Intense pain flowed throughout my body—dizziness, numbness, ringing in my ears, every sense imaginable overloaded. I sit on my side for the blood stuck in my throat to flow out with each violent cough. I wiped my mouth, but moving my right arm felt like a burning hammer smashing down on each fiber of nerves hundreds of times. Soft hands steadily drag me away from the collapsed passage and toward the other direction. My hearing hadn't recovered, and my vision was pitch black. Yet, I knew it was Lukia. Blood leaks from my ears as I pat them down to clear them from any blockage...

"I think... I can hear the wind up ahead; we are close. Just hang on.." Lukia grunts with every breath. I instantly realized that something was wrong and gently tapped her hand to let me go. Lukia fell to her knees and took a painful breath. "Good, you're awake.."

"Did you heal me...?" I asked, sitting up against the wall.

"With what little I could manage, I needed to stop the bleeding in your arm... Thankfully, it did. But I'm afraid pulling you away from danger gave me more than I am willing to admit."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"The impact... I hit the wall pretty hard; I think one of my ribs is stabbing my lungs. Breathing is hard, moving is harder." She wasn't lying, the look on her face was filled with nothing but pain.

"Yeah... I don't think I am in any shape to move either..." I laugh a bit but feel my own ribs aching from the damage I suffered. A soft taste of blood tingles my tongue. "At least... We did what we could to stop them."

"I guess so... We certainly were out of our minds staying behind."

"Was the choice of running even present?"

"Not really. I guess dying also crossed our minds."

"It's always a possibility. Yet, here we are, barely alive or nearly dead. I guess we chose the middle ground." Lukia laughs at my little joke and lurches over with a painful smile.

"Ugh... Please don't make me laugh anymore... Otherwise I think I'll actually kill over."

"Sorry..."

"Hmm...thank you, Caleb."

"For?"

"Don't be modest, you ass."

"Sorry, modest is something I am good at."

"No, just... Thank you... For everything so far."

"Just doing my job as the overseer of the village."

"We are way past that. You...did a lot for us, for me this past year. You helped me with my hunt, helped me and the Phantom Blades pay off my debt, or at least keep up with payments."

"You know I should just find those guys and send Eckhart to take care of them. Probably stupid, right?"

"I would say you are already stupid, but... I like the sentiment. But no, acting out against one of the most renowned criminal organizations this side of the world is certainly out of the question. If Gale and the party keeps doing these jobs we've been doing for some time, the debt should be paid by the end of winter."

"You're kidding."

"Glad I'm not. Again, thank you with that hunt against the Shadow Hunter. The payout for the creature certainly put us back in a good stance."

"Well, it was that or be forced to have you guys either killed or enslaved." I wipe my brow and take a deep breath, feeling myself grow slightly heavier as my body adjusts to resting.

"I know we didn't have a great start when we first met. I certainly didn't give off a great first impression... However, I found that you were more reliable than I thought you were. I only thought Gale would be the only one I could really see that..."

"You love him, don't you?" I speak the words abruptly. Lukia catches herself instantly, and thoughts race through her mind.

"Why say that..! I don't really see what you mean..."

"Don't play those games with me. Just a question based on observation. I don't expect much of an answer, but that was enough for me to know."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Well... Gale... He's always thinking ahead. I look up to him, and that is for sure... Saying I love him...when he really treats me like a close sibling is laughable at best. He's a big idiot, but I guess... That is what I love about him. I've considered confessing, but I think he's already given me an answer."

"Don't give yourself regrets now."

"No, I fully believe what he feels about me. It hurt at first, but I am glad he smiles brighter ever since he met you and you opened his eyes. I wouldn't want him to change for my sake."

"I see."

"Besides, I think a girl like me has a lot left to offer in the world before I start settling down."

"Right."

"You're not listening, are you."

"Totally am."

"You jerk."

"I've been called many names, and that is what you say? I expected more from the mighty Lukia, who helped slay the mighty Shadow Hunter."

"Pfft. You are certainly acting much different than usual, Caleb."

"I'm just waiting for the eventual question I know you've been having since you saw my magic. So, let it out; I had enough time to prepare for my decision."

"For a child, you are quite perceptive."

"Quit stalling, please. Ask what you need." My body slumps a bit before I adjust to look at Lukia more directly. She swallows a bit before clearing her throat. Her face grows expressionless before turning serious.

"You're a descendant of a Demon King, aren't you? I've heard stories of people wielding dark magic without a staff or artifact. They tend to be more powerful than any mage or priest when it comes to magical capabilities."

"That's more or less the version."

"The Church and Empire have had it a law to apprehend any who possess that power. Fear of a Demon Lord candidate or someone powerful enough to wipe out entire cities in a flash. The more I talk about it, the more reason why I understand why your father put you in charge of Saiana."

"I knew you would figure it out."

"I just... You never once used your power until now."

"I made a vow to my father that I wouldn't use it. He gave me my mother's artifact to at least make a barrier to defend with. It's been over a year since I used my magic, so I wasn't sure if I could even use it again. But like any muscle in the body, it eventually remembers."

"How does it feel? I mean to use magic?"

"It's the most painful thing you can ever do to yourself."

"Is that why...your arm..."

"Yes. Magic in our bodies is so much more powerful than a regular mage that it destroys our very being using it. Depending on the element, it causes something in our body to be used as a price. Using my lightning ruptures the blood vessels and veins in my arm, causing a combustion of blood and force. I swear if I overdid it, I probably could explode my entire arm."

"Don't joke about that."

"Sorry. This curse hasn't been one without sacrifices."

"That must be awful."

"It is. I wish I could use my magic more."

"What about the damage it does? Doesn't that make you want to not use it?"

"Magic is a drug, Lukia. You don't fully understand it because you have access to holy magic. All it does is sap your stamina; in the worst cases, it can cause total unconsciousness. It is magic bestowed to you by training in a field that allows for such growth. It is earned and developed into you. Everyone is born with magic in their blood; that is just a given fact. Learning holy magic is one way to expand the magic in your body; it causes you to use spells granted by God. That is something you learn, Lukia. In my case... I have so much mana in my body that it wants to be expelled. This curse is something that amazes us, and using it destroys us, but it is power. Power is addicting, and magic is just something that needs to be used. It is a drug; it is something we get high off of. It self-destructs us, yet we continue to use it because it is a part of us. We are born with spells we inherit through our genes and heritage. It isn't something we just learn. I could weave a current of my magic through my hand and fire a blast so powerful it could rip a man in half. I am nothing but a living mass of destruction. Nothing but a monster." My head slumps as I feel my sense of self become a void. Realizing the implications of my power is a much heavier burden than I initially thought.

"You're not a monster, Caleb."

"Sure, you just witnessed it."

"Stop moping, it doesn't suit you."

"Hmph."

"Yes, I was scared at first, but I realized that you aren't nothing like what they say you people are. We are led to believe you are dangerous when you guys are born just like us. Even if you carry the blood of a Demon King or Lord, it doesn't mean you should be prosecuted."

"You are seeing this from a naive perspective. The world we live in has been under threat by quite a number of Demon Kings throughout the ages. We are directly related to such beings."

"Well, your magic saved my life and countless others. Just because you are a descendant doesn't mean you can't be a force of good. Your actions today proved that."

"Heh..."

"Thank you again, Caleb."

"I told you it-"

"Just thank you. You have done more than I can ever thank you for. I failed to put my mother out of her misery. You made sure her suffering ended as quickly as possible. And you also helped me get revenge against the creature that did that to her. As far as I am concerned, you are a brave hero."

"Brave hero..."

"And you are my friend. Someone I can trust along with Gale. I'll be looking forward to the future with you." It was sudden, but I caught the moment when a tear fell from her cheek. She was holding back the pain she was still feeling from losing her mother. Something I know too well. I crawl my way toward her and gently hug her head with my arm. The feeling of her arms wrapping around me was a warm sensation that gave me a sense of bliss...

A couple of moments of consoling her passed, and she gently pushed me away. The pain in her chest had eased for now, but getting out of this place was now a priority.

"We should go..." Lukia struggles to get to her feet.

"They must be waiting for us."

"That or they left."

"Want to take bets?"

"As much as I like to, I think we would take the same shot."

"Yeah..."

Lukia walks alongside me as the beaming light at the end grows bigger and bigger. Our bodies are riddled with bruises and painful wounds. I held my stomach as Lukia aided me on the path. The dark energy that Shaar inflicted on me was still burning but not as painful as before. Each step led us to a brighter exit, which the cold, snowy air brushed past us...