Khazak remained still, lost in the feeling of Mylia's embrace and her gentle words echoing in his mind. His body felt both frozen and trembling, while his heart warmed to the point of melting. After staying in that position for a moment, he finally mustered up the courage to turn toward Mylia and look at her. To his surprise, she had fallen asleep, still hugging him. She looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake her, but he knew the dangers of staying out there too long.
Gently, he stood up and carefully scooped Mylia into his arms. Even with his injured left arm, he found that she was lighter than he'd expected. As he quietly walked back to the cave, Mylia stirred slightly, opening her eyes to look at him. Without moving, she gazed up at the stars with a soft smile and allowed herself to relax into his arms. After a few more moments of quiet walking, Mylia lifted a finger toward the sky, pointing at the stars, and said,
"Look, that's the Great Vidarr. Do you see those three bright stars in the sky? They form the constellation of Great Vidarr. And those over there…"
As Mylia continued to explain, Khazak wasn't hearing a word of it. He was only watching her, cradled in his arms, enthusiastically pointing out the stars. At that moment, he realized he was ready to spend his whole life with this little being. The depth of his attachment to someone he'd met just three days ago surprised even him, but it didn't bother him. In fact, it was one of the most comforting moments he'd ever known. His injured arm still ached, but right then, it was the last thing on his mind—nothing else seemed to matter, as if the entire universe consisted of just him and Mylia.
After walking a bit more, they finally reached the cave. Khazak felt a sense of relief, almost like coming home. He stepped inside, gently laying Mylia down and then lying beside her, watching her quietly. They exchanged soft smiles, but then Khazak's gaze drifted to the entrance. A dark, shadowy figure stood there, silently watching them. Khazak found himself paralyzed, as if the creature's presence alone kept him from moving. Fear washed over his face, and Mylia quickly understood. She grabbed her sword from the side and dashed toward the creature. Just as it began to sink slowly into the ground, Mylia struck with her sword, slicing it in two. But instead of being destroyed, the creature reformed and merged into the shadows on the ground, plunging the cave walls into an unnatural darkness.
Mylia turned around to check on Khazak, who managed to look back, shivering violently at what he saw: two large, white eyes staring at them from the far end of the cave. A red aura, which only Khazak could see, surrounded the cave, weighing down on both of them. Mylia struggled to stay on her feet, bracing herself with her sword and breathing deeply, trying to focus her ki. But the aura's pressure nearly immobilized her. Taking one final deep breath, she lunged at the creature, driving her sword into the cave wall. The creature attempted to escape, but the sword seemed to pin it there like a nail. As she held the sword firmly against the wall, she turned to Khazak and shouted:
"The sword!"
Khazak understood the situation but could barely move under the intense pressure. Forcing himself, he grabbed his small sword and threw it towards Mylia. She caught it mid-air with one hand and drove it into the creature's exposed eye. The creature let out a piercing, agonized scream, dislodging from the cave wall, now pinned by Khazak's sword embedded in its face and Mylia's odachi in its hand.
It had dark red skin, a human-like body, and two slightly twisted white-yellow horns streaked with red. Before dying, it released that oppressive red aura again, pinning both Mylia and Khazak to the ground. Its eyes, where whites should have been, were black, with irises glowing a golden yellow. It wore a dark brown and black outfit, with a circular emblem on its chest: a single eye above a triangular shape. Recognizing the emblem, Mylia felt the pieces click into place—this was one of the demons her mother had told her about in childhood tales. The emblem marked it as a subordinate of the Demon of Pride.
Realizing this, Mylia pulled her sword from the creature's hand and took her stance. But the demon's purple blood was already seeping into the cave walls; it was dying. With its last breath, it spoke:
"Lord Pride will find you… take pride in slaying just one of his soldiers..."
As the demon finished speaking, Mylia swiftly decapitated it, sending a spray of purple blood from its neck, finally lifting the oppressive weight from her and Khazak. Able to move once more, they both took a few deep breaths to steady themselves. After a moment, Mylia turned to Khazak and said urgently:
"We need to leave right now. I'll explain everything later, just follow me."
Still catching his breath, Khazak nodded and exited the cave with Mylia. They broke into a light run in the opposite direction from the cave. A bit farther along, they spotted smoke rising in the distance and began running toward it. However, as they continued, they noticed another demon approaching from behind. Mylia quickened her pace, but Khazak stopped, drawing his sword and taking a defensive stance. Seeing this, Mylia called out in alarm:
"What are you doing?!"
With firm resolve, Khazak replied:
"There's a house in the direction we're heading. I don't want to lead this demon there and put the people living there in danger."
After saying that, Mylia felt a twinge of frustration, wondering why she hadn't thought of it herself. She was genuinely surprised that Khazak had managed to consider this in the midst of the fight. She quickly drew her sword and moved to stand beside him, taking up a defensive stance. The demon approaching them this time was armed, wielding two average-sized swords and about the same height as Khazak. Holding its swords forward, it took its stance, and for a moment, they faced off in silence.
Then, a few words slipped from the demon's mouth, and a faint red aura briefly enveloped it before fading away, causing its swords to ignite with a crimson flame. Despite this display, neither Khazak nor Mylia felt any fear; if anything, their resolve only deepened. As the demon lunged forward, Khazak sidestepped, wielding his sword single-handedly, while Mylia leapt up. The demon charged towards Khazak, but Mylia took advantage of her airborne position to slash across the demon's chest, catching it off guard. Khazak seized the moment, slicing off one of the demon's hands with a single, forceful swing. The demon stumbled back in agony, and Mylia stepped back beside Khazak, her expression cold. Holding her sword beside her face, its tip pointed at the demon, she quietly said:
"Your journey ends here, vile demon."
After she spoke, Mylia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. As she exhaled, only the sound of her breath, like the whisper of wind, filled the silence. The demon raised its sword, muttering a few more words, causing the flames on its weapon to intensify, extending its reach. It let out a piercing scream and charged at Mylia, who, with a cold expression, rushed forward to meet it. She landed a small cut on the side of the demon's abdomen, but the creature barely reacted, instead revealing its true target—Khazak.
Seeing the demon head towards him, Khazak gripped his sword, but the oncoming blaze made him feel helpless. Mylia quickly turned and attempted to intercept, but the demon seemed to have anticipated this.It turned around instantly and swung its sword toward her, and though she managed to dodge, it left a cut along her belly. Witnessing this, an intense rage surged through Khazak. Holding his sword in reverse grip, he charged the demon from behind. The demon turned just in time to see him, but it was too late. Khazak had driven his sword into its chest, just below its heart, pinning it to the ground. The demon's sword slipped from its grasp as it lay there, staring up at Khazak, its eyes filled with something that almost looked like tears.
Consumed by anger, Khazak climbed on top of the demon, ready to drive his sword into its face. But just as he raised his blade, he heard a faint, trembling voice. The sound was coming from the demon:
"Mother... Save me..."
Khazak stared at the demon's face, his sword trembling in the air above it. He was paralyzed by confusion, unsure of what to do. Was he feeling sympathy for the demon? Or was it pity? Just as he was lost in this turmoil, Mylia suddenly severed the demon's head, and the spraying blood splattered across Khazak's face. He lifted his head slightly to look at Mylia and spoke in a shaky voice:
"What have you done...?"
Mylia, pressing her hand against the wound on her belly, replied with a strained expression:
"It was trying to deceive you. For demons, those words are nothing but tools they use to manipulate us humans; they have no true feelings. Never show pity to a demon again."
"But..."
"There's no 'but.' It was a demon. If we show it mercy, we become the ones worthy of pity."
Khazak dropped his sword and brought his hand to his face, feeling the demon's dark blood smeared across his skin. As he looked at the blood on his hand, a wave of nausea surged within him, and he began to cough. After staying in that state for a moment longer, Mylia knelt down. Though her bleeding wasn't severe, it was still heavy. Noticing her condition, Khazak quickly grabbed his sword again and went to Mylia's side, supporting her as they began to walk toward the house they had seen.
When they reached it, Khazak shouted toward the door:
"Is anyone there? Please help us... My friend... my friend is injured!"
After a brief silence, a light flickered inside the house, and a middle-aged man emerged, gazing at them for a moment. In the darkness of the night, only the outline of the man and the cigarette in his hand were visible. Seeing the man, Khazak felt a wave of relief wash over him, and he collapsed there with Mylia.