The town was in disarray, many of the demons who were caught in the explosion from Adam's augment powers were injured. The healers were busy at work, trying to mend their wounds and calm their worries.
It's already been two days since he ran for the woods surrounding the town's edge, but no one dared go look for him.
The capital was notified of his appearance, the first human to appear in 500 years. In a panic, the demons in charge of the fractured kingdom decided to send a team composed of 'Ash'ai' members, a clan of demon warriors famed for their mastery of magic, in order to confirm the rumor and retrieve the human without harming him if it turns out to be true.
They arrived early morning. a small party of 3 well-dressed and heavily armed demons.
Their attire reflected their status; gold threads and red gemstones adorned their immaculately designed tunics and robes, giving them an air of power and authority.
The demons of the village felt and respected their power, bowing deeply and speaking respectfully when they were interrogated about the appearance of the human.
"So, you witnessed the same incident? You were attacked by some enigmatic magic from a figure with light skin and no horns, correct?"
One of the few female Ash'ai raised the question. Her short, ashen hair did little to hide her battle-scarred face, showing that she was just as skilled a warrior as her male clanmates.
"Y-yes."
The nervous old demon didn't dare to look her in the eyes. he, like most demons of low birth, was clanless, and so he had no real social standing to speak of. For those of this social status, members of the Ash'ai as well as other clans were viewed as demigods and treated as such.
With a weary sigh, the ashen-haired demon dismissed the old one. She was getting nowhere with her investigation as all the evidence pointed to it being a human attack, which was an absurd notion in this era.
"let me guess, it was the same story again?"
While she was busy sulking, one of her companions called for her; a blond, long-haired, slim demon whose youth showed in his face and brash attitude.
"Bari, fix your clothes and stand up straight, we represent the Ash'ai clan as a whole so you need to start acting as such… but to answer your question, yes—it is the exact same story again. it must be true… a human has somehow returned from the dead."
Bari rolled his eyes and pretended to fix robe.
"Nah, probably not. These low-borns just made up this story to get some attention from the capital; they are probably hoping to garner sympathy for their situation… speaking of which, is Uzan still acting weird?"
"Yes, and he wouldn't talk to me about it. he's been absent-minded since we left the capital; he's still standing at the entrance of the town, gazing at the forest."
The ashen-haired demon pointed at the figure of Uzan who, as she said, was standing in place, with his eyes glued on the thick forest surrounding the village.
He had jet-black hair and long horns which were decorated with small golden bracelets. his well-built form, dominating height, and slightly more decorated attire made it clear that he was the leader of the three.
In his mind, Uzan was recalling the moment the news of a human sighting first arrived at the capital.
The news was so shocking that the demon lord himself called for a meeting of all the major clans. A meeting to discuss to the absurd idea of a human reappearing after 500 hundred years after their extinction.
Chaos took over the assembly chamber as soon as the meeting started. Some feared the worst-case scenario of another demon-human conflict, others thought that the return of the demons' greatest ally was a joyful occasion and that maybe they can use their mysterious 'science' to help the demons once more, but most just thought it was hoax crafted by the low-borns to garner sympathy and attention.
Words were thrown from all directions yet no agreement was reached, not until the demon lord himself intervened. He ordered the Ash'ai, the most powerful clan of this era, to send scouts to confirm the rumor and return the human unharmed.
The demon lord's orders are absolute, it has been that way since the first clans crossed the gate. Only a fool would dare disobey or question him.
"My lord, I wish to voice my disapproval of this decision."
The room grew silent, as an old demon dared voice his opposition.
"Ah, Onvyr of the In'shi clan, why do you disapprove of this one's decision? please speak freely."
Onvyr was the oldest demon alive, he was among the first to step foot through the gate to the human world—He survived the great war and was present at the signing of the human-demon peace treaty.
His clan was small in number, but their unique trait of longevity made them a valuable and powerful member of demon society; however, Onvyr's life span was an anomaly even amongst his clan.
"power is not what we need in this situation my lord, and even if it was I don't believe the Ash'ai have what it takes to subdue a human elite warrior."
Those words made Uzan visibly upset; however, he was only attending as an observer due to being the next head of the Ash'ai clan and so he wasn't permitted to speak at such an important summit, only spectate and learn.
"What do you think this one's decision should be then?"
"I would like to go look for this human myself."
Murmurs, sneers, and chuckles filled the assembly chamber. Even Uzan, who was upset with Onvyr's comments couldn't help but crack a smile at the absurd idea.
A demon of his standing leaving the capital in search of an extinct being that likely doesn't even exist was laughable. Even the clan leaders who disliked him understood his worth, and the catastrophe that would occur if he was to be assassinated by a terrorist group.
"This one will maintain his original decision; however, Uzan, the strongest of the Ash'ai clan is to lead the team sent on this mission. this should alleviate your worries slightly."
Uzan, having been directly mentioned by the demon lord, bows deeply in gratitude.
"Dismissed."
With those words, the clan leaders began to bow and leave the assembly chamber in an orderly manner.
As the crowd quickly dispersed, Uzan decides to approach Onvyr who insulted his and his clan's strength. Planning on asking him to take those comments back.
"Master Onvyr, may I please have a moment—"
"I know what you want to say and there is no need to say it young Ash'ai, I will not take back my comment about your clan's strength."
The immediate reply from the grey-haired demon angered Uzan to no end.
"why? The Ash'ai clan earned the title of strongest through hard work and dedication, and I am not some brute who would attack first without a second thought. Don't you think a team led by me is appropriate for this mission?"
Uzan spoke as respectfully as possible in an attempt to hide his displeasure.
"because you are not as strong as you think you are, or rather, the demons as a whole forgot how terrifying the humans can be. All your clan did to earn the title of strongest was subjugate a few terrorist groups on the fringes of the world, that isn't war, it is clean-up duty. all clans, yours included have gone soft."
"could it be that master Onvyr is just shackled by the past? I know the stories of these humans and their powerful magicless weapons, but personally think those tales were exaggerated to save face."
"You don't understand, none of the other clans do. The wars we fought against the human armies are long forgotten—most clans can only remember the 100 years of peace that came after…so allow me to educate you about the truth of the wars for a bit young—"
"I'm afraid I have to refuse that offer Onvyr, I have to prepare for my mission I'm afraid."
Uzan's words were void of any respect for the old demon. He had fully accepted that Onvyr was a mere senile old man who can no longer be trusted to give his opinions on any important matters.
He turned around and began walking away from him.
"very well, but allow me to leave you with this warning young man. You and your clanmates will find nothing but death and despair in that forest. You think you're a predator but in reality you're prey, and you will be hunted down as such."
Uzan stood still for a second before continuing his walk; offended by the old demon's words, he decided that he was going to prove his clan's strength by bringing back the menacing human Onvyr feared in shackles.
"Uzan, are you okay?"
Bari's words caught his attention, finally causing him to snap awake from his excessive pondering.
"Ah, Bari, Shiira. I apologize I was just contemplating our plan. Did you find any holes in the low-bornes' story?"
"No, master Uzan, it appears that they were telling the truth."
Shiira's words made him smile, as if he was hoping to hear those words since they got to the village.
"excellent… in that case go prepare yourselves, we will be searching this forest for any trace of that human."
As the two demons walked away, Uzan's smile got wider and he looked toward the forest once again, thinking of the look on Onvyr's face when he brings back the monster that terrifies him so much bound and beaten.