Upon the eve of autumn's first day, the sun shines its bright light across an evergreen forest. The winds brushed gently against the treetops, and with them came the scent of cold. Birds chirped, and bugs chittered. The occasional footsteps of wild beasts conjoined in the orchestra of nature. One could say that it was quite peaceful.
But peace... was always a distant stranger. It may be ideal, but strife will always find its mark.
A child ran through the forest, swerving through tree after tree. Her skin was a striking shade of red, and protruding from her dirty white hair were a pair of small horns. She wore tattered clothes, two slits in the back for her juvenile wings to spread. However, she could not fly, but she sure wished she could in this moment.
Her breaths were heavy. Her heart was pounding. Every step was painful.
She ran, not for the joy of it... but to escape.
Suddenly, an arrow pierced the tree right next to her.
"A-agh!" she screamed, which was followed by laughter from behind.
As she continued, a pair of men stepped up to the tree. One of them pulled the arrow out of the tree with a smirk.
"Damn. Almost had her."
"Your aim is getting a bit dull there, Leon. All that talk about hitting the practice range, and you couldn't even land such a simple shot."
"Oh, quit your yapping, Julius. I was just playing around. Making things fun while we're out on patrol. If I really wanted to hit her, I would've."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. Anyway, let's keep up. At this rate, we're gonna lose that little demon trash."
The girl kept running. She didn't stop, for stopping would mean certain death. The cold winds brushed against her face, but they did little to calm her nerves.
Just then, another arrow flew into the tree next to her with a thunk.
Panicked, she slid to the ground before picking herself back up in the other direction.
Another arrow, this time narrowly missing her head.
Finally, the fatigue had gotten to her. She tried to pick herself up, but her legs gave in. She crawled away as fast as she could until another arrow landed right next to her bare feet.
She turned around, pushing her back against a tree trunk as the men slowly approached.
"Phew, that was kinda fun," Leon chuckled. "We should do this more often."
"Not like we get to decide," Julius said. "Demons don't normally come this close to the capital, which brings me to ask..."
He knelt in front of the girl.
"Quite far from home, aren't you, girly? You know it's dangerous around these parts, don't you? Heh, well... dangerous for you, that is."
The girl didn't respond. She couldn't. Her mind had already succumbed to terror, and all she could do was watch as the men laughed at her.
Julius pinched his chin, an eerie smirk growing on his face.
"Hmm... Not bad for a demon."
"Haha, what kind of twisted thought is going through that head of yours, Julius?" Leon scoffed. "You have a wife waiting for you at home, you know."
"Ah, yeah. I guess that's true. Besides, this little bitch is a demon. Who knows what I might contract?"
Julius stood and notched an arrow, pointing it right at the girl's forehead.
"P-please..." she mumbled. "Spare me..."
Leon snickered.
"Hey, Julius. She's begging for her life right now. You gonna be chivalrous today?"
"Hmph. No way in hell am I extending that chivalry to a demon. Sorry, girly. It's nothing personal. You were just born on the wrong side."
At the moment he let go of the arrow, the girl shut her eyes and held them tight. She waited and waited, but nothing happened.
"Huh..."
Julius lowered his bow and assessed it.
"Weird. Hey, Leon. Lend me your bow. The string on mine snapped."
"Snapped? You pulled it too hard or something?"
"I guess so. Not sure how, though. I swear, I only notched it a little—"
Slash.
The forest went dead silent. The fluttering of wings faded away. The chattering of critters came to a halt. Even the howling wind ceased altogether.
Curious yet still terrified, the girl opened her eyes, and nothing could've prepared her for what she saw next.
The man who was this close to shooting her stood there, but something was missing.
His head.
Then, a plop. Just a couple of steps away, the head was rolling across the dirt.
Leon was stunned. He couldn't rationalize what had happened. One moment, he was handing Julius his bow, and next... he was facing a headless neck, drowned in red.
The body felt at the same time he did, his gaze slowly shifting to the little girl.
"You... what did you just do?" he muttered. "What the fuck did you just do, you bitch?!"
Just as he was about to lunge at her, the chilling sensation of steel rested on his neck. Slowly, he turned around, and there stood a man shrouded in a black cloak.
"Who the hell... are you?" he asked, frightened to his core.
The man did not answer him. Instead, he tossed out his own questions.
"Does this amuse you?" he asked. "Look at her. What do you see?"
Fearing for his life, Leon turned back to face the girl.
"I... I see... a demon."
"Hmm... A demon — yes, but above all... she is but a little girl. Now tell me, hunter. What wrong has this girl committed? What sins weigh upon her shoulders that should be paid with her life?"
"W-what more do you want me to say? She is a demon."
The man let out a sigh.
"And that... is precisely why the cycle of strife will never end."
Without giving him another chance to speak, the man severed Leon's head in one swift motion.
As the body fell next to the other, he stepped toward the little girl.
She didn't understand anything. Why the men were hunting her, why this stranger killed them, or what he was going to do now. The only thing she did understand was that he brandished a bloody weapon, and that alone was enough to make her cower in fear once more.
The man knelt in front of her just as Julius did moments ago, but this time... the voice she heard was neither mocking nor malicious. Instead, it was a soft and gentle voice.
"Are you okay?"
Her eyes opened again, and the sight of his face seemed to wash away her anxiety in an instant.
It wasn't a man, but rather a young man. His black hair parted off-center, casting volumes and waves across his face. His lavender eyes were sharp and imposing, but they gave a mellow air of kindness.
He noticed a small gash on the girl's leg and promptly reached into his pouch for a bandage.
"Here. Hold still."
While the girl watched him, he carefully wrapped the bandage around the wounded area.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"...It's... It's Leyna," she replied, her voice small and weak.
"Leyna. What a beautiful name. I'm Caelus."
"Cae... Caelus..."
He smiled.
"That's right. And judging by your red skin, you're an imp, right?"
She simply nodded her head.
"I see. How did you end up so far away from Wyrheim?"
"I... I wanted to go explore," she replied. "Mama told me not to, but... I didn't listen to her. Ever since then, I've been running, but no matter where I went, I couldn't find my way back."
Caelus took pity on this girl. How far did she run? How long was she lost?
This land is ruled by humans, and humans have claimed demonkind as their natural enemy. The imp tribe is no exception.
He couldn't leave her here, so he stood up and offered her a hand.
"Come. I'll take you to safety."