“Are you alright?” she asked, approaching Valeriana. Her breathing was labored and beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

Valeriana gazed at the sharp tip of the sword she held, down to the graceful curve of its blade. The well-polished metal reflected the light in such a manner that it was blinding. It was definitely a real sword. There was no denying it. She then moved her gaze to the hilt. The lady's hold on it was firm and confident.

“No. No, I’m not fine. Do I look fine?” she snapped, gawking at her and resting against the wall. “What was that thing? What’s this? Are you filming a viral video? What? A prank? A social experiment? Where’s the camera?” She threw her gaze around.

“I do not know what you’re talking about.”

“You gotta be kidding.”

“I do not kid.”

“Then what was that?”

“It’s a demon,” she replied, sheathing her sword. “And you can see it,” she said the last few words in mild disbelief. It was more of a statement rather than a question.

“I’m not blind,” she spat. “What demon? That’s a freaking science experiment! You spliced a pig with a dog, and that’s inhumane!”

The stranger looked confused.

“Never mind, I don’t want to know. Leave me out of it. Oh god.” She rubbed her face. Inwardly, she was freaking out. If this lady had not come, she could’ve died. “This seems too real to be a joke.”

The woman approached.

Seeing her move, Valeriana backed away warily.

“Calm down, I will not hurt you. You have to let me see your wounds,” she said. “So, calm down.”

The woman pulled off her gloves and lowered herself to take Valeriana’s foot out of her shoe. She flinched as the lady's fingers came in contact with the edges of the open flesh.

Valeriana took the chance to examine her unusual appearance.

“It's nothing major. Mild injury. It should heal easily.” The lady hastily searched one of her pockets and opened a vial of a green liquid. “Drink this.”

“What?”

“Drink it.” She opened the thing and practically shoved it down the girl's throat.

Valeriana almost choked as she swallowed, gagging as the taste exploded in her mouth. “That tastes awful. Are you trying to kill me?”

“It is needed to neutralize the poison inside your body. I'm actually saving your life,” she answered. “I can stop the bleeding, but that's all I can do. You must heal on your own.”

She took out a bottle from her pocket before massaging the wound with the concoction she had with her. Valeriana was nervous seeing her do what she did. She did not trust oil soaked leaves being rubbed on her flesh.

“Okay, that is so weird. What is that?”

The lady opened her mouth to speak when a howl echoed from the distance. She gritted her teeth before turning to look at Valeriana in the eye. “My hunt is not over,” she said, turning to Valeriana. “Do you have a name?”

The girl was frozen. She couldn't bring herself to answer.

“What is your name?” she repeated.

She hesitated. “It's Valeriana.”

“Valeriana...” The lady turned her back on her, as though she was contemplating about something deep she wouldn't understand. “You did not see anything.”

“What?”

“You just knocked your head a little, tripped on your own foot or fell down the stairs. Any reason will do. Stay quiet. Speak of this to no one. Do you hear me? If I hear that you’ve been yapping about this, I’ll have to take certain measures which both of us will not like.”

Valeriana gulped.

“Do you hear me?” she repeated.

“Yes.”

“Now that we are clear, I'll be taking my leave. We’ll see each other again,” the lady stated. “When that time comes, prepare yourself. This matter is far from over.”

Without further ado, the woman left. She scaled the nearby wall in record time and shot to the roof, leaving nothing but a gust of air. Valeriana blinked a few times and scanned the ground where she saw the beast vanish. There were scorch marks on the pavement but nothing else.

She stood from the ground and closed her eyes, trying to regain what little was left of her sanity. Her duffel bag was leaning on the opposite wall, dusted with blood that was not her own. She picked it up. When she saw her things intact, she limped to the main street to hail a cab. A vacant taxi rode up to her and she sighed in relief. Maybe her luck was turning for the better after all.

“Do you need to go to the hospital, miss?” The driver's brows creased as he gazed at her through his rearview mirror once she finally got inside.

“No. Quite the opposite, actually,” she said. “Please take me to the airport.”