“Stay on guard, everyone.” It was a very manly voice with an English accent. This one was plain English. Nothing Elvish or whatever. Wait, there were more of them?

The white-haired girl was not alone. Two white men stood beside her. The taller man was probably in his mid-twenties, with short blond hair, hazel eyes, and a handsome face that seemed to be permanently in a bad mood.

The second young man, also the shortest of the group, had hair and eyes so black they absorbed the light. He smiled at Narvari with a wave. All three odd fellows wore the same black and dark green attire closely resembling a military suit. The girl however wore a short pleated skirt instead of a pair of trousers like the men.

Who were these people and how did they suddenly get here? More importantly, how did they kill the shadowy creature? None of Narvari’s guns had worked and yet that explosion had killed it. It must be her gun. Narvari glanced back at the girl’s gun, but it was gone. She was not carrying it anywhere on her either.

Where did it go? She narrowed her eyes.

“Check your xuul,” said the blond English guy, looking at something at his wrist. “The wraith demons weren’t only here. They are everywhere.”

“It’s a good thing they are only first-order,” said the short young man.

“They can still do a lot of damage. Especially if there’s a wraith lord around.” The blond man turned to the other guy. “Yanvirrak, go activate the solar prism. Once you’re done, put up your holy veil over the city, then find survivors and keep them safe. Understood?”

“Of course,” he said. “Solar prism, holy veil, survivors. Got it.”

The young man named Yanvirrak disappeared. No, he ran so fast that it seemed he merely became a blur. It was fast, but Narvari was sure her eyes had caught it. Strange.

But wait, that wasn’t the strangest part. Did this man just say wraith demons? As in demons? But what else could Narvari call those shadowy creatures who devoured the life out of humans?

And if those things were demons, did that make this group of strange-looking people demon hunters? Had she not almost been strangled to death by these same demons, Narvari would have laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. No, this must be a dream. One endless nightmare. She had to wake up now.

“What do we do with her?” said the girl.

When two pairs of eyes fell on Narvari, she knew they were talking about her. Narvari pinched herself on the arm and the shock of the pain jolted her to reality. She clenched her jaws as the throes of reality suffocated her.

This was no dream nor a hallucination. Those creatures had really attacked Sharmandi. They had tried to kill her. Her family…

“Anana.” She crawled towards her grandmother but then halted when she saw Jimbaga’s pale sickly body lying about like a rag-doll. Narvari scrambled to her feet towards her best friend.

“No. No. Jimbaga.” She gathered her best friend into her arms, holding him tightly in her embrace. “Jimbaga, wake up. Please.” But he was as still as a statue and as cold as ice.

Her eyes and throat burned. It was too late. There was nothing she could do for him. She had failed her friend. She had failed everyone. But her grandmother was fine. She could help Anana.

Narvari gently lay Jimbaga down and ran to her grandmother. Although Anana was a little pale, the little color on her face said that she hadn’t been completely sucked dry by one of those things. That gave Narvari a little hope. Anana was fine.

“Anana,” she called out. She gently tugged her grandmother on the arm. “Anana.”

The old woman did not stir. All she needed was medical care. She was fine. Her grandmother had spoken to her not long ago. She was fine.

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Narvari turned her attention to the two strangers who just stared at her in silence. “You have to help my grandmother, please. She needs help.”

They did not budge. The girl looked at her with compassion while the young man seemed very bored by the whole thing. What was wrong with them?

Narvari yelled, “Why are you just standing there?” She held on to her grandmother. She knew deep within her she was lying to herself. Her grandmother didn’t need medical help. She was gone, forever, just like Jimbaga. “Please come back,” she whispered. “Please.”

Clasping the lifeless body of her grandmother in her arms, her entire body trembled in rage and pain and a thousand more emotions she could not fathom. She shut her eyes, her jaws tightly clenched. Behind her shut eyes, Narvari sensed the presence of light.

She tried to open her eyes but she quickly shut them again when the blinding light stabbed her eyes. When she was sure her eyes had adjusted to the light, she opened them. The strangers were still in her house.

She cared not who they were nor where they had come from. All she cared about was staying right here with her family. The family she no longer had.

“Yanvirrak activated the solar prism,” the girl said. “The town should be safe, right?”

“No. There’s still danger.”

“Oh, right. The wraith lord isn’t affected by sunlight.” The girl peered at something on her wrist. “This is odd. I can’t sense anything on my xuul. Is it possible there’s no wraith lord?”

“I highly doubt it. ” said the man. “Let’s go, Pheera. The whole city is in danger unless we vanquish the wraith lord.”

“But what about her?” The girl pointed to Narvari. “We can’t just leave her while there’s still a third-order demon lurking around. Why don’t we get her to safety first.”

The man’s nonchalant expression didn’t change. “You,” he said, nodding at Narvari. “Come with us.”

“No.” Narvari narrowed her eyes. Who the hell were these lunatics? After spouting some nonsense about demons and a whole lot of insane words they expected her to just follow them? “I’m not leaving my grandmother behind.”

“Your grandmother is dead.”

Narvari clenched her jaws as the words hit her like a truck.

“Come on, Azmel. You can’t just say that.” Horror clouded Pheera’s blue eyes.

“Why not,” said Azmel. “It’s the truth. And she needs to know that it’s pointless staying behind for the dead if she’s to stay alive.”

Pheera gave Narvari a sympathetic look, and somehow that even infuriated Narvari more. She wasn’t helpless.

She just wanted to be left alone so she could mourn her grandmother in peace. If there was a so-called third-order demon around, whatever the hell that meant, she didn’t care.

She had just lost her grandmother and one of her best friends. Her other best friend was fighting for his life. The mother of her best friend was dead. More people might be dead. She couldn’t care less what happened to her.

“Look, just leave me alone.” Narvari gazed somberly at nothing in particular.

Silence ensued for a while. Finally, Azmel said, “Let’s go, Pheera.”

Pheera looked between Narvari and Azmel as though she was unsure of what to do. She did not move.

“Wait, Azmel.”

“There are others who actually need our help.”

“Yes. So does she.” Pheera gazed at Narvari. “Although she doesn’t know that yet. Let me try and talk to her, okay?”

“What if she doesn’t listen?”

“I…” Uncertainty filled Pheera’s eyes. “She could get killed if I don’t do something.”

A flicker of worry appeared on Azmel’s stoic face. “Pheera, are you sure about this?”

Pheera smiled. It was not as bright as her previous smiles. “Hopefully she’ll just listen to me.”

Azmel sighed. “Fine. Be quick about it.”

Pheera nodded.

Narvari frowned as the girl confidently strode towards her. Did this girl think she could make her do anything she didn’t want to do? What was she planning to do anyway?

Narvari’s chest pounded faster the closer Pheera got. Was she even real? How could a person be so painfully beautiful? Just look at that rich ebony skin. So flawless. Those eyes. Sharp and brilliant as sapphire. And those lips…

What the hell is wrong with you? Narvari chastised herself. She just lost her family and here she was ogling some girl as though she had just dropped out of the sky. With that face, maybe she had indeed dropped out of the sky.

Narvari’s breathing hastened as Pheera knelt before her. Their faces were only a few inches away. Did this girl understand the concept of boundaries?

“What are you doing?” Narvari finally found her raspy voice.

“Please come with us,” she said. “It’s not safe to be here.”

“I don’t care. Listen to your friend and leave me alone.”

Pheera bit her lips in silence. It seemed she was wrestling with something inside her mind.

“What are you doing?” Narvari asked when Pheera took her hand. She wanted to pull her hand away but she was transfixed by the way this girl intensely gazed at her.

She still managed to string out some words, while avoiding Pheera’s eyes. “I’m not coming with you.”

“I’m not leaving you here alone either.”

“What is your problem?”

“I’m really sorry about this.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Just leave me alone.”

“It’s okay,” Pheera whispered. “You’re just tired. You can sleep now.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Narvari yawned.

As she wondered what nonsense the girl was talking about, extreme exhaustion suddenly overtook her body. Her eyes became heavier. Why was she tired and sleepy so suddenly?

You’re just tired. You can sleep now. Narvari gaped, recalling Pheera’s words.

“You,” Narvari whispered. She fell into Pheera’s embrace as fatigue arrested her limbs. “What did you do — ” Narvari would never know what her own last words were as she succumbed to slumber.