Paragon was quiet.

"Is he going to be able to do it..."

"He looked young..."

"What if the demon kills him..."

"What if it starts attacking us again..."

"What will we do then?"

Paragon was quiet but restless, hushed whispers left the mouths of residents that had finally worked up the courage to leave their homes. All eyes turned towards the path towards the demon house that the mage from Phantom Lord; their only hope, had taken.

"What will we do if he fails?"

All the villagers were nervous, and between the whispers of assurances to their children and few remaining loved one; two people stood an ahead of them all. One was a hunter, who had lost his fiancée to the demon and was waiting for the good news at the edge of the forest. His eyes trained on the footsteps the boy had taken as he murmured lowly, "What will we do if this doesn't work?"

Shin turned to his right, looking at Daley who was just looking at the path with a dead gaze. The old man's voice grave and tired yet hiding a deeply hidden desire, "It will work, and even if it doesn't there will be no issue."

"What do you-"

Shin paused in his sentence as Daley reached into his pocket with a thin and shaking hand, taking out a ruby necklace and two letters. Daley handing them to Shin without a word while the old man's eyes were still solely trained in the forests ahead. Shin taking the ruby necklace with a raised eyebrow and glancing at the two letter, one was plain white and had a P on the surface of it drawn in black ink.

"Is this for the payment?"

"It is."

Shin let out an 'ah' and nodded swiftly, his eyes moving to the other letter as he put the ruby and the white letter in his pocket. His eyes furrowed as he saw the second letter, a black letter with a different logo, a fancy letter E drawn in blood red ink.

"What's this one for?"

"For if he fails or chooses not to kill the demon."

Shin blinked in surprise at the older man, his eyes flicking back to the dark letter as he put it in his pocket. His voice was confused as he asked quietly, "Why wouldn't he-"

"The demon infected the girls, didn't it? I'm sure it can infect the boy too."

Shin glanced at the older man, who just kept staring at the forest with a blank expression. Shin tried to guess what was going on behind the old man's eyes before he gave up, "Alright."

As long as the demons died, Shin didn't care about the logistics. He would have done it himself if he was a mage, but sadly he wasn't.

"I'll assure the boy has done his job properly if he succeeds."

Shin saw the older man give a half nod, the two turning back to the forest for a little while he collected his thoughts. The fact that Daley had a backup plan in case the boy failed was a huge comfort to Shin, who had already been worried that the boy's age would hinder him from a good hunt.

He's thought of everything...

Shin hummed in appreciation of the old man's intellect, his thoughts turning to the responsibilities on his shoulders as he turned to Daley and asked, "Where should I take it?"

"To Ashanti, there's a small bar near the edge of town called Viola. Ask for Treble and give it to him; he'll handle the rest," Daley said with a cough, his old lungs fighting him as he looked towards the forest. Shin placed a hand on the old man's back as he spoke with a gentle tone, "I will give it to him if the boy fails."

Shin watched as the old man coughed his lungs out; this cold air wasn't good for him, "You should rest, Daley."

Shin helped the old man stand fully, Daley barely giving him a passing glance as Shin spoke what all the villagers were thinking, "You've done enough for all of us."

Shin's words were followed by a chorus of agreement from some of the nearby villagers because they were true. After the first village head had died, Daley stepped up and kept the people alive. He kept the people with hope and direction, using his wealth and experience to guide them through a crisis. The village had almost gotten complacent when the demon disappeared the first time, but It was Daley who warned them about the dangers still present. It turned out Daley was right; Shin had seen the demons himself at the edge of the village, and when he came to Daley for advice, it was Daley who warned him. It was Daley who had warned the villagers of the infection that had claimed the girls, and the threat the demons still posed to them.

"I'll take a group to go check on the boy if he stays gone too long."

Without Daley, they would have long since died.

"Even if it wins the demon will be weak; there will be safety in numbers.

The least Shin could do was make sure the older man got some rest.

"There's nothing else you need to worry about; we will handle it from here."

Shin watched patiently as Daley turned to him, the older man's eyes downcast as he continued to cough from the air that hurt his lungs. Daley took one last look at the forest, trying to see any sign of the boy or the demon before he forced himself to look away, "Alright, I will head back to my estate."

It would do Daley no good if he caught a cold out here, then his granddaughters would be worried, "Come find me after it's over."

Daley walked past Shin and away from the forest the boy had vanished into, his footsteps quiet and aching as he passed the crowd who watched him return to his home in the center of town with murmurs of speculation and worry.

"Is Daley sick..."

"He's fine, dear; he's just heading home..."

"Does that mean we're safe..."

"I'm not sure, dear, hopefully soon."

"Can we ask him..."

"No, don't, sweetie, you know he's been stressed..."

Daley didn't hear their words; his hearing had dulled significantly long ago.

"He's been down since his granddaughters died."

It had been long ago that the only clear voices he could hear became his granddaughters.

Lisanna used to love Paragon.

"Don't cry Lisanna..."

She had lived it when they lived in a shed on the outskirts of Paragon, nestled between the village and the tail end of its stream. It was old and dusted, with signs of disrepair and decay scattered around, but it was home to the little girl of 11 years with short white hair and blue eyes.

"We love you, Lisanna..."

Then Lisanna's parents died, and it became scary.

"We love you so much."

Her older sister Mira had tried to make it less scary, but it wasn't possible. The villagers hated them; they yelled and screamed at them to leave whenever they saw them. To die for killing their loved ones, and it only got worse. Lisanna woke up with nightmares that one day, the villagers would reach their breaking points and attack them. Surround their little cabin in the woods and burn it to the ground like they kept saying they'd do.

"I'll be back soon, Lisanna."

That's why her sister left, to find help, real help. Help farther than Ashanti or any closer towns that might have already heard about what happened in Paragon.

"Take care of Elfman while I'm gone."

Mira went to find a mage to take them to Magnolia, the guild their parents had befriended when they were younger. To Fairy Tail, where hopefully they could be safe and happy and find someone to help the illness that Elfman had caught.

Her brother Elfman, the middle of the three siblings, had a bad flu around a week ago. She and Mira had tried getting medicine from some villagers but were chased away. There was nothing they could do, and Elfman kept getting worse. He was pale and coughing, and sometimes he was too cold, then he was too hot, and Lisanna hadn't known what to do. She just knew she couldn't stand just sitting and watching her brother get sick. She had to try something, so she had put a wet rag on her brother's forehead and left; using the empty bag her parents had stored money in for a basket.

Mom said there were herbs down the river...

Lisanna had yet to memorize which ones were good, but she remembered her mom saying that the sweeter ones could be used for medicine. She would test them to see which ones were good to give to Elfman. Once she found the right ones, she could make a stew. Elfman would feel better, Mira would come home, and a mage would come to help them. They would leave, and everything would be better.

They can make Elfman better.

Lisanna would do anything to make something better, so she ran as fast as her tiny legs could. Hours later, she was still continuing forward, even after the morning sun had passed and the afternoon sky had cleared to watch her ventures. She had been walking for what felt like forever, but as she felt her toes start to cry in protest and her legs start to lose to gravity, she finally saw it.

There...

The meadow of herbs her mother had told her about.

That's it!

The sun shone on the tall grass field, which trumped her meager height. Its dense foliage hidden many flowers and green plants. The small meadow nestled against the river was home to many small critters and insects that buzzed in greeting.

"Hello bugs," Lisanna said with a heavy breath as she walked onto the field, taking the bag in her tired arms and filling it with whatever looked important. Her hands were tired, and her skin sweaty as she took as many as she could, giving the stems of the plants a nibble to see if they had anything to offer. It was tedious and took maybe an hour, but she found enough plants that didn't taste bitter to fill the bag.

"Thank you mom."

This should be enough for Elfman-

Lisanna flinched at the loud sound of a chunky branch snapping, nearly dropping her bag of herbs as she stumbled to the ground. Her eyes wide as she turned back to the forest, a shaky gasp an inch from escaping her lips as she saw a murky claw reach through the tree line. Lisanna wanted to stop her heart beating because it was so loud she thought the thing in the forest might hear it.

It's a monster...

Lisanna gulped, trying to keep herself low in the grass as she crept away from the thing leaving the forest. It looked like a shadow come to life, the thing's blank face looking around with a slow and methodical movement. The being's skin was dark, reminiscent of raging ditchwater mixed with torrents of wispy shadows.

I don't think it sees me.

Thankfully, it was on the other of the field, so she could head back to the shed without alerting it. She could sneak towards the path back home with the tall grass covering her.

Just a little more...

Her eyes never left the shadowed being that had stopped its search and was staring at the river. The suddenness and strangeness of the action stopped Lisanna in her escape as she tilted her head innocently.

What's it looking at?

Lisanna's thoughts and fears stalled as she saw the thing melt into the ground, becoming a flat shadow that slithered toward the river's edge. Lisanna's intense curiosity stopped her from leaving as she saw the thing reach an arm out of the ground, whip into the water like a snake, and pull out a fish.

Huh...

Then another...

Is it hungry?

And another...

I didn't know shadow monsters ate fish.

It had collected a lot of fish at that point.

How does it eat without a mouth?

Lisanna had momentarily forgotten about her worries as she watched with fascination and curiosity as the shadow monster thing collected a lot of fish. The pile it made on the shore nearly matched her height before the shadow slithered under it, and the fish fell into the bed.

Oh, so that's how it eats fish.

Lisanna gaped for a second as she saw the shadow stick its head out of the ground to see if its hunt had been spotted before returning to the bottom to leave. Lisanna watched the spectacle with slowly calming nerves before she realized where the shadow was heading.

Wait...

Lisanna was in the path that the shadow was taking.

Why is it coming this way!?

Lisanna panicked as she saw the shadow heading towards her patch of grass. Her eyes widened as she tried to figure out what to do; she didn't know whether to hide or run. The monster could spot her if she hid, but the beast could follow her if she ran home, and Elfman would...

Please don't see me...

Lisanna shut her trembling eyes and pressed herself to the ground as quietly as possible. The seconds passed as she held her breath and hoped that the shadow thing wouldn't see her. She didn't know if it was still hungry after eating the fish, but she didn't want to find out.

Please go away...

She held her breath for as long as possible.

Please don't find me.

At one point, her head started hurting, and after her chest started screaming at her, she was forced to let go. Her gasp for air was loud enough to catch the attention of the shadow if it was still there, so she opened her eyes and sat up, looking around for any sign of the shadow since her cover was blown anyway.

It's gone...

Thankfully, she didn't see it-

Lisanna yelped as she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and stumbled to her feet as she backed away from the shadow, sticking its torso out on the ground like it got stuck in a pipe. Her arms went in front of herself to brace for whatever the shadow would do before she heard a thin sound.

'Scratch' 'Scratch'

Lisanna quirked her ears at the sound, her confusion at not being attacked or eaten falling as she glanced at the shadow, her eyes wide as she saw it scribbling into the dirt.

Is it writing something?

Lisanna gulped as she cautiously lowered her hands, the bag of herbs still white-knuckled in her grip. She watched the shadow finish its message. The shadow lowered itself into the ground until only its blank head was poking out and staring at her as she read the letter with confusion, fascination, and a bit of wonder.

Hello, I am called Sho. Are you Lisanna?

Lisanna blinked, the bag nearly forgotten in her hands as her eyes widened, and she mumbled quietly, "...yes?"

She felt like lying to the polite shadow was a bad idea.

Vera started to wish he'd asked Sho for some of the emergency rations.

Where's their food...

Vera frowned as he closed another empty cabinet in the disgruntled kitchen. His nose twitched as dust billowed from the drawer as he stood and glanced around the small kitchen. Checking the fridge next, empty, go figure, and a few more places for food before he struck gold and found a few leftover cans in the back of the pantry.

"Better than nothing, I guess," Vera muttered as she took out the three cans of food that were the last of the Strauss family's food supply. His thoughts wandered as he got a bowl from one of the drawers that was partially empty so Elfman could get something in his system.

How long have they been living alone...

Vera absentmindedly got a bowl of beans for Elfman ready before walking back to the bedroom. His eyes glanced at the few decorations still hanging around the house, pictures and portraits of a family of five, with the mom and her three children sharing white hair while the dad and Elfman shared tanned skin.

It must have been a while.

Vera spared a few moments to look at the family portrait over the abandoned fireplace before walking to Elfman's room. His steps were quiet, and his thoughts less so as he finally got to Elfman's bedside to spoon-feed the sick Strauss family member beans with a side of nothing. "Here, open up and eat this."

Vera's words were ignored unsurprisingly, and Vera's mood dropped even further. A tired sigh escaped his lips as he sat Elfman up and pulled his jaw down, sliding in a spoonful of beans before shutting Elfman's agape mouth. Elfman's eyes were closed the entire time, sweat dripping down his forehead as he unconsciously gulped the first of many spoonfuls of food. "Good job."

An ungrateful groan was all Vera got in answer, but it was better than nothing. So Vera kept feeding Elfman food to get his body back in a better condition, all the while replaying the chain of events that led him to stumble upon this shitty situation and trying his best not to break the spoon in his hands with every passing second of understanding.

Daley didn't make this B class because it wouldn't have gotten approved.

Unlike everyone else in this backwater village, someone from the magic council would have realized they weren't dealing with demons. Daley might have been able to try it a year ago, but since the Magic Council banned assassination requests in January if word got around to the Magic Council that Daley put a hit out on mages, it wouldn't be left unpunished. Someone from the magic council would have called the rune knights to fine Daley, and the 'demons' would have been legally protected; that's why Daley made it C rank, to stop the chance of the 'demons' escaping.

Bastard...

Vera grits his teeth silently as he finishes feeding Elfman and lets him drink some water before returning to the kitchen. Vera washed the bowl before putting it away and heading towards the door, deciding that it was better to wait outside. He didn't know how long it would take Sho to find Lisanna, but he didn't want her first impression of him to be of a stranger who had broken into her house. Even if it was to take care of her brother, now that Elfman was stable, it was better to wait outside and not scare Lisanna when she arrived.

I'll have to ditch this job request.

It would look bad in Phantom Lord's record, and he'd have hell to pay from Jose when he returned, but it didn't matter. Vera took a request to kill demons, not the Strauss family.

If Sho hadn't warned me...

Vera clenched his fists as he thought of how he would break the news to the older man while keeping his temper in check. His eyes twitched as he grabbed the old door to the old cabin and opened it with a little more force than he meant to. His thoughts stalled as he saw the cloaked figure standing outside with wide blue eyes.

"Huh?"

Vera stiffened in surprise as he blinked, which was mirrored in the opposing expression. A belated understanding washed over him as he saw the tufts of white hair peaking out of the brown hood and traced the exhausted blue eyes that were laser-focused on the guild mark on his hand. The medical supplies in the figure's grip loosened until they fell to the floor in a clatter of noise like a warning shot of a pistol.

Shit...

Vera acted preemptively as he got his arm in front of his face, jumping back in an attempt to minimize damage as he saw the girl, as he saw Mira glare murder at him. Her voice came out in a protective hiss as she dashed at him and reared back her right, bandaged arm with sharp stalactite deformities sticking out in places, "STAY AWAY FROM US!"

Vera had numerous thoughts that passed by at that moment, most of which included how he was going to explain that he wasn't here to kill Mira's brother like she probably thought he was. There were a lot of thoughts, but they all fell away as she slammed her demonic fist into his arm, and he flew through the old wooden walls of the cabin. His arm throbbed with pain as he barreled into the surrounding forests and away from the Strauss family cabin.

Yeah...

Vera grunted as he flipped himself to his feet and slid to a halt, his eyes narrowing and breath forcibly controlled as he saw Mira jumping after him. The rage in her eyes was similar to that of a mother bear who found someone trying to hurt her cub, and the power in her fist was even harsher. Its destructive path was reminiscent of an axe aiming to split his head open.

If this is her first time fighting...

Mira's demonic fist was uncontrolled and untested; he could tell from how the air around it seemed to tremble erratically. She was new to magic, but even then, even as he calmly dodged it by a hair breath, utilizing all the spars he'd had with Siegrain, who was faster than her, and Jose, who was stronger, he could tell he would have to be cautious.

I can see why she reached S class so quickly.

Vera knew he'd have to be careful as he witnessed her fist impale the ground where he once stood like a sledgehammer; and it's impact echoed through the forests like thunder.

Mira knew she should have been quicker.

They found someone...

Mira knew she shouldn't have left her siblings alone for too long.

They found someone to kill us.

Mira felt her heart race at the thought, her breath quickening and her adrenaline racing as her nerves trembled on a knife's edge. Her mind raced as she pulled her deformed arm out of the ground. The flecks of dirt fell from her fist as her bandages fell off, revealing the dark skin that had been etched onto her arm. Her eyes wearily trained on the teen with black hair, red eyes, a white long-sleeved dress shirt with the sleeve she had hit in tatters, a red tie, and black pants that had come to kill her family, the one that looked to be her age if not a little older, yet to her it was the same as looking at a bad omen.

He's not scared...

Mira could tell from the moment she looked at him that he wasn't scared. She had seen all kinds of fear from all the villagers ever since she got this disgusting arm. Ever since she became the village monster and dragged her siblings along, she had learned to recognize the fear people looked at her with; that's why she could tell he wasn't scared when he first saw her, just surprised. She had caught him off guard with the first punch; the way he calmly dodged her second one was proof.

He's a real mage.

Mira was facing a real mage from an actual guild, she didn't know if she could win. The only thing she'd ever 'fought' was the monster that killed her parents, and even then, she had passed out and it had corrupted her. Infected her like all the villagers had said, turning her into a walking nightmare. She didn't know how to fight a mage; she'd never even met one before, much less one that had come with the sole intention of killing her and her family.

I can't let him get past me...

But she had to try.

I can't let him get to Elfman or Lisanna.

Mira didn't know what he had done inside the house, but thankfully, he hadn't found Elfman, who she'd seen sleeping as she ran through the hole in the wall. She also thought she saw Lisanna's footsteps going away from the house, which meant he hadn't found her, not yet. If Mira didn't beat him, he could go after Lisanna, return, and finish off Elfman, who was too weak to run. If Mira failed the mage would kill them all like the villagers wanted him to do.

I have to stop him.

Mira had no choice; it was her family, and she didn't have to think twice about it. She would knock him out, even if it killed her. She would do anything for her family, but her chances were thin enough as it was; that's why she couldn't let him breathe.

"Hey, this isn't-"

She jumped at him again like a rabid dog the second he opened his mouth, using her cursed arm for the only thing it was suitable for. All she needed was one good hit, and he wouldn't be able to get up again. Her fist was strong enough to punch trees in half; breaking bones would be easy in comparison.

I just have to hit him...

Mira gritted her teeth as she swung like crazy, the air trembling with each swing of her mutated arm and her eyes laced with desperation as she tried to hit the mage before her. Her breath grew heavier as the boy danced past every punch with practiced ease, never letting the demonic fist close to him while dodging any attacks she made with her human one. She felt like she was fighting quicksand as she watched him avoid every punch she threw, his eyes never wavering as he calmly let her try to hit him like he was letting her get her anger out.

"STOP MOVING!"

It was infuriating!

"I don't want to, though," The teen said with a slight smirk, prompting a growl from Mira, who reared her fist again and slammed it at his face in a desperate fury. Her eyes were wide as he kicked her knee with his shin, earning a wince from her and throwing her punch off course. Her mutated fist grazed past his cheek and into the tree behind him, breaking the tree in half with a snap that echoed through the forest. The boy dashed back with a thin trail of blood trailing down his cheek and again created distance between them, "Look, I'm not here to hurt you."

"YOU'RE LYING!"

Mira grabbed a nearby rock in her deformed hand and narrowed her eyes at the boy ducking in and out of the surrounding forestry. She wasn't dumb; she had already been worried when she saw the unclaimed job request while getting Elfman's medicine, but the one she saw in Ashanti sent ice into her veins. It was why she rushed back so quickly, running through the night to try and make it back as soon as possible, "I SAW THE FLIER!"

The stamp of Phantom Lord was on the flier to show that someone had accepted the request to kill her; that same stamp was on the boy's hand. He was here to kill her and her family, just like the villagers had said would happen time and time again, "YOU'RE HERE TO KILL US!"

Mira's eyes glinted dangerously as she saw the boy stiffen, taking her chance to throw the rock at terminal velocity. The boy barely ducked under it, a bit of his hair being clipped in the process as he ducked behind another tree, "Shit! Okay! Look, I can see how it looks bad, but-"

Mira didn't wait for him to finish talking; she charged and punched the tree he was hiding behind, punching a hole into the middle of it with a single swing to reveal the boy dashing to the side as the tree fell with a resounding crash.

"JUST LEAVE US ALONE!"

Mira's voice was desperate; her eyes were trembling, and her breath was ragged; she had been running all night and she was getting tired; she had to end it quickly. The more time she spent talking to the mage, the quicker she'd run out of steam, then she wouldn't be able to stop him. She wouldn't be able to protect her family.

"Hey..."

She wouldn't be able to-

"You don't know how to fight, do you?"

The boy's words were like thunder in her ears, her blood rushing to her head as she grits her teeth and grabs the leftover stump of the tree she had decapitated. With a furious roar, she pulled the stump out of the ground, the roots snapping under her grip as she threw it at the boy, who only cursed in surprise before ducking past another tree, letting the projectile barrel past him and deeper into the forest they had gathered to.

"Quick learner, though."

"SHUT UP!"

Mira growled as she charged at the boy again, her fist clenched and trembling as she closed the distance. Her eyes viciously trained on the boy, trying so hard to predict his next move that she didn't notice him dig his foot into the ground and kick up a cloud of dirt. Her eyes widened all too late as specks of dust and dirt hit her eyes, and she closed them on instinct and heard him speak with a sudden closeness, "Sorry about all this."

Mira swung blindly, squinting through dirt-stained vision and only hitting air before she felt a fist plant itself into the bottom of her jaw, her head snapping upwards from the force. Her head was ringing as she felt him grab her tainted arm and throw her over his shoulder, her breath escaping her in a pained gasp as her back was slammed against the ground. Stars flickered in her eyes as all the air in her lungs was liberated, and through ears that were still ringing from the uppercut and dulled with exhaustion that had finally caught up to her, she heard the boy mutter one last thing.

"I'd rather have this conversation when you're less likely to kill me."

Then, the sole of a shoe slammed into her nose with a resounding crunch, and darkness greeted her.

Vera only allowed himself to remove his foot and relax when he saw Mira slump into unconsciousness.

Finally...

Vera had initially wanted to let her tire herself out, but with how determined she was to break every bone in his body, that could've taken hours. Add that to the fact that she instinctively used more and more magic during the fight to try and beat him, a feat that was commendable but dangerous for new mages who didn't know their limits, and he decided to knock her out. The last thing he needed was Mira pushing her magic container past its limits and driving herself into magic exhaustion. Vera had been through that enough to know it was not a pleasant experience.

That would have been a mess...

Vera grimaced as he felt his arm pulse with pain, rolling up his torn sleeve to see the bruise that had covered all his tiny old scars.

Well, more of a mess.

It was a nasty purple and blue, swelled up so that he probably couldn't have rolled his sleeve back down even if it wasn't ruined. Thankfully, when he touched it, the damage seemed reserved for his muscles, not his bone. There might be a fracture or two, but that wasn't that bad; if Vera hadn't jumped back, it would have been worse, so he wouldn't complain.

"Seriously..."

He was a little impressed, if he was being honest.

"All this from one hit," Vera murmured as he let his arm fall to his side. The pain numbed with experience as he looked around at the surrounding trees that had been destroyed in Mira's rampage. A mirthful chuckle escaped his lips as he looked down at the unconscious 'demon' hidden behind a dirty brown cloak, her white hair splayed over her bloody, probably broken nose and bruised chin.

"That's insane..."

Vera huffed with a slight grin as he kneeled and moved her to his back, carrying her through the woods and towards the cabin they had wandered from during their fight.

"You're gonna be a monster one day, you know that?"

A snore was the only answer he got.