Escape The Fate (2)

"No, I'm not going to hurt you!"

"You bad demon! I'll call my Father and let him chop off your head and make it our hanging decoration for Halloween!" One of the human kids raised his branch stick and made Luna step backward.

"W-what?" Luna's face turned pale, and her hands trembled from fear. She never stepped outside the Demonic realm, not to mention she rarely went out of the mansion. It was because a demon who was not old enough was prohibited from passing through a portal.

"No, you aren't going to do that, kid."

From behind, Val snatched the kid's branch stick and tapped his own shoulder using it. He looked at all of them with a menacing expression.

"Huh, who are you?"

The kid pulled his eyebrows together and glanced up toward Val, who was about six feet tall.

"I'm her brother. Why are you bullying her? Do you have no shame harassing a girl younger than you?" chastised Val while leaning over toward that kid to give him a proper lesson.

When the kid was about to talk back, his friend poked his arm with a pale face, now almost similar to a white sheet.

"T-the horn—"

"W-waaaaah! It's the big demon!"

"Save yourself!"

"Aaaaaaaaa!"

All of them dashed after finding that Val was also a demon; some of them even tripped over their feet and ran again with red faces from fear, holding tears. They ran into the thick forest across the road and disappeared behind the trees.

"Brother…!" Without waiting for another second, Luna darted fast toward Val and hugged him tightly. "T-thank you for saving me… I'm so scared."

"Did they hurt you?" asked Val, and Luna answered with a light head shake.

He took a relieved sigh before looking around. He needed to leave this place as soon as possible before meeting that walking cheat code. He just needed to go to the portal gateway where he came from. After being used, the portal would have a cooldown time of around 2 hours before it could be used again for the reverse destination. However, that was fine because waiting in the gateway was safer than wandering around here as two demons who were scaring the mortals.

"Let's go back home, Luna."

"Uhm!"

Luna walked beside Val while holding the man's shirt tight and sometimes took a side glance toward him—she did not know how to explain this eerie feeling, but one thing she knew was she just liked being around that man.

"… wait!"

"Wa—it a minute!"

"Waiiiiiiiiit pleaseeeeeee!"

Val stopped his feet and turned around to see one of the kids who scared Luna earlier was in front of him, holding his knees while breathing hard up and down.

Val studied the kid's pale expression, and he could catch something bad happening among those kids.

"What is it?"

"Sir—no, I mean Mister Demon, please help us! When we ran to the forest, we passed through a cliff and… and one of us slipped. He's still hanging there waiting for help, and he can't last longer! Please help him, Mister! We can't save him since it was too dangerous for us!" He finished his sentence in one breath and made him pant heavily.

"So? I need to save him?" asked Val while tilting his head and giving the kid an unbothered look.

"Of… of course." The kid answered with a trembling voice.

"Why?" blurted Val for the second time.

The kid blinked out from confusion and even licked his dry lips. "W-Why? It's because my friend needs help…"

Val cut the kid's word. "But I don't want to help."

Smack—!

"Ouch!"

Without a warning, Luna smacked Val's head out of a sudden and made him blink in surprise.

"Brother, don't act petty like that! They need help! You must help them!" insisted Luna with a full determined face.

"But we're demons…"

"Then what? Does that mean a demon is prohibited from helping others? Do you want to make more enemies for us?"

Val could not utter more words against her. He was older in age than her, but Val felt that Luna was older than him right now.

Luna puffed her cheeks and made her two tiny horns glow from anger within her. Valac sighed.

"Alright, alright. Just stop nagging."

Both Luna and the little boy widened their eyes in excitement hearing Val's answer. However, the man continued with a serious look toward Luna.

"You know, you can't survive if you keep this bad behavior of yours. Being too kind to others not always end up in a happy ending."

Luna nodded. "I know it, Brother. Now go save him! I'll wait here!"

She pushed Val forward and gave him a wide smile followed with cheerful waves. Val glanced at her for a moment before turning around and ran into the forest.

"Show me the way, Kid," commanded him.

"Alright, Mister!"

The cliff was not too far from there; Val could see some kids were trying to help their friend using any tool nearby, from roots to clothes that bound together to make a rope but failed because they lacked strength.

"I… I brought the Mister Demon, everyone!"

"I-it's the demon!"

Val noticed where the kid who was hanging on the cliff edge and quickly approached him. He would not waste time here or something bad would happen to Luna.

"Hold onto my hand, kid!"

"Waaaaah! Demon! D-don't touch me!"

However, the hanging kid refused to accept Val's hand and screamed out in fear.

"It's alright, Fren! Mister Demon will help you!"

Fren stuttered, "R-really, Kloin?"

Kloin, the kid who ran asking for Val's assistance, nodded vigorously. "Of course! Don't be afraid and hold his hand! Think about your parents at home!"

Fren started to sob because remembered his parents at home. Val extended his hand once more time.

"Here, hold this and go back to your home. I'm not going to hurt you."

Fren nodded weakly and tried to reach Val's hand; he was holding onto a giant root and tried to climb it up. However, he had been holding there for almost ten minutes straight, and now Fren's stamina was drained.

When he was just about one step closer, Fren's grip slipped from the root because he touched the moss side, and he started to fall.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH—!"

"Kid!"

"Frennnnnn!"

Val widened his eyes from shock and jumped from the cliff out of reflex to catch Fren then kept him safe in his arms.

Now, Val and Fren were falling together from the cliff. Val closed his eyes and tightened his arms to keep Fren inside there.

'Shit. Goodbye, my new life, if I am to be reborn again, I just want to be a plant… waaaaaah—!'

Shiiiiing.

Suddenly, Val felt his body floating and not falling. His body began to feel lighter and was pulled toward the ground.

"Are you guys alright?"

Val suddenly opened his eyes and found someone familiar in front of him. He could not even blink when he saw that figure.

Blue ocean-like eyes, blonde hair that resembles gold strands, and a faint light emanating from that figure as if telling that he was the main character here.

Yes, it was him.

Ryland Sunshard.

The protagonist from [ADTOAH].

Ryland suddenly popped off from nowhere and caught Val before he could lose his life after jumping from the cliff.

Val then blinked when realized something important.

'Shit, does that mean I owe a life to him? To that walking cheat code? Nawwhhhhhhhh!'