I placed a hand on his own cheek with a gentle smile. “I’m fine,” I reassured with a firm nod.

“I was the one who healed you, of course, you are,” Ryzel said with a slightly scolding tone.

“Should you have somehow managed to crawl your way to the Beasts, they wouldn’t have helped you. Humans, mortals as a whole, are nothing more than the enemy. You’ve done nothing but proven yourself to be a useful enemy Eos.” He grumbled.

I couldn’t help but feel a fire begin to burn within me. I didn’t wish to sit on the sidelines in terms of this war...the war has been going on far longer than I’ve been here and Ryzel didn’t seem to care! Whether it was due to him being used to this lifestyle or not was anyone’s guess but...though I hated the idea of doing so, I had to use my position as leader to potentially get a step up in this conversation. The conversation of protecting the village overall by involving myself in a war?

I had no issue with it, the war fought in this world was no different than the one that was fought on Earth, the only difference was that it involved magic and such! Race. It seemed everywhere you went, there was always some bigot that needed to justify their status by bringing someone else down...fighting for the simple right to love someone in public without worrying about ridicule or fear? I just had to get involved because at the very end of the tune? If something didn’t change, if the Paladins didn’t get taken down a notch or eliminated completely, the world was going to crumble like a castle of cards.

“...I know you care but, I can’t just join something and then back out before it’s completed. Much less when it’s just beginning to get difficult!”

“You can and you must, you didn’t join anything Eos!” Ryzel shouted, my eyes beginning to glare daggers at the man before I gently removed myself from his arms and stood up, placing my hands on my hips.

Ryzel merely looked at me, a heavy sigh that was tinged with annoyance and fatigue beginning to linger on his voice before he shook his head slowly.

“You were nothing more than a pawn to the Queen. Do you really believe my words are false? Had she had figured out you were useless to her, she would’ve thrown you to the side.” He said, his voice an octave lower.

“...You were there just like me, she saved Ares-”

“Because Foxes stick to their deals, you made a deal with her yes?” I nodded my head slowly.

“Then it’s only just for her to complete her end of the bargain, you provided an opening for the Queen to retrieve her book and therefore? She kept you and anyone else you deemed important safe as well.” Ryzel explained.

“Do not let yourself be tricked by a Fox-”

“I’m still going to fight, if she relies on deals then I’ll just make another one with her. I want to help-”

Suddenly, I found myself up and personal with Ryzel, I didn’t even register him getting up! However…staring into a pair of dark honey-gold eyes while the tips of his horns glowed an ominous blue? I wouldn’t lie to myself; it was…frightening.

“Apologies my love but you will do no such thing.” He said, his voice so cold that I nearly thought I was going crazy at the sight of a puff of air leaving his mouth.

“…Do you really think the Queen will let a human woman continue to fight by her side? Much less go to the Under-Realm with the rest of her army? Excuse my words but it’s ignorant and damn near stupid for you to think that.” He spat. I couldn’t help but flinch.

“You’re a fool Eos, reckless! This war…? It was started by your kind, mortals, humans. You will not go out and fight, stay here and take care of the village as you do. Do not go out there, it isn’t safe.”

The atmosphere between us suddenly went quiet, so quiet that I could begin to hear the small sounds of rain begin to fall outside. How much more did I have to do? What else did I have to prove to tell this man that I was safe?! That I was okay?! I wasn’t a damsel in distress and I never would be! I could handle myself! I was fine…I’ve been fine for these last few years and for the fest few?

I rarely had anyone stop me in my tracks, not even Ares attempted to do so and he was previously forced to keep me safe!

I wasn’t- no, I couldn’t stand for this.

“…You speak all these nice words, that’s all you ever do but I don’t think you really believe in me,” I said with a whisper of a voice, struggling to keep my tears locked.

"Don't start that again." He spat. "We went over this in the Desert and I refuse to go over it again...is me caring about you really such a crime?"

"And I told you that I was fine back in the Desert!" I suddenly shouted.

“You talk about your kind as if they’re monsters, people who only think like animals because of their looks and that’s it…Ryzel…when your tribe first came to this village. All of you were seen as monsters, all because you were associated with the Beasts.” I said before I placed a hand on his arm.

“I’ll be blunt and say it felt shitty eh?”

He was quiet. “…This war was started because someone said your people were monsters and too many believed it to be true. Don’t you want something different…?”

“The war has been going on before I was even born Eos, there is nothing different-”

“There is!” I sniffled.

“Don’t you want to go to a kingdom where there are humans? Don’t you want to go exploring without having to hide in the shadows in fear of the Paladins? I want that for us!” I continued, a heavy sigh escaping me before I went to grab my furred cloak.

I couldn’t take this...I-I just couldn’t, more than anything. I wanted to help. Not just because my lover happened to be a part of the same species that was being exterminated like rats but because I wanted to see a better future for this world! The path is was currently driving on? It would only lead to tragedy and eventual division, hell, maybe it would lead to more extinctions of different races!

Once the Daemoniums were gone, what would happen to the Goblins? The Centaurs, the Driikiin, the talking animals, or even the Pisces? What happened to them!? They wouldn’t just stop at one race, they’d merely take a break to let the ego settle in before they took up arms once more and see how far they could go with another race...I didn’t want to see that. All I wanted was something peaceful, I’ve wanted it since the beginning and I refused to have it swept right from underneath my feet all because people wanted to be bigots.

More than anything, I wanted to stand and fight. I was too young to do so in my old world...too sheltered, I had an opportunity to be someone different.

“...I have to check up on Ibis,” I said as soon as the cloak was securely covering my body, causing me to give my dress a few extra pat-downs before I went to the door.

“You decide on what you want for your people. Constant fear and paranoia or long overdue peace.” I continued, closing the door behind me.

As I walked downstairs, however, eventually leading me to the outside where a cold rain was gently coming down from the soft-grey sky. I merely let out a sigh that did little to alleviate any of my annoyance mixed in with stress before I started to walk through the streets. I understood that Ryzel cared...I really did! Maybe the little time we spent in the Desert, he managed to gain some of Ares’ paranoia on the side, hell, I dared to say that Ryzel should've wanted this as well!

For his people to be free, to be able to walk amongst other races without the fear of judgment or a Paladin to suddenly come around just to kill them as if they were vermin! To kill them because they couldn’t see past their fear and merely saw them for what they were capable of doing. Maybe- maybe he was just used to it...hiding and just barely flying underneath the radar but, I wasn’t. I wasn’t used to having to hide things, much less having to hide the fact that I hung out with a particular person and much less having to hide the fact I was in love with a particular person! My own world...whether or not this has changed was anyone’s guess but before I died?

The world had reached an ugly common ground. Racism was there, it couldn’t be fixed because there were too many people acting against the change that would no doubt benefit everyone! Every march, every ad on tv or voices on social media or the streets were nothing more than empty prayers. After all, there was always that one idiotic bastard or that one idiotic family that continuously bred hatred until they eventually croaked and died! Not this time, not in this world.

No race was inferior or superior and even if they were? They still deserve the prejudice against them! Racism wasn’t something that just ‘stopped’, at certain times? People needed a reason to fear the act of being a pointless bigot.

I was more than happy to help reinforce that fear so long as it didn't mean the death of possible thousands or millions.

“...You willingly fell in love with someone who isn’t from this world Ryzel.” I mumbled to myself before I felt a warmth begin to envelop me, my vision momentarily blocked by flames until I felt wet stone underneath my paws.

The smell of the rain...it always smelled better as a dog.

“Standing still and watching from the damn sidelines? Not exactly my style, especially when your world is on a fast-movin' highway to hell.” I continued with a small whine as I looked back at my cabin for only a moment before I picked up my pace into a trot.

All I knew is that I needed someone, at least two or more people to reassure me that I wasn’t crazy for thinking this! That wanting to fight and aid in the war for the Daemoniums wasn’t some dream that eventually lead me to either getting killed or winding up extremely disappointed! It shouldn’t have been my routine to constantly ask myself this question...the question of ‘What if’. I wanted people to continue to have happy lives in this village but the ever-looming question of ‘What if’ hung over our heads like dark clouds that signaled an approaching storm!

What if the Paladins came to this village and conducted a more thorough search? Just because a huge base was defeated in the Desert didn’t mean all the Paladins in the forest were suddenly gone! What if we were suddenly attacked in the dead of night? Barely anyone would have time to react before they noticed their homes were on fire...people getting killed left and right while I looked on in horror.

What if...what if something happened to the Incubi and Succubi tribe that lived in the forest right next to the village? We could only do so much for them...we could try to protect them, give them enough time to run away and get away from the village but, I was more than certain that there would be one person following after them like a Bloodhound. Ryzel...the very imagination of his face, looking on in horror as he watched his family getting slaughtered.

It shattered my heart and to think...it was all because one woman made the decision and told a encouraged a bunch of like-minded asses that there was no need to share the world with a specific race. It was history repeating itself in another world. It would start with one race then eventually? It would begin to move on to purge the other races, trying to get rid of anyone who looked different. Anyone they deemed as ‘inhuman’.

‘Christ...’ I thought to myself with a nervous and heavy gulp, causing my tongue to suddenly hang out of my mouth in a sudden rush of heat despite the cold air.