Prologue

Chapter 1: Prologue

"The demon's here! After it!"

The said demon ran deeper into the dark forests. He would have flown away but his wings were battered and injured. His arms and legs were not in a better condition as well. His shoulders were bleeding and he had broken his ankle by getting himself caught in the trap previously before a villager warned the whole vicinity. He was beyond exhaustion and he was at his limits but he could not stop running when his life was in danger.

As he ran, he accidentally whiffed in the air. A pungent scent of smoke invaded his nostril and there were a bunch of loud footsteps behind him. The dark scenery before him was no longer dark as it brightened up in seconds. They had torches with them and they were pursuing after him.

"It's just a mutt! Shoot it down!" Screamed one of them.

The demon felt a slight shift in the wind and arrows were flying from behind. They were hunting him down. He tried his best to dodge every arrow coming his way, but due to the lack of endurance and strength, a few managed to stab his small body.

He wailed aloud in pain before his whole body collapsed on the ground. Four arrows were stabbed in different parts of his body and he was paralysed. He could not willed himself to stand up.

The humans were getting closer to him and he knew it was the end for him. He could only look up to the dark sky and cry. He was not sure how it happened but he was abandoned since he was 'born'. When he came to, none of his clan members was around and he was all alone in the forest. He waited for them for days but they never turned up. Two weeks had passed and his body began to malnourish. He could not endure the hunger and thirst any longer.

The first thing he did was to hunt down insects and animals to satisfy his hunger. When he was dehydrated, he searched for a lake and drank from it. Afterwards, as he was curious of his surroundings, he took his time exploring around. He had not learned any form of language yet but he could make an estranged noise to communicate.

He had accidentally ventured far from the place he was staying at and found himself to be in a village. That was the first time he had tried to communicate with the humans before they kicked him and chased him off. He had not done anything wrong but he was always being chased away by them and he was nearly killed in the process. He was alone, scared and frightened. He never understood why they would hurt him. This was the eighth village he visited and he meant no harm. He just wanted peace.

Somewhere up above the sky, a star twinkled brightly from afar and before he knew it, it flew down and had landed before him. He caught a glimpse of a dark silhouette with a long wavy length of violet hair under the dimmed moonlight. They were seen wearing a hat, long dark robes and there was a book, levitating above their hands.

Before he could react, his vision blurred and his surroundings were beginning to swirl. He was no longer paying attention to his surroundings as he succumbed to the pain his body had been enduring all this while.

'It hurts…' He felt himself being pulled under and he struggled hard from falling unconscious, but his eyes had caved in and closed themselves. 'It really burns…! I can't!' His hands were flailing around, trying to reach out to something or someone for help. 'Help me please!!' He chirped in distress till his voice went sore. 'I don't want to be alone! I'm scared and it hurts!'

When all hopes were lost, he felt a hand bigger than his, and warmer, grabbed a hold onto his tightly yet securely.

"I'm here, my child."

Foreign gentle words whispered into his ears as he laid there motionlessly. He felt warmth invade his body, mind and soul just from a simple touch. He was no longer in pain and he felt at ease. For the first time ever, he felt truly at peace.

• • • • •

In the cold darkness he was in, for the first time ever, he experienced warmth wrapping around his body. Instead of the usual scent of his blood rushing through his nose and the fragrance damp moss of the wood he had grown accustomed to, he was welcomed with the scent of unfamiliar sweetness. There was light coming from a distance and when he came to, he found himself to be in a bedroom.

He was seen lying on a soft bed and there was a bed night stand right beside him. Not too far from the bed on the left hand side, there was a wooden closet as well as a table and two chairs facing opposite of each other. There was a door located opposite of the bed he was laying down on.

His mind and body was awake and alert. He was in an unfamiliar room. He wanted to get out of there. As soon as he sat up, his mind shot up in pain as previous events of memory came flooding into his mind. He remembered he was being stabbed with sharp arrows and coming close to death's doors. He had no recollection of what happened afterwards. He examined himself and he realised he had clothes on him. They were new and the scent of sweet lavender invaded his nose. He touched his back and realised the back of it was cut out for his wings. He carefully pulled up the shirt he was wearing and noticed that his stabbed wounds was not there. His body was flawless as if he was never stabbed to begin with and his old scars was gone as well. He checked his wings and they were no longer broken and bleeding. It was as if whatever happened the day before was just a nightmare.

The door of the room creaked open and his head shot up immediately. A young lady with a tray in her hands walked in. She was a tall woman with long violet hair. She had light powdered make-up applied on her face with light pink coloured lipstick.

She closed the door behind her before her eyes stopped at him and exclaimed, "Oh dear. You're awake."

He widened his eyes upon hearing the familiar voice. 'It's her…' He vividly remembered a silhouette of a lady with a violet lady standing under the moonlight and they had the same gentleness voice as well.

She carefully placed the tray, which was filled with a bowl of warm soup, on the bedside table before taking a seat closer to him with the bowl and spoon in her hands. The demon's eyes remained fixated on her, despite the lingering gaze on the food as he felt hungry just by looking at him.

"Are you hungry, my dear? I've made food for you," she asked him slowly yet softly.

The demon boy remained silent as he was unsure on how to respond. He was able to understand her, but he did not know how to respond. His grip on the bed sheets tightened as he anxiously glanced at the kind lady seated next to him.

The lady smiled at him warmly, noticing his anxiety, "Don't worry, dear. You don't have to speak. Just eat. I'll be here to take care of you."

She scooped up a spoonful of soup and carefully blew onto the hot soup before she held it out to him, her eyes filled with understanding and compassion. The demon boy hesitantly took the spoon from her, feeling a sense of trust towards this woman who had saved him and was now taking care of him. He took a sip of the soup and felt warmth spread throughout his body. He could not remember the last time he had relished in such delicacies. All he had ever consumed was tough, rotten and foul. That was the first time he had eaten something warm, rich-faunal and tasty.

He chirped in delight as he shyly passed the spoon, asking for more. The lady smiled and happily obliged, scooping up more soup for him.

"That's more like it," she said with a chuckle.

She carefully fed him as the demon boy ate hungrily, feeling grateful for the warm meal and the kind woman who had given it to him. After he had finished eating, the lady carefully wiped his wet messy lips with a wet tissue paper. Once his lips were cleaned, she put the empty bowl and dirty spoon away along with the dirty tissue.

Afterwards, she gently patted his head and he did not run away from her hands, knowing she was not going to hurt him.

"Good job. You eat well," the lady praised him silently.

Even though he could not understand her, he knew it was something good. His heart swells with happiness and delight as he leaned into her touch. He had never felt this way before. He had never had someone taking care of him, especially a human. After he finished eating, he slowly looked at her with a sense of longing and seeing the way the demon boy was reacting to her, the lady's heart softened. She in turn understood his emotions and her heart softened for him.

"You poor soul… They said demons have no heart, but you do have one. You're still young and you couldn't understand me, but someday, you will. My name's Scarlett Lloyd and your name is 'Grey' Lloyd. From today onwards, you're my grandson."

He looked at her confused, not fully understanding what she meant. However, the lady's words filled him with a sense of belonging. He felt like he had found a place to call 'home' and he was no longer alone. The demon boy, now known as Grey, chirped happily as he leaned forward to hug the lady, who was now his grandmother, Scarlett. He had seen this affectionate act happen between human children and parents before, and he had always wanted to do that. Finally, he had the chance to do so.

Scarlett was startled at first, but she smiled and hugged him back tightly. Grey held a special place in her heart ever since she first met him. He deserved the love and affection he had never received before and she was willing to give it to him. She knew that he still had much to learn, but she was willing to teach him and be patient with him as he grew and adapted to his new life.

As they embraced each other, Scarlett placed a peck behind his ears as she whispered softly.

"Welcome home, Grey."

'I'm finally home.' Grey chirped.