While the siblings were walking back inside the cave, a low grumbling sound came from between them.
Zi froze, her eyes widening. She quickly broke the hug and stepped back, her cheeks turning red.
"I… I am sorry, brother," she muttered, lowering her head. "That was my stomach."
Quinn blinked, then a faint chuckle escaped his lips. For the first time in a while, the weight pressing on his chest eased. He reached out and ruffled Zi's hair.
"Silly girl. Why apologize for being hungry?" he said softly.
Zi pouted, still flustered, but her eyes lifted toward him, shimmering with a hint of hope. "But… we don't have anything left to eat."
"Well, that's true but it's not something you should worry about because I am going to go out there and find something for us to eat. But..." He paused. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips but inwardly, he was serious. "Before I do that, I will teach you some survival tricks."
"Survival tricks? What for?" Zi asked him.
He reached to his side and picked up a jagged stone, holding it up before Zi.
"Listen, Zi. We don't know how long we'll stay in places like this. So you need to learn a few things… to protect yourself."
Zi blinked up at him, tilting her head. "Protect myself? But brother, you're here."
"I am," Quinn said, brushing her cheek gently. "But there may be times when I can't be by your side. When that happens, you can't just cry and wait. You must know how to survive."
He crouched low and placed the stone in her hand, guiding her fingers around it.
"First lesson: always keep something sharp with you. Even a stone like this can save your life if you hold it right."
Zi nodded seriously, gripping it with both hands.
Quinn then pointed toward the entrance of the cave, where faint rays of light spilled in.
"Second lesson: always listen. The wind, the ground, even the silence, they tell you when something's wrong. If you hear steps that don't belong, or silence that feels too heavy, don't wait. Hide first, then ask later."
Zi's lips pressed together in determination, her childish features hardened by resolve.
"Third lesson," Quinn continued, picking up a stick and dragging it across the dirt to draw a crude map. "We are close to the Demon Realm. Only a shallow body of water separates us. If something happens to me… run east until you find that water. Cross it, no matter how afraid you are. Do you understand?"
Zi's eyes widened. "The Demon Realm? But… isn't it dangerous?"
Quinn met her gaze, his own eyes shadowed with the weight of choices he had no right to make.
"Everywhere is dangerous now. But sometimes, the most dangerous places are usually the safest places. The Demon Realm may look like a dangerous place but trust me, it is the safest place for us and also, it is the closest path. If I can keep you alive long enough to cross… that's all that matters."
Zi bit her lip, clutching the stone tightly. "Then I'll do it, brother. I'll listen to you."
Quinn smiled faintly, though inside, he felt the darkness in his veins stir again, whispering temptations he dared not share. "Good. That's my Zi."
Zi trailed her eyes to Quinn's shoulders, her brows furrowing. "Brother, the wound on your shoulder is gone. How?" She asked him.
Quinn glanced at his shoulder and then sighed. "I knew you'd notice and ask," he mumbled under his breath. "Well, to tell you the truth, last night, I came upon a scroll deep within the abyssal land. I picked it up and something happened, the next thing I noticed was that the wound was gone. Also, it made me stronger a bit," he said, whispering the other words as though it was a secret never meant to be spoken.
Zi's eyes widened. "Brother, isn't that a good thing?" She asked him. "Now, you are going to be like others, right? Like father.... Grandfather..."
Quinn shook his head. "I am not going to be like anyone, Zi," he said. "I am going to be befter than them, even stronger than them." He rose to his feet, glancing at the cave's entrance. "That's enough for now, Zi. Stay here. Guard yourself. I'll bring us food so that you'll stop being hungry."
Zi nodded, watching him go, her small figure dwarfed by the shadows of the cave.
------
Quinn had gotten further away from the cave. He was almost close to the border of the abyssal land when suddenly, a rustle came from the jagged bones littering the ground. His eyes narrowed.
From behind a broken spear, a creature emerged—its body twisted and blackened, like it had been burned yet refused to die. Its many eyes glowed faintly red, its legs scraping the earth as it hissed.
Quinn smirked faintly. "Perfect. You'll do."
The blackened creature hissed and leapt forward, its limbs scraping against the ground with an ear-splitting screech.
Quinn steadied his breath, forcing the strange energy in his veins to obey. His palm trembled as the ember wavered, threatening to vanish, but he clenched his teeth and snarled.
"Burn."
The spark flared, a black flame twisting to life. It shot from his hand, not in a blazing torrent but in a single streak, like the breath of a dying candle. Yet when it struck the creature's chest, the effect was instant.
The beast convulsed, its many eyes glowing brightly before bursting one by one. Black fire crawled across its body, devouring it whole without leaving behind ash or bone. In mere heartbeats, the battlefield was silent once again.
Quinn lowered his hand, his chest heaving. Sweat filled his forehead. The flame had vanished, leaving only a faint warmth in his core.
He stared at his palm, stunned. "I… did it."
A weak laugh escaped him, though his expression quickly hardened. That small spark had drained nearly all his strength. If something stronger had come at him, he wouldn't have survived.
Still, it was a start.
He continued on his way and soon arrived at the boundary between the abyssal land and the demon realm. It was a small shallow river, across it was the demon realm. He sighed deeply and went ahead to cross it.
Quinn's boots sank into the damp earth as he waded through the shallow river. The water was cold, carrying with it a strange metallic tang that clung to his skin. For a moment, he paused in the middle, glancing back at the abyssal land.
"Maybe... Just maybe, I can make this place... Home?" He thought out loud.
With a final step, he crossed over.
The moment his foot touched the soil of the Demon Realm, the air shifted. It was heavier, warmer, and thick with a faint energy that pressed against his chest. His senses sharpened at once—every sound, every scent, every flicker of movement screaming for his attention.
But what he saw ahead was not the battlefield he expected.
A vast marketplace stretched out before him, buzzing with life.
He had expected to see chaos, bloodshed, or at least feral growls of beasts. Instead...
He blinked.
A sprawling marketplace stretched before him, bustling with life.
Stone paths ran through rows of stalls, each one crowded with figures that, at first glance, looked like ordinary humans. Yet, upon closer inspection, the differences were clear. A woman with pale blue skin haggled with a vendor, her long black horns curling gracefully backward. A tall man with crimson eyes and markings etched across his arms carried a sack of grain. Children with faint tails darted between legs, chasing each other with shrill laughter.
Quinn's brows furrowed. 'So this is the Demon Realm… they're not so different from us.'
The market buzzed with noise—merchants calling out prices, buyers arguing, the clang of coins tossed into open palms. Food stalls filled the air with scents, some familiar, some not. Roasted meat turned on spits, bowls of steaming broth were ladled out, and piles of fruits glistened with unnatural colors.
For a long moment, Quinn simply stood at the edge, caught between disbelief and caution. These weren't mindless monsters or savage beasts—they were people, living lives not unlike humans.
A few pairs of crimson or golden eyes flicked toward him, some curious, some indifferent. One vendor barked at a customer for trying to snatch fruit without paying, and no one seemed to care about the boy standing at the outskirts.
Quinn exhaled quietly, tension easing ever so slightly. "Good. That means I can blend in…"