bad."
He pointed at the playground, where several adults were sitting and kids were playing.
[Veria]: "3 people isn't a big hangout…"
Not bothering to finish her sentence, Veria sighed, beginning to get out of the car, and lit a cigarette.
[Veria]: "Just call me if you need anything—alright?"
Valen nodded and began to walk towards the playground.
Truthfully, he knew how foolish this all was. To immediately hang out with someone he had just started talking to a few hours ago, who also happened to hate his guts just days before, was the definition of naive. Still, Valen believed he could benefit from this hangout. In the best-case scenario, he and Marc would become close friends, and that would be his first real friend.
All Valen wanted was to be surrounded by friends who cared deeply for him.
[---]: "Heyo! Valen!"
Marc stood beside the swings area, waving cheerfully.
***
[Marc]: "Yeah, uh, I didn't see her… Sorry."
Valen nodded as he lowered his head. Both of them swung in parallel, one reaching the top while the other dipped down.
[Valen]: "It's okay. I'll just text her later, whenever I can."
Shaking his head quickly, Valen changed the subject.
[Valen]: "So anyway, why did you ask me to come here? You seemed eager to hang out…"
Turning toward Marc, Valen noticed he was looking down at the ground, his mouth slightly open as if he were trying to gather his thoughts.
[Marc]: "I… I wanted to ask you some questions."
Valen's eyes widened at the reply. Looking back down, he nodded.
[Valen]: "What was it that you wanted to ask then?"
A moment of silence passed between them. The sounds of children playing and parents chatting filled the quiet as they continued to swing in parallel.
Taking a deep breath, Marc finally began to speak.
[Marc]: "Me and Hiera used to date. Back in middle school."
Valen's eyes shifted towards Marc, unclear of what he was trying to get at.
[Marc]: "We dated for 3 months. That's a long time, you know? Enough time to get to know someone pretty well."
Another moment of silence. Valen could feel his own heart beating loudly.
[Marc]: "And with the way she's been acting recently…"
Marc turned his head up, looking at the sky.
[Marc]: "This may be a crazy thing to say, but… You see it too, don't you? Hiera—that isn't her."
Everything was quiet—so quiet that Valen felt he could hear his own breathing.
Looking back forward, Valen realized that all of the people who were around before, suddenly vanished. Something began to emerge from the woods, at the very end of the playground.
It was a small creature, paper-white with hollow eyes. Black tears streamed down its cheeks, creating a chilling appearance. It wore a cloak over itself, which was black as well.
Valen's heart dropped at the realization: a demon had come here. He immediately got up and glanced over at Marc, who lay flat on the ground, arms crossed, fast asleep. In an instant, Marc had instantly vanished as well.
[Valen]: "!?!"
Looking back, Valen saw that there were tons more of those small creatures. About 50 of them had emerged from the forest, all staring at him blankly.
[---]: "Haaaah!?! What's this?"
A voice yelled from within the woods, childishly. Springing into view, the mysterious figure landed in a squat position in the middle of the playground. Rising to his feet, he grinned widely.
His hair and skin tone were completely white, his hair being messy and undefined. Black tears streamed down his cheeks, but his eyes were normal, unlike those of the small creatures. His pupils were small, and his grin appeared more playful than threatening. The back of his hair was styled into two messy low pigtails. His oval earrings swayed diligently in the air, his long-pointy ears twitching slightly. Wearing no shirt, he revealed a well-built physique. Though he wore what seemed to be a pair of sweatpants. Two black horns protruded from the top of his head, reinforcing the fact that he was a demon. Just from his presence alone, Valen could immediately tell he was a high-level demon—probably even on par with Hiera. Gulping, Valen began to get into a fighting stance.
[---]: "Woah, woah, woah—Hey! No! I'm not here for that!"
Valen's eyes widened in surprise at those words. The white-haired demon waved his hands frantically, a look of tension on his face.
[---]: "I'm only here to find my sister, though I'm pretty surprised you were able to resist that spell. You must be one of her offspring, correct?"
Valen's eyes widened in surprise at those words. The white-haired demon waved his hands frantically, a look of tension on his face.
'You're telling me… That's Hiera's brother!?'
Valen choked on his spit upon hearing this.
'Thank god he isn't here to fight!'
More importantly…
'One of her "offspring"???'
Valen shook his head.
[Valen]: "I'm one of her servants. I was given her blood, which in turn gave me p-powers."
The demon tilted his head, squinting his eyes, like he was trying to calculate something. He then began to sniff the air, his perky ears twitching. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he started to stretch.
[---]: "SIIISSTTTERRRRR! I CAN SMELL YOU! YOUR SCENT, IT'S THERE! COME OUT AT ONCE!"
The demon shouted, causing a flock of birds to take flight from the forest. Valen stood in utter confusion, watching the scene unfold.
[---]: "Ugh—you're so annoying, you know that, Artrecles?"
Suddenly, a voice emerged from behind Valen. Hiera appeared almost instantly, standing right behind him.
[Hiera]: "Sorry you got caught up in this, Valen. I guess one of my idiotic siblings didn't hear the news."
Artrecles maintained an innocent smile.
[Artrecles]: "What news? I just came down here to check on you! I missed you so much that I had to see you—"
In an instant, he was sent flying into the monkey bars, which vaporized upon impact. Thrown forward by the collision, Artrecles fell face-first into the ground.
[Hiera]: "The news—that Earth is mine and only mine to conquer. I don't want any of you delinquents ruining my plans. I can do everything by myself."
Getting up groggily, Artrecles placed a hand to his forehead, wobbling slightly.
[Artrecles]: "OUCH—okay, that was definitely not nice. You really need to learn manners someday…"
Hiera stood in front of Valen, her hips jutting out and arms crossed. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at Artrecles.
Valen couldn't believe his eyes—all of this enormous strength displayed, yet neither of them looked like they were actually taking it seriously. How could he ever hope to rival this level of strength?
Artrecles gave Hiera a look of melancholy, but it quickly shifted back to his usual childish grin.
[Artrecles]: "Aaah, whatever. I just wanted to see what the hell you were doing down here."
A gust of wind brushed past Valen's face. Startled, he immediately looked over to his side to see Artrecles looming over him, examining.
[Artrecles]: "Hmmm… I see, I see… I don't see… Why'd you choose this kid again?" Artrecles questioned, scratching his chin. "I mean—wouldn't it have been better if you… I dunno… picked an adult? Aren't they stronger?"
Hiera's eye twitched as she instantly appeared beside Valen, grabbing his hand.
[Hiera]: "Stop acting like you know everything about this planet—and don't question my motives. I have reasons for choosing this boy, and he isn't the only one. So stop saying it like that."
[Valen]: "Wait, I'm not the only one?"
Hiera, realizing what she had just revealed, narrowed her eyes as she glanced over at Valen.
[Hiera]: "I'll tell you more about that later, okay?"
Turning back to Artrecles, her gaze turned harsh.
The siblings glared at each other for a few seconds until Artrecles finally let out a sigh.
[Artrecles]: "Fine, fine. I won't ask anymore. In fact, I was already pretty busy. I just happened to make some time for my little sister… But since she wants to be so cruel, I guess I have to go back to my duties."
Sticking out his tongue, he leaped into the air, disappearing into the sky. The hooded creatures from before had also vanished.
In an instant, all the people who had been in the park appeared at once, lying on the ground, all on their backs with their arms crossed.
[Hiera]: "Now to address the boy…"
Valen turned to see Hiera squatting over Marc, her hands wrapped around his neck.
[Valen]: "W—What are you doing!?!" Valen shouted, his eyes wide.
Hiera turned her head to stare at him, her eyes dull.
[Hiera]: "What do you think I'm doing? I'm getting rid of the threat. He knows my secret—if he were to stay alive, problems could arise. I can't let that happen."
Valen clenched his fists, tension filling his eyes.
[Valen]: "What makes you think that's right? There are so many other ways to handle this… but your first thought is to kill him? I thought you were better than this!"
She paused for a moment before standing up and facing Valen fully.
[Hiera]: "Are you suggesting that I could be wrong? In my entire life, I have never once been wrong. I know what I'm doing here, so don't try to get in my way."
Valen, gritting his teeth, stared at Hiera as she gazed intently back at him.
Taking a deep breath, he fixed Hiera with a serious expression.
[Valen]: "'Hiera'… It's time we have a talk."