“I can’t- no, I refuse to have any sort of family in this world. To constantly wake up wondering if my kids will run into a Paladin only for them to be slaughtered like pigs right afterward? To wake up wondering is this day the last day of peace? Will my town and the tribe next door finally fall because someone happened to see a glimpse of a Daemonium and snitched? I don’t want that!” I cried. 

“Let me fight...let me fight or, please, believe me, things will get worst. Not just for you, me, or anyone else around us but everyone. Racism and prejudice? It’s a deadly virus and guess what? It only gets deadlier if there isn’t an immediate cure-” 

“Fine.” Ryzel interrupted with a heavy sigh, causing me to look at him to see him pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“What-” 

“I said fine,” Ryzel repeated before placing a hand on my head. 

“You will fight alongside my people, help them win their war but-” 

He rose up a finger. 

“-I’m coming with you.” 

“Ryzel!” Ortilla suddenly shouted. 

“Don’t be stupid-” 

“This entire idea is stupid, if my mate is going to be foolish and fight in the war with the Beasts then I’ll be a fool right beside her.” Ryzel continued with a small huff. 

“Besides, If she were to go alone, she’d definitely be killed on the spot! I can keep her safe from the jaws of Beasts at the very least.” He chuckled quietly before he pressed a kiss onto my head. 

I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes a tad, he only had a sudden change of heart and mind because I mentioned we wouldn’t, or at least I wouldn’t have kids in this type of situation! Life would never be fully peaceful, that was just a simple fact wherever you went but...I had enough care to understand that having kids in the middle of a war was an absolute no-go. 

“At least let me have two other tribe-members go with you both-” 

“No.” I sighed as I crossed my arms. 

“We need to be this alone, if...if something happens, no one else deserves to die as well.” I said, Ortilla letting out a drawn-out sigh while she shook her head. 

“You two really are meant for one another...” Ortilla grumbled. 

“Will you tell your town?” 

“Tell them for what? So they can stop me?" I scoffed with a shake of my head. 

"Hell, I'm certain that they'll all try to lock me inside my own cabin if I dare to even utter a word about it." 

“It’ll be hard to leave you know? With a centaur constantly on guard about where you are.” Ryzel scoffed. 

“That’s why we’ll be leaving at night, besides, Ares is no longer bound to me through his own life. He’s a bit calmer in terms of where I go. I’ll order Cronos to tell Ares that I left him in charge.” I proudly said before Ortilla suddenly started to walk off, causing me and Ryzel to walk after her.

“Hm, if you two are leaving tonight then. I’d suggest you two go and start packing, I will have the tribe perform a small send-off for you both. In hopes that you’ll be safe and that you will be victorious in your endeavors.” The Succubus smiled, butterflies beginning to erupt in my stomach at the idea. 

In all honesty? I didn’t nor ever wanted I want a send-off in normal terms, they were...depressing, as if everyone was trying to see me all at once just in case I didn’t come back! Adventures, especially the kind where you knew you were willingly walking into a pit filled with venomous snakes and all sorts of creatures that wanted to have a new skin coat for their birthday? It was crazy! Even I knew that! 

However, I couldn’t help but be a tad bit curious as to how tribal send-offs went, after all, ever since I arrived to this world, I’ve grown to be a fan of the Daemonium culture. It was harsh and strict but it had its perks here and there that made me appreciate how it walked the line between animalistic and humane. A world of knowing how to respect nature and acting as its protectors while also managing to understand and have a human side as well.

This send-off...if I could, I would’ve taken a video! Once Ryzel, Ortilla, and I had walked outside her hut however, it wasn’t long before she had bid us both farewell and left us to begin packing. But...as soon as she was out of ear-shot? It didn’t take long for Ryzel to let out a scoff alongside a small shake of his head. I immediately rose a brow as I placed my hands on my hips and mumbled a small curse of annoyance under my breath. 

“What?” I interrogated. 

“Nothing! What? I can’t scoff around you?” 

“As of late? Scoffing usually means you disagree with something.” I said, Ryzel beginning to walk off deeper into the forest, more and more huts and houses with small campfires here and there beginning to reveal themselves amidst the trees. 

“Hm, you’ve caught me there, my love.” Ryzel hummed. 

“You may have my sister’s blessing but...you still don’t have mine. I still think participating in this war is an awful idea. One of the worst ideas you've had yet.” 

“We’ll be fine Ryzel! I haven’t kicked the bucket yet have I?” 

“Thank The One you haven’t, but...Paladins? You know how I feel about them, what pain they’ve caused for not just me but my entire race.” Ryzel said. 

"I'll lose my reason to keep walking if you died. A Daemonium without their mate is an empty shell." 

I kept my mouth closed; I couldn’t argue with him there...it wasn’t my place, having most of your family killed because of a bunch of Paladins?

I’d equally want to stay away but at the same time? 

I’d want revenge! 

Whether it was me having more of a sense of delivering karma on my own terms rather than waiting for it, I didn’t know but still...I wouldn’t be able to sit still for long. 

“Then you know how I feel when a bunch of idiots hurt people I care for. If you’re a racist bigot then you die a racist bigot’s death. Trust me on this one, I'll be living long enough to see that happen.” I said bluntly before the incubus let out a snort, the sight of a fairly medium-sized hut with a Flame Stallion beside it immediately making me guess it was Ryzel’s. 

“Another reason why I believe you going into this war is dangerous, you’re too headstrong!” 

“That’s why I have you! You reel me in.” 

“Not without you fighting back.” 

“I’m a fighter.” I snickered. 

“Bending my knee so easily isn’t exactly my style.” I continued. 

“You’ve shown me that more than once...considering the fact it took so long to have your hand as my mate.” Ryzel sighed, the sight of him going up to the horse making me stop in my tracks. 

‘I’ll just run alongside...’ I thought to myself with a small gulp as I took in the sight of the horse. 

It wasn’t even a horse anymore! More like watching an armored version of some type of hellish creature! Its coat was like the others only taking on more of a navy-ish black shade, hardened and crusted over to resembled cooled lava. Its fiery mane was blue in color as well as its tail and the fiery featherings around its hooves but...the one thing that made my skin crawl was the way it looked at me.

I completely understood that Daemoniums and their wildlife and fauna alike had a bit of hatred towards mortals. Humans especially but...this horse? It was at the top of the pyramid! With its dark emerald-colored eyes, it looked at me as if I murdered it twice over. There was no amount of curiosity or care in its eyes like it had shown to Ryzel momentarily, only hatred and small tidbits here and there of fear...the kind that made you feel dirty and unwanted. 

I was a human, Guardian or not if I wasn’t near Ryzel right now? I was more than certain that the horse would’ve tried to stomp me to death the moment it saw an opportunity to do so. 

“I’ll just say it now, your horse doesn’t like me.” I said jokingly, causing Ryzel to look back at me and then at his horse before he snorted. 

He gently rubbed the horse’s snout. “Not to be negative my love but he’ll never like you, he’s tolerating you.” Ryzel stated blatantly before he started to walk into his hut, causing me to quickly follow after him with a small huff of disappointment before my brow rose at the sight of his home. 

Empty. 

There wasn’t even any furniture, decorations, or any signs of someone living here! Only some bags that looked to be filled with either food, money, jewels, or clothes!

Then again...with Ryzel preferring to sleep and eat at my house recently, I wasn’t exactly too surprised. 

“Can’t help but feel a little sad at that fact. Not that I don’t understand, seems that people here are a whole lot worse than the people back on Earth.” I chuckled, Ryzel giving me a small glance before he snorted. 

“Some of my people could tell a story lasting an entire generation of how much trouble the paladins have given us,” Ryzel said, causing my brow to cock. 

An entire generation?! For a moment, I thought he was joking...I mean...I knew the Paladins had given them some trouble, hell, they had given me trouble from time to time! But, in all honesty? I didn’t think people had that much to say! Forget and move on, hope, and wish upon a lucky star that tomorrow would be better than yesterday or today is how I always saw it. 

“Maybe I’m the ass for saying this but...your people would be a whole lot better by simply banding together and sticking it to them,” I commented with a heavy sigh, scratching the back of my neck as I felt a pair of eyes begin to make a small dent into my skull. 

“Do you think we haven’t been doing that?”

“No, no!” I gasped. 

“I’m saying that...being a bit blunter and actually giving people something to be afraid of would probably fix some things?” I continued, causing Ryzel to crouch down a little as he started to tilt his head.

I shrugged. “Mortals already have untrue stereotypes about y’all. Saying that you’re the spawn of hell and all that, you guys know it’s not true and my town more than definitely knows its not true! The way to beat racism is to talk-”

 “Talking won’t-” 

I waved my finger with a small tsk. “Let me finish.” I hummed. 

“Or...you can give them something to be afraid of, there will be a few bold bastards here and there, always trying to challenge and render you guys bowing to your knees once more but...at this point in time? You all need to set an example, sparing and being nice is long gone.” I continued. 

“I’m all about karma Ryzel, it’s time your people socked it to these Paladins and teach everyone that you guys are nice by nature but can be monsters when provoked.” Ryzel merely looked at me, his head still tilted to one side as his eyes lowered to look at the ground. 

I didn’t have to take a second or two to think about it, this world...from all the stuff I've seen? 

It’s changed me in more ways than one, I was beyond tired of seeing the same issue as Earth had. I was tired of all the prejudice, racism, and seeing people for what they were instead of who they were! 

Talking...it worked some days, after all, if I hadn’t decided that talking was the best course of action for the town then we would’ve never had the horned neighbors we had today. 

Yet...the opportunity to talk things out in this situation? It had passed long before I had even arrived. 

It was time to sock it to these bastards!