Bloodsurge

A dark cloud formed above Kia, rapidly increasing in size. The cloud stormed, growing more violent the larger it became. Upon reaching the holy statue, chunks of gold tore off its body and fed the storm.

“She’s even more dangerous than I thought…” Raliz put a barrier around him and the three heroes next to him.

It wasn’t long before the storm filled the room, shredding through the walls and anything inside. Kia’s shrieks accompanied the dangerous storm.

Calum stared at her demonic form in shock. The feeling only lasted a moment, replaced by concern for Kia’s safety. He shot out to help her, but was pulled back by Tilaya a moment before he left the barrier.

“Don’t go out there!”

“But Kia needs our help!”

“You’ll die if you step out there. Look!” She pointed to the training equipment that was being torn to shreds. Even the barrier started to falter. It took all of Raliz’s concentration to maintain it.

He clenched his fists and reluctantly gave up. “You’re right… but it hurts having to see her go through this alone.”

Erik put his hand on Calum’s shoulder. “She’s a demon, Calum. This is happening because of her. I told you she shouldn’t be trusted.”

Calum threw Erik’s hand off. “She’s not choosing to do this. It’s only happening because this priest,” he pointed at Raliz, “wanted to kill her. She told me something was off about him, but I didn’t know he would try to kill one of my friends!”

“One of your friends?” He scoffed. “Everything she told you was a lie, Calum. She’s a demon. The only thing she wanted was to get close to you so she could stab you in the back. Literally.”

“If that were the case, she would have already done it by now! She wasn’t lying when she talked about her past. I could feel her sincerity.”

“Maybe that’s because demons are expert liars! You’re the hero! You shouldn’t be letting yourself get tricked by a demon like this.”

Calum took a deep breath to calm himself. “Kia is not just a demon.” He looked over his shoulder to see Kia, still laying on the ground in the middle of the storm. “It doesn’t matter if she’s a demon, human, or elf. She’s still Kia. And I’ll be the one that gives her a place to belong. Just like Tilaya was for me.” He smiled at Tilaya.

She didn’t know what to think of the situation. She wanted to trust Kia, but her being a demon made it difficult for Tilaya to believe she was on their side.

Suddenly, the storm imploded. For a moment, all was quiet. Then it released a shockwave that destroyed everything in its path, shattering the barrier that the high priest set up. The shockwave knocked everyone off their feet and slammed them into the wall.

The holy statue had been ripped to shreds, shards of gold scattered across the room. Pieces of straw and wood littered the floor, and sections of the wall were entirely missing.

Raliz got to his feet and laughed. “This proves my theory!”

Calum glared at the priest. “You tried to kill my friend, just to prove a theory!?”

“Nevermind that. This demon… is the offspring of a Demon God!”

A chill was sent down Calum’s spine. Not because of how dangerous that made Kia, but because if that was true, it meant a Demon God was on the loose, or at least its avatar was.

Erik unsheathed his sword. “I knew we shouldn’t have let her into our party!” He let out a battle cry and charged toward the weak Kia.

Calum intercepted him and crossed his sword with Erik’s. “She is a friend. You will not hurt her.”

“Come on, Calum! She’s a demon! Why are you protecting her?”

“Because everyone else rejected her! She’s never had anyone that actually cared for her. I at least had family and Tilaya that believed in me. I’m not going to turn my back on her like everyone else in the world!” He understood how Kia felt. Even though he had a few people to support him in this world, he was completely and utterly alone in his previous life. He was raised by an uncle that cared more about alcohol than the child under his protection. Everywhere he went, people mocked him because he was different. Those who didn’t make fun of him never stood up for him. “I won’t leave her all alone in the darkness.”

Erik threw down his sword. “You are so naive!” To Calum’s surprise, he sighed. “I can’t fight the hero. If you’re determined to protect her, then there’s nothing I can do.”

Kia’s heart ached at Calum’s words. Even after seeing her in this form, he still called her a friend. A tear rolled down Kia’s cheek, followed by a few more. Unable to control her emotions, she began to sob.

Calum whipped around and dove to her side, sitting on his knees. “Are you alright, Kia?”

The horns on her head vanished, and her wings retracted. She hugged Calum tightly and cried into his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her in return and comforted her by patting her back. “You see, Erik? She’s not just a demon.”

Raliz growled. “She’s too dangerous to be kept alive. Even if she doesn’t mean any harm, she’ll kill you all. You saw what just happened!”

“We will not kill her, nor I won’t forgive you for trying. The only way you can make up for this is by teaching me how to use Judgment and leaving her alone.”

“But she–”

“She’s a valued member of my party, and a good friend.”

“Fine, have it your way. But I will let the High Priestess know that you are willingly allowing a demon in your party.”

“Now apologize to Kia.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Apologize.” He turned to Erik. “And you. Both of you tried to kill her. You both need to apologize.”

Raliz and Erik hesitantly mumbled an apology.

“That’s not good enough.”

They repeated the apology loud enough for Calum to hear.

Calum pushed Kia away enough that he could look into her eyes. “Now no one here will try to kill you. I officially welcome you to our party, Kia. I promise I will never reject you.”

Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She put her forehead to Calum’s chest and cried.