Scapegoat

I have no idea what is happening right now. The men in armor bind me and I am forced to follow them to the castle. I do not remember doing anything yesterday that could cause this event now. After getting off the ship, I went straight to looking for an inn to stay at. This morning, I set out to find a horse. The inns that I tried to enter yesterday didn't give me a chance to set foot in their buildings so there's no way that I could have done something to any being.

I am marching with these men and everyone around are staring at us. I wasn't given a chance to speak nor was I informed of what is happening. All I know is that I resemble the sketch of a man in that scroll.

Upon arriving at the castle, I was met with a crowd of beings and the King of this land. Mixed races all around and the King sitting on his throne. I am presented to the King tied. Just near to my right is a group of humans. One of them a woman who is frantically crying.

The King, who looks like to be a mixture of Human and Beast, stood up and the man standing beside him silenced everyone.

"Is it him?" asked the King to the crying woman.

The woman stayed silent while crying. She looked at me as if looking for something.

"It must be him!" shouted the man standing next to the woman.

"Yes, your majesty! Look at his horns and tail, only a demon like him could have it." said the other one.

"She was attacked by a man last night with the same horns and tail. It must be him!" said the other girl.

"Tch! Only a demon like him would do something like that." one being among the crowd added.

"Where were you last night?" the King asked me.

"I stayed in an inn in the outskirts of this town. I was sleeping the whole night." I calmly replied.

"I saw that demon arrive in this town yesterday and he spent his afternoon trying to enter different inns. He must have been looking for some beings to harm!" the male elf said.

"Are there any other demons currently in this town besides him?" the King asked the armored men.

"We saw some demons but they do not fit the description. Instead of black eyes and black hair, they have different colors. Some demons are female and the male ones do not fit the height description as well as the body build as described by the woman." answered the Beast who ordered his men to take me here.

The king spoke, "Last night, one important artifact in the castle vanished under the nose of our knights."

All the beings around gasped in disbelief.

" This artifact belongs to the race of the Beasts and it is very important. It was also the same night when this woman here was sexually assaulted while she was staying in her room in an inn. " the king added.

"According to the woman, she was attacked by a man with black hair and black eyes, wearing a mask, and has horns and tail that resemble the Demon's." the king spoke further.

"That demon must have stolen it!" shouted the crowd.

"Yeah! He is truly a demon!" another being added.

"Do you have proof that I stole that thing you are talking about? Also, I stayed the whole night in my inn last night. Could you prove that I was out and about last night?" I told them off.

"Check his belongings." said the king.

And with that, his knights rummaged through my bags. They will find nothing there.

Clang!

A goblet dotted with some blue gems fell out from one of my bags. Impossible! I didn't steal anything. I didn't even know what the artifact looks like until now.

"It's the artifact!" shouted the Beasts.

"We are done here." said the King.

"NO! I didn't steal it! Someone here must have tucked it in my bags to frame me!" I shouted.

"And how about the sexual assault that you did to our comrade?" said the elf who spoke just a while ago against me.

"It wasn't me!" I hissed.

"Rina, tell us, it's him right?" asked one of the girls with them.

I could feel the hatred that everyone has for me here right now. I am sinking in darkness and they are the humongous shadows that are towering around me. Is this it? Will my life end here?

"Is it him?" one of the knights asked the girl.

"Yes." the girl replied while sobbing to her friends.

"As expected of a Demon. You Demons are nothing but pests!" said the same elf with a scornful smile.

I can't take this anymore.

"LOOK OUT! The demon's eyes became red!" one of the beings in the crowd shouted.

Everyone here is pushing me at my limits. If they want a Demon to blame, then I will give them just that!

I could feel my rage boiling all over my body. Thin black smoke emits from my body.

"I SAID IT WASN'T ME, ASSHOLES!" my voice loudly echoed through the castle.

I know I won't win against them but I couldn't control my anger anymore.

"Pin him down!" said one of the knights.

I could only gain some strength at this state but it won't be enough to defeat these knights around me.

I managed to rip the rope binding my hands.

I punched and kicked some of them away but one of them managed to stab me behind.

I am stunned.

My blood gushed out as he pulled back his sword.

If I don't act fast, I might just die here.

I fell on the ground and my face touching the cold ground.

Then I remembered one tale in a mysterious book in the Library of Valkar.

It says there that Gaia is not the only world existing. There are many other worlds and we need a door to open them. That mysterious book did not define what that door is. However, there was a myth from the perished race that writing a set of runes using blood could open a portal going to an unknown place. It is prohibited by all the other race and even the Minister of Library prohibits it. That myth was written in one of the books that is being kept in a special library known only to official librarians. I managed to take a peek at that during my apprenticeship. That myth was supposedly written thousands of years ago too.

I still remember the symbols. I have no other choice now but to try it. If it will not work, I am doomed to die here.

With the little strength that I have, I drew the symbols using my own blood on the floor. If it works, I don't know where it will take me but anywhere is better than here.

As the knights were about to grab me, the symbols I drew emitted blinding red light and I was sucked into darkness.