Chapter 49: Chapter 49

“Wren, can we go faster?” My father spoke, a tense urgency in his voice.

I nodded, pushing the two stallions into overdrive. They would burn through their energy faster, but right now was not the time to worry about that.

We barreled down the bumpy road at full speed. The wheels of the wagon even left the ground a few times, nearly tipping over. The supplies we stored inside were scattered to the floor. Mordere and Mitis neighed loudly as they charged forward without concern.

I connected with Sylvie soaring overhead. Through her eyes, I could see more of the village. Fire had spread to nearly half the village. I could spot people running, not towards the fire, but away from it. They were scattering in every direction. Screams of terror pierced echoed through the hills, reaching all the way to our wagon.

From Sylvie’s vantage point I could see one of the houses explode in a shower of flames. An enormous creature burst through the flaming walls, grabbing one of the fleeing citizens. The creature was a long as four stallions stuck together, and had just as many legs. Its long body was covered in a sickly-looking reddish-yellow slime that scattered everywhere as it moved. A long, twisted neck stretched nearly as long as the body, topped with a head that almost looked human. almost…

The face looked like a loose flap of skin, stretched over a massive mouth. Eight dagger-like teeth stuck out in random directions. The nose was flattened, with two huge nostril holes that seemed out of place on the small face.

The creature moved with a jerky, twitching motion as its twelve legs skittered across the ground. two glowing red eyes rapidly shifted their gaze, searching for more prey.

“It is a Demonkin attack,” I explained, “An insect variant, large but slow. I am guessing an epsilon class threat. Be careful of toxic substances, and try to attack from a distance if you can.

“Epsilon?” My father asked.

I paused. I had forgotten for a moment that my family were not soldiers of the Thirteen Divisions. Old habits came flooding back at the moment of crisis. “I can explain the divisions’ danger ranking system later. It should be stronger than the Demonkin you fought back in the capital’s church. I cannot be sure how much stronger though. Nobody is putting up much of a fight.”

“Demonkin?” Donte asked, clenching his fists. “Is it how my mum was?”

I nodded, knowing this was a delicate subject for him. “Yes, but I do not think this one is newly born. It is too powerful for that.”

Donte grew quiet as he looked towards the town that was quickly coming into view. The flames had spread, but there were no screams anymore. Everyone had already escaped, was in hiding, or already dead. We were too late to save anyone.

“Here, you are going to need this.” My father said, handing the smaller of his two blades to Donte. “Protect yourself. Do not charge in. A Demonkin is too dangerous for you right now. Let us do the fighting. Stay at a distance, and only engage if you have no other choice.”

Donte nodded, gripping the blade tightly. his eyes narrowed, and he clenched his jaw. His whole body was tense as he mentally prepared himself.

Our wagon rocketed into the town square at full speed. My father did not wait for us to come to a stop. He leapt from the still moving wagon into a roll and sprung to his feet with his blade drawn. It was all done in such a fluid motion that I wondered if it was something he had practiced.

The creature twisted its long neck to look at the new arrival. An unnerving grin stretched across its face as a long tongue curled around one of its crooked teeth.

“Well, aren’t you an ugly one?” My father said with a smile as he lowered his stance. His knees bent, weight resting on the forefoot. He was ready to leap and dodge any attack the creature threw at him.

“T- that is a Demonkin?” Donte shouted, “It does not look anything like what happened to my mum.”

After the carriage came to a stop, my mother hopped down. With a crackle of lightning, she appeared next to my father. Her blade was drawn and they were ready for a fight.

Charly readied his crossbow from the top of the wagon. I could see his hands shaking again, as he aimed the crossbow towards the creature. Donte drew his new blade, and I drew my dagger. I connected my mind with Nox, ready to command him at a moment’s notice.

There was a single tense moment where everything was perfectly still. The Demonkin watched us with a gaze full of hunger and rage, but it did not move. Slime poured from its body, pooling on the ground around it.

The smoke from the nearby fire burned my lungs. The was a crack as one of the burning logs on a nearby house gave way. It clattered to the ground. As if that was the signal, both the Demonkin and my parents moved simultaneously.

The creature's long neck stretched out to nearly double its body length. It snapped like a whip as the mouth full of crooked teeth opened wide. The rapid movement of the creature sent slime flying in all directions.

My father leapt to the side, barely dodging the sudden attack. My mother struck out, aiming for the exposed neck. Faster than she could strike, the Demonkin reacted. With a sickening popping sound, a small portion of the neck twisted into a u shape. Her target moving in such an unnatural manner, my mother’s blade only stuck air.

Charly fired his crossbow. The red bolt flew forward, but because of his shaking hands, it flew wide. The bolt completely missed the creature. Instead, it slammed into the ground nearby. the explosion broke rock and stone.

The Demonkin jumped away from the explosion in surprise. It retracted its long neck and sprayed more slime around itself.

Some of the scattered slime landed on the flames left behind by Charly’s explosion. With a flash of unnaturally bright red flames, the slimy substance caught fire. The flames spread, jumping from one patch of slime to another. Within moments, the entire town square was on fire.

The fire spread to the Demonkin as well. It was engulfed in a massive column of fire, but it was unaffected by the flames. If anything, the creature seemed to be enjoying its time immersed in fire. It even let out a guttural cry of joy.

My mother and father leapt back, avoiding the nearby patches of slime that caught fire. Luckily, neither of them had gotten any of the stuff on them yet. The two looked at each other and nodded.

Moving forwards, my mother came to a stop at the edge of the flames. she hit a stone on the ground lightly, creating a ringing sound from her blade. Her actions drew the Demonkin’s attention. Never taking her eyes off the creature, my mother began to circle around to the far side of the pillar flame.

Taking advantage of the creature’s distraction, my father quickly moved further away from the wagon. Despite the danger, he closed his eyes. The bracelet on his arm began to glow with a soft purple light.

Meanwhile, the Demonkin had begun to move. Its long neck stretched out as it stuck at my mother. A shower of flames scattered in every direction. There was a flash of electricity and my mother reappeared well outside the danger zone of the flames.

My mother tapped her blade on the ground a few more times, taunting the creature. The Demonkin let out a furious roar as it charged my mother, scattering flames with every step.

It was moved unnaturally fast for a creature that size, but it could not keep up with my mother’s innate talent. Every time it was in range for an attack my mother would flash away. She kept her distance, never engaging or striking back.

Thanks to her distraction, my father was able to focus in peace. The blue light grew brighter, but also more unstable. It flickered with varying intensity, from bright to dim then back to bright. While only a few seconds had passed, each moment seemed to drag on for an eternity.

Finally, the blue light stabilized. My father opened his eyes and pointed his sword towards the Demonkin.

There was a moment of silence as the world grew cold. It was cold enough that I could see my own breath, causing goosebumps on my skin.

The Demonkin also noticed the sudden change. It turned to look at my father, letting out an angry roar. It moved to charge, but it was too late.

Floating above my father were a dozen massive spikes of ice. Each one was easily the size of a full-grown man. When my father pointed his blade at the Demonkin, the spikes rocketed forward. In the blink of an eye, the spikes crossed the distance between the two of them, tearing through the roaring flames that could do nothing to hinder their approach.

There was a wet squelching sound as the giant icicles pierced the creature’s thick hide. Torrential amounts of foul-smelling slime burst from the wounds. The Demonkin’s body began to deflate, and the pouring slime ignited in an explosion of flame that nearly knocked my parents off their feet.

The Demonkin writhed on the ground, screeching with a sound that could make your ears bleed. Now that its body had been deflated, loose, flabby skin hung from its lower torso. Its strange long neck made it look like a snake that was trying to shed its skin.

My father did not give the Demonkin time to recover. He immediately focused on the bracelet, causing it to light up once again. The monster was not dead yet, and he had enough experience to realize that it would attack at any moment. Without the ability to get close to the raging fire my mother would not be able to distract it this time. It would be out for revenge.

Sure enough, the writhing came to a stop and the Demonkin roared at my father. It dashed forward in a blur of movement. It was even faster now than it was before as it bolted towards my father.

Unable to focus long enough to create a big attack, my father settled on a row of sharp icicles that struck up from the ground. The icicles were not strong enough to seriously harm the Demonkin, but they did slow it down. The icicles surrounded the creature’s neck, stopping its movement for a single moment.

In its rush to attack my father, the Demonkin had left the safety of its flames. This was an opportunity my mother would not miss. With a flash, she appeared next to the pinned monster, striking at the exposed flesh. Her sword left a deep gash on its neck. Blood splattered onto the ground as the Demonkin reared back with a pained cry.

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Watching the fight with a proud smile, I elbowed Charly. “When I say, fire another shot. Try not to miss this time.”

Charly nodded as he clutched his crossbow tight. After seeing the Demonkin injured, his hands were not shaking as badly now. I was confident he would be able to finish off the creature with ease.

I watched my parents’ movements closely. My mother dashed again, leaving another deep gash, but it did nothing to hinder the Demonkin’s strength. It was not time yet.

The Demonkin roared again, loud enough to make my ears hurt. This time, however, there was another sound that answered the bellow. A second roar echoed from the distant woods, almost an echo of the first. My parents froze, and even the Demonkin stopped to look into the distance.

“Now!” I shouted at Charly.

Charly had been just as distracted by the second roar as everyone else, but my shout brought him back to the moment. He pulled the trigger on his crossbow, and the red bolt flew true. It slammed into the side of the Demonkin’s long neck, piercing deep into its flesh before exploding. The creature was blasted into two parts. Distracted by its distant partner, it never even saw the bolt coming.

The body of the Demonkin writhed on the ground for a moment before growing still. It was only after the red faded from its eyes that my father let out a deep breath.

“There is one more in the woods. Everyone gets ready!” he shouted, turning towards the source of the distant roar.

I hopped down from the wagon and motioned to Nox. The small cat was lying on the ground, half-asleep despite all the chaos. Reluctant to move at first, it trotted over to me, and affectionately rubbed its head against my leg.

“Leave this one to me,” I spoke, stretching my stiff muscles, “Look for survivors if there are any.”

My father nodded affirmatively, but my mother started to protest. “Wren, you can’t-“

“You used your flash step twenty-seven times during that last fight,” I said, cutting off my mother, “How many more times can you use it.”

“Eight,” She replied with a grimace.

I nodded. The number was slightly higher than I expected, but not by much. Another fight when they were already worn out would not teach them anything.

“Do not worry mom. I can handle a single Demonkin.”

I did not wait for a reply as I separated myself from the group, walking in the direction the roar had come from. I only came to a stop once I knew I was out of my family’s sight. I did not want them to see me fighting, to see my brutal side.

Through Sylvie’s eyes, I could see the trees shaking as something massive moved through the forest at a high speed. Another roar rang out, followed by a second higher pitched one when there was no reply from Demonkin we had slain.

The ground began to rumble as the creature drew closer. I patted Nox’s head and waited patiently. The buildings burned around me, bathing the world in an amber glow.

With a final roar, the Demonkin burst from the underbrush and into the light. It looked like a giant lizard, nearly as big as a house. Its scaly skin shimmered, fluctuating colors as it moved. Bloody sinew hung from its open maw. Bright red eyes stared at me with a fiery rage.

My eyes narrowed as I saw the gore hanging from its mouth. Fury welled up within me, and my flames responded in kind.

Despite my rage, a simple smile was painted on my face. I spoke at the Demonkin with an ice-cold tone. “I have wanted to try this for a while now. Let’s see how it goes.”

The Demonkin roared in response and charged towards me. Ignoring it completely, I reached down to Nox, lightly placing my hand on the collar of green fur around its neck.

I could feel the raw power in that collar. Flames from an era long ago. Flames that were far stronger than anything I could create now.

I could hear Nox whimper as I grabbed hold of those flames. Through the collar, they flowed into me, filling me with more power than I had felt in a long time. At that moment, there was a rush of euphoria better than any drug.

I laughed, overwhelmed by pure joy. For the first time, I truly felt like Aurielle Aevus, the calamity reborn. Flames danced across my body as I stared down the charging Demonkin. Despite its large size, it was nothing more than an insect in my eyes. It could be crushed in an instant.

The fire raging in the nearby houses turned green as I faced the Demonkin with a grin. Two wings of pure flame appeared on my back, as the flames in my hand took the form of a long, thin sword.

The charging Demonkin came to a skittering stop. Unadulterated fear filled its gaze as the world around it was filled with flame. The Demonkin to an unsteady step backwards. Its body shivered uncontrollably.

“It is too late to run away,” I said with a mocking smirk. I took a step forward as both my feet lifted off the ground. I floated, unrestrained by the laws of gravity. I flew up until I stood above the creature, looking down at it. I pointed my sword towards it, causing it to take another step back in pure terror.

With a single thought from me, a wall of flames rose up behind the Demonkin. Unable to retreat further, the Demonkin roared loudly. It opened its maw wide, and a torrent of orange flames poured out of its mouth.

The flames streamed towards me, raising the surrounding temperature to a searing level. Unfortunately for the Demonkin though, the orange flames came to a sudden stop when they reached the blade of green in my hand.

Like a spreading infection, the Demonkin’s orange flames began to turn green. My own flames easily overwhelmed his. They followed the path back towards the monster’s mouth, and within seconds they burned inside its body. With a single wave of my sword, the flames roared brightly and the Demonkin’s life was extinguished. The red faded from its eyes as its massive body collapsed to the ground.

I floated back to the ground, reveling in how it felt to have power again. I laughed hysterically, as green flames danced around me with a single thought.

 'Hurry and give it back, or Nox will die.'

I frowned, my joy disappearing. I looked down at the kitten. He had collapsed from the lack of energy and now lay weakly on the pavement. “Nox is already dead. What difference does it make?”

 'Are a few extra minutes really worth his life?'

I sighed, knowing it was the right thing to do. I could not maintain this state for long anyway. My body could not handle it.

I reached down, petting Nox lightly. The green flames flowed out of me and back into him. The world returned to normal as my power faded. The dancing flames around me vanished, followed by the blade I created. The last to vanish were the two radiantly burning wings, reluctant to die even without energy to support them.

With his energy back, Nox hopped to his feet before biting my foot. I could feel his little, sharp teeth, even through my leather shoe.

I smiled at his antics as a wave of exhaustion washed over me. Every muscle in my body started to cramp simultaneously. It was all I could do not to scream in agony as I collapsed to the ground. I hissed as I took a deep, ragged breath and curled into a ball.

The pain seemed to last forever, but I knew only a few moments had passed. I could do nothing but wait till the pain faded. I kept trying to heal my body with what little flames I had left, but that was never a fast process. Worn muscles and minor bruises were easy, but injuries like this would take time to heal.

I should never have tried doing something like that without my Chronicle.

Time passed, and though the pain was still there, I was able to force myself to my feet. It was good enough that nobody would ask questions. There were no visible injuries at least. I was ready to rejoin my family, and maybe sleep for a year or two.

Still somewhat unsteady I turned, only to see Donte standing behind me. His eyes were wide and he looked as if he had never seen me before.

“Wh- what was that?”

 

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