No matter what, I know that I would get out of this predicament unscathed. Jamie on the other hand, not so much. I mean, he was already wounded from lord knows what.

Even with the scent of human blood being weaker, it did not stop the snarling of the lower-class demons that surrounded their prey.

Dog-like entities bared their fangs, their ruby eyes glowing from hunger. These demons did not have the rationale to understand anything but their drive to hunt. I felt Jamie inch closer to my back, my hand down in a blocking motion, desperate to stop the stares.

They were beasts that would respond to the food chain and pure power, much like the lower burrows of Hellion. You couldn’t show your weak points. Unfortunately, humans in their eyes were nothing but that.

Weak points.

Just from their levels of energy and their hungered looks, I knew that there was no way that they could have been under the Morningstar rule. Not like it mattered.

Demons weren’t evil, as much as humans assumed. We were violent creatures that went to war for the craving of it, but we did try to take care of our own. My father may be cruel, but he would never let anyone starve to this extent.

As someone that had been positioned in governing my past territory, I couldn’t help but look in shock at the defined outlines of their ribs. Their legs looked like they would snap.

If there wasn’t any food here, then why were demons like this choosing to stay? Still, those concerns were the last on my list.

Unfortunately, as it stood, I was in a human form with my energy concealed. And Jamie froze like a deer in front of a pathway. To any demon, we looked like a tasty meal delivered to their neck of the woods.

“I’m not imagining it, right? Those are demons. Like in the flesh, actual demons,” Jamie managed to spit out, a shaking hand pointing at the snarling beasts that lined around the clearing bushes.

All that talk and he’s been traveling with a worse demon this whole time. Insulting, if you ask me. Just kidding, did it look like I gave a fuck?

“Quite the genius, you are,” I rolled my eyes, moving my body to walk around him. If they didn’t see any blind spots then they would hold, although it wouldn’t last for long.

I moved us back, it would be easier to fight the demons behind us, considering they were closest to the actual pathway. Taking small steps back, I inched us backward till I heard the growls from the low-class demon.

A warning growl. But wherever we stepped now, it would be too close, as the demons to the sides and front had already moved to close the distance.

Clawed paws with boney bodies stalked into the clearing. No longer hidden in the bush, their elongated bodies exposed themselves in the faint streaks of sunlight that seeped through the canopy. All I could pay attention to was their slowed pace, how their shoulders lowered, claws digging into the ground.

A jumping position. They would strike any second. I had to think fast. Think.

I didn’t have any weapons on my body, nor did I think Jamie would be carrying anything useful. There had been no clanging from his satchel that would indicate anything worthwhile. Weapon-wise, we were royally fucked. That left us with only one choice. I would just have to punch the life out of them.

“Don’t move from this spot, unless you want to die.” I looked back to warn Jamie, who only slowly nodded in fear. Useless, incapable waste of space… And I stood here protecting it.

Maybe I was crazy.

I sighed, rolling up my remaining sleeve to the elbow, and cracking my neck to the side. The truth is, when it came down to the basics, I specialized in pure physical combat. Whether I was in my human form, or not, my strength was commendable.

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Not enough to destroy kingdoms, but enough to teach these overgrown demon mutts a lesson.

“Ten of you in total, huh? You dare?” I took a step away from Jamie, releasing slight amounts of energy to garner the attention away from the human.

All ten eyes peeled in my direction, a violent curiosity ripping through their systems. This amount of demonic energy would be considered as a challenge in demon terms.

But they started it first.

Wasting no time, I sprinted towards the first mutt, catching this snout in the air. The demon whimpered, trying to catch my body with its back claws. I closed my grip, waiting for a crunch before letting the dying mutt flop to the ground.

With the nose crushed, it would suffocate anyway.

Nine more.

Another growl came from my side, I jumped back in time to watch a bony demon dog soar past me. Its jaws had been open, snapping away at empty air. I kicked up, hitting the stomach of the beast. The power sent the demon mutt into the sky and crashed down with a bang.

It never got back up.

Eight more.

It was instant. The next one was on me before I could even step away. The demon lurked, its fangs on full display and the course, sailing toward my face. Reaching down, I scooped up the corpse of the other in my hand, watching the fangs of the other sink into its own pack with a whine.

All I did was toss the both of them into the trunk of a tree, the demon that was still alive landed with a crash, indenting the bark.

Seven more. Slowly but surely, the numbers dwindled.

Six more.

Five more.

Four more.

Three.

Two

One.

I stared across the clearing at the last demon that had waited on the other side of the clearing. Unlike the others that wasted no time in charging forward, I watch the observing eyes of the beast, dancing between me and the bushes.

“Thinking about retreating? “At least one of you guys isn’t blinded by hunger,” I called out, walking closer. Black blood covered my clothes, steam pouring from my body with the blood already evaporated before my eyes. Rest assured; it wasn’t my own. The demon stood, its legs shaking and cowering at my nearing figure. It barked; its yelp was no greater than its bite.

“Run if you know what’s good for you.” I warned, giving it one final mercy, and leaned in closer, “Next time, pay attention to who exactly you’re attacking.” I warned quietly in a voice that could not be human, outside of Jamie’s hearing.

The demon understood, using the chance to run back into the bush. I sent it off with a glare, before sighing.

Not the way I imagined spending my day off.

I closed my eyes, focusing my senses to pick up any more signatures. As far as I was concerned, there was no more. Even if there was, they would smell the blood and retreat in fear of running into a greater monster. Which was me. Unless they were stupid, we would be fine. I smelt enough of demon blood to act as a repellent for the rest of the trip outside the woods.

Another exhale. Right.

“All right Jamie, we should be good now and…” I turned around to come face-to-face with him, his eyes sparkling in amazement.

He pointed straight at my face. Honestly, it took a lot of restraint to not bite his finger off. I rolled my eyes.

“…Uh, could you not.” I shoved his hand away, not bothering to slow down. Jamie followed behind me, struggling to keep pace, as I marched out of the forest.

“…You,” He continued again.

Did I hear something? No.

I ignored him. Tried to.

“Just who are you?” He went on again, his eyes burning holes through the back of my head.

Annoyed, that’s who.

The fool rambled on, “I mean. This is the second time that I got attacked by demons and it always seems to happen with you around.”

Or do you have shit luck?

“Yeah, and you’re lucky I was there. Or else you’d be dead.” I hopped up a steep hill and onto the main path.

I turned left, hearing Jamie’s footsteps follow behind me. To be honest, I didn’t know where I was going, but I’d never admit it. Still, we marched on. So did Jamie’s mouth.

“That was my second time seeing demons. I felt my blood run cold and there you were like,” He chopped in the air and did other ghastly things, that I dare not mention.

Third, if you count me. I didn’t bother to look back. It was better that way.

“Jamie.” I interrupted his attempt at martial arts.

He paused, “Yeah, what’s up?”

Honestly, it’s not like it bothered me. But it was impossible for the kingdom to not know about the demonic energy in the woods. In fact, I doubted the crown didn’t monitor the situation. They had the mages at their disposal too.

It didn’t make sense as to why the demons were staying in the woods surrounding the kingdom if there seemed to be low food sources. Demons were creatures that would follow food and blood. It was our nature, simply.

To be honest, I couldn’t understand why. But my rationality of the situation was fogged by my hundred years of missed time. I had no real clue how much changed in the time that I was gone, including demon habits. Although, there was one thing that I did understand and wanted to confirm.

“How didn’t you know that the woods weren’t infested with demons?” I asked, continuing forward on my path. They had to have known. It made sense that Jamie didn't, he was new to the area. But the others? How could they not? I heard a sigh from behind me.

“I was told by a senior to come here and gather supplies,” He admitted, the gravity of his words not fully hitting him.

If Jamie hadn’t gotten wounded and run into me, I doubted that he would have walked out of those woods alive. I knew demons too well, as I was one myself. There was simply no way.

The whole ordeal was a death sentence and a malicious one, at that. Jamie held value to my situation, so it was only natural to think of him as my property at the moment. Who dared touch him?

“Who?” I asked, the tone of my voice unmistakably disturbed. This fact wasn’t picked up on either and if it was, Jamie played it off. Aloofly, as always.

Jamie scratched his head, shrugging, “Why? It was the other understudy to the potion’s master. His name was Damon, I think.”

“No reason, just thinking about how they must be as stupid as you.” I lied, but all I could think about was strangling this Damon as soon as I got the chance.

“Asta, you’re so rude for someone younger than me, huh?” He scoffed, but he was surprised at this point. No.

I was 206. Or 306. Depended on if you counted the missed time. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to consider as my age.

“Simple solution. Then don’t be stupid and older.” I shrugged, squinting my eyes at the sunlight that bounded on us, as we stepped out of the woods.

“You little twerp.” Little for now.

Why? Did Jamie not know?

Because getting sent to these woods was a death sentence.

Damon, huh? I would kill them.