Faint beams of sunlight forced their way through the treetops. The sky was littered with dark clouds, each of them threatening Mira with sudden thunderstorms and heavy rain, but she didn't believe she would be lucky enough to get blessed with either. There were only a few moments and spots in which the sun could reach all the way down to the forest floor, but those were more than enough to assist her in the dishonorable work her master had tasked her with.

On the leaves of the young trees and shrubs, the fresh blood of the demon she hunted looked as black as ink. It was nearly invisible on the dark green of the leaves, but even if she had overlooked this evidence there still was the impossible-to-miss snow-white hair that decorated the scrubs like fine threads of shimmering silver. The demon was wounded, and it was near.

If it was only deer, foxes or wild boars she was hunting, Mira wouldn't feel a hint of fear and anxiety in her, today, however, she would face a powerful enemy, one that could easily defeat her and rip her into pieces should she make a slight mistake. The demon wouldn't even feel the slightest bit of remorse.

Mira had never volunteered to do something as stupid as hunting demons. She had been both an adventurer and a huntress before, but that was long ago. She had settled down to become a mere servant in a nobles house instead, which certainly wasn't the best work to do, as her master was both demanding and bad in character, but it was much safer and gave her a reliable income to boot. This way she could become a mother somewhere in the future, though she knew time was running out.

A long sigh left her lips as Mira began thinking about the life she was missing out, the family she should have by now. Instead of teaching cute daughters and proud sons how to speak and write, she was here in the nothingness, risking her everything for an unfilial master instead. It was him who wanted to use this to raise his status, his wealth and his power, not Mira. And still it was her who was here, not him. He was protected by men far stronger than her.

If it wasn't for the demon princess deciding to seek refuge in these forests, Mira would cook for her master right now or at least clean his house, while trying her best to avoid his never-ending attempts of pulling her into his embrace. Doing that kind of work wasn't exactly better, either.

 

Another sigh could be heard coming from Mira. "What did I get myself into..."

 

It had been almost half of a year since the invading forces of the demon army had been defeated, leaving the demon princess as the sole survivor of her family, the only one who could once again unite the demons and lead them to war against the kingdoms surrounding their own.

Ofcourse Mira hesitated in fighting an existence like that. Not only was the princess the strongest of the demons now, but she was also said to be the most vicious, the cruelest and most dangerous of them all!

How could Mira even dream of defeating her other than by surprise? Neither she herself nor any of her masters' men could hope to outrun this monster, should she decide to flee. It was too fast, too agile. She wouldn't even get tired after running for hours.

The sole advantage Mira had over her was a small, runed amulet that was imbued with a concealment magic strong enough to cover even the slightest traces of mana and magic in her body. The demon princess wouldn't be able to perceive her with that inhuman senses of her. As long as Mira didn't suddenly decide to scream out loud, she would be safe.

Even if she had the moment of surprise, Mira would still need dozens of well-placed arrows before she could even start hoping of bringing her down. The demon king had healed countless wounds inflicted to his body, both from blades like swords and daggers and from projectiles like arrows and bolts. Magic, too, had been useless against his godlike powers and regeneration.

Her master had told Mira about this fight and how it had lasted for hours until the demon finally had no longer the strength to resist their combined attacks.

 

"I'm doomed if she is half as good as her father..."

 

Mira let herself sink to the ground next to the traces she had just found. The blood was fresh enough for the sunlight shimmering on its surface, but this wasn't what had pressed her into examining it further. Nothing here looked as if it had changed in any way. There was no fire, no deformed plants, nothing that would point at the strong magic powers that resided in the princess' body.

 

«It's impossible,» Mira tried to reassure herself, «I can't have made a mistake. Only she has long, white hair like that! There is no other woman with ruby eyes, too!»

 

Hesitatingly, Mira reached out for the leaves sullied by the demon's blood. She plucked off one of them and placed it onto the cut her carelessness and a thorny scrub had cost her earlier.

There was nothing. She didn't feel a tingle nor a burn, nothing that made her feel uncomfortable except for the fact that she had just smeared the blood of somebody else onto her wound. Even after about a minute of waiting, there wasn't any change. It was as if there wasn't a single trace of mana in the blood she had found.

If it wasn't for the few strands of white hair entangled in the scrubs Mira had surely given up and searched somewhere else instead, but she knew that there wasn't a single animal that had hair like this. The demon princess was still here, in this forest, maybe even nearby.

After encouraging herself for one last time, Mira slowly raised up, prepared her bow and sneaked back into the underwood. Her gaze was glued to the ground, where it searched for new traces, more signs of her drawing closer to the demon. She found them everywhere: on the trunks of trees, in the shrubs and on thorny vines, even on the leaves under her feet. The princess seemed to lure her, using her own blood and flesh, but Mira couldn't give up after coming this close. She wouldn't escape her, not this time.

When Mira finally caught up on her, hours had gone by. She could see the princess' white hair in the distance, where she was standing at the edge of the forest, staring at the fields and meadows her headless flight had brought her to. She still seemed unable to accept her fate, as she hesitated to leave the forest that had held her hidden for hours or days, then, however, she continued sneaking forward. Her steps had gotten unbelievably slow.

She probably feared there could be an ambush waiting for her, hidden in the crops or the tall grass, but Mira knew there was nothing like that. There had only been nine of them at the beginning and neither of the men was near enough to even hear her scream should she mess up badly.

If only the demon knew this, she would never have decided to run. She would have confronted Mira instead of letting herself be chased through the underwood, suffering countless wounds in the process.

 

«She behaves like an animal driven into a corner,» Mira couldn't help thinking. «I have overestimated her.»

 

Mira's luck grew even stronger as her very first arrow found its target. She had feared the demoness would avoid the attack or catch the projectile in mid-air, like her father and many other demons had been able to, but a shocked cry echoed through the forest soon after. It was loud and clear, that was until it got distorted by pain.

Mira immediately prepared the second shot. It would take her countless of them to hunt the demon princess down, as she would heal herself and continue running, again and ever again, until one of the arrows finally managed to hit her heart, her neck or head, any part of her body that made her as mortal as Mira was herself.

Slowly breathing out, Mira spanned the bow and released the shot, like she had done way too many times before. The arrow cut through the cold evening air, leaving behind a ripping sound, only to embed itself deep into the demon's flesh at the very next second. A deafening cry rang in her ears.

 

«I hit her! I really hit her!»

 

Not even a heartbeat later, the silhouette of the princess began to waver. She desperately tried to somehow get ahold of herself and somehow continue running away to search for cover in the treeless farmlands, but she couldn't even make a single step further. For a few breaths worth of time, she fought against her own body, then her legs gave in as if all strength had suddenly lost her. She just fell to the ground like a bag of grain.

Mira couldn't believe her luck. The demoness was as good as dead! She wouldn't earn a single dime from defeating her as her master would tell everybody that it was him instead who had hunted her down, but Mira couldn't care less. It was over. As soon as her master reached this place she would return to the safety of his home, a big mansion that allowed even servants to enjoy a certain level of luxury if only they followed the rules he had set.

Mira hurriedly pulled forth the magic circle her master had given her. She concentrated her mana and let it flow into the wood all at once, not giving the slightest care about controlling it in any way.

The beautifully carved runes began to radiate a blue-greenish glow, which grew brighter and brighter, until the slab suddenly catched fire. Mira hurriedly tossed it away, not giving it another glance now that it had done its work. Her master surely was on his way now, to claim her head and the wealth and fame that came with it.

Little more than ten paces separated Mira from the still struggling demoness. The princess tried to raise up again, to crawl away or at least push herself under a bush, but she had long since lost all control over her body. The creature she had so much fear and respect for only minutes ago, had already become a writhing pile of misery. Mira couldn't believe her eyes.

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«Why didn't she fight back?! She could have killed me! Easily!»

 

It had to be a wicked trap, some kind of trick the demoness tried to deceive her with. But Mira wouldn't allow herself to lower her guard. Instead she prepared her bow again, so she would be ready to defend herself at a moment's notice should the princess suddenly jump up and charge at her. But this attack never came. She didn't react to Mira, not even when she was near enough to kick her if only she wanted to.

Mira hesitated for a moment before letting herself sink to the ground next to the dying woman. Her hands reached out for the arrow shafts, breaking both of them one by one. She forced the demoness onto her back so she could slit her throat or pierce her heart and end her once and for all, only to get petrified instead when she saw the tearful face that had awaited her.

Neither the short, battered dress nor the cloak had ever hidden a woman's body. Instead, the blood- and fire-red fabrics were embracing a fragile, childlike being, a small girl with a flat chest and a far too skinny body. She was without a doubt a girl like the orphans you could find anywhere now that the war is over, if it wasn't for her snow-white hair and especially those ruby eyes that seemed to glimmer like embers, faint but still visible.

 

«A girl! It is only a small girl!»

 

She should have been a powerful sorceress, the strongest demon of them all, a vicious murderess that deceived and tricked her victims until she could kill them in the most cruel ways possible. They had told Mira about the unholy curses the princess used, about balls of fire and black rain. This girl was nothing like the tales she had heard. She hadn't even fought back! She had just run away from her like any other child would have done!

 

„Mommy!", the girls voice cried out, „Help me! It hurts! It hurts so much! Mommy!"

 

An icy shiver went over Mira's skin. Not only had the girl just proven to her that she was little more than a small child, seven or eight years old at most, she cried for her mother too, the demon queen who had long met her end by swords and magic of the united armies. While her daughter was crying for her, she was hanging for display on the open fields, never able to get a proper burial. This girl had nothing unholy or evil in her, she was a mere child! A child that had once been part of a loving family.

 

„I- I never wanted this-" Mira heard herself as she realized what she had been part off.

 

The princess didn't even answer. She was still fighting for her life and against the two broken arrows that were deeply embedded in her shoulder and her hip, unable to even meet Mira's distraught gaze for a second. It was only when the color in the princess' face changed, slowly becoming something between green and pale brown, that a cold wave went through Mira's body, immediately shocking her wide awake.

 

«The poison!»

 

All of the weapons Mira had carried with her had been laced with deadly poisons before. How else would she be able to defeat a demon not even the most powerful generals could go even with? This poison would only have been able to weaken the dreadful existence she had been tasked to hunt down, it would never be able to defeat it, but it was a whole different story if the mixture got into the veins of a mere child. She would die if Mira didn't help her. It wouldn't even take minutes!

 

«Damn it! Damn it all!»

 

Mira hurriedly reached for her backpack, tore it open and pulled forth a small bottle filled with a murky, grey fluid. It was the sole protection her master had offered her should she mess up, an antidote that would at least give her a chance to survive until she could be brought to a healer.

With a loud plop, Mira pulled the cork out of the bottle, pushed the girl onto the damp ground and forced the liquid into her mouth. She fought back, using all of her remaining strength, but Mira couldn't give in. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she held the girl's mouth closed to make sure she swallowed it all down.

 

"Everything will be fine! It will be fine!"

 

The girl couldn't even answer anymore. Her eyes tried to focus on Mira, but they failed again and yet again. It was only a matter of minutes before she finally closed them, falling asleep, which was both a deep relief and a bitter burden to Mira's heart. The antidote would keep her alive, at least for now.

Mira hadn't even gotten a single minute to gather herself when a series of shouts reached her ears. They were still far away, maybe a few minutes from her position, but what would happen when they reached her?

The answer was obvious. They would kill the princess as soon as they arrived. They wouldn't even think twice. To her master, the girl probably was a small, weak child as well, but first and foremost, she was a tool that would help him gain power and wealth. Of course he would kill her!

Pearls of sweat were gathering on Mira's skin as she tried to think of a solution, anything she could tell him in order to at least give the girl a chance to survive. But there was nothing, nothing at all. She was a mere demon to him, and not even worth giving food to.

At best, he would give her a fast death and describe her as a godlike, almost undefeatable existence later on, in the stories he would tell to the king and the noblemen he wished to impress. That was the best she could get, being praised as an honorable opponent.

 

«I bet she can't even lift a sword.»

 

A small idea sprout in Mira's head, something she had not dared to think of before. The very same tool that had given her the ability to hunt this girl, could now protect her as well. She didn't even have to think about it twice, her hands were already moving towards her neck. She grasped the necklace and pulled it over her head, revealing the amulet she had worn underneath her clothing and close to her heart, where it was said to have the best effect.

Mira hurriedly pushed the amulet into the girl's dress and fixed it with a bunch of makeshift knots, just enough to hide the amulet from view. When she finally had managed to do so, Mira pulled the cloak back over the princess' face, hiding most of it in the process.

It wasn't a second too early. Mira still was busy hiding all traces of the girls origin when a far too joyful shout reached her.

 

"You caught her, Mira! You really caught her!"

 

Mira felt her stomach cramping up. She turned around to see her master approaching with wide steps, accompanied by all of his guards. They stared at her, causing goosebumps to grow all over her body, but soon enough all eight pairs of eyes were weighing down on the unconscious little girl that laid next to her instead.

 

"Is that really the demon?!" Her master asked, while already celebrating the answer he hasn't received yet. "You caught her, Mira?!"

"She- this-"

"What is it?"

"It isn't," Mira heard herself answer in an almost inaudible voice.

"What?!"

"It isn't the princess," she somehow managed to lie right into his face, "it is a girl! A human girl!"

"She is right," Alfred, a white-bearded fire magician answered after taking a few glances at the battered body of the girl. "There is no demon aura. It is a normal child."

 

Her masters face immediatelly changed. He had celebrated his victory only seconds ago, to now realize he had won nothing instead. Of course he was angry, and it was far more than understandable given the chance of the demon princess escaping while he was wasting time with his servant.

 

"You good for nothing idiot!" he cursed after his anger had grown large enough for him to forget his noble background. "You shoot a kid thinking it was the demon princess?! What do I pay you for?! It is your fault if she escapes now!"

"Master, I don't-"

"Don't you dare to talk back to me! If it wasn't for you being a little cute, I had long tossed you away! But now you went and destroyed everything! What are you going to do if she escaped? Tell me!"

"Master..."

"Clean up your own mess. I am through with you! You can play hard-to-get with somebody else! Don't you dare to ever meet my eyes again!"

"But-"

"No buts! Go sell your body for all I care!"

 

Tears gathered in Mira's eyes as he turned around and walked away, clearly not willing to give her any chance of redeeming herself. Her former comrades stared at her in disbelief. Some of them seemed to pity Mira for having made the mistake of angering her, the others, however, carried hate and contempt in their expressions. Her master basically announcing that he had only employed her because he liked her body didn't exactly help the case.

Mira forced her gaze onto the girl, trying her best to shut off the voices that tried to make her run after her master instead. There was even a part of her that wanted to give up and tell them the truth, but she already knew this couldn't save anything now.

He would take her as a liar, which she really was this time, and never trust her again. Maybe he would even kill her and just leave her here, without anybody ever finding out what had happened to her. It wasn't worth the risk, especially not if it meant killing such a frail looking girl.

 

"What should I do now?"

 

She wasn't answering, nobody was. While Mira pleaded for a solution, a simple way out of this hole she had buried herself, the demon princess just took her shallow, weak breaths. She did not know what Mira had sacrificed for her.

 

"I hope I did the right thing..."