The carriage came to a halt. Harun stepped out first, his boots crunching in the snow as he extended his chiseled, gloved hand to help Talha descend.
Talha stepped down carefully, holding little Sylaris in his arms. The moment they stepped into the night air, Sylaris looked up at the sky and let out a soft, breathy gasp.
"Wow..." her little voice trailed off, her mouth hanging open in fascination. Her deep blue eyes widened, reflecting a celestial sea of light.
Thousands of glowing lanterns floated gracefully through the night sky, their warm light coating the streets, frosted roofs, and towering dark spires in a rich amber glow. The night was so luminous that it surpassed even the brightest sunny days in the capital city. The surrounding shadows melted into soft, golden hues.
Sylaris puffed out her cheeks and pouted, leaning her head back against Talha's shoulder. "I wish dada was here."
"Are you sad?" Harun asked, his eyes softening as he looked down at the little girl.
The little girl shook her head. A sudden gust of chilly wind ruffled her long white hair, sending strands dancing across her cheeks.
"If you want, I can summon him," Talha muttered with a smirk.
Immediately, the little girl in his arms perked up, her eyes shining brightly. "Really? Can you teach me the spell? "No need to summon dada," Sylaris quickly corrected herself, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Please teach me, little pink-haired fairy"
Harun sighed. " 'pink haired fairy' isn't his name. Address him properly."
Sylaris pouted, folding her chubby arms tightly across her chest. "I don't care! I will call him whatever I want!"
She really takes after her dad, huh? Arrogant little prick, Talha thought, holding back a snort.
Before Harun could lecture her again, Sylaris's attention was caught by a group of children gathered in a snowy corner nearby. They were clustered around a mound of shimmering frost, working together to construct what looked like ice statues.
Sylaris pointed her chubby finger towards them. "There! Let's go there! I want to build an ice figure too!"
Talha and Harun immediately exchanged a cautious look. They both contemplated whether it was wise to Sylaris near the common children, but after a moment of hesitation, Harun nodded. Together, they marched forward toward the group of playing kids.
As they drew near, a tall shadow fell over the play area. Harun's imposing, towering frame completely blocked out the lantern light above them.
The six children slowly looked up. The moment their eyes met Harun's stoic, intimidating face, terror seized them. A collective scream erupted from the group as they scrambled back into the snow, clinging to one another in fright.
Both Sylaris and Talha burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight. Harun's ears flushed red, looking deeply embarrassed. Children had never liked him—his height, chiseled body and stern expression always made him look like a scary monster to little ones.
Talha gently set Sylaris down on her feet. The little girl stepped forward, smiling widely at the terrified group. "Please don't be afraid. He won't hurt you"
A tiny girl who appeared to be the youngest—a child with gray skin and two small, curling horn nubs, peered out from behind an older boy. "Really?" she squeaked.
"Yes—" Sylaris started.
"We are not afraid!" interrupted the boy at the front. He looked to be the oldest, boasting olive skin and short, jagged black horns sticking through his messy hair. He puffed out his chest bravely, stepping in front of the younger ones. "If he tries anything, I will burn him to ash!"
Wow.....even the supposed 'kids' here are intimidating, Talha noted to himself. Demons really are one of a kind.
Sylaris rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "But you screamed the loudest..."
The rest of the children erupted into giggles, instantly forgetting their terror as the older boy's face flushed dark green.
"What did you say?" the older boy yelled, his face twisting as he pointed a finger at Sylaris. "You are dying for a beating, huh?"
In a flash, Harun stepped between them, his giant frame completely shielding Sylaris from the boy. But his sudden, looming presence only frightened the children all over again. Several of them squeaked and ducked behind the ice figure.
Sylaris reached out and tugged lightly at Harun's long sleeve. "Stand back, Uncle Harun."
Harun froze. His eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat as a wave of overwhelming warmth settled in his chest. Uncle Harun? He stared at her, his heart practically jumping for joy within his ribs. He had never expected Sylaris to call him 'uncle" out of the blue. A smile breaking across his face. "As you wish."
He stepped back, standing near Talha.
Wow He really doesn't play about her, Talha noted silently, watching the devotion in Harun's eyes.
Sylaris lowered her head, nervously rubbing her arms and fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. "I...I'm... I'm sorry about that."
Talha and Harun looked at each other in shock. Did this arrogant little girl just apologize? Sylaris had never apologized to her dad, even when she was in the wrong. She must really want to play with these kids, Talha thought.
"Is he your bodyguard?" the oldest boy asked, crossing his arms and squinting up at the imposing Harun.
"No, he is my dad's chamberlain," Sylaris replied, raising her chin.
A young girl standing beside the boy. She had warm brown skin and twin violet horns, tilted her head in curiosity. She appeared to be the exact same age as Sylaris. "Is he your dad?" she asked, pointing at Harun.
Harun cleared his throat, Very embarrassed by the suggestion, while Talha couldn't hold back his laughter.
Sylaris rolled her eyes dramatically. "He is my dad's chamberlain" she repeated, nodding toward Harun, before pointing a finger at Talha. "And he is just a pink-haired servant!"
Talha smirked, reaching out to grab Harun's arm. "Come, let's go."
Harun hesitated, looking back at Sylaris nervously. "I can't leave her alone," he muttered under his breath.
"She will be fine. Can't you see that she is trying to socialize with the kids? Our presence here only makes it harder for her," Talha reasoned softly.
"But—" Harun started to protest.
Talha closed his eyes, ignoring Harun's stubbornness. Reaching up, he plucked a strand of hair from his own head. Holding it between his fingers, he matted a faint trace of red energy along its length and softly chanted a string of ancient, sacred words.
Harun didn't understand what was going on, watching him in confusion.
Suddenly, the strand of hair began to glow. It twitched, coming to life right in Talha's open palm. Within seconds, a tiny creature with shimmering wings emerged. It was miniscule, barely larger than a dragonfly, possessing a perfect humanoid form that bore Talha's exact features and long pink hair.
The tiny creature fluttered its glowing wings, flying up to hover right in front of Harun's nose. It turned in a circle, its delicate wings sparkling like crushed diamonds under the street lanterns.
Harun slowly extended a finger, attempting to gently touch the sparkling wings. But the shy creature squeaked, quickly flying away to hide behind Talha's thick curtain of hair.
"Are those your wings?" Harun asked, looking up at Talha with curiosity.
Talha smiled. "What do you think?"
"It has so many colors," Harun remarked softly.
Talha burst into a loud fit of laughter at the comment. It was the first time in his life he had ever heard someone compliment his wings like that. Back in the celestial realm, his wings had been considered plain, the least colorful among his kin.
However, his loud laughter drew attention from the children. Sylaris turned around, her small brow furrowed in irritation.
"What is funny?" Sylaris demanded, crossing her arms.
Talha's smile quickly faded into a cool composure. "Your uncle and I will be going to the nearby tavern over there," he said, gesturing toward an amber-lit building down the street. "If you need anything, summon us or come look for us."
Sylaris let out a dramatic sigh of relief. "Hmmph, Finally!"
Though she feigned annoyance, she knew this had to be Talha's idea. Harun would never suggest leaving her unsupervised. Between Harun and her father, she honestly didn't know who was more overprotective. "Probably Iruna", she said, giggling .
The surrounding demon children looked at her in confusion. They exchange whispered glances, their little minds racing with thoughts like, Is she insane? Why is she talking to herself?She is so weird.
Harun stepped forward and gently caressed the child's soft cheek. He leaned down, whispering low into her ear so only she could hear: "I'm just around the corner. Don't hesitate to call me if anything happens. Anything at all."
Harun smiled at her, and Sylaris smiled back brightly.
As the two men began to walk away, Sylaris waved her little hand enthusiasticly towards them. "Bye-bye, Harun! Bye-bye, little pink-haired!"
Talha shook his head with a chuckle as they walked. "Wow, she really is annoying."
Once they reached a secluded corner well out of the children's line of sight, the tiny winged creature emerged from behind Talha's hair, hovering near his ear. Talha muttered softly to the little creature, "Go watch over her."
With a soft flicker of light, the creature vanished into thin air, cloaked from mortal eyes.
Talha turned and playfully pulled Harun by his cloak. "Follow me.... drinks are on me"
Harun was silent for a second, scrutinizing Talha with a deadpan look. "You don't have any coins, do you?"
Talha offered an unabashed smile. "Brother, I'm not that poor. I borrowed some silver coins from the servants before we left."
Harun sighed, walking alongside him. "You don't have to go to all those lengths. Just ask Iruna for money whenever you need it."
Talha's jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "No. I will not."
"Why?" Harun asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't want to be indebted to that arrogant asshole," Talha spat out bitterly.
Harun halted instantly, his eyes narrowing. "His Highness?"
Shit, Talha thought, his heart dropping into his stomach. I just called him an asshole right in front of one of his most loyal puppets.
Talha remained silent, biting his tongue as he tried to figure a way out of the slip-up.
"Well," Harun said smoothly, breaking the tension, "he bought your freedom, so you are indeed indebted to him regardless. Taking a few coins won't hurt, Talha."
Talha's face flushed red at the sound of his name leaving Harun's lips. A sudden, heat swept from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. Harun noticed the sudden flare of color and stepped forward, reaching out a hand to touch Talha's forehead. "Are you alright? Your face is red."
Shit, shit, shit! Talha panicked internally. He quickly slapped Harun's hand away from his face. "I'm fine!"
Harun blinked, lowering his hand immediately. "I'm sorry. I should not have done that," he muttered softly, looking apologetic.
Oh my goodness, he's so kind... the words echoed uncontrollably in Talha's racing mind. He cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment. "Follow my lead. I know the best taverns around here."
Harun nodded his head, trailing obediently behind him.
Back at the snowbank, after they all introduced themselves. Arelentless barrage of questions from the curiosity-crazed children, Sylaris finally managed to settle in.
"Where is your mom?"
"Are you royalty? Why do you have a chamberlain?"
"Why are you so different? Where are your horns?"
"Why is his hair pink? Why is your hair white?"
Sylaris felt utterly exhausted by the relentless interrogation. This is exactly why I hate children, she thought bitterly. At several points during the interrogation, she had seriously considered using her magic to freeze the little girl who asked the most questions, or magically sealing the mouth shut of the oldest boy who kept snickering at her.
Yet, as she sat among them now, helping them shape a giant mound of frost, a sudden warmth filled her chest. She was actually having fun.
The seven children—Sylaris and her six new companions, grouped together around the snow structure. Each child possessed distinct traits of demon descent.
There was Damien, the 13-year-old leader with olive skin, amber eyes, and short black horns.
Ruthven, a boisterous boy with dark brown skin, sparkling crimson eyes, and a thick reptilian tail.
Jaber, a stout boy with a tan complexion, violet eyes, and curved gray horns.
Kikimora also know as kiki, a loud girl with pale skin, vibrant grey eyes, and a twitching slender tail.
Carmilla, boasting gray skin, striking emerald-green eyes, and barely-visible horn buds.
Selene, the youngest,a shy girl with pale porcelain skin, golden eyes, and tiny stubby horns hiding in her hair.
"Hey, put more snow on this side!" Damien commanded, patting a large block of ice down.
"Do it yourself, Damien!" Kiki snapped back, sticking her tongue out playfully. "My tail is freezing off!"
Each of the children used their small hands to channel little amounts of magic into the snow. Faint wisps of elemental energy,flickers of dark flames, frost aura, and shadowy mana infused into the snowpack, allowing them to mold the icy structure like soft clay.
"So, white-hair," Ruthven called out, molding a sphere of packed ice. "How come you can use frost magic without horns? My dad says only highborn demons with fully grown horns can shape elementals without focus wands."
Sylaris puffed her chest proudly, channeling her mana. Soft white frost trickled from her palms, smoothly gliding over the ice figure. "Because I'm stronger than your dad, that's why"
The kids gasped in a mix of offense and awe.
"You are dying for that beating huh ? Your father is not here to defend you" Damien said
Sylaris rolled here eyes yelling "I've told you he is not mg dad"
"Leave her alone Damien" Carmilla Muttered
Selene shivered thinking Are they going to fight? But I don't want them to fight.
"Is....Is your home giant?" Selene stammered, trying to calm the situation. "Do you have... a hundred beds?"
"My home is huge," Sylaris said casually.
"And I have a giant bed with blue sheets. Dad likes the colour blue. I don't know why. What about you? Why are you playing out here in the freezing cold?"
"Because the winter festival is the only night our parents let us stay out until midnight" Carmilla replied.
Jaber chimed in. "Also it's the only time we get to build figures and trade for festival sweets"