Ahead of her, her sister Sofien was running too. She held Evandria’s soft hand tightly, refusing to let go.

“Sis… I… I’m scared.” Evandria spoke in a low, shaking voice.

“There’s no need to be scared, Ria. Sister will protect you.”

“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on coming here, then–”

“It’s okay,” her sister interrupted gently. “It’s not your fault, Ria.”

She glanced back and smiled reassuringly. “We’ll be home soon. And then we’ll eat your favorite sweet, okay?”

They had gone into the forest because Evandria wanted to. But once they were inside, she insisted on going deeper. Unable to refuse her stubborn request, her sister had gone further in with her.

That was when they encountered it. A demonic monster. And now, they were running from it.

The monster was only a low-level demon. Under normal circumstances, Sofien would have defeated it easily. But now Evandria was with her, and she couldn’t engage in a proper fight while protecting her.

Sofien was exceptionally talented. Though very young, she had already mastered swordsmanship and was considered the most gifted among the Gravewood family.

“Just a little more, and then we will be out of this forest.” Sofien muttered to herself as she pulled Evandria along.

But just as she thought they had finally escaped the monster’s reach, it appeared right in front of them.

“Grrrrr…” the demon roared, sending fear through them.

Evandria froze as the demonic fear reached her, but her sister remained steady. Sofien had already faced low-level demonic monsters before, and her mental strength was far beyond her age.

“Ria, go. Get away from here, quick.” Sofien said in a calm voice as she turned to Evandria.

“But, Sis... it’s dangerous.”

Sofien smiled and gently patted Evandria’s head, her touch warm and reassuring. “Don’t worry. I’ll defeat this monster and come to you. But for that, you have to get away from here so I can fight it properly. Go and hide behind that tree.”

Evandria nodded and ran reluctantly to hide behind the tree her sister had pointed to.

***

Now, only Sofien and the demonic monster stood facing each other. She pulled the dagger from a pouch she was carrying and gripped it tightly, her gaze fixed on the creature.

Horns had sprouted from the monster’s temples. Its eyes, large and lidless, glistened grotesquely against its crimson skin. At the center of its forehead pulsed a dark core.

The monster roared again, trying to send its demonic fear, but what it didn’t realize was that Sofien was immune to such fear.

Its roar ripped through the trees, shaking the branches and reverberating in the still air.

Then it lunged forward.

Whoosh!

Sofien dodged its claws instantly, and as she moved, she drew her dagger in a straight line, slashing the monster’s side. Her movements were sharp and precise.

The monster howled, thrashing blindly as the pain drove it into a frenzy. But Sofien stayed calm, her eyes scanning for an opening. That was what she wanted.

A demonic monster’s anger often made it reckless. When they couldn’t land a scratch on their prey, they became enraged and acted blindly.

The demon snarled and swung again.

Crack!

Its tail struck a tree, splitting the bark apart. Sofien leapt back, boots skidding against the dirt.

The monster charged fiercely at her.

But this time, she ducked low and rolled beneath its arm, then slashed the dagger upward.

Slice!

The demon howled in pain, but it attacked again.

Sofien slipped past it. And then, without any hesitation, she drove her dagger straight into the core on its forehead.

The demon let out a final, shrill scream before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

It was over.

But as Sofien lowered her weapon, blood dripped from her hand onto the ground. She had defeated the monster, but her hand was injured.