Somewhere in the Underworld, at the junction which connected it to the Eastern Region of Earth, a young girl around the age of fifteen, sat on a boulder next to a stream, holding a fish in her hands as she merrily ate it.
Her fluffy fox ears and tails happily twitched and swayed to the deliciousness of the meal, and there was a sweet smile on her face that could melt even the toughest of hearts.
Those crimson hair of hers, which would immediately make people in the Underworld think of a certain name of a Devil House, fluttered as a gust of wind hit her. And suddenly, a frown marred her beautiful face.
Her smile ceased and her beautiful green eyes narrowed, having sensed that the one after her life had caught up with her yet again.
A flicker of rage passed her eyes, but she finished her meal, and as much as she wanted to stay and wait for the enemy to come so that she could kill him and avenge her mother, she chose to run.
She was smart and understood that she was not strong enough to go against the enemy who had even managed to kill her mother. And her mother had made her promise that she would live a very long and happy life, which would not be possible if she threw it away by choosing to fight an enemy whom she had no chance of winning against.
The girl blurred from her place and escaped the vicinity in a streak of red light, at a speed that was impossible for most races to keep up with. It was the only advantage she had over the Evil Dragon that was chasing after her, and the reason why she had managed to survive him for so long.
She knew it would take her a couple of weeks to throw him off her trail again, and as tired as she was, having not fully recuperated from her last run, she was determined to live.
It was not her first time in the Underworld, but the path she was taking was alien to her.
Though she was very young, she realised that her existence was special, and a lot of evil hands would happily grab her if she was found, just like those bunch of Devils who chased after her a few days ago, foiling her plans to take the much-needed rest.
The last thing she wished to do was enter a territory that belonged to someone she could not escape, and her mother had told her that Underworld was filled with extremely powerful people.
For a moment, she wondered if she should go to her Father's territory, but brushed the thought aside even though she really wanted to see him.
He was a Devil, the Head of his Household, and she was an existence that was too lucrative to the Devildom. Even he might not be able to save her if she was deemed an indispensable asset.
The Youkai did not see her as one of their own, and the Devils would not see her as one of their own either. And she was not a Devil in the first place.
She will have to make her own home one day.
The girl smiled at her thoughts as she kept running, enjoying the scenery around her.
Her senses soon picked up on the scent of another Dragon, and a dangerous thought crossed her mind.
She could sense that the Dragon was strong, and since Dragons were very protective of their territory, it would benefit her if she lured her enemy to this powerful Dragon. He would either run or end up fighting against an enemy who was likely as strong as him.
But then her mind thought of the possibility that she might end up making an enemy out of the new dragon, who would likely not be pleased that she trespassed their territory.
Not to mention, she was not even sure if the two Dragons were or were not acquaintances or friends. It was just not worth the risk.
She decided to change direction, but suddenly a wave of dizziness hit her, the tiredness having caught up with her.
How long had it been since she last took a good rest?
A sad smile crept on her lips as she failed to remember clearly, but she did not give in on the impulse to try her luck and still changed the direction, deciding to not take the risk.
However, fate seemed to have deemed this as a very unlucky day for her that another presence locked onto her, and funnily enough, it was the same Dragon whose territory she had decided to not trespass and show some respect to.
"I hate Dragons!" She cursed when she sensed the new dragon come after her as well, curious at the scent he had picked up on, and the young Nine-Tailed Fox pushed herself even harder.
However, to her dismay, she soon sensed another source approaching her at a break-neck speed from the front, leaving her no escape.
A terrible thought crossed her mind immediately that they were all in collusion with her enemy, and desperation finally kicked in, making her feel a little more dizzy.
Gritting her teeth, she rushed forward madly, ready to deal with the enemy that was about to reach her first, but her heart calmed down a little when she did not sense any Aura of a Dragon from the person coming her way.
Her eyes widened a little when she finally saw the person, a boy, who looked even younger than her, surrounded by a similar Crimson Aura, and she could sense what it was. It was his Touki.
And when their eyes met, she watched him smile at her.
The sudden roar of an enraged Dragon rocked the sky, bringing her out of her trance, and her heart thumped hard against her chest when she sensed the Underworld's Dragon close in on her.
He was much faster than she had expected, and now she could finally sense that he was just as strong as her enemy, if not more powerful.
"Stay." She suddenly heard a voice, and she knew it belonged to the boy who was in front of her.
Her eyes narrowed a little when she saw his Devil Wings, eight in total, and the strange yet beautiful pulsating crimson veins of energy inside of them.
She nodded her head to him, seemingly ready to listen to him, but at the very last moment, when they were about to meet and the boy stopped, she dodged past him, boosting her speed even more, running away without even looking back.
"Cunning, aren't you?" She heard him chuckle but ignored him, and hoped that if he was not in collusion with the two Dragons, he would end up fighting with them or at least, one of them, giving her time to escape.
However, her fate seemed to have been sealed today.
Her heart skipped a beat when she sensed several more people coming from the front, and they were all locking in on her from all directions.
In her desperation, she stopped, ready to fight for her life, and it was then that she heard an explosion behind her.
She was already several miles away from that young Devil, but when she turned around, she still saw the silhouette of a gargantuan Black Dragon, who was breathing a sea of flame, and the cage of reddish-black lightning that surrounding the boy, preventing the fire from reaching him.
The young fox sensed that one of the people coming at her from the front, the same direction that the boy had come from, was using Touki as well, and she even sensed that the person was a girl and a Youkai.
Her mind went to work and she pieced things together, and then she quickly ran back towards the boy who was fighting against the Black Dragon, hoping that his allies would not target her and will also join the battle to help the boy out.
The young fox looked forward to the opportunity to make an escape when everyone would be busy dealing with the terrifying Black Dragon.
"Beware that you are playing with a Devil, Little Fox." She heard the boy sarcastically remark when she unleashed her crimson Fox Fire at the Drgaon, countering his Fire Breath.
"Whom are you calling little? You are younger than me!" Her beautiful hair rose in the air as she channelled her own Touki, which was a similar shade to the boy's and she did not like the playful smile that crept on his face.
"Impressive." He commented before he looked at the enraged Dragon, who was eyeing her, not happy that his Fire had been countered. "His name is Andracca, an Evil Dragon, one of the strongest. He is also known as 'The Black Dragon of Envy' and Ancalagon."
She frowned as she looked at the biggest Dragon she had seen in her life. It was truly colossal, and the pressure it was emanating was suffocating her.
Suddenly, its belly started turning red like a furnace before it cocked its head back and spewed another torrent of fire their way, challenging her to use her Fox Fire again.
"Come on." She heard the boy next to her urge her to get on with it and sent him a glare before she unleashed a sea of Fox Fire to meet the Dragon's breath.
She was not doing it to protect him, but to protect herself.
Her eyes widened in horror when her Fox Fire failed to hold the Dragon's Breath back, and she immediately boosted her Touki to protect herself from the torrent of fire that was about to hit it.
However, it never managed to reach her as the young boy suddenly appeared in front of her, and then he lightly raised his right hand, unleashing a terrifying Tsunami that appeared out of nowhere.
*Boom*
A loud explosion sounded out as the two attacks collided, and within seconds, the area was covered in hot white steam.
"My name is Raizel Darcaedes. Now, get lost or I will kill you."
The young fox heard the boy suddenly speak to the Dragon, and even though his words were light, they held an enormous weight behind them that made her heart clench in apprehension.
She frowned at the name, finding it a little familiar, and then her mouth dropped open as she remembered what the name Darcaedes meant.
"I am doomed..." She had tears in her eyes now, having realised that she wouldn't be able to escape today.
She had tried to take advantage of the wrong person...
His allies had already surrounded her, and they did not seem like they were interested in stepping forward and interfering in the young Devil's battle.
And the young Fox could also feel their curious eyes locked on her.