This Is What Fear Makes Us

Strixx moved forward--

Slow, steady, every step crashing into the earth like judgment itself.

The white-haired demon stumbled back--

His legs buckled beneath him,

His body collapsing into the dirt like it no longer belonged to him.

He scrambled--crawling, slipping, dragging himself backward through leaves and blood,

“N-no… stay away…”

His voice cracked.

“Please… don’t… don’t kill me…”

But Strixx didn’t stop.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t speak.

Her silence was louder than any scream.

The white-haired demon shook violently, his breath ragged.

He tried to speak--

But the words failed.

Only broken gasps slipped through his lips.

Terror hollowed his face.

He was devastated--

Not by wounds,

But by fear so deep it had shattered his will to stand.

she kept moving towards him

Unstoppable.

Unforgiving.

As Strixx marched toward the white-haired demon,

Her eyes suddenly caught sight of me--

Collapsed on the ground, my body covered in wounds and claw marks.

Blood streaked my skin,

My clothes torn in places,

But I was still breathing.

Her steps slowed.

Her eyes widened.

And in that instant--

As if All the fury, all the rage inside her--vanished.

Her crimson eyes softened,

And without another glance at the demon,

She turned and rushed toward me.

“Luca…!”

She dropped to her knees,

Gently pulling me into her arms, holding me like I might disappear.

Her hands trembled.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Tears welled up--big, warm drops that slipped down her cheeks.

Her horns slowly shrank back to their usual shape,

But a faint red trail still marked her face

From where blood had flowed from her eyes moments ago.

She buried her face against my shoulder,

Her voice small and shaking.

“Strixx… is so sorry…”

She sniffled, tightening her grip on me.

“Strixx was so scared…”

Her voice cracked, breaking mid-sentence.

“Strixx wanted to help—Luca…”

She looked down at me, her arms trembling as they held me close.

“B-but every time Strixx moved… the beasts hurt you more…”

Her voice trembled harder.

“Strixx was scared to even breathe…”

Tears poured freely now, her sobs growing louder.

“Strixx couldn’t take it… Strixx couldn’t…!”

She cried out, clinging to me tightly as if she could protect me from everything just by holding me.

Then came the whisper--shaky, broken, full of the weight she’d been carrying.

“Strixx thought… Strixx was going to lose Luca…”

She buried her face into my shoulder, crying loudly--raw, helpless sobs echoing into the quiet of the ruined clearing.

Forgive Strixx…please forgive strixx.

I raised my trembling hand and placed it gently on Strixx’s cheek, brushing the tears off her face with my fingertips.

“But… you did save me again,” I said with a faint smile.

“I always knew you were strong… but I’ve never seen Strixx like that.”

I let out a breath, half a laugh, half a wince.

“Even I got a little scared… just for a moment.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and I quickly added, “But I’m glad. Glad that no matter what… Strixx stayed Strixx.”

Strixx stared at me, her face softening.

“Strixx… hates it,” she whispered.

“When Strixx moved, and the beasts kept hurting you… Strixx couldn’t do anything. Strixx was scared. Scared to move. Scared you’d hate her…”

She looked away, tears still falling down her cheeks.

“Strixx’s body moved on its own. Strixx didn’t understand it. It felt like… like Strixx became something else. Like a real demon. Strixx didn’t like it…”

I stared up at her, eyes unwavering.

“You moved like that because you wanted to save me,” I said softly, my voice low but steady.

“That’s all that matters.”

“You did your best back there… it was a tense situation, but you still handled it with care.”

I looked into her eyes.

“Your genuine care for me… it made everything hurt less.”

“I could never hate you, Strixx. No matter what.”

A faint smile touched my lips.

“I was saved by you again—just like always. It’s starting to feel like that’s just how things are now.”

“You really are the best, Strixx.”

She looked at me for a long moment…

“L-Luca words… a-always so warm… Luca always s-so nice to Strixx…”

she cries, voice trembling as she says it

then quietly leaned down, hugging me even tighter. Her grip trembled, her sobs muffled against my shoulder.

I gently reached around, ignoring the pain in my arms, and patted her back.

At least for now… the hell was over.

But just as I thought that--

A loud crash echoed from the edge of the forest.

The white-haired demon let out a yelp, his body flung back as something slammed into him, knocking him into the base of a tree.

Estheria rushed onto the scene, her eyes wild with panic.

“Strixx! Luca!”

She dropped to her knees beside me, checking my wounds with urgency.

“He’s wounded all over…” Estheria said, her voice tense but steady. “We can’t waste time--my village is close. Let’s get him treated, now.”

But then… something caught all our eyes.

The thing that had flown through the air and struck the demon—it wasn’t just anything.

It was the little girl.

The girl that had been circled by the beasts earlier.

The one Estheria kept calling Levia.

Estheria’s expression changed instantly. Her eyes darkened as she looked down at the white-haired demon still groveling and shaking on the ground.

I stared at her, confused and barely able to speak.

“Estheria… what’s going on…?”

She glanced back at me and Strixx, then said coldly,

“That girl… she’s not Levia.”

I blinked.

“What…?”

“It’s a demon puppet,” Estheria said sharply, eyes narrowed. “A mimic. It copies the voice of someone the prey knows. Someone the prey care about

She clenched her fists.

“I heard the voice of a girl from my village…I really thought it was her,” she said, her voice low. “I saw it as real--because I were controlled by the fear… the fear of watching the ones we love, the ones you know get hurt. That fear paralyzed us.”

She looked down, her fists trembling.

“Even though it was just a puppet, I was completely convinced it was someone I knew. The fear took over me… and because you both believed in me, we were all fooled into thinking it was real.”

Her gaze locked onto the demon now dragging himself back in the dirt.

“That means… their real target was me.”

The white-haired demon coughed violently, blood trickling from his lips. He raised a shaky hand, begging.

“P-please… please don’t kill me… I-I’ll do anything… anything… just don’t…”

Estheria stepped forward.

Her voice was ice.

“What you did… is unforgivable.”

The demon’s body trembled harder.

“I-I was just following orders! Please—!”

But Estheria kept walking towards the demon

And this time, he knew…

There was no one left to save him.

Estheria stepped closer until she stood right in front of the white-haired demon.

The demon shut his eyes tight--he had already given up.

Estheria stared down at him, her voice calm but cold.

“I have a lot of questions I want to ask you.”

Then she muttered under her breath,

“Just maybe… this demon might hold some answers about what’s really been happening in ElFairia.”

Without hesitation, she pulled thick, thorned vines from the nearby trees and tied the demon up tight. Then, with effortless strength, she hoisted him over her shoulder like dead weight.

Turning back to us, she offered a rare, genuine smile.

“Strixx. Luca… Thank you. Thank you both for coming to look for me.”

Her voice softened, just a bit.

“I don’t know what might’ve happened to me if you two weren’t there… Thank you--so much.”

I smiled weakly, looking up at her.

“Guess we’re even now.”

Strixx was still clinging to me, holding me close as if I might vanish again. Her eyes, still glistening with tears, turned to Estheria.

“Luca… Luca is hurt. What should we do?”

Estheria gave a reassuring nod.

“Don’t worry. My village isn’t far. The elder there can treat his wounds. Let’s move—right now.”

Then, with a more serious expression, she glanced at both of us.

“Once we’re there, I have questions for the two of you as well.”

Strixx nodded slowly, then finally loosened her grip.

She looked at me, eyes still watery—but soft and warm.

“Let’s go, Luca.”

She gently picked me up in her arms.

Estheria turned, dashing forward with the demon slung over her shoulder. Strixx followed right behind, holding me carefully as we raced toward her village.