The Circle of Magi, in the southern nation, Zaoth.

Within the small village of Kleinwald¹Meaning, ‘small forest’ in German. This doesn’t have any special implications within the context of the canon, it’s just a name I personally felt was fitting., the denizens were in high spirits with the arrival of the spring season. New crops were planted in freshly-toiled fields, hunters and gatherers were sent out to collect more resources, and carpenters were brought together to discuss the construction of a new granary on a cleared lot of dirt. All around them, villagers went about their days with happily-smiling faces.

Near the outskirts, a farmer carefully seeded his vast patch of dirt under the hot sun, with only his thin tunic and wide-brimmed hat to shield him from its rays. As he meticulously did his work, he took care to keep his gaze low to avoid meeting the eyes of anyone passing alongside the road. His fellow residents already knew of what lay shadowed there, but it was well within his interests not to call any more attention by startling travelers.

A deep sigh left his lips as he finished up another row. Though the work had been taxing at first for a man with his build, the years had seen an increase in his natural physique, and now he could get through it all just as the sun reached its peak if he started relatively early. Even now, he’d already completed half of the job just a few hours after starting.

“Tired?” A voice came from his side. The man’s instincts brought his head down and his fingers to grip the brim of his hat to keep his face obscured, but he relaxed when a benign touch brought his wrist down.

“Easy, Tal,” the woman said with her usual smile, all too used to his reaction to take any offense. “It’s just me.”

Though she was just about to reach her thirties, his wife still carried an inherent beauty in her youthful features that often led others to mistake her as being much younger. With a round, feminine face, narrow shoulders that brushed the tips of her golden blonde hair styled in a half-up twist, and a slender build beneath her modest dress, she was certainly no stranger to suitors within the village before the two of them had wed, and that was excluding her popularity as the daughter of the village leader too.

Really… How had someone like him managed to make such a wonderful person his own?

“Liz,” he responded in greeting, bringing the same hand she was holding up to stroke her cheek affectionately. She kept her grasp all the while, the corners of her lips rising as she leaned into his touch slightly. “I’m sorry. You know I don’t mean to-”

“I know,” she interrupted. Her brown eyes fell to the floor sullenly for a moment, but her smile persisted as she perked back up moments later. “More importantly, it’s almost noon. If you’re finished for now, then it’s about time we got ready, hm?”

“Ahh, that’s right. There was a meeting today, wasn’t there...”

In response to the way his jaw set as he contemplated his own words, she lowered his hand and clasped it with both of her own while angling her head upward to capture his attention once again. “I know you’re tired, Tal. And it’s going to be a pain dealing with the villagers again too. But I wouldn’t bother you about it if it wasn’t important.”

“Yes, you’re right…”

“Hmhm, then what’s with that face?” Now it was her turn to reach up to touch his cheek. He flinched on instinct and tried to turn away but she followed him, slipping back into his view while guiding his face up until their eyes met.

Two endless black voids were there to greet her, filled only with thin, blood-red slits that flittered about, searching for a place to land that wasn’t on her. But she persisted, bringing her other hand up to hold his other cheek and direct his gaze towards her once and for all.

“Liz, I-”

“...Still just as handsome as always,” she commented while staring deep into those black eyes. Not a shred of fear was present in her expression, only a love far too bright and warm to be swallowed up in its darkness.

He… really didn’t deserve this person. That was the thought that came to his mind at that moment. But he knew she would get seriously upset if he let it show on his face, so he buried the thought with a smile of his own, reaching a hand up to touch one of hers.

“Thank you, Liz.”

But perhaps he still had a ways to go, because her expression changed instantly upon hearing his voice. Her smile faded, replaced with a frown that made his heart ache as much as he suspected hers had just then, and her body shook with emotion.

Just when he thought he was in for a scolding, she quickly anchored her arms behind his head and pulled him in, standing on her tip-toes in order for their lips to meet in a soft kiss. The enthusiasm with which she’d leaned into his body made him instinctively wrap his own arms around her lower back to support her, and the pair stayed like that for a while.

Pathetically, it was he who reached his limit first, and he quickly separated with a gasp as his lungs hurried to suck in oxygen. As he panted heavily, his wife also let out small breaths herself while keeping their faces close together, noses just barely touching and foreheads pressed together. Like that, she showed him a smile that was so heartwarming, so tender that he knew he was the only man in the entire world that would get to see it.

“Does that convince you I’m telling the truth?”

“...W-Well… yes.” He coughed, flustered. “Though, it’s not like I doubted you in the first place.”

“Hmm… I wonder if that’s really true.”

“I-It is!” He carefully let her back down, but kept his hands around her just as she kept hers around him. “I never doubted you for a second, I promise.”

“Hmm…~” Amusement seemed to come over her as he hastened to prove his innocence. She averted her gaze to the side in a show of thoughtfulness while bringing a finger up to her lips playfully. “I want to believe you, but...”

“S-Seriously, I’m-!” Her smirk widened even further as he grew more distraught, and embarrassing as it was, it took him a while to figure out what it was she was asking for. “...Then, I suppose I have no choice but to convince you another way.”

Her eyes lit up in response to his words, and for a moment he wondered if his heart would stop with how hard of a beat it skipped. “Oh? And what way is that?”

“You little…” Her teasing had brought him to the limits of his self-control, and he leaned in with newfound determination to gain the upper hand on her. She eagerly accepted his advances, but just before they connected a second time he caught sight of a speck of gold in the distance.

He paused, and his sudden hesitation made her brows furrow until she followed his gaze and too laid eyes on the small shape peeking out from behind the barn a ways away from them.

A few seconds passed before their observer realized they’d been noticed and, after reacting with a start, hastily slipped from view.

The two of them shared a questioning look at the strange occurrence, which soon warped into a shared amusement, and after a short while the both of them were laughing lightly while still in each other’s arms.

“...This is your fault, you know.”

“Is that right?”

“Mhm. I came here to warn you about the meeting, but you distracted me and I lost track of time. So it’s your fault.”

“I feel like I should argue my innocence here, but I can’t exactly deny those accusations.”

“That’s right. Therefore, I’ll be leaving the explanations to you this time, alright?”

“Now that’s hardly fair…”

Despite his complaints, his expression was light in the face of their banter. Even after having been together for so long, it still amazed him how she could make him feel better without even needing to know exactly what was bothering him in the first place. Just her very presence and support brought him comfort and peace of mind, and made even his most pressing concerns seem trivial.

It was a magic more powerful than any spell a mage could cast. But even so, it wasn’t absolute. No matter how skilled she was at relieving him of his worries, she could never truly destroy them.

After all, it was the unmistakable truth that a demon living amongst humans would never know true peace.

-----

Proceeding through the center of town, the pair had now become a trio. Clutching the arm of his wife opposite of him was the form of a young girl, bearing the likeness and beauty of her mother even at the tender age of eleven. Her blonde hair which she preferred to keep short like her mom’s draped slightly past her shoulder as she leaned to one side, peeking precariously at him with a single eye.

Hers were white, thankfully, and her pupils weren’t slitted either. But they were red in color; a bright shade of blood red that still made some of the villagers flinch away whenever they saw her.

“Dad is… dirty.”

“So she decided it was my fault before I could even say anything, huh…”

Beside him, his wife let out a small giggle that she stifled with her free hand, eyes alight with amusement as she moved it down to lace her fingers through his. “It’s fine, isn’t it? At least now you don’t have to make up a lie about what we were doing.”

“And yet, I still can’t shake the feeling that I’m getting the short end of the stick here.”

“Fufu, then how about I pay you back later? When we’re sure not to be interrupted~?” Her teasing tone as she angled her face around to stare up at him made any response he planned to give stall in his throat.

“U-Um, I…”

“Dirty…!”

“W-Wait, you’re still blaming me?!”

His wife couldn’t hold back her laugh this time as their daughter buried herself even further into her mother’s side while staring suspiciously at him. Feeling like he absolutely could not win against the two of them, he could only let out a small sigh, smiling despite himself. “You two really are mother and daughter…”

Their walk continued for a while longer through the village, and during that time he made sure to never raise his gaze above eye level in order to obscure his face with his hat as best as possible. Sometimes a younger child would pass by them and catch a glimpse of what lay beneath the brim, but he’d gotten used enough to their reactions that he’d quickly apologize for making them cry or run away and move on with his day.

Even without having his face seen, just by walking through Kleinwald he was drawing stares from most of everyone who already knew of his existence. His daughter thankfully did not face a lot of the same scorn as he did, but he knew that was only because of the village leader’s protection.

And as their destination finally came into sight—the village hall that served as the village’s primary administrative building—he also caught sight of the very person that occupied his thoughts standing outside. As they got close, the man’s weary eyes fell upon his wife, and softened considerably.

“Lisbeth,” the village leader greeted with a warm smile.

“Father.” She returned his smile with one of her own. “You were waiting for us? We’re not late are we?”

“No, you’re right on time. I just wanted to see your face once before the meeting started. The news I’m to deliver will not be… pleasant, I’m afraid.”

“Oh…” Her own face fell in response to her father's words. Not wanting her to stay that way, he stepped forward and changed the subject.

“Village leader,” he greeted.

“Ah, Talahanan. Thank you for taking care of my daughter all these years.”

“No, if anyone’s been taking care of anyone it’s her. I’m very grateful to have had the fortune of taking her hand in marriage, sir.”

“Hahaha, you’re too formal with me, as always. Lisbeth was the one who chose you, Tal. All I did was merely respect my daughter’s wishes, and trust in what she saw in you. And as of now, I have yet to be disappointed.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Talahanan lowered his head, humbled by the man’s kindness even to a demon like him. As he raised his head though, the brim of his hat tilted up, exposing his eyes for just long enough to meet the village leader’s.

He quickly averted his gaze, but the old man merely offered a sympathetic smile. “I know things have been hard for you here in this village. I wish so desperately that you and your daughter could find comfort and acceptance amongst the people here. But…”

“The timing is just poor,” Talahanan finished for him. “I know. Tensions between humans and demons were already bad enough, but now the Demon King has been organizing raids on human settlements and refused every offer of negotiation. Even if things haven’t quite reached the point of war, anti-demon sentiment is at an all-time high.”

He couldn’t help but clench his fists, something that did not go unnoticed by Lisbeth—or his daughter. “I try hard to convince myself that things will get better one day; that demons and humans will eventually find a way to coexist with each other and put the past behind us. I try so hard to believe it, but…”

“I understand.” Rather than Lisbeth or his daughter, who looked as if they wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words, the village leader answered for them. “It is a rather bleak situation, but that doesn’t mean it is entirely without hope. A better tomorrow always awaits us, Talahanan. Never give up the fight, not just for yourself…” He reached down to place his hands atop the heads of both of their daughters. “but for those you hope to send into a brighter future even after you’re gone. Fight, so that they may inherit your will and keep fighting, and one day that brighter future will come.”

“I…” Talahanan still seemed hesitant to agree, until he felt a pair of small hands wrap around his own. Looking down, he spotted his daughter, brows furrowed as she gently squeezed his hands until his fist unclenched.

“Dad… cheer up, okay? We have Mom and Grandpa, and some of the villagers are nice to us, so… E-Even if it’s hard... even if it’s scary… let’s keep living like this, okay…?”

He watched her stare up at him pleadingly, eyes shimmering as she tried to convey her feelings to him. Seeing her like that, it made him question why such a worthless man was allowed to have such a wonderful daughter.

But as usual, his wife picked up on his building negativity and put a stop to it as she hugged his free arm and brought herself close. “Stop. Even adults can have doubts, Tal. The two of you are the only ones who can understand what it is you’re going through, so it’s alright to rely on each other every now and again.” She sent him a cheeky wink that made his heart feel lighter. “Of course, that doesn’t mean you can keep wallowing like that. Father and I are here for both of you too, so let’s all keep fighting together!”

“Y-Yeah…!” the little one nodded eagerly, glad to have her intent put forth in a clearer way. “Dad, let’s fight...!”

“Hahaha…” Watching the two most important people in his life standing by his side and urging him on, he suddenly felt silly for even worrying in the first place. Like usual, he just couldn’t win against these two. “Yeah, you’re both right. Sorry about that. As long as I have you all with me, there isn’t anything to be afraid of. Let’s keep fighting, for a brighter future.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” the village leader noted with a small smile as he turned towards the door of the village hall. “Now then, it’s about time we got started with the meeting. Follow me inside.”

-----

The village hall of Kleinwald wasn’t an especially spacious building, but had enough room for the heads of each family living there to gather around a large conference table. The children who didn’t have work of their own were brought along to play together in a separate room, and Talahanan and Lisbeth saw off their own daughter as she went to join them. He was slightly worried, as it wasn’t uncommon for her to be alienated or picked on by the other kids, but there were caretakers who would watch over them during the meeting, so he decided to entrust things to them and focus on the task at hand.

Namely, the supposedly unpleasant knews the village leader had to deliver.

“I suppose I’ll cut straight to the point,” he said once everyone had settled. “I’m sure you’ve all heard rumors that monster populations in Zaoth have been on the rise in recent weeks. Normally that’s to be expected to a certain degree with the changing of seasons, but this spring in particular has seen numbers never before recorded.”

“Monsters…” A concerned mother of four spoke. “But why? We almost never see monsters anymore. I thought they were all basically extinct by now.”

“We all did,” he replied with a somber expression. “But that unfortunately isn’t entirely the case. For some reason more and more of them are appearing within the forests in the surrounding area. I’ve received news that neighboring villages have had to defend their borders from small groups, and some have even lost people to the beasts while out hunting.”

Many of the villagers expressed their shock and disbelief at the news of people having lost their lives already. Talahanan noticed Lisbeth silently tense, and stealthily reached out to hold her hand beneath the table. She squeezed it appreciatively as they continued listening.

“So as you can see, this is an extremely serious matter that must not go ignored. The other leaders and I have already notified the Hero Association of the situation, and they currently have members stationed in Jochen working out a plan. But until they can discern the cause and devise a solution, I urge all of you to be cautious and keep your families safe.”

“Hold on, isn’t that strange?!” A man shouted. “Why are they all in Jochen?! They should be here, protecting us!”

“I’m not sure of the present circumstances within the Association, but it seems they’ve only assigned a few Heroes to this task,” the leader explained. “Rather than spreading out amongst the numerous villages, they’ve decided to use Jochen, the largest village, as their base of operations while they investigate the situation.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Another man bellowed. “So we just have to wait here like sitting ducks while the monsters attack us as they please until they decide to do something about it?!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“This is why Heroes are-!”

Various complaints were spilling out of the mouths of the villagers, but Talahanan didn’t join them. Instead, he fell into deep thought while considering all of the information that was presented to them.

Only a few Heroes…? After hearing that monster populations are on the rise, would the Hero Association really only send a few Heroes to investigate the situation and nothing more? That sounds like too lax of a countermeasure, even for them. Then, could something else be going on?

“Tal…” Lisbeth’s low voice brought him out of his thoughts. “You’re thinking the same as me, right? That we’re… probably not being told the whole truth here.”

“You think so too, huh…”

If Liz also feels that way, then it’s probably true. But if that’s the case, then what’s the purpose of keeping things hidden from us? The situation is already bad enough, but could it actually be worse than that somehow?

“Hey, I know!” One villager, an orphan teenager who served as the oldest in her family, suddenly sat up as she slapped both palms against the table. “We should have Talahanan act as a guard and protect us from the monsters!”

“W-Wha-...”

“Oh, that’s not a bad idea,” someone else said. “Since he’s a demon, he’ll have that same miasma stuff as those monsters, so it should be a piece of cake to take care of them!”

“Th-That’s… I…” As all eyes suddenly turned on him, some in consideration and some having already approved of the idea, Talahanan found himself unable to form a response.

Instead, it was Lisbeth next to him who protested in a loud voice. “Absolutely not! He may be a demon, but Tal is just a farmer! He has no experience in fighting, so it’s cruel to make him bear that kind of responsibility!”

No one offered any replies to her arguments, but he could definitely hear a few people muttering things like, ‘He’s just a demon, you know.’ and, ‘As usual, he hides behind the village leader’s daughter.’ Still, as Lisbeth’s hard stare practically dared anyone to object, the room ultimately stayed silent.

“...I also agree,” said the village leader after a while. “Setting aside everything else, Talahanan is a member of this village. Forcing our burdens onto him to deal with is not only unethical, but sets a bad example for our village. Looking out for and supporting each other has been how we’ve made it this far until now, so I can’t agree to any plan that violates that mentality.”

“F-Father…!” Lisbeth’s expression lit up as her father voiced his agreement, but quickly froze once he turned his gaze on the man in question.

“With that being said, I also believe that he should not be denied the right to participate if he so chooses. I will also assign our guards to the duty, but Talahanan… I’m sure you understand that the situation is quite serious. Even with your inexperience, the abilities of a demon far outmatch that of a human. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated, so can I ask you to lend your aid to our defense efforts?”

“Um…”

“Tal, it’s alright to refuse,” Lisbeth quickly said, turning to stare him in the eyes while clutching his hand with both of her own. “If you want to do it I won’t stop you, but I don’t want you to think you have to.”

Without warning, it seemed a decision had presented itself before him. Talahanan glanced around the room, scanning the faces of his fellow villagers that were filled with resentment, distrust, contempt, and antipathy. And then he turned his gaze upon his beautiful wife, staring up at him eagerly with a mix of worry and anxiety. Worry that he would fall back on his own insecurities, and anxiety towards the growing tension between him and the villagers. But most of all he could see fear in her eyes; fear that he would be injured or that he would overwork himself.

Fear that she would lose him.

Once that thought came to him, the answer slipped from his lips without hesitation. “I’ll do it.”

“Tal…?” The heartbreak in her expression pained him, but somehow that pain gave him the strength to stand up and face the rest of the room. Still holding onto her hand, he reached up to touch the brim of his hat. He paused for only a moment… then pulled it off.

The entire room seized up in fear as his darkened orbs came into view. The red slits that served as his pupils glowed dully as he spoke in the most resolute voice he could muster. “I know… that you all still don’t accept me. Even after all this time, I know that I’m still very much an outsider in this village.”

He looked to his wife, the only person who showed no visible reaction to his demonic features. Rather, despite the pain in her expression, a smile had still formed on her face, filled with no small amount of pride. “But, in the time I’ve spent living here… I’ve found things that have become precious to me. Warm, irreplaceable things that I never want to part with for as long as I live. You all may not see me as someone worthy of being called a comrade, but I know you’re all good people who genuinely care about each other. That’s why…”

He noticed that someone looked to be on the verge of passing out from fear, so he slipped the hat back on his head to obscure his eyes once more. Instantly, the oppressive aura faded, leaving only a general uncertainty as the villagers stared up at him.

“In order to become someone you can care about as well, I’ll protect Kleinwald. I’ll protect my home.”

At the conclusion of his speech, the room remained in silence. No one seemed willing or able to muster a response to his words, leaving him to pause awkwardly as he couldn’t read whether their reaction was positive or negative.

“W-Well um… that is, if you’ll let… me…” he added, feeling somewhat pathetic as his confidence seemed to vanish in an instant.

Thankfully, Lisbeth was there to support him with quiet applause—a sentiment that unfortunately went unshared by the rest of the room. Still, he appreciated her effort.

-----

After some more discussion, a plan of action was decided upon: the village leader would organize two units: One would remain stationed at the village entry points to support the guards while the other ventured out with hunters to protect them during their scavenging runs.

Talahanan was made a member of the former group, after the judgement was made that his strength was best kept close to the village in preparation for the worst case scenario. As he headed for the village’s front gate with the other members of his unit, he made sure to say his goodbyes to his daughter, who stayed behind with the other children in the village hall to continue playing, and later on to Lisbeth who left to tend to the farm in his absence.

He felt bad leaving all of the work on her shoulders, but knew that the job he’d been assigned was even more important. Instead, he made sure to keep her last words in his heart:

“Tal… If things get dangerous, please run away. I know it’s cowardly, and I know you said all of that at the meeting, but… it’s better to just be alive. It’s alright to be selfish. It’s alright if people look down on you for it. No matter what anyone says, Tal, it’s better to just be alive.”

“Say, Talahanan,” came a voice from his side, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to see the village blacksmith approaching him. Like himself, the blacksmith was assigned to the village unit, and had already contributed to the cause by supplying the bulk of the weapons for both units’ members.

As Talahanan instinctively lowered his gaze and adjusted the sword sagging his waist down, the blacksmith continued. “What you said back there, at the meeting… I just thought I should say something.”

“Oh… i-is that so?”

He nodded, putting a hand to his chin to stroke his beard thoughtfully. “I’ll admit, I was wary of you when you first arrived in this village. After so much discord between our races, the idea of demons living amongst humans is just absurd to think about. Even if you seemed genuine on the surface, I wondered if it was only a matter of time until you eventually betrayed us. I think everyone feels that way about you.”

“I-I see…” His shoulders sagged a bit at the news, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t already assumed himself. He of course had no intentions to betray the villagers, but he understood how hard it was for them to accept an outsider like him, especially when they knew they would have very little chance to stop him in the event he tried to hurt someone. “I know my power can be frightening to humans, so I don’t hold it against-”

“That’s not it,” the blacksmith interrupted. “We’re afraid of your power, yes, but what we’re afraid of even more than that is having our trust broken. We’re a tight-knit community, we are. I’ve known most of these people since I was born, learned alongside them, grew up with them and raised our children the same as our parents before us. Introducing an outsider into that kind of community, especially a demon, will take some getting used to. If it’s just about whether or not you’ll hurt us, we’ve already figured out at this point that you won’t. The miasma you leak out does make us instinctively fearful, but it’s not something we couldn’t get used to after all this time.”

“I-I see… So the problem is…”

“‘What does he really think of us?’” the blacksmith finished for him. “‘Beneath his demeanor, is he harboring hatred for humans?’ ‘Is his relationship with Lisbeth genuine, or is he trying to use her for his own purposes?’ With fears like that in their hearts, we turned our backs on you in order to protect ourselves. We didn’t want to be hurt, but it was all we could do to-”

“It is genuine!” Speaking with startling conviction, Talahanan suddenly raised his voice. A couple of the guards and other unit members turned their way, but the blacksmith eventually waved them off. “My wife and child are more important to me than anything in the world. I meant every word of it when I said I would protect this village; protect their home!”

“I know.” He gave a satisfied nod. “And I think the others are starting to realize it too. After that speech you made in the village hall, I’m sure that public opinion towards you is starting to shift a bit. Slowly, bit by bit, we’re accepting you as one of us.”

With one last smile, he clapped a hand on Talahanan’s shoulder once and began walking away while holding it up. “Once this is all over, take your folks over to my shop one of these days. I saw your little girl eyeing a staff I put up ever since that Hero passed through a few weeks back.”

Talahanan watched the blacksmith walk away, a smile forming on his face as he registered his words. “O-Of course! I’ll see you then.”

Spirits raised, he returned to his post in a much better mood than before. Hours passed, but there showed no signs of monsters approaching the gate even as the sun began to disappear below the horizon, turning the sky the darkened color of dusk.

“Say,” one of the guards mused, if only to pass what little time there was left in their shift. “What do you suppose the monsters are like?”

“Huh? Whaddya mean?” someone else asked.

“Nothing really. I’ve just never seen a monster before is all. I know there are different kinds, but most of them were wiped out a long time ago, right?”

“That’s right,” the blacksmith answered. “The village leader wasn’t too specific on the details about what monsters are out there, but if they’re attacking gatherers and approaching villages it’s safe to say they’re highly aggressive. Likely carnivorous beasts of some kind with either a hatred, or hunger for humans.”

“Or both,” a member from their unit added. His tone was light, but no one could muster a laugh at the horrifyingly accurate possibility.

Talahanan kept quiet, not really having anything to offer to the conversation. That is, until he was addressed by a guard. “Talahanan, you have the same miasma as those monsters, right? What exactly is that stuff anyway?”

“Ah, me?” He blinked, then dropped his gaze a moment later as he pondered how to answer the question. “Well, um, how do I put it…? Miasma is like-”

“RUUUUUUNNNN!!!!” A sudden ear-piercing shout caught their ears, and everyone turned to see someone approaching the village’s gate from the treeline of the forest at full-sprint, waving his arms through the air seemingly in a panic.

“Eh? Isn’t that Powel?”

“What’s going on? What’s he doing?

“Hey, he looks like he’s hurt!”

As the guards muttered amongst themselves, the blacksmith stepped to the front of the group as they looked on tensely. “He was part of the unit protecting the hunters. But why is it just him…?”

“HURRYYYYY!!!! GET INSIIIIDE!!!” As he got closer, Powel’s haggard appearance came into better view. His clothes were in tatters, with crude rips and tears in places that left his bleeding wounds visible. With bloodshot eyes, he ran for the group with barely any sense of coordination at all. Only an animalistic desperation remained in his expression as he shouted from the top of his lungs. “THEY’RE COMING!!!! MONSTEEEEERSSS!!!!”

“W-What?” Talahanan’s hand went down to his sword instinctively at the mention of the word, but he was no less confused than before. Monsters? But they already knew there were monsters around. What about them would cause him to become so panicked-

“HUNDREDS!!!! THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THEM!!!! HURRY, OPEN THE GATE!!!!” Powel’s screams finally revealed the source of his terror, and the group all exclaimed their shock and disbelief. As the revelation settled on them and they began to quake, it was the blacksmith that came to his senses first.

“Open the gate! C’mon, hurry up!” He barked out an order, turning to the two closest men. Still in shock, they nodded hesitantly and ran over to pull the gate open just as Powel arrived.

“Hey, is that true?” The blacksmith questioned him. He took a few moments to catch his breath before nodding rapidly.

“Y-Yes! We were scouting just a few miles into the forest when we saw them! A whole army of those things! They spotted us and attacked-, slaughtered everyone! Gods, I don’t even know how I got away…”

“Just get inside for now. Tell the village leader what you saw.”

“S-Sure…”

As Powel shuffled inside and the gates were shut behind him, the blacksmith turned to a member of their unit. “Go tell the other units to get over here. If he was telling the truth, we’re gonna have a hell of a fight on our hands.”

“Right! I’ll bring every last man!”

“The rest of you,” he continued, raising his voice to address everyone. “This is it! We weren’t expecting quite this number, but regardless our duty is clear! We’ll do our best to ward off the initial charge and prevent the village from being invaded. Now I don’t expect any of you to lay your lives down for this cause, but keep in mind that there’s nowhere to run! If Powel’s information was accurate then our enemy is numbering in the hundreds. You can turn tail if you want, but if the village falls there won’t even be anything left of you once they inevitably catch up. We have no choice but to fight if we want to survive!!”

There was no big, synchronous response to his words, but rather more of a silent agreement as the guards and unit members grasped their weapons with morbid resolution. Even Talahanan was nervous, despite the fact that he was supposed to be the most capable one there against their approaching foe. He could feel a cold sweat running down his back, sending chills through his body as his heart rate rose at the thought of the impending battle.

“Talahanan.” The blacksmith’s voice brought him out of his trepidated stupor, but did nothing to calm him down as the man took position next to him. “We’re already past the point of no return now. You were taught the basics, so it’s just a matter of applying what you learned here. Are you ready?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“It’s alright to be nervous,” he said, a smile on his face that did alleviate his worries somewhat. “I certainly am. But like you, I have people I want to protect. Keep them in your heart as you swing your sword.”

“...” In response to his words, Talahanan shut his eyes and forced the image of his wife and daughter into his mind. Their beautiful, smiling faces, their kind words... All of it was on the line.

He would never let them disappear. Never. “...I’m ready.”

-----

Powel’s claims were, as expected, accurate, and it wasn’t long before the treeline was breached by a horde of monsters. They were quadrupedal, with dark, fur-covered bodies, razor-sharp claws at the end of their feet, and long snouts filled with fanged, jagged teeth. Most notably, a pair of curved horns framed the sides of their heads.

“Wh-What are those things?!” A frightened guard’s armor rattled with his quaking body as he laid eyes on the bizarre creatures.

Horns like a goat, but its body resembles a beast… And why is it only one type? Do the rising monster populations only encompass this one species?

“Focus,” the blacksmith’s voice cut-in, snapping Talahanan out of his thoughts as the monsters continued to charge. “Speculation will do us no good if we end up as corpses on the ground. Get ready!”

Following his words, everyone braced themselves to engage the rapidly-advancing enemy. Talahanan too readied himself, and drew his sword in preparation for a brutal, bloody battle.

And that it was. The creatures did not hesitate or slow their approach to the very end, and made use of their full body weight to tackle the lead soldiers to the ground and rip them apart with their fangs and claws. The rest continued rushing ahead, viciously gouging into the rest of the group that quickly moved to intercept them.

Talahanan could sense them; the miasma flowing through their bodies, filling them with a mindless thirst for blood, for violence, for slaughter. That same energy ran through his own body, and it was that very energy that he brought forth as he swung his blade. With his enhanced condition, the iron sword easily cleaved through the monsters’ bodies.

But it wasn’t enough. As the minutes passed, more and more monsters joined the fray, while their own numbers continued to dwindle. Talahanan and the remaining men were struggling to deal any significant blows to the army’s size, and it seemed that they would soon break through.

“Damn it, where are those reinforcements…!” The blacksmith huffed out labored breaths as he held his ground against a pair of the creatures, and as if on cue a hail of arrows stabbed into them, as well as several of the others comprising the army’s front line.

The unit members turned their eyes to above the village’s gate, where a number of men were lined up in a row wielding bows. Quickly, they rearmed and, on the shout of one of them, let loose another volley that pierced even more of the monsters.

It was one of the other units tasked with protecting the village’s perimeter. In other words, reinforcements. And by the looks of things, they weren’t alone.

Right then, the village gates swung open and a mass of armed men stormed out. The other units and guards had arrived just in time to even the odds a bit, and though they were surprised at the appearance of the monsters, they quickly joined the battle.

Now with a little breathing room, Talahanan and the blacksmith took the opportunity to retreat slightly towards the gates while the fresh fighters pushed forward to engage the monsters.

“Phew… Somehow, we managed to hold them off long enough to be relieved,” the blacksmith said. “But the battle is far from over.”

His gaze traveled past the monsters’ front line, down to see that—though their numbers had lessened a bit due to their efforts—more creatures were still pouring out of the tree line to join the fray. Even with the new reinforcements, it still wasn’t clear whether or not they would be able to hold out.

“It gets worse,” said a guard as he approached. “On our way over here, we noticed that there were monsters attacking other entrances to the village. We left some men behind to try and defend, but it’s likely that the village has already been breached.”

“What?” Talahanan’s eyes went wide at the news. “But, if they’re inside the village then-!”

“Talahanan, go do what you can,” the blacksmith ordered. “With most of our main fighting force here keeping the bulk of them from entering, the others inside will need all the help they can get keeping the villagers safe.”

“R-Right!” He didn’t argue, and with a prayer for his family’s safety Talahanan ran through the gates and into the village.

Beneath the darkened dusk sky, what greeted him inside was a sight that he couldn’t describe as anything short of hell. The immediate area in front of him was mostly unharmed given that the monsters at the front gate hadn’t gotten inside yet, but further in he could see fires; hear the screams of his fellow villagers as they were torn limb from limb by the feral beasts.

The horrific thought that his wife or daughter’s voices could be among those screams planted itself in his mind, and his legs carried him towards the carnage faster than any human could hope to match.

One by one he cut down any monsters he saw, doing his best to rescue any families that were being attacked or were simply trapped by debris during the skirmish.

“Talahanan! Th-Thank you!”

“You saved my family… Thank you so much.”

“I-I can’t believe… I’m so, so sorry for the way I’ve treated you until now! I promise I’ll make it up to you someday! Thank you!”

Hearing the praise of people that had avoided him up until now was a little awkward, so Talahanan put it aside and instead asked everyone he came across if they had seen Lisbeth, his wife, since the attack started.

However, the answer was always no regardless of who he asked. The last anyone had seen of Lisbeth was when she went back to their farm to tend to things by herself, and she hadn't been seen since.

Don’t tell me… Could she be in trouble…? Then, I need to-!

But as he made to dash for his home, another horrifying revelation was told to him by one of the villagers he rescued: The village hall was currently under attack and suffering heavy damage. But only a handful of guards had been stationed there since most had been tasked with defending the village’s borders, leaving most of the villagers there vulnerable.

The village leader and other officials, important heads of families… and the children, including his own daughter, were all in jeopardy.

All of a sudden, a sickening choice had presented itself before Talahanan. His wife, or his daughter? The people whose trust he was only just starting to finally earn, or the person who’d been supporting him all of this time? It wasn’t even clear if choosing one would lead to the loss of the other, but he couldn’t help but think that as he worried over what he should do.

But… even though he pondered over it, he knew deep in his heart that there was only one choice to make here. Having spent so much time with Lisbeth, he knew exactly how she would be feeling right now. It was terrible, it wasn’t fair in the slightest, but he knew he had to respect her wishes. No, he wanted to respect her wishes.

After all, he would feel exactly the same in her shoes.

Having come to a decision, Talahanan let his feet carry him towards his destination.

-----

“Khh-nngh…! Haa… Haa… Haa…”

Lisbeth puffed out a series of ragged breaths as she struggled to free herself from beneath a pile of collapsed ceiling beams within the barn of her family’s farmstead. The lower half of her body was completely concealed beneath the debris, trapping her in place, and the pain was so unbearable that she could feel the area going numb with every passing second.

Her legs… were definitely crushed. A massive pool of blood had steadily soaked into the dirt underneath her, enough that she’d begun to feel lightheaded after only a short while. Perhaps her spine was damaged too, but somehow she’d managed to stay conscious despite all of that for the next hour and a half while enduring the overwhelming agony.

Her only saving grace was the fact that those monsters had been crushed too. When she caught wind of the invasion, her first thought was to go towards the village hall in order to take shelter with the other villagers and her daughter, but she knew it was too dangerous of a trip to make on her own. So instead, she decided to simply hide in her home and wait out the attack. And when it was all over, she would go to collect her daughter and Tal and bring them both home, where they’d worry over each others’ safety, cry together, then laugh together while putting the whole incident behind them.

That was how it should have gone, but… I wonder where things went wrong?

She supposed it was when she heard a scream while she was hiding and, after carefully sneaking towards the window to investigate, found a young boy around her daughter’s age being chased by three bear-like creatures with huge curved horns sticking out the sides of their heads.

Though the creatures themselves looked rather small, they were obviously larger than the boy they were chasing, and were quickly gaining ground on him. It wasn’t even a matter of choice for Lisbeth; her body just moved on its own to intervene, and she found herself shouting for the boy to run towards her home.

After racing for the front entrance, she quickly unlocked it and let the boy in as he arrived, then shut it again just before the monsters slammed against the other side. Taking the boy’s hand, she led him out through the rear entrance before the monsters could surround them and took cover within the barn next door.

It was there that Lisbeth learned from the boy, who’d managed to escape from the village hall, how awful the situation was there. But with most of the village’s fighters busy dealing with the monsters’ main forces at the front gate, the people at the village hall were mostly left to fend for themselves. A handful of guards were all that remained to protect her father, the children, and any other villagers that were unlucky enough to have stayed there after the meeting.

Just when she began to consider whether it was worth making a run for it to see if she could help somehow, two of the monsters burst into the barn, baring their fangs menacingly as they stared down Lisbeth and the boy with pure malice.

The aura they gave off was not dissimilar to what Tal’s own eyes could produce, which she knew was a result of the miasma that ran through their bodies. But these beasts were different from her kindhearted husband—the pure hatred in their gaze was palpable enough even without the oppressive aura enhancing its effects. It was enough to make her heart ache with how rapidly it pounded against her chest. An instinctual fear welled up inside of her, rooting her in place and threatening to make her faint, but it was quickly smothered as the boy gripped her shirt from behind her, his body quivering as he did his best to bite back his sobs.

She snapped out of it immediately thanks to him, and after snagging his wrist once more, made to rush for the rear entrance and out into the village as the monsters kicked off the ground in pursuit. She’d only managed to buy them a couple of minutes to catch their breath, and now it seemed like the chase would resume with one more.

Or at least it would have, had the third monster she’d neglected to notice the absence of not suddenly appeared, crashing through the roof with a blood-curdling shriek as its claws aimed right for the both of them.

Lisbeth, acting on reflex, shoved the boy out of the way right just in time for the beast to pounce on her, pinning her to the floor. Vicious jaws full of spittle and putrid breath snapped down at her, but she managed to hold it off long enough to shout for the boy to escape. His shock held him in place, but only until he caught sight of the others rapidly gaining. Reluctantly, he turned to flee out the door, wailing out an apology as he slipped outside once more.

Luckily, it seemed that the other monsters were more interested in their freshly-caught prey than continuing to pursue the boy, and the both of them honed in on her as the third continued to lash out in an attempt to get its mouth around her head or neck.

And perhaps it would have, if Lisbeth had given up then. But instead she used every ounce of strength she had to kick the thing off of her. It wasn’t much, but it gave her just enough breathing room to roll to her side and smash her elbow into the wooden beam that stood just next to her.

That beam supported what remained of the collapsed roof the monster had burst through in order to pounce on her, and without it the rest of it came down almost instantly. Lisbeth shielded her head with her arms and laid as still as she could, listening to the sounds of the debris colliding with the bodies of the monsters as they attempted to attack her once more. But with it also came an unimaginable pain as several pieces landed directly on her lower body, shattering her bones and crushing her tendons and ligaments almost instantly.

And… well… that was how she ended up like this.

Taking the time to relive the events that brought her here helped take her mind off the pain for a while, but it was still throbbing horribly even after all this time. Her consciousness had dimmed a few times too, and her gaze had begun to wobble and distort.

She’d thought for a while that someone would eventually come for her if she continued calling for help, but now she didn’t even have the voice for it anymore. A powerful wave of fatigue had washed over her, turning her body cold and hot at the same time as it lulled her further and further towards slumber. And things only seemed to be getting worse out there too, from what she could hear.

Finally, she was forced to ask herself the question she’d been avoiding up until now:

Am I… going to die like this? Crushed in my own barn without anyone ever finding me?

It was so pitiful of a thought that she almost felt like crying. So instead she forced out a dry chuckle, trying to find humor in the irony of it. And then other stupid thoughts started entering her mind too, like whether or not her daughter had managed to get along with the other children that day, or if she should have let her hair down while she was alone with Tal earlier just to see him turn that perfect shade of red…

“...H-Hic… uu… No… I don’t… wanna dieee….”

Before she knew it, her view had become glossy as tears welled in her eyes and slowly slid down her cheeks. Unable to stop herself from succumbing to the hopelessness of her fate, she continued letting out small hiccups as her body shook, and sobbed in silence.

“Noo… someone please, save me… I don’t- hic, don’t want to die here… all alone… please...”

But no matter how much she begged, no one could hear her voice. No one was coming to save her. She knew it in her heart, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

“I’m- hic, I’m begging you… someone… anyone… save me, please… It hurts… I’m so scared… Tal-”

“LIZ!!!!”

“Eh…?” Her eyes, which had squeezed shut in a futile attempt to keep her tears from spilling out uncontrollably, suddenly snapped open at the sound of a voice she would never have expected to hear. “T… Tal…?”

“Liz, where are you?! Are you here?! Say something!!!”

“Tal… TAL!!!”

“Liz!”

“Tal, I’m here! I’m over here!!” The voice that she thought had already lost its strength suddenly surged with new energy, and she shouted at the top of her lungs without care for how terrible it sounded amidst her sobs. “Save me, please!”

“Liz, hold on! I’m coming!”

“Thank gods… thank gods…” A relief more powerful than any she’d ever felt in her life washed over her, numbing the pain and lifting her heart from the depths of despair she’d sunk into. She clutched her chest with both hands, whispering prayers to herself, to her husband, to whomever she could think of in that moment.

It wasn’t long before she was found by him, and he made short work of the debris using his enhanced strength. However, once the sight of her lower body came into view, Talahanan’s face twisted into an expression of horror, and he quickly covered his mouth with one hand while turning his gaze away.

Afraid to look herself, she instead asked him tentatively, “How… how bad is it…?”

“It’s… it’s bad,” he admitted after a while. The answer made her wince, and confirmed what she’d already been suspecting ever since she’d started losing feeling in her lower half.

Kleinwald did have doctors, but not mages—or at least none that knew the spell [Cure]. If it turned out that her legs were truly crushed beyond natural repair, then the loss of her ability to walk for the rest of her life was a very real possibility.

Eventually, Talahanan carried her away from the carnage to the entrance of the barn, but remained inside to take cover from any monsters still roaming around. He sat her up against the wall next to one of the two large doors, then laid a nearby blanket over her legs to obscure them. They soaked through with her blood almost immediately, but she was still grateful to have them hidden from view.

“Liz, what happened to you?” Her husband crouched down beside her, brows furrowed with worry as he asked her for an explanation. But she was too tired to give it, and instead reached out to wrap both arms around his shoulders and pull him close.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Tal,” she replied as she squeezed him tightly, eyes closed as she indulged in his warmth, his scent, his everything. “I know it’s selfish of me, but I was so scared… I wanted you to be here no matter what.”

“...Well it’s like you said,” Tal responded solemnly. “It’s better to just be alive. Even if it’s selfish, even if people look down on me for it, I didn’t want to lose you. I don’t… want to lose you.”

“Tal…” His words were so heavy, but said with conviction regardless. Like the open book he was, she immediately guessed what he was getting at. “Did you abandon your post for me? Or… is it that you heard about the situation at the village hall?”

“...”

“It’s alright, Tal.” His silence was all the confirmation she needed. In order to quell his trembling body, she rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s alright.”

“Did I… Did I do the right thing?” His voice cracked as he asked an obvious question. Suspecting that he wanted to be told the truth he was already aware of, she didn’t hesitate.

“No, you didn’t. But it’s still alright.”

And like that, she held him as he broke down quietly in her arms. Frankly speaking, she was worried. Very worried—worried to death even over the safety of her father and daughter left practically defenseless at the village hall. Of course that went for all of the other villagers as well.

Talahanan had taken on the responsibility of protecting them, had declared it for everyone in the village hall meeting to hear, and had worked hard to keep his word. But in the end he’d abandoned that self-imposed duty for her sake.

The thought should have sickened her, really. But Liz knew that she wasn’t so self-sacrificing a person. She was only human, and the sheer terror she experienced as she was forced to confront her own death all by herself was more than she could handle. There was simply no way she could deny that Tal’s appearance had made her so overwhelmingly happy that she wanted to cry all over again.

Looking at him now, shivering and wailing like a child after making what was probably the most difficult decision in his life, there was no doubt in her mind that the man before her eyes was just as human as her—so utterly human that it was almost heartbreaking. Fragile, ugly, lost, and disgustingly imperfect, how was it that anyone could think otherwise?

Was the existence of miasma alone really enough to declare that she and him were not the same?

“I’ll always be on your side, Tal. No matter what you do or what kind of person you become, I will always love you. Remember what I said the day we got married? Even if the entire world turns against you, I’ll still be on your side.”

“Uuu… Waaahhh…”

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he finally calmed down enough to regain his composure, but at some point the two of them settled into silence, with only the sounds of battle and screams in the distance breaking the quiet as they held each other.

Lisbeth was honestly content to stay like that forever, but eventually Talahanan pulled away from her, got to his feet, and wiped away his tears. “I… I’m sorry, Liz. I have to go. I have to see it for myself. If there’s still even the slightest chance I can save someone, I have to go. It’s the only way I can make up for what I’ve done.”

“...Yeah, you should.” Her expression was sorrowful, but she still put on the best smile she could for him. “Just don’t try to take on everything by yourself. If things are as bad there as we’re thinking… don’t think about anything else and just come back here. Okay?”

“...Okay.” He nodded once, but didn’t move even after their conversation trailed off. Instead, the two of them held their gazes, not wanting to part, daring the other to break contact first and bring their moment of comfort to an end.

But as a strange shape appeared at the opposite entrance to the barn, Lisbeth couldn’t help but glance in its direction.

What she saw was a smallish figure cloaked in a hooded robe that concealed their features. Past that, she had just enough time to take note of the figure’s long, black scarf before its ends suddenly shot out, aimed at her husband’s back. “Tal, watch ou-!”

But her shout came too late, as the scarf ends somehow pierced Talahanan’s back like blades before he even had a chance to resist, pinning him against the wall next to her. A pained grunt escaped him as he gritted his teeth from the pain, but it thankfully looked as though his vitals weren’t hit.

“Found you.” The voice was that of a young girl’s, but Lisbeth couldn’t discern much more than that as the figure stepped into the barn whilst her scarf ends kept Talahanan in place. “You’re the demon, right? Sorry, but you’re going to die here.”