"Should we really rush over there?" Emil said while slightly out of breath. "You heard what she said. That thing decimated a whole tribe, you know?"

The leaves rustled in the wind, breaking the heavy silence in the air as the party made their way toward the forest's depths. Tension ran high since the group had heard the tale of Mina's escape.

"You are welcome to leave. No one is forcing you on this path," Felix replied, holding the young demon in his arms.

Ever since they left camp, Mina clung to his neck, trembling with each step Felix took toward the origin of her fear. She gritted her teeth and endured the agony fuelled by the flames brewing in her heart. Felix promised to slay the beast if she guided them to the essence spring. She did not know whether the young man was strong enough to keep his word, but she knew she was no match for that devil. If the worst ever came to pass, she would at least be laid to rest within her hometown, buried within familiar soil. She couldn't bear to flee any longer, knowing that regret would gnaw at her heart for the rest of her days.

“Why must you go there?” Sofia asked, sweat pearling on her forehead from the arduous trek within the untouched wilderness.

"I don't believe in coincidences but in causality. Everything happens for a reason, so why bother avoiding it," he said bluntly.

Sofia reflected on his answer, unable to find the meaning deep within. After a moment, she sighed. Trying to make sense of this man's motivations was an exercise in futility. Feelings of dread crept over her the further they ventured into the woods. The feeling was too vague to be put into words, something unnerving, unnatural. As if knowing her state of mind, Felix cleared her doubts.

"It's the silence," he said. "We already know all the animals fled, but now even the insects vanished. Except for the plants around us, not a trace of life remains. Even those can hardly be called living."

Felix unsheathed a dagger before throwing it toward a nearby tree. The small blade plunged into the trunk up to its hilt, meeting no resistance. The trio were left stumped, unable to understand his actions. Felix halted his steps and waited. Seconds later, the dagger fell into the soft ground while only its hilt remained. The blade vanished inside the tree, replaced by a black fluid slowly dripping from the open wound. Mina trembled even more at the sight of this most hateful substance. She would never forget. Felix resumed his march. Any more words were unnecessary; they were already within their target's territory.

Countless branches barred their way as they approached the spring. No path was laid out as blood demons required none since they saw no reason to leave their homes. Felix would carve a path for himself, cutting the impeding growths using his black sword. Black ooze flowed from the trees’ missing limbs, coating the blade in its corrosion, yet it slid off with no resistance, leaving the edge as pristine as it ever was.

Mina shuddered at the thought of what the substance would do if it touched her skin. Despite her fears, she looked ahead with an unflinching gaze, trying to identify the path they must travel to reach home. With the advent of the black ooze, the forest had shifted substantially, making Mina unable to recognize the familiar landmarks. She used the sun in the sky and the currents of the world’s essence to roughly estimate the path. The group travelled silently, knowing that each passing moment brought them closer to that unfathomable devil.

Sofia wondered why she chose to follow that man. Pursuing that devil was reckless as if Felix was seeking his own death, and she would follow him straight into hell. She started to regret her decision and wondered if it wasn't too late to turn back. Behind her was another enigma. What did Emil have to gain by following them? Why did Felix allow him to follow them when he was so wary of him at first? Questions without answers accumulated within her mind, but she failed to put them into words, afraid that the truth would be too much for her to bear.

In her indecision, she looked back. The sight sent a chill down her back, and she gasped. Surprised, Emil scrutinized her expression before following her gaze. His expression turned grim. The path Felix opened was now gone, replaced by a net of branches intertwined into an impenetrable wall.

“Felix!” Sofia exclaimed, frightened.

Felix's step didn't falter. He trudged onward, unconcerned of the scene unfolding behind his back. His sword slid along, severing the branches that blocked his path to the sound of a monotonous rhythm.

"I know," he said when he felt the duo lagging. "No retreat ever existed for us. The only way is forward."

"When did you realize?" Emil asked.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"From the start," he replied indifferently. "Ever since Mina stumbled onto us, our fate was sealed. The only way out is to slay this devil."

Sofia frowned at the revelation. She had wondered how such a small child could stumble onto them in this massive forest. Better yet, how could she evade that devil's capture for so long? When she thought of it as a trap, then it all made sense.

Mina shuddered. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes. She buried her head into Felix's shoulder, muttering "I'm sorry" incessantly beside his ear. Felix finally halted his step while a sad smile showed on his lips. He patted the young demon's head after resheathing his blade.

“Don't be," he said, comforting the young girl. "I sought devils for a long time. I am glad you gave me the opportunity. You do not need to apologize for something you had no knowledge of."

A huge weight lifted from her heart. Maybe this man could pull her out of this nightmare. Her grip tightened around his collar, seeking to draw his warmth closer to her heart. After a small moment, Felix resumed his pace. Mina looked forward with a firm gaze, unflinching. She would break free from this nightmare.

The group ascended to the top of a small hill in tense silence, nervously looking around in case of ambush. Once they reached its apex, Sofia gasped at the sight. Down below, in a small natural valley, was a sight estranged from any known civilization. Sofia pinched her cheek, refusing to believe the beauty before her eyes. The ocean of emerald and bronze they traversed for nearly an entire day finally gave way to an oasis of crimson.

Thin rays of light peaked between the dense canopy of greenery before scattering upon crystalline pillars erected upon a scarlet lake. The light bounced and reflected upon their mirror sheen, illuminating this small, untamed nest. Sofia felt the urge to gag as an overpowering metallic scent of iron reached her nose. In contrast to its serene splendour, this picturesque utopia was filled with blood and death.

Within the countless pillars scattered upon the lake's surface stood a corpse each, motionless as if estranged from time. Mina tugged on Felix's sleeve before leaving his embrace. She knelt on the ground, extending her arm forward. A small bead of blood pooled in the palm of her hand. The red liquid spun at high speed, forming a perfect sphere before Mina closed her grip, crushing the vortex. The red liquid flowed from her palm before falling to the ground, seeping into the fresh soil.

Sofia watched, unable to understand. Yet, the scene evoked strange feelings in her heart. She looked to her side and saw that Emil was just as lost as she was. Only Felix showed a gentle smile.

Further in the lake's depths was a crystal dome nestled between pillars. On its surface, ebony and crimson battle for dominance. The colours shifted rapidly, creating a dark red vortex while small cracks spread and healed in quick succession.

“Sad, yet breathtaking," Felix mumbled under his breath before descending into the valley. The group hesitated for a moment before following in his steps. Felix stopped before a colossal pillar and pressed a hand on its surface. Warmth seeped into his palm; he could feel the pillar pulsating at regular intervals. He examined the body hidden within its depth. A beautiful woman, not unlike Mina, stood within its centre. Her once alabaster hair was now tinted red from the crystalline structure, her dark skin tone contrasting her bloody prison.

He retracted his hand and sighed before continuing his journey toward the dome, passing countless other pillars containing bodies with similar features. Once at the base, Felix noticed the black corruption slowly seeping out of its crystalline prison, pooling on the ground. The group stood before the dome, apprehension growing in their hearts, the silence growing heavier with each passing moment. Emil was the first to break it.

“What’s the plan?” he said. “I sure hope we didn’t come all this way without one.”

Felix pressed his hand on the dome, feeling the faint energy fluctuations within. Sofia tried to do the same, but Felix grabbed her hand inches away from its surface, preventing her from making contact.

“The plan is for me to deal with it,” he said gravely. “None of you can withstand its corruption.”

“Oh,” Emil replied, frowning. “And why can you, pray tell?”

“You should retreat to the edge of the blood pool, lest you be caught in our battle,” he said, ignoring his outburst.

Sofia reluctantly returned to the small hill, knowing she would be nothing but a burden in the incoming battle. Emil scoffed and followed her, leaving Felix and the young demon behind.

"Can you win?" she asked timidly.

“I won’t lose,” he said, smiling.

Once she was out of reach, Felix's hand grew black scales. Long, sharp nails bore into the crystal surface, breaking glass-like shards that tumbled to the ground. The struggle within intensified as his hand plunged deeper into the dome. The vortex concentrated around his hand. Countless large fissures spread over the dome's surface, originating from his hand. Dark blood spilled from the orifices, mending the barrier restricting the fiend. Dark corruption crept over his black hand as an intense heat assaulted him, desperately trying to make him recede his invasion.

Felix obliged, retracting the nails from the dome before unsheathing his black blade. The sword rang in the air, emitting a dull vibration up his shoulder. Ever since he entered those woods, his blade had been restless. The closer he advanced toward the source of this corruption, the more the blade wrestled within its sheath as if anticipating the incoming clash.

He raised the black sword over his head, using both hands, before letting it fall, putting his whole weight behind it. A wave of wind emerged from the cut, severing everything in its path. Once the wind collided with the dome, the gale plunged into the vortex unimpeded before emerging from the other side, continuing its journey toward the depths of the woods.

The dome cracked while black slime oozed from the fissure. The vortex of blood sought the crevice as if desperately trying to staunch its eventual fall. The bubble burst, pouring its sinister content like a raging river. The wave covered the blood-red land in its malignant stench, burying everything in its wake.

Felix stood rooted in place like a sturdy pillar in a storm, his blade firmly stabbing into the crystalline ground, cutting the incoming wave. Once the outflow of viscous substance was finally over, only a small mound of black ooze remained in the centre of what used to be the dome. A single blood-red pillar emerged slightly from it, revealing encased in its prison the blood tribe elder who sacrificed his heart.

Moments later, a figure emerged from the remaining ooze. Patches of fur covered his limbs while dark patterns were scattered upon his exposed chest. A single grotesque dark blue horn adorned his forehead. The creature, neither animal nor man, slowly walked out of its prison before opening its dark red eyes while its heavy aura of malice permeated the surrounding air. Felix took a stance, his blade firmly grasped in his hand, ready to face the beast.