-CHAPTER 2-

He woke up from the nightmare and he’s screaming and crying then shinyu rushed to akuma’s room and opened the door saying:

“Akuma!! Akuma!! are you okay? I heard you screaming!”

Akuma rushed to the door then hugged shinyu while crying.

“I’m so glad you’re okay” his tears won’t stop

“Hey hey, we’re okay It was all just a dream no need to worry”

“B-but yuna,mai and yuki? Are they okay?”

“Yes yes I’m pretty sure they are, so calm down now everything is all right”

He smiled at me.

So it was all a dream! Why does it feel like it was real… I’m trembling with fear.

“I-I’m okay okay now, it was a nightmare, I’m sorry I startled you again”

“Phew I thought something really happened right now”

“I’m so sorry”

“Nah it’s okay, come now lets eat”

“okay”

We head down and eat breakfast.

While heading downstairs I saw mai looking at me and said.

”Good morning mister!!”

He remembered what happened on mai in his nightmare and then he hugged here

“Good morning mai! From now on call me akuma”

“akuma?”

“Yes that’s my name” I smiled at her.

“okay brother!”

B-brother? Nevermind at least she didn’t call me mister though Ha-ha this kid is so adorable.

I need to forgot about that nightmare it’s really bad so I need to forget it.

“I guess that works ha-ha-ha , come now let’s eat”

“Yes yes brother”

What? She added brother now, well I guess I can’t help it, besides I don’t have younger sibling in my past life so this will do.

While we are eating , mai ask me a favor.

“Hey brother! Can we play ?”

“Play? Uhm.. sure after we eat let’s play!”

“yay!! father!! brother and me will play!!”

“Oh that’s good for you just be careful okay?”

Shinyu replied to mai.

“Hey akuma, take care of my daughter while I’m gone okay?

“huh? Where are you going?”

“Well I got duty today”

“duty? What is your job exactly?”

“I’m one of the guards , I guess I haven’t said it to you since we met Ha ha ha”

This man… is just unbelievable.

“Oh I see I thought You’re just a delivery boy”

“Don’t be silly, well then I’ll take my leave, bye bye!!”

“Bye father!!” mai replied.

And then shinyu left.

“come brother let’s play!!”

Oh shit I forgot I got a job today… uhmm hmmm, maybe I’ll take a day off I’ll just head to the inn to tell them.

“Okay come let’s go to the town, I’ll buy you food”

“really brother?”

“yes, yes”

Then I approached Yuna.

“Uhm. Can I take mai in the town? She really wants to play to me but I got a job so I’m going to the inn to tell the manager, so I plan to take mai and buy her some sweets while we’re there.

“Oh , I see , that’s a nice idea since it’s been long since we don’t have someone to take care of the house, well then you can go”

“Thank you,I promise you I’ll take care of mai”

After asking Yuna for permission me and mai left the house.

“are you happy mai?”

“yes brother!”

While we are walking mai is looking all over the place while she held my hand

She’s very happy, I can see it in her face, I got 10 silver coins I wonder what can I buy her, I promised her sweets oh my I hope this is enough to buy her something.

After walking we reached the inn.

“There’s someone I need to talk to so lets stop here for a minute, is that okay?”

“yes brother!”

As we entered the inn, Yuki and the manager saw me with mai.

“Oh my who’s the cute one?”

The manager said.

“Cute? Of course that’s me manager! Ha-ha-ha!”

“don’t make me laugh akuma I’m talking about the kid”

“Hey don’t be so harsh I’m just kidding”

After hearing that Mai laughed at me.

“Hey mai come one I’m just kidding”

“I know brother”

“brother? So you had younger sibling?”

“oh no this is shinyu’s daughter mai”

“Oh its been so long since I’ve seen her, I’ve seen her the day she was born when shinyu invited us to eat in their house”

“Oh I see, by the way manager I think I’m getting a day off today because mai want’s to play and I’m taking care of her today”

“Oh sure it’s nothing Just enjoy this day with mai”

“Yes!!! brother will buy me food at the market!!”

“Yes yes, come now lets go get some food for you”

“Yay!!”

“Well then I gotta go manager”

“Okay enjoy!”

“Bye bye!!” mai said.

After leaving the inn we head to the market to buy some foods, after seeing some foods, mai started to point every food she wants.

“Brother I want this , what’s this?”

“Oh this? These are bat wings they’re delicious, want some young lady?” the merchant said.

Oh my bat wings? Is that even edible? Anyway she’s the one eating it not me though.

“Yes! Two please!!!”

“wait?! two?”

“yes brother! One for and one for you”

She said that while smiling, I guess I can’t say no.

“how much?”

“That will be 1 copper”

Woah it’s pretty cheap though.

“Here brother!”

She gave me the bat wings, I feel like throwing up.

“What’s the matter brother? You don’t like it?”

“oh no no no this one is my favorite!”

She’s staring at me, seems like she want to see me eating this, o-okay one, two three! Then I took a bite, This tastes like, oh my I feel the bones, it’s like chicken but it’s too thin and the bones are so brittle ,you can even eat it.

“mmm.. so delicious, Now it eat mai before it get’s cold”

“Yes! Brother thank you”

She smiled And then she ate it without hesitation we go to every food stalls she wants and ate I can she that she is now very happy ,I’m so happy having a little sister like her, even we’re not related by blood but still I want to protect those smile, like yuki.

“It seem like you’re already full huh?”

“ahhh brother I want to eat more!!”

“You’re full now , you may get stomach ache it’ll be painful It’s already late we should probably get home, we will eat those again next time we play okay?”

“Okay!! That’s a promise!!!”

“yes it’s a promise!”

After eating and having fun at the town, mai fell asleep so I decided to let her sleep at my back while carrying her back to the house, I wish day’s like this lasts forever, I’ve never been so happy like this since my past life is full of unluckiness. then we reached the house I saw shinyu entering.

“Oh shinyu just in time huh?”

“oh he--”

“shh… she’s tired playing and eating”

“Oh I see let’s head inside so she can rest”

We head inside and gave mai to shinyu and then he take her to her room to sleep

“She seems to be happy, she’s smiling while sleeping” Yuna said.

“oh yeah she’s a jolly one also loves to eat”

“Oh my , yes I’m sorry she troubled you”

“Oh no it’s okay, I’m happy I spent my day with her”

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter today akuma” Shinyu said.

“It’s no big deal besides I made a promise that we will go to town again”

“That girl, ever since you came here she’s been like that ,she really likes you”

“Yeah I’m so happy about that”

“Well then come let’s eat”

And then we eat and I told them what happened.

It seems that they’re happy for their daughter.

I head back to my room as usual, but still something is bothering me, the nightmare I had, damn it! It’s just a dream but I felt it was real! Argh! I should forget about it besides angels can’t find us here so there’s no problem I should go to sleep.

And then akuma fell asleep.

“akuma!!”

Someone called me with a harsh voice and then I opened my eyes.

I saw seven demons circling around me.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“You will know very very soon”

And then the voices fades and I woke up.

Damn it, another dream who are those?! ah shit I don’t know what’s happening anymore.

After waking up it’s already day so I head downstairs to eat breakfast.

“oh hey you’re early today” shinyu said.

“Yeah I had another nightmare”

“That’s too bad, here maybe you’re just hungry come on eat up”

“oh yeah thanks”

After eating I go to the inn.

“Oh hey!”

Yuki approached me as I enter the inn.

“You looked pale, what happened?”

“nah! it’s just I’m having nightmares lately”

“what kind of nightmares?”

“it’s about demons and stuffs”

Damn it , I can’t say that I dreamed about them and dead demons and a burning town.

”well then ill go clean the rooms now”

“O-okay I’ll head back to the kitchen”

And then I go back to my daily routine, cleaning the room.

After I cleaned all the rooms The manager called me.

“hey akuma!”

“yes manager?”

“we’re low of magma rocks can you get me some? Shinyu is getting today so maybe you can go with him. He’s a the blacksmiths go hurry”

“Okay manager”

I ran and head to blacksmith and I saw shinyu riding on a cart and ready to leave.

“Oh Akuma I never thought Lou will ask you to get some magma rocks huh”

“well, I’m the only guys in there so they got no choice”

“By the way why are you in this cart again?”

“Well the blacksmith want’s me to get some magma rocks again”

“Oh I see that’s why”

“come now we should get going there may be monsters so here”

Shinyu gave me a sword.

“wait up, I don’t know how to use this!”

“when monsters showed up, just swing it ha-ha-ha-ha!” he laughed mockingly

Is he mocking me?! grrr.

“Okay!!! we’re leaving now!! hiyah!!”

And then we left the town while we are traveling I asked shinyu.

“Hey why is your horn broken?”

“Huh? Oh this? Well it’s a long story but, an incident happened 15 years ago”

-FLASHBACK-

“Hey shinyu we’re running low on magma rocks Go get some in the blacksmith”

Shinyu’s mother asked him to get some.

“Oh , okay okay”

And then I head to the towns blacksmith.

“Hello! Do you still have magma rocks? I want to buy some”

“Magma rocks? Oh I’m sorry I don’t have a stock right now and also I can’t leave and get some because there are too many swords I’m making.”

“Oh , that’s too bad”

And then I think something I thought was great.

“What if! What if!! I get some magma rocks for you! But in exchange you will give me for free!”

“What?!”

The blacksmith think about it thoroughly.

“Hmmmm… I guess it’s not the bad, Okay I’ll lend you my cart and the containers but remember! If you see some monsters forget about the rocks and leave immediately I don’t want something happen to you okay?!”

“Okay!! roger that!”

A moment after someone came in the blacksmiths house.

“Good morning! Do you have have magma rocks?”

“Waaaaaah!!! RYU!!!!!!”

I shouted his name and he was shocked seeing me.

“what the fu--?!”

“so you are buying some magma rocks too huh?”

“what do you mean *too*”?

“Well as you can see the blacksmith ran out of stocks and he can’t leave so I proposed a deal that I will get some outside the town in exchange for giving me some for free!”

“What?!!! are you crazy!! there are monsters around there you know it right!?”

“Yes I know it , I can fight though and also, you’re here too so why not come with me? Two is better than one right? Right? Right? He-he-he-he”

“Oh no no no no I won’t I think I just find another seller in town bye!!”

“Hey wait!”

The blacksmith said.

“What this kid said was right”

“huh? What’s right about that?”

ryu replied.

“Well I want you to come with him, you want magma rocks right? If you come with him I’ll give you some for free besides as he said, two is better than one ”

“Come on now ryu! You don’t want to make your best friend alone right?”

Tch we really need magma rocks right now but it’s too dangerous and besides shinyu doesn’t even know how to fight properly what if something happen, argh!!! damn it! Why is it always like this!

“Okay! Fine I’ll tag along!”

“Oh ho!!! that’s my best friend!”

“Please stop yelling about best friend”

“ohhh aren’t we? Aren’t we???! Okay! Come now lets get some magma rocks!!!”

We took the cart and left the village.

“the nearest lava river Isn’t that far so we will stop there and get some” ryu said.

“Huh!? I want to go further! It’s been so long since I come out in the village!”

“are you stupid?! there are monsters! How many time I have to tell you?!”

“Okay okay just chill”

And then we reached the nearest lava river, we go down with the containers and get some rocks but in order to pick up the rocks we can’t use our bare hands so instead we use magic.

Ryu and shinyu started to cast a magic.

“LEVITATE!”

Levitate- a magic that lets you float objects in the air and control it according to your will.

The rock started to float and then they put it in the container one by one.

But while we are Getting the rocks ryu noticed that something is watching us

“Hey shinyu, let’s get out of here”

“Huh? Why? It’s too early, besides we only got a one full container we need to full the other 3 containers!”

“Just forget about it! Come on let get back to the cart and leave!”

And then after that I heard a heavy footsteps behind our back, and when we turn around, we saw a Feral.

Feral- A Dog like monster in the underworld that casts fireball magic it’s about a size of a demon.

“Oh no it’s a feral! Go Run shinyu “

“But what about you?”

”I’ll follow you I will buy you some time to run”

“O-okay”

I ran towards the cart while shinyu is having a battle with the feral

“ah damn it, I know this will happen!”

Ryu looked at the magma rocks and made some plan and then he attacked

“Levitate!”

Ryu made the rocks levitate and to attack it , the feral took the hit but ryu knows it’s not that effective while the feral took the hit and wrapped up in smoke ryu took advantage and make a run to the cart--

but unfortunately ferals does have incredible sense of smell it already smelled ryu running away even it is wrapped in smoke, ryu didn’t realize that the feral made a move to chase him and then when he looked back he saw the feral jumped on him ready to bite--

but then the feral stopped and when he looked back again he saw shinyu impaled the feral with his horns , the horns reached the heart of the feral leading it to death while shinyu’s face full of blood and when when ryu looked near he saw that shinyu’s horn was cracked and broken because the feral was too heavy to for the horns to carry, so he pulled shinyu out of the feral’s body and said:

“You idiot! Why would you do that!? I said go in the cart and wait me!”

“Heh! W-well I can’t leave my best friend just like that”

“you always do stupid things like that!”

“that’s why we’re best friends after all!”

And then we head back to the town with only 1 container of magma rocks.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

“See that’s why it’s cracked like that”

“I bet that hurts”

“Oh it hurts ,it’s like t---”

“Please don’t say anything about that”

“eh? Why not?”

“just don’t!”

“ha-ha-ha okay then!, oh we’re here!”

And then we reached the lava river and gathered some magma rocks.

“hey , why does it called magma rocks when you can find it outside the volcano?”

“well magma rocks formed inside the volcanoes so when magma flows out the volcano the rocks also come out that’s why they are flowing in the river”

“oh I see , that’s why”

A moment after getting magma rocks.

“Phew, I think that’s enough we gathered so much”

“yeah and also the sun is setting we should probably head home”

And then we start heading back to town with the rocks.

“when I get my pay with these rocks, I’ll buy mai some food specially the one she likes”

“well, she will be happy then”

“you really love her huh?”

“I love them both, they give me reason to live”

“Yeah”

And then after talking while traveling, we saw a huge smoke ahead of us,

we became curious and we rushed towards the smoke and when we reached it We are shocked of what we saw, the town is burning and the guards at the gate are dead.

“W-W-What is happening!? don’t tell me the nightmare is really Going to happen?!” akuma said it with a soft voice.

“Mai!! Yuna!!!” shinyu screamed.

And then shinyu rushed towards the burning town worried about his family…