"What has happened here?" Verina panicked, her chest heaving up and down at the scene in sight. Children clutched their mother's skirt, wailing profusely.
"This is bad," Amon came behind her, his eyes scanning the whole place. Huts and stony buildings were burning to the ground, people running helter-skelter, but as his eyes bore into the scene, he could not find the source from which the fire was coming. The flame was too huge to be caused by accident. "What must have caused this?"
"Perhaps it is that monster, destroying lives as always. He must have brought in his army to burn down this place," Verina tsked as she jumped down from the horse.
Amon and the other guards also came down. "You cannot be so sure he was the one," Amon said as he scanned the place. "Rumors are not fact until you have seen it with your own two eyes."
"Hmm," Verina raised one corner of her mouth. "Now you are beginning to sound like my grandfather." She shook her head, her gaze returning to the scene. "We must help them."
"Princess," Amon said with a sigh, "I'm afraid this is beyond us. The situation is dire."
The other two guards came behind Amon, nodding in unison.
"Certainly, princess, we should head towards our journey instead," one of them added, his voice trembling.
"You can carry on with the journey; I will find my way to you," she said sternly, not turning to look at them one bit. How could they suggest they carry on with their journey when people are here fighting for their lives?
"But princess," Amon spoke carefully, hoping the princess was aware of the risk, "we cannot go without you."
The other two guards eye Anom as if ready to flee, not minding leaving the princess behind.
"Then you fight," she shot all three guards a sharp glare. "I expect better of you." Then in front of the guards, she took out a small sharp dagger that had been fastened at the tip of her brown sandals. She gave them one last glance before rushing ahead.
The guards had no choice but to follow her.
Heat prickled on Verina's skin as she neared a burning hut, almost on the brink of crashing down.
At the foot of the hut lay an old woman who seemed not to be moving, along with a four-year-old child whose face was covered with white ashes and black hair turned grey. She was clutching on the old lady's wrapper, crying and screaming, "Grandmother."
Verina squatted next to her, pain nagging in her chest when she saw how dire the situation was.
She touched the pulse on the old woman's neck and realized that she was not breathing and her body had gone cold. Her gaze traveled to the young girl who was still crying but looking at her curiously.
Amon came beside her, his brow raised. "Is she..."
"Take the young girl. We have to keep them at the outskirts of the village where the fire had not reached," she stood, speaking fast to keep her emotions in check.
She wasn't the type to show any emotions, but it was so hard to suppress them in this situation. "We must find other survivors."
Amon nodded, holding the young lady who was reluctantly pushing him away, but he ignored her.
At one glance at the old woman, he knew that she was dead. "Certainly, princess," he carried the girl princess-style and rushed out, instructing the other guards to help Verina find survivors.
The next few hours were spent finding survivors and taking them to a safe place. Luckily, not many lives had ended since it hadn't been long since the fire started.
However, despite spending hours saving lives, none of them was able to find the source of the fire, and none of the survivors was mentally strong enough to speak.
.....
At one end of the village, where the fire had engulfed a big stone mansion, Makita stood, her hips curving to one side, accentuated by the torn black satin skirt. Her eyes had completely turned red as they narrowed on a weakened man begging for his life. His head was placed on the ground, his whole body shaking vividly.
"Surrender your soul," Makita said, irritation evident in her voice. She was avoiding killing him, but the man was pushing her to her limit.
"Please, please, forgive me," the man pleaded.
Makita let out a laugh. "Forgive you? After all that you have done?" She tilted her head. "We warned you, did we not, not to kill anyone? Every death was meant to be done by us, but instead, you decided to take lives into your own hands."
The man shook his head, barely able to speak. The devil had come to him, offering riches and a good name in the village in exchange for turning souls against good. However, because the people believed so strongly in the gods, he decided to kill and force them to follow Lucifer.
Makita shook her head and raised her hand. A stone tablet appeared. "Sadly for you, human, Lucifer has decided to claim your soul." An evil grin spread across her face. "You will have a warm welcome in hell."
The man began to plead, walking towards Makita. His trembling hand suddenly touched her feet as he begged, but she yanked it away, glaring down at him.
"Human, touch not my feet. Argh!" She stared at her precious leg that had just been touched by his hand filled with dust. "Don't touch me again."
"Makita, not done yet?" Maximum walked up to her, eyes narrowed at the man on the floor. "Take his soul already."
Makita rolled her eyes at him. "It was a bad idea telling you to come; you did not have to destroy the place."
Maximum tsked, scoffing. "More evil will grant me a higher position in hell." A sinister curve appeared on his face as he looked at the burning houses. "The screams of these humans are almost like the lost souls in hell." He wore a black cloak, covering from his face down to his feet. His long dark hair swayed in front, following the billowing wind.
Makita ignored him and raised her hand towards the man. Flames began to swirl around it, a wicked smile appeared on her face when she saw his fearful expression. "Have any last prayers to your gods, whom you have been secretly serving, or to Lucifer, whom you have been trying to impersonate?"
.....
The two other guards had tired and were now resting with the survivors. Verina, however, had ventured further in, trying so much to find survivors.
The smoke swirled about her, entering through her nostrils, making it difficult for her to breathe properly.
Verina however, ignored it and continued walking ahead. She used the back of her hand to cover her nose as she walked further in. The path was almost engulfed with smoke, but she managed to pass, squinting her eyes to find any survivors.
But all to no avail.
"I better return," she cursed, breathing slowly, "for this smoke would get into my lungs, which is never a good thing."
However, when she was about to turn, her eyes caught sight of a red-haired woman with a great body figure standing in front of a dying man.
What shocked her was the flame coming from the woman's hand, or had she been seeing things?
Next to the woman was a man with a black cloak, who was completely backing her. She could only guess that he was a man from his broad back and pose.
Verina squinted her eyes, they seems to be unaffected by the flames and smoke.
She walked closer, questioning under her breath, "Is this a dream? How can fire erupt from her hand without burning her?"
The red-haired woman extended her hand towards the man, and to Verina's horror, the flames consumed him, reducing him to ashes.
Gasping, she suppressed a scream, but was unfortunate as the two figures turned towards her upon hearing her. Fear enveloped her, prompting her to take hesitant steps back, prepared to flee.
....
Makita raised her hand towards the human who had just interrupted them, but Maximum intervened, saying, "Let me handle this."
Makita met his gaze, insisting, "This human has seen us, I will destroy her."
"You have just condemned a soul to hell; allow me to deal with her," Maximum said with a smile.
"Very well." With that, Makita vanished into thin air.
Maximum's eyes turned a crimson red as he focused on the human girl. None of their kind were meant to be known to humans, yet this wandering individual had glimpsed the truth.
Unluckily for her, he had no intention of letting her escape easily.
Panic rose in Verina's throat as he approached, his blood-eyed appearance causing her stomach to churn with fear. Clearly, this was not Dalia's husband, who was known to always wear a mask. But what if, behind that mask, it was him after all?
Verina panicked, moving backward with her feet scraping on the hard ground. The dissipating smoke in the air made her feel dizzy. The man's steps were deliberate, and she thought, 'Good, she would have to flee and warn the others.'
With determination, Verina took off running as fast as her legs could carry her, but her flight was short-lived as the man appeared in front of her.
"Please," Verina pleaded, falling to the ground with clasped hands, fear evident in her eyes. "Please, spare me."
Maximum tilted his head, observing her with intrigue. Her black hair was braided into two long cornrows, her eyes the deepest shade of brown he had ever seen, even darker than Ditun's. And there were her pouty lips, begging for mercy.
When humans showed vulnerability like this, it always gave him a powerful sense of control. "Why should I spare you, after what you have witnessed?" he raised a brow at her.
Verina shook her head, blinking at him. "I promise not to tell."
Maximum pondered, "That's what others have said and then they let their mouth loose." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I am contemplating what to do with you."
Verina surveyed her surroundings, surrounded by debris and smoke. The only viable paths were in front of her and behind her, but fleeing was not an option as the man might likely appear before her.
"Don't even think of running," he warned, as if reading her mind.
Verina shot him a glare, despite the fear gripping her and making her heart beat rapidly. Despite this, she strategized ways to escape. There was no way she would allow him to end her like the man before, especially since she hadn't seen her sister yet. No, she mustn't give in to death. Not yet, at least.
He took one more step towards her, and Verina watched as the wind blew away his hood, revealing his long hair swaying in the breeze.
She gasped, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him, despite her predicament. He was undeniably handsome, with eyes as dark as charcoal, lips shaped like a heart, full and red. His face, well-carved, coupled with those long hair, made her pause.
Exhaling, she realized she had been holding her breath. "I should be thinking of running," she scolded herself.
Trying not to be distracted, she stood up, turned and ran backward.
Maximum sighed; the girl was truly trouble. He appeared in front of her once more, this time firmly grasping her arm.
Verina tried to release her hold on him, but his grip was too tight. So, with only one thought in her mind, she sunk her teeth into his skin.
Maximum staggered back, his eyes widened as he stared at the mark of her sharp teeth on his skin, his precious skin. His lips curved into a smile, but his eyes darkened as he looked at her. "You are really something..." He paused when he heard approaching footsteps.
"I will come back for you." He raised one brow at her before disappearing into thin air.
Verina was panting hard when Amon came up behind her and held her wrist. "Are you alright, princess?"
Verina nodded, her gaze still fixed on the spot where he had stood. What on earth was he?