"This is a Death Dweller?"
Hresha looked up to see a monstrous dark giant. It had a lot of legs like that of an insect. Its body, on the other hand, was like smoke taking in the form of a human body.
Creepy?
Uncanny?
Disturbing?
It was much more than that. Its faceless head was twisted and before Hresha could react any further the ten-meter monster's countless legs began sprawling, striking deep fear onto Hresha.
"You asked earlier, do you even have the strength to avenge your family and hometown?"
Hresha was surprised by Elihim's calmness. The monster, much worse than beasts, was right in front of them. Venomous fangs were growing out of its faceless head like thorns piercing its way out.
"The answer to that is simple." Elihim looked at Hresha and into her eyes, "You don't."
Hresha wanted to say that moment was not the time for that but hearing Elihim's words, she was unable to say anything except for.
"Then, what should I do?"
"I don't know."
When she received that disappointing reply, at the edge of her sight, the monster have begun to move and its legs stabbed the ground and sprawled again.
"KYIEEE---!!"
Hresha shrieked as she almost felt her soul left her body. But then the young child stepped in her vision.
He put his only arm forward and at the same time, the monster in front of her stopped. It desperately tried to move, however, it stayed on the same spot.
Elihim lied.
Hresha has the strength.
However, she can't use it.
The monster began cracking as if it was being compressed. To show Hresha what's true power looks like, Elihim had to go all out.
"Death Dwellers are humanity's strongest opponent. So much so that they almost caused a human extinction."
Elihim began to explain as his hand took a form of a claw. However, the reality was, he's trying to clench it, smashing the monster with his invisible pressure. He can use other forces that can efficiently kill this monster, however, he didn't. He had to show it, the absolute might of those who have strength.
Indeed, it was hard to do so especially since this monster was a Death Dweller.
"Humans are like pigs to them. They will feed us with power and slaughter us. They are the owner of this ability we call imaginative energy. We are just food to them. Once we're strong and many, they will leave the so-called Death Palace and eat till they satisfy their hunger."
Hresha listened and even if Elihim was not giving proof to her, the fact that he was crushing one right now became hard for her to doubt him. Might is the truth, they say.
"Reland is not a place for humans, it's already owned by these beings."
'An entity that feeds on human's fear... feels like a horror story.' Elihim thought as he further clenched his fist making the monster shrieked.
"No, not by these beings but by this being." he continued, "The true ruler of Reland is humanity's worst nightmare. In the future, everyone will die in their hands."
Hresha sunk deeper and deeper into fear while listening to Elihim.
"But even so, to be defeated by an eight-year-old. I think getting rid of them easy, no?"
Elihim slightly turned his head and Hresha finally got a clear look of his confident eyes.
Someone to lean on.
That's what Elihim gave her.
Scaring her and pushing her to rock bottom only to extend his hand.
Elihim fully clenched his hand and the monster exploded into many pieces.
Hresha's jaw slightly dropped to see the unimaginably terrifying monster be helplessly crushed under the force of a single individual. Her eyes then looked at the boy's back once again. She has no idea how strong a Death Dweller really is just from one look. However, that doesn't matter. All that matter was that she was scared. She was at her very bottom. She wanted to escape and wanted to live. She wanted to achieve her newly inspired revenge. All of that was slipping from her hands but now, she got a firm hold of it.
Who's this boy? That doesn't matter.
Is he on the side of justice or on the side of evil? That doesn't matter too.
What matters is that he has the power to crush her fear into nothing...
After exerting his full strength, Elihim felt a little debilitated. He looked at Hresha again and found the unwavering admiration in her eyes.
"Can you stand up?"
He spoke and she finally snapped out of it and nodded.
"I've seen them so we're done here. Let's go."
Elihim still didn't have the power to carry them but he wasn't in a rush. A second Death Dweller won't arrive as fast since it's dead too.
Hresha followed him without reluctance, much different from before. In this place of death, she would rather be with this mysterious boy. The more they walked, the more she saw carcasses of different Death Dwellers.
All of their appearances screams the word 'horror', however, they are all dead and unmoving.
"Did you... do this?"
"Yeah, that's why I was a bit late on coming to get you."
Hearing this, Hresha wanted to ask one more question-
Will you help me?
But stopped herself. Although she felt admiration, that doesn't mean trust was formed.
"So what will you do?"
It was Elihim who asked a question. Hresha knew what exactly he meant by that.
"First... I want to find them. To see if they're alive or dead, if they left something or not, or if they have changed or not."
"What if they've changed and are now good people?"
"Even though that possibility is slim, of course, I will still kill them." Hresha no longer stammers in her words. Not only was her fear dispersed, but a strong motivation was also instilled within her.
Elihim didn't say anything regarding if her answer was right or wrong. In fact, there's no right or wrong, all that matters is how Hresha will deal with it herself and settle her emotions.
"Umm..."
Hresha was still unsettled by one thing even with her newly inspired motivation.
[You don't]
Elihim's answer to whether she has the strength or not reverberated in her head. Therefore, the question that she's been swallowing since earlier finally came out.
"Do... do you know how I can do it?"
She indirectly asked for help.