No Longer Alone

A cold, dark surrounding.

 A voice—unknown, so weak, so fragile, so kind

 “Strixx…”

 “Strixx…”

 What a terrible name…

 I… don’t want to call you by that name.

 …You are too precious for…such a terrible name

 My little ____.

 I love you.

I love you so much.

 Forgive me.

Forgive me…I’m so sorry

 Be..a ..good …girl..

  Then—the sound of laughter.

 But it wasn’t the same kind voice.

 It was the laughter of people—mocking, looking down.

 “You are a demon?”

 “You are a shame!”

 “Die already!”

 “Weakness is a defect!”

 “Beat her up more!”

 “You should have been the one to die, not your—”

 “Pathetic “

 “Weakling”

 Then Strixx suddenly woke up.

An empty room.

 Moonlight streamed through the window, lighting up the floor.

 She looked around, her vision distorted, her ears ringing with whispers.

 “Demon, demon, demon, demon, demon, demon…”

 “Kill. Kill. Kill everyone and run away.”

 “Kill.”

“Kill.”

“Kill.”

“Kill, kill, kill, kill—”

 The words grew more aggressive.

 “KILL EVERYTHING YOU KNOW!”

 Her claws extended. Her breath sharpened.

 Her eyes turned red.

 “Strixx… can’t… please… stop… Strixx… help… Strixx…”

 She struggled, her voice breaking.

 It had been two hours since Ms. Finecia showed us to our rooms.

 I couldn’t sleep, so I stepped outside for some fresh air.

 When I came back—

 Strixx was curled up in the corner.

 “It’s not me, it’s not me, it’s not me, it’s not me—”

 She kept repeating the same words over and over.

 Her hands gripped her head.

 “Strixx?”

 I moved closer.

 She kept muttering.

 “I’m not a demon.”

 “No.”

 “No.”

 “No…”

 “No…!”

 Then-- she screamed.

 I was startled, then quickly reached out.

 “Strixx!”

 Her face was covered by her hair.

 She kept muttering, over and over—

 A language I didn’t understand.

 A sharp pain shot through my head.

 My ears—bleeding.

 Then, in a weak, trembling voice—her usual voice—

 “Luc…aa… run… Luc…a… plea…se… as… far… as… you…. Can…”

 I was frozen, confused.

 “What are you saying, Strixx?”

 “Strixx… what happened to you? Why? What are you doing?”

 “I don’t understand anything—Strixx, wake up!”

 She didn’t answer.

 She just kept whispering the same thing.

 Over and over.

 Her entire body shook.

 Her fingers clawed at her arms.

 Her breathing was ragged.

 Something wasn’t right.

 Then--

 She lifted her head.

 And I froze.

 Her crimson eyes--different.

 

Darker.

 Empty.

 Not Strixx.

 And then--

 She lunged.

 I barely had time to react before she crashed into me, knocking me onto my back.

 “The impact sent pain through my ribs.”

 Before I could move--

 She pinned me down.

 Her grip-- inhumanly strong.

 “Ughhh-- Strixx… what are you--?!”

 Her claws sank into my wrists.

 “My hands burned with pain.”

 Blood—warm, thick-- dripped down my skin.

 Her breath was heavy.

 Her body trembled.

 Her gaze—hollow.

 Something was wrong.

 Something was very, very wrong

 Then, Strixx froze.

 Her expression shifted from rage to horror.

 Her hands trembled as she stared at the wounds she had left on me.

 “Luca… what happened…? Why are you… hurt…?”

 Her voice was shaking.

 She backed away, panic flooding her eyes.

 “No… No… it’s not what— Luca—”

 I sat up, ignoring the pain in my arms.

 “It’s okay, Strixx,” I said gently. “Something happened to you… Let’s talk this out, okay?”

 She shook her head.

 “Strixx… is a monster…

 Strixx didn’t mean to…”

 Her gaze flickered to my bleeding hands.

 Tears welled up in her eyes.

 Then—

 She turned and ran.

 “Strixx!”

 I rushed after her.

 She stumbled, falling in front of Ms. Finecia’s House

 I reached out, but she backed away again.

 “Strixx, listen-- I know you didn’t mean to do this. I know.”

 She shook her head, trembling.

 I knelt down. “Please, Strixx. Tell me what happened.”

 Still on the ground, her voice came out weak, broken.

 “Strixx… heard voices…”

 I frowned. “What kind of voices?”

 She was crying now.

 “Voices… telling Strixx… to kill… again… and again…”

 A bitter silence fell between us.

 Then she looked at me.

 “Luca… From now on…”

 Her voice cracked.

 “Luca… walk your own way.”

 She swallowed hard.

 “It’s… not safe… around Strixx… anymore.”

 I clenched my fists.

 “No, that’s not true. Strixx, you’re a demon, yes, but you’re different. You’re kind.”

 She stared at me, something unreadable in her expression.

 Then, she smiled.

 A sad, fragile smile.

 “Luca is… so kind…”

 She looked down, hands trembling.

 “When Strixx first met Luca… Luca ran away…”

 She let out a quiet laugh—one without warmth.

 “Strixx thought… maybe Strixx should chase…”

 Her voice wavered.

 “But then… Luca didn’t run the second time… Luca talked to Strixx…”

 Her breathing grew unsteady.

 “Then… even accepted Strixx’s request… to travel together…”

 Her fingers curled into fists.

 “And now…”

 Her shoulders shook.

 “Strixx was about to do something…”

 Her lips trembled.

 Her voice dropped to a whisper.

 “Strixx… was about to k-kil—”

 She slapped a hand over her mouth.

 Tears streamed down her face.

 “Strixx is just a demon…”

 Her whole body trembled.

 “They were right… Strixx can never be human…”

 Strixx looked down, a small, sad smile on her face.

 “Strixx… is a demon…” she murmured.

 Her voice was quiet—too quiet.

 “Strixx believed… Strixx could be like a human… and everything…”

 I shook my head.

 “No, Strixx. You don’t need to be human. You don’t need to be a demon.”

 I placed a hand over my heart.

 “You’re Strixx. So just be Strixx.”

 But she didn’t respond.

 She only looked away.

 “Nothing has changed…” she whispered.

 My chest tightened.

 “That’s not true!”

I stepped forward. “Look how far we’ve come, Strixx!”

 But she didn’t meet my gaze.

 She ignored my words completely.

 Instead, she smiled—a sad, broken smile.

 “Luca… thank you.”

 

 “For going on a journey with Strixx.”

 That was the last straw.

 “STRIXXX—!” I snapped.

 She flinched.

 Tears slipped down her face.

 “Strixx… ran…” Her voice shook. “Strixx ran… traveled… from place to place… leaving everything Strixx knew behind…”

 She clutched her arms.

 “Threw away what Strixx had… hated it all…”

 She took a shaky breath.

 “But… in the end… Strixx still ended up attacking Luca… mindlessly…”

Strixx… became… what Strixx… hated…

 Her shoulders trembled.

 “Luca… thank you… for being the first human to talk to Strixx…”

 Her lips quivered, but she smiled.

 “Strixx is glad… that Strixx got to meet Luca…”

 My throat felt dry.

 My hands curled into fists.

 My voice—shaking with emotion.

 “…Are you done?”

 Strixx blinked up at me.

 She hesitated.

 “…Yes. Strixx is done. Goodby—”

 “WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD LEAVE?!” I shouted.

 She froze.

 “Before you go, you have to listen to what I have to say!”

 Her breath hitched.

 I exhaled sharply, trying to steady my voice.

 “Before I met you… I was nothing.”

 “I still am nothing.”

 Her eyes widened.

 “I have no money. No power. Nothing. I was just a pathetic human chasing vengeance—unable to act on it for years. Wasting my life away. Doing nothing.”

 My fists clenched.

 “I convinced myself it was right. That I had no choice. That it was the only thing I could do.”

 I swallowed hard.

 “But when the obstacle finally disappeared—the thing that held me back for so long—”

 I met her gaze.

 “I saw a person who helped me.”

 Strixx stiffened.

 “A person who wasn’t human. Who wasn’t a god.”

 I took a deep breath.

 “But a demon.”

 Her breath caught in her throat.

 “Yes… a demon saved my life.”

 I stepped closer.

 “Because of that demon, I was able to think about tomorrow again.”

 Her lips parted slightly.

 I kept going.

 “That demon reached out her hand and said—”

 Let’s go on a journey.

 Her shoulders trembled.

 “That demon gave me a new purpose. To discover what I don’t have. What I don’t know. What I lack.”

 I exhaled.

 “And yet… you’re calling yourself just a demon?”

 Her gaze fell to my injured hands.

 Her voice wavered.

 “But… Luca’s hurt…”

 I didn’t hesitate.

 “But what?!”

 She flinched again.

 “It wasn’t intentional, Strixx! When I agreed to go on this journey, I decided—no matter what happens, I’ll be your partner! No matter what comes, I’ll face it!”

 I stepped closer.

 “No—we face it together.”

 Strixx’s breath hitched.

 “You were the one who asked me, right?”

 Tears welled up in her eyes.

 Her hair swayed gently in the night breeze.

 Her lips quivered.

 “…Why is Luca so kind to Strixx…?”

 I smiled.

 “Because you’re the one who started it all, idiot.”

  A  familiar voice joined the conversation.

 “That’s what it means to be… No matter how hard things get, no matter what happens… when someone reaches out, you take their hand. And when they need you, you do the same.”

 We turned around.

 Ms. Finecia stood by the door, watching us with a gentle smile.

 “Sorry, Strixx, Luca. I happened to overhear… I was worried, so I came to check.”

 Strixx’s identity as a demon was now known.

 But Ms. Finecia didn’t react with fear or hesitation. She simply looked at her—warmly.

 Strixx lowered her head, unable to meet her gaze.

 As Ms. Finecia stepped forward, Strixx backed away.

 “Why… Why won’t you run away…?”

 Ms. Finecia didn’t answer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Strixx.

 A hug.

 The warmth Strixx had longed for, time and time again.

 And now, for the first time—she finally felt it.

 Ms. Finecia smiled.

 “Why would I run? You’re not a demon. You’re Strixx.”

 At those words, Strixx broke down.

 Tears streamed down her face. She sobbed—louder than ever—as she clung to Ms. Finecia.

 She cried and cried until, exhausted, she fell asleep in her arms.

 I watched, a small smile on my face.

 “…Thank you, Ms. Finecia.”

 She stroked Strixx’s hair and chuckled softly.

 “She’s adorable, isn’t she?”

 After Strixx was settled in the room, Ms. Finecia treated my wounds, applying herbal medicine before carefully wrapping them in bandages.

 As she worked, I spoke.

 “Strixx carries so much on her own… things she never shares. She was the one who helped me, so I want to help her too.”

 Ms. Finecia smiled gently. “A closed heart takes time to open. Just stay by her side, Luca. One day, she’ll tell you everything.”

 She stood up, heading toward her room. “You should rest too. If you need anything, let me know.”

 I walked into the room where Strixx was still fast asleep. Lying down on the bedding next to her, I whispered to myself.

 “Strixx… I promise I’ll save you from the burdens you never speak of. No matter what happens, I’ll be there for you.”

 I glanced at her peaceful face, my chest tightening with emotion.

 “Because I’m here today… only because you were there for me.”

 A faint smile formed on my lips as my eyes grew heavy.

 “…Thank you, Strixx.”