Chapter 2 — The Starting Point (7)

Leonelle hesitated as he recounted the moment he discovered Drake. "He was already in that state when I found him. If I had been even a second later, who knows what could have happened to him," he said, his voice trailing off.

Leonelle reflected on the earlier encounter with the lizardman and realized that, due to his primary focus being on rescuing Drake, he had not paid much attention to the creature's appearance. However, he could assume that, similar to the kobold he had encountered earlier, the lizardman had also possessed red eyes.

This conclusion was reasonable because it was unlikely for a D-Class monster like a regular lizardman to inflict such severe injuries on an A-Class adventurer like Drake.

"Can you heal him?" Leonelle asked Elisa, his voice tinged with worry.

Elisa replied with a nod. "Yes, I can, but it will require a considerable amount of time. And it would be a while before he recovers fully."

Hearing this, Leonelle requested, "In that case, would you mind watching over him for me?" His eyes remained fixed on Drake's motionless body. "I have to go away for a little while."

Elisa was taken aback by Leonelle's sudden announcement and blurted out, "Wait! Where are you going?"

Leonelle let out a deep sigh before turning towards Elisa. "Drake was in the forest because he was searching for his daughter," he explained.

Elisa's eyes widened in surprise. "His daughter?" she repeated, clearly astonished by this revelation.

Leonelle continued, "I don't know all the details, but it appears that Drake braved the terrible weather and ventured into the forest to find his missing daughter."

Leonelle remembered the intense determination in Drake's words as he had expressed his determination to find his daughter, even if it meant crawling on his hands and knees. It was a powerful display of a father's love for his child.

"That's why I'll search for her in his stead."

Without wasting any time, Leonelle headed towards the door with a sense of urgency, determined to find Drake's missing daughter. However, he was stopped in his tracks when Elisa suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Leonelle turned around to face her, and the look on Elisa's face caught him off guard. He paused before asking, "What's the matter?"

Elisa's voice was barely audible as she murmured, "Don't..." It seemed like she was about to say "don't go," but the words wouldn't come out.

She recognized that her husband, being the proactive and caring person he was, would never remain passive in the face of a missing child.

However, a sense of unease and worry had gradually settled within her. She lacked concrete evidence to pinpoint the cause of her apprehension, but a deep-seated intuition warned her that if she let her guard down even for a moment, harm might befall her loved ones.

"Please don't stay away too long. Promise me you'll be back in time for dinner, okay?"

But instead of asking Leonelle to stay, she stumbled over her words and said the opposite of what she really meant.

Leonelle seemed to understand her unspoken fears, but he didn't push the issue. With a reassuring smile, he ruffled her hair affectionately and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back in time for dinner."

As Leonelle reassured Elisa that he would be back in time for dinner, she visibly relaxed. Her elven ears perked up and down before swiveling in a circular motion, a sign of her contentment with his response.

With a gentle smile, Leonelle announced his departure, "Well, I should be going now." He turned towards the door and took a few steps before pausing briefly to glance back at Elisa. "Take care of yourself while I'm gone, alright?"

Elisa nodded, "I will. You just focus on finding that little girl."

Leonelle flashed a reassuring smile at Elisa before making his way towards the door.

As soon as he was gone, the unease in her chest seemed to intensify. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen, but she didn't know what or why. All she could do was hope and pray for Leonelle's safe return.

*****

Leonelle lowered his hood and stepped out into the relentless downpour, which drummed heavily on the ground. Without hesitation, he launched himself forward and began sprinting at a brisk pace. He honed his senses to a razor's edge, so finely attuned that he could detect the slightest tremble in the earth caused by individual raindrops.

Despite this heightened sensitivity, he could discern no sign of the girl's presence. He kept running, searching everything with his senses, hoping to pick up some sign of her.

As he ran, his thoughts drifted to the monsters he had encountered earlier. He couldn't shake off the memory of those creatures, their intelligence far surpassing anything he had encountered before. He couldn't help but wonder what they were.

Despite having no solid evidence, Leonelle was convinced that those monsters were capable of thinking. It was a possibility that he couldn't ignore.

Leonelle's thoughts were racing as he continued to run, and suddenly, an odd realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

"Red eyes, able to think, and using intimidation... No, that's not possible."

It seemed implausible. A millennium had elapsed since their existence had last graced the world. The demons, possessing the ability to hypnotize and manipulate monsters, had long been vanquished, leaving no possibility of their return.

Yet, the creatures Leonelle had encountered bore an uncanny resemblance to the descriptions chronicled in ancient tomes. With their piercing red eyes and cognitive abilities, they mirrored the monsters of old. Legends had spoken of a monster under demonic control when it possessed red eyes and the power to instill fear through intimidation.

To Leonelle's knowledge, such monsters with crimson eyes belonged to a bygone era. There were no demons remaining to exert their influence over them.

The combined forces of humans, elves, and beast people had united a millennium ago, successfully defeating the demon race. In that decisive battle, the demons had employed monsters as their pawns, only to be thwarted by the collective strength of the three races.

Yet, if these monsters were indeed under some form of control, it signified a disturbing possibility. Someone or something had resurfaced, usurping command over these creatures once more. Such a revelation stirred unease within Leonelle, for it hinted at the resurgence of a perilous force.

A whirlwind of questions swirled through Leonelle's mind. Who could possibly be pulling the strings behind these menacing creatures? Did their presence suggest that demons still lingered in the world? No, that couldn't be true. The demon race had been extinct for centuries, their existence relegated to mere tales of the past. Perhaps he was simply succumbing to baseless paranoia, allowing his imagination to fabricate unfounded doubts.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he willed his mind to clear, allowing only one objective to occupy his attention: finding Sarah.

*****

Three days had passed, and Leonelle's search for Sarah yielded no results. He meticulously combed through every corner of the dense forest, but there was no trace of her. Frustrated and realizing that he couldn't cover more ground alone, he made the decision to seek assistance from the adventurer's guild. He believed that with the collective efforts of many skilled adventurers, the search would be faster and more effective.

Meanwhile, Drake remained unconscious, oblivious to the world around him. Elisa faithfully maintained her vigil by his side, tending to his needs without faltering. His family stood close by, their worried expressions etched on their faces as they watched over him in his bed, their unwavering support a testament to their love and concern.

Three days had elapsed, yet progress remained elusive. Furthermore, the ceaseless rain continued unabated, persisting for the entire duration without any signs of relenting. It persisted, an ever-present backdrop to the unfolding events.

Within the confines of a modest house, Elisa, provided solace to Tina, Drake's distraught wife. The weight of the situation had taken its toll on Tina's fragile mind, and she finally succumbed to the overwhelming despair. The combined torment of her daughter's disappearance and her husband's prolonged slumber, had slowly eroded her sanity until it reached its breaking point.

"It's going to be alright. I promise you, everything will be okay," Elisa whispered, her hand gently patting the trembling woman's back. However, Tina's tears continued to flow uncontrollably, her sorrow consuming her.

Amidst her sobs, Tina expressed her self-doubt and regrets. "If only I had been a better mother, perhaps none of this would have happened. If I had been a stronger wife, if I had been more capable... maybe I could have..." Her voice trailed off as her words dissolved into further anguish.

Elisa fought back the swell of emotions within her, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she absorbed Tina's words. Though they weren't her own, they resonated deeply within her own heart. Suppressing her own pain, she summoned strength and continued to offer her comforting touch, gently caressing Tina's back.

Then, a sudden, forceful knock at the door jolted Elisa, causing her to startle in surprise. Tina, momentarily interrupted in her tears, glanced up with a flicker of hope in her eyes.

Rising from her seat, Elisa made her way towards the door and swiftly swung it open. Relief washed over her as she beheld the familiar face standing on the other side. However, her relief swiftly transformed into shock as her gaze fell upon what the person held in their arms, causing her eyes to widen in astonishment.

"Elisa, hurry! We need your help!" Leonelle, Elisa's husband, stood on the other side of the door, his voice filled with urgency. Cradled in his arms was another individual, similar to Drake, who had suffered the loss of both feet.

Yet, it was not only their limbs that had been severed.

"Please, assist him!" Leonelle pleaded, desperation etched in his words.

But it was already too late. The person he cradled in his arms had met a grim fate, their life extinguished. Elisa didn't even need to assess their vital signs to know the tragic truth.

It was already evident by the absence of a head.