Chapter 1 DESERT TOWN, THE RUIN - PART 4

My sight slowly shifts attention back into the street, to the passersby.

I wonder. What does it mean to live?

Is what I’m doing also termed as living?

Am I even really what you call being alive?

This world doesn’t have that much to offer but people make due of what they have, but I only go where the wind carries.

I wonder. Do I have a purpose?

What would have become of me?

What would I have done to truly live?

Even now I wonder, do I have a true purpose aside from my current goals?

What would become of me if I did complete my goal?

Would I fade into the nothingness……?

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It didn’t take long for her to return with a plate of mashed grub; corn and bits of roaches sprinkled on it—something which is eaten almost anywhere—a piece of bread to the side, a piece of meat—from a monster—and a mug of ale.

If it were back in the past nearly every person would be disgusted with the bits of roaches. The food just looks squishy and had a nice smell to it but the smell from the roaches was just a bit foul for my nose, overpowering that of the scent of the potatoes.

Speaking of smells. The beautiful white haired girl before me to my right has such a sweet scent which overlapped the foul one coming from the roaches on my food. It wasn’t an odor from her own body, even though that too smelled good, but it was that of the perfume she wore.

“Would that be all?”

… It wouldn’t seem right to have her linger. No! It’s her job to linger. Before I even realized my head had gone down and given her gentle nod.

She turns walking away.

“Wait…”

She turns…

I point to the chair across my table.

“Sit.”

If there’s anything I clearly remember it’s being polite. It must have been hot-wired into my brain by those I cannot remember to be my Parents.

There’s hesitation in her eyes. She tears her sights from mine surveying the room. It’s still empty with only that man drinking to interfere.

Screech… She nervously pulls back the chair and practically forces herself to sit.

I slide the bowl to her.

“Eat.”

The girl becomes confuse looking at me with her blanched eyes.

But she must have guessed that something was up, places the tray on the table and gently takes the spoon to have a piece.

Even though that wasn’t the reason for me giving her my plate I can tell she was hungry… After all she’d been working all day. She may have thought I feared it being poisoned and wanted her to be the first to taste, but I have no worries of that. It wouldn’t affect me that much anyway. I’d just be slow for a few moments.

Rest my hands on the table.

I do have an ulterior motive for having to make her comfortable. I think it is customary to make someone feel comfortable before asking something of them, besides demons… This really isn’t me… still though…

She’s a lady.

After a couple of spoons she rests the wooden spoon to the side of the plate… but still it isn’t enough.

“Eat some more.”

She becomes a bit dazed.

Seconds in, the spoon was in her hand already taking another piece.

Talking isn’t my strong suit… but,

“I have a question for you. Will you answer…?”

She becomes slower.

… And now, how to ask the question.

I’m looking for an entity I did not remember; only that it was the black figure that I made the deal with… I doubt she’d know a shred about him—it’s absurd to think she would. How would she know of that?

Most people still know absolutely nothing about demons regardless of the knowledge of their existence. Meaning 90% of people knew nothing, names or whatsoever still believing they were myths. Only the 10% are either familiar with them or had great amount of information: a higher fraction of those people are as a result of them being around demons themselves and the other having to collected information from sources. I don’t blame the majority for not knowing though. Years have passed and people have forgotten, some have heard but considered them nothing more than made up stories.

I admit my interrogation skills are terrible especially to the normal people. So it would be easier to approach it differently.

“I need your help… I need information… You think you can help me with that?”

She lowers the spoon back unto the plate swallowing what she had in her mouth.

“I… If I can.”

She’s extremely nervous, yet looking calm.

“Tell me about this place?”

“… I don’t think there’s much to tell. It’s just home… I admit it’s not an ideal place but where is? People are bullied, we lose a few people to illnesses and most people here live poorly but it’s relatively safe.”

“Safe or relatively safe? From what exactly?”

Her heart races a little. There is uncertainty as she takes a moment to think about what to say.

“… Monsters… The sun… Everything.”

“… I see… How long have you been here?”

“All my life, I guess… My parents… They came across this place; I was just a kid then.”

“How is the town normally like? Anything odd?”

The place in itself has something most depressing. It didn’t matter if there were smiles, it just felt dull… Not to forget the rivaling stench of fear from most of the town’s people. They have a clue as to what really is going on in this place. If so then I doubt anyone would want to speak about it, especially to a stranger. But I can only try. Doing things forcefully is not my way, even though it would be faster. I could just go on a rampage slicing everyone up till I got my answers. But even if I did so would it be enough, would it have them speak? Wouldn’t I be freeing them from this world if it is what I think is going on here? I don’t care whether they live or die by my hands but… I’ll just go on the calm.

“It was mostly calm but with the flood of thugs and hunters it’s kinda loud… And I don’t believe so, nothing happens out of the ordinary… It’s just as you see, I guess… It’s a haven, and no one has any reason to leave…”

Nothing out of the ordinary, huh? I see no truth to that. There obviously is something here but maybe she’s honestly clueless.

“So I take it they weren’t here before?”

Yeah, it didn’t come to mind but every corner I looked I could see them. Why are there so many here? It doesn’t make sense why so many would be gathered at one place. Neither does this place seem to have any place of gathering for the likes of them… So…?

How do people even find places isolated like this?

“They were but not this much…”

“How long… have they been here?”

“A few of weeks… A month or so.”

So, why were they here? What’s really going on? … This has nothing to do with what I need. I’ll go straight for it then.

“I see… One last thing… Tell me who runs this place? I’m looking for someone and I think they can help.”

I know this much… There is a demon(s) in the ruin, somehow feeding on the people. And that demon could be of help. From here I can’t really tell how high of a powerful demon they are, so I can only assume.

“… I’m sorry, but I don’t know”

The look in her eyes leads me to believe she honestly didn’t know.

Suddenly, thud. I look to were the sound came from and I see the man with the Mohawk’s head on the table. The mug is still in his hand had also fallen flat on its side to the table, emptying out the ale and sliding down the side of the table onto the wooden floor. He had passed out slamming his head on the table from drinking all those booze…

Back at her—

Although she could also be lying in fear of what might happen to her or me. It’s true that I am able to tell if a person is lying but sometimes people are so good at lying that they are able to hold themselves steady without so much as a micro-movement. But…

Wait, I do smell a bit of fear on her. Her heart is pounding a lot faster now.

I am on to something here.

Her eyes in a split second shifts to the edge of their sockets towards the man who was sitting two tables ahead of us on the left and back to me. I don’t think she expected me to catch that.

There’s no hope in getting an answer from her if there is someone in the room.

Right now all I know is she’s lying… rather she’s scared.

… Or perhaps the man knows something about the person? Now that I think about it he’s unusually calm. It could be he has come into term with his fears or he does know something. I’ll have to have a word with him later.

Something just didn’t sit right with me. The place was a pile of rubble… Or am I just overthinking it?

Anyway, finding the demon that runs this place is a priority now, a step closer to finding the entity I’m looking for. I wasn’t any closer with the ones I’ve slain so far but maybe, this could be it.

I relax my back to the backrest…

Nothing is as it seems on the new earth.

It’s no secret that demons run places like this either to prey on residence in any way they can or just to entertain themselves. It’s darker than it sounds. You may see people happily living, oblivious about them in their towns, don’t think it’s a good thing because no matter how much of a haven it is they are under their spells and that is hell in its own way.

This place felt the same, they just didn’t know it. Maybe they did but there are consequences for speaking it out.

The mood around this place is unsettling. The stench of a demon lingers around every corner.

I stare deep into her eyes making her rather uncomfortable to even keep a straight eye at me…

In such a situation that would be all I can get from her. I don’t want to push it… Besides I can get information from someone else. The ones coming into mind being the man spying from behind the door and the one here. But the man here looks too passed out try getting something out of him, so later it is.

I sit the mug before her. She questions me with a dull look on her face— “Must I?”

…

She slowly grabs the mug by the handle and slowly takes a few gulps.

That been all I needed I grab the plate with what food left on it, the mug and leave for the stairs.

“By the way…”

My feet halt.

“The name’s Allora… Dalis” she said in a soft voice.

I turn my head a little to have a look at her. She’s still in her seat, facing away. She’s a bit calm now.

Awkward, I didn’t ask her name, like I care!? A part of me wants to brush her off and the other wants to say something—at least tell her my name, but I have not many recollections of who I am.

Continue on…

Up onto the stairs…

Something is fishy about the place and I can’t seem to let go of that feeling. My brain feels stressed as my mind tries to make sense of the dark energy over the town.

Well, enough of that. I’ll see what I can gather in the morning.

And maybe if I can find the demon in this place. He can help me find who I’m looking for.

In a dark room, the shimmering orange glow of the magic stone lanterns that decorated the walls slightly illuminating the conference room.

It looked untouched by the ages.

The silhouette of a figure was seated at the far end of the conference table—subtle dark fumes seeping out the sides from under his hood—eating from a large tray, a pile of which seems to body parts.

The doors on the opposite side, swung open.

A man—the one from the bar, with the Mohawk—stepped in and took to a knee, right hand to his chest and left behind him.

“Kein, sire. Sorry to intrude”

“What news do you bring?”

The figure spoke in a deep distorted voice that sounded like a thousand souls.

“There’s a hunter in town and he—”

“I know of whom you speak.”

“What do wish for me to do…? He seems to be already trying to find information about you. I am a little perplexed sire because there are no bounties on you and no one knows of your existence. So I suggest we remove him at once if we wish to keep it that way.”

“……”

The entity sat quietly obviously plunged into the world of thoughts and possibilities which we called the mind.

“No need…”

“… Sire?” The man with the Mohawk looked up realizing something. “…So he is the one.”

“Yes… Leave him be…”

“… Are you sure…? Should he make contact with him it might prove rather difficult of a task to realize your plans?” He stood hastely.

“Makes no difference, he should already be aware. For now at least, leave him be. Let him take our home all in… Have them ready.”

“As you wish”

“Leave.”

The man bowed his head then exited closing the door behind him.

The figure stood up slowly heading towards the glass window.

“Hunter, it has been so long. Come, make us whole… Tonight dream… Feed me.”

A childish voice of a girl giggled as the man in tattered black clad looked out into the night sky.

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