Different Lives

Lilith's dwelling.

Two nights, it took two nights for Luna and Sylva to complete their mission of gathering information.

Tonight, was the very same night they finished. Sylva did not want to wait for any further and delivered the pelt to Lilith without fail.

The number of humans, their path of travel, and where their makeshift camp was built; all of it was in the pelt Luna wrote the information on.

As Lilith reviewed the detailed specifics of Section 8, Lilith nodded her head as she formed a plan in her head.

In these two nights, the humans had been cleaning up the rest of the Island while the Hunters prepared themselves for the final push of Sections 1 and 2.

The humans left Lilith's section for a place where they'll finish off every daemon after rallying them. They decided this upon finally learning that daemons were gathering at said section.

Of course, Lilith only knew of this because of her constantly monitoring available messages.

But the giveaway was the message ordering the Hunters to lead them to her side.

'They're thinking we're still licking our wounds.' she's liking the advantages of being seen as incompetent of planning, 'If only everyone is this simple-minded.'

Lilith's radiant smile illuminated the gloom that was inside Lilith's dwelling turned War Room.

"Good job, both of you…now, you may leave."

Sylva froze and as she looked at Lilith and asked…

"Boss head, what about the thing we spoke of?"

Lilith looked at Sylva and placed down the brush pen she was holding onto.

"Do you really want to kill her?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation whatsoever.

Lilith looked at Luna, her face still showed a pensive expression before turning to Sylva once again.

"Then do it, Luna and I had already had our agreements. You can kill her without a problem, but she has her own conditions.

"What is it?"

Lilith stood up as she spoke and got between the two. Seeing Sylva already prepared to drive the dagger in Luna's neck was enough to Lilith she's on edge and barely hanging on.

"Do it in the middle of the village, behead her there, and show her kin what you're about to do. If you are to kill someone who is leading a Race you best do it to send a message. I already prepared everything earlier, do not worry."

Lilith already predicted the timeframe of when Sylva and Luna will finish their given mission.

When Lilith stepped out of her dwelling, Luna closely followed as if to show she was not hesitant to face her death.

Sylva walked out of the dwelling and outside, there was a path created from the lined-up Pixies, Ogres, Brick Bears, and other daemons.

Torches were lined up illuminating the path and provided light. When Sylva saw these, especially the guilt-filled expressions of the Pixies, she knew that Lilith had already told them what's about to happen.

However, as of this moment, when the Pixies and their evolution Variants were expected to be rioting against Lilith's decision, they were calm and collected to a point.

"A week ago, when you were still in bed, Luna and I had spoken. The Pixies already knew what will happen a week prior and I informed them about this eventuality not too long ago."

Sylva was silent throughout.

Lilith took slow steps through the path of daemons. The path was a simple straight that led to an open area in the village. Lilith flew up and watched Luna and Sylva stand at its center.

Sylva looked around and in the front of the crowd right across her were five daemons with silver hair. These daemons were Silberofers who managed to live to see this day come.

Sylva then looked at Luna straight in the eye and Luna did not avoid her gaze.

Lilith who was watching this showed a bitter expression, 'The fight between Sylva and the Pixies will never be resolved unless I take care of the matter this way.'

Taking a deep breath, Lilith amplified her voice so everyone would be able to hear her words.

"Luna of the Pixie Race, are you prepared to bear the burden of your Race on your shoulders!? To take the pain and suffering of the Silberofers who had suffered for generations after generation because of your Race's customs!? I can still stop this if you wish me to do so! Say the word and I will plead for your life."

"I am prepared to wash the sins of my Race. I am aware of the hypocrisy of our Race, our Ancestors claimed to embrace our Kin yet for us to move forward we willingly draw the blood of those who has our blood.

"My life cannot signify the end of every evolutionary custom of every Pixie Race in the cosmos, but if it can wash the sins of those who follows me and the Priestess, I will gladly lay my life for my cause... for the duty passed to me." Luna didn't even flinch as she spoke. Her voice was calm.

Lilith turned to the Pixies, "Sylva, do it."

Separated by a couple of meters. Sylva brought out her daggers, and as she looked at Luna, her hate burn. She can still feel it, a lingering intent of Sela's soul.

As her rage burned, the wind gathered around her and created a massive gust of wind!

"I lived day by day fearing the end will come for me and my friend. Your sins wIll not be washed by what I am about to do, but to you, who took the soul of my friend, I WILL KILL YOU AND SET HER FREE!"

The wind that gathered around her and exploded out and sent her flying forward! She tightly held her dagger and as her rage turned, her dagger turned to the sharpest weapon, she swung it without holding back, her aim was Luna's neck!

As Luna watched it coming her way, her memories began to rewind, and in that split second, she saw what was her life.

Daemons are beings who grow up fast. A one-year-old intelligent daemon is to a four years old human. And as Luna reached the age of one, the Pixie Lord told her one thing that stuck to her forever.

"Throw away your emotions, cry and it will open a void that will lead to the creation of a weakness. Laughter means you have found something you fancy; you cannot be partial to anyone or to anything. You must be a being of reason, thus, if I hear you are smiling, laughing, or crying, you will be punished, understood?"

"…Yes."

From the age of one, until she was two, Luna's emotions were drained. Emotions are weaknesses and they cannot surface to the one who would become the hope of a Race.

At age, three, Luna showed nothing other than a passive expression.

The last time she showed a smile and cried was when she was one year old until she was one and eleven months old, and the total number of times she showed emotions were 37 times, and during that 37 occurrences, she was lashed 40 times each.

When she was three, Luna's curiosity blossomed. She looked at the moon and asked her father something that had bothered her for a long time.

"Father, they said you killed the one who gave birth to me?"

"Worry not about her, she said some unsavory things that led to her demise. She didn't want you, our greatest hope to flourish. You're our hope and will become our hope, if you can evolve further, you will be able to bring prosperity to our race.

"Here is another lesson, useless thoughts lead to doubt, only believe what is right for our people, and that is enough."

The question of why her mother was killed was simple and concise but from that day she also gained something other than knowledge – fear. Fear of being disposed of if she said anything unsavory or unnecessary.

At age seven, she learned of something that she should not have known.

"Father, they said that I was born with another Pixie. Is she too in the process of learning?"

"You have no Pixie as a sister, only a defective product who shall empower our race. She is another key that will let our race thrive, who will give us the chance to expand our territory. She will lay down her life for the Race.

"Sacrifices are essential, those born to become fodder for others will serve their roles. And just like your sister who shall execute her role in the near future, you too shall execute yours."

That time, she learned she was nothing but a tool.

And as time moved forward, Luna felt the need to see where her sister was taken, she snuck out of her home and went to find Sylva. She was but a child at this time but she managed to find the place where the Silberofers were taken.

At this time, her resolve was to take her sister away, so that she'll live. This may mean Luna would disobey her father, but this also meant she would be able to save her sister.

She failed to help her mother, but maybe, this time she would be able to help her.

But when she got there and found the one who resembled her the most, Luna saw a girl smiling and laughing. That girl laughed with her friend and as Luna watched she decided to turn back.

'Taking her back will be cruel, in a place where one cannot smile nor cry, I will also be doing what father did to me…'

She returned back home without doing anything and when the Pixie Lord came to learn of what she had done, Luna was punished with a hundred lashings.

Luna lived her life and when she turned 10 and her LVL reached 20, she was presented with a woman who was similar to a Pixie but not quite.

She thought she would finally be getting a companion, but alas, she was wrong…

"Kill her and take her soul, this is your first step to evolution."

Luna furiously shook her head as she did not want to kill.

"I thought I was serving my people? Why do I need to kill her?"

"Because that is her role. And you will kill her, and you will take her soul no whatever it is that you say!"

The Pixie Lord took Luna's hands and forced her to hold a knife. When Luna refused, she was beaten, and when she still refused, the Pixie Lord grabbed Luna's hands with the knife.

She fought for control, but in the end, the knife found itself on the girl's neck. Blood spurted and Luna tried to stop the bleeding, she held the girl in her hand applying pressure on her neck.

The girl she killed looked into her eyes and whispered something to her…

"Please…spare my friend."

That was when Luna remembered the lady's identity. Luna fought the eventual end, she didn't want to evolve by killing the one who brought happiness to the sister she never met. She rejected the soul, she pleaded to those of higher power to free the soul, to her ancestors, to the moon, or anyone who could help yet she still evolved.

She trembled as she had killed someone for the first time. And as Luna's consciousness began to fade when the evolution process began, a tear escaped her eyes because, at that moment, she was afraid and also envious of Sela who died.

And at the present, as Luna stared into Sylva's eyes, she was able to mouth off one last thing…

"Thank you…"

For the first time in many years, she smiled as she was freed from being a tool, and shortly after...her head flew into the air.

Luna, the tool of the Pixie Lord was finally free.