Akira was fast sleep as night approached along with its nightmarish dangers. “Kori, what should we do with her?” Elizabeth pondered as she cooked Horned-Rabbit stew for dinner.
Kori was wondering that too. “I don’t know. Maybe she’ll be a loyal friend to us. Maybe she would stab us in the back when she gets the chance. But, to be honest, I’d rather take that chance than leave her to die in these dark nights.”
Elizabeth smiled at him in appreciation. “Well, dinner's ready. Akira didn’t eat the wyvern, so she must be hungry right?”
“I am, thank you very much.” Akira was suddenly awake and listening on their conversation. Kori and Elizabeth both flinched.
“Gods, you scared us!” Elizabeth exclaimed while laughing.
“I apologize for that. When will dinner be ready?”
“Well, its almost done so just wait a bit longer.”
“Understood.”
“Hey… Akira.” Kori asked.
“Yes?”
“How long have you been listening to our conversation?” Elizabeth tensed as well at the question.
Akira thought for a moment, as if thinking of the perfect response. “Right around when you said dinner.”
Kori relaxed his shoulders a bit after hearing this. “Alright. Well looks like dinner is done. Lets dig in!”
“Thank you for the meal!” Akira seemed genuinely happy about the meal, even though its just Horned-Rabbit stew made from basic ingredients and basic tools. After the meal, they all went to sleep, erecting a barrier using one of the magic stones they had bought from Evergreen.
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Akira had listened to their entire conversation. In fact she had awoken as soon as they had started talking. They would risk her betraying them rather than leave her to die in the woods? Do they think she’s some sort of child that needs to be protected?
She’s lived for a hundred years for gods sake. A hundred years it took her to ascend to a Demon. A hundred years she’s been protecting what was left of her species. A hundred years craving for revenge on the humans who had murdered, butchered, and sold her family, one, by, one.
Humans are all the same. They would all try to kill her at any given time. They think she would be loyal? Like some overgrown dog of the nobles? No, not for them. They would never befriend her, never tame her. She would kill them all one day…
These humans had saved her. But that doesn’t matter. They're all the same. They would sell her off the moment she lets down her guard. She would run away. As far as these injured legs would take her.
Akira looked at their sleeping faces. So vulnerable, so exposed, so weak. She could kill the both of them right now and run off. She would fight harder, ascend to even a Demon Lord, even if it would take her a thousand years, and kill all the humans.
However, she would let them live for now. A life, for a life. But the next time she sees them, Akira would have no mercy, like when they had no mercy when they butchered her family. Akira disappeared into the dark night, leaving them behind, hoping to never see them again.
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Kori awoke to rustling bushes and snapping twigs. He looked around, scanning for any sign of danger. But he saw none. But then he noticed something. Akira was missing. Had someone kidnapped her? No, their barrier renders anything inside it invisible.
The only explanation is that she ran off on her own. “Hey Elizabeth! Wake up!”
“Ugh… is it morning already?”
“Akira's run off.” Elizabeth stood up, immediately on alert.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know. I just woke up and she wasn’t there.”
“We have to find her. Now. She’ll die within days with that wound of hers.” Kori nodded and they started packing their things, getting ready to look for Akira in this vast forest.
“Akira! Akira!”
“Akira! Where are you!?”
“Please! Come back!”
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“…kira!" Was that her name?
“…Where are you!?” Are they looking for her?
“Please! Come back!” They wanted her back. No, they wanted their merchandise back. She had to get away. Now. They will catch her and sell her off as a slave, pet, resources… or worse. She had started to get up, but a faint roar made her freeze in her tracks.
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“Gods, where could she be?” Kori and Elizabeth had been searching for an hour already. It was almost dawn.
“I don’t know. Lets keep looking.” Then, an explosion sounded nearby, then an icy cold wind struck.
“That’s Akira's wind! Remember? She used it against that wyvern!”
“Looks like we don’t have to search anymore.” Kori and Elizabeth rushed towards the location of the explosion, hoping to see Akira. As they rushed over there, a large chunk of ice was hurtling their way. “Look out!” Kori said as he jumped out of the way.
“Elizabeth! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine Kori! Worry about Akira! It looks like she’s fighting something!” A deafening roar sounded towards the location of where the explosion had been.
“Oh yeah. Definitely.”
“We need to hurry!”
Kori and Elizabeth sprinted through the forest, and finally saw the battle. Akira was fighting a class A Water Elemental Drake. Elemental Drakes are powerful dragons that can control their elements to an extent. An Elemental Drake always meant an Elder Dragon was nearby.
But that’s impossible. Elder Dragons and Elemental Drakes reside way up north, in a land called the Dragon mound.
But right now, that doesn’t matter. Akira’s life was at stake. Akira was in her Snow Demon Wolf form, casting spells left and right hoping to bring down the dragon so Akira can tear it apart with her deadly sharp claws and teeth. But the dragon was too fast and nimble, dodging all her attacks and burning up Akira's mana.
Akira looked exhausted. She was probably fatigued from her injury. The dragon took this chance to attack. It dived at her, carefully dodging teeth and claws, and picked her up. The dragon flew up and up and up, until it couldn’t anymore, and it finally let go of Akira.
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