No one seemed to care about what Sebastian said when he opened his mouth, yet it was the only thing that mattered to me.

“Wait, doesn’t the miasma make more demons?” I mumbled, gazing at the orc.

In a second, all eyes were back on me as I stood from my chair and walked closer to Finn, who was with them.

“Not all the time, child. It kills most who can’t withstand the change. Usually, the elderly die, which is why Rizak is such a rare find. Old fool beat the odds more than once.” He informed, shrugging.

Oi, I’m not a child. I haven’t been since I was ten when Dad beat me to a pulp.

That word didn’t match me, nor did the victim's name. These demons underestimated me, yet recklessness like that was something that could injure Finn and everyone I cared about.

Since…

“Wouldn’t breaking the barrier place a bigger burden on all of you, or are you so blinded by your hatred to see it?” I huffed, taking a step toward the man who threatened my home.

However, before I could get closer, Finn grabbed onto his cloak, preventing me from getting any closer to him.

“What?” Sebastian cocked his head.

He hadn’t expected me to speak, let alone defy him.

“Your farms… how big are they?” I asked, clasping my hands into fists.

This orc… if you have your way…

“We have about five million humans, which is plenty to feed all of Traedan and more.” He answered.

Too little… You don’t even feed the ones here already.

“And how many humans live within the barrier?” I continued to query.

You’ll all starve.

“Around ten billion, perhaps more,” Finn answered, tugging me towards him.

He didn’t want me near them, yet Astred, who had been close to him before, scowled when he drew me closer.

“How do you intend for all this to be feasible then?” I sighed, shaking my head.

Of course, you’ll just let all those who don’t matter suffer, but how long will that work? Years? Months… Days…

Chaos would break when the masses realized they never were part of the equation.

How full of yourself do you have to be?

“What?” the orc scoffed. “You know nothing of what you speak off.”

“Hah… and you’re dumber than you realize.” I sighed, shaking my head.

His eyes narrowed as I crossed my arms.

“Tell me, what will you do if those billions turn into demons? Let’s count the old folk who won’t survive; that still leaves you with millions to deal with. How will you sustain yourselves, then, with a measly 5 million humans?” I confronted, knowing that wasn’t possible.

You can barely keep up now. If any more turn… Then…

Every demon fed off different things; a few could do what Gael did, which wasn't sustainable.

The demand will be too much to handle. Heck, many are still in Fathal.

It didn’t help that humans weren’t like regular cattle and took years to mature. They weren’t like cows, which took two years to mature, or pigs, which took less than a year.

Sustaining that scenario is impossible. Even our current one will not be good if we can’t pass through the barrier.

We had to keep the rest of the humans from dying off to survive.

It’s why Finn hasn’t destroyed the barrier to this date. One true enemy within this mess was the miasma that covered all Fathal. Why can’t you all see that?

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

This end was apparent, but perhaps they were too full of themselves to notice the danger, or they welcomed it.

“Right now, the demons Fathal are already out of control and can barely feed freely. So, will you choose who gets fed and who doesn’t? Until when will that be viable?” I huffed, shaking away the feeling that wanted to emerge from me.

I was talking about human lives like livestock, yet there was no way for them to survive. So, I had to force myself to see the others as nothing more than food for them, yet part of me wished to find another way.

There has to be… This can’t be the end game for everything.

However, Sebastian’s attitude towards this made me wonder how the others felt about it, too. I grabbed onto the hand that held me captive.

Is this what you want too? No… Serah said not to let this happen. All the other demons would be lost, too. You must know that. Right, Finn? That’s why you haven’t killed everyone in Traedan, right?

I needed to figure out how to return them to their humanity without feeding them humans for years. Rizak’s way was the only way to do this. I wanted to meet the generals to learn who they were, but this was more than I could chew.

These people want…

“Or maybe you’ll somehow make your millions of humans feed everyone? Let’s even say you get a billion humans from the fall of Traedan. There are still demons in Fathal that are starving. It won’t be sustainable. Your farms will fall eventually.” I declared, knowing that if I ever ended up in one of them, I would look for a way out, even if it meant the end.

The demons outside would be the catalyst the humans used to break free from their chains.

“Oh, please, child, they’re pests, nothing more,” Sebastian assured me.

For now, they’re bugs. If ignored, they would become a plague! Look at me. I was ignored until I broke and brought down an entire family with me.

At that time, I had no superpowers or magical abilities, yet I found a way to destroy my old life. The people here...

“Those same ones can overwhelm even the best countermeasures. What will you do if one of your farms falls?” I countered, not stopping for a second.

This demon wasn’t analyzing everything or was too full of himself to see the danger ahead. Power was nothing when there was an army at the doors. Perhaps he was powerful enough to protect himself, but everything around him would burn.

“That would never happen, unlike you humans. Power rules demons; even the mad ones bow to it. None would dare to hit my lands. It’s why Fathal is in five sectors controlled by a general.” He huffed.

“Can you say that to demons who are rabid with hunger? To those who can’t even think, let alone feel such a thing as fear?! Everyone has a breaking point! There comes a point when we have nothing to lose and everything to gain!” I snapped, triggering him to scowl at me.

Right… just like that day I stood at that ledge. I had nothing to close and freedom to gain if it came true.

The orc would’ve touched me if Finn hadn't been there, yet I wasn’t scared. Luckily, this wasn’t like when he caught me by surprise.

I should be trembling because of what you did to me last time, but I won’t let you hurt those who I care about. Not while your hatred blinds you.

“What the fuck do you know about us? A human who isn’t even from this world.” he scoffed, licking the blood from his lips as his eyes shimmered brightly.

A soft cackle left me as I shrugged, “Nothing at all. I know jack-shit of your kind, but I know what you were before you became this.”

I tugged away from Finn’s warmth to face the orc, who was eager to meet death.

“What?” Sebastian appeared surprised to have me stand in front of him.

There wasn’t a hint of fear in my eyes towards him or anyone in this room.

“There are only two things you could’ve been—a human or elf.” I started, shaking my head lightly. “I’ll guess an elf since you seem extra hateful towards me, but I doubt they’re different from my kin. Am I right? Do we bleed the same, feel the same?”

Elves could live longer than humans, according to Rizak, and had more magical energy than them. However, Finn still held the title of the strongest mage even in his time as a human—something that made me wonder if, in his lineage, there used to be some elf in them, too.

My words surprised Sebastian, who stayed with his eyes wide open as the aura that radiated from them dissipated.

A soft chuckle came from Finn, “Watch yourself, he bites, sparky.”

“Ah, he won’t bite me. He needs me, much like all the others.” I assured, standing off against the orc.

Coming to this world filled with strangers made me want to ensure I didn’t regret anything. Befriending these demons would take more than playing their part. After all, my sole goal was to save them from themselves.

“How—?” he couldn’t finish when I reached my hand to him.

It seems listening to Ryzak's lectures wasn't a waste of time; I’ve been able to identify most of my foes correctly.

At that moment, his eyes widened again, taking a step back.

“I know how terrifying we mortals can be when pushed. I’ve been there at the point of breaking and lashing. That alone should still be in your immortal core, as for my guess. Your ears are pointer than anyone else’s here. That’s an elf trait, right?” I offered my right hand to him.

Finn had some, too. All the humanoid beings on this side of the fence did, but Sebastian's were more significant than anyone else. I could’ve been wrong, but I hit the right nail this time.

Astred was another who had them, too, yet hers were slightly shorter.

Perhaps a half-elf, but that’s for another day.

“Sparky, careful.” Finn sighed, standing behind me.

It was almost as if he was hovering over me.

“I’m not scared to look at death in the eye. She and I have a common dance, yet I’ve been victorious every other time; why not this one?” I held my hand in place, waiting for the orc to make his move.

“Oh, little love, that’s the problem.” He huffed, grabbing hold of my shoulder.

A soft sigh left me, “Look, I’ll help you find a way out of this mess. The only way I turn on you is if you are a self-destructive idiot. If that happens, I’ll do everything possible to stop you.” I declared, triggering his gaze to slump down to my hand.

“Is that why you’re offering me your hand?” he gazed down towards it, unsure what to do with it.

“What do you think? Aren’t you an old demon? Get a clue already.” I rolled my eyes.

Sebastian glanced towards the side as laughter erupted from the others.

Wait… are your cheeks pink?