"Are you lost, child?"

Nes flinched. Tears prickled the corner of his eyes as he looked up, his nose was red and his voice was hoarse. Faint scratches marked his skin. "Who- who are you?"

"Well, do you want to go home?" the cloaked woman knelt to his height. Despite that, he still couldn't see her face. It was pitch black under her hood.

"I- I- don't…" he began to stutter uncontrollably, knees buckling as he scooted further away from her. His wide eyes struck with fear.

He's alone in the forest… with no one. They left him. Why is there a person here?

"Come, I'll take you back." She grabbed his wrist. Her hand was pale white…and cold.

A shiver ran down his spine and he blanched. There's no way… no way it's a human. A witch? A ghost? Will they eat him?

Worse…a demon?

She tugged at him, but his legs wouldn't budge. He remained there motionless.

"Come on, let's go. I still have things to do."

The woman was covered in an old rugged brown cloak down to the mossy floor. Long sleeves of a baby blue dress covered her arms. She wasn't old; she doesn't have bony hands with sharp nails that could pierce your skin.

"Help me-" he croaked. "Please help me. Somebody... Anybody…"

"What do you mean? I'm already helping you," the woman replied.

He broke down crying. "Please anybody… Save me- I'm gonna be eaten."

"What? What are you muttering about?" she raised her eyebrows incredulously. She pulled him to move. "Come on. I don't have all day!"

"WAAAAH! Help me! Get your filthy dead cold hands off me!" He thrashed around, hitting her on the stomach before pulling away. "A ghost- this ghost will eat me! HEEEELP!"

"Damned Luna, child! I'm not a ghost!" The young woman fumed as the boy tripped from trying to run away. She stomped over to him and put her hands on her waist. "Say that again, you little punk, and I'll claw your tongue out."

He wailed louder.

"What? I'm trying to help him, but he's being a nuisance." She rolled her eyes. "I still need to get this firewood home before Mother scolds me."

She paused.

"Ugh, alright." She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Hey, kid, it's either you come with me so I can get you back home or I'll leave you here and you'll die in these woods. So, pick your choice and hurry up."

She paused again.

"What do you mean this is not the way to talk to a child?" she raised her voice. "I'm busy! This kid is already lucky enough that I offered him my help!" She paused again. "Are you kidding me, Moon?!"

He stopped crying; he looked at her with curious eyes. The young woman looked like she's arguing with herself but…

"Are you- Are you talking to you spirit beast?" he spoke to her, his jade eyes sparkling.

She stopped communicating with the voice and turned her attention to the boy instead.

His blond hair bounced as he waited eagerly for her answer.

"Finally had the audacity to talk to me now? Well, I'm not talking to you." She folded her arms and raised her chin.

"Whaaat? My name's Nes. What's yours?" He flocked around her like a baby chick tweeting around his mother hen. "Sister, are you a Heloire? Do you attend Heloire Academy? Why are dressed like a hoodlum?"

"What did you say, punk?" A tick mark appeared on her forehead.

"How is it being a Heloire trainee? Was it cool?! The Heloires are so awesome when they visited the village a few days ago! They're students from the school as well!" He pulled her hand. "Come on, sister. You have to tell me on the way there!"

"You piss me off," she said but she went with him anyway.

"One of them showed us their spirit beast! It's a bird! They did some wind tricks and pew pew! It was so good! Are you with them, sister? Did you guys visit again? My friends should see you! This is sooo awesome that I'm talking to one of you!" He skipped on his steps. The former image of his crying state gone out of the window as if he never cried at all.

"He's too hyper, Moon," she muttered.

"Can you summon your spirit beast?"

She paused. "No."

"Eh, why not?! You're stick in the mud." Nes harrumphed.

"Hey, hey, kid. Don't forget who's helping you get back home."

"Stick in the mud!" He stuck out his tongue.

"This is why I told you that we should have left him, Moon," Adeleine grumbled.

Nes tugged at her cloak. "You haven't told me your name. My name's Nes."

"I know. You just told me."

"Then what's your name?" he persisted.

After a moment of silent contemplation, she replied. "Adeleine."

"Adeleine, you're cool! What's your spirit beast's name? What's your affinity?"

"Child, do you have any other vocabulary other than cool and awesome? I get it, I'm great, but like, you get on my nerves since you talk too much."

"I've always wanted to be like you," he said as he jumped down from a random boulder he climbed for no apparent reason. "I want to be a Heloire! I want to attend the academy!"

"So you entered the forest to find spirits to be a Heloire? Child..." She looked at him dead straight in the eye. "You're stupid."

"Defeating demons are not stupid!" he said vehemently. "Heloires are heroes! Demons! Shadow-walkers! They slay all of them!"

"Demons—they truly are the bane of existence, aren't they?" Adeleine added.

"Have you met one? Mama told me they're scary. They have black hair, sharp nails and they'll eat you. It's scary that they could look like us. That's why she said I shouldn't wander off by myself."

"Yeah, your mother is right. You shouldn't be wandering here by yourself. This is the forest for Astrea's sake." she exclaimed as she carefully climbed down a six-foot cliff. "You could have met something worse."

He looked at her from above. "A demon?"

"Yeah. A demon." She extended her arms and beckoned him to use them for support as he inserted his foot between the crack of the rocks to climb down.

"If only Luna didn't exist, they wouldn't be here. She's evil. She tried to eat the sun. She tried to rule the world with forever night. Did you know that?" he asked.

"Of course, I do." Demons and letherians. They all mean one thing. People of the night. Followers of Luna—the banished celestial. They are people that harbor dark energy and wreak havoc.

"But there aren't any demons here, 'ya know. But there's a woman that lives in the woods. Her name's Desha." He hopped down and the leaves crushed under his soles. "At first, we thought she was a witch since she lives alone in there. But she's really nice and pretty! She would often give candies to us!"

"Well, you never know. You might have encountered one already. The forest is a dangerous place after all," she warned him. "And shut up, Moon. I'm not talking to you."

They slid down a steep hill. The trees arched against gravity from their unstable position. The view of the village was apparent from their height; the borderline of the forest set boundaries. The line was not far now.

"There they are!" he enthusiastically pointed.

"Yeah, I know. I can finally get rid of you."

He pouted. "You're so mean. Not nice at all."

They continued further. Adeleine came to a halt as the two of them approached the border.

"Huh? What do you mean? Why won't you come?!" Nes tugged her towards the village.

However, Adeleine dug her heels to stop them. She pried his hands off her cloak.

"I'll stay here. Now, go." She gestured her hands and shooed him.

"But why?" he whined. "You should come with us! We'll give you great food! You guys declined us when we offered you a few days ago."

Adeleine knelt and looked him in the eye. "Stop. I don't need it."

"Why are you staying hidden? Is that why you won't come?" His eyebrows contorted in confusion.

"Yes."

"Why? Is it because you're ugly?"

"I'm good-looking, you unappreciated brat," she hissed.

"Oh really?" he smirked.

A vein popped on her forehead but, she forced a smile. "Do you want to know me that much?"

His eyes widened at the opportunity. "Yes!"

"Alright. Take a good look closely. You'll only be seeing it once." Her turquoise blue eyes gleamed; white teeth flashed under her hood.

But the voice inside her head chastised her. "Oh, Moon, don't worry. It'll be fine." She dismissed her.

Adeleine held his shoulders tightly. "Look at me in the eye, Nes. Now, what do you see?"

She slowly pulled her hood. His heart drummed against his ribcage as Nes squealed, unable to keep his excitement. It fell back, his jaws dropped. He slowly backed away, unable to stir his gaze away from her. Her eyes bore straight to his soul.

"D-! Demon!"