Kael crouched behind the rock, his breath shallow, the roar of the creature echoing through the valley. The girl this strange, trembling little demon hugged herself tightly, and something in Kael's chest squeezed.
"Could this be his daughter?" he wondered, glancing back at the towering creature. "No way… She looks way cuter than him. There's no way they share any genetics. Maybe she's kidnapped… like I was once?"
That thought hit hard. The way she curled into herself the fear, the silenceit wasn't unfamiliar. Kael had seen that look before. In other orphans. In kids who had seen too much too young.
He slowly sheathed his sword and knelt beside her.
"Hey," he whispered gently, careful not to scare her. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."
The girl didn't move. Didn't speak.
Kael glanced at the rampaging creature. It was stomping in circles now, confused, searching. Sniffing the air.
He turned back to her and tried again, softer. "Is that thing chasing you? Or… is it protecting you?"
This time, her small eyes opened just a sliver. Enough for Kael to see the shimmer of tears hiding there.
She shook her head. Just once.
Kael blinked. Not chasing her… not protecting her… Then what?
"Was it… guarding something?" he asked carefully.
Another small shake.
Kael's brow furrowed. The creature didn't seem like a guardian or a hunter. It looked wild. Desperate. Angry. But the girl this little demon girl was calm in a way that didn't match the chaos around her.
"Are you lost?" he tried.
This time, she nodded. Slowly.
Kael exhaled. Finally, a start.
"I get that," he said, smiling gently. "Been lost a lot myself."
The monster howled again, closer now. Kael peeked over the rock too close. No time to waste.
He turned back to her and held out his hand. "Look. I'm not some knight or chosen hero or anything. But I don't like seeing kids alone and scared. So how about we get out of here together?"
She looked at his hand, eyes wide.
Then tentatively she reached out, her small fingers curling into his.
Kael felt a strange pulse run through his palm, like warm lightning.
Before he could think too much about it, the creature let out a roar that cracked the nearby stones.
Kael cursed under his breath. "Right, big ugly still wants round two."
He scooped the girl into his arms she was light, like she barely weighed anything and bolted from cover, dodging a massive claw that slammed into the rock where they'd just been.
"Hold on!" he shouted.
She clung to his coat tightly as he sprinted toward the trees, weaving through the grass and leaping over roots. The monster gave chase, tearing the earth apart behind them, bellowing with fury.
Kael didn't stop running until they reached a rocky outcrop over the lake, hidden behind thick brush. He ducked into a narrow crevice just big enough for them both.
The creature stormed past, blinded by rage, not noticing where they'd gone.
Kael stayed still, breathing hard, the girl curled against his chest.
Only after minutes passed in silence did she whisper, "You're… not scared of me?"
Kael blinked. Then let out a soft laugh. "Nah. Takes more than pink hair and tiny horns to scare me."
She looked up at him, confused. "But I'm… not supposed to talk to humans. Papa said they'd hurt me."
Papa…? Kael's mind whirled. So she was related to the beast? But she called it Papa…
"Your… father?" Kael asked, gently.
She nodded slowly. "He's not bad. He's just… sick. He doesn't remember me sometimes."
Kael stared at her, stunned. That thing twisted and monstrous wasn't just a random creature.
It was a person. Someone who had once been whole.
Someone with a daughter.
"…Damn," Kael muttered. "That's rough."
He looked out toward the direction the creature had run, his mind racing.
What had happened to them?
And more importantly could he help?
He turned back to the girl. "What's your name?"
She hesitated, then whispered, "Mira."
Kael gave her a lopsided grin. "Well, Mira, I guess you're coming with me for now. We'll figure this out together. First rule of traveling with me?"
She looked at him, curious.
"No matter how weird it gets, we keep moving forward."
And then she smiled for the first time.
But how had her father ended up like that? A possessed monster who didn't recognize his own daughter?
If I wanted to help him really help him I needed to understand what had happened.
I crouched beside her, kept my voice soft. "Umm... Mira? Do you know how your father lost his memories?"
She went quiet, the fragile hope in her expression fading a little.
And just like that, guilt hit me.
Great. I pushed too far.
She looked down at her hands. Her little fingers curled into her sleeves.
"It was one of his friends," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "They were jealous of him. They… they threw a potion at him."
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, trying to keep the words steady.
"He didn't get sick right away, but after a few days… he changed. The potion did something to his mind. Made him forget me. Made him angry. Now he's not even… him anymore. Just… a monster."
The last few words came out like a ghost.
I exhaled slowly. "That's… that's awful."
I tried to find a way to not let the situation more awkward.
"It's okay!" i said quickly. "There's a potion shop in the next village! They sell memory potions and healing things and stuff! We can go there! We can fix him!"
She was excited now hope blazing in her chest like a lantern against the dark.
"Really? Let's go fast-fast!" she shouted, already spinning on her heels.
I barely had time to laugh before she took off, her pink hair flying behind her like cotton candy in a storm.
"Come on, strange man! You're slow!"
I shook my head, grinning despite myself as I slung my bag over my shoulder.
Strange man.
Guess I could live with that.
But inside, something still burned.
Jealous friend.
A potion strong enough it could steal someone's memories.....That wasn't just bad luck. That was targeted.
I didn't say it out loud, not yet but I had a feeling Mira's father hadn't just been cursed.
He'd been silenced.
And if this potion shop really had what we needed…
Then it was time we started digging into the truth.