Enru looked into the mirror, stretching her neck to the side. Her eyes glanced at the base of her neck with worry. No light glimmered from the reflection, but the three burnt lines making up a scar were still there.

Reaching up with her hands, only to quickly retract the moment she touched the scar, Enru exhaled the large breath she had been holding. Her eyes widened. No immediate pain rushed through her body...

But it was still there, on her neck.

Bringing her hands up again, determined to inspect further, she followed along the scar with her fingers, shaking as she tried to be as careful as she could. Enru sighed once she reached the end at her collarbones. It was just a lengthy scar anybody could do without.

Trying to make sense of it all, she continued staring into the mirror, only to avert her eyes seconds later. She couldn’t go out like this. It would bring her questions if anyone in the village happened to see. Questions she wouldn’t be able to answer.

But it was already evening. She hadn’t been outside the whole day. The two fishermen, or especially Asmira, would begin to wonder; perhaps even pay her a visit.

Then they would find out the similarities of the scar by themselves, call her weak, and chase her out...

“...Asmira.” her eyes widened. She turned her head around while moving about, searching for something.

She had to visit the village; to visit the lonely demon waiting under the shadows of her own stall until the end of the day. Asmira would be the first one to notice -the first one to figure out that something was not right- if Enru didn’t show up.

Enru couldn’t let her worry.

Dashing down the stairs, jumping over the last step before reaching the first floor, Enru’s hair took a swift turn as she turned around and glanced toward the back of the entrance hall. The kitchen. She would always place it there, on top of a chair, to make sure she didn’t forget it the next cold morning, even if she in the end never wore it.

Enru headed for the kitchen as soon as her boots were on. It had to be there. She would be in deep trouble if it wasn’t, for more reasons than one.

The kitchen entered her sight and she turned to gaze over the table, toward the chairs. Her eyes stopped by the small wooden chair standing by the far right side of the oval table. It was still there.

She walked up, grabbed the dark woolen sweater and dragged it over her head. She was saved by something she had only worn twice. Its long neck was perfect, covering her scar. If this sweater wouldn’t be able to take the focus away, then nothing would.

Enru scratched her chin as she walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs, toward the mirror. She furrowed her brows, gazing over the odd reflection. The long wooly neck of the sweater did cover the scar, but...

No. It was worth it, for now.

Enru stretched her neck, looking into the mirror one last time. Nothing except the oversized sweater seemed out of the ordinary. It had to work.

With a smile on her lips, Enru began to walk downstairs. Her eyes glanced over to the door. A golden color blessed the oaken flooring underneath the round windows. The sun had begun its descent.

Enru took her first step outside for the day and breathed in the fresh air before turning around. Locking the door, she headed out for the village.

Only a slight amount of sunlight still shone over the village by the time she got there -painting it deep red. The shops had already closed and most of the villagers had gone home for the day.

A few demons were still walking outside.

It was strange. Many shops would usually stay up a while longer, until inevitably closing for the night. At least until the sun had completely gone down behind the horizon. Yet there was only silence.

Enru continued further in until the familiar sight of Asmira’s stall entered her sight. Leather items still hung down from the stall’s roof in the dark shadows and, as she focused her eyes slightly to the left, so was the pair of gloves. The shadowy figure of a woman sat on the wooden stool next to the merchandise.

As Enru got closer, the figure raised its head up and gazed toward her with a wide grin.

“I thought you’d never wear it again,” Asmira’s face was beaming with joy as she eyed the long-necked sweater, “last time was two years ago... I had already given up hope.”

Enru returned the greeting with a wry smile on her lips, and sat down -next to the demon. The ground wasn’t cold, even though everything was covered by shadows.

“Is everything as it should?” Asmira furrowed her brows slightly, “A silver coin’s usually forced upon me by now.”

Twitching as she heard the words, her hands were already on their way to her waist, searching for the small pouch. She quickly gave up, as her eyes confirmed the missing belt her other items would hang from.

“I seem,” Enru met with Asmira’s gaze for a second before she stared onto the gravel below, “to have left it at home...”

A puff of air escaped the shopkeeper’s pale nose, followed by a hearty laugh, echoing through the late evening.

Enru’s lips twitched as she tried her best to not get influenced. Steeling her jaw, she looked the other way. It wasn’t that funny.

Asmira stood up and walked around Enru, crouching as she met her gaze with a warming smile.

“Sorry,” Asmira tried to suppress her short bursts of laughter, “let’s say that today’s silver coin is on me, then.”

The shopkeeper gave Enru a hug, before taking a seat on the ground beside her. They sat next to each other in silence -gazing over the blossoming tree. Its flowers danced around in the air above them; slowly sinking to the ground.

Enru picked up one of the white fragrant flowers that had landed on her lap. Its petals were soft to the touch.

“Will it ever grow any fruit,” Enru glanced toward the lonely tree before turning toward Asmira, “like the other trees?”

The shopkeeper met the gaze of the child, “Do you dislike it?”

Enru couldn’t respond immediately. Instead, she began to fiddle with the translucent petals in her hands. Five of the oval-shaped petals would make up one flower, one of the many that fell from the tree each day.

“No, but,” Enru stared back to the tree, “it just... Blooms.”

As if it was crying for someone.

“All year round.” Asmira grinned, leaning in on the side to hug the defenseless girl, “Much better than the other trees, blooming for just a week.

It’s almost like that story you always disliked.”

Watch it some other time, we need to leave. Now.

Enru jumped, turning her head to her right. Concentrating her ears, she stared out of the alleyway. Apart from the gravel, rustling below as she tried to stand up, it was silent.

She turned around and gazed toward Asmira, furrowing her brows slightly.

“What?” the shopkeeper returned the gesture, “Is everything okay?”

She didn’t seem to have heard the deep voice, or ignored it if she had. Their ears might be different, but this deep reverberating voice was something Asmira wouldn’t have had any trouble hearing.

Enru sat down, keeping her eyes glued toward the alley’s entrance. After a short while, however, she sighed and stared onto the ground, “Just my imagination... What about the story?”

  “You know, the one about the kind demon who, after gaining a shimmering scar on his chest, turned a ruthless tyrant wishing only for the end of all life? They’re quite similar, now that I think about it...

Though of course, our little tree here wouldn’t want to harm us.” Asmira chuckled at her own words, “Or maybe it would, what do I know. Might be an evil tree.”

Amused with the thoughts, Asmira began bursting into laughter on her own. The story of the scar would always do that to her. It was a grim tale that told about nothing other than the weakness within, yet she still laughed in the end.

Stolen novel; please report.

“...What if,” Enru carefully interrupted the pale demon’s joyful moment, “what if I had a similar scar?.. Would you-”

  “I would hunt you and end your life before you change,” Asmira hanged over her, with her arms high in the air, but chuckled shortly after and returned to sitting still, “but of course, the scar’s nothing but a fairytale.”

  “What... What if it wasn’t?”

Asmira furrowed her brows, “Oh, that’s a good one. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to give you an answer, really...”

They won’t stop, just because it’s in the middle of the night. Now hurry!

“Who’s there!?” Enru jumped to the voice and rushed out the alley to find the cause, but there was nothing but silence.

  “Are you sure you’re alright?” Asmira stood up to face Enru as she returned, “You’ve been acting strange tonight, even as far as wearing my sweater-”

She didn’t seem to have noticed Enru’s scar yet, but it didn’t seem like she was far from finding out.

“It’s nothing,” Enru glanced back at the main road, trying to change the topic, “It’s just not always this quiet...”

Asmira seemed puzzled for a moment, until a drunken demon walked past -singing aloud. The demon leaned her back against the house wall and looked toward the darkening sky, “Oh, right. They all closed shop at lunch and went to the village hall to prepare...”

“What?” Enru hastily turned her head toward Asmira. Her untidy hair covered half her face for a moment, until she sorted it with a stroke of her small hand, “Why?”

Grinning widely, Asmira met Enru’s gaze in silence. The horn-less demon raised her eyebrows in a teasing manner. She glanced back and forth between Enru and the main path through the village.

Nothing would ever come out of her lips when she was like that.

Enru sighed and stood up, ready to leave for the evening. But before she would leave, she faced Asmira, “Until tomorrow, then.”

  “Take care, dear.” the demon’s lips still formed a teasingly wide smile, “Enjoy yourself.”

Her sudden change seemed to have worked for now. Turning her back against the shopkeeper, Enru walked out into the wide path. It was empty to the point of seeming eerie under the dark, but at least she knew something bad hadn’t happened to the villagers, or else Asmira wouldn’t jokingly withhold news from her.

If Enru wanted to know, she would have to find out what was going on by herself. Perhaps the strange voice would be there, too.

The gravel echoed for every footstep she took. She walked further into the village, taking both left and right turns around the unlit houses. Merchandise were still left lying on a few of the stalls standing along the path.

Bustling sounds reached Enru’s ears. The noise was hard to mistake for anything other than the usual atmosphere going on during the day. It came from behind the last set of houses before the village hall would enter her sight.

As Enru got around the last corner, her eyes widened. Something like this would only happen once a year; during the harvest festival.

Lanterns, hanging from the house walls, illuminated the wide path leading up to the large building in the center. The bustling sounds came from inside, seeming to be either songs, or laughter, like during the usual festival. But that event wasn’t until eight weeks from now.

A heavy pressure was placed on her back and the stench of alcohol reached in from her left side.

“Missy!” a purple-skinned demon called out from her left, “Didn’t get to greet you this morning. Here to celebrate?”

Her face contorted as she tried to respond to the fisherman she’d usually greet, but Enru didn’t say anything in the end. She couldn’t get the words to leave her mouth, no matter how hard she tried to. The air seemed to escape her, but...

“Dunrug,” a pale blue demon walked up from behind the first man, “You’re breaking her back.”

Dunrug immediately released his arm from around her shoulders and jumped away, holding his hands up in the air -making sure nothing else accidentally happened. Small patches of purple scales glimmered on his bare upper body as he stood still under the lantern light.

“Shit! I-” Dunrug tried to get closer, but stopped himself before he did something worse, “I got too excited... There aren’t many younglings in our village.”

You there! Get the children away first.

The whisper reached Enru’s ears as she was bending over her knees -coughing and wheezing. It was faint enough for her to ignore it, and surviving came first.

After some time, she held a hand up into the air -indicating that she was okay. Taking a deep breath, Enru raised her body. The other two stood still under the lantern, looking on in silence.

“Evening, Dunrug,” Enru coughed as she stared at the scaly and purple demon with a wry smile. She leaned out to the side and glanced toward the thinner blue demon behind, “and Murrol.”

They balanced each other out quite well.

“So,” Enru continued as she got closer to the two fishermen, “what’s all this?”

  “Come, a feast is being held!” Dunrug’s face beamed with excitement as he began to lift the youngling up from the ground, “They’re finally back!”

Caught in his pace, Enru turned her head and looked down, “They?”

The scaly demon just continued to laugh as he carried her forward. His scales glimmered to the flickering flames inside the lanterns along the path. Another smell of alcohol reached up to Enru. She wouldn’t get any immediate answers from him.

Enru turned her head and looked back at the blue-skinned man following right behind them. Furrowing his brows, he averted his eyes, and instead stared toward the darkening sky.

After a while, Murrol bit his lips.

That Murrol.

“Wait,” Enru froze up as only one thought crossed her mind, “by ‘they’, you don’t mean...”

The tall and thin demon remained silent. Even if he always kept his words short, he’d never stay this silent when asked about something. Yet that very same -composed- Murrol tried his utmost to stay out of it.

“It’s been ten bloody years since they left Ferín to head north...” Dunrug almost skipped forward on his toes in excitement, “The ‘Hunters’, they’re finally back!”

  “I’m heading home.” Enru squirmed, trying her utmost to get out of the drunken demon’s grasp. She had heard enough, “Stop, put me down!”

  “Come on. Took me forever to convince Murrol and... Since you’re already here, can’t hurt to stay for a while. There’s a feast, after all.

...I’ll pay for everything, so stop hitting my head.”

Enru wouldn’t give up so easily, but as she turned her head back, searching for help from Murrol, she was in for a surprise. Things didn’t seem like they would go in her favor.

Murrol didn’t return her gaze, still focused on the sky. He walked slowly, to the point where he might just stop altogether and suddenly turn around and walk away once nobody was looking...

A faint thunderous roar resounded in the sky as the number of clouds increased. Enru just stared forward, at the illuminated entranceway, where the feast was being held. She couldn’t get out of Dunrug’s firm grasp, no matter how hard she tried.

Enru steeled her jaw. It was so long ago since the group had left, that it all could’ve been just another one of her dreams, but it was also the only other explanation to the feast...

He was back, along with the others. The one-armed hunter had returned.