Years ago, a young Miller walks down the road as the sunsets in the distance. Mila follows behind him, holding back her tears as she’s covered in scrapes and bruises with a singular tail twisting in the wind behind her. As she walks along the road, she trips over herself and falls on her face. Miller stops as she cries, unable to hold back her tears, and picks herself up, moving to his side. She grabs hold of his shirt as he turns around and stares at her, patting her head.
“It hurts Brother!”
“Mila.”
Mila’s cries grow stronger as Miller turns around. “You have to stop being so weak, Mila!”
“Brother?” Mila runs in front of him as he turns around to avoid eye contact. “What do you mean?”
Miller crosses his arms and stares at the sky. “Grow strong!”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you can’t let kids bullying you get to you like that. Be strong enough to fight them off. Like me!”
“Like you? Your strong Brother?”
“Of course I am. I’m the strongest in our age group, according to Teacher.”
Mila’s eyes widen. “If I grow strong enough, then can I go to school with you?”
“You’ll be able to do anything. I’m sure of it, Mila.”
Mila smiles, leaping around excitedly. “I’ll get to go to school.”
“Only if you can be strong. Understood? Don’t let the bullies get to you.”
“I won’t Brother!”
The next day, Miller stands at the bottom of a cliff with a group of kids around him. Mila lies on the ground with a pool of blood around her head. The other kids laugh, thinking she’s playing as Miller turns and grabs one of them. He punches them in the face as the other kids surround him and they all fight.
“Stop it.” A voice calls for them as they turn to face it. “Stop fighting, my brother.”
Miller lets go of the boy and move toward Mila. “Mila. Are you okay? I was scared you were hurt….”
Miller pauses as he watches a second tail sprout from Mila’s backside. “Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.” She repeats.
“What’s going on?” One kid backs up, staring at Mila, confused. “She’s like some kind of monster.”
“My parents told me she was no good.”
“Miller, your sister’s a freak.”
Miller grabs Mila only to pull his hand back as an intense heat comes off of her. Mila steps forward and rushes toward one kid. She grabs him by the face and smiles as her tails ignite into flames. She punches him in the face repeatedly as everyone watches.
“I’m strong.” She says with a grin across her face as she punches him in the face. “I’m strong. I’m strong.”
The boy screams out in pain as the other kids run away, leaving Miller as he runs to Mila, pulling her off of the boy. “Mila stop!”
“I’m strong! I can do it. I don’t have to be….” She bursts into flames as Miller pulls on her. “I can….”
“Mila!” Miller screams as he holds onto her, consumed by the flames as the world goes dark around him.
Hours later, Miller finds himself in a bed. He uncovers himself, noticing the burns across his body. His grandfather stands over him as Miller shoots up and stares at him. The two exchange a glance as the door behind the old man slides open. Mila and their grandmother walk in. Mila smiles as her twin tails twist in the air and she runs to Miller’s bed.
“Brother!”
“Mila? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I passed out when I fell. They say a monster attacked us and you got hurt real bad.”
Miller’s eyes widen. “A monster? You don’t remember…”
“Remember what?”
Miller stares at her tails. “Do you remember getting that second tail?”
“My tails? But Brother, I’ve always had two tails.” Mila says, confused.
Mila leaves the room with her grandmother as the old man stays behind, looking at Miller.
“Grandfather I….”
“Miller. Mila’s an odd girl. She has more power than she knows what to do with, and she can’t seem to process what happened to her properly.”
“Then….”
“Don’t tell her. She’ll probably be inconsolable if she found out she hurt you.”
“So, you want me to lie to her?”
The old man shakes his head. “Think of this as protecting her. It was already hard for her to live on the island. Now it’ll be next to impossible.”
Miller shoots out of bed. “I won’t let it! I’ll watch over Mila, I promise!”
“Good boy. Don’t let her do anything crazy like today again.” The old man smiles.
“Okay Grandfather. I promise!”
In the present, Miller runs ahead as he grips his sword. The metal in the handle pierces through his hand as his blood trickles onto the blade. The sword grows sharper as it drinks the blood from his hand. Miller stomps forward towards the Lesser Demon as it continues fighting for Mila. He notices now it heals its injuries and the laughter coming from the monster.
“It’s a clever trick, isn’t it? That little trick of yours.” He rushes forward, passing the pair as they continue their fight. “But it’s obvious where that laughter’s coming from!”
In a bush, nearby overpowering laughter echoes across the area as Miller thrusts his blade forward and the laughter stops. He pulls out his sword, revealing the Lesser Demon’s severed head at the end of his sword. He flings it into the air and, as it comes down, swings his blade, slicing it into pieces as it lets out one last shrill cry.
As the Lesser Demon’s head is cut to pieces, the body stops and Mila shots a fireball out at it. The fire consumes the body as it burns to ashes, leaving no trace behind. With her opponent gone, Mila only laughs as she spreads out her tails.
“I did it. I’m strong! I’m strong enough to….” She pauses and holds herself.
“Mila!” Miller yells out.
Fire burns around her tails as it spreads across her body. Enveloping her form in a blazing fire, she holds onto herself, trembling as the fire spreads.
“I can’t control it. Brother it….”
“Mila!”
“It’s my turn!” Glyn yells out as he closes his book. “This is one ballsy, but it’s gotta work!”
He charges forward towards Mila as the fire bursts forth from her body, forming a blazing sphere around her. He holds out his book as the fire fades slightly with a sigil appearing in front of him. He runs to Mila’s side and grabs hold of her as the sigil fades into the flames.
“Glyn?” She asks.
“Normally I’d ask for permission, but we don’t have time for that. Mila, enter a contract with me!” he yells as he holds open his hand.
A black pawn piece appears in his hand as he thrusts it forward into Mila’s chest. But the piece is pushed back, fading away as cracks.
“What? Did she overpower the binding? That shouldn’t be possible?” He thinks to himself as he repeats the process. “Fine then. If you wanna play that way, then let’s play!”
Glyn thrusts his hand forward as pieces appear one after another rapidly. As he makes contact, they crack and fade away, only to be replaced by another. With each piece switching out, he moves his hand a little closer until he’s able to shove one into her chest.
As the piece fades into her body, a bright light envelopes the pair and the flaming sphere fades away. Miller rushes to Mila’s side, picking up her body covered in light burns.
“Brother?”
“Mila!”
Glyn laughs as the surrounding fire dies down. “I did it. I knew it would….”
Glyn collapses with Mila reaching out for him only to pass out. Miller lowers her to the ground as the other guardsmen surround the pair.
“What just happened?” One of them asks.
“Who cares? The monster is dead.”
“But what about the other monster? She’s still alive, right?”
“She’s unconscious now, so we can take her out. Right, Captain?”
Some guardsmen take up their weapons as others look around nervously. Miller stands up and takes in a breath as he looks down at Mila with a smile. Miller draws his blade and turns to face the group in front of him, slashing a line into the ground.
“Any of you cross this line before the commander’s healed and I’ll run you through. Understand!?”
Everyone pauses.
“Get a move on. We have injured who need potions and healing spells. And bring one here to heal these two now!” He yells out.
“Yes Sir!” They yell out.
Miller sighs, planting himself on the ground over the pair. “This was an exhausting mission.” He stares at Mila as the chest piece floats above her. “And I have a feeling it will not be over soon.”
Glyn shuffles in his sleep as he grips tight onto the book. “I’ll keep you safe. No matter what I have to do.” He says to himself.
