- One Month Later -
The summer sun filtered through the cracks in the wooden planks of the old cabin, casting patterns on the dusty floor. Elios, sleeves rolled up and forehead slick with sweat, was sorting through items accumulated over the years. His calloused hands handled each trinket and book, relics of their adventures.
Suddenly, a dull thud caught his attention. An old book with a worn binding had fallen from a rickety shelf, landing at his feet in a cloud of dust. Merlione, lounging nonchalantly in her favorite chair, raised an intrigued eyebrow.
"Ah, that old book," she murmured, her voice tinged with nostalgia.
Elios picked up the volume gently, his fingers brushing over the cracked cover. "You don't take much care of your things," he remarked, a teasing note in his voice.
Merlione shrugged. "I don't see why you keep lugging these books around every time we move. They're old and useless."
The young boy clutched the book to his chest, as if shielding it. "I like them. They make the cabin feel less empty."
A tender smile crossed Merlione's feline features. "Hmm, as long as you take care of them, I've got no complaints."
Curious, Elios opened the book, his eyes eagerly scanning the yellowed pages. "What's it about?"
"A book on demonology," Merlione replied. "It's about demons. You've heard of them?"
Elios nodded. "Hmm, yeah. When I was younger, at the Holy Church, they taught us about them. Purely destructive beings that influence our world, directly or indirectly."
A bitter laugh escaped Merlione's lips. "That's how we living beings are. When we can't take responsibility for our actions, we blame demons or gods. It's really sad."
Silence fell over the cabin, heavy with unspoken words and painful memories. Unable to contain his curiosity, Elios asked softly, "Do you not believe in demons?"
Merlione straightened, her gaze distant. "Oh, I believe in them. I've even seen one."
Elios's eyes widened. "For real?"
She nodded silently.
Flipping through the book frantically, Elios stopped at a particularly terrifying illustration. "Does it look like this?"
Merlione grimaced. "Hmm, yes, but worse. Trust me, you don't want to see one."
The young apprentice swallowed hard but couldn't help but ask, "Did you fight it?"
"No," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was summoned by the Cult of Bal."
"Cult of Bal?" Elios repeated, confused.
Merlione sighed deeply. "A group of fanatics who sacrifice people to gain the favor of these demons, now that their precious deity no longer answers them, if I understand correctly."
Elios's face fell. "You… were you part of this cult?"
"No," Merlione said, her eyes reflecting old pain. "But I was one of their sacrifices, until the Beast Warriors rescued me."
A heavy silence settled over the cabin. Elios, shaken by her revelation, stared at his mentor with newfound understanding, realizing the depth of the invisible scars she carried.
"Hmm, you've been through a lot," he murmured, his voice filled with respect and compassion.
Merlione stood abruptly, brushing off the painful memories with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, something like that. Anyway, this cabin isn't going to clean itself. Let's finish up."
Elios nodded but couldn't help adding, "Alright… But what's the point, since in five days we'll be gone, and we'll have to destroy the house anyway?"
Merlione shot him a look, half amused, half exasperated. "Lazybones! That's no excuse to live in filth."
"Hmph," Elios muttered, resuming his tidying with a new perspective.
As he placed the old demonology book back on the shelf, he glanced toward Merlione. She stood motionless in the fading light, her figure serene. Every object in the cabin—every book, every piece of furniture—carried a fragment of their shared history: Merlione's, and now, his as well.
In five days, they would leave the cabin behind, abandoning these relics. But Elios realized that the essence wasn't in the objects, but in the memories they would carry. As he continued to sort through the clutter, he made a quiet promise to himself: to grow stronger, to protect Merlione as she had protected him, and to face the demons of their past and future together.
---
Far Away
In the verdant gloom of the forest, a few leagues from the cabin, two figures loomed against the morning mist. Their hybrid forms—half-man, half-beast—revealed their Beast nature. The first, Geki, bore the sharp features of a wolf: a long snout, gray fur streaked with scars, and amber eyes glinting with predatory intelligence. His companion, Dilo, massive and solid like the hippopotamus whose traits he shared, waded lazily in the shallow waters of a lake.
"Pick up the pace," growled Glen, his claws tapping impatiently against the tree trunk he leaned on. "The boss is waiting for his fish delivery."
Dilo partially surfaced, his small, glinting eyes filled with amusement. "Don't you think it's strange?" His breath rippled across the water. "The boss is a wolf-Beast like you. Why's he so obsessed with fish instead of meat?"
A low growl rumbled in Glen's throat. "We're not here to debate. This forest is full of wolves… You really think the boss wants to eat his own kind?"
"Bah," Dilo chuckled, diving to snatch another fish. "Doesn't seem to bother Hawks. He'd devour anyone."
Glen's fur bristled instantly. "Watch your tongue," he hissed through clenched teeth. "His eagle eyes see everything. He could be anywhere, watching us right now."
The atmosphere grew tense, as if the mere mention of Hawks had darkened the forest itself. Dilo sank deeper into the water, his survival instincts kicking in.
"You're right," he murmured. "We'd better…" He trailed off, his attention caught by something beneath the surface. "Glen! Come take a look at this!"
The wolf-Beast approached the shore cautiously, his senses on high alert. Dilo surfaced, holding a piece of worked wood in his massive hands. Around them, other similar fragments floated gently on the lake, carried by the currents.
Glen grabbed the fragment, his snout twitching as he analyzed the scents. His eyes narrowed. "A human," he growled, his claws digging into the wood. "No… several. The scent is fresh, but they tried to mask it. Clever… very clever."
"If these pieces had stayed in the water two more days, we wouldn't have detected anything," Dilo observed, his insight belying his bulky appearance.
A feral grin spread across Glen's muzzle. "Humans in our forest… smart enough to hide their tracks… but not smart enough to escape my nose."
The two Beasts exchanged a knowing glance, their guttural laughter echoing through the clearing.
"The boss will be pleased to hear this," Dilo began, but Glen cut him off with a sharp gesture.
"No," his eyes gleamed with predatory intent. "Let's keep this information to ourselves. Why share such a fine catch? This will be… our little feast."
Dilo pondered the suggestion, weighing the risk of defying their boss against the thrill of a personal hunt. "Alright," he agreed at last, a cruel smile revealing his massive teeth.
The two Beasts parted ways in the morning mist, their discovery adding a new threat to the forest's shadows. Somewhere, not far from there, an old cabin sheltered its occupants, unaware of the danger now circling them.
To be continued…