Daemon after walking away from the man to between another set of houses when he suddenly heard the system sounded in his head.
-Congratulations, Daemon, on earning 25 fear points. Bonus: 25 fear points for your first time-
The announcement caused Daemon to stop in his tracks. 'System, what are these fear points used for?' he asked mentally.
-Fear points are earned from instilling intense fear and can be traded for attribute points to strengthen yourself-
Daemon looked around, intrigued by the system answer. 'Why didn't I gain points for scaring the other villagers with my presence?' he asked.
-That wasn't true fear. If you cause a chain reaction of intense fear among normal humans, you'll earn so many points... by spreading your presence to the whole world could make you a god or demon-
Daemon looked down at the ground dragging his feet on the dry dirt he quicky drew an art of a moon. 'Hmm why cant i that will just make my revenge a whole lot easier' he asked mentally.
-Well because there are restrictions on me... that why you need get stronger also other gods and demons would stop you before you gain the strength to fight them-
'Understandable... Now how can I quickly gain fear points?' Daemon pondered.
Daemon walked off again just like he panned before he had to make his way back Nova Veritas City he also started thinking of what to do next. 'I will need to lay low while also seeing about why would there be police officer here in such a small village...if there's ever a thief, shouldn't the villagers handle it themselves?' he thought.
While navigating between the houses, Daemon eventually emerged into the open, because they was no were else to go but back forward also when he walked into the open instantly caused everyone eyes to look onto him because...
From the corner of his eye he saw there was three men looking straight at him because of the villagers attention causing the men to walk toward him, wearing a standard blue shirt, black, high-collar tactical jacket and a blue pants with duty belt with a holsters of pistol, handcuffs, a baton, a radio, pepper spray it surprised Daemon.
'That's the police the villagers were talking about... NVCCP ...why are they here?' Daemon wondered.
Before Daemon death while in Nova Veritas City there NVCCP also know as (Nova Veritas City Central Precinct) it is the most largest and most advanced police precinct in Nova Veritas City. It serves as the main hub for law enforcement activities, overseeing a wide range of operations.
But why are they here when Elysian Reach has its own police precinct?
Daemon glanced over his shoulder at the officers walking behind him. 'Whatever is going on with the gangsters the villagers spoke of must be serious to have attracted this much attention,' he thought.
Realizing the urgency of the situation Daemon looked around and over his shoulder, strategizing his next move. 'I need to quickly shake them off and disappear before they catch up or more appear,' he thought.
Using his knowledge of the village layout, Daemon slipped back between the houses, moving swiftly to evade the officers, he knew he had to find a place to hide and gather more information before making his next move.
...
Daemon moved swiftly, reaching the village square, he spotted a lot of villager moving around as it was the central hub bustling with activity. Multiple small marketplaces, a few shops, and the village well dotted the area. Spotting the two officers entering from the far end, their eyes scanning the surroundings, he ducked into a narrow alleyway.
One officer shouted into his radio, "Spread out! He can't have gone far. Check every corner, every alley!"
Daemon listened carefully, his senses heightened. He noticed a villager it was a young woman stepped out of a nearby doorway, her eyes widening as she saw him. Before she could react, Daemon was on her, his hand covering her mouth as he pulled her back inside.
"Don't scream. I need your help. Nod if you understand," he whispered coldly.
Terrified, the woman nodded. Daemon slowly removed his hand but kept his eyes locked on her.
"How many officers are in the village?" Daemon asked in a low tone.
"T-ten, including two detectives," the woman whispered, her voice trembling.
Daemon's mind raced. 'What? Ten officers and two detectives? Who are these gangsters? Is it possible there's more than just gangsters?' He then asked, "Why are they here?"
"For the past few weeks, there have been constant disappearances of female villagers. Also we've been hearing strange noises coming from the woods," she said.
'Disappearing villagers and noises from the woods... Could that roar I heard yesterday be related?' Daemon wondered.
Suddenly, Daemon heard the sound of officers talking nearby. Their footsteps were coming closer, he quickly took off his rag mask and pushing the woman against the wall he brought his face close to her making it look like he was kissing her. She panicked, but seeing the emotionless and death in his eyes she was too terrified to scream.
After a moment, the officers walked past, sparing only a brief glance at them before walking away. Daemon backed away looking outside before turning back to the panting shaking woman.
Daemon looked into the woman eyes as he considered, 'Should I kill her? She's seen my face.'
The woman seeing Daemon's gaze knelt down to him in fear. "Please don't kill me. I promise I won't tell anyone," she pleaded.
Daemon picked up the rag then said, "Shh! You've been helpful. Forget you saw me."
Daemon walked out to the alley then headed toward another, moving cautiously to avoid being seen by the officers. As he walked he thought about the information he had gathered from the woman. The thing that confused him was the scale of the police presence in such a small village.
'There has to be more to this than just missing villagers and gangsters. What could be drawing this much attention from the NVCCP?' he pondered.
Why would gangsters and NVCCP come all the way here? Is there something here that piqued there interest?
Daemon knew that back in the city it was easier because the police officers were constantly occupied with more dangerous crimes, making it difficult to dedicate resources to less critical issues.
The presence of two detectives here in Thornebrook, a small village, indicated to him that there was something far more significant was at play. Additionally know while he didn't care about the village or villagers its that he felt the upcoming harvest held secrets that could be beneficial to him.
Like how the The village is steeped in legends, particularly those concerning Thornewood Forest. Tales of spirits, monsters, and ancient curses are common, that caused the villagers to become deeply superstitious, also Families maintain shrines in their homes dedicated to their ancestors, offering prayers and tokens of respect on special occasions.
As he looked around, he noticed villagers lighting lamps in there homes and returning home. 'It's already night... I need to find somewhere to spend the night, but where?' he thought.
While searching for a place to stay, Daemon walked between houses, his path suddenly obstructed by a group of rough-looking men loitering in the alley. Their eyes narrowed as they took in Daemon's appearance, but he ignored them, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
While walking forward he accidentally bumped into one of the men standing in his path. The man caught off guard by the collision stepped back with a scowl.
"Hey, watch where you're going, buddy!" the man shouted in a scruffy voice.
Daemon continued forward, ignoring the man's words, as if he hadn't heard them...it seem like the man wanted Daemon to apologize or acknowledge the encounter.
"Hey! You think you can just ignore us like that?" The man clenched his fist.
The man stepped forward aggressively, about to grab Daemon shoulder but at that moment Daemon looked over his shoulder his eyes meeting the man with a chilling intensity. In that moment, what Daemon eyes should have done is put fear into the man soul, enough to sending a shiver down his spine. but it didn't.
The man grabbed at his waist like he was about to grab something but then another man from the side came and grabbed his hand. "Man, stop. Leave him. We can't bring too much attention to ourselves right now."
Daemon then turned back an continued forward while the men also went there own way something also piqued his interest. 'Hmm he never felt death from my body nether my eyes...why is that all the villager feel it but not them' he thought.
"System, why didn't he feel fear?" he asked mentally.
-Because they have already seen, know, and done things stronger than natural humans and things in the world. Example: street-level thugs or minor supernatural beings-
'So it seem there level of how much people will be in fear in the world' Daemon thought
...
After exploring the village for a while, Daemon came across a barn. He stopped by an outhouse that was outside. Despite it being an outhouse, it wasn't smelly, so he decided to use it as a place to shower...an sleep.
A few minutes later, Daemon stood in front of a mirror. He focused on one particularly noticeable long scar running diagonally across his chest... it was the final fatal wound that had killed him.
"They did so much damage to my body... but this one remains," Daemon muttered.
As he passed his hand over the scar, an intense pain surged through him, causing him to sweat and his heart to pound rapidly. Flashes of his family's execution and his own torture flooded his mind...When he finally pulled his hand away, he was breathing heavily even feeling a little weak.
'Is it a reminder?' Daemon thought.
He splashed water on his face to clear his mind before looking at himself in the mirror again, at his dead, emotionless eyes. He tried to smile thinking, 'Smile, Smile, Smile! Smile!' Each thought grew louder.
Despite his efforts, he couldn't make himself smile. Frustration boiling over, he lashed out, punching the mirror and shattering his reflection in the mirror. For a moment, he saw a distorted, scarier version of himself in the broken glass.
Slowly retracting his fist he watched as the blood from the mirror shards flowed back into his skin healing his wound.
"What will happen now? Am I meant to just remember?" Daemon wondered aloud.
Daemon left the outhouse, making his way to the barn. He would rest there for the night he decided to gather his strength and continue piecing together the mysteries of Thornebrook.