Oppressor's Return

Kali runs to the well and pulls out water, fresh and straight out of the source. She returns to her father's side and changes his towels. She dips them in water to cool him off during the day.

Roi patrols the surrounding area, always keeping Kali and her father within his visual. On the carriage, he did some handy work for the old man to feel a tad more comfortable, since he's not allowed to move, thus preventing the poison from spreading.

He pulled out the pedals and used them as spikes when he pinned them in the sand. He then cut a portion of the leather and tied it to the pikes, creating a kiosk, with enough space and shade, they can all use.

By using the blankets and other goods from the cart, he made a makeshift bed for Kali's father, so he won't have to lie down in the sand, or get splinters from the uncomfortable wooden base.

Kali wipes the sweat off her face and rests in the shade, with a cup of water at hand lost in her thoughts. Roi brings about an abrupt interruption when he joins her under the tent. "Can I have some?"

Roi brings out his cup and extends his arm towards her. The girl said nothing and simply poured him water. Even though he's an assassin, this silence they are both experiencing is close to torture for him. "D-Do you think they'll be alright?"

Kali noticed his nervousness and chuckled. "My sister should be fine. As for your friend…"

The girl's eyes widened. She looked at Roi and trembled. "W-Were you telling the truth…? Your friend... !?"

"Yeah, why?"

Kali bites her nails and mumbles to herself. "It should be fine. Sis is with him. They wouldn't…"

Roi snaps his fingers in front of her, interrupting her ranting. "What's the matter?"

"The barrier. Aeptian Town's Barrier reveals everything!"

Meanwhile, some distance before reaching the town, Nox and Malia walk side by side in silence. Their pace is steady, unlike when they started. Conserving energy and water goes a long way, rather than rushing without thinking.

After descending the sand hill, they can see the town's walls. For Nox, seeing civilization after a while forms a smile on his mouth, without his consent. It creeped out Malia and plunged her fingers in his ribs, vanishing the smile from his face.

"Why did you do that, for?!"

"Your stupid smile annoyed me!"

The young man groans and holds his rib cage, rubbing it and hoping for the pain to pass, all the while looking forward as they approach the massive walls of Aeptian Town.

Beige boulders, similar to the one Nox and Roi found before, these walls hover over the entire town, surrounding and protecting it.

The young man, astonished, forgets to close his mouth and his eyes dry when he doesn't blink. In front of them, the figures of guards become clearer as they get closer to the gates.

"Halt!"

The thunderous voice of the guards has Nox and Malia frozen in place, waiting for the two guards to approach them. They hold spears with a wielded double-edged blade on top. Their footsteps leave prints on the soft sand from the heavy armor pressing on their bodies.

Malia takes out a piece of paper. "Here are my documents!"

The guards look at Nox, waiting for him to show him. The girl standing next to him voices. "He doesn't have any. He's an outsider!"

The guards immediately point their spears at him. Malia rushes in front of him and continues. "We are here to buy a couple of camels and leave!"

The guards retrieve their spears, and one of them approaches Nox with caution. "Give me your hand!"

Nox does as he's asked. The guard grabs it and puts a mark on it. "You have one hour to return or you will die!"

The mark glows a crimson light on the back of Nox's palm. The young man keeps staring at it and notices a small portion turning black. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked the guard in the eyes. "Is this a countdown?"

The guard replied, with blank eyes and a face that didn't show the faintest of emotions. "Fifty-eight minutes left!"

Malia grabs Nox's hand and pulls him. "Come on, hurry!"

The guards return to their post and bang their spears to the ground. "Open the gates!"

The chains holding the gate produce a clanking sound while they move to lower it and when it reaches a few inches from the ground, it finally falls onto the soft sand, shooting dust in all directions, like a cloud dispersing.

Holding hands, they walk together through the gates of Aeptian Town. When they take the first step inside, a sound of low frequency buzzes in their ears. Nox flinches and looks at Malia. "What was that?"

The girl, looking forwards, already used to it, replies in a nonchalant tone. "We are walking through the barrier!"

Their vision distorts to the point of almost disorienting them. They come the other way, hazy, missing their steps. Even though Malia is used to this thing, it still gets her. It's even worse for Nox, who drops to his knees and is about to puke.

Beige carved boulders are the primary base of the buildings inside the massive walls. From where they are, they can see the walls reaching the other side of the town but cannot gauge the actual distance of it.

The enormous Town seems ever-expanding and endless to the young man who can't stop rubbing his eyes. Malia can easily detect the amazement on his face, as he excitedly tries to record everything with his eyes while showing a big smile reaching from one ear to the other.

They paved the area with stones, creating a footing for the people to walk on and not sink. Markets surrounding the clearing have people trade and buy the necessities.

There are a few wells scattered about, with people forming lines for their turn to fill their buckets and vases made of clay.

What strikes him as the most surprising is their smiling faces. Unlike Rodena town, the people here seem to enjoy their life. The walls provide safety, which is something the other place was lacking.

The young man makes a mental note regarding the development of his Abandoned Village. Nox envisions that one day, he'll be able to create an environment such as the one he sees here.

Nox takes a minute to regain his composure. He supports his knees with his hands, to help himself up into a standing position. His vision gets clearer and the sight in front of him has him gasping. "Uhm… Malia?"

He turns his head slightly and flinches upon seeing the girl. Malia sighs as she looks ahead and cheekily retorts. "I even went through the trouble to warn you...!"

As soon as he went through the barrier, the people inside the town grew tails and ears. Some even have scales on their bodies. Nox gulps as he tries to take it all in. As far as the eye can see, there are creatures he's never seen before walking about in front of him.

He turns towards the girl and notices that she gradually transforms as well with fluffy ears and two soft, furry tails. The shock has him taking a couple of steps back and tripping over into a seated position.

While on the ground, he can't stop staring at Malia, who's wiggling her tails around her and covering her face from embarrassment. "Stop staring, you idiot!"

The young man gulps a mouthful of saliva and stands up in a haze. Lizards in the size of an adult human with scales and sharp teeth. Yellow eyes with a green line in the middle giving that reptilian image, and yet, they walk on two feet and have hands and thumps.

Same goes for the girl next to him. She appears to be the same besides the fact that tails and fluffy ears grew out of her body. Her eyes have a more bright yellow now than before, with the feline attributes dominating.

Malia takes a few steps forward. With a swift wave of her hand, she shows Nox the place. "Welcome to Aeptian! The Demon Town!"

Nox cautiously takes a few steps forward. He breathes in and out in succession. "This is amazing!"

Unbeknownst to him, once he stepped further in, a purple black aura started leaking out of his body. It wasn't to a degree to cause concern until the aura kept going up, past the height of the walls.

Malia, who's next to him, felt a kind of force pressing her down, the likes of which she never experienced before. Out of curiosity, she turned her gaze towards the young man who's smiling like an idiot.

The further in he walks, more aura pours out of his body, until it reaches a point where it bursts out, engulfing the entire town in darkness. Nox halts in place and looks up.

The force pushes Malia to the ground, and everyone surrounding him feels the same impact. Their enjoyment turns to horror when they see a creature bursting out of Nox's body, sharing the same menacing purple eyes.

Black scales cover its body, and its head reaches the highest point of the walls. It lets out a roar that shutters the rooftops all the way to the other side of town. Black smoke obscures its massive body.

At that moment, Malia remembers Roi's words. She can't help but exclaim. "... He's the Demon Lord!"