Author's Note

I apologize for the sudden hiatus. It's been a hectic past couple of weeks since my family and I are moving as well as school being super annoying. High school really sucks. I've also been experiencing some writer's block and since I like to make my chapters beforehand, I figured I should take a break from posting and try to finish up more chapters. Best decision ever. It felt nice not feeling rushed to push out stories. I wanted to post weekly cause for me, it's always annoying how most fanfic writers just post whenever, whether they are a few days apart or even several months. Mondays also suck, so I want to make everyone's day at least a little better with an update.

Thank you everyone who stuck with me and this story! I'm gonna make a rough estimate and say that this story will have around 30 chapters and then I'll be working on the sequel as well as finish and remake another work of mine. In the poll as well as in the reviews, it looks like MHA is in the lead with Assassination Classroom not too far behind! Please vote in the poll or put it in a review before this fanfic ends! I'll probably leave it up for another week after it ends, but it's a hard deadline, so after that, that's it.

Chapter 23

"If I may ask, how did you get here?" The One questioned the ravenette.

"Yeah, how!?" Emma asked, placing her hands on her shoulders, shaking them frantically. "What happened to you? Are you ok? I saw you glowing red, so are your powers back? How was-"

"Are you gonna let me explain, or are you just gonna give me an endless barrage of questions," Scarlett irked, glaring at her. Although there was a touch of relief in her eye as she stared at the ginger.

Emma immediately noticed a change in her attitude. Instead of the cold and empty one she had for the past few weeks, it was more of a confident and clear one.

"Now, I think I should begin with…"

~0~0~0~0~0~

30 Minutes Ago

Mike kept slashing and stabbing the grotesque things but they kept on coming. It was like a river flooding, showing no sign of stopping any time soon. Real or not, the male was definitely showing signs of exhaustion.

"You gonna do something or not?" Mike panted slightly.

Scarlett levitated a bunch of kunais from her belt and fired them at the nearest opponents. She then instinctively reached at her side to pull out her katana, only for her to realize that it wasn't here. She sighed. One of the most stupid decisions she made in her life. She'll never take her powers or her powerful katana for granted ever again, that's for sure. Now's not the time to dwell on that though.

She grabbed two kunais from her belt and charged in, stabbing and slicing as many as she could reach. One of them tried to get her from behind, but she whipped around and threw a kick at their head so hard that it made a weird cracking noise on impact. She also took out her sniper and straight up shot them.

No matter how hard they fought though, they just kept on coming nonstop.

"Damn," Mike groaned. "How many are there? Did you really imagine there to be this much? What a pain."

"This place must also respond to my unconscious thoughts," Scarlett muttered. "If that's the case, I can't exactly make them go away, so that's out of the equation. I don't want to waste more gun bullets either since I can't replace those." 'I know how to use these kunais very well, but even then, it's not effective. God, I really do wish I had my katana. Although...' An idea popped up into her mind. 'Maybe I can do something about that.'

Activating her powers, she closed her eyes as she imagined the shape, size, and weight of her katana. Its thin and long curved blade with a square guard and a long hilt, or rather, tsuka, that was long enough for the sword to be held by both hands.

Opening her eyes, she was pleased to see that she made exactly what she imagined into her hands. Her hands held up two glowing red katanas made from energy.

Mike noticed the glow and used his peripheral vision to look at her. He grinned in approval. "Now that's a good idea if I ever see one."

Scarlett had a minuscule smile on her face from the compliment. It changed into one that was not unlike a warrior's as she rushed forward. She practically ripped them apart as she dashed from one to another. She did not nearly have as much experience wielding two katanas but it wasn't too bad… ok, it was pretty amateur compared to how Zazie did it. The size and weight difference was off putting, but other than that...it could be better, could be worse. The cuts she made were not as clean as she did with just one katana and she was not ambidextrous so it was harder to hold the one in her left hand. And even with this, the zombie-like beings were dying quicker than before. Just think of it as bigger kunais...

After a few more minutes of nothing but blades slashing and blood splattering, they managed to make it so that at least they were able to push them out of the room. As soon as they were able to do that, Scarlett conjured up a shield and pushed it towards the entrance with force, knocking those in its path down. Mike immediately dashed forward and slashed the remaining ones. This time, none of them came back to life.

"Scarlett…"

She turned around to see the demonic Ray and Emma walking towards her. Her body felt stiff and cold as she stared at them. She couldn't just...kill them, could she?

"You betrayed us…"

Her grip on her weapons was wavering as she stared at them in fear and uncertainty. She then felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Mike looking at her with reassurance.

He then stepped forward and slashed the fake Emma with one slit. She fell to the ground, dead. Scarlett couldn't even look.

"It's alright. If you want, I can do it," he offered. Only Ray was left.

She immediately shook her head, her resolve strengthened. She's never gonna let anyone do something that she can do just fine ever again. "It's fine. I don't need you to do that for me. I can do it."

Scarlett stepped forward and stared at the male with guilt but also calmness.

"You are a failure…"

She charged forward and stabbed him right through the heart. Her visible eye's stare was unwavering as she looked at him right in the eye. "Maybe before I was. But not now. You aren't real either. You're just a manifestation of my fears."

The fake Ray slowly fell to the ground as she removed her blade. She couldn't stop the chill in her spine, looking at dead eyes.

'He's not real,' Scarlett told herself. 'The real one is waiting for you, along with your family. And when I see him again...'

"Good work," Mike complimented softly. "Now, you need to get to the Seven Walls."

"Yeah...now that I think about it, this place reacts to my thoughts, right?"

"Yes."

Scarlett exhaled. "The riddle we've puzzled over for so long. It must relate to this place. Otherwise, what's the point of it? 'With the eye of the Khavitdala dragon, search for the day and night. First, 10 kilometers to the North, and then 10 km towards the East. After that, head 10 km south, then 10 km to the West, then 10 km to the sky, and 10 km towards the underground. When the arrows between the sand cease, and the sun sets in the East, the earth will cry, and the Wall will appear. That's the division between him and us, the Seven Walls.'"

She started pacing. "The dimensions...up, down, east, west, north, south. If we put those together, they make a cube. The cube is the true shape of this place. Sand...time...this place obviously does not follow the rules of space-time. The riddle said to reverse time...if it were anywhere else, I'd have no idea how to do it. But if this place listens to my thoughts, if I focus them onto reversing time, it should work, right?"

"Theoretically, yes," Mike agreed. "It's worth a shot, so give it a try."

Closing her eyes, she imagined time ticking backwards. The landscape around them turned into a desert. She felt herself shrinking into a child. Her eyes squinted as she noticed everything around her start to fade away, looking as though it was turning into dust. Including Mike.

Mike sighed. "Well, I guess this is where we depart."

Her eyes filled with tears. She didn't want him to leave. Her heart yearned for him to still be alive. "Please...I can't lose you again…" 'I still want you to teach me more things…'

Knowing what she felt, he stepped forward and engulfed her into a hug. "It's ok. You cannot hold onto everything from the past. I'm proud of you. You've come a long way. I hope you continue to do so. I love you." He rested his head on hers.

"I love you too," Scarlett whispered sadly as she hugged back tightly.

Mike then suddenly slipped something on her right ring finger. She looked down to see a beautiful silver ring with a crimson red rose on it.

"It suits you," Mike complimented happily as he continued to fade away.

The landscape around her disappeared completely, only leaving a cube surrounding her. This was the true form of the Seven Walls.

"Keep on at it," Mike's voice whispered one last time.

She blinked away the tears filling up her eyes as she looked up where his form dissolved like sand. This was the last time she would ever see him.

"Goodbye...dad."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Present

"I just had an epiphany and figured out the riddle. Then I found this weird black hole and touched it. And now I'm here," Scarlett finished. She didn't say anything about Mike. Call her selfish, but it was something she wanted to keep to herself. At least for now.

"Wow…" Emma stared at her in awe and surprise.

Scarlett looked down back at the ring her father gave her right before he disappeared. It was very intricate and beautiful, although she had to wonder how the ring managed to fit on her once she was back to her normal age. But that isn't what she should be thinking about right now.

The ravenette suddenly ran and hugged her friend, surprising the ginger. Scarlett looked at her with an apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry for being such an idiot. I was being selfish."

"You don't need to apolo-!"

"But I want to," Scarlett interjected. "I need to. This is long overdue."

Emma looked like she begged to differ, but said nothing.

Scarlett sighed, scratching her head as she let go. "All this time, I've always wondered why I had these powers. Why they sometimes did bad stuff and how they came to be. After I heard the truth, I couldn't take it anymore. I was honestly disgusted about the fact that demon blood is flowing through me. And I still am a bit uncomfortable with that fact. However, there's nothing that's gonna change about that. All I can do is accept it. I was scared to be associated with demons but then again, we were always associated with them since the day we were born. What's the point of fighting it?"

"I've always found myself asking the same things over and over again," she continued. "Were my powers a curse or a blessing? And now, after all these years, I finally have an answer. I'm baffled that I didn't realize it earlier, from how simple it was. But maybe the hardest answers to find are those closest to you or the most simplest. This is my answer. I am the one who decides how to use them. I am the one who decides if they are a curse or a gift. Only I have the right to do so and no one can take that from me. I've also been asking myself a lot more recently... what am I? A demon? Or a human? I have my answer for that too. I am not fully human."

Emma opened her mouth to argue against that but Scarlett silenced her with a finger. "I'm not finished yet. I'm not fully human. But I'm also not a true demon. I don't really know what I am in that regard. However, what I do know is that I'm Scarlett. Everything that people know me for; my sarcastic remarks, my shyness when it comes to meeting new people, my loyalty. Those things are what make me Scarlett. And that's all that really matters to me. I'm glad I'm Scarlett."

She twisted her fingers together awkwardly. "I'd like to admit something else as well. Emma… I was jealous of you for the longest time."

"Eh?" Emma jumped in surprise. "Why though? If anything, you have far more skills than I do."

"Don't sell yourself short," Scarlett ordered sharply, making Emma let out an eep. "There's some things that you have that I don't. Your unwavering faith that makes your ridiculous plans succeed no matter how impossible they seem to be. How your energy makes everyone work twice as hard than before. And most importantly…"

Scarlett pointed at Emma's heart. "Your tenacity and the hope that everything will be just fine. That we will reach our goal. I've always been envious of that. I could never stay so committed to one thing for so long."

Emma was surprised with how much she was opening up. It also made her feel proud. She wasn't able to suppress a grin as she stared at her companion. Scarlett gave her a shy smile in return.

"Well this is rather touching," the demon god commented. Both of them jolted, forgetting that he was there, watching the whole thing.

"Ah, yes," The One said delightfully. "When you first entered, I had no doubts that you would never make it here. And yet, I stand corrected." He laughed like a little child. "When was the last time I was surprised like this? Too long… too long. That was a nice bit of entertainment."

He suddenly appeared behind them, shocking them. "Ohoho... When you first came here, your mind was clouded with fear and doubt. And now it is much clearer. I'm impressed. You were able to change your mind and overcome your internal obstacles within a rather short time. You would be delicious too."

"Except I have no intentions of being eaten, let alone by the likes of you," Scarlett stated boldly.

Emma gaped at her. Wasn't she aware who she was speaking to? "Are you crazy!?" She whisper-shouted to her.

"My, oh my. You're turning out to be more and more interesting the more you speak," The One mused. "I have never ever thought of reconsidering my reward ever. Then again, it's rare for someone to come here at all. But now...yes, this will do. I'm curious as to how you would complete this…"

Emma and Scarlett waited tensely for him to give his proposal.

"In exchange for something, I've always desired to take the thing that the human or demon cared for the most. Emma's case was interesting. She cared most about her family. But seeing as the promise she wanted to make was to take all of them to the human world, I couldn't take them. So I would have taken all of her memories in exchange instead."

The ginger's eyes widened. Her memories...would have been erased. Well, if she was honest to herself, she would have done it anyways. But the selfish part of her was filled with relief that she no longer had to do such a thing. However...what was the new reward that he wants?

Scarlett sighed in relief that she made it in time. If Emma lost her memories, she didn't think she could forgive herself ever.

He continued circling around the two of them in a playful and cheeky manner. His gaze was greedy and calculated. Well, as much as one can get when you have the form of a child, demon god or not.

"The royal family and I go far back," he began. "I was the first demon ever created. Soon after me, others came. One of them was named Scarvakoda. He and I were close friends, enjoying watching the world slowly burn upon our creation. Those were good times."

'What does this have to do with anything?' Emma and Scarlett both thought.

'What a sadistic bastard,' Scarlett added to herself.

"An empire slowly rose and we were at the top. Everything, demons and other species had bowed to us. We were practically invincible. After a while, I grew bored of ruling and decided to take a step back and let my old friend be the sole ruler. He became the first ever demon king. Even though I wasn't in power, he and I still were very close."

'There's gonna be a but or catch,' Scarlett guessed.

"At least, that was what I thought. He was in fact very jealous of me. Of my power and how much the citizens favored me being ruler over him. I was far too blind and young back then to see his true colors."

"If you didn't want to become king, then why are you considered a god now?" Emma asked, leaning slightly forward.

"Now, now, don't interrupt. We haven't even gotten to the good part yet," he said in a scolding but playful tone. There was a very detectible dangerous warning as well however. "I created the Seven Walls as my home. A sanctuary for only those who are worthy to come. Of course, Scarvakoda was allowed any time he visited. Something I wish I never let happen. Fun fact: my home is not considered a part of the demon world."

Emma was very intrigued by this story. But she still didn't understand what it had to do with the reward.

"As I said before, I was young. And naive. I didn't see it coming until it was too late. The both of you know how powerful I am. Back then, my powers were far too powerful, even for me. It caused me to have all sorts of spasms and other strange things to happen to me as well as others. So, I stored some of it into a very special blue gem. The Axocratle. It's a one of a kind. You won't be able to find another one ever."

A replica of the gem was created. It was a deep sea blue and was the size of a hand. The geode was polished to perfection and was the shape of a rhombus. In the light, it twinkled softly. It was probably the most beautiful thing either of them had ever seen. To a point where it was almost mesmerizing to just stare at.

"Beautiful, isn't it," The One commented offhandedly. "But that's hardly the point of its purpose. The two of you should be lucky. You are officially the 2nd and 3rd person I have ever told this to. Can you guess who was the first?"

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. "Your close, now assuming estranged friend. Scarvakoda."

The god nodded. "Yes. And even up till now, telling him was my greatest regret. I have never regretted more in my life. I already told you of his jealousy. He was also very greedy, always wanting more. One day, he came here for a surprise visit. And behind my back, he stole the gem. He never came back after that."

'I know this guy's very dodgy and probably even sadistic, but it must be sad for someone you trusted to betray you like that,' Emma thought sympathetically.

Meanwhile, Scarlett held back an eye roll, feeling the exact opposite. 'Interesting backstory and all, but we didn't come all this way to hear a sob story.'

"The gem has been passed down to each king and queen since then. With that gem, they were almost invincible. As of right now, the current ruler, Queen Reglavalima, should be in possession of it."

Scarlett crossed her arms. "What does this have to do with the reward?" She had a good guess though.

"You already know. For my reward, I want the Axocratle back in my possession," The One proclaimed.

Emma had guessed that too, but she still had questions of her own. "But you're the most powerful being. Couldn't you simply get it back on your own?"

"Well for one, it wasn't a big priority. After all, it's simply a portion of my power. However, I do need one thing with it."

"Which is what?" Scarlett questioned.

"You see, if I'm not at complete power… I can't leave this place."

They were stunned to say the least.

"So...you've been trapped here...for thousands of years?" Emma clarified.

"Indeed. And I have to admit, it's getting a bit old here. Which was why I was so excited to finally have some visitors after 1000 years of almost complete solitude. It made for some great entertainment."

Scarlett was getting intrigued now. "What makes you think that we can take the gem?"

The One grinned creepily. "As I said before, your minds would be quite the delicacy. I've never met minds such as the two of you ever. I think you both have the mental and physical capacity to handle it."

"So...we take the gem and then bring it back here?" Emma didn't really want to come back here well… ever.

The demon god started circling around them again. "But that would be a chore, wouldn't it? I'd rather have it as soon as possible and I'm sure you would as well. When you have the gem, immerse it in the golden water when you leave this world and it will be sent to me. There's also something else important. I suggest not touching it with your hands. Unless you want to go insane with power like my old friend did."

The last words were ominous enough that they took it very seriously.

"Yes...he went even more hungry. It was insatiable at this point. He became a true monster. So much so that the citizens feared him and for their lives and families. Those who didn't and opposed him were killed or kept in dark confinements, never to see the sun again. It came to a point where a resistance against him was created. Of course, with the gem in his possession, they stood no chance. So they came to me instead. In exchange for killing him, I wanted to be regarded as the demon god. There may be a royal family, but I was the one to be the true being above all others."

"But I thought you said that you didn't want to rule," Emma pointed out.

"Yes, but I knew that even if he was killed, the entire system would crash and the demons would become extinct because the hierarchy would be destroyed. Even if it didn't affect me, it would be incredibly boring without them. And, I admit, had some sort of pity for them. They are my kind after all. I'm not so cruel as to let them die out. Not even if I'm bored. Well… that's actually debatable. But getting back on track, I wanted to create something that would unite them together."

"A religion," Scarlett realized, remembering the traditions Sung-Joo told them about. How they bless their food and give offerings and pray to The One.

He nodded gleefully, happy that she got it so quickly. "Yes. A religion was implanted. And so, I gave them a special poison to put in Scarvakoda's food. It wasn't as easy as that though. He's also very cautious. He was on high alert and demanded that someone tried his food before he ate it. Luckily though, his wife, Queen Amorienta, was secretly on their side. She just so happened to also be the one being that Scarvakoda still trusted. So when she said that the food was not poisoned, he believed her and ate it. He died soon after that. The religion was spread to all of the demons and now they must honor their savior forever."

Emma looked down. What a tale…

"What happens if we don't get the gem," Scarlett suddenly said.

"Simple. I don't implant the new promise and I'll just take you two as compensation instead."

The two of them tensed at that.

He laughed at their reactions. "So, I suppose you two better not mess up!"

"But why did you not ask to return the gem when the resistance came to you?" Emma blurted out. It was the obvious thing to ask for.

"Because they cannot touch it, remember? They'll simply end up just like him. This was back before I found a way to transport the gem without going insane with power. So, here it is."

A black box appeared in front of them. It was like a jewelry box and had red cushioning inside on the bottom. There was also some sort of iridescent material in it as well.

"This is made out of nacre."

Scarlett's eyes widened very slightly. "The strongest material known to man…"

"Yes. Put the Axocratle in this box one you retrieve it. And like I said, I heavily suggest you don't touch it. Then again, it's just more entertainment for me..." He added the last comment slyly.

"Noted," Scarlett said dryly, unamused.

Emma grabbed the box and put it in her pack.

The One spun around happily. "Now that that's settled...goodbye!"

They were roughly thrown out of the place and everything turned black.

~0~0~0~0~0~

The three of them blinked sleepily and noticed that they were back in the place where they disappeared.

Ray immediately sat up and turned to Emma. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Ugh…"

He quickly turned around to see Scarlett slowly sitting up, grumbling to herself.

"What an asshole… could have given us a warning…" She stopped when she noticed Ray staring at her. The memory of the demented Ray immediately came back to her. And now...she's never been more glad that he's here as his normal self.

"Scarlett!" Ray looked at her intensely. "Are you alright? What happened to you when we got separated? Are you hurt anywhere? How-"

He stopped his barrage of questions when Scarlett suddenly crashed into him, engulfing him into a hug.

"S-Scarlett?" He said in confusion.

She buried her face into his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she muffled.

Ray wasn't sure if he was just imagining it. "Um...can you say that again?"

The ravenette looked up, glaring at him, a light blush on her cheeks. "I said I'm sorry, ok? Don't make me say it again."

He didn't even realize that his arms wrapped around her protectively.

"...What made you change your mind?"

Scarlett sighed. "Well...a lot of things happened in there. And...certain things made me realize that I was being a dumbass."

"Why… Why is all we can do is wait!" Gillian shouted. "I've already waited years to get revenge on the demons from Goldy Pond! And waited for Emma's group to find how to forge a new promise for almost two years! It's not fair! Why can't I do anything!"

She felt ashamed, remembering that memory. "I was ungrateful. So many people in our group have lost far more than me. I was tactless. Geez, I feel like an idiot."

Ray looked at her with resolve. "Maybe you are. But everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes make you human and stronger. And I'm glad you fixed it."

Scarlett looked down again. "I haven't apologized to you either. And don't reject it," she added sharply when he opened his mouth. "There's a lot that needs to be sorted. I'm sorry for being ungrateful for what I have. A great family, a strong body and powers, and...you."

Ray felt his cheeks grow hot, but continued listening.

"I thought I changed when we left Grace Field. Well I did. After all, everyone changes. But...not as much as I thought I had."

"What are you talking about?" The male demanded. "You've changed a lot since then. You started talking and opening up with us, you became a master at combat in several categories, and you've contributed a lot to our plan ever since it started."

Scarlett exhaled a breath. "Yeah. I guess I did do those things. But I've been super closed up these past few weeks and even was willing to get rid of my katana. Can I really say I've changed if I just went back to what I was before?"

Ray struggled to find an answer. "Well...you did change. It's just...backwards."

She stared at him for a few seconds before turning to the side and snorting.

"Oi!" Ray scowled. "That wasn't supposed to be funny!"

"Try not to make it funny then," she retorted in a good manner. Her visible eye was still filled with sadness though. "I'm also sorry for not telling you about Norman."

Ray looked awkward as he muttered, "Um, well you promised him. And to be honest, I did feel betrayed for you doing that. Although...even though I wouldn't have been happy with it, I'd do the same thing."

Scarlett nodded. "U-um…" She started fumbling for words. "What now…?"

He just stared back at her. "You tell me."

"Don't...put me in the spotlight like this," she muttered. It felt a weight getting off her chest after apologizing and reconciling but...why does it still feel incomplete? Why does she still feel unsatisfied?

Ray knew how she was feeling. He saw the tears that she's been holding back all this time. How long? Probably years. She's felt a lot of stress for pretty much her whole life, even before the escape. There were the tests she had to worry about back then as well as her anxiety and fear of her powers.

He hugged her even tighter and ordered, "Don't hold them back."

"Huh?" Scarlett breathed out.

"I know you're suppressing tears. But don't hold them back. It's not healthy. So let them out. It's not showing weakness. It's ok to show your flaws. It's ok to cry." He tilted her head up to look at him properly.

Her bottom lip started trembling. Then her whole body shook. Her eye was squinted as the tears showing up in her eyes started to make her vision go blurry. And then finally, at last...they came out.

At first there were simply two streaks of facewater going down her cheeks and onto the ground below. The streak below her right eye was going faster than her left eye due to the eyepatch in the way. They started coming out faster and faster though until she started making small noises. Then it led to full on sobbing.

She couldn't stop them now. Her sobs and cries were so loud that nearby birds flew away in surprise and fright.

Mom had said that she never cried once. Not even when she was a baby. There were times where tears would form, but they had never come out. Now though, all of her struggles, trauma, and stress came tumbling out. It was like a dam bursting. The dam was her mind. Stable, calm, and cool. The water was her pent up emotions. Eventually, they wore out the 'dam' and broke it down, letting all those feelings come rushing out in the form of tears.

"Mike…" Scarlett sobbed, holding onto Ray's scarf. "Mom...everything...it's been so...hard. I'm really...really…"

Ray hugged even tighter, if that was even possible. "It's ok. Just let it all out."

She really did not hesitate to do so. One thing was for certain, and it's that she is quite the ugly crier. It was nonstop for about five minutes.

'I'm literally sobbing in front of him,' Scarlett thought vaguely as tears continued to come out. 'And yet...why does it make me feel glad? Glad that someone is here to witness it? And why does it feel so good to cry? If I had known it would feel this good, I would have done it a long time ago.'

Finally, she stopped sobbing enough to get a better grip on herself but there were tears still coming out slowly. She tiredly pulled out a handkerchief she had in her pocket and blew and wiped her nose on it.

Ray suddenly grabbed her eyepatch and took it off of her slowly. Her silver blind eye was brought into view.

She felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "H-hey, what was that for-"

Her sentence was interrupted when she felt a pair of lips touch hers. She closed her eyes on reflex and opened them slowly to see a pair of black eyes staring back at her. Her eyes widened and her face grew redder as she realized he was kissing her.

Ray didn't know what he was thinking. One moment he was comforting her, and then his lips were on hers moments later. He knew that she wanted to wait until they were a bit older but… for some reason this felt like the right moment to do this. He had absolutely no regrets, that's for sure.

The kiss felt good to them, even though it was probably pretty bad since none of them had any experience whatsoever. Ray also thought it felt pretty wet because of the tears, but he didn't really care about that.

Ray put his hand behind her head and deepened the kiss. In response, Scarlett's hands clenched in and out in panic but then awkwardly wrapped them around his waist. Both of them closed their eyes, wanting to seal this moment in their memories forever.

They only stopped once their lungs were begging for air. Breathing heavily, they looked at each other in the eyes with embarrassment and amusement.

There was a strange choking noise near them and they turned around to see a stuttering Emma pointing and looking back and forth at them in shock.

"Y-you… he- how… why...explain-..." She couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

Ray and Scarlett looked at her sheepishly, both having forgotten that their ginger sibling was here the entire time.

Emma clutched her hair and yelled, "WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?!"

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Scarlett broke down into laughter.

"Ahahaha!" Scarlett almost howled. Tears of mirth started coming out and going down her already wet cheeks.

"W-what's so funny about this?!" Emma demanded. "What's with you and laughing at the weirdest moments?"

"I'm sorry!" The ravenette managed to choke out. "It's just… this situation is just too laughable. It's been a hot minute since I've felt like this." She never felt more alive ever. Now...it felt like she was finally free.

She looked at them gratefully. "Thanks. For everything."

Emma had a small smile on her face, although she was still processing everything that just happened.

Suddenly, Scarlett felt super exhausted. She laid against Ray's chest. "Ugh...I'm tired."

"Well, your sleep schedule hasn't been too good I bet," Ray said. "Plus you were crying non stop earlier."

"But I don't have time to rest," Scarlett protested weakly. "We have to stop...Norman…"

"You can rest for a bit," Ray reassured her. "We need to tell the others anyway."

As she felt everything fading, her eyes vaguely looked at the ring that Mike gave her, still on her right ring finger.

'Why is it still there…?'

Giving up, Scarlett exhaled and fell asleep. Ray then slowly picked her up and stood up. He noticed the ring, and was admittedly curious about it. But now wasn't the time to wonder about that. He looked over at Emma, who was still extremely confused as to what happened.

"Come on," Ray called out as he walked. "And when we get back to the others, give us the details as to what happened after we touched that black hole."

Emma snapped out of her stupor. "R-right!" She quickly ran to catch up with him.

They opened the doors to the house and Ray shouted, "We're back!"

As soon as they heard that, everyone came running to the front door to greet them.

"Welcome back!" Anna said happily.

"How was it?" Rossi questioned.

"You won't believe what happened while you were gone!" Thoma exclaimed.

"What happened to Scarlett?" Lucas asked, gesturing to the sleeping girl in his hands. Only those closest could see the tear stains on the unconscious girl.

Ray looked at her with exasperation and amusement. "A lot. She's pretty exhausted but I think you'll find that she's just fine. Let me take her up." He headed towards the stairs and went up. Scarlett snuggled closer to his chest, making him clear his throat awkwardly and blush.

Most of them stared at him in confusion while a few seemed to get the idea.

When Ray came back, they immediately bombarded the two 13 year olds with questions, making them stagger back in shock.

"Did you do it?" Was pretty much what everyone was asking.

Ray too was asking that question.

Emma took a deep breath and grinned. "Not yet, but if we do this favor for The One, he'll grant us it!"

There were mixed reactions. Some of them were suspicious and wary of this favor while others were just glad it was even possible.

"What's this favor?" Yvette queried.

Emma sighed as she prepared herself. "He asked us to bring him this certain item. It's a blue gem called the Axocratle. He says that it contains some of his power and that he wants it back."

"Eh?" Lannion groaned. "Why can't he do it himself? He's a god!"

"Because apparently he can't leave the Seven Walls without his full power."

They were all very surprised by that statement.

"The most powerful being in existence...can't even leave his own home?" Lucas mused.

"Who would have thought," Oliver remarked.

"What was he like?" Alicia asked.

"Well… it's strange," Emma stated. "He acts like a child, and yet the aura he gives off is very intimidating. You can practically feel how powerful he is. What's also strange is that even though he talked in demon speak, we could understand clearly. It must be just like how we understood the demon words on the door to the Seven Walls."

"So… where is this Axocratle?" Ray questioned.

Emma had a look of relief on her face but also worry. "This could be good or bad. It's apparently with Queen Reglavalima since it's been passed down in the royal family for years."

An awkward silence ensued.

"...That is good but also bad," Pepe agreed slowly. "Good because it's at the same place where Norman is going but bad because-"

"It's the flipping QUEEN of the demons!" Nat interjected, sweating.

"Now that I think about it…" Ray muttered. Gilda would have definitely started inspecting and scrutinizing them by now. Don would have also been one of the first to greet them. And Yuugo's pretty hard to miss here. "Where's Don and Gilda? Yuugo as well?"

"Ah...you see," Gillian started, "Norman gave Don and Gilda a mission."

Ray narrowed his eyes. "What is this mission?"

"He wants them to find your demon friends so that the demons don't get to them first," Zack explained.

"We all know it's bullcrap though," Paula added. "Not to mention what we saw in that basement…"

"Basement?" Emma repeated.

"They were experimenting on demons," Lucas intoned darkly.

Emma stifled a gasp and put a hand over her mouth in shock while Ray's spine stiffened in surprise.

"Norman…" Emma was saddened by this, but she refused to be deterred any longer. This was just another reason why she...why they needed to save him.

"So where's Yuugo then?" Ray asked, putting them back on track.

"He decided to tag along with them," Lucas responded. "Don and Gilda are going with Hayato and this expert markswoman named Ayshe. He figured that they could use some backup once they found them. Norman allowed it since they said that he knew his way around these places."

"That's good," Emma murmured. Yuugo was their best sniper after all, with Scarlett not too far behind, only due to less experience. "I hope they'll be ok though…"

"They had faith in you, Emma," Anna pointed out. "Have faith in them."

Emma sighed and nodded. "You're right. Besides, we have our own things to deal with."

~0~0~0~0~0~

The three dogs sniffed around the landscape before them.

'We have Norman's map as well as Ayshe's dogs and herself to find them,' Don thought as he looked forward.

"Hey look!" Hayato pointed somewhere excitedly. "Footprints!"

Yuugo, Don, and Gilda went to the footprints and examined them.

Gilda shook her head after checking them out. "These aren't right. They're too big to be Musica's and too small to be Sung-Joo's."

"Plus, if these guys are on the run, they would have definitely put more effort in hiding them," Yuugo added. "I've never met these two, but if they were hiding from the demons for centuries, they probably know their stuff."

"And it looks like they're walking on fours," Don said. "I bet it's from a small wild demon."

And so they continued the search. After a while, one of the dogs barked and was at a pile of some strange looking sticks.

"Woah!" Hayato exclaimed, going towards the dog. "Now we found a campfire!"

Yuugo sighed as he knelt next to the 'campfire'. "Kid, you got energy, but you're pretty hopeless if you think that human bones look like sticks."

The blonde boy as well as Don and Gilda shivered in surprise at the realization.

It was the same pattern over and over again. Hayato or one of the dogs would notice something and then Don, Gilda, or sometimes Yuugo would look at it, debunking it in the process. Ayshe simply continued to observe and her dogs would come to her to show her some things they found.

"You guys are awesome!" The blonde male gushed. "You guys really know it all!"

Gilda laughed, embarrassed. "Well we do know some things but Yuugo's far more experienced. Plus, Ayshe and her dogs are basically doing all the work."

'It's true,' Don agreed. 'Ayshe and her dogs don't miss a single thing! They even spot things that we would never find! She might even be better than Yuugo! Or Scarlett!'

"She's an expert markswoman, right?" Yuugo asked as he reloaded his sniper.

"Yeah!" Hayato cheered. "She's one of our best! After the boss saved her, she started to learn and improve super fast! She can shoot a target with 100% accuracy this small!" He put his thumb and index finger together to make a circle.

Don and Gilda gaped at him. 'Another Yuugo?!'

Yuugo was definitely impressed. Of course, Hayato does seem to tend to exaggerate things, so they'll just have to see.

"Her five senses are incredibly sharp," Hayato explained. "So that plays a big part in it."

'Enhanced senses?' The three of them thought. 'Like Scarlett? Is it possible that she also has demon blood in her system?'

"Do you know why she has sharp senses?" Yuugo asked.

Hayato shrugged. "I think it's just from living in the wild basically for her whole life. Plus those dogs probably helped her as well."

'Not confirmed nor deconfirmed,' Gilda mused to herself.

Yuugo's eyes widened as he looked at something past Don. "Hey, watch-!"

A knife suddenly flew past the boy and hit the tree behind him. He shakily turned around to see the knife wedged deep into the wood, having stabbed a spider. A poisonous spider at that.

"See?" Hayato grinned. "She's great at stuff like this!"

"U-um," Don sweated. He looked at the blonde girl, who was sitting nearby with her dogs. "Thank-you!"

She merely looked at him for a brief moment before looking away. As expected.

"Well, I think that's enough resting!" Gilda declared. "Let's move forward!"

The rest agreed and soon, they were on the move again. Ayshe and her dogs were at the front with two of her dogs while Hayato was close behind. Yuugo, Don, and Gilda were next and the 3rd dog took the rear.

"Perfect for search, perfect for security," Gilda muttered.

"Perfect for assassination," Don added quietly. "And also...for keeping an eye on us."

The three of them looked behind at the dog who was staring at them with intense eyes.

'There's no openings,' Yuugo thought. 'The dogs and this girl won't miss a blink. I'm impressed. A shame that we have different goals.'

Gilda had a look of despair on her face. "I wonder if we can even save them…"

"Ta hell with that!" Yuugo sneered. "Don't be thinking that way. It's gonna put you in a worse situation. What you should be thinking of, is how you're gonna save them."

Gilda shook her head. "You're right!"

"Sung-Joo's always close to Musica…" Don thought out loud. "As long as he's around, I doubt they can be killed so easily."

"Although, we should try to communicate with Ayshe," Yuugo said. "It's not gonna be easy though. She doesn't understand our language and she only seems to trust her dogs."

"Let's do it!" Don cheered. 'This challenge only wants to make me fired up! Operation: Friendship is a go!' He walked towards the girl. 'Here goes nothing!'

He had gone to go and talk casually with the girl. However, the dogs had chased him away after him saying only a few words.

It was the same every time. Don would try to strike up a conversation and either the dogs would chase him away or Ayshe would simply walk away or ignore him. Even Gilda tried a few times but had similar results. Yuugo didn't even bother after seeing their poor attempts.

By the end of the day, they had made no progress in getting to know the quiet and aloof girl. She was like Scarlett in many ways. However, it's way harder to get her to open up, and that's saying something.

The next day, they found another trail of footprints.

"More tracks," Gilda murmured. "But it's another wild demon." 'Although…'

"There's a lot of them here," Don remarked. "We must be close to a nest."

Hayato shivered in fear.

Yuugo put a hand on his head. "Don't worry. Just stay quiet and keep a lookout. Theeeennn again, that's actually quite hard for you, isn't it?"

The blonde boy looked indignant for a moment before nodding sheepishly.

The adult sighed. "Well, we shouldn't go further anyways. If we keep going, we'll be going towards a town. Let's go back the way we came."

The others nodded in agreement.

As they were about to walk back, the dogs started barking and Ayshe tensed.

"What's up?" Don asked.

Hayato started walking back, smiling. "It's strange, isn't it? We have to watch out for demons and yet we're also looking for them!"

As he was saying this, a wild demon that was mimicking tree bark suddenly appeared behind the boy and opened its jaws wide…

"Hayato!" Gilda called out, stretching out a hand while Ayshe held up her gun.

"...Huh?" Hayato tensed as he realized the situation he was in. He slowly turned around and saw the demon going for him. "AHHHHH!"

Don picked up a large rock and threw it at the demon, hitting it right on the head. The being roared in agony. Ayshe looked at the thing in shock.

"Now!" Yuugo yelled, beckoning them to come to him. They did so and ran for their lives.

All of them were kneeling on the ground as they got the demon off their trail.

As soon as he caught his breath, Hayato lunged for Don and yelled, "I can't thank you enough! And I'm so glad you're not hurt!"

"C-can't breath…" Don choked out.

Hayato quickly let go of him. Tears were streaming down his face. "But why? Why would you put yourself in danger like that? It would have been much easier to just shoot and kill it instead!"

Yuugo sighed for the umpteenth time. "You remind me of our other members at the shelter when they first started learning. Look here kid. I know it seems cowardly to run, but it's the best thing to do."

"He's right," Gilda conceded. "Shooting our guns makes loud sounds and we can't replenish our ammo. It's also a waste to use it on a single demon and it's easy to run away in this environment. We also would have to go back to hide our evidence that we were here."

"T-then use bows!" Hayato fired back tearfully.

Don laughed. "Sure, arrows can be retrieved and easily made, but running away is still the best option. Besides, no matter how fast you are at loading and reloading, it's still slower than just shooting a gun. Having to load a bow just might make you lose your life in return."

Yuugo nodded at the two Grace Field kids in approval. 'They really learn fast…'

.

.

.

Nighttime came upon them. Stars began appearing in the dark sky and the silver moon was shining light down to them.

"I'll go gather wood for the campfire!" Hayato offered, running away quickly.

"Be careful!" Gilda reprimanded after him. She made no move to go after him though, even if she was worried about him. There were other things that needed to be discussed with Don and Yuugo.

Yuugo plopped down in between the two 12 year olds. He muttered to them, "Ok, what did you two find out? I know that those tracks we saw earlier triggered something in your minds."

"Observant as ever," Don grinned.

Gilda frowned however. "Those tracks...looked like it was from that horse demon that was with Sung-Joo and Musica when we traveled with them."

The three of them looked over at Ayshe and her dogs. The girl was sleeping soundlessly with her dogs laying around her in a protective circle.

Don tensed. "Could it really be them though? We found a lead on them so soon?"

"It could be another horse…" Gilda suggested, but she didn't seem to believe it.

"What's the plan once we find them then?" Yuugo questioned.

'What can we do?' Gilda thought. 'I feel bad for betraying Hayato, but it's better than killing our friends! And Ayshe is still a big problem…'

She took a deep breath and said, "Right now, we-"

Her voice stopped talking when a gust of wind brushed past them. They turned around to see a clearly awake Ayshe, kneeling next to them.

Yuugo's eyes widened. When had she even moved? How was it even possible? Was she even asleep in the first place?

"I see," Ayshe spoke quietly. "So you three are planning to let them escape."

All of them were too shocked to say anything immediately. They could only stare in silence.

Finally, Don said, "You… can understand us?"

"Why?" Gilda managed to say.

Ayshe's eyes closed as she remembered that day...the day those monsters killed her father. Anger boiled in her blood, but she kept it tame.

"Are you asking why I understand your language or why I've kept so quiet about it?" Ayshe questioned.

"Both?" Yuugo shrugged.

"It's because I hate them," the blonde girl almost snarled. "The boss and his companions. I hate them all. My life was just fine until they came. The so-called monster demon that kept me 'captive' there was like a father to me. Yes, he ate human meat, but he didn't have a choice. He raised me as family. And then those people came and killed him, without even letting him say a word. True judgement my ass. They don't bring justice. All they do is fill their own selfish revenge."

'So I wasn't imagining it when I saw that look in her eyes,' Yuugo mused.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "That's why I hate them and don't speak. I'm acting ignorant and following their orders so that I could survive the situation I've been put in. And you guys?"

When they looked at her in confusion she clarified. "You want to let the cursed blood escape. If it were the other humans, they would kill them without hesitation. But you're different from them. So what is it?"

"We're not so different you know," Gilda started. "We also hated demons. There wasn't anything more frightening to us. But Sung-Joo and Musica are our friends. And saviors. They're different. There's this girl in our group. She said that not all demons are bad and that she didn't want to fight them. It's not that we're following her blindly, but we also share the same sentiment!"

"Yeah!" Don agreed, sitting straight up, his hand curled into a fist. "And for that reason, we're searching for them so we can protect them!"

"Personally, I don't know them," Yuugo admitted. "In fact, I've never seen a good demon before. But I trust their judgement and I believe what the boss and his subordinates are doing is wrong. So we're trying to stop his plans."

"When we heard you were an assassin, we were willing to go against you if we had to," Gilda confessed. "Did Norman give you any instructions to-"

"I don't know," Ayshe interjected. "He never really gave me an order that had anything to do with your demon friends."

Don and Gilda gasped.

She continued her statement, saying, "Rather, I was ordered to-"

"WE'RE SO GLAD!" Don and Gilda blurted out.

Gilda had tears coming down her face. "Norman was really thinking about us…"

"We're sorry for doubting you!" Gilda took her hand while Don took the other.

"Now we can search for Sung-Joo and Musica without any worries!" Don cheered.

Yuugo frowned at that statement. "I don't know… I haven't known him for a while, but even I know he's intelligent as hell. It's pretty unlikely that he just decided to spare them out of kindness. Especially in this situation."

Ayshe nodded. "I agree. With someone like him, he's bound to have something up his sleeve. I don't know what, but call it a gut feeling."

"But what though?" Gilda questioned nervously, dismayed.

"There's no way of really telling," Yuugo replied. "Just keep your guard up."

'We always do," Don pointed out.

"Then keep it up more," he fired back. "You've been slacking lately. You almost got bitten by a snake today."

As Don laughed sheepishly, Ayshe then said, "Don't tell Hayato about this chat."

'It does make sense,' Gilda mused. 'He's definitely on Norman's side, so Ayshe wouldn't really like him either. Hayato also is very loyal to Norman too…'

Ayshe stood up and stretched. Her legs started to walk away. "Well, Hayato should be getting back soon. Night."

"One last thing," Yuugo interjected.

Ayshe stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Name it."

"How are your senses enhanced?"

She snorted quietly. "If you think it's from some sort of experiment or something in my DNA, you're wrong. Being out in this world for basically your whole life really sharpens your senses. My father also taught me how to hunt with bows and knives as well."

"...I see," Yuugo finally responded.

Ayshe then left to go to sleep for real. Before the others were about to go, Don suddenly said something that threw them a bit off guard.

"You know...she reminds me of Scarlett."

"...You can definitely draw parallels between her and Ayshe," Gilda conceded. "They both have enhanced senses, although they got them in different ways. Both had someone they considered a father figure who died, they're both quiet, aloof, and hard to get through. Definitely the silent deadly assassin types."

Yuugo groaned as he put a hand on the side of his head. "Sigh. Is it so hard to just have some normal people in our group?"

"I get what you mean," Don agreed. "But in this world… we all know that you can't be normal and survive. It takes someone crazy and weird to get through all of this."

"Ain't that the truth." Yuugo stood up and yawned. "I'm beat for today. Can one of you take first watch?"

"I'll do it," Gilda offered.

"Works for me," Don shrugged, also yawning.

As Gilda sat against the trunk of a tree, she absently thought of how Hayato was taking a while. Should she try and look for him? No, if he had been in trouble, the blonde would have screamed for help by now. That guy has the vocal cords of a hundred screeching birds. Still though, she couldn't help but wonder where he was…

.

.

.

"I see," Jin muttered. "So no tracks today either."

Hayato was in front of him, having finished his report. Behind the black haired boy were many males that were subjected to the Lambda experiments and were rendered to a similar state as Adam's.

Jin's eyes darkened. "We'll find them though. Got it guys? Kill the cursed blood as soon as you find them. Just as the boss ordered!"

~0~0~0~0~0~

It's been multiple days since the talk with Ayshe. As they were told, they did not tell Hayato about the girl. Nor did she speak at all since that day. It was expected though.

The clumsy blonde screeched as a demon popped up from the ground in camouflage. Yuugo quickly brought it down with a well aimed throwing knife.

Gilda was sweating a bit. 'Those footprints we found then were still fresh. They're close. We'll be able to see them again, and a lot earlier than we expected!'

Hayato called out from where he was. "Hey! How about these prints?"

Don and Gilda went over to inspect. The male shook his head.

"It's getting harder to find clues in this place," Hayato whined exasperatedly.

"Yeah," Gilda murmured. "Ever since we've found those footprints three days ago, it's as if they vanished into thin air…"

"Makes sense that they are exceptional," Yuugo said.

"Woof!" One of the dogs suddenly barked near a bunch of leaves.

Ayshe quickly turned to where it was and walked to it along with the others.

Hayato was very confused as they looked at the leaves. "Um… is there something that we are supposed to be looking at?"

"Look," Gilda pointed to some tracks hidden in the leaves, "right here."

'These tracks were covered, but…' Gilda hesitated. 'If we judge from the shape, size, gait, there's a chance it could be…'

"Musica!" Don shouted triumphantly. "These are Musica's footprints!"

Gilda let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I wasn't mistaken! Not only that, but these look like they were made last night or even this morning!"

'I can still smell the scent,' Ayshe thought.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Yuugo questioned. "Let's follow them!"

"Yeah!" Don started leading the way.

No one noticed Hayato's wide eyes as he trailed behind. All of the others were too focused on catching up with the two demons.

'We did it…' Hayato's hands shook. 'We actually found them, boss!' He sneakily pressed a button once, indicating to Jin that they were approaching the cursed blood. 'You guys will be our team that will guide them to the cursed blood! I'm sorry I have to dupe you like this, but this is for justice!'

.

.

.

Musica was cupping some water in her human-like hands and giving it to the demon horse. She smiled as it drank.

Her head then lifted up to look at her companion. "You should rest too, Sung-Joo."

Sung-Joo was looking out in the distance. "Nay. I am well. It's almost time to-" He suddenly stopped as he heard some rustling. "Who is there? I know you're behind that tree, so why don't you come out? Or I'll make you." He brandished his spear.

"Ehehehe…" Don and Gilda sheepishly stepped forward. Yuugo, Hayato, and Ayshe were right behind the two of them.

"Sharp as ever," Don laughed nervously.

"It's been a while!" Gilda grinned.

"Gilda?" Musica gasped. "Don?"

Gilda's eyes filled with tears as she said, "Yes!" She and Don started running towards them. "Sung-Joo! Musica!" They engulfed the female demon in a big hug.

Musica patted Gilda's head. "It's been a while! I've missed you a lot! How are you? You've grown quite a bit since the last time we've met!"

"Musica," Gilda started, "we'd like to-"

Hayato pressed the button three times, giving the signal that they encountered them.

Ayshe tensed as she heard running. She yelled something out in the demon language.

All of them looked up to see Jin and the experiments from Lambda surrounding them in the trees. Hayato had put a knife to Ayshe's throat to prevent her from doing anything.

"Forgive us," Jin said. "But we must finish the cursed blood."

Don and Gilda gasped while Yuugo aimed his sniper at the boy.

The adult scowled. "You two were pretty annoying when we met. But I knew you guys were good people. Right now though is a different story. You'll regret it if you do this. The boss's plan will only cause more misery and resent. Call off this ridiculousness and no blood will be shed."

Jin shook his head. "We cannot. Like I said, we have to finish the-"

In a flash, Sung-Joo was suddenly behind the boy. Jin jolted and looked behind him to see the amused but also annoyed demon looking down at him like a god.

"Who's going…to finish who?"