[Melas] Chapter 95: Elara (Patreon)

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A Demon stood in front of me— she was a true Demon. One with dark skin like the night sky and devilish horns protruding from either side of her face. Staring into her eyes, I found a pair of golden coins hovering within the void of her sclera; it reflected the terrified look I held on my face.

She removed her cloak’s hood and revealed a smooth head, covered with nothing but blood-red tattoos reaching down past her neck. Only her face was unblemished by the strange symbols marking her body. I took a step back as she inspected me— bending down to match my height.

Elara smiled sweetly and cocked her head.

“Well?”

“W-what?” Blinking, I tried to remember what she had just said. She was telling me about something— she said….

And the one who will help you get home.

“No reaction?” she said, shaking her head. “Aw, I was hoping you’d have been more excited to hear that.”

“What are you talking about?” I snapped and raised a hand. A small magic circle formed, glowing with an intensity that was only betrayed by my shaky voice. “Why would I want to go back to Villamcreek? I have no reason to go back there!”

“Ah. That’s not what I meant.” She chuckled.

I narrowed my eyes. “Then what did you mean?”

The Demon gave me the same sweet smile as before, standing up and straightening her back. She walked forward, approaching me with a dangerous aura. “What I mean, Melas, is that I want to help you get back to your real home.”

“M-my real home?”

“Yes,” she said and stopped just ahead of me, “to [Earth].”

I stared at her. My eyes widened and I finally understood what she meant. There was no double take— no more confusion. I can go home… to Earth?

I was simply in disbelief.

“...why would I want to do that?”

—--

Gennady downed the mug of ale and sighed. He raised a hand, waving down the barmaid— a young female Dwarf who must not have been any older than Melas— and raised his mug.

“Oi, Miss— another!” he called out.

The barmaid rushed over with a squeak. He assumed she was the daughter of the innkeeper. They had the same orange hair and hazel-green eyes. She quickly poured ale back into his cup and stepped back. He nodded and murmured a ‘thank you’ before downing his glass again.

The Dwarf was halfway through his mug when he realized the barmaid was hovering over the table, waiting for him to finish. He stopped and waggled his brows.

“What do ye want?”

“Uh, you’re…. Master Gennady, right?” the barmaid asked hesitantly. He nodded.

“That I am.” He instinctively reached for his glass to take another sip. He caught himself and continued. “And you are?”

“Ayakoz.”

“So, Ayakoz, I’ll ask this again: what do ye want? Can’t you see you’re eating into my drinking time?” That pun was intention— he hoped to get a chuckle out of the nervous girl. But instead, she jumped and spoke hurriedly.

“Right, Master Gennady. I heard from my pa that you told us we’ll have to be moving away from Qala’taw. That Qala will blow and destroy what’s left of the village. Is… is this true?”

Gennady sighed and downed the rest of his mug. “Yes, Ayakoz. That is, unfortunately, the truth.”

“But— why?” She stared at him with round eyes. “Qala has sent ash and lava into the air for all of my pa’s life, but it has never once taken out the entire village.”

He shrugged, leaning back into his chair. “Because that’s just how it works. It’s an active volcano, and the past eruptions have been small. But eventually, there will be a big one. And it seems the Monsters and animals have all realized this too. Your village chief told me himself— food hasn’t been as easy to get this year. That’s why.”

“I… see.” Ayakoz deflated. She lowered the jar of ale down, clasping at it with both hands. “...what do we do?”

Gennady sighed harder and gripped his mug. “Another round!”

“R-right.”

She filled his mug and he drank a quarter of it. Then he slammed the mug down and he turned to the girl. “Listen,” he said and raised a finger. “When you leave Qala’taw, bring you and your pa to Jahar’taw.”

“Jahar’taw?” She blinked. “But that’s the Capital city!”

“I know it’s a large city— I know that you won’t be used to living in such a place. But I’ll ensure that the House of Or’taq offers you and your family a good place to live and a good job. So talk to your pa— tell him to come there.”

“I… but what about everyone else?” Ayakoz asked, still apprehensive. “Everyone else in the village— Birzhan, the chief!”

“Tell them the same offer goes for them,” Gennady said simply, leaning back on his chair. “They can listen to me, or find refuge in whatever city or village they want. I can only talk to the people I know in government and try to get things done. But that’s it. Now shoo. I’m drinking.”

“Yes, Master Gennady!”

She hurried off and finally left him in peace and quiet. The Dwarf sighed, rubbing at his temples as he took another sip of his drink. The moment was interrupted by a grating voice.

“Haa… it seems like the big, old Dwarf has a big, old heart.” Elda stopped right in front of his table and placed her hands on her hips. She grinned. “Sup. Care to share some with me?”

Gennady scowled and pulled his drink protectively to his chest. “Absolutely not.”

“Aw, but you were so kind to her. Why not share some of the love with me?” The Human woman pulled a chair out and sat down. She kicked her legs up onto the table. Then she called out to the Ayakoz for her own drink.

“She’s a wee lass. ‘Course I’d treat her better than you, you old hag!”

“I’m barely even 30— that’s like preteens to you Dwarves,” she snorted.

“Hardly. We’re not Elves. And even for them, 30 is a young adult. Only Demons stay adolescent for that long.”

“Good thing they’re all gone.”

“Not all of them.”

The barmaid returned with another jar and mug, pouring a drink down for Elda. The Human woman raised the mug and nodded at the girl. “Cheers.”

Elda took a moment to down the ale before putting it back down on the table. She turned to Gennady with a foam covered mouth and smiled.

“Not going to ask me what I want?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I know what you want,” Gennady scoffed. “You’re here to pester me, aren’t ye?”

“Hm.” Elda tilted her head back and mused for a moment. “Perhaps. But not really.”

The Dwarf frowned. “Then what do you want?”

“I don’t know.” She glanced off to the side— her hair tied to a horsetail swayed for a moment. Then she turned back to him and leaned forward, playing with her bangs. “I was just thinking, since Sevin is out keeping watch and Melas is busy, why don’t we spend some quality time together.”

“Oh?” Gennady blinked. Then he finished his mug and grinned. “Thought you looked down at me for being a little man, didn’t you?”

“Well, why don’t you prove otherwise?”

She stared at him, a piercing gaze locked into his. She walked a hand forward, tapping on the wooden table separating them. He snorted.

“Ye—”

Sevin burst into the room, panting.

“Guys!”

The two blinked, broken from the moment. Gennady stood up, having realized something had happened.

“What? Out with it, lad!”

The young man glanced up, a panicked look on his face. “It’s Melas— she’s in trouble!”

—--

“I don’t know what you want. I don’t know what tricks you’re playing here or how you know about [Earth], but my friends are coming. I suggest you leave.”

I raised my hand dangerously, the spell circle on it glowing even brighter as the Demon stepped closer. She smiled.

“You know that won’t hurt me,” she said. “But I am kind of hurt by your words. Do you mean to tell me that you don’t know who I am?”

“How should I know?!”

“I told you my name and everything!” Elara pouted, crossing her arms like a kid. I didn’t buy it.

“And? It’d be like telling me your name is John or Aria! How should I know who you are?”

The Demon sighed, shaking her head. “It seems my reputation must have fallen after all these years, huh? No matter. I told you, I was the one who saved you in Bys. And I’m the one who saved you again now. I am your carer— the one who protected you in Luke, chasing off Lilith. Your savior.”

She spoke as she raised her hand, magic coalescing around her fingertips. My eyes widened as I recognized a familiar feeling of dread and terror pass over me— a large amount of mana gathered around her hand, creating a spell, and sending warning signals throughout my head.

“That— that was you?” I paused, realizing the other thing she had said. “Wait, you were the one who helped destroy Bys— who let the Abominations into the city?”

I stared at her as she happily nodded. “Yep. That was honestly not that difficult. I didn’t even need to let the Abominations in, they would have torn down the walls themselves. But I realized you were in trouble, and I wasn’t allowed to reveal myself to you just yet, so I decided to cause a distraction—”

A beam of light burst out from my fingertips and struck Elara in the head. She blinked as the spell bounced off a protective barrier around her. “Why did you do that for?”

“You’re with that false god!” I shouted, reaching for my dagger. “You’re— wait, Elara? I remember now. Aren’t you supposed to be the daughter of the Demon Lord? Why are you working for that evil god, huh?!”

“Ah. So you do know who I am.” The Demon clapped her fingers together softly. “And you know who I work for. It makes things much simpler then.”

“Stop ignoring me!” I sent another burst of magic at her, this time followed by a volley of Stone Spears. The magic was easily blocked by the Demon as she cocked her head.

“I’m not ignoring you.”

“Why?” I asked, gritting my teeth. “Why does that fake god keep ruining everything I have? He took my previous life— and now he wants to take my new life back from me?!”

“I—”  Elara stepped back, taken by surprise. She was actually shocked for a moment. It was the biggest reaction I had gotten from her. Then her gaze darkened. “Our God is not fake, Melas. You’ve met Him yourself, didn’t you?”

“I met him when he killed me,” I snapped, “so I’m sorry if I couldn’t tell if he was a god or a devil.”

The Demon frowned. She raised a hand and I tensed. But she simply rested her forehead on her palms. “Don’t let my Lord hear that. He’s much more… zealous than me in his devotion. But nevermind that— I thought you would be happy, you know? I’m giving you the chance to get away from this terrible world back to your own.”

“This world is only terrible because he keeps interfering.” I spoke sharply, still tense.

“The persecution of us spellcasters was not caused by our God, Melas. Nor was He responsible for the death of your mother. Or your period of slavery. You’ve suffered so much.” She walked up to me slowly, proffering a hand. “Come with me. I will not force you. I wasn’t even allowed to show myself to you until you grew older. But now that I was forced to, I’d like to make the offer He has tasked me with giving you: will you return to [Earth]?”

I eyed the hand dubiously; she was giving me a chance to escape this cruel world. I hesitated, feeling my fingers twitch. Then I shook my head.

“No.”

Elara blinked and lowered her hand. “Why not? This world has nothing for you. You have no reason to stay here.”

“Neither does [Earth],” I said, glaring at her. “My life was taken from me. Unless your god can somehow turn back time and undo what he had done in the first place, I have no reason to go back and start a new life. I have my friends here, and I will stick with them, no matter what.”

I owed them many debts— they had given me so much. If I abandoned them now, I would be nothing more than a selfish coward. I could not live with myself for doing that. I stared defiantly at the Demon and stood my ground.

“I don’t know what your god wants. But I know he isn’t just being nice to me after being the cause for all my suffering until now. So tell him that whatever game he has prepared for me? I will not play it. And if you want to take me with you—”

I conjured dozens of Explosive Orbs, Frost Javelins, and Stone Spears above me.

“You’ll have to make me.”

I watched as her face contorted; she considered my declaration, tapping a finger on her chin. She lowered her hand as I prepared for a fight. But she simply sighed.

“I see,” Elara said. “Oh well. There’s plenty of time. I’m sure you’ll change your mind in the future. Until then, I’ll always be here for you.”

The Demon turned around and began to leave. I blinked. “Is that it?” I asked hesitantly.

She paused mid step and craned her neck to face me. “What else is there to it? I’m not going to make you come with me. This is an offer for you and only you. I know you’re suspicious, but that’s all there is to it.”

“I don’t buy that.”

“You don’t have to.” Elara spoke simply, wagging a finger as if she were talking to a kid. “It is what it is.”

The ground beneath her began to glow a dark purple. My eyes widened as I felt the amount of mana gathering underneath her feet; it was some sort of teleportation spell? And it was powerful.

It did not scream danger, but it still made me feel small. Despite how far I had progressed so far, my magic was nothing compared to hers. She glanced over to the side, as if someone was there, but looked at no one.

“You can’t tell anyone I was here,” Elara said, pausing right behind a thin mist cloaking over her— drops of mana-rich water spattering her face like a bridal veil.

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. “Why not?”

“Because,” the Demon started with a smile, “I’ll have to kill them. And I don’t think you’d want me to kill your friends, do you?”

The threat cut me straight to my heart; I felt my hands go weak as the words rang in my ears, leaving its mark so that I would never forget it. It was a simple fact— one that I should have known the moment I came to this world.

I would never be free.

I simply stared at the Demon as she eventually disappeared.

Gennady, Elda, and Sevin found me standing alone at the Springs of Recovery shortly after Elara left. I stood there with hollow eyes as they huddled around me, questioning me and asking if I was alright. I smiled weakly at them and explained what happened with Lilith— that I had been attacked by the Saintess.

I omitted everything about Elara, lying to them about how I chased off Lilith myself. That my new spells were more effective than I thought, and how her having only one arm played into my favor. These lies kept them placated.

They believed me, because why would I lie? It was not like I had lied to them ever since we first met by hiding my identity.

...maybe they suspected something. They had only ever been kind to me, but they had to have seen through some of my deceit. Or maybe the facade of being a kid was enough of a disguise for me.

Nevertheless, they didn’t question me any further when I requested we return to Jahar’taw as soon as possible. I didn’t stay to even have a short bath in the Springs of Recovery. We left that moment, packing our things and hiking back down to the train station. And later that day, we returned to the Capital city of the Taw Kingdom.

Author's Note:

I'll try getting an extra chapter out tomorrow. Hopefully it'll work out.