Chapter 12

Korrozak looked beneath him to see a shining city by the water. It was nighttime again, and he and Nura had finally made it to Iron Harbor, also known as the city of steel. It took a few weeks to make it there. He and Nura were hovering high above the city's walls, watching the people move sluggishly in summer's warm weather. Even though it was nighttime, the weather got stupidly warm and with the whole town made of metal, everything more or less hurt to touch. Iron Harbor wasn't called Iron Harbor for nothing. Korrozak nodded to Nura, who was hovering just to his left, and they descended into the city. They landed on the roofs of a poorly lit area and hid their wings. They put on matching brown cloaks that all suspicious travelers always seem to have and climbed into an alleyway that led to the streets below. They pulled their hoods over their heads and joined the crowds to search for a place to stay for the night. They wandered and wandered but to no avail. Eventually, they found themselves staring out at the ocean a ways away from the harbor. It was far away from the loud bustling and bright lights of the city behind them, and they could watch the waves splash gently on the shore before them. They sat down on the sand and listened to the ocean. They sat for a long time before Korrozak stood up and started brushing the sand off of his cloak. Nura got up and did the same and they set out to look for a place to stay again. They wandered aimlessly around the harbor but couldn't find a place they could stay that was cheap enough for them. They eventually settled for the grass hill just outside of Iron Harbor. They took off their cloaks and laid them out on the grass before laying down. They stared silently at the stars, waiting for sleep to come.

"Korrozak, is this really a good idea?" Nura asked suddenly.

"How much of 'this' are you referring to? There's a lot of things we've done that could be put into question." Korrozak stated.

"All of this. Beating up those DMA guys, visiting Shiro, sneaking into another country. Is it really ok to be on the run?"

"Technically, no, but I'd rather be a wanted criminal on the run than an inmate stuck in jail. Now that my secret's out, even if I'm on the run, I feel more free than when I was trying to blend in with everyone else. I mean, I feel a lot better than when I was keeping my wings a secret. Now I don't have to hide who I am."

"Then why do you?"

"It'd scare everyone. Imagine if you are a human for a second. How would you feel if you had heard rumors of a demon walking around destroying whole cities and then one just suddenly walked into your hometown?"

"I would feel scared that the demon was here to destroy the town I was in?"

"Exactly!"

"But we haven't been going around destroying towns. Why would people automatically think that about demons if there's no proof?"

"Because most people believe in rumors even if they are false."

"Why would people believe in false rumors?"

"Do you know the saying 'seeing is believing'? Rumors are like that except with your ears. People usually believe what they are told if it comes from a trusted friend or superior. Most rumors are baseless lies but there are some rumors where people find evidence related to a rumor. Whether that evidence is false or not is the troublesome part. If someone went to that village the DMA demolished, it could be used as evidence supporting the rumor that there is a city-destroying demon on the loose, even though it's not true. The sad part is that people are actually stupid enough to believe rumors. They're called rumors for a reason. There's not much we can do about it, though. We can put in our opinion but that's about it." Korrozak sighed. He stretched his arms and legs before rolling onto his right side to face Nura. "It's getting late. We should go to sleep now. We'll have to wake up early tomorrow morning to get tickets for a ship."

"Ok." Nura mumbled sleepily and closed his eyes. Korrozak did the same and tried to sleep but it didn't come. He turned onto his back and stared at the stars again. THey looked so peaceful to him.

"Korrozak…" Korrozak heard a whisper and sat up. He looked around but no one was there and Nura was fast asleep. Korrozak stood up and looked around again. Behind him, he saw a faint image of a person in all white. His hair was white and he had mismatched black and red wings, just like him. He was wearing a white shirt and white shorts. He was transparent and Korrozak couldn't see any significant facial features, or any features. The ghost raised its hands to its mouth. "Be careful…" it whispered. Korrozak blinked and it was gone. He looked around but there wasn't anyone for miles. Korrozak turned one last time to see a giant club flying on a collision course with his face. He managed to dodge it by bending his back and watched it narrowly miss his nose. He straightened up instantly and tackled the guy who swung at him. He was twice his size but was easily knocked over by Korrozak's sudden attack. Korrozak pinned him down to the ground and held a knife to his throat.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" he asked.

"Heh heh, Theo was right!" Korrozak flinched.

"Who was?" A dark look crossed his face as he brought the knife closer to the club guy's neck.

"You should be more worried about the little friend you forgot about." the guy grumbled nervously. Korrozak turned his head to check on Nura. He had disappeared.

"Nura?" Korrozak instantly got off the club guy and looked around for Nura. He was nowhere to be seen. The club guy stood up behind Korrozak and took another swing. Korrozak noticed too late. He was hit in the side of his head and knocked unconscious.The club guy grabbed Korrozak by the leg when he fell and dragged him uphill towards the forest. There, he met with a DMA agent who was standing near a truck filled with cages. Most of the cages had demons, including Nura, trapped inside them. The club guy held Korrozak up to the agent, who unlocked one of the bigger cages. The agent put magic-sealing handcuffs on Korrozak then tossed him into the cage next to Nura before slamming the doors shut and locking them.

"Korrozak!" Nura cried. Korrozak lifted his head and looked up at Nura, who was crying next to him. Korrozak sat himself up and placed a hand on the right side of his head. When he looked at his hand again, it was covered in blood. He sighed and tested the strength of the chains. He then turned to Nura and smiled.

"Don't worry. That's not enough to kill me." he assured. "Are you hurt at all?" Nura shook his head.

"What about you? Your head is bleeding!" Nura sobbed.

"I'm still a little dizzy and nauseous but it'll pass with time." Korrozak confessed. He reached through the bars of their cages and rubbed Nura's head.

"Hey! I'm not a little kid, ok?" he grumbled, batting Korrozak's hand away and blushing. Korrozak just laughed. He then yawned and stretched.

"Well, this was a lot less eventful than I hoped for but I'm still drained. I'm gonna get some shut eye before we get to prison."

"You aren't worried?"

"There's no point in worrying. We can't really do anything right now so let's just get some rest so we can be prepared for whatever comes next." he advised. Korrozak laid down as best as possible and closed his eyes. Nura just watched uneasily. He wasn't the only one. Most of the other demons in cages were awake and looked panicked. Nura looked back at Korrozak to see him sleeping peacefully. Nura leaned against the side of his cage and began to close his eyes when a loud boom sounded and the truck began to flip to the right. The cages started sliding and banged against many other cages. The truck managed to land back on its four wheels but the ride got bumpier and the truck sped up. Nura looked around, startled. Korrozak blinked open his eyes and sat up, yawning.

"Are we there?" he mumbled sleepily.

"No. We seem to be under attack." Nura answered.

"Oh." Korrozak yawned again. "Must be the SDS I've heard about."

"SDS?"

"It stands for 'Secret Demon Shelter', although it's not very secretive. There is a group of people who support demons and help them escape slavery or imprisonment. They even built a whole city called Demon City or the City of Demons. There, anyone associated with the DMA or the Demon Hunters they send out are forbidden from entering the city. It's a place where humans and demons get along. However, demons who have eaten humans are also forbidden from entering the city. The people there believe in the coexistence between humans and demons and reject anyone who goes against it." Korrozak explained.

"Since when were Demon Hunters a thing?"

"Demon Hunters are people who are specifically trained in hunting and killing demons. They are the ones tasked with finding escaped convicts or demons who are especially slippery or hard to catch. The longer you're on the run, the more likely you are to have a Demon Hunter on your tail. Demons who have committed serious crimes or are from an especially dangerous bloodline are usually given at least three Demon Hunters who track the target and either kill or capture them, depending on their orders." 

"How do you know all this?"

"I used to study to be a Demon Hunter when I was little, before I knew I was a demon myself." he confessed.

"How could you do that to your own kind!" Nura sniffled, sarcastically wiping away a fake tear.

"I was four! I didn't know any better!" Korrozak whined, not taking the hint.

"You studied at four? But there are so much better things to do."

"Some demons are just like that, ok?" he grumbled, crossing his arms. Another boom sounded and the truck flipped again, grinding against the ground. The cages crashed all over each other. After a moment of silence, the double doors on the back on the truck clicked open and a person in a white robe, hood and mask appeared. Korrozak could see his pale blue eyes through the darkness. He apologized as he began unlocking the cages closest to him and tossing them out the back of the truck. It took a while to get through all the cages, and when he finished, about twenty demons stood clustered behind the truck. The person in white turned to the group and put his hands on his hips. 

"Alright. I'm code named Silver Phoenix. You can just call me Silver. You are all demons, right? Please bring out the max number of wings you can." Some of the demons already had their wings out and the ones who didn't took theirs out right away. Korrozak was the only one who hesitated. "You. You're a demon right? Please show me your wings." Silver stared directly at Korrozak. Korrozak took a deep breath and pulled out his first wing. He turned his head away from the others, closed his eyes and waited for the shocked gasps and whispers to stop.

"What happened?" Silver asked, confused. When he saw Korrozak's single red wing, his eyes narrowed for an instant.

"A maniacal DMA agent cut it off with a knife and then I was caught and tortured for barraging my capturer with insults." he explained boldly. Silver nodded and pulled out two pairs of wings. They looked exactly like Korrozak's wings except they were white. Korrozak noticed Silver's eyes turned to a pale gray. He looks like the ghost I saw. But his wings aren't the right color… "Silver, why are your wings white and not black?"

"It's because I come from an old demon family of high authority called the 'White Wolf family. It is the fourth strongest of the Five Great families back before the underworld collapsed. Here, that has almost no meaning, except that I was born with stronger magic than most." Silver explained. "But none of that matters right now."

"Why is your name so weird?" Nura wondered.

"You are all given a chance to change your names when you enter Demon City." Silver explained. "You can think about it on the flight there. You, with the single wing, can you still fly?"

"Yes." Korrozak nodded.

"Good. I'll go call my friend over and we'll leave." Silver ordered before heading off to the front of the flipped truck.

"Why didn't you show all of your wings, Korrozak?" Nura whispered.

"We don't know them very well yet. I'm just being cautious. The more power you have as a demon, the more of a target you become. Besides, I have a few private questions I would like to have answered before I fully trust them. For now, please don't tell anyone about my extra wings." he explained. Nura nodded. Silver came back a few seconds later with a demon with red wings and walked up to the front of the group. Instantly, the red winged demon glanced at Korrozak, who averted his gaze.

"This is my friend, code named Scaldris." Silver introduced. Scaldris pointed at Korrozak instantly.

"You, where's your other wing?" her voice was rough and menacing.

"Ask the DMA." Korrozak retored, irritably.

"Please don't mind him. He's probably tired of all the questions." Silver whispered to Scaldris.

"Well don't expect someone to carry you to Demon City." she advised.

"I can fly just fine, thank you very much."

"With only one wing?"

"Yes! How else?" Korrozak rolled his eyes.

"Show me then." Korrozak jumped into the air and hovered in a sitting position, crossing his arms and legs.

"Happy now?"

"Everyone else, get into the air. We're leaving now." Scaldris ordered, ignoring the scorn in his voice. All the other demons jumped into the air and followed Silver and Scaldris, who blasted off. It was a long time before they were allowed to stop and rest. Korrozak was the only one who could continue flying without a break except for Silver and Scaldris. A few days passed and it was nighttime once again. They were flying over a forest next to a mountain when Silver and Scaldris suddenly steered towards the mountain and began to dive. They curved and curved until they were facing the waterfall that flowed off the top of the cliffside of the mountain. Silver and Scaldris sped up as they dived. Many demons got nervous and slowed a little. Korrozak grabbed Nura's hand and held it reassuringly. 

"Don't worry. We've done this many times before. As long as you can hold your breath for a long time you can make it." Scaldris called behind her. A few demons got nervous and stopped diving.

"I'll help them through. You continue with the rest." Silver ordered, breaking away from the group to help the stragglers. Scaldris nodded and continued even faster with the rest of the group behind her. Right before they hit the water, Korrozak took a big breath of air. Right after he passed through the waterfall, Scaldris turned to pencil dive into the pool of water below them. They all dove straight into the water and followed Scaldris' movements. Together, they swam like fish through an underwater tunnel until they couldn't hold their breaths any longer. Just then, Scaldris led them up to the surface.