Chapter 2: 1 [a second chance]

I had barely unsheathed my sword when she lunged towards me. Our blades clashed in a shower of amber sparks. A brutal shockwave ripped through the air, sending clouds of dust and debris into the air. Grunting from the sheer impact, I kicked off the crater that had formed along the alure and leaped backwards. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My heart rammed into my chest, its frenzied thumps matching the frantic tolls of the city bells. 

That was close, too close. 

As expected of the Demon Lord, she was strong—far stronger than any of her generals and underlings. The slender blade of my sword was no match for her heavy scythe too. Without any support or magic, continuing this fight was nothing more than suicidal. 

Wonderful, my enemy remarked, twirling her scythe with a flourish. This is the first time a human has managed to block my attack without a scratch. 

Against my better judgement, I felt my lips stretch into a reckless grin. Since I had managed to impress the Demon Lord, it wouldn’t be appropriate to back out now, would it? 

Her deep aquamarine eyes lit up with anticipation. Shall we dance, my hero? 

The scythe in her hand spun faster and faster until it became a blur of black. I tensed and raised my sword, ready to block her blow and strike the core within her body. 

But her attack never came. Instead, she leaped over the parapet and swung her scythe through the bastille wall—as if she was cutting through butter. 

The floor suddenly gave way under me before I could even register what had happened. Sucking in an alarmed breath, I sprinted off the collapsing bastille and onto a nearby rooftop, hopping between falling pieces of debris to cushion my fall. 

Moments later, the smell of burnt flesh hit my nose. Smoke and ash choked the acrid air. Terrified cries for help pierced my eardrums. Rolling to my feet, I stared in stunned silence at the line of destruction the Demon Lord had carved straight across the city in one slash. 

Don’t get too distracted when your life is on the line.

My blood froze. She had somehow evaded my keen senses, and only now when she spoke did my mind detect her presence from behind. Acting on pure instinct, I dodged her deadly lunge and swiftly drew my sword in a wide arc around me. Another shockwave exploded outwards as my blade connected with the curved chine of her scythe. I barely had any time to recover before she moved in for another low attack. Our blades clashed ferociously, sparks flew, and the deafening sound of steel on steel trembled the earth. 

Good. Very good. 

Bloodlust burned hot in her wild eyes as my sword deflected her attack. In one swift and graceful motion, she kicked her scythe up into the air, caught it in her hand and twirled it loftily around her.

Keep up with my dance, will you?

In an instant, her scythe became a flowing, unending blur, swinging and slicing towards me with abandon. It took all of my strength just to maintain my grip on my sword as I desperately parried her brutal ceaseless blows. The momentum inevitably forced me backwards, and I felt my heart lodge in my throat when my feet nearly slipped off the roof. 

She didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the momentary lapse in my concentration. I didn’t have enough time to regain my balance and deflect her strike before her blade smashed into mine.

An ear-splitting metallic clang rang out. 

I let out a suppressed gasp as my blade shattered, sending shards of metal flying in all directions. My hand lost its strength in an instant. The fractured sword clattered loudly on the roof tiles before falling to the ground below. 

I knew, even without looking down at the metal fragment that had pierced through my armour and straight into my left shoulder, that it was over. I had lost. And unlike the fairytales, there wasn’t going to be a happy ending for me, or for Eltshion. 

The last of the sun’s rays shone on the capital, bathing us and the surrounding destruction in an ethereal aureate glow. The warning bells had fallen silent sometime during our battle. In the midst of the smoke and fires ravaging the streets, the demons had already begun their unstoppable onslaught. By the next break of dawn, the Republic would cease to exist, and the demons would finally dominate Eltshion in its entirety. 

Is that really such a bad thing to happen? 

I wheezed at her bad joke, but when I turned to face her, she met my gaze with an unexpectedly concerned expression that made me pause. 

In the end, I averted my eyes and didn’t give an answer. The future of Eltshion scarcely mattered when I was about to meet my end. Breathing a tired sigh, I eased off my tight helmet and shook my sweat-slick hair loose.  

Y-you are a girl?! 

I suppose even the Demon Lord would be taken aback by such a revelation. The prophecy had always hinted to the Hero of Eltshion being a male, after all. Even I myself was caught off guard when it was revealed that I harboured the Hero’s spirit within my body. 

I wonder sometimes if the Hero decided to possess a girl simply because he is a pervert. 

What is your birth name, Hero? 

Blinking slowly, I shot her a questioning look. What does a demon, let alone the Demon Lord, want to do with a human’s name? 

Don’t get me wrong, alright? She huffed. I told you my name, so it’s only fair for you to tell me yours. 

I least expected a demon to talk about fairness with a human. Stifling a painful chuckle, I said my name inside my head. 

S…Stefania? 

I weakly nodded my head. Stefania, meaning ‘the crown jewel’ in my native tongue. A name hardly befitting of a failed Hero.  

I think it is a beautiful name. Truly. 

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A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Then, a wave of nausea slammed into me, causing my vision to swim and my knees to buckle under me. I was dizzy and breathless all of a sudden. 

If only you had been born a demon instead of a human. There was a tinge of sorrow underlying her voice as she spoke softly. 

I was too cold and exhausted to even meet her gaze. Blood pooled on the tiles around my feet, glinting scarlet in the waning sun. Closing my eyes, I thought of my childhood home and my parents. The quaint hamlet where we lived our serene days peacefully, waiting for the seasons to change to harvest our fields. The magical forest beyond the fields, where I played with wild faeries until the sun set. 

Then, I thought of the day the Elders came to our hamlet and took me away to the capital. The day I was proclaimed to be the Hero who would save Eltshion from the demons. The day when I first met my companions. Our long and intensive training and sparring sessions. The hot meals and joyful laughter that we shared over the common table. 

Then came our first encounter with the demon army. The sinking realisation that they were practically invincible against our magical and physical attacks. The gruesome deaths of two unfortunate comrades, whose bodies we were never able to recover. The heavy silence that hung over us as we frantically fled the battle. It was impossible to defeat the demonkind with our current strength, yet the Elders refused to give us the additional support we desperately needed. We already have the Hero, they countered, we should let her prove her worthiness to Eltshion. 

Just thinking about that tone-deaf reply makes my blood boil. 

Ah…in the end, none of that really mattered. I give up. I am tired of being the Hero. One lifetime is more than enough. If reincarnation truly exists…please, let me reincarnate as a normal, ordinary human being in my next life. Even better, please let me reincarnate in a world without magic. I don’t want to deal with another Eltshion anymore. 

In my delirious haze, I felt an arm wrap around my waist. Fingers gently interlocking with mine. A tender warmth pressed against my lips, as soft and velvety as the first snow of winter. 

A...am I dreaming? 

I surrendered to the warmth flowing through me, to the gentle embrace holding me close. 

Hands caressed my neck slowly, fondling my hair, coming up between my legs to stroke my most intimate parts. A jolt of sensation exploded inside me, a wonderfully sweet pleasure that enveloped my body like a fluffy cloud, easing my pain and filling me with a blissful peace.

Please don’t stop…please don’t wake up…

Her voice echoed faintly in my head one last time as I drifted into a pleasant unconsciousness. 

May we meet again in another life, Stefania.

I wonder about that…

Perhaps in another life…me and you…would be the best of friends instead of mortal enemies…

I hope…we can meet…again…too…Lukterasia…

Suddenly, a dazzling white light pierced my vision. I instinctively cried and squeezed my eyes shut, thrashing in vain against the hands holding me firmly.

“Time of birth is 12.00 AM,” an emotional voice declared. “Congratulations on having a healthy baby boy, Ms. Ruan.” 

I cautiously cracked open my heavy and wet eyelids. A lamp was shining directly above me, forcing me to squint until my vision adjusted to the brightness. In a corner, I spied a black-haired woman lying supine on a bloodied bed, her chest heaving in and out with intense gasps. 

Before I could make sense of my new surroundings, a sweat-slick face wearing a blue mask suddenly appeared in front of me. I yelped in fright and tried to claw my way out of the monster’s grip. 

“It’s alright, it’s alright now. You caused your mum a lot of trouble, didn’t you?” the voice spoke again, this time in a gentle whisper. “Happy New Year, little guy.” 

…huh? 

I see, I must’ve reincarnated after my death. This is the start of my new life. 

Wait.

‘Little guy’? Me? 

N-no way, you have to be kidding me. Itʼs probably just what babies are generally called, right? 

…oh, that’s my father coming into the room. Then, this woman must be Mum. 

Birth certificate? I’ve never heard of such a thing before…hmm, looks like I can understand the words written on it. 

‘Avery Ruan Ji Xing’? I suppose that’s my name. And let’s see…born on 1 January 2000, 0000H. Place of birth is ‘Republic of Singapore’, uh-huh…and gender…‘M’?

Male? 

‘M’ means male, right??

W-which bastard changed my gender?! 

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