Chapter Thirteen

A Glimmer of Hope

----------------------------------------

I stared at the man pacing back and forth, eyeballing him. It was as though he hadn’t noticed me when I saw him. He was tall, dark, and handsome in precisely that order. He wore a white top adorned with intricate golden line tattoos that wrapped around his arms and extended to his exposed shoulders. These weren't ordinary tattoos like a forest or a bird; they were unique markings that ran up his arms, likely continuing over his shoulders and back. The crisp white fabric of his attire and the metallic gold accents created a sophisticated and eye-catching appearance. The way the gold shimmered in the soft light added an element of glamor that was genuinely captivating. This man was mesmerizing, exuding an aura of higher power, yet he was no angel.

On his head, he wore a solid white veil-like hat with a golden crown-like design at the top. The veil displayed a blue hue similar to the shimmer and the wolf I had seen the other day, dappled with tiny white stars. I stared at his handsome features and noticed his hair peeking under the veil. His hair was a dark smoky gray with streaks of white mixed into his bangs. His tanned skin looked ageless, his face thin with sharp features such as a prominent nose, giving him a divine appearance.

“Hm?” He murmured, putting his hand up to his chin. The man then turned toward me, “You need to take me to where you found her,” The crazed man demanded.

“Who are you?” I asked him, taking a step back.

“I’m but a mere shimmer, looking for a friend,” He bowed to me as though he still didn’t believe I could see him.

“I’ve been told that by a demon… So, who exactly are you? And how did you, uh, materialize? In front of me?” I frowned, swaying slightly to the side.

“Are you drunk?” he asked me. “Never mind that,” he sighed as he looked down at his exposed body and slowly nodded. “Oh, that’s rather new, actually. I’ve never been materialized by a demon before. Are you a sorcerer similar to Enoxon?” he asked me.

Enoxon. This man knew my sorcerer friend, and I halfway felt at ease. However, still having alcohol in my system helped me also feel at ease. “They’ll realize I’m gone!” I gasped, looking up toward the barely visible castle. “Or maybe they’re more drunk than I am,” I groaned.

“You’re... not a demon, are you?” he asked me. I did apologize. My senses seem to have been off since Yuna disappeared, but your stench is strong. You are drunk.” The man looked over me, his body slightly fading back and forth.

“I am not dead, I do not think,” I said, frowning as another cold breeze ripped through me. I hugged my arms as tight as I could. “My name is Snow Rumaki - I am a human - as you can tell by my fleshy arms and no demon horns,” I hiccuped as I pointed to my head.

“Oh, Snow Rumaki—it's a pleasure to meet you. If you have seen Yuna, that means she trusts you! You must take me to her!” The friendly spirit—or human—or demon—or something demanded. “Please?”

I shook my head, hugging my arms tighter. “I don’t remember quite well - I will be honest with you. When I was chased off by a demon, I went to so many different places in the forest,” I replied, catching myself from falling.

“Let me help you - extend your hand to me,” this man encouraged.

Awkwardly, I felt compelled to hold out my hand. When he gripped it with both of his, I felt the warmth from his large palms gently enveloping mine. He lowered his head, closed his yellow eyes, and murmured a few words. I felt a surge of magical power course through me, culminating in a light-knocking sensation in my brain. However, nothing more happened.

After a few seconds, the man released my hand and crossed his arms, bringing one hand to his mouth in contemplation. "Strange, I cannot see your memories as I usually can… Nevertheless, you will show me the spot where you found her," he said, stepping aside to let me lead the way into the forest.

I shook my head, my voice firm. "I refuse to go back into that shadowy hell of a forest," I pouted, crossing my arms defiantly. "Besides, I really need to get back to Lord Mundus…" I turned to the large hill in the distance, shrouded in low clouds. Though I couldn't make out the castle, I knew I needed to return. “I’m freezing!”

"Knowing Enoxon and Lord Mundus, I can only imagine they are rather... intoxicated. I'd recommend not going back but showing me the way to Yuna, please," he said, forcing a friendly smile as he motioned toward the forest again.

"I really don't know," I hesitated, "I was leaving Enoxon's home and headed toward the mountain village when I got sidetracked by the demon that attacked me."

"You say it was between the village and Enoxon's home?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

I nodded, sighing deeply. "I'm really sorry that I can't—"

"Let's try this again," he interrupted, reaching for my hand again. Gripping my hands tightly and adding an extra squeeze, he murmured in a foreign language. Suddenly, I was thrust into a hazy world.

"Wonderful, we made it," the man spoke calmly.

Panic washed over me as I realized I could still feel my physical body. I looked around frantically, fear gripping my heart. "What did you do?!" I demanded, my voice trembling. However, I no longer felt cold. I felt warm—like I was by Kurai’s healing.

"I accessed your memories. It took pushing some of that demon blood out of the way, but I managed to access them," he stated matter-of-factly, waving off my fear. His yellow eyes began to glow as if he saw something I couldn't. The town's scenery faded within a few seconds, and we stood in the shadowy winter forest.

Suddenly, I heard a voice screaming. It sounded like my own, but I was right here. Gazing toward the scream, I saw two figures running through the snow. They passed us, and I realized I and the demon had chased me. I watched as we ran deeper into the forest. Within moments, the celestial-looking man began to follow the figures—well, us—the demon and me. This was so surreal.

I joined him, and when we caught up, I saw my tattered self lying in the snow. This must be when I was attacked in the forest after escaping Enoxon's house. I watched as my past self screamed at the demon, who held me by the neck with one hand. It almost hurts to relive this moment. Watching my near-lifeless body being thrown to the side, I heard the man gasp beside me.

"Yuna," he whispered, eyes wide with hope. "She was here, she really was. I cannot believe this. This is amazing! Where has she been hiding?"

However, something strange happened next. The fight unfolded just as I remembered. Yuna's voice began to echo through the scene, aligning with my memory of the event.

"Soul of the Damned, depart from her side," the voice commanded with might. "Or face the wrath I have destined to provide," it declared.

“Then come out and fulfill yours and her destiny, little mutt,” The demon called, throwing me hard to the side.

I landed with a thud, breathing heavily as my side was punctured once more by a rock and was even more on fire.

“To have the soul of a reaper like yours would make me extremely powerful,” He taunted. “Can you imagine, little mutt? I have yours, and she’s soul.” The demon turned around. “I will ensure you’re gone for good today.” With a quick look back to me, the demon smiled, his sharp white teeth fading in through the darkness. “Sit still, and I have something to take care of,” With a flick of its hand, I felt some complex chain around my feet, keeping them from moving.

And that's when the memory shifted. Pursuing the light blue and black wolf, the demon in this recollection suddenly halted and looked around, sniffing the air with his head tilted upward as though trying to catch a scent.

"What's this? Has my prey returned?" he hissed, his voice dripping with malice.

"What?" I gasped, frozen in absolute fear.

"She has returned with another... Spirit Walker? There are two?" the demon's voice whispered inside my head, sending chills down my spine.

My eyes widened with terror, and I was too stunned to move. The demon turned to face the man and me, immediately locking eyes with me. His alien-like face twisted into a sinister grin as his blood-red eyes bore into mine.

"Why is it looking at m-m-me?!" I stammered, my voice trembling as I glanced at the man beside me.

"Soul of the Damned," the man's voice boomed, holding out his hand with authority, "how are you able to see us?"

"Soul of the Damned," the demon mimicked mockingly, laughing with a chilling, exquisite loudness. "This little mutt of yours was absolutely delicious. I can only imagine what your pure souls taste like," the demon roared, his laughter echoing through the forest.

“D-d-d-do something!” I squealed, still paralyzed by fear, as the demon suddenly vanished into thin air. “P-please do something,” I whispered, my voice breaking as tears streamed down my face. The overwhelming memories of the torment and agony this demon had inflicted on me flooded back. I desperately wanted to escape this nightmare and begged the so-called 'Spirit Walker' to return me to safety. Regret gnawed at me forever, attempting to leave the town. Oh, Astaroth would be so disappointed that I had left the castle.

“Yuna?!” The Spirit Walker's voice echoed through the memory, a mixture of urgency and desperation. “Yuna, please show yourself,” he implored, almost frantic. “This isn’t real,” he muttered, his voice tinged with fear. “Human, what kind of demon have you brought upon yourself and our world?!” His voice rose with terror, the words piercing through the eerie silence.

I sobbed, stepping back from the man as I watched in horror. His body began to shift and transform, his once-yellow eyes turning blood-red like the demon's.

“To think a human such as yourself can shift memories and cause a demon to come after you in your own mind!” he exclaimed, the horror in his voice mirroring my own.

This isn’t real—this isn’t real. The Spirit Walker who had been my guide was no longer there; he had become a shadowy figure, eerily similar to the demon. Was this the demon’s doing? It had to be. It was playing tricks on me, toying with my mind! The fear was so intense that my entire body trembled uncontrollably. I frantically looked around the darkened landscape, reaching for the bag that held my dagger. Perhaps I could at least fight off this haunting memory with my weapon.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Please, I don’t want any trouble,” I pleaded, my voice barely more than a whisper. My hands shook as I grasped the dagger, the only semblance of security I had left in this twisted reality.

“Snow Rumaki, what have you done? How could you completely morph a vision?!” The man’s voice sounded before disappearing and twisting into another demonic voice. “You’ve doomed us all!”

“I didn’t do anything! I promise! I want to go home! I didn’t mean to be here!” I cried out, tears ruining my vision. I did my best to wipe them away, but between the fear, the alcohol, and the confusion, I was scared and heartbroken. The shadows consumed the light gray area, making my memories unreal. Within seconds, I was surrounded by the darkness, being consumed by it. I was back in that shadow realm or whatever it was, where it was nothing but the Demon and I. But it was just darkness - nothing more. No spark of hope anywhere. Then those red eyes beamed into my vision and charged at me.

“Hey, wake up!”

Eyes opening as quickly as the red eyes approached mine, I instantly jumped up and began to breathe heavily as my chest and head pounded with fear. My entire body was drenched in sweat as I frantically looked around. I was in a room? Was I dreaming?! No, there is no way that was a dream - it absolutely could not have been. My feet were frozen! “Where am I? Where is Yuna and that other Spirit Walker?! Where are they? Where’s the demon?!” I scanned my surroundings, but everything was still a bit blurry. “Wait, where is it?!” I tried to reach out for my bag that carried my dagger and panicked when I couldn’t feel it. “Did it get my dagger, the only means to protect myself?!” I squealed, feeling around the soft bed, but my gaze was unclear.

“Snow? Snow!” Voices spoke to me.

Huffing and puffing, I stopped frantically moving my arms and came into contact with Kurai and Enoxon. Just a few feet away, I saw Lord Mundus’s blue eyes - glowing.

“Did you say Yuna?” He questioned me almost immediately, his voice gruff.

I couldn’t control what words were coming off my tongue the next second, “She was right there! With the demon! So was the other spirit walker! I saw them! I spoke to them, and then I - it came after - I saw it!”

I felt icy-cold hands clamp down on my shoulders, forcing me to look up into the face of the man who put them there. His icy-blue eyes bore into mine with an intensity that felt almost angry. He loomed only a few inches away from me, his presence both commanding and chilling.

"Where did you see her?" he demanded in a low, menacing voice.

I stared back at him, shocked not just by his touch but by the sheer coldness of his hands. The entire situation was stunningly surreal. As our eyes locked, I saw my reflection in his bright blue gaze. His ghostly-white hair and pale skin absorb and reflect the light around us, making him appear almost ethereal. His twisted horns, resembling stag antlers, added to this intimidating presence. His horns were twisted around his ears and up, pointing tall.

"Get your hands off her," Kurai's voice snapped, cutting through the tension. He pulled Lord Mundus's hands away from my shoulders. "What is wrong with you, Mundus? Why does it matter so much to you that she saw Yuna?"

Mundus stumbled back, landing on his butt in the snow, but his gaze never wavered from mine. "Where did you see the Spirit Walkers?" he demanded again, this time from behind Kurai.

Astaroth hurried to Mundus's side, offering support as the Lord grabbed his arm. "Perhaps we can discuss this later, Lord Mundus? She was just chased by another demon," he said calmly, his voice soothing.

Lord Mundus stood up, brushing the snow off his coat and black pants, running a hand through his ghostly-white hair. "No. She will tell me now," he insisted firmly.

Kurai's warmth radiated off his body, nearly melting the snow surrounding him and me.

“Lord Mundus, Astaroth is right,” Enoxon stated. “Humans are fragile-”

"Humans are stupid," Lord Mundus snapped. "The fact that she’s being chased by a demon, and now she has seen the Spirit Walkers?"

A cold chill whipped around us, resembling the tornado of ice and snow that had brought me into the shadow world. The winds picked up immediately, swirling around us. "I-I-I," I stuttered, struggling to gather the courage to speak.

Kurai's warmth radiated off his body, almost melting the snow around us. He placed a reassuring hand on my arm. "Snow, you don’t have to answer anything right now.”

Lord Mundus's icy gaze flickered, his expression hardening momentarily before Astaroth stepped in again. "Lord Mundus, please. She has been through enough for one day. Let her rest, and we can discuss this tomorrow."

Enoxon nodded in agreement, his green eyes serious yet gentle. "Humans need time to recover from such ordeals. Pushing her now will only be counterproductive."

Lord Mundus's expression softened slightly, though his eyes remained cold. "Very well," he conceded, albeit reluctantly. "We will continue this tomorrow. Let us go," he demanded as he turned and started leading everyone back towards the castle.

As we parted ways, I couldn't help but glance back at Lord Mundus. For a split second, I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—something dark and all too familiar. It looked almost like a flash of malevolent satisfaction, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. I shook my head, chalking it up to my imagination. Indeed, it was just a trick of the light.

Kurai, Enoxon, and I began making our way back home. Enoxon, ever the gentleman, noticed I was shivering and offered me his jacket. “Here, take this. It should keep you warm,” he said, draping it over my shoulders. His green eyes were filled with concern.

“Thank you,” I murmured, feeling more at ease with the added warmth. I didn’t notice the subtle shift in Kurai’s demeanor, but he moved closer to me, his presence becoming more protective. As the fiery-nogitsune, his natural heat radiated even more intensely, almost as if he was trying to outdo Enoxon’s gesture. I was grateful for these two more than anything.

“Careful now,” Enoxon huffed, giving Kurai a glance. After a few words, the sorcerer snapped, and we began to be teleported. The blue and white light shimmered around us and took us back to the house in the middle of the forest. Surprisingly, we landed softly in the middle of the large living room. Kurai sat me on the couch and instantly started a fire with a fireball from his hand. Such incredible power this nogitsune had. The fire began to spark with life, and I was provided a blanket. I sat on the couch, shivering now from being so cold. I’d only assume I had been frostbitten.

The comfort of the living room and away from Lord Mundus made me feel slightly better. Then, I noticed that Kurai had begun to pace back and forth.

“You should’ve woken me up,” Kurai’s agitated voice broke the silence.

“I didn’t want to bother you,” I replied softly, trembling slightly.

Kurai stopped pacing and looked at me, his amber eyes burning with intensity. “Bother me? You were in danger, Snow. Don’t ever think you’re bothering me.”

I remembered I had left a note for Kurai explaining where we were going. “I did leave you a note…” I started, but Kurai cut me off.

“It was too late when I woke up and saw the note. You were already gone,” he snapped, his pacing more agitated. “Enoxon, you should have kept a better watch on her! You know what could happen in Lord Mundus’s castle, filled with demons ready to eat a human.”

Enoxon sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know, Kurai. But we were just—”

“Drinking,” Kurai finished for him, his voice accusing. “You were drinking demon alcohol again, weren’t you? You lose all sense of responsibility when you get drunk.”

Enoxon’s expression tightened, but he didn’t refute it. “I had things under control,” he insisted, though his voice lacked conviction.

Kurai’s eyes narrowed, his tail flicking in irritation. “And because of that, she was chased by a demon! Do you even realize how dangerous that was?”

I felt a pang of guilt. “It’s not Enoxon’s fault. I wandered out of the castle like a lost child chasing something,” I admitted softly.

Kurai stopped pacing and turned to look at me, his expression softening slightly. “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have been left alone in the first place,” he said, his voice gentler now. “You’re important to us, and we can’t lose you.”

The room fell into a tense silence, the only sound being the fire crackling. I could see the concern in Kurai’s eyes, and even Enoxon’s usually calm demeanor was shaken.

“Let’s just make sure Snow is okay. Some hot chocolate!” The sorcerer cheered happily, his attitude completely flipping despite Kurai having just scolded him.

I slunk down on the couch, nearly covering my face with the blanket. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I just… Thought… You were tired…” I whispered gently into the blanket.

Kurai turned towards me, tilting his head as he noticed me pretty much buried in the couch and blanket. “Ah, I didn’t mean—I’m not angry—or upset… I’m just…” He struggled to find the right words, his expression softening as he looked at me. “I’m just concerned about the situation,” he finally said, his voice gentle. “There’s a demon marking you as prey, and knowing what kind of person my so-called ‘brother’ is, along with how Astaroth took advantage of you... it’s troubling. I’d be worried about anyone in your position, even Enoxon,” he added, trying to take the pressure off himself.

“Here we are!” Enoxon’s sing-song voice entered the living room, and the smell of hot deliciousness filled the air.

I perked up a little, poking my head out of the blanket. I took the cup of hot chocolate immediately as the frostbite on my hands began slowly warming up.

“Also, Kurai, you’ve no reason to be upset with her. I told her to leave you alone. Besides, you’re not much of a partier-in-the-Lords-Castle kind of guy,” Enoxon noted. “So stop harassing her.”

“I wasn’t harassing her!” Kurai said, “Besides If I’m angry at anyone, it’s you.” He muttered. “You could’ve still asked me to go.”

“I did, you said no,” Enoxon argued.

“You did not!”

“Okay, let’s stop making this about you,” the gray-haired sorcerer sighed, sitting beside me and propping his feet up. “So, you drank too much and chased something out of the castle, did you?” he questioned me playfully.

“I wasn’t drunk, Enoxon,” I replied briskly. “I don’t get drunk, never have, never will. Bartender life,” I added, glancing at him. “Maybe tipsy, but not blurry or incoherent.”

“But you left the castle without anyone knowing?” he questioned me.

“You were drunk,” Kurai muttered, glaring at him.

“You know nothing of my mental state,” Enoxon argued, shooting him a glance out of the corner of his green eyes.

I couldn’t deny it; I did sneak out of the castle without telling anyone. I figured I’d go right back in, but that’s when I saw the shimmer and felt like I needed to follow it. “Mm, I did leave the castle, yes. However, it was for a good cause.”

“To nearly freeze to death? Snow loves the snow so much that she must play in it?” Kurai spoke, his eyes flickering between Enoxon and me before landing on me. Why was he so annoyed?

“I’m okay, though,” I muttered to him.

“Doesn’t matter—demons are still chasing you.” His voice boomed in my direction, anger beginning to replace the jealousy deep within him. His voice sounded slightly brittle, too, almost cold toward me.

Stunned, I burrowed myself back into my blanket—like a turtle hiding in its shell when scared—except I was embarrassed that he had even raised his voice at me. Turning my attention from the annoyed Kurai, I gazed back gently at Enoxon. “I… um, I followed a blue shimmering light,” I said in a small, panicky voice. Kurai was like a ticking time bomb, and I wasn’t sure what I said would set him off again.

“A shimmering light?” Enoxon repeated, noticing that I was slightly nervous. He shot a cold glance at Kurai as if to tell him to stop.

The cold glance from Enoxon made Kurai more annoyed, and I could feel it. He had something to say, but I knew he was biting his tongue. The way he stood and watched Enoxon and me, with his pointer finger tapping nervously on his arm, showed me that he wanted to speak.

“I went through the town-”

“The town full of demons - fantastic,” Kurai growled.

“I went through the town,” I continued, glaring at the annoyed Kurai, “Following the shimmer. When I reached the end of the path, we were at the side of the town near the forest once more. The shimmer urgently urged me to follow it into the forest when I was there. It began to speak to me, and for whatever reason, I felt the urge to share what happened to me a few days ago by the demon.”

Kurai’s sharp tongue retorted, “You just… Told… A random light, shimmer, your story of how you were attacked by a demon?”

I nodded to Kurai, avoiding his harsh gaze. “When I told it about the story, I suddenly felt hands on my shoulder, and it mentioned Yuna. When he mentioned Yuna, I saw the shimmer materialize into a human-like being. I immediately could tell he wasn’t a human, but he had the appearance of one,” I shared with them and began to describe the man from earlier. “I never got his name, but he took my hands-”

“He grabbed your hands?” Kurai said with a sad grimace. “You just let a stranger hold your hands?”

I sighed, continuing my story. “He took my hands and said some magical words but told me nothing was happening. I tried to make my way out by letting him know I needed to return, but he insisted I join him in the forest to find Yuna. But after he insisted I join him in the forest to find Yuna, he tried the hand thing again and was eventually able to access my memories—oh, and he mentioned he knew you, Enoxon.”

“It seems you've run into an old friend of mine then. However, I didn’t realize he had become a Spirit Walker,” Enoxon said in a soft, affectionate voice. “I’ll have to find him one day, but… People cannot see the Spirit Walkers unless they reveal their true forms. Surprisingly, it was you, Snow.”

“Sounds like you met Yushin,” Kurai sighed in annoyance.