-Huff...huff...huff...

"Run...!"

"Quick!"

"Mama... Papa, where are we going?" asked a 2-year-old girl with a short horn stuck on her forehead, covered by her black silk hair. She had crimson red eyes, a small nose, and plump cheeks. Her pale skin, accompanied by her doll-like appearance, made anyone who looked at her lose themselves in her cuteness.

With his white hair swaying, Jin looked at his daughter in his arms and smiled.

"We're going to play in the mountains."

"Why in the mwountains?"

"Lhicia! Don't ask any questions, just....behave, okay?" Leia said, tightening the grip of her hand on his son. Her worries could be seen in her crystalline blue eyes.

"I found them!" Suddenly, a black-skinned demon shouted from behind, pointing his long fingers in their direction.

The group of demons looked in the direction where the black demon pointed. They saw four figures running ahead.

"Chase them!"

Clenching his sword at his waist, Jin suddenly stopped.

"They caught up."

He brought his daughter to his wife and kneeled in front of his son.

"Xhin, protect your mother and sister, okay?"

Xhin stared at his father for a moment and then nodded his head.

"Jin, what are you going to do? You know it's dangerous," Leia, trembling, aware of the situation, couldn't help but bring herself close to her husband.

Standing up, Jin hugged his wife and whispered, "Don't worry about me and just go. Make sure to stay safe, okay?"

Leia gently caressed her husband's back as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"It's okay, I will find-"

Just as Jin was about to reassure his wife, the sound of approaching footsteps got louder and louder.

Crunch-! Crunch-!

He didn't think twice and shoved his wife away as he yelled, "Quickly run! I'll hold them back!"

"Jin!"

Leia attempted to protest with a distressed expression, but she was immediately shoved by Jin, whose eyes were now bloodshot.

"Quick! Go!"

After a moment of hesitation, she ran out of the forest with Lhicia in her arms without looking back. Xhin followed them behind.

Jin watched his family run further and further away from him.

Soon after, the group of demons halted in their tracks and looked at the familiar man sitting on the trunk of the fallen tree wiping his sword with a clean white cloth.

His relaxed attitude caused the demons to frown.

The man put the white cloth away and stood up, declaring his name.

"Jin Ascoff of the Greed Clan!"

Chills ran down the spines of the demons when they heard the name of the man in front of them. Jin Ascoff, the man who single-handedly raised the Greed Clan to the top of the Demon Realm using his strength alone. Even his primordial desire, Greed, was weakened. He still continued to amass power and wealth, making all the demons fear him.

"You traitor! Bring your cursed son here and we will spare your clan," the red-haired demon yelled.

Jin smirked and shouted at the top of his lungs, "My son is not cursed but blessed. One day, when the shadows loom in this realm, with his overflowing desire, the name 'Xhin' will bring fear to all of the continent!"

A loud thunder rumbled in the sky, and a strong lightning struck the adjacent tree, as if heaven agreed with what he said.

The demons were dumbstruck by what they had heard and seen. They all took a step back.

Seeing the reactions of his fellow demons, Jin laughed.

"Hahahaha... to think that even the Great Azkael agreed to what I said."

Hearing Jin's words, the demons snapped back to their senses. They bared their sharp, bloodstained teeth and gripped their weapons tightly as they rushed towards Jin.

Without hesitation, Jin made his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground and raising his sword. He held it with both hands, his eyes locked onto the advancing demons as he waited for them to come near.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Jin closed his eyes and focused, channeling the demonic energy within him. He felt it coursing through his veins, pulsing with power. Gripping his sword tightly, he held it aloft, pointing the tip towards the sky.

-Bang!

Small craters formed beneath his feet. The ground shook, and the sound of thunder reverberated in the air.

As the demons closed in, Jin took a deep breath and thrust his sword forward.

-BOOOM!

A bright red energy wave erupted from the blade, tearing through the demon ranks with a deafening roar.

The demons raised their weapons, clearly trying to stop the attack, but it was too late. The wave slammed into them, engulfing their bodies in a searing red light. They screamed in agony as their forms disintegrated, leaving only shattered cores in their wake.

The energy wave surged forward, leaving a massive crack in the ground as it dissipated into the air. The demons who had been watching from the sidelines recoiled in terror, their eyes wide with fear.

-Ba-dump -Ba-dump

Their hearts beat faster at the sight of their kin turning into nothing but dust. Subconsciously, they turned their heads to Jin.

-Huff...Huff

Jin staggered backward, his breath ragged as he tried to steady himself.

"Ha.." he gasped, his chest heaving with each breath. It was clear that the attack had almost spent all of his energy.

"Urgh.."

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he fell to his knees, using his sword to support his body. Jin struggled to stand up.

Seeing the traitor's condition, the remaining demons forgot about their fear. They circled him, their eyes blazing with fury.

Jin eyed the demons around him. Even though their desire had weakened, he could still feel their energy pulsing, an aura of pure darkness.

'They are all Barons.'

Suddenly, one of the Barons lunged at him, its claws slashing through the air. Jin sidestepped, dodging the attack with a quick movement.

Another demon came at him from the side, its fangs bared. Jin swung his sword, cutting through the air with a fierce slice.

-Whoosh!

The demon recoiled, its form disintegrating as the sword struck its core. Jin spun around, his eyes scanning the battlefield for his next target.

Another Baron lunged at him, its claws raking through the air. Jin dodged it with a quick sidestep, then brought his sword down with a powerful strike.

-Slash!

Blood spurted onto the ground.

Jin could feel his energy waning, his muscles trembling. But he knew that he couldn't give up. He had to keep fighting; he had a family waiting for him.

More demons closed in, their eyes glowing with fury. Despite this, Jin didn't flinch. He stood his ground, clenching his sword tightly.

As they attacked, Jin fought back with all his strength. He swung his sword with fierce precision, cutting through the demons with a fluid grace.

- Swoosh! Bang! Slash!

- Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.

The dark clouds had covered the sky and heavy rain was finally pouring down, washing the ground which was filled with limbs and shattered cores. With every gust of wind, the trees swayed and, along with the piercing thunder, the sounds of strikes echoed through the air.

***

-Tap! -Tap!

As the rain poured down in sheets, the forest was alive with the sound of water hitting leaves and branches. A thick mist blanketed the ground, making it difficult to see more than a few feet in any direction. Suddenly, through the haze, three figures could be seen darting through the trees.

Their footsteps splashed in the puddles as they ran, their clothing drenched from the relentless rain. Their breaths came in ragged gasps as they tried to outrun whatever was chasing them. The trees whipped by in a blur of green and brown as they weaved through the forest.

The first figure was Leia, with Lhicia clutched tightly in her arms. Her hair was plastered to her face, and she was breathing hard from the exertion of running through the rain-soaked forest. Behind her, Xhin struggled to keep up, his small legs pumping as fast as they could go.

As they ran, Leia's heart pounded in her chest. She could hear the sound of footsteps behind them, getting closer with each passing moment. She knew that they had to keep moving, had to keep running, or they would be caught.

The rain was relentless, and the forest seemed to be closing in around them, making it difficult to see where they were going. But Leia pressed on, Xhin close behind her. Lhicia in her arms whimpered, frightened by the storm and the chaos around her.

Leia searched for a place to hide and quickly discovered a small cave.

"Yes"

She put Lhicia down on the ground and motioned for her and Xhin to go inside the cave and be silent.

Xhin looked up at his mother with his blue eyes as they went inside the cave. He could sense the fear in her body language. Xhin tugged at her blouse.

Seeing her son's worried look, Leia forced herself to smile. She patted his head and assured him,

"Go! I-I will f-follow."

Xhin nodded his head and quickly ducked inside the cave, sitting in front of Lhicia.

"There's a footprint here!"

Before Leia could step inside, the sound of shouting interrupted her. She froze in her tracks, realizing they could be discovered. She knew that she couldn't enter the cave with them, as it would reveal their location and put them all in danger.

With tears streaming down her face, Leia kneeled and hugged both of them tightly and whispered,

"No matter what happens, don't ever go out, okay?"

Leia took a deep breath, breaking the hug with her children. She looked into their eyes one last time and gave them a final nod, silently urging them to be brave and stay strong.

Standing up, she quickly placed a barrier at the entrance of the cave to keep it hidden from view. Then, with a heavy heart, she turned and ran in the opposite direction, hoping to lead their pursuers away from her children.

Xhin watched her go, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. He tried to follow his mother, but upon seeing his sister trembling, he chose to follow her instructions. He stayed put and hugged his sister tightly, trying to stay calm and quiet.

They could hear the sounds of their pursuers getting closer, but they didn't make a sound. They knew that their survival depended on their ability to stay hidden and wait for help to arrive.

For hours, they huddled together in the cave, waiting for the storm to pass and for their mother to return. But as the night wore on, it became clear that she wasn't coming back. They were alone, stranded in the forest, with no way to escape.

***

"Haa...haa...."

I jolted up, gasping for air as my eyes shot open. My chest heaved up and down, each breath coming out in ragged gasps. Beads of sweat dripped down my forehead, stinging my eyes.

As I sat up, I couldn't shake off the feeling that what I had just witnessed was not a dream, but a memory. Yeah, a memory of the owner of this little body that I transmigrated into.

"So my name was Xhin, huh?" I muttered to myself as I tried to piece together the fragments of the memory in my head. But to no avail, my memories were still jumbled. I couldn't remember what happened afterward when my mother left us in a cave, how I had ended up being tied to a cross, or what had happened to my sister Lhicia.

-Thud!

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the carriage suddenly jolted forward, nearly throwing me to the ground. I looked around, and what I saw made my eyes widen.

The carriage was filled with demons. It was cramped and suffocating, the smell of sweat and fear hanging heavy in the air. Chains rattled with every jolt of the wheels, the sound piercing through the sobs and moans of the demon slaves.

"Why am I-" before I could even finish my sentence, I remembered the bulky man who had ordered to bring me here. I looked at my left arm that had been cut off, now healed and bound with chains.

My heart sank as I realized...

I'm now a slave, ready to be sold off to the highest bidder.