Once again, thank you to all of you who have encouraged me and rated this work. Especially those who made a review.

Its really helpful to know where you can improve, and what to work on for next time.

Well its the time at the end of the year and i will be going on schoolies on Saturday. So i will not be updating for a good couple of weeks.

Because of the above reason i did slightly rush the editing stage. There should be no terrible errors though if you see any problems dont be afraid to alert me and ill edit. Cheers

Please leave a comment with your thoughts

I hope you enjoy the update.

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CHAPTER 3

As one, three hundred pairs of eyes all squinted desperately, trying to make out the faces they knew. The survivors from last night’s battle were only now limping back through the gates. Having spent several hours burying the dead, the village had plenty of time to congregate and applaud those who made it back. However more importantly were the families who were ensuring their own loved ones had returned. It was a terrifying sight. Where in the same place, cries of joy mixed with wails of pain, joining together to make great symphonies of emotion.

My Mother was one such individual, sweeping the crowd before she laid eyes on my father. Whereupon she gave a shriek of happiness and leapt into his arms. I was more subdued knowing full well that he had survived the night. But still I trotted over and gave him a hug. “I was so worried” My mother whispered. Father however held no light in his eyes. He just smiled grimly before telling us to walk back to the house.

We did as we were told though not before looking back and seeing a sight that would always stay with me. My father, had walked up to two women by the side of the gate. Still desperately searching for someone amongst the survivors. From a distance I barely made them out but the younger girl was definitely Lye, so I could only assume the women standing next to her was her mother.

Moments after my father began talking to them the women screamed. Even from across the courtyard we heard it. A wail of despair. Not from physical pain, but a scream of loss. “Oh dear god”. My mother exclaimed almost turning back to comfort the pair. Though deciding they would need their space we walked on, trying to ignore what we heard behind us. Which of course was impossible.

That night I was shaken from my sleep. My mother stood above me, staring straight into my eyes as she spoke clearly. “Down in the living room, five minutes.” By now I was completely awake, blood pumping with worry. They couldn’t have known it was me right? I certainly didn’t leave any traces. I had implanted false memories into my Mum so there should be no worries there right? I rushed down expecting the worst, and preparing any logical defence I could think of against my actions last night. Though what I saw surprised me. Lye stood by the door, still in her nightgown and an absolute wreck. Her once adorable features were bloated from the salty tears that showed no sign of receding. I don’t think she noticed my entrance, instead she buried her face into my mother’s stomach,

Here’s the story, apparently dad had gone to check on Lye’s family after the loss of her father. Only to find the mother had committed suicide earlier that day. Lye had been just sitting there pocking the body and begging her to wake up, too young to understand the finality of death. Not an attractive image but that’s how my dad recited it. Thinking back on the issue, I’m not sure why I was told. I had barely turned four years old myself. Perhaps I seemed mature for my age?

So here she was, in the living room of our house now an orphan through and through. We spent the majority of that night sitting in silence though I’m sure my parent’s brains where working overtime over where we could keep her. On her part the little girl began to calm down before mercifully falling sleep. Her breath was still laboured though and her body jerked jarringly every few seconds.

After what must have been a few hours my mother bundled the girl in her arms before looking at the two of us. “You too go back to bed, we can’t have the girl wake on her own. Not after something so cruel.”

My father nodded at me. “Off we go kiddo” and then back to Tear, “I’ll see you in the morning, if you need anything just yell”. Mum didn’t answer, instead looking down at the girl in her arms with a gaze of such pity and sorrow. I just got out of there, the atmosphere was terrible.

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Just over seven years have passed since my reincarnation and Lye is now a part of the family. We have become close as well, very close. Though I digress, in a brotherly/sisterly sought of way. She now activity takes part in the lessons from my parents, to the excitement of my mother, who sees her as the daughter she never had, and to the annoyance of my father who groans each time she picks up a sword.

With a quick interjection I would like to say that originally my father had been very patient with the girl. Though it had soon become glaringly obvious that Lye’s talents and focus were almost entirely focussed upon the magical aspect of her training. Already Lye was able to completely change her appearance into anything slightly resembling a human. As for masking her presence, she was able to achieve a basic level where you wouldn’t immediately notice she was in the same room as you.

Lye has also began running each morning with me. Our track was twice around the village. Of course seeing as I had worked on my fitness since birth she couldn’t keep up. Though whenever she fell slightly behind she would sprout a pair of wings on her back and race ahead. When it came to transformation the best I could do was still only hiding my tail and horns but I wasn’t put off. After seeing how useful Lye’s wings were I was determined to reach the same level.

Lye had also begun to craft elemental stones with my mum. Spending long hours sitting at the table together. It seems that her magic pool was slightly larger than the average demons, though she blatantly refused to learn any magic that could harm another. Perhaps this was smart seeing as she had only recently stopped crying for her father at night.

As for me, I have also changed significantly.  I have started to notice certain aspects that are beyond my explanation. The first is that each time I have used magic of any kind my reserves have become larger. This is odd, never before had I heard of an individual’s energy pool changing in size. Usually you were stuck at a certain level from birth.

There was that, and the quality had become purer each day. For example. Had I once wanted to levitate a stone, with the same effort I would now find it flying way up into clouds, never to be seen by me again. Startled, I have been doubling the time I spent in meditation each night, for while magic gain of any sought is a good thing, it would be troublesome should it become too large to control with precision.

Physically I was becoming stronger. As mentioned before I had been jogging with Lye, and then I would spend the afternoon locked in swordplay with my father. I had recently discovered that he used a mixture of multiple styles. His first strike was that of a demon style, whilst his footwork was that of the elves, and his defence was that of the Humans. It was disorientating as his wooden sword would swing from out of nowhere, moments before he was behind you with yet another withering assault.

Though just because I was losing, doesn’t mean I wasn’t getting better. No, my father aside, I was becoming well known as a prodigy and often guards would ask to spar with me before they went up against my father. Even with my seven year old body, I could proudly say I beat a few of them. Though never without the backhanded comments, saying something like “If it was a real fight, your sword would never defeat me”. It was true I thought to myself. My sword would never have defeated them, instead they would be dead long before I locked myself in close combat. I never corrected them though. I felt no need to prove myself to beings of their level.

I also began talking properly with Lye. After the first year I could manage to hold a conversation, and soon Lye became the only person I could talk to normally. Don’t get me wrong, I could have conversed with my parents’ just fine but out of fear that the magic in my voice would be recognised I held back.

One particular event however deserves repeating. A few weeks after Lye had come to live with us, a friend of hers had come to visit. A large shedim type demon, with long red feathers that protruded from the back of his neck and wisped down to his feet. His head was that of an eagle, giving him a regal appearance that did not match his hunched posture. On his back were two red feathered wings, the defining characteristic of a shedim. The boy’s name was, wait for it, Red, leading me to believe that his mother wasn’t all too intelligent.

I later found that intelligence evidently didn’t run in the family, as poor Red seemed to like nothing better than to do everything Lye asked of him. At first I had though it was just him, trying to win her attention, though it became blatantly obvious when he started “obeying” me as well that it was just his incapability of thinking for himself. However as far as demons went he was a friendly individual, with his apparent stupidity leading him to perform great acts of loyalty at the expense of himself. To be honest I ended up enjoying his company more than I should have, and after the first few weeks of our meeting I was happily calling him my friend.

He later turned into a training partner for me and Lye. In terms of fitness he was around my level, though he truly showed his worth in strength. We once staged a mock arm-wrestle between my whole family (including Lye) against him alone. He beat us easily, even with my father cheating by using both his hands. I can’t say our ego hit an all-time high after that, however my father did offer to train Red in the sword along with me. At first Red was unsure saying that he had been training with a spear before he met us. Though my dad had mealy laughed it off. Saying that he was “brilliant at both”. My mother didn’t talk to my dad that night, saying he was too old to be showing off to children.

However it turned out Dad was just as good as his word. Perhaps even better. Within a week Red was coming over each day to improve his stance and grab pointers. One area that needed fixing was Red’s tendency to slash with the spear. Of course, Father had originally tried to correct him though when it seemed to be an inbred habit with a low chance of correction, my father compromised by purchasing a cheap halberd that Red could use when he came over.

Red immediately gained a great affinity with the halberd and by the time of his fifth birthday, our family had decided to give it to him as a gift. Now that we were seven he was known after me as the prodigy of martial arts in the village. Where we differed however was the soldiers were never able to say they would win in a real fight. As Red’s natural strength easily overpowered any magical strengthening they could perform.

“You two might be able to leave on your coming of age early” My mother giggled to us over dinner having watched the most recent spar.

As a new concept to me I delved deeper. Apparently when a demon aged into his first decade he would have to fend for himself for a year without any help from other demons. I wondered why I hadn’t participated in such a ritual in my last life, though my father had added gleefully that it was a trial organised for members of this village. From what my parents had told me it had not been a pleasant experience for them. My mother had charmed her way into a human household earning her keep in ways that apparently I wasn’t old enough to know about, and my father had sold himself as a sword for hire. Often ordered by greedy human generals to spear point their charges. However they each relished the idea of me proving myself to the world as apparently your accomplishments during this period directly affected your social standing on return.

I can’t say I was overly thrilled with the idea of leaving comfort for isolation, though unfortunately there seemed no way out of it. Perhaps as a slight respite, Red and Lye would be turning ten soon after myself and a small loophole meant we would be able to interact during this period.

Another problem has come to my attention. At seven years old I was introduced to our financial situation, as well as being included in the village council meetings. The latter deserves immediate attention so that’s what I will first address. Several factions of the capital have approached our village. Each demanding that we change our ideals on neutrality. After the apparent complete destruction of the late faction’s army, our village has been a topic of fear. So like all other hungry bureaucrats, they threaten us with their military power into become their ally. “Because that’s always worked in the past” I told Lye who sat bored to tears as the Archdemon explained the circumstances. She didn’t hear me, instead continuing to play with her sandals as she counted the seconds before we would resume my mother’s transformation classes.

While our village still sat on the fence all three outside factions had seemingly come to an agreement in that they could all demand annual tributes, which when stacked together, covered half our yearly earnings, even after our income had increased to its original value at the conclusion of the siege three years ago. What this meant was that our taxes increased to pay for any shortcomings.

My parents, already struggling to put food on the table had to take up second jobs. My father began making weapons, albeit poor ones. Using the city’s public furnace. However with his natural knack for all that was military, he was improving at a speed I had thought reserved for those with private tutors. Overall this new job was convenient for me. I would take my meditations sessions there, humming to the repetitive sounds of the hammer. My father also took it upon himself to nurture my ability to appraise an object. Occasionally disturbing me from my trance to wave a newly completed weapon in my face. “Ok kiddo, how much for this”?

I held up three fingers, indicating three bronze coins. I suppose an interjection is necessary here for those who aren’t familiar to our currency, it works as follows: One gold coin is worth one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin is worth ten bronze coins. A bronze coin, if spent wisely would generally be enough to feed our family for a day. So overall I was being pretty generous to the wonky disgrace of a blade in front of me.

My mother had gone into a more educational trade. She taught the younger demons botany at the local primary school, which I had luckily avoided thanks to my parents lack of money. I didn’t visit there once, though Lye would often go and sit in on the classes. Chatting on for hours about how certain plants could let you breathe under water or run without becoming tired. I suppose for Lye who had never been to school the idea was exhilarating. Though for me it just seemed tiresome.

A week after the village meeting I spared with Red. Both of us deciding to use real weapons until a winner drew blood from the other. I grimaced, tightly holding the sword in front of me. It felt heavy in my hands, and the evening sun brought sweat to my palm applying a slippery film onto the weapon. I didn’t worry though, Red would have the same issue. Talking of Red he stood before me, holding his Halberd above his head, eyes intend on me, waiting to begin.

I made the first move. Almost falling to the ground as I lowered my centre of gravity, barely saving myself from an embarrassing finish in the dirt as I leapt forward. My already forward facing momentum coupled with an Incubus’ insane innate speed had my within the Shedims guard in a heartbeat. This strike perfectly embodied the demon sword style and held everything I had achieved in the past seven years. Speed wise it was perfect, flittering in and out of my own vision, which unaugmented with magic was unable to see it. It regards to its power it momentarily broke my limits, threatening to cut though the armour that covered Red’s neck, and finally its direction flowed in a graceful wave, constantly adapting to Red’s attempts to escape or parry.

However parry it he did and my sword skittered along the cobbled stone as it flew from my hand. Grasping the initiative Red came after me, with a mixture of brutal lunges and blinding strokes. However I was fast, diving over his halberd before breaking into a roll that left me standing right next to my discarded sword. Using my toes I flicked the sword back into my hand moments before Red’s next blow thundered down from the sky.

Allowing his force to work against him I angled my blade to deflect his halberd to the side, sprouting sparks were the two weapons met. Slightly over swinging, Red’s halberd sunk into the ground and before he could yank it out I was once again inside his guard. Moving into a terrifying uppercut that came millimetres from parting his chin.

Unfazed he quickly leaned backwards, moving out of my blades path before (with a great feat of strength) dislodging the halberd from the ground. However not before I had placed a sturdy foot on the mid-section of the shaft, rolling with the force that flipped me upside down into a perfectly straight form, parallel to Red. Our eyes locked less than a metre apart, both burning with a desire to win.  I swung a backhanded horizontal slice that if left for a single moment more would have torn out his eyes, though before it could connect Red let go of his halberd and caught my arm in mid-air. A smile of triumph washed across his face in the second before he tugged down on my arm, dislocating the joint entirely and smashing my face against the cobblestone where I passed out. Though not before I saw Red give a cheer and high five my father whose face was a mix of both happiness for Red and worry for me.  

I can’t say I enjoyed the feeling of being beaten by a brat but what can I say, without augmenting myself with magic, his natural strength and coordination were just overpowering. Being knocked out in the middle of combat was also a new feeling for me. It wasn’t particularly pleasant, it’s like falling asleep but you wake up feeling as though you have been awake for days.

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Talking of waking up it was relatively painless. My fractured skull and dislocated arm had apparently been healed by my mother whilst keeping me in a magically induced coma. So besides the headache I felt pretty good.

That night Red joined us for dinner. Graciously he didn’t say a word about my defeat. In fact he never spoke of it again. I made a mental note to thank him later.

Over dinner the family talked about the next council meeting. I would include Red but in reality he just sat there eating, occasionally having the decency to pause and pretend to look interested. We had originally decided to choose a faction to side with at the next meet having all had a look at the facts. However it seemed as though the Archdemon had called it off, not only that but since then he had barricaded himself in the town hall refusing to speak to anyone yet shouting the two words “too late”! At anyone he sensed passing by.

This was nothing unusual, our burly lead demon often shut himself away. Normally we wouldn’t have minded though with the continued demands for tribute we were beginning to fall into debt. Once that happened our economy would collapse and we would have no choice but to listen to whoever could pay us out.

Little did we know that this dinner foreshadowed a much larger event the very next day.

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We woke to the sounds of trumpets. Peaceful ones to be sure, but the numbers far exceeded anything I had ever heard. We raced to the gates to find a crowd already gathering in small huddles. It was like walking into a morgue. Heads were bowed in resignation and the faces around me had turned ashen with shock. My Father elbowed his way to the front of the crowd and I used my small size to squeeze in behind him.

In my time I have mounted several crusades. Each with a “righteous cause” that drew thousands of soldiers to my side. What stood before me may not have matched them in quality but in quantity they would have stood toe to toe. Ranks upon ranks of soldiers lined up at the bottom of the hill. Five men had broken from the mix and were walking up to meets us, though the rest stood in perfect formation, showing their discipline.

The five men upon reaching the top of the hill, yelled out in large voices, nonsensical mutterings enhanced by a great deal of magic. I had used these tactics before. You didn’t need the best speakers to threaten the opposing force, just a display of raw power. The enemy used this well, by washing our courage with noise until we stood here shivering like lambs. After their impressive display a single demon stepped forwards. He stood in a regal posture, head held high though slightly averting his gaze as if we were not worthy of being looked upon. He spoke in a crystal clear voice, nothing like the senseless ramble his guards had made. This was a man of real power, I thought to myself.

“To this humble village of Ka’tar.” The demon said, calmly though his voice reached all of us as if he were whispering into our ears. “At this moment you stand before your betters from the capital.” If you hadn’t realised, Ka’tar is the name of our village. “In a movement of our kindness we bring you a choice before we enact our final ultimatum. I Velko, from the Holy faction grant you one last chance to join with us in a declaration of friendship. You have ten minutes to fetch the joint alliance forms we handed to you in our last session. Otherwise we will be forced to have you silenced.” That said, the five demons turned on their heels, and without even a glance over their shoulders, casually walked down to their army, still unmoving at the bottom of the hill. Leaving us, standing in absolute silence. So quietly in fact that you could hear the cries from the town hall. Hundreds of metres away, still acting as a barricade for a reclusive Archdemon, an Archdemon who as far as we knew, was still holding the joint alliance forms.

Panic set in before the congregation marched its way up to the town hall, banging fists of fury against the heavy set iron doors. “Leave”! An outraged cry came from inside. “Leave before it’s too late”. Though the crowd barely listened, intent on breaking down the doors that separated them from their papers of salvation.

At long last a certain demon, who I had often spared with, returned from a quick expedition to fetch a sledgehammer and after those around him retreated to a safe distance he began to swing at the door. Flying shards of twisted iron flew with every strike and by the demon’s third hit, the door began to buckle, curving inwards as the iron shrieked with its abuse. I’m not sure which broke first, the door or the lock holding it in place. Though it didn’t matter as hundreds of demons forced their way through the now unbarred entrance. What stood before use was a brilliantly furnished room with an extended ceiling. Winding staircases on either side of the hall led up to an encircling balcony that gave easy access to a ginormous library. In the centre of the room sat the Archdemon. Sitting in a foetal position that showed no sign of hostility. All Nine feet of rippling muscle curled up like a toddler. I felt disgusted that such a creature was the head of our village

“Where are the papers”, my dad called out now at the front of the crowd. Several demons called their assent, as well as hurling abuse at the spineless coward before them. Though all noise stopped as the tear creased face rose from his palms

“You fools, I told you to leave.”

My father was now the unspoken leader of this communication and he continued in a mellow voice that he often used on me when I didn’t understand something. “We will leave, but first we need the papers. Can you do that for us?” My father outstretched his hand encouragingly.

“You fools” The demon repeated, gazing up at my Father in disgust. “There never were any papers.”

The villagers flinched. “What do you mean”? One asked tentatively.

“What the fuck do you think I mean”! The demon retorted, yelling now. “Those capital bastards never wanted peace. I know the soldiers who survived three years ago know what I’m talking about. There is someone in this damn pit of a village capable of slaughtering hundreds of soldiers in a single spell. Who in their right fucking mind would leave someone like this alone”!

“How long have you known about this”. My Father said, stock still in horror.

“Six years,” the archdemon continued. “It came then, something insanely powerful came to this village.” He pointed at my dad in recognition. “You should know exactly what I’m talking about! Your neighbours, those Jinn were the first victims.” I jumped visibly, how he knew about this? “Their kid came to me! He wouldn’t tell me what caused it. So full of fucking terror.” The demon grimaced horribly before continuing. “I had to deal with his parents, get them away from the village. You know what happened to them. They were tortured. So badly that areas of their brains were completely dissolved! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH POWER THAT TAKES! The soldiers should know. It was the same person I tell you.”

“Why didn’t you tell us”? My father whispered, shaking with fury.

“BECAUSE HE'S STILL HERE WATCHING US! WHO COULD I TRUST”!

The people froze, eventually one found his voice to ask the question we were all thinking “Then why would they lie about the papers, unless……”

“The gates” my father concluded. “We left them unbarred and unguarded” We turned as one, just as a muffled blast came from within our streets.

“Shit” The guards mumbled before running to the blast. Dying cries came from the direction and an overflow of magical essence swamped the village. I followed my Father who had grabbed my hand at the start of the pandemonium. He pulled me towards our house, constantly shouting out Tear's name as if it would make us find her sooner.

Enemy soldiers filled the streets, evidently they had been here before us, blood stained bodies littered the streets marking their passing. The smell of death stained the air and my Father wrapped his sleeve around my mouth and nose to hide me from the stench. I saw tears in his eyes moments before he wiped them away. They were probably people he knew. We ran dodging in and out of streets to avoid the enemy routes.

After what seemed like an eternity. We arrived at our house, our beautiful house. It may have been a modest building with only a single floor and several rooms. But it was our home, where I had grown up for the past seven years. Now it lay there, a picture of ruin. The windows were all cracked, if not broken completely and the door which had been locked from the inside, thrown to the side, having been torn off by a greater demon.

“TEAR”! My father yelled. He ran inside, no longer holding onto my arm, but drawing the sword at his waist. I followed close on his heels. The livingroom was empty, showing no signs of conflict except for an upturned rug. My father led into the kitchen. With me only a step behind. The step saved me. I had activated no magical defence, and had it been me standing where my dad had been I would have been killed by the first attack.

My dad was faster though, He dodged the first scything talon that swung from the ceiling managing to swirl around the blade and pierce blindly up at the roof above. What fell down was one of the vilest demons I had ever seen. A terrifying arachnid hybrid that frothed at the mouth. A large Chitin plate covered his back and sprouted eight legs. Four were used for walking with small hooks on each toe to grab onto a wall or ceiling.  The others housed terrible talons that curved into cruel barbed endings.

It was three more of the talons that swung from the ceiling only to pierce into my father’s back. He died instantly as the three talons protruded from the centre of his chest, having travelled straight through his heart.

I could only stare in disbelief as one of the first people who had ever cared for me hung lifelessly before me.  I glanced up at the ceiling, at least a dozen of these creatures hung from their hooked feet, and now three of these creatures held my father suspended moments before they each tore out their bladed limbs. My Fathers corpse fell limp to the ground, blood oozing from fatal wounds. His once proud face now lay twisted beyond recognition in both surprise and pain. I had seen this look before, though never on a person I loved. My heart cracked, mental pain seared through my mind as my father’s face stared up at me accusingly. My vision turned red, not with blood but with sheer unadulterated fury. The last thing I remember of that moment was calling on a magic so fierce that it was banned all throughout my rule. I blacked out, my subconscious taking over.

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I regained consciousness to find myself in a pool of blood. The arachnid hybrids lay around me. Though which part belong to which one I could no longer tell. Chunks of flesh and bone no larger than my thumb were all that remained of them. The house lay in a similar state, splinters no larger than the flesh were piled up high in a circle around my father’s body which was surprisingly untouched through the massacre. I waved my hand and my father’s body sank into the ground, giving him a temporary burial. I hoped to come back and finish the proper rites of passing, though, Lye and my mother could still be out there, So gritting my teeth and blinking the tears from my eyes I pushed on, rising over the crest of splinters I had created.

I ran through the streets. Soldiers were around every corner, though I was no longer hiding my strength. In hind sight that had gotten me nowhere. I had now retaken my position as an unstoppable force of nature. As such I simply waved my hand and the demons in front of me would fall, unable to breath. I left them to die painfully, I was not in the mood for mercy, or senseless pity.

I arrived at the town hall barricaded from the inside as hundreds of demons fought to make their way in. Pounding on one half of the Iron Gate and the other half that must have been a makeshift wooden barrier. I just kept running, jumping over the ring of demons before willing a hole in the wall. I flipped gracefully through, landing on the other side before casually filling the hole with a barrier of pure energy, moments before two imps attempted to follow me in. I took a second to adjust to the dim light but when I did I saw huddled families who after recognising me relaxed slightly. The wooded barrier at the door was an upturned table that was being held in place by several demons straining against the demons outside. I quickly recognised Red leaning against the table doing his part despite his age. When he saw me he gave a slight nod, seemingly undeterred by my sudden entrance. He knew that wasn’t important right now.

I secured the table with magic, before raising my voice to call out to those who were hiding in the hall. “To those who want to survive, do exactly as I say. I don’t give a shit if you don’t believe me, but I’m sure as hell not going to explain what’s going on. You either follow me or you stay, here.” I had their attention now. At the word survive I saw a flicker of hope appear in the eyes of the demons closest to me.

“But first, are Tear or Lye here”. I called out desperately hoping they would appear on the balcony above me. But to no avail. I had realised on the way here that searching the whole town would be impossible. Sure I had made it to the hall easily enough, though that was relatively early in the invasion. Every second more demons would pour through our gates and eventually strong demons would replace the cannon fodder they had sent beforehand. No. If they were not here I must expect the worse and move on. As a Demon I can’t say I was overly religious however I sent a quick prayer to my surviving family. I hoped I would meet them on the outside, though at this stage it seemed rather unlikely. So this prayer would act more as a goodbye than a safeguard. I would perform the proper rites for them later, though with the limited time available this was the best I could do.

As heartless as it may seem I pushed them from my mind. What mattered now was that I got those around me to safety. I visualised the village in my mind. The main gates were placed facing northwest down the hill. I was currently inside the town hall which had the back of the building leaning on the wall itself. I were to break through we would be facing northeast and at the cusp of the forest. We would be seen by demons outside the wall, but if I could minimise our exposure only a few should follow, which would greatly increase our chances of survival. Especially when we compared it to our current situation.

A thunderclap and a bright flash of magic jolted me back to the present. All eyes were on me, all waiting for a decision. There was no more time to think as I strode purposely towards the back of the hall.

I placed my hand against the wooden wall. Feeling its cold and smooth exterior. I welled the magic in my palm before pressing forward. Two things happened at once, each sparked by a single spell. The first was the wall in front of me sunk into the ground before covering itself up giving us a clear run to the forest. Which in its own right was our salvation. The second thing was a narrow trench deep enough for the tallest demon among us to run through without being seen. This wouldn’t be enough to escape unnoticed though it would give us a fighting chance.

I didn’t need to tell those huddled in the hall what to do. As soon as they saw the escape route they bolted for the forest, no longer caring about anyone but themselves. The Archdemon slinked past me, while eyeing me wearily. “You caused this” he said to me, before fleeing through the trench.

I sighed, about to follow him through when I noticed a single figure standing unmoving behind me. Red stood there stoically. Eyeing me critically. “Why aren’t you running” I asked him, communicating directly with him through my voice for the first time.

“You,” he started, pointing at me “friend”.

“Where are you parents”?

“Outside” He said pointing.

“You know we can’t go back for them don’t you”?

“Yes” he stated simply. I noticed him shaking, but the natural discipline of a Shedim along with his dulled emotions calmed him to the point of reasoning. Looking back on it, he may not have understood the implications of leaving his mother behind. He was only seven after all.

I nodded, content with his answer. “Where do you plan to go”?

“Follow you”. He replied in broken English. I immediately felt a surge of kinship with the tall demon. Though wasting no more time I just nodded in response and jumped into the trench. Before breaking into a sprint. Having sped myself with magic I easily overtook the lead demons who were now leaving the cover of the trench starting the real trial.

“Keep on my heels”! I shouted back to Red who was barely keeping up, his wings flapped desperately to propel him forward. What I didn’t tell him was that only a few of us were going to escape. Most would be killed by the pursuing army, cut down from behind. As if confirming my suspicions a horn in the distance sounded, moments before the left wing of the factions army broke off to chase us down.

I never saw what happened to those behind us. I felt sorry of course, though all in all there was nothing I could have done to save them all. Instead I focussed my entire being into escaping with Red.

We ran for two days straight. Fear pushing us through exhaustion, and almost cried in relief when we saw a human city cresting the horizon. Allowed ourselves to slow to a walk, I went through our options. We would need to lie low for a while and this seemed like the perfect place to do so.

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