“Don’t relax,” Cain said, standing and facing the rest of the group. “There is still the demon we may or may not have to face. It appears that everyone has a weapon of some sort, which is good. But do not use them. If you see anything unnatural, run the other way. Do not confront any dangers, for the one to you won’t. You are not a hunter, just a normal person. You do not understand what demonic forces can do, neither do I. Just run away.”

Lucis, yawning, slumped lower in his chair and closed his eyes. “This bores me. Why run away as if we lack spirit? If the demon wants to fight, then let us fight it until either we all die or it does. I am sure that one among us has the strength to, at the very least, match the demon in some way. Let us not run away while this one fights. Let us all take arms against the slayer of the Lord Commander.”

“What are you saying? None of us can do anything, right?” Raising his hands, Cain looked around the room, meeting eyes with everyone sitting around him. “If anyone has some miraculous power, please tell us so. Do not hide it.”

“Oh, don’t bother,” said Theresa, her arms crossed over her chest, “if they hadn’t admitted already, do you think they’ll admit to it now?”

Pressing her lips together and staring at the carpet, Courtney kept raising her teardrop pendant and then letting it fall. “I agree with Cain. I doubt anyone here has the ability to fight fairly against a demon.”

Lucis raised an eyebrow, before letting out a laugh. “If you do say so, Courtney. Truth does lie in your words.” He closed his eyes and apparently fell asleep.

“Okay,” said Cain, shaking his head in annoyance, “disregard his words. Run, when you encounter the demon. Don’t fight, run. Northward, if possible, towards the direction we are supposed to go. But if you can’t, just save yourselves first. We’ll wait for you.”

“What if we can’t run away?” asked Charlotte, brushing her fingers along the pommel of her sword and polishing the metal with her thumb. “What if we must fight? We can’t be so prepared not to fight that we can’t fight in times we need to.”

“But learning how to fight takes time. You’ve read the manual. You should know that everything it tells you is useless without proper training. We don’t have time for that. Who knows when the—”

The sound of crashing waves came from outside. When they looked outside, everything was tinged red. Caelyn, the thump of her heart the only other sound she could hear, stood up to get a better view outside. A metallic smell filled the air, surpassing even the aroma of smoke in pungency. She held her breath, taking as quiet steps as she could. Beneath her feet, she felt as though she was stepping on some liquid, so she looked down.

A pool of blood, which had seeped from the crack beneath the front door, surrounded her feet.

She retched but could not take her eyes off the ripples that disturbed the otherwise still surface.

Theresa, who had gotten up from her chair, pushed Caelyn aside, marched through the blood, and threw open the doors. The loudness of the waves increased suddenly, overwhelming any other sound. In the dim light of the scarlet moon, a lone figure stood in the midst of a sea of blood, hunched over, staring right at them.

She slammed the door shut, hushing the noise, and grabbed Caelyn’s arm. “Through the window, quick.”

The door opened behind them with a tormented screech, and in the doorway, the demon stood. Two stout knives were in his hands, dripping with the crimson liquid. It had a wound in its chest, where the heart would normally be, from which rivers of blood flowed. Staring at them with its half-opened eyes, the demon let out a groan of misery.

“Brother. Brother!”

Without thinking, Caelyn tightened her grip on the spear and stabbed deep into the demon’s chest.

The demon howled and struck the spear with such strength that Caelyn let go, stumbling back in fear. Her hands and legs trembled, and the only reason why she had not collapsed onto the bloody ground was because of Theresa’s steady hand. A chair flew, narrowly missing Caelyn, and exploded into splinters as the demon smashed it with his knives. Theresa pulled her away, towards the window on the other side of the room. Travis and his friends, as well as Diana, had already leapt through, while Cain and Courtney waited for them. Lucis, as usual, showed no signs of fear and looked more calm than before. Charlotte threw another chair at the demon.

“Lucis!” Caelyn shouted. “Come! Wake up!”

Theresa tugged her arm. “Hurry.”

Halfway there, the demon charged at them, dodging the chairs being thrown at it. In panic, Charlotte turned around and almost fell out through the window. Once outside, she gestured for them to hurry, not doing anything else to slow the demon down.

Just as it was an arm’s reach away, Cain slashed at it several times with his silvery sword, though his blows only met a quarter of the time. But even then, he seemed to try his best to distract the demon. Only when everyone, including Lucis who had finally woken up from his nap, was out of the house did Cain himself jump out as well. Outside, the air was warm, almost overly so, as if a giant, incorporeal hand was wrapped around them. Blood covered the ground here too, reaching to their ankles.

Behind them, the house exploded in a maelstrom of blood and wood.

They ran, as a group, weaving through the streets in front and behind the many houses. Travis and his group was nowhere to be seen. The sound of waves had become distant, yet still dominating their ears. Soon, after seeing the demon was following them, the stopped to take a short rest. There was not any blood there, beside the little they had brought with them.

“I think,” said Cain, staring at his bloodied blade, “the demon can be defeated by us. It isn’t as strong as I thought.”

Entire body shaking, Charlotte screamed, “Did you not see how it destroyed that house? With a single blow! We can’t fend that off.” She paced around, repeatedly tapping the hilt of her sword. “Come on, let’s go. Hurry, before it catches up to us.”

As if pretending not to hear the girl, he continued, “That sword, the one you got at the Sanctuary, will allow us to kill the demon.”

“Killing isn’t polite, is it?” asked Lucis, yawning.

Cain blinked at the boy, utterly confused.

“Who cares about politeness?” Theresa let go of Caelyn and took an angry step towards the green-eyed boy. “It is trying to kill us, damn it.”

Lucis shrugged and yawned again. “Cae'l, why did you have to wake me up? I was having such a restful sleep. Haven’t had such a restful sleep in quite a while. Oh,” he raised an eyebrow, “you lost the spear I gave you? And I thought you valued the gifts I gave you.”

“Brother!” a voice of agony called out in the near distance. Blood started pouring onto the street. Just as they were about the run, the demon appeared before them, rising out of the blood. “Brother, I apologize to you, brother!” It bared it two fangs, let out a wail that sent ripples through Caelyn’s blood, and charged.

Before it could get far, Cain stabbed it in the abdomen before giving it a slash across chest and jumping back to a safer distance. Stumbling for a moment, the demon stood still, blood dripping from the wounds he had inflicted. “Charlotte, give me your sword. I can kill it right now.”

Charlotte, however, was too afraid to move.

“Charlotte,” Cain called out, turning around to reach for her sword.

But the moment he did, the demon leapt forth and stabbed its knife deep into Cain’s shoulder, making him drop his sword. The clang of the blade hitting the ground cut through the air. Then, sliding off the demon’s knife, the boy slumped onto the ground, quickly soaked by crimson.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Brother,” the demon mumbled, “I apologize. For all I have done.”

Breathing heavily, Charlotte reached for sword, tightly gripping its handle. As she unsheathed the blade, pale crystal-blue light engulfed the moon’s scarlet glow upon the land. But before she could draw it fully, the demon, in a blur, shattered the blade with a strike. The pieces fell into the blood and lost their light. She froze, not daring to move with the demon right beside her.

But it walked past her like if she was not even there.

Then it stopped, blood began flowing from its pale red eyes. Around them, bubbles appeared in the blood, as if the sea was boiling. Just then, Travis and his two companion ran onto the street behind Theresa and Courtney, who appeared to be more nervous upon sight of the three. The girl tightened her grasp on her pendant and grimaced. All the while, blood flowed upwards, coating the demon’s knife in a layer of crimson flames.

Caelyn took a step back and cursed. If she had not lost the spear, she could have used it to defend herself. Now, all she had was a bow with no arrows. She unslung her bow and pointed it at the demon and pulled back the string. It was all she had between it and her. The demon, crossing its arms, raised its two fiery knives before bringing it down upon the ocean of blood. A wave formed, growing taller and taller the closer it came. It smashed the surrounding houses, sending splinters and rocks into the air.

Only a few paces away, the waves cast a shadow over her, covering an hopes of escape.

Just as the waves were about to crash down on Caelyn, who closed her eyes in anticipation of a quick death, there was a flash of such bright light that she could see it through her lids. For a few moments, nothing happened. Maybe the waves had already crashed upon her and she had died. But then, why was there still that horrid smell of blood?

She opened her eyes to see a shimmering veil between her and the demon. The waters were starting to die down, and once the ocean returned to its calmer state, the veil lifted.

“I’m sorry,” said Courtney, walking up from behind. Her hands wielded a silver trident, long and beautiful. “I should have helped sooner, but I am here now. All will be well.” She ran towards the demon, faster than any normal person.

Caelyn watched in awe as the girl attacked and dodged the demon, even though the latter was more ferocious than before. At first, the two appeared to be closely matched. But soon, Courtney seemed to be tiring—her movements became more sluggish. The demon’s attacks missed nearer and nearer. They would hit her, eventually. Caelyn wanted to help, somehow, but what could she do with a bow without arrows? Charlotte, who was the one closest to the fight, was to scared to make any moves and Theresa was nowhere to be the seen, all the while Travis and his friends were hiding behind a couple of barrels.

Putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, Lucis whispered, “Rest, now. All is well. For that warrior of joy hath come. Smile, do not let such small things disturb the inner peace.” In a blur and spark of light, the demon stumbled and fell to its knees, letting Courtney chop its head of with the points of her trident. Beside Caelyn, Lucis put his hand down from the handle of his sword. “Her strength is great, but her potential is greater. She defeated a demon so great without the help of any. Such is the power of the warrior of joy.”

With his hands in his pockets, he strolled towards Courtney, who stood with one foot on the body of the defeated demon. “A great performance. No doubt that the demon posed little problem to you.”

Courtney expressed slight confusion on her face. “I suppose so.” She made her trident disappear.

“Now,” Lucis took a small, metal cube from his pocket, “shall I clean up all this blood?” He tossed it into the air and watched as the blood around them burst into flames, which the cube, like the center of a whirlpool, sucked in. Once all the blood was gone, the instrument fell into his outstretched hand. “An interesting demon, I have to say. Not particularly high in spiritual or physical might, but quite old. Look at the back of its hand, a strange mark.”

Indeed, on the back of one hand, the demon had a symbol—an embellished circle circumscribed about pentangle—inscribed in black.

“Tell me, what does it mean? You surely know.”

“Well,” Courtney said, squinting her eyes at the symbol, “it seems like a…”

“There is no use in hiding.”

She sighed. “It seems like a Nocturivus Mark.”

“Well, not exactly. Look closer.”

She sighed again. “A Goetia's Mark. Why are you asking me this as if you know about it?”

Caelyn watched in utter confusion. What were they talking about?

“Now,” Lucis pointed to Courtney’s hand, “what about that mark?”

“Lucis.”

“There is no use in telling untruths anymore. We all know who you truly are.”

“It is the Vitarian Mark.” The girl turned towards Caelyn and bowed her head. “I am a Vitarian. I am from Vitaras.”

Caelyn’s mouth fell ajar, and all she could do was stare. Was all of it a lie? From when they met until a few moment ago, Courtney had lied to her, to everyone. A tear rolled down her cheek. What about Leslie? When the ghost had killed Leslie, why did Courtney not do anything? What if… what if she was the one to have brought them here in the first place.

“I thought you were my friend,” said Caelyn, voice trembling.

Nearby, Cain, who had appeared dead, gasped. Courtney rushed to his side and placed her two hands on the boy’s injured back. Light bloomed from her hands and soon, the bleeding had stopped. She returned to her feet and, without a single glance back, walked away.

"Cae'l.” Lucis tried to put a hand on Caelyn’s shoulder, but she pushed him away.

“And you,” she said, giving him a glare, “who the fuck are you? You seem to know much more than what you claim you know. You claim that-that you observe but how did you observe”—she waved her hands at the body that laid by her their feet—“any of this? How did you know that symbol was a Goetia's Mark and not a, not a, I don’t fucking know. Are you also from this damned island?” She burst into tears. “Oliver was right about you. You, and Courtney, you are all fucking traitors.” She shook her head and stomped away without any regard to her direction.

Lucis did not call out or react in any manner. Truly a heartless thing.

So Leslie died because of them. Those who pretended to be her friends. The ghost must have been their of artifice too. If they wanted to killed her, why must they bring torment, bring false friendship, instead of a quick death? Did they have the desire to watch suffering? For it seems so.

Caelyn’s hands trembled, so she closed and opened them repeatedly, but there was nothing to be done. If she only had that spear, she would have killed Lucis and Courtney right there and then. But they were demons by their sinful ways—only by those glowing blades could they be ended. Why? Why must it be them? Why not Cain or Travis or Travis’ friends? Why did it have to be the two of them? Of everyone.

Theresa voice, dominant as usual, came suddenly from the shadows. “Caelyn, why are you here?” There the girl was, sitting on the ground with her arms crossed over her chest. “What happened back there?”

“The demon?” asked Caelyn, though she knew the response.

“Of course. Cain and the others, I suppose—”

A hard lump formed in Caelyn’s throat. “Courtney and Lucis are dead. If you haven’t ran away, maybe they still would have been alive.”

“Oh,” the girl’s bright blue eyes widened, and her head drooped down like a wilting flower. “Those were your friends, weren’t they?” her tone had softened.

Caelyn shook her head, staring spiritless at a speck of dirt on the ground. “Not anymore. I can’t even bear to look at their bodies.” She frowned and shook her head. “They were never my friends because I have never seen them alive. They have always been dead. And I hate that.”

Leaning back her head, Theresa stared up at Caelyn with a wry smile. “Oliver spoke the truth, didn’t he? And everyone drove him to the sea. We knew so little, so damned little.” She sighed and looked away. “And the demon? I don’t suppose the two of them sacrificed themselves to slay that thing.”

“They did.”

“Would you rather they not?”

“I would rather flee, I wish I had fled.” Caelyn’s breaths felt heavy, and every inhale felt like an exercise on both her body and will. She remembered the declaration, many nights ago, between her and Leslie… and Courtney. They were supposed to be friends, yet that was a lie. How could she be so naive to think that those strangers would not hold some heartless motive? And why did she still wish—wish that she had not known that they were anything but her friends?

“It is hard.” Theresa slumped lower down, so her shoulders almost touched the ground. “To be lied to, to be betrayed by. I would rather be lonely than be stabbed in the back by those I believed would protect where I am weakest. It is depressing to think that you allowed yourself to show weakness to the lowest of demons.” She looked up, closed her eyes to take a deep breath, reopened them and said, with her forceful tone returned, “Caelyn, you truly are pathetic. Now go away, I do not want to see your face, or any other part of you, for the rest of the night. I greatly weary. Speak nothing of our meeting, or else…”

Caelyn walked away before the girl could finish.

For the rest of the night, she wandered the streets, not encountering anyone else but the shadows cast by the moonlight. Her heart ached, torn apart by the battle within her. Though she felt betrayed, she could not help but feel thankful that Courtney had saved her. It would have been simple if the girl just waited for Caelyn to die before casting that barrier for her own defense. But why did they not do anything when Leslie was taken away by that shadow? Why?

Was her pain justified?

When the dawn’s roses had bloomed through the dark clouds that covered the sky, Caelyn had returned back to the road that divided the two sides of the town. Though the blood had receded, the damages caused by it had not. The house that they had stayed in, before the demon attacked, could not even be recognized as a destroyed building—almost nothing, besides a couple of scraps, remained.

She stayed there, not knowing which way to head. Perhaps she would head east, where the sun rose, or west, where the sun fell. Either way was fine to her, as long as she did not have to encounter those two again. Looking north, she considered whether to head towards the man with the golden eyes, at the center of all this. But, she had no real desire to leave the island. Where would she go, if she did? Back to the streets? It would be better if she lingered and explored and, if she became weary, then she would go to him.

With such a journey ahead of her, she put her hands in her pockets and strolled westward. Reaching the outskirts of the town, she took a look down at her dirty shoes and pants, slowly moving her gaze upward. It could have been worse if she still had her old clothes. Her eyes became drawn to the pure ribbon tied around her wrist.

It appeared gray.