Wake up

As the demon burned into fireless corpse and disintegrated to dust, the demon slayers heard howls of dead, captured souls at a considerable distance.

The demon slayers knew it all too well. It was the cry of anguish from the trapped souls. When their prisoner was killed, they were freed. Of course, there are some confusion that will occur on the dead soul's mind, but if the mages do not cleanse them, they will turn into vengeful spirits and might hurt human beings. The demon slayers run without any sign of halting. They ran at their fastest speed and could not catch a glimpse of their faces. They zoomed off and left a trail of light behind. If there were spectators who saw them, they would only see blurred figures passing at the speed of lightning.

When the howling got nearer, the mages noticed that the thick forest had ended and a vast plantation was seen in the land. The crops are dead and lifeless. The houses are decrepit and on the brink of destruction. The land was purged of a deadly curse.The Mages look at each other. Towns don't usually wither this easily. Judging by the state of the houses, the people here were living well until very recently. They all disappeared.

When the Grand Sword Master stepped forward, he already had a conclusion in his mind after one look at the town,

"This is what happens to a town that worships a demon as their god." He stated. All the Mages nodded in agreement.

As the Grand Sword Master swept his eyes across the land, he noticed an unusual presence in the church located at the center of the town. He gestured for the Mages to scout the church. They nodded and moved tactfully and vigilantly. They casted an array at the door to inspect inside. When they detect there's no demonic energy inside, they blast the door off.

The ten Mages filed into the church. The area is dark and desolate. There was no one inside. The ground has thick black like powder, when they crouch down and examine the dust, they were all stupefied.

The ashes, when they cast an array to examine what creature it was from, they found out it was actually from humans! They are burned alive? How?! The church seems unaffected, and there's no sign of burning.

So how could humans be burn inside alive while the house itself does not have any trace of fire?

As the Mages looked at each other in confusion, they noticed one figure sitting in the corner. A little boy!

They immediately rushed towards him to check if he's still alive. The Grand Sword Master reached out and tapped his shoulder.

"Are you alright, little boy?"

Aiden's sharp eyes flung open and he glared at them.

"Shh, it's okay. We don't want to hurt you. We're here to rescue you. Can you tell us what happened?"

Aiden did not stop glaring as he clutched Lucien's body closer to himself. As if saying, 'I won't hand him over!'

This kind of protective instinct shocked the others. He was only barely six or seven years old. How can he possess such a dangerous aura?! The Grand Sword Master lowered his voice and made an extra great effort to make his approach more friendly.

"I am Nicholas Cauldron. I am a teacher and instructor at the Demon Slayer Association at Haven City."

Aiden looked up at the mention of demon slayer. His eyes glinted darkly, and they narrowed as time passed by. As if repeatedly stabbing the Great Sword Master, Nicholas Cauldron, and accusingly pointing out,

'Get out! I don't want you here! You can't have him!'

Nicholas maintained a cool appearance before saying,

"Me and my men successfully captured and defeated a demon not far away from here. He has two horns and is very scary looking. Are you familiar with him? Did that demon bring you here?"

At the sound of his soothing voice, Lucien finally wake up. He groggily sat up. Lucien felt slightly suffocated having someone's skin stuffed on his nose. He attempted to extract himself from the small body that held him.

When Aiden noticed he was awake and trying to escape, he hugged him tighter.

"No!"

"Aiden?" Lucien coughed thrice. He patted Aiden's back. "Let me go first. I can't breathe."

Aiden reluctantly let go. Lucien properly sat up and looked around. His gaze cast a confused expression on the ten Mages and one Swordsman. No, judging by the crest on his left chest, he was a level 3 Grand Sword Master.

Lucien find himself amazed at how he recognizes this person immediately after all the things he just went through. At his waist, he felt a pair of hands wrap around them tightly. And then a warm body pressed against his side. He slowly curled up to his chest and settled there comfortably. Lucien's eyes shone gently and he patted the boy.

Thankfully, they managed to get out safely.

But wait….

How did they survive again?

A slight frown formed on Lucien's brows as he determinedly remembered how he was eaten by the townspeople and children. His face instantly paled.

The fuck. The fucking shit. The fucking bull piece of shit! Don't fucking tell him he just became a fucking raw meat for those fucking zombies?!

What the actual fuck?! No! He can't accept that! This is too unfair! Injustice! He did not fight valiantly for the protagonist just to be eaten raw by monsters! Fuc –

"Excuse me, young man," Nicholas interrupted Lucien's thoughts.

Nicholas was initially baffled as to how Lucien's body looked so healthy and devoid of scars despite his clothes being completely ripped off and full of blood. If Nicholas was not mistaken, the young man in front of him had just been eaten by the demon's puppet. How can he look so alive and well?

Lucien fought against his face and managed to keep an expressionless face with blank eyes as he challenged the Grand Sword Master to a staring contest.

"Who are you?"