Roxy's POV
"Not a word goes out." I said, tears lingering. Cyrus smirked, his blade weighing him down on the mushy soil. But hey, he leaves no footprints for some reason.
"Not a soul will know. Now...go find your story, Roxy. Your dad is eager to talk to you." His voice started fading with him. Into the woods, he disappeared. Back into the people of the village, where he was accused for...
Well, I will deal with them later.
Dad is waiting.
"Dad...I can feel you. I can't hear you yet. Where...where are you? Where is everyone?"
I have been curious ever since. Where did everyone go?
Where was Hell?
"My child..."
That deep, sonorous voice of my father wet my tears once again. My lips wobbled. After a long, long time, I felt like a child again. His child.
"I'm sorry, my dearest. But Hell...does not exist anymore. I don't exist anymore."
...WHAT!?
"BUT I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR SO LONG!! I THOUGHT I LOST MY WAY HOME, DAD!!" I screamed Into the woods, scaring the living and the dead around.
"NO! NO! NO!!!" My blood curdling screams...they tore everything open.
Was that why I landed on Earth than go back home to HELL!? THE CELESTIALS RUINED EVERYTHING!!!
Then...Dad told me everything about what happened. What truly happened. It was a heartbreaking revelation. And...And...I couldn't blame anyone.
"Remember the times I used to sing about the end of my reign, kid?" He chuckled,
"I hated that song..." I muttered, wiping my tears, smiling nonetheless.
"Everything, everyone, has an end. You will too, Roxy. Jikun did too. My lovely, lovely little devils..." his voice sobbed. My grief was immense. So immense, I started feeling human.
"I will do whatever I can to make my life meaningful, Dad. This human...I gotta learn from...he's stronger than me. I'm gonna stick by his side." I said, like a daughter chatting to her father casually. Cyrus was mentioned, and my dad's voice faltered a bit.
"He's someone we both know, don't you think?"
And that...made me raise my head.
If it's really true...is Cyrus really...SIJNA...?
"It's time, Roxy..." his voice was filled with grief, "I have given only this much to the Shifter. When it finds you, it shall narrate me. It did it's duty. And now...we both fade."
"Please don't go...please..."
I never, ever begged anyone in my life. But now...I felt like I had to beg the Creator for some more time...
"I'm sorry, Roxy. I'm so, so sorry..."
His voice kept fading, apologizing until I could hear the faintest breath of air end with him.
I looked at the decomposing corpse of the Shifter. It was...gone.
And I returned to the villagers. A new headache at hand.
My brows furrowed at the people who kept shoving Cyrus's shoulder. They screamed at him—he remained quiet, calm, composed.
"Stop shoving him!" I screamed back at them, putting myself between. I knew why they were angry.
"HE RUINED EVERYTHING! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER'S MISSION! A SINGLE PERSON!" They screamed.
"He...he helped me...don't you have shame!?" I screamed. The air felt dense under their ungrateful pressure. So what if I got some bloody help!? Cyrus was just trying to save me! While everyone sat ducks, the man actually followed me, analyzed the situation I was trapped in, saved me!
I shook my head, "This clan has always been ungrateful. No wonder you've been cursed with this Shifter. Let's go."
Simple as that. We were leaving.
At the compound wall of this stupid village, I watched how Akira was glancing at the clan.
"I...I'm sorry, Akira. We were supposed to stay longer for your sake. Know your past more." I apologized genuinely. To A Human. It was never done before.
"It's okay," Akira clicked his tongue, shoving his shoulders upwards, "Maybe I was never meant to know."
Gena stayed quiet all along. As soon as I turned to her, she feigned enthusiasm to ask, "Which village and its Shifter awaits us now!?"
"In the map, it's called Gray Village. Sounds familiar." Cyrus said, animating his curiosity. Finger under his chin, he clicked them, like he remembered something.
"It's a super fun village! I've been there once—or twice?"
"What's it like...?" I asked softly.
"You'll see~" He smirked back.
Cyrus smirking is almost always not a good thing.