Noir?

In the underworld, a demon with black hair streaked with red and gold, and golden eyes with red pupils and black sclerae, sat regally dressed in princely garments. This was Noir, one of the seven Primordial Demons and the most peculiar among them. He held a magical orb in his hand, staring at it with great interest. Beside him stood two powerful demons, their strength only surpassed by the Primordials and the Archduke of Hell.

One had long, straight, black hair that fell over his face, covering his eyes. He wore a large, fur-lined cloak with long sleeves, dark and almost blending into the background, with a high, fluffy collar adding to his imposing appearance. The other demon had short, spiky, light-colored hair and wore a dark, tattered cloak with a high collar, giving him a rugged look.

Both demons were curiously observing their master.

Inside the orb, they saw a man with blonde hair handing a mask to a girl.

"Kufufufu, interesting. I think I have found the person I want to serve. This person will lead me to discover the truth of the world," Noir spoke to himself.

"Who is it, master?" both demons asked simultaneously, their curiosity piqued.

"He is the Storm Dragon," Noir said with admiration.

Without questioning his decision, both demons started to watch Veldora with admiring gazes.

The true reason Noir wanted to serve Veldora stretched back many years. When he fought Shizue and that mask tore his arm apart, he sensed time compression and realized that the mask was older than him, which seemed impossible since he was born at the very beginning of creation like all the Primordial Demons. He concluded that whoever made this mask had great authority over time and, in the interest of finding out more, helped Shizue instead of killing her.

The mask, older than time itself and surpassing it, had broken in Veldora's presence, and Veldora had perfectly remade it with its time properties intact. Noir concluded that Veldora was the one who made it.

Noir had initially thought that time moved like a straight arrow forward, but the mask's existence implied that time could move backward too. This revelation showed him that he didn't have as good an understanding of time as he thought. Following Veldora would lead him to the truth of it all.

***************************************************

Veldora was now guiding the group to his village.

On their way, Veldora asked Eren, "Why are you here?"

"We came here to investigate if there is anything suspicious going on," Eren replied.

"So, did you find anything?"

Eren shook her head. "No, we didn't find anything in there. Did you know the story behind that cave? There's supposed to be this big, evil dragon sealed inside, but we spent two weeks running up and down that cave, and nothing! Two weeks without a bath, and we got practically nothing for it…"

"Whoa, c'mon!" an unnerved Kabal barked back. "We can't go around revealing that much to them!"

"What do you care?" Gido countered. "She's the one who did it! It doesn't matter to me!"

The men completely panicked at Eren's unwitting revelation.

"Hey now, don't I have the right to know when you're talking about me?" Veldora said, putting one of his arms around Kabal's shoulder as he leaned on him.

"What do you mean?" Eren asked nonchalantly, not understanding what he said. However, Kabal's experience was different. He was frozen in place with fear, thinking he was seeing death itself.

Eren found Kabal's behavior unusual as she looked at him. It didn't take them long to realize what was going on. Eren and Gido jumped back, and Eren pointed her staff towards Veldora, demanding, "Let go of him!"

Veldora looked at them with an amused glance and then his eyes fell on Shizu, who wasn't as alert as Eren and Gido. She was calm, as if nothing had happened.

Eren shouted, "Shizu-san, get away from him! He is dangerous!"

"Calm down, Eren. If he wanted to harm us, we would all be dead by now. Am I right, Storm Dragon-san?" Shizu spoke, looking at Veldora.

This brought a mischievous smirk to Veldora's face as he let go of Kabal, who started breathing heavily as if gasping for air.

"Aren't you a smart one," Veldora said, giving Shizu a hard spank on her ass.

**Spank!!**

"Ahhh.....!!!?You are Rude!!", Shizu spoke with a pout.

With that, they resumed their journey to the village. This time, Veldora's arms were draped over Shizu and Eren's shoulders as he leisurely walked towards the village.

Eren's expression was extremely pale. She was barely managing to walk, her legs shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes darted nervously, and her breath came in shallow, quick gasps. She was clearly overwhelmed by the presence of the mighty Storm Dragon, even in his more subdued form.

On the other hand, Shizu was the opposite of Eren. She seemed noticeably more relaxed. Her steps were steady, and a sense of calm had settled over her. This was unusual for Shizu, who had been living with a constant, internal struggle ever since she had come to this world.

When Veldora had placed his hand on Shizu's shoulder, something remarkable happened. Ifrit, the powerful fire spirit that had been forcibly bonded to her by Leon, didn't attempt to take control of her body as it usually did. Instead, it recoiled, trying to hide deep within her, as if it were terrified of Veldora.

Since coming to this world, Shizu had been cursed with Ifrit's presence. It had cost her dearly, leading to the loss of friends and causing immense suffering. She despised Ifrit, viewing it as the source of her pain and isolation. Watching Ifrit cower in fear of Veldora brought an unexpected sense of relief. For the first time in a long while, she felt a glimmer of gratitude towards someone.

Shizu felt a rare moment of respite from Ifrit's constant assault. The sensation of Veldora's hand on her shoulder, a gesture that seemed casual and effortless for him, felt protective to her. It was as if Veldora's presence was a shield, keeping Ifrit's torment at bay.

A strange feeling washed over her. She glanced at Veldora from the corner of her eye. There was a warmth in his casual demeanor, a strength that seemed to promise safety. For a moment, Shizu wished that Veldora's hand would remain on her shoulder a bit longer. It was a fleeting thought, but it brought her a comfort she hadn't known in years. 

Give me stones