Evil Demon!

On a vast, rocky hill, a massive demon with imposing black wings lounged lazily on a large slab of rubble, his gaze fixed vacantly on the gray moon hanging in the night sky. The silence of the night was palpable, interrupted only by the occasional rustle of wind through the rocks.

Suddenly, a sharp, youthful voice pierced the stillness. "Ah! Don't… don't move!"

The demon turned his head slowly, his expression blank. Behind him stood a young girl, her face a mixture of determination and fear, brandishing a sword with both hands.

She couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen, her round cheeks sprinkled with freckles that added a touch of innocence to her fierce demeanor.

The demon smirked inwardly. 'Ah, another ambitious little one hoping to make a name for herself by slaying a demon.'

He flicked his tail lazily against the ground, dismissing her threat, and resumed staring at the moon, lost in thought.

Annie, though only a lower-grade B in terms of strength, was impressive for someone her age and background. But standing before the great demon, her prowess felt like a mere flicker against an inferno. Clad in a flowing green martial arts robe, her hair was pinned up with a delicate white jade ornament, and her grip on the green sword was tense, her body trembling slightly under the weight of his demonic aura.

"You… you ruthless demon!" she shouted, her voice wavering but firm. "Do you know how many lives you've destroyed with your tyranny? My name is Annie, and today I will bring justice! I will cut off your cruel head!"

The demon glanced back at her with a chuckle, bemused by her bravado, then returned his gaze to the moon, seemingly unfazed.

'They're passionate,' he thought, 'even if they're misguided.'

Feeling the weight of his indifference, Annie clenched her teeth, summoning her courage. Step by step, she approached the demon, raising her sword high with shaky hands.

"I—I'm serious! I really know how to chop!" she stammered, her voice breaking slightly. "You're a big demon! I won't show mercy! If you don't defend yourself, I swear, I'll cut you down!"

With a soft sigh, the demon continued to ignore her, absorbed in his contemplation of the moon.

"Ha!" Annie shut her eyes, gathering all her strength for a decisive strike. She swung her sword toward the demon's bald head with everything she had.

'Clang!'

The impact sent shockwaves through her arms. The recoil jolted her so violently that blood dripped from her palms, and the sword flew from her grasp, clattering to the ground.

"Ah!" she cried out, losing her balance and tumbling beneath the boulder.

The oppressive weight of the demon's power made it nearly impossible for her to regain her footing or harness her energy. Just as despair began to creep in, a large hand with razor-sharp nails reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back onto the rock. A gentle wave of demonic energy enveloped her hands, soothing the pain and miraculously healing her injuries in an instant.

"Eh?" Annie stared at her palms, confusion flashing in her eyes. Then, as if a thought struck her, she shook her head vehemently, glaring at the demon's back. "Don't think I'll thank you for this! You use your dark magic to terrify everyone! For hundreds of years, you've burned, killed, and plundered, causing untold suffering! Your malevolent power has taken countless innocent lives! You—"

Her voice trembled with righteous fury, each word punctuated by the weight of her conviction. But the demon, still seated calmly, remained silent, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on the moon. In that moment, the vast gulf between them seemed to expand; a clash not just of strength, but of ideals.

"You're wrong." The demon's voice was calm but firm as he raised his hand to silence Annie's protests. "My demonic power is just that, power. It holds no demonic energy, no malicious intent. I release it only to keep people like you, who don't understand their own limits, from getting in over their heads." His gaze remained steady, and he continued, "If my power were truly destructive, you'd have died countless times by now, just from standing this close."

The demon slowly rose from his seated position, his towering figure casting a long shadow in the moonlight. His black wings flexed slightly, as if awakening from a deep rest. "Besides," he added, his voice heavy with ancient weariness, "I've been in this place for thousands of years. How could I have burned, killed, or looted anything? I haven't left this hill."

Annie's face flushed with frustration. "Y-You're lying!" she shouted, her voice rising in defiance, though a hint of doubt flickered in her eyes.

The demon tilted his head, his gaze softening as he looked down at her, sitting on the ground with clenched fists. "I have no reason to lie to you," he replied, his voice almost gentle now. He sighed, shaking his head. "But you're right about one thing; I shouldn't have dabbled in this pitiful form of magic."

He stretched out his wings fully now, the vast expanse of black feathers catching the wind. "Come, it's time for you to leave. Don't come back." With a simple motion, the ground beneath them stirred, and a powerful gust of wind enveloped Annie.

She opened her mouth to argue, but the moment the wind wrapped around her, the world blurred. Before she could blink, she was standing far from the rocky hill. Her green sword was plunged into the earth nearby, the blade catching the light of the distant moon.

Annie pulled the sword from the ground, still disoriented, and scanned her surroundings. She was miles from where she'd been, and judging by the distance, even with her best effort, it would take her several days to reach the rocky hill again.

She stared back toward the hill, her brow furrowed in confusion. For a moment, she felt completely lost, unsure of what to believe anymore. Was the demon telling the truth? Was he truly the monster she thought he was? The lines between truth and falsehood had blurred beyond recognition.

---

A month passed, and yet, on the rocky hill, the scene remained unchanged. The great demon still sat on the massive boulder, his gaze fixed on the gray moon, lost in thought. There was no day on the rocky hill; only an eternal night.

An endless night.

"Hey!" A familiar voice cut through the stillness. Annie had returned. She stood at the edge of the hill, arms crossed, her expression a mix of frustration and curiosity. "You're still here, huh?" she pouted, narrowing her eyes at the demon.

In the past month, rumors of demons slaughtering entire cities had spread across the land. One such attack had occurred dangerously close to Annie's own village. The so-called "great demon" responsible bore an uncanny resemblance to the one sitting before her, both in appearance and in the aura of demonic power. But Annie wasn't fooled.

She knew instantly that the one terrorizing the cities was a fake.

No one else might have noticed the difference, but she did. Annie had a unique gift, an ability to sense and remember the distinct essence of someone's Aura. It didn't matter if the energy was cloaked in magic or disguised within tools, nothing could escape her perception. This gift was the reason she had advanced so rapidly in her training, reaching lower-grade B in just ten years. However, her combat prowess hadn't yet caught up with her potential.

The Aura of the so-called "great demon" who had razed the city was entirely different from the Aura that had healed her hands during their encounter. The memory of that healing power was seared into her mind, and she knew with absolute certainty that it hadn't belonged to a creature driven by mindless destruction.

Anger, she realized, could lie. But Aura never did.

And that was why Annie had come back, standing before the demon once more, seeking answers.