Capital of Wonaf Kingdom, Dizaya
"What?" Seraphina shouts in shock when she hears her companion's words.
"Do I need to repeat it for you?" Jean, The Magician rolled his eyes. "I said we don't need you."
"Why? After all the hardship we get through, will you all discard me like that?" Sera started to tear up, the memories of their journey started to rise up inside her mind.
Jean, seeing the pathetic insect in front of him start to cry, scoff arrogantly. "Those memories means nothing to us."
"And just you know. We are disgust with you. You are nothing but a useless cannon fodder in our eyes." Jean then grabs Sera's hand and pull her forcefully to follow him. "Where are you taking me?" Seraphina exclaimed in fear.
"I'm gonna take you to your new home."
"W- wait. Jean, please I beg you. It hurts, stop it."
"Hmph, you're already whining in pain just because I put more pressure on you. What a useless garbage."
Sera then stop struggling and let Jean take her. She didn't bother to call for help since in her mind, although Jean for some unknown reason didn't like her, it's not to the point where he would kill her.
Jean brought Sera to the couch and set on to the journey.
"Where are we going?"
"Just shut up, your hearing voices already makes me feel dizzy."
After that, Sera just stayed silent since she didn't want Jean to kill her. 3 hours later, the coach then stop in the middle of a creepy forest.
There are some cravings like a face in every tree. The sky is darker than the usual blue sky. The soil here is much more like mud than the ordinary soil.
And the worst part, is the terrifying and thick dark aura that surrounded this whole place. Seraphina without being told by anyone, knows what this place is.
Death Forest
A place where anyone below 'S- rank' will die. It's a forest that is full of demonic beings, Undead, skeletons, and monsters. Jean with 'S+ rank.' also wasn't sure he could escape without unscatched.
But as a magician and strategist, Jean is already preparing to bring 'Teleportation Scroll'. Teleportation scroll is a 'SS- rank' item. Space magic is already lost in history so it's not strange for an item related with Space to be ranked at least 'S Rank'.
Sera didn't tried to escape because Jean forbid him to look at the window. Sera couldn't help but want to punch herself for her naive thinking.
Jean opens the door of the carriage and then pushes Sera to get out. Sera falls to the wet ground because of how hard Jean pushes her.
Without wasting time, Jean orders the coachmen to get out of here, he would use his teleportation scroll for the last choice.
"Jean! Please wait! I'm sorry, please wait." Sera who saw the coach get away panic and tried to chase it.
"Just so you know scum. I'm only following Raisa's order." Jean said before the coach start to increase its speed and dissapear in the mist.
Sera soon caught of breath and leaned on the creepy tree. "Hah- Hah, Fuck. This is ridicoulous. I never thought they would discard me like this." Sera, once again start to tear up, the words of her companion start to surface in her mind.
"Sera-chan, you shouldn't tease Raisa too much. Otherwise, she will mad at you." A female kind and gentle with long pink hair and blue eyes, wearing a nun's clothes said.
"Watch me Sera. This is how to wield a sword." A big bulky man with short black hair like spike and black eyes wield a claymore said with a big smile.
"Make sure to focus your gaze on your target. That's it! I know you are genius at bow Sera." A male adult with black clothes said while patting her head.
"You scream because just an insect? How annoying." Jean complain while cleaning his glasses.
"You want to learn magic? It seems little Sera already become mature." A short girl with giant hat and a staff smiled in amusement.
"Sister, we will always to be together right?" A girl similar to Sera said while hugging her from behind.
"Thank you for standing on my side in my journey Sera. Even though you are powerless, your existence is a core of our group. So your presence itself is the one who make this group still together." A girl with short blonde hair said while hugging her.
Her past with the party start to surface due to her dark emotions. The precious memories she hold very dear become needles that stab her heart.
"Hahahaha." Seraphina, a kind hearted girl and have a very good life, laughs crazily like a maniac. It's the first time of her life to face such deep despair like this.
When she have a problem and can't solve it on her own, her friends will always be there for her. No matter how hard it is, she could solve it with their help. Of course she also help their problem since she doesn't want to become a hypocrite who only use them.
And now, she was discarded by her friends. She doesn't know what to do. It's the first time she face betrayal in her life.
Sometimes ago, when her team encounters a poor man who bragged about how rich he is until his partner betrayed him, she wondered how it would feel to be betrayed.
She doesn't think it would be this painful. She doesn't know it would be this bitter. She didn't guess it would be so cold.
She doesn't know why she is laughing when she falls into despair. She doesn't know why she is laughing when tears start to flow from both of her eyes.
She doesn't know the reason why she became crazy like this.
"Haha, hah- hah-." After several minutes, Seraphina finally stops laughing but her tears are still flowing from her eyes.
*roar*
Seraphina suddenly heard a giant roar of agony from the deep of the forest in front of her. Many demonic bats fly away in fear. Seraphina didn't want to die but somehow she found it troublesome to run.
So she just stands there, waiting for her fate and see her story ending.
*step**step**step*
Hearing a footsteps approaching her, Seraphina raise her head to look at the one who approaches her.
It was a demonic being. It's body is shrouded by darkness. Its eyes are glowing red, making her more intimidating. Her smell is like a ton of garbage concentrated into one that makes Seraphina, who has a sharp sense of smell, need to cover her nose to decrease the effect of nausea.
Seraphina looked at it with lost. In the face of such a terrible being, Seraphina didn't get scared. Why does she need to be scared when she knows that she will die. Well the worst part is it would make her a cum dump for goblin or orc but Seraphina didn't really care actually.
"Your gaze is empty…" "It seems you fall into a valley of despair…" Seraphina didn't answer it in the slightest which made it sigh.
The demon then used 'Scan', one of the few intelligence magic. 'Scan' allows the user to analyze anything about the object that becomes the target, making it very useful.
Even though 'Scan' looks very useful, it would only be useful if you are very strong or strong enough to make it reach its full potential.
The demon widen its eyes in disbelief when it finish analyzing the girl in front of it. Without hesitation the being then offers its hand which is covered with a thick darkness aura to Sera. "Why don't you follow me girl?"
"To the top of mountains or to the depths of valleys."
"I could give you everything you dream of."
"I could protect you from everything that tries to harm you."
"I could give you love and the companion you longed for."
"And I could give you power and authority for my demonic beings under me."
"The only thing you need to do is just accept my hand."
Said the demon with its sinister and malicious voice. The demon didn't want to trouble itself to use its real body since it was very sure the girl in front of it would accept it.
"....W- what are you thinking? Do you think I'm gonna fall into the dark side? In your dream." Being offered to follow this demon, Seraphina was caught off guard but she immediately rejected it with a heavy heart.
Even though she wants to have her revenge, it feels wrong to fall into the dark side. Seraphina always believes that the right way to do revenge is to become better and make them watch her success and swallow a pil of regret for whatever they had done to her.
Becoming a villain just because someone hurting herself is not her way of life.
Furthermore, what would her sister think if she saw her sister becoming a villain in their story and fight against them? What would the people she met around the world thought she colluded with a demon? Surely it's not gonna be good.
The demon on the other hand frowning since it didn't expect this girl will reject her immediately "Why? I'm the only one here who could help you." The Demon snarl at her. Seraphina flinch because it's tone is much more harsher than before.
"I.. I just need to wait. Someone is gonna come and save me."
"Do you think this world is a fantasy in humans novel or something? Where you are being saved by a hero?" The demon sneered, it raised its hand to the air and a mighty aura radiating from it.
"The fact is, I'm the only one who could help you."
"If- if there is no one to come then the goddess of Light, Luminous will somehow help me." Seraphina said meekly.
"And how is your goddess gonna help you? By becoming a bitch? Oh I know, she is gonna suck my succubus cock."
"H- how could you be so vulgar?! And beside succubus is a girl."
"Heh, I'll tell you about this girl. The succubus under me all of them have a dick." The demon laughs with pride, although its laugh is dry which makes it disturbing. "And don't you dare to change the subject, you better follow me girl or I will annihilate the one."
'Ah, it seems she is angry.' "I'm sorry, please don't kill them."
"So you agree?''
Seraphina hesitated. She knows she should reject it immediately but she found herself couldn't do it. Not only does she want to save her family but the offering of the demon is very tempting.
Power?
Although for the past her, she would without doubt taking it but right now she really didn't need it.
The only thing the demon offers that interest her is love and companionship. The betrayal she experienced left a very deep wound inside her heart and perhaps the only way to heal it, is to have another love and bond again.
"I… accept." In the end, Seraphina accept the offers from the demon. There is nothing to lose for her.
"Good." The demon smile delightfully. The dark aura around her body start to disappearing, revealing a beautiful blonde girl with scarlet eyes.
"I'm Lucifel, one of the top 10 ranks of the demon world. More specifically, the 7th rank." Said Lucifel with a beautiful smile but dark eyes.
"T- the seventh?!" Seraphina stutters in fear. She doesn't know if she is gonna make the right choice or not.
End