“You went and scouted that demon this morning, didn’t you?”

“He, he… You seem to notice a lot of things.”

“Why do you want to help them so much? You’re in a very bad situation yourself. The faster you leave this country, the better for you.”

Her voice sounds faint. “I don’t really know what kind of justification you are looking for… Should I just turn my back without sparing them single glance? This whole mess is not my problem to solve… Or should I… Should I gamble on that slim chance that may pave a different path for them? Is it worth it?.. To spend so much of myself just to end up watching everything fall apart?…”

“Justification…” He mumbles while looking at the young lass whose back is turned away from him. “Just what kind of heavy baggage are you carrying?”

“If I manage to save them, will I be able to save a little of myself as well?.. Maybe I… I just wanna get rid of this guilt and regret.”

He can only listen to her as his cigarette continues to burn away. Her words carry unquantifiable weight. His years of experience living this kind of life gives him an idea that this child must have gone through so much. He may not know the full details but it’s a common story in this line of work. Small mistakes often leads to immeasurable long lasting guilt and regret.

“I just wanna feel a little better… But I just feel worse every passing day.”

“You’ve been haunted by the darkest times of your past, over and over again.” After one final puff of smoke, he snuffs the embers with his hand before flicking it away. “But you’ve never dreamed of the future.”

Azalea slightly turns her head towards him. She utters not a single word and only looked at him direct in the eyes.

“It’s because you’ve never considered getting that far.” He looks straight into her lightless eyes. “I’ve seen a few people like you… You’re reckless and stubborn. It’s not like you plan to die, but you won’t mind if you do.”

She scoffs turning her gaze away from him. “I’m not fond of people who likes to read too much into the things that I want to hide.”

He frowns. “So, am I right? You’re not going to fight that demon because you’re confident you’ll win… rather, it’s just you don’t really care even if you lose.”

“What use is it for you to know all that?”

“I-”

“You can neither fight the demon nor stop me.” Her tone suddenly turns cold and chilling. “With my broken armor and staff gone, anyone who comes will only be a dead weight that will slow me down.”

He cannot refute her words. He is helpless watching the back of such a young girl. She is very unstable right now.

“Did you know why there are almost no licensed demon hunter under the age of twenty?”

“Every aspiring demon hunter needs a letter of recommendation from their master in order to take the exam. There’s no age requirement to get a license, really.”

“Right... Because no decent person these days would want to send unprepared children into the battle field.” He takes out another stick and lit it. “You are still in the stage where you are developing your abilities, learning it’s strengths and limits. Furthermore, teenagers are generally unstable due to their lack of emotional maturity. There were plenty of times in the past when young reveils lost control of their powers which resulted in more casualties, and their own death.” He breathes out a cloud of smoke in the air. “There was another young demon hunter before. He was sixteen when he got his license. He was so powerful he hunted demons alone and at the same time pissed of a lot of other hunters. He got into a lot of trouble before ICA intervened and offered him a way out.”

“Are you saying I’ll end up like him?”

“You have the title of being the youngest demon hunter, that is a great achievement but do you think you can change the world with that power?”

“I alone cannot change this world. I don’t have that kind of insane ideals… However, I believe, I can change how those kids view their world. I hope, that there comes a time when they could see the world they live in as kind and colorful.”

Fred takes a deep breath. “I hope so too… But then your reckless activities might get ICA’s attention in a bad way. Beating the Shilans isn’t the end of this. It’s like you really could flip this world upside-down… be it for better or worse…” He scratches his head. “I don’t understand how you were allowed to take the licensure exam. Why did Lone allow you?”

“Technically she did not allow me, at least not right now.” She kept her cold smile while recalling the past. “I happened to hear Master talk to a friend about it. She already wrote a recommendation letter for me. It was meant to be given to me once I reach twenty. After knowing where it was hidden, I took it and left.”

“There’s no way she would have let that happen.”

“Master has gotten weak.”

He held his thoughts in.

It’s like the temperature around her has rapidly dropped. “Master did not have long to live. I wanted to get my license and show it to her. I thought it’ll make her proud. So, I run away and took the exam. It was funny.”

“Were you able to?..”

“When I returned with my license, Master has passed away.”

Fred was not expecting to hear that. He wanted to ask more about the death of such a legend in their time however the heavy and chilling air around made him mum.

Azalea’s phone suddenly rings. She looks at the screen before answering it. “Hey, Qin. What’s up?” She moves the phone farther away from her ear.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Whoever is calling sounds really mad. Fred can somehow hear the screams from where he is standing though he cannot make any words from it.

“Don’t worry about the guardian. I found one already. Yeah, he’s trust worthy… I think.”

“I don’t fully get it but it seems you are talking about me. I haven’t agreed to anything yet, though.” He grumbles.

“It’s fine, you can take more time on your end. Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself here. Yeah, I promise. I’m really leaving after this.”

She then ends the call. Fred watches her as the ashes from his cigarette falls. The general air around her has lightened as if a dark cloud has been lifted.

“Right.” Azalea turns to Fred. “What happened to that young demon hunter?”

“You’re curious about that?.. There are several rumors about him. Some say he was relocated in a different country where he settled down, he hasn’t hunted since. The other is…” He then puts out his cigarette like he did earlier and took out another stick. “That he became a special class agent working for ICA’s secret special force.”

She scoffs. “Would ICA actually intervene? How about you chill out on those smokes? You know, Master Lone died due to the complications of her extreme alcoholism and heavy smoking.” She then jumps down the roof.

Fred stares at the stick that he was about to light. After putting a little thought about it, he returned it to the case.

“It seems… that even the legendary hunter eventually succumbed to the consequences of her reckless disregard for her health.”

“Mary said you should take a bath before you go to sleep.” Brenda’s voice echoes from below. “It looks like you tried to wash it away somewhere, but there are still traces of blood on you.”

“It’s just mud.”

“I’m not stupid!” She raises her voice while pushing Azalea into the house. “It’s a shame that you actually look pretty when cleaned up.”

“I look pretty even when I’m dirty.”

“Shut up and take a bath!”

The children, headed by Mark and Mary, have agreed to take Azalea’s offer. However, they do not want her to hunt alone. They insisted that at least Jad should be with her to provide support. Fred also took this opportunity to force himself to join the hunt. In order to appease everyone, Azalea agreed. They plan to head out early the day after tomorrow before sunrise hence Jad went to bed as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, as agreed earlier, Fred took the first shift to keep watch while Azalea rests. They also decided that nobody would leave the house alone as a safety measure. Mary and Mark will stop going to work from here on.

∞×∞

Twenty-third day of Sat’xahr, 4043 AOT

Arbhur City, Zone-0, Wave 5

The fragrant scent of the freshly fried egg fills the house. Mary and Brenda are preparing breakfast while Leika and Romi are looking after the young ones. Mark and Jad just returned with jags of water and a basket of edible herbs. Kou and Raichi just woke up and they sleepily takes a seat in the dinning table.

“Damn, I’m starving.” Jad places the basket on the kitchen table.

“Your manners are so bad as always.” Brenda comments.

“Stop bickering so early in the morning.” Mary cuts in. “Romi, go check on Lea and the old man. If they are already awake, tell them to join us for breakfast.”

Romi salutes and then waltz towards the living room where Fred sleeps.

“I think Lea was on night watch.” Leika says while positioning Lei on the chair. “She’s probably on the roof. Should I call her instead?”

“It’s okay, I’ll go.” Mark goes out the backdoor.

After a while, Romi comes back with Fred who is scratching his beard.

“The old man should go wash his face first.” Brenda frowns looking at them.

“Fine, fine.” Fred responds. “I have a name, you know.”

Mark enters from the back door. He looks around. “I don’t think she’s on the roof.”

“Who?” Fred asks.

“No way.” Mary gasps as the idea dawns on her. “Old man, can you check again on the roof?” There is panic in her voice.

It’s as if cold water was splashed on him as he realizes what’s happening. “That little brat!” He dashes outside and leaps on the roof. Nobody was there. He closes his eyes and then looks around again, taking a feel of the surroundings. “She’s not anywhere near the house!”

Everyone else runs outside.

“Did you find her?” Mark asks.

Fred jumps down. “She’s not there. I think she already left.”

“Left? Where to? It can’t be…” Mary worries.

“To hunt that demon.”

“Let’s check around one more time.” Mark suggests to which everyone gave a nod.

“Goddamn it.” Jad grumbles as he looks around the yard. “We agreed we’ll go tomorrow! What a liar.”

Mark, Jad and Romi, looks around the perimeter of the house while Mary, Brenda and Leika checks inside the house once again. Unfortunately, they could not find Azalea anywhere. This can only mean that she left without letting anyone know. The most likely place that she will go to, considering all of their previous preparations is the Elteb Canyon. She is going to solely hunt that demon, Quia’el, today. They do not know the exact time she left so the likelihood that she has reached the demon territory by now is high.

The mine in the Elteb Canyon, near the demon territory is known to have large amount of pranite crystals. These crystals contain large amount of raw energy which can be processed to produce a new source of energy such as special type of batteries. These kind of batteries are often used in phones or communication devices of hunters and adventurers. It is also used in military-grade weaponry and equipment. Anyone who gets the right to own and operate a pranite mine is sure to bask in riches and influence. However, there are still some arrangements needed before someone could profit from it. They will need investors, business partners, clients, miners, engineers and many more, all of which has been prepared by Azalea through her connections at the merchant guild headed by Merchant Li. It’s a stroke of luck that she has well connected friends.

So, if there is a place that Azalea will go to, then it must be Quia’el’s territory. She is about to finish the first step into setting her plans in motion, acquire the mine and the initial finances they will need by slaying the demon.

∞×∞

Twenty-third day of Sat’xahr, 4043 AOT

Deep within the Elteb Canyon

Azalea walks calmly as she approaches the unmoved demon.

The area around her is in the wider part of the canyon. There is enough space for the demon to move freely however the boundaries that encircle the territory is made up of towering earth that has formed into a rocky wall as hard as concrete. Even the ground that she is standing on feels very solid.

Quia’el is a demon with lizard-like humanoid appearance, towering at the height of four meters. It has very hard golden brown scales that serves as an armor protecting it from physical damage. It has sharp claws and fangs much like a crocodile. Its sharp red eyes are looking at her with an ominous gaze. Its right hand is holding a large spear. Its mouth slightly opens letting out thin laces of smoke.

What the hell am I doing?..

The moment she steps into its territory, the demon roared fiercely, then lunged at her direction. Quia’el swings its fist with great velocity. Azalea swiftly evades by jumping away, however the impact of the punch destroyed the rocky terrain making small pieces of debris fly towards her. Some rocks with sharpened edges hit and grazed her. She lost her balance for a moment and at that time Quia’el took advantage of the opening. The demon grabs her leg and then powerfully throws her smashing her body on the hard wall. The wall breaks upon impact creating a crater and smoke out of dust and sand.

“Holy shit!” Azalea grumbles as she pulls herself together. “Did this damn demon learned from our previous bouts? It has some level of intelligence… Which is…might be just a bit troublesome in my part.”

Blood drips done from a small cut on her forehead. The strong impact broke through the magical shield that she hurriedly casted at the last minute. Unfortunately, spells for shields and barriers are her weakness. Her defensive skills are below average to say the least. She grabs onto her side as sharp pain erupts the moment she tried to straighten her stance. Aside from plenty of bruises and small cuts, she probably also broke a couple of ribs. She gasps as she struggles to breathe.

The demon fixes its eyes on her like it is looking at a delicious prey.

“Damn, that’s a nasty look you have there.”