The faint blue glow that outlined Seris's body was subtle. So subtle in fact that Amelia nearly missed seeing it.
Seris, using her mana to enhance her physical attributes, dashed forward and grabbed the first demon imp by the neck.
It let out a squawk as she turned, hurling it with all of her strength at the nearest stone building.
CRASH!
The imp flew through the stone wall, splattering as it went. The building crumbled down around the imp, burying what remained under mountains of rubble.
The other imps, led by the one who had instructed them to eat Amelia, stared in horror at the death of their comrade.
"RUN!"
The imps scattered like cockroaches, trying to avoid being stepped on by a giant who had seemingly appeared from thin air.
Seris caught them all, quickly killing each one with a blow to the head or the chest. The sound of cracking bones filled the space with howls of pain.
Amelia watched in both horror and fascination as she saw Seris effectively kill a small group of demon imps in less than two minutes.
Seris appeared next to her, hands dripping with demonic ichor.
"Holy crap," was all Amelia could say. She had never seen her mentor in action before, the power she used didn't even come close to the stories her family had passed down from generation to generation.
Seris wiped her hands on the ground which didn't really help.
"Yuck, it's always so sticky."
Amelia, still half in shock at the crazy event she had just witnessed, couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"You don't use weapons, just your hands, why?"
Seris looked thoughtful before responding, "I don't see a point."
More screams erupted through the city as the chaos continued.
"Where would your family be?"
"Follow me, I'll take you to their shelter."
Amelia stepped in front, leading the way with a bravery she didn't know she possessed. Maybe seeing Seris kill those demons so effortless had given her courage through faith. She wasn't sure where the bravery had come from but she was going to hang onto it for as long as she could.
Seris walked behind her, smiling at the back of her apprentice who was already showing signs of growing.
Soon, her timid nature will disappear and the real Amelia will come out, Seris thought to herself as they stepped over broken rocks.
***
Lightning flashed out, cooking three demons with a horrible sizzling sound.
"Get inside, go!"
A man was yelling at several people who all looked similar to each other. They were wearing fine outfits, clothing that most people would look at and immediately know the wearer was wealthy.
People ran into the shelter, only a couple turned back to stand their ground with the man.
They added their spells to his lightning as fire and ice flew outwards, striking more demons. Most of the attacks were capable enough to take out one or two at a time but over twenty were now converging on their location.
"Will the shelter hold, Mr. Hoshizora?"
"It damn well better, it cost a small fortune."
Mr. Hoshizora's mustache bristled at the thought of demons clawing their way through a solid steel door that was also enchanted to repel them.
The last few family members were closing on the shelter entrance while the three men guarding the door hollered for them to hurry. One of them, a beautiful woman carrying a small child, tripped and fell.
The child rolled out and came to its feet, brushing dirt off his small knees.
"Run Charlie!" the woman screamed as she struggled to her feet.
Charlie, being five years old, knew enough to do as his mother told him. He turned and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.
The roars and howls that erupted from behind the woman sent shivers up his body. The three men stared with eyes wide in horror as the demons dropped from the roofs above them.
Like spiders they fell down, aiming for the woman on the ground. The men knew she would either be eaten alive or captured. Neither fate was pleasant.
"Help my momma!" The boy stood there at the door, crying as he watched the monsters close in.
"It's too late for her, get inside now!" Mr. Hoshizora snapped at him.
He wasn't strong enough to take them all on and neither were the two men next to him. They would only get killed trying to save the woman, his younger cousin Darla.
The men started to shut the door, averting their eyes from what they knew was going to be a grisly sight.
They didn't see the strange woman with Amelia enter the fray.
Seris caught everyone, demon and humans, by surprise as she dashed to the fallen woman's left side. Amelia stood back, hiding behind a pile of rubble where she wouldn't be in the way.
Seris gently bent down and picked the woman up with her super strength.
"Go, get inside."
The men, noticing that something had changed, stopped their task and looked up.
"She'll never win boys, keep closing that door," Mr. Hoshizora commanded in a gruff voice from inside the entrance. He was safe on the other side. While he regretted the loss of his cousin, the woman with the white hair was going to be overrun. Good riddance too, he thought to himself in annoyance.
He was tired of sorcerers trying to pretend that they were superheroes. They just weren't strong enough and there weren't enough of them anymore to make a difference anyway. Better to hide than to fight and die for no reason.
Seris glanced over her shoulder, her icy blue eyes were glowing with malice as she stared at the men.
"If that door shuts before she gets inside, I'm going to personally kill all three of you."
Mr. Hoshizora and the other two men swallowed hard as the pressure of her gaze made their legs buckle. There was a heaviness in the air between them, a feeling of fear washed over them that was greater than the fear they held for the monsters.
The woman turned her focus back to the demons in front of her who had been moving backwards away from her. They too could sense something was off about this human. It filled them with hesitation and made them more cautious than usual.
"Where were we?"
Seris lifted her hands and rings of light formed around them as complicated patterns floated in the air above her hands.
Dozens of sharp spikes made from the earth itself, flew upwards impaling the demons where they stood. Their blood splattered across the walls and ground behind them, a testament to the sudden death that had been dealt to them.
The woman ran inside the shelter, silently giving thanks for the timely intervention that had saved her life.
Seris let out a sigh, she could feel her mana reserves lowering. She wasn't tapped out yet though, not even close.
Once Amelia was sure all the demons in the area had been executed, she came out from her hiding place.
"I'm sorry I can't help more," she muttered to Seris.
Seris let out a booming laugh before clasping her on the shoulder.
"You're not supposed to help today. I brought you so you can watch me work."
"Oh, that makes sense. I was wondering what use I could possibly be out here. What am I learning though?"
"What your future looks like. Give it enough time, like I promised, you will be able to do all of this and more. I know it."
Seris's determined voice filled Amelia with a sense of pride. Her mentor believed in her. It felt amazing to have that level of support when for so long she was seen as a nobody who wouldn't accomplish much beyond healing papercuts.
Mr. Hoshizora straightened up as he saw the pair of women chat with each other. He noticed the familiarity between them and his eyes narrowed.
"Amelia Hoshizora, is that you?" He thundered out, twisting his mustache in aggravation.
Seris looked with a curious glance at the man still standing in the doorway.
"Is that one of your family members?"
Amelia nodded, "yeah that's my dad."
Seris felt sad for her. If that was her father, no wonder the poor girl was so timid.
"Shall we talk to him?"
"I don't know that I want too, he looks safe for now."
Seris gave a supportive nod before turning her back on the proud looking man who had moments ago shown his true colors.
"I'm speaking to you, young lady, don't you ignore your father. What are you doing here? You aren't welcome here, you no talented traitor."
Amelia looked crestfallen at his harsh comments and condemnation. Seris vanished.
"Hey, what the hell?!"
Mr. Hoshizora suddenly found himself flung forward, landing hard on all fours as a dirt cloud puffed up around him.
"How dare you touch me! Do you know who I am?"
"A coward who was going to let a family member die?"
Mr. Hoshizora sputtered indignantly before booming out, "I am the descendent of Rhianon Tee, head of the Hoshizora clan. You will-"
His words were cut off as Seris used a foot to shove him backwards. He landed hard on his back with an oompf sound as the air rushed out of his lungs.
Seris stepped on the man's chest, pushing him slowly into the ground.
"You'll pay for this," he stammered out as Seris pushed down harder.
"I sincerely doubt that. You on the other hand, you'll be a red smear among a battlefield of dead humans."
"Seris, please stop."
Amelia ran forward and grabbed onto Seris's arm, tugging at her with a pleading look in her emerald green eyes.
Seris continued looking down at the man whose face was now turning red under the strain of the leg pushing him further into the earth.
"Please, I don't want him to die. No matter how horrible he was to me, he's still my father. Don't kill him."
Seris looked up at Amelia and made eye contact with her. It took a few seconds for Seris to come to a decision.
She lifted her leg as the man started gasping for breath while holding his sore chest.
"You can thank your daughter."
Amelia led Seris by the hand as they quickly left the area. Amelia glanced back one last time, to see her family sheltering in the doorway. Some of them looked happy to see her, others looked concerned, and few wore expressions of disgust.
"Is the attack over?"
"I think so, I don't sense any more demons in this area at least."
"Let's go home then, please."
Seris felt a bit ashamed of herself for having been baited into losing control like that. She would have to find the right words to apologize with later.
"You got it."
The family watched as a swirl of golden light enveloped the white haired woman and Amelia in a circle of light. A blinding flash caught them by surprise and when they finished rubbing their eyes, the pair was gone.