After lunch, the three of us headed for the training grounds since the large open area was perfect for me to spread my wings freely. Despite my short stature, I still had an almost three meter wingspan, so it was easy for me to hit something if I was not careful when I opened them.

I noticed Sylvia kept glancing up at Allison as we walked. It was probably her first time seeing a giant. Given their origin, they were surely not that common.

Once we arrived at our destination, I lifted my arms to Allison, who picked me up by the sides and held me up above her head. I was so high up it made me uncomfortable. I had hoped my acrophobia would disappear with my transformation.

Looking up at me, Allison asked, “Is everything all right, Nora?”

I closed my eyes to avoid looking down. “I’m fine, Allison. I’m not good with heights, that’s all.”

“Do you want to go down?”

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s not that bad. The position is what’s triggering it, mostly. I think it will be fine as long as you hold me firmly, and I keep my eyes closed.”

My hopes rested on getting over this fear as I improved. It all depended on the flight itself. If I felt safe enough, I was sure I’d be able to ignore the feeling and gradually get rid of it for good. The difficult part was getting to that point.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “Okay. Let’s begin.”

Feeling her grip tighten, my wings linked to my legs and flapped for the first time. I started slowly, trying my best to imitate the bat from the video. It was difficult to know if I was doing it right, so I could only rely on following what felt natural for me.

My technique kept changing until I felt myself getting pulled slightly forward. Taking it as a sign, I slowly increased the rhythm. After a few seconds, I could feel Allison struggling to keep me in place, so I made sure not to accelerate too quickly to avoid escaping her grasp.

Once I reached what I thought was the right speed, all that was left was finding out how much I could last like that. My limit came after merely ten minutes, after which I stopped.

“Done,” I said, breathing heavily. “Can you put me down, Allison?”

“Sure.”

My eyes finally opened when my feet touched the ground. “It might be easier than I thought. How did it feel for you?”

“Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t go all out at first, because you would’ve needed to learn how to fly a lot earlier. Those wings are strong!”

We both laughed, and I turned to look at Sylvia, who seemed distracted.

“Are you okay, Sylvia?” I asked as I walked up to her.

“Huh?” Snapping out of her trance, she replied, “Yes, I’m fine, Nora. Thanks.”

Yup, that’s convincing.

I wanted her to be more open with me, but I knew it was probably too soon for that. Having rested enough, Allison lifted me up for another round. We repeated the same thing two more times before I was completely exhausted. I assumed it was normal to tire so quickly since I had only started, but I still felt the need to consult with Anna. She did say my wings were strong enough for flight.

Having finished my physical training, it was time to focus on my magic. I looked at Sylvia once more to see how she was doing. This time, she was less distracted, and she even smiled at me.

“I’m going to practise controlling my mana, Sylvia.”

“Alright,” she responded.

“All I do is sit on the floor, so you don’t need to stay for this if you find that boring. We can take you back if you want to.”

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t mind. I’d like to stay if it’s okay with you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You seemed uncomfortable a while ago.”

“Yes... I was thinking about what you said earlier. I miss Jude, and I can’t say it’ll be easy to forget about him, but I’m willing to change for the sake of my baby. Watching you helps me, I think. It’s hard to explain.”

I smiled. I had my doubts about her answer, but I preferred to think these were her true feelings. “I’m glad to hear that. Just let us know if you need anything, okay?”

She nodded, and I walked a few meters away before sitting on the ground as always. Honestly, I was having trouble concentrating with her watching, but I couldn’t let her know that. It didn’t want to make her feel unwanted after she showed interest.

At that moment, Allison sat by her side and started talking to her instead of joining me. I was getting the feeling that it was because of things like this that she had yet to feel anything during her training. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone told me she spent most of last week observing us instead of concentrating. Still, I was grateful to her. She was keeping Sylvia busy. Because of that, I could finally get started.

Thanks to my recent improvements, I could listen to fragments of their conversation at the same time I worked on the flow. From what I picked up, Sylvia confirmed that she was thirty years old, which placed her exactly between Anna and Allison. She was from Kelpont, the neighbouring city, and the same place where the vampiress was killed.

I wonder if she met her.

It’s probably best not to mention it, though.

The topic then drifted to Sylvia’s baby. I didn’t want to eavesdrop on them so much, but I believed she was keeping some things from me. I didn’t know if she didn’t want to offend me as a demon, even though it hadn’t been that long since I became one. Maybe I was overthinking it. Whichever it was, I focused on listening.

“I’m just worried this virus might do something to either of us. What if there’s a complication? Or maybe I’m the only one who turns? Will people accept us? I don’t want my child to suffer from discrimination because of my fault.”

“First of all, don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault this happened. Now, I say this from my own experience, but I don’t think the virus would do anything bad. I like to think it’s the work of the gods, you know. Because of that, I believe it can fix any problem either of you may have. No, I’m sure it will! And who cares if a few people don’t like you? It’s something we can’t avoid, human or not. We’ll be fine as long as we help each other out, don’t you think?”

The gods, huh?

In the past, if someone ever told me the gods were responsible for anything that happened, I wouldn’t have taken them seriously. I stopped believing in such things long ago, after all. Now, I wasn’t so sure. Since magic was real, the existence of gods wasn’t that crazy to me anymore.

That said, I still couldn’t bring myself to believe in the Erelian Gods most people did. It was impossible thanks to an already old documentary series my family and I watched years ago. In them, they proved Eeyar and Cyana Uldeos did exist at some point.

They were royals, heirs to the Throne of Uldain, which was the most powerful kingdom of its time. Both siblings had a great influence on the world, but that was it. There was nothing holy about them. They were considered heroes for bringing world peace by uniting all kingdoms into a single government 600 years ago, effectively stopping the first, and thankfully only, world war. A happy ending straight out of a fairy tale, right?

As if. Apparently, both of them died long before the war came to an end. Not only that, but studies actually revealed that it was none other than Eeyar himself who started the Great War, and that his actual goal was nothing but revenge on the kingdoms responsible for poisoning his sister. Whichever was the truth, it was a fact that this war brought peace and prosperity. It also initiated a huge technological boom which, in turn, marked the beginning of the New Era.

Back to the legend, it is said that once there was peace throughout the land, their bodies rose from their graves and turned into light as they ascended to the heavens, where they defeated the ancient evil gods and took their place as the overseers of our world.

A group of historians eventually found their remains, still in their graves like they were supposed to. Shortly after that, they were put on display in Eredel’s Museum of Anthropology, as this was the capital of our new government, and also where their movement and religion began.

Many refused to accept it, and some even claimed that it was nothing but the work of heretics under the influence of demons, creatures at the service of the ancient gods, and whose only desire was to lead humanity back into the darkness. Yes, and now I was one of those spawns from hell. In name, at least.

I didn’t know Allison was religious.

Sure, we haven’t known each other for that long, but why was she so friendly to me from the start?

Ignoring the colours of my skin, I look just like a demon from mythology.

I must ask her later, though. If I do it now, they’ll know I’ve been listening.

On that thought, I focused on their conversation once more. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like I missed too much.

“That’s normal. It means you care. I would be more concerned if you didn’t worry at all. Still, those are all things you have no control of. Rather than that, work on what you can do for your baby right now.”

“I’ll try… Thanks, Allison.”

“That’s better! I envy you, you know. I’ll never get that opportunity after all.”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone-”

“No, I physically can’t. I’m infertile.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I accepted it long ago. I had no chance at finding a partner, anyway.”

“I’m not sure I can believe that.”

“Oh, you have no idea. Gigantism can be cruel. If the height didn’t intimidate them, my face finished the job. I may look like this to you, but this face of mine is something new. That’s why I think it can only be work from a higher being.”

“I see. But if that’s the case, why wouldn’t it fix you internally as well?”

“...”

“You don’t know for sure, do you?”

I fought to remain quiet, but that only made me laugh even louder when I finally lost it. Regaining control of myself, I opened my eyes to see both of them staring at me.

“How much did you hear, little one?” Allison finally asked.

Looking away, I replied, “N-not much, really.”

She smirked at me with her arms crossed. “Uh-huh.”

I looked at Sylvia in search for any signs of hostility, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her expression only showed amusement.

Giving up to Allison’s persistent gaze, I sighed. “Okay, most of it. It’s not my fault my hearing is so good.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Well, I guess that makes things easier now. Do you know if the virus can really cure something like this?”

I shook my head. “We’ll need to ask Anna or Dr. Blake. All I know is that it kills most viruses and bacteria that may endanger the host, and I’m aware of what it did for your appearance. Based on that alone, I think it should.”

Anna would surely come for her daily shooting practice soon, so we agreed to wait for her. Meanwhile, I sat back and worked on my goal once more. She showed up an hour later, and we immediately walked to her whilst she opened the storage shack to grab her equipment. Lily was not with her, so she was probably with Dr. Blake.

As we walked, I took my chance to ask, “Say, Allison. Why were you so kind to me when you met me?”

She looked down at me and tilted her head. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. Isn’t it natural?”

“Aren’t you religious, though? I told you I was a demon, and you didn’t mind it.”

She chuckled. “Well, you did explain it wasn’t always like that. Even if you didn’t, I don’t think it would’ve been a problem. It’s true that I believe in the existence of gods, but the divines I believe in aren’t like Eeyar or Cyana. You could say it’s my personal belief. I don’t really have names for them. It’s enough for me to think there are higher beings taking care of us. I don’t think we’re here by chance.”

I hummed as I processed her words. “I see. People tend to side with the siblings or choose not to believe in anything. I should’ve expected other points of view to exist.”

Our conversation ended when we reached the shack. Anna was still inside, adjusting the string of a dark recurve bow I hadn’t seen before. “How was your first flight training, Nora? Any progress?” she asked when she heard us step inside.

I nodded. “It was good. Easier than I thought.”

“Glad to hear that. You’re the youngest demon to attempt it, so I was wondering if you would have any trouble at first.”

When we walked out of the shack, Allison tapped Anna’s shoulder to get her attention. “There’s something I’d like to ask you. It’s regarding the virus.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Do you know if it cured my infertility?”

Anna grimaced, and her ears dropped slightly. “I’ll be honest with you. I have no idea. We can run a few tests if you want, but I’m afraid that, even if they show positive results, we can’t tell for sure. You see, no females other than metahumans and wildlings are ovulating at all. Elves don’t even have any eggs formed, so it’s not looking good.”

Wildlings?

“Sylvia’s pregnancy was great news in that regard since we think she might be the key to solving the problem. That said, since she was already like that before the infection, we can’t really celebrate yet.”

Sylvia looked down at her abdomen and placed a hand over it. “Will my baby be fine then?”

Anna gave her a reassuring smile. “Given the special treatment the MAV seems to give you both, I’m sure it will be fine. Just take care of yourself.”

“If you knew all this, why didn’t you tell us before?” Allison asked.

“Because there was no point in worrying you. There are too many unknowns to give you a solid answer. If it helps, we believe some races like demons and giants will merely have different cycles. Time will tell if we’re right.”

“I see…” Allison pressed her lips before speaking again. “Please, let me know if something changes. It’s important to me.”

“Will do.”

We returned to our training after that. While meditating, I evaluated my progress. It had been a while since I started, and I already had a decent control of it. There was no need to focus solely on it now, but anything too distracting was still a problem. I wanted to be able to cast spells while moving, so I decided to focus on polishing my manipulation first. Attempting to fix that issue, I opened my eyes and tried to keep my flow stable. Allison and Sylvia smiled and waved at me.

Come and train, you lazy giant!

I giggled and waved back before looking around. The sky was already turning red, so I didn’t have much time left. Looking at the shooting range, Anna had already locked the shack and was walking our way when Lily came flying into the clearing and said something to her ear.

They were too far for me to hear anything, but whatever it was, it seemed urgent. They rushed back to the building without us. Realizing the flow of my mana stopped at some point, I called it a day, and we went back too, albeit at a more sedate pace because of Sylvia’s wheelchair. It certainly lacked in the speed department.

__________

I looked for Anna when we arrived, but I couldn’t find her. In fact, other than the three of us, the place looked empty. Leaving Allison and Sylvia at the cafeteria, I ran upstairs hoping to find somebody.

No luck. Aside from Connor, who was still unconscious in his room, nobody was here either. I tried sending them a message, unsuccessfully. I was already panicking at the thought of something bad happening to them when I found Lily on my way back. She flew to me when she saw me.

“Hey, Lily. Where’s everyone?”

Landing on my shoulder, she whispered into my ear, “They’re having an emergency meeting downstairs. Anna said she wants you to go to her room after dinner. There’s something important she needs to tell you, but she doesn’t want Sylvia to hear it.”

“Can’t you tell me now? And why are you whispering? We’re still far from the cafeteria.”

“Sorry,” She said, raising her voice to a normal volume. “All I know is that there was an accident in another investigation centre.”

If she doesn’t want Sylvia to know, does it have something to do with demons?

Did someone else go feral like me?

Wait, why does that include all members of the staff?

Are they warning them not to anger me?

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, sorry about that. Thanks for telling me, Lily. Any idea of when they’ll finish? We can’t have dinner if the kitchen staff is not there.”

“Nope, I think they forgot about it. Do you think you can cook something? You said it was your hobby, right?”

I frowned at the idea. “I’d rather not, the stove is too high for me. I don’t want to risk setting the place on fire. If someone could take care of that, it wouldn’t be a problem, but Allison won’t fit comfortably in the kitchen, and Sylvia will have the same problem as me on her wheelchair.”

That wasn’t the only reason. I wouldn’t say it, but I was still inexperienced when cooking in large quantities. Doing it for myself or my family was fine, but the bigger the amount I needed to cook, the easier it was for me to ruin it, and Allison alone needed the equivalent of eight people. I didn’t want to embarrass myself if something tasted bad.

Lily placed a hand on her stomach in response. I could swear I heard the grumble. “Can’t you at least try? I’m starving”

That’s right, she needs to eat frequently.

“Don’t they have bread or anything you can snack on while we wait?”

She shook her head. “I already checked. There’s only raw veggies, and I’m tired of those.”

I sighed heavily. “I suppose I can try making vegetable soup. That should be simple enough. Are you fine with that?”

“Yes! Anything but raw veggies!”

Once we arrived at the cafeteria, I let both Allison and Sylvia know of our decision. “Hey, Lily and I are a bit hungry already. Everyone else is in a meeting, and we don’t know when they’ll come out. If you’re fine with it, I could try to make some soup so the four of us won’t have to wait.”

Allison looked at me in concern. “I don’t know, little one. It’s not that I doubt you can...”

I sighed. “I know, I know. Accidents can happen.”

“It should be fine if I help, right?” Sylvia interjected.

We looked at her in surprise, although Allison’s expression was still doubtful.

Sylvia smiled at her. “Oh, don’t worry, Allison. They told me to rest as much as I can, not that I can’t move at all. I’ll remain seated for most of the prep work, anyway.”

Allison crossed her arms and pondered on it. She relaxed and spoke again. “Okay, I guess it’s fine. I’m a bit hungry, too.”

With Allison’s approval, we walked into the kitchen and prepared the soup. As promised, Sylvia only stood up to handle the pot and stir occasionally. Once ready, we all sat to eat whilst we waited for the meeting to end. At least the soup was good enough.

_________

It was almost midnight, and there were no signs of anyone coming out yet. Whatever their topic was, it kept them busy way longer than I expected. Feeling sleepy, everyone retired to their respective rooms. I couldn’t go to sleep yet, though. I wished Sylvia a good night and walked past my room towards Anna’s to wait for her there.

The door was locked, so I sat on the floor and worked on controlling my mana some more. Same as before, I tried to keep my eyes open while looking around. It was quite boring compared to the forest, though. There was nothing to distract me in the hall. I then tried to stand up without losing control.

Success!

I could keep the flow steady while moving slowly. I was glad my efforts were finally paying off, even if it wasn’t as fast as with the others. Satisfied, I looked through the window to see if I could spot anything interesting. The first thing I noticed was how good my night vision really was. Other than a few trips to the bathroom at night, this was the first time I actually tested it. It wasn’t the same as during the day, but I could still identify colours and shapes with ease. The forest looked more beautiful now for some reason, and it would’ve probably been even better if I turned the hallway’s lights off.

A light tapping on my shoulder made me turn. “Sorry to make you wait, Nora.” Anna’s face was pale, and her ears were low. It wasn’t a good sign.

Finally stopping the flow of mana, I replied, “No problem, I understand.”

I followed Anna into her room and took a seat at her table whilst she closed the door and locked it. She sat across from me. Her grim expression hadn’t changed. “I have terrible news. The research center located in Kelpont City was destroyed.”

My eyes widened in fear. “How?”

“An explosion. Somehow, an angry group of ‘monster hunters’ found out about the place and decided to eliminate the ‘threat’ before it became a problem. They don’t know how they got their hands on them, but they told us the group was fully armed with explosives and two handguns. We think someone leaked the location, and Sylvia’s ex-fiancé is among the suspects.”

No wonder Anna doesn’t want Sylvia to know.

“Do you think he did it?”

She shrugged. “Anyone could’ve done it.”

“Any survivors?”

Anna shook her head. “Not that we know of. We can only hope.”

“What about us then?”

She took a deep breath, giving me a heads up of what was coming. “Well, to begin with, the government will have to reveal the truth if they want to prevent another attack from happening. It probably won’t stop everyone, so they need to make sure we’ll be safe before they do. They managed to capture or kill every single one of the attackers. Those who lived were be accused of terrorism and imprisoned without the chance for visitors, so the secret is still safe for now. That said, they can’t do much if those people notified others of what they were doing. For now, they’re going to investigate them thoroughly and take care of any potential leak. They requested Jack to help them since psychic magic users make things easier. Let’s hope for the best, but I’ll be honest with you, Nora. It’s not looking good for us, especially your race. The same goes for many other races like vampires and Ikroth.”

“Yeah, thought so... What’s an eek-ur-”

“Ikroth. Fancy name for lizard people,” she answered.

“Oh, so they get that while they named us after the embodiment of evil. That’s great!” I yelled.

Anna quickly stood and covered my mouth. “Hey, quiet! I understand you’re upset, but there’s no reason to react like that! Do you want everyone to hear us!?”

She’s right.

I regained my composure before gently pulling her hand away. “Sorry. Was it really necessary to name us demons, though? It only makes things more difficult now that everyone’s on edge.”

Seeing I was back to normal, she stroked my head briefly and answered. “To be honest, I don’t think it would’ve made a difference. You look too much like the actual thing. People would’ve called you a demon, anyway. We thought it was a better idea to lessen the burden by using the name in a positive way before you were exposed to the world again.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, I doubt that it will be enough now.”