Huff.. Huff..
Leila panted heavily clutching Sir Kayn's hand tightly as they dashed through the woods.
She halted for a moment taking a look back at the place that was once her home now burning to ashes.
Never in her darkest nightmares could Leila have imagined that Dominic her own cousin would betray his family like that.
Dominic had always been there for her, the only person she opened her heart to, but why? why would Dominic do such a thing?
Sir Kayn's grip on her hand grew firmer as he hastened their pace. "We must press on Lady Leila" he urged. "We can't afford to be captured now"
As the flames faded into the distance, Leila glanced at Sir Kayn, and for the first time ever, he wasn't smiling, his expression was dark, rather grim for the usual cheerful face he always had.
Sir Kayn has been her guardian knight since she was a child, he taught her everything she knew, he was there for all her birthdays, he was there when she fell and he was there when she stood up again, he was like a father to her, and now he was all that she had left.
The sound of hoofbeats drew closer as Leila's heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to keep pace with Sir Kayn, taking a short breath after the other.
But as the galloping horses drew nearer, Sir Kayn came to a sudden halt, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. Leila's eyes widened in terror as she watched the knights coming into view.
"Keep going, my lady" Sir Kayn's voice pierced her racing thoughts, "I'll stall them"
With a sense of dread clutching at her heart, Leila hesitated for a moment, torn between her instinct to flee and her concern for Sir Kayn.
With a choked sob, Leila turned and ran, her feet pounding against the fallen leaves as she fled deeper into the forest. Each step felt like a betrayal, a silent plea for forgiveness to the man who was giving his life to save hers.
And then, in a single, horrifying moment; The clash of steel against steel rang out like a death knell, followed by a deafening silence that seemed to swallow the world whole.
Leila dared not look back, the image of Sir Kayn's lifeless form etched into her mind. She ran blindly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fought to escape the nightmare that pursued her.
"There! She's running ahead!" One of the knights shouted, sending a jolt of terror through Leila's veins. She pushed herself to her limits, her lungs burning with exertion as she raced deeper and deeper into the forest.
Behind her, the pounding of hooves grew louder, their relentless pursuit driving her onward with a desperate fervour. Leila's mind raced with a thousand fears, each more terrifying than the last.
Not before long the knights caught up, one kicking her back and knocking her to the ground.
The forest floor pressed against Leila's cheek, as she fought to catch her breath, pain radiated through her body from the force of the kick, but she refused to yield.. she had to survive.. she had to live..
With trembling hands, Leila reached for her staff, the only weapon she had to defend herself.
One of the knights laughed at her futile resistance "What could a 16-year-old summoner do in the face of seven knights?" one of them jeered.
Summoning every ounce of courage she possessed, Leila rose to her feet, her staff gripped tightly in her trembling hands. Though fear threatened to paralyze her, she forced herself to stand tall.
"I may be young" she declared, her voice trembling, "but I am not powerless"
Leila held her staff up chanting an incantation, channelling her mana into her staff as it started to glow.
As Leila poured every last drop of her mana into her staff, she felt a searing pain rip through her body, as if her very essence was being consumed by her own magic. Yet she pushed through.
AN OFFERING HAS BEEN MADE
VALIDATING OFFERING MATERIALS: LIFE FORCE | MANA
YOUR OFFERING HAS BEEN ACCEPTED
CHANCES FOR THE SUMMONING QUALITY:
C CLASS - 21%
B CLASS - 19%
A CLASS - 40%
S CLASS - 10%
SS CLASS - 8%
SSS CLASS - 2%
SUMMONING QUALITY CONFIRMED: SSS CLASS
Leila felt her conscious slip away, the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was a huge flame that appeared before her, in the middle of the fire, she could make out a figure wearing all black.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze as Leila and the mysterious figure locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. And then, with a gesture of its hand, the figure unleashed a torrent of flame that engulfed the seven knights who had encircled Leila, their screams drowned out by the roar of the inferno before her vision went completely black.
As Leila gradually regained consciousness, a faint voice pierced through the haze of her senses. "Hey yo-" The voice sounded again, but Leila struggled to pry her heavy eyelids open. "Hey! Human!"
Struggling against the fog of unconsciousness, Leila's eyes fluttered open to reveal a young man standing before her. His appearance was striking, with short white hair framing a face that seemed too youthful to match his muscular physique. Two thick horns protruded from his forehead, adding an otherworldly quality to his presence. Clad in all black, with a regal cape draped across his shoulders and gold-adorned shoulder pads bearing the visage of a dragon, resting upon his back was a staff of impressive craftsmanship, topped with a strange red jewel that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy.
"Hey, you! You're finally awake!" Belial's voice cut through the haze as Leila struggled to orient herself. Her hand instinctively reached for her staff, but it was nowhere to be found.
"Wh-Who are you?" Leila stammered, her gaze darting nervously around the clearing.
"WHO AM I?" Belial's voice boomed, his frustration palpable. "I am Belial! the Castellan of the First Fortress! the King of Lies! The strongest among the Twelve Demon Kings!" Belial paused for a moment, "I was supposed to be summoned to this mortal world at the hands of my loyal cultists but YOU! YOU INTEREFERED WITH THE GUIDELINE!"
Leila recoiled at his intensity, her heart pounding in her chest. "I-I'm sorry" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to interfere with your summoning. I-I don't even know how you got here"
Belial's expression softened slightly, though the irritation still simmered beneath the surface. "Well, you did" he replied curtly. "And now, thanks to you, the guideline says we're soulmates or some nonsense", Belial faked a smile before getting closer to Leila who instinctively crawled a step back, "Now, my lovely human" Belial continued, his tone laced with sarcasm, "how about you release this soul thing or whatever and let me get back to what I was doing?"
Despite his attempt at a smile, Leila could see the irritation etched into his features. She swallowed hard, her mind racing as she struggled to find a way out of this surreal encounter.
"Uhhh!" Her eyes darted around before she raised her arm, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "S-Sit!" she commanded, closing her eyes tightly.
"SIT? YOU DARE COM-" Belial began to protest, but before he could finish his sentence, his body instinctively obeyed, sinking down to the ground in bewilderment. "Wh-What!" he exclaimed, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief. "You commanded me..." His voice trailed off into a whisper, a sense of disbelief coloring his words. "I, Belial, for the first time since my great battle with Lucifer, was forced to do something?"
"Y-Y-You're my summon! and you should obey me as your master!" Leila yelled before Belial stood up approaching her slowly, she braced herself guarding her head with her arms but Belial suddenly stopped.
WARNING!
The summon may not harm the master
"MASTER? YOU'RE MY MASTER? IF MOLOCH HEARD THIS, HE'D GO INSANE!" Belial yelled before he took a step back taking all of this in.
"P-Please, I need your help!" Leila pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation as she looked up at Belial, hoping against hope that he would listen.
To her surprise, Belial collapsed to the ground, his shoulders shaking with what appeared to be silent sobs. Leila watched, stunned, as the self-proclaimed Demon King crumpled under the weight of his apparent failure.
"My people..." His voice cracked, choked with emotion. "I've failed them..."
He cast his gaze downward, his fists clenching in frustration. "They're still out there, fighting just to survive! Why, Moloch, why are you so cruel?" His words were a desperate plea, a cry of anguish directed at the demon god.
"B-Belial" Leila began tentatively, taking a hesitant step forward, "Are you telling me that you are the demon king Belial, the one that the demon worshippers have been trying to summon for the past century?"
Belial's expression twisted with a mixture of frustration and bitterness as he confirmed, "Yes! But now, thanks to you, all my plans are ruined!" His tone was sharp, tinged with a sense of defeat.
Leila's heart sank at the realization of the chaos she had unintentionally prevented. "So, you're telling me I'm a hero?" she asked, a faint smile tugging at her lips before Belial's scowl wiped it away.
"Hero? YOU INSOLENT HUMAN!" Belial's anger flared, and he moved as if to smack her, but the invisible barrier of the guideline stopped him. "UGH, THIS GUIDELINE!" he roared, frustration evident in every word. "Let me tell you how much of a hero you are! Thanks to you interrupting my summoning, millions of demons will continue to starve, die, and fight for survival against the abominations of the nine circles of hell! All we wanted was a greener place with fresh air and fertile soil to live, but now my people are stuck eating rotten flesh three times a day!"
Leila's arms tightened across her chest as she absorbed Belial's words, a mixture of confusion and disbelief clouding her features. "Wait! Wait!" she interjected, her voice laced with skepticism, "Aren't demons like hellhounds and goblins unintelligent species, being puppeteered by you to kill humans?"
Belial's eyes blazed with fury at the comparison. "You dare compare me, the great Belial, to a mere hellhound? HOW PREPOSTEROUS!" His anger flared once more before he took a deep breath, visibly attempting to regain his composure. "Why would I want to kill humans? You don't even taste good!" A hint of sarcasm laced his words as he continued, "The creatures you speak of are called abominations; they are unintelligent, uncivilized species that we fight against every day in hell. From the first days a demon is born in the First Hell, they have to hunt hellhounds for food, and as we evolve and pass through each gate, we have to fight even more of these bastards. Do you think I have any control over them?"
Leila's skepticism waned slightly as she considered Belial's explanation, a glimmer of understanding dawning in her eyes. The complexity of demon society was far more nuanced than she had ever imagined.
"Here, hold my hands," Belial offered, extending his hand toward Leila. "Not that I need to prove anything, but just so you don't compare me to these pesky hellhounds again"
Leila hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to trust him. "Come on" Belial urged, "It's not like I can hurt you even if I wanted to"
After a moment of deliberation, Leila cautiously reached out and took Belial's hand. Instantly, a flood of memories rushed into her mind, revealing the harsh realities of life in hell—the endless struggle to survive each day.
As the memories faded, Leila stumbled backward, her eyes wide with shock. "Th-That's... You weren't lying" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I swear it upon my name" Belial declared solemnly, placing his hand over his heart.
Encouraged by the truth of his words, Leila's mind raced with possibilities. "Th-Then how about this! You help me and I help you!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with determination as she looked up at Belial.
"Why would I, the great Belial, take help from a human, and to invade her lands at that! Would you really betray your own kind?" Belial scoffed, turning away in disdain. "I, Belial, will re—" He began to protest before being abruptly cut off.
"Sit!" Leila commanded.
Belial's body instinctively obeyed, sinking down to the ground once more. "YOU BITCH!" he roared, his anger palpable as he glared up at Leila.
"My kind betrayed me first!" Leila retorted defiantly, her voice trembling with emotion. "My own blood, the only man I ever opened my heart to—my cousin—killed my father, my mother, and my younger brother. And my kind stood watching as they clapped for him in the background!" Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "All my father did was defend the commoners against the Vestels family, cruel bastards who kidnap, rape, and kill the commoners for amusement. He rode out to counter a raid party sent by the count on one of their small villages. Then he escorted the people to our territory, starting a border war. And you know who led their assassins through the secret passage straight to the family house? My own blood!" She started spilling tears, "This world can go to hell, all I want is for the Grimwood name to never be forgotten!"
Belial's expression softened as he listened to Leila's impassioned plea. Memories of his own betrayal in the fifth hell flashed through his mind—a time when he had discovered a trusted subordinate leaking information to Lucifer and had to execute him. In that moment, he could vaguely relate to her pain.
"Please, help me," she pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion. "But if you won't..." She trailed off.
YOUR SUMMONING SEAL HAS BEEN RELEASED
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO BACK TO HELL?
Belial glanced down at Leila, then back at the guideline prompt. Without warning, he reached out and delivered a playful smack to her head.
"Ow!" Leila instinctively raised her hand to her head, then looked up to see Belial laughing.
"I've been wanting to do that for the past day" he admitted, his laughter subsiding. "Okay then, I, the great Belial, the Castellan of the First Fortress, the strongest of the twelve demon kings and the King of Lies, will help you!"
YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO REMAIN ON GAIA
THE SUMMONING SEAL HAS BEEN REATTACHED
"But enough with this 'master' nonsense" Belial declared. "I'm helping you out of the kindness of my heart"
Leila extended her hand with a smile. "Okay then, I'm Leila. You can call me Lily."
"And I—" Belial began.
"The great Belial, the Castellan of the First Fortress, the strongest of the Twelve Demon Kings, and the King of Lies" Leila interjected with a chuckle. "Thank you, Belial.."