Chapter 4

"Celestes are capable knights who fight against demons and defend the world and its prople. They're the symbol of power and honor since the ancient times."

THE ABDUCTED

Valeriana was approaching a week after the incident with the demon, the lady, and her best friend. Luckily for her, when she had come home from the airport several days ago, her mother had gone to work and her brother was playing his video games in his room so no one noticed her arriving. She remembered grabbing the medicine kit from the kitchen, rushing to her bedroom, and attending to her wounds after throwing over a fresh set of clothes.

Still, she could not hide her wounds completely. Lily's motherly instincts kicked in and she found out before Valeriana could say poop. She withheld the incident with the thief and lied about falling down the stairs. After all, Lily knew Valeriana's tendencies of being horribly clumsy.

"You really don't have to do this, Valery." Her mother told her, feeling concerned.

She felt guilty having lost some money to the thief and so she found herself hunting for a part-time job to replace it.

It was scary how perceptive mothers could be. Lily must've already sensed her daughter's distress and discomfort in the past few nights, and who wouldn't? Valeriana had bags under her eyes and her complexion was pallid. She looked worse than she did when she came home a few days ago.

"Mom, I already told you, right?" Valeriana blew her bangs out of her face.

"The summer just came around. It won't be a problem for me at all."

"But you need to fix your registration to the university first before everything else!"

"There's a lot of time for that, alright?" she told her. "Besides, I think it's time I do this... experience is good after all."

"Why don't we do it this way?" Lily offered. "I'll let you continue your search for that job, but you enroll yourself at the university first."

She sighed at her mother's insistence, but realized she made sense. "Okay. Fine."

"Thank goodness."

"But I'll do it tomorrow."

Without further ado, she left the house in a hurry.

Lily breathed out tiredly as she watched Valeriana go.

"Really ... that kid makes me crazy."

As soon as she headed

out, her annoying stalker

was on the move as well.

Valeriana was becoming ever wearier of being followed by someone she couldn't see However, the stalker never really made any move to hurt her. As much as she was concerned, he maintained a certain distance and observed her from a well-calculated location.

She sighed.

Her foot still hurt, but she was able to walk straight now.

Valeriana inwardly hoped that she would be able to find the job she was after, but after trying her luck with five stores, she lost hope. She was ready to explode.

"Agh! Why am I so freaking out of luck?" She released an upset, guttural sound from the back of her throat as she punched a nearby tree. "Can't I find at least one job? One job! Why is the universe so against me on this?"

"Valeriana," a familiar voice echoed behind her.

She punched the tree one more time so hard that she even hurt her fingers. "Crap. Why does the bark have to be so rough?"

"Valeriana."

She cringed, and then turned to meet the person who was calling her earlier. "What?!" she screamed.

Passers-by gave her inquisitive looks.

Valeriana felt slightly embarrassed, but was shocked when she saw the mysterious stranger from a few days ago standing in front of her.

"It's you!" The girl raked her eyes over the woman, unable to hide her disbelief. "What are you doing here? I can't believe it.

She was silent for a few moments.

"Listen to me," Seraphina told her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along. "As you already know, demons have escaped into your city. If they are not caught soon, they may do considerable damage and take the life of your people."

"So what do you expect me to do?" Valeriana asked her, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She was still feeling annoyed. "Help you kill those?"

"Just help me find them. You leave the battle to me," she replied. "I lost sight of the others while in pursuit of one earlier. Even though I have managed to kill the first few, I am not very familiar with your city, so I'm in dire need of your help."

The girl could only look at the stranger in disbelief. "Wait! No way am I going near those things again!" she exclaimed, pulling her limb free from Seraphina's grip which then caused the both of them to stop walking. "It almost cost me a foot last time."

People shot glances their way.

Valeriana looked around, feeling conscious of the stares. She leaned forward and began to whisper.

"This is not exactly the best place to talk about this.

Besides, why exactly are you asking me? And those clothes! You're standing out too much!"

Seraphina looked down at herself. "It cannot be helped," she answered. "But you do not understand. You need to help me find those demons."

Valeriana crossed her arms. "Demons. As in with s. You're saying there are more of these guys?"

"Like before, I had to hunt at least a dozen of them," Seraphina answered. "But this time, I have no idea where to look."

"Well, that's your problem and not mine. You managed to do it before, you can do it again," she answered. "I have my own problems I have to mind too, you know! I still haven't found a summer job." She sighed.

"Then, let us make a deal," the lady offered. "If you help me hunt these demons down, then I will help you hunt for a ... summer job, you say?"

Valeriana gazed at her challengingly. "Really. You seriously think you can help me?"

"There is nothing impossible for a Celeste."

"If there's nothing impossible for you, then go hunt your demons on your own. I do not want to go near those guys ever again!"

"I beg you, Valeriana. I swear upon the name of the first king, I will not let you get hurt," Seraphina pleaded, but the look on her face was calm. "On my own, I do not know how to navigate around this complex maze you call a city. And my unfamiliarity with the surroundings makes it dangerous for me as well."

Valeriana played the scenario in her head. "Okay. Fine. I'll help you. I don't want anyone freaking out seeing a woman randomly swinging her sword."

Seraphina's face broke into a relieved smile. "You do not know how very grateful I am for this, Valeriana."

"So um..." the girl trailed off. "How exactly are we going to look for those things?"

"Demons feed on the negative energies. Their first priority is to strengthen their power. My guess is they are somewhere where they have what they need."

"What negative energies?"

"Energies caused by fear, panic, jealousy, and among other things," Seraphina answered.

Valeriana's face wrinkled as she wracked her mind for the right place. "I can't think of any place ..."

Two, teenage girls passed by the two of them, giggling to themselves. Although they were whispering to each other, their voices were still loud enough for Valeriana and Seraphina to overhear them talking.

"Oh my gosh. It's really really romantic, I tell you!"

The first one squealed. "I'm telling you it was perfect! Even though the whole place was so scary my knees were shaking, clinging to Jason was perfect! He's like my knight-in-shining-armor!"

"I really should consider taking Robert there." The other sighed dreamily. "I mean, even though there are ghouls everywhere, it'll probably be the best summer experience."

An idea clicked into Valeriana.

"That was convenient." She snapped her fingers.

"Looks like luck's on my side on this one. Hooray for Joseph and Robert!

Whoever they are."

Valeriana reached for Seraphina's wrist and towed her along with excitement.

"I think it is supposed to be Jason," Seraphina corrected.

"Never mind. Let's go."

"Where?

"The Horror House. Where else?"

As they walked, Valeriana had decided to tell Seraphina about the way her world worked, and that those creatures she was supposedly hunting down were nothing but a mere myth to her and her people. This made Seraphina wistful.

"How peaceful. No demons to fight. No battles to be fought." The woman sighed as she observed her surroundings.

"That's our definition of normal," Valeriana told her.

"They won't believe you even if you tell them?"

"Hey, no one's crazy enough to believe anything that can't be explained by science," she pointed out. "Wanna see?"

Seraphina gazed at the girl questioningly. Valeriana pulled a random passerby into the scene, a local kid with tousled brown hair and brown eyes. Freckles covered his cheeks and in his hand, he held a cup of soda. Just an ordinary, wimpy-looking teenager.

"Do you mind if I tell you something?"

"W-what is it?" the boy answered.

Seraphina looked panicked when Valeriana started talking. "What are you-"

"This lady with me hunts creatures called demons," she told him bluntly, catching the woman and the boy in complete shock.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked. "Is this some sorta... what? Cosplay?"

"See?" Valeriana then ushered him off, thanking him along the way. "He looked at me like I was crazy."

After watching the poor kid run away, Valeriana realized what she just did and started snickering to herself.

"You humans are strange," the lady finally said.

"Anyhow," Valeriana covered her mouth and wiped the smile off her lips.

"The Horror House's just around the corner."

They strolled down the sidewalk. The buzzing noises that permeated the air and assaulted their ears were strange to Seraphina so she could not keep calm as Valeriana did.

The environment felt very foreign compared to what she was used to.

A small girl wearing pigtails passed by in front of them, holding an ice cream with her left hand while gripping her mother's fingers in the other. Seraphina's eyes followed the food she was licking so happily, her brows scrunching as she wondered how it exactly tasted.

Valeriana saw her reaction.

"Have you had any ice cream before?" she asked.

"Ice cream?"

The woman almost seemed like a child by the way she was taking in everything. She fought back the urge to laugh at her as the questions fell freely from her lips.

"We can drop by the ice cream shop and buy you one so you'll know how it tastes like. My treat." Valeriana grabbed Seraphina by the wrist and dragged her towards the nearby ice cream parlor.

"But I-"

"You know you want to," she retorted.

Despite her protests, the girl managed to pull her into the shop anyway and buy her an ice cream.

Seraphina's eyes twinkled childishly as she gazed at the treat she was given, almost like a child granted a whole jar of cookies.

"Do you not want any?"

Seraphina asked, offering her ice cream to Valeriana.

"No. I'm not really fond of sweets."

With that, they left the shop and continued on their way. Having to lick her food seemed a very her food seemed a very foreign thing to do for her that it was almost funny.

"So... this world you're talking about?"

"Valemnia," Seraphina said, slurping.

"Right. Valemnia. Tell me about it."

"It's far different from to this city," she answered. "But when it comes to beauty, it will never lose."

"Great..." she answered, thinking her answer was just way too vague. "I really can imagine what it looks like inside my head." Her words carried a hint of sarcasm as they rolled off her tongue.

The woman merely smiled in return. Seemed as though she was holding back. She still did not trust Valeriana that well.

Seraphina's smile faltered and was replaced by a suspicious frown. "Are we here?" she asked her.

"Yeah, sure." Valeriana nodded and motioned towards an old-looking building to their right.

The front yard was full of weeds and patches of wilted grass. The wooden fences needed intense repairing. The gate needed to be oiled and the lopsided sign had creepy, crooked letters carved on its surface.

"Okay... this is pretty convincing," Valeriana muttered. "I will actually think it's a house of demons if it weren't for the sign."

On the other hand, the house itself appeared half-destroyed. The walls had gigantic holes that one could see the inside.

The atmosphere that surrounded it looked very gloomy, giving it the haunted feel.

A high-pitched scream echoed occasionally.

Valeriana felt the hair on the back of her neck rising as a dark figure passed by the window. "That's just ... scary. I don't think I can go in there now. I'm already scared just by standing outside."

Seraphina shoved the ice cream into Valeriana's hands and walked through the gates as though under the gates as though under a trance.

"Hey!" Valeriana ran forward and caught up.

"I thank you for leading me here, Valeriana. I can go in on my own."

"Wait a moment! We have to wait in line!" She looked down reluctantly at the ice cream, not knowing what to do with it. Even though she really hated wasting perfectly good food, she didn't like eating sweets so she threw it away and ran after her companion.

They both stopped before a queue of people by the entrance.

"This is still a horror house, so we have to wait to get in."

"I don't think I can wait at all," Seraphina answered.

With that said, she pushed past the people waiting for their turn at the entrance.

They reacted harshly, complaining about how they waited for hours to get where they were.

However, their whines fell on deaf ears as Seraphina proceeded calmly without looking back. Valeriana could only walk after her, feeling embarrassed and uncertain.

"Seraphina!" she whispered loudly. "Hey!"

When they were right in front of the door, a man stepped in their way. "I'm sorry. Do you-"

The piercing gaze the woman shot his way made him shut his mouth and back off. With a slight push, they brushed past him and walked into the horror house without any trouble.

Valeriana looked back and saw the man helplessly standing in the entrance, scratching his head.

"You have got to teach me that."

Seraphina swept aside the black, silky curtains and entered without answering. Valeriana had to lift her leg as there was a hump. While her companion looked unperturbed, Valeriana was already regretting ever going in.

They stepped into a dark, abandoned hallway. The utter quietness made their steps echo eerily. The atmosphere and silence felt unnerving.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Valeriana exclaimed.

Seraphina had her hands around the hilt of her sheathed sword-a weapon that fortunately nobody noticed-and was bent slightly on a pose that signaled her readiness for any kind of attack.

"Valeriana, if you see something strange, alert me immediately."

"B-but, how am I supposed to know? There are all sorts of scary things in here."

"We should check this door." Seraphina walked towards the door to their right and placed a hand on the knob.

"W-wait, I don't think you should."

The lady slowly pushed the door open, letting it hit the wall.

"Holy mother of—"

Valeriana broke into a loud scream. The sight was so gruesome and horrifying that could not hold back her reaction even after landing a mere glance.

On the couch was a dying woman covered in her own blood. Crimson had dried off around her mouth and even more seeped through her painted lips. There was another character in the scene, feeding on the innards of her open stomach. The monster's appearance was barbaric, with a pointed set of teeth stained with blood and bits of flesh falling out from his mouth.

"H-help . . . me ..." The woman reached out to them.

When the monster saw both girls, its blood red Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst from her chest.

Her hands, as well, were racked with uncontrollable trembling and her knees felt unbelievably weak.

Even after shutting it close, the monster kept banging on the door.

"Why did you leave her alone? We should help her!" Seraphina exclaimed.

Valeriana focused on calming herself. "Listen," she told the woman as she took in deep breaths.

"None of that was real."

"But..."

"You won't believe how great special effects are," she paused. "That woman had great acting too.

Really. I felt like I just died a gazillion times."

"It wasn't real?"

"That's the point of a Horror House-to scare, but not harm people.

It's for past time and entertainment." Valeriana wiped off the sweat on her brow while panting. "So you have to keep in mind that you can't just draw that thing out recklessly or you'll probably kill innocent people who're just doing their job."

Valeriana pointed to the fully drawn, gleaming sword Seraphina held with her two, swift hands.

"You have to promise me that you will not use that thing here at least, on people. I didn't lead you here to murder someone after all. Now, for Pete's sake, please put that away."

Seraphina seemed disappointed and troubled as she sheathed her weapon. Once it clicked in place, Seraphina released a huge breath and began to contemplate how on Earth she would distinguish demon from human.

"I'm going to have to proceed without drawing my weapon against anything at all then. I'll try not to unless I am sure who my enemies are."

Valeriana nodded at her statement in satisfaction.

"Alright. Now we're clear."

"Let us go."

Valeriana tried to keep herself calm as they continued checking out Valeriana tried to keep herself calm as they continued checking out numerous doors which led to plenty of different terrifying scenarios. They sent her screaming and running for her life-at least, she tried to. A few more minutes and she would sure scream out her throat, her brain, and her soul. This Horror House truly wasn't something for the faint of heart.

"W-where the heck are those demons you're talking about?" she asked. "Can you just find them and get it over with already?"

"Although I appreciate you taking me here, Valeriana, seeing no sign of them makes me think they aren't here at all."

"What? You kidding? I went through hell coming with you here and they aren't anywhere around?"

"Perhaps this door,"

Seraphina told her, opening the one they were facing.

They were greeted by the sight of a beast chained against the wall, lying helplessly on the floor. His breath was heavy and soft growls escaped through rows of narrow-edged teeth. A few steps away from him was rotting meat.

Valeriana stared at the beast in silence, intimidated by the aura about him.

It roared so suddenly, eliciting a shriek from the girl as a result. It pulled on the chains cuffed around its arms and feet as it attempted to lunge for the two.

"Close the door! Close it! Close it!" Valeriana cried.

Seraphina hurriedly did as Valeriana said and took a deep breath as the door slammed shut. "I have seen things worse than this, but I have to admit that your people are quite convincing. It is somewhat unnerving." She trembled, probably from aversion.

She looked far from scared.

"I know."

"Is this the human idea of demons?" she asked.

"There are various other concepts, really. Demons are mostly related to religion. This should be an embodiment of how we imagined them to be, based on traditional beliefs or something. Either that or the Horror House just wanted to make it scary enough to frighten the heck out of people," she told her. "Which is working."

"Demons-"

"Row, row, row your boat..." a child's voice sang, wet footsteps on the pavement. "Gently down the stream... merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily..."

The pauses were too heavy to ignore, include the fact that the tone seemed soulless and solemn too.

"Life is but a dream."

A chill ran down Valeriana's back. In fear, she jumped and clung to Seraphina for her dear life. "I don't want this anymore. Please, just find your demons and let's go!"

The wet footsteps continued and got even louder. "Row, row, row your boat..."

Valeriana restlessly looked around, but the voice seemed to be coming from behind them. "Come on! Let's go!"

A rush of cold air swept past the two and a black shadow passed over their heads. Valeriana caught sight of it from the corner of her eyes and reacted by shrieking and jumping in fright.

The air around them got genuinely heavier. It was different from all the other elements making up the Horror House, really. It was almost as though she could sense an ominous presence lingering around them.

Seraphina's eyes narrowed. "So it finally decided to show itself?"

The woman looked up at the ceiling. A swift figure of black made its way overhead. Valeriana, as well, caught sight of a pair of glimmering red eyes from where she stood.

"Okay... is that it?" she asked.

Seraphina didn't lose focus, but responded. "Yes. Probably."

"That's not so scary."

The demon turned to her. It coiled its body which was purely of black smoke and flew effortlessly in the air. It seemed almost nonexistent by the way it moved and how it appeared, but it was there.

It opened its jaws and shrieked at the two of them, the high-pitched sound bouncing off the walls. Valeriana cowered and hid herself further behind Seraphina.

"I stand corrected!"

"It's some sort of miasma demon, no doubt by the crude scent." The woman's nose flared as she took in the smell the creature carried with it.

"What?"

"Try not to inhale too much. It's poisonous."

"How are you going to—"

Seraphina abruptly broke into a sprint. With a quick jump, she used the wall as a stepping stone and flipped backwards, drawing her blade and swinging for the demon.

Her sword made a whistling sound as it cut through the creature, causing it to burst into flames like before.

In the bat of an eye, the demon was eliminated.

"-kill it?" Valeriana finished, her voice trailing off. "I didn't even see how," she muttered.

"Are you alright?"

Seraphina asked as she landed flawlessly.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just a bit... chilly."

A creased formed between her companion's brows.

She looked at Valeriana with a pair of questioning eyes as she sheathed her weapon. Seraphina reached for Valeriana's hands. Her hands were freezing. "Perhaps you got too scared?"

"That may be one reason."

She nodded.

"If one is near, the others are around," Seraphina told herself. "Come on."

The woman ran ahead, leaving Valeriana behind to follow.

The girl did not protest and ran after Seraphina. They singing girl from a while ago caught Valeriana by surprise. Although she didn't get a good look at the ghost, she was dressed in stained, white overalls with long, black hair that dripped wet, hanging like messy curtains in front of her face.

"Why did I ever agree to this?"

The human girl felt like they were playing hide-and-seek. They would exterminate one demon, search for the next, and repeat their first action. It was a never-ending cycle. The lady knight was quickly taking out the demons one-by-one that Valeriana hardly had any time to react whenever they appeared.

Seraphina was facing a lizard-like creature this time. It crawled on the walls with swift legs that made it impossible to catch up with—at least for Valeriana. She never did anything, though somehow the tiredness was pulling at her muscles.

Seraphina landed a strike on the lizard with the pommel of her sword and it fell on the floor with its back. Seeing no other way to fight, the lizard stuck out its long tongue and attempted to throw off the weapon Seraphina held. It failed however. The lady knight cut off the demon's tongue before plunging her weapon into its stomach. Within seconds, it vanished into nothingness, flaring into flames before disintegrating eventually.

Was there no end to these things? They've been running around for at least an hour. It felt as though these demons were all headed to the same direction... but for what reason?

"I hope that's the last of them," Valeriana told her companion, panting.

"Far from it."

She dried off sweat with the back of her hand, giving Seraphina a questioning gaze. "Huh?"

A wall of silence settled.

Seraphina looked around warily, unsettled by her surroundings. They somehow managed to end up in a strange room filled with nothing but doors. Doors, doors, doors, on every corner. Valeriana herself did not feel at ease.

All so suddenly, the doors flew open with a bang and heavy currents of wind rushed in.

"To think that a Celestial Knight would even come so far to seek me out, my do I feel important!" said a heavy voice.

"A Formorian. I should've known."

The blood drained from Valeriana's face as the words echoed all around them. "Please say this is part of the show. Please say this is part of the show." She chanted under her breath.

"Valeriana. Stay behind me."

Valeriana moved to do as Seraphina told when a gust of wind blew past them. It was a movement so swift that Seraphina registered she was wounded just above her elbow too late.

Formorians were feared for their incredulous speed.

"I admit I was expecting something more from a Celestial Knight like you. You'll regret ever stepping into my territory."

Think again, Seraphina thought to herself.

Valeriana looked around, scared out of her wits. The ominous presence was bothering the heck out of her, too. When she saw Seraphina wounded, she knew this was not just any game the woman was playing.

"You got me, demon," Seraphina muttered as she broke into her usual fighting stance, ignoring her injury. "But I won't let it happen for the second time."

"Then, let us see."

"Valeriana! Get down!"

Right after instructing the girl, the two of them were assaulted on all sides from every direction.

Those attacks originated from the different doors that surrounded them, but Seraphina somehow managed to instinctively avoid most of the heavy blows, leaving small scratches throughout her entire body.

When the attacks ceased, Valeriana could not help but feel relieved. "A-are you alright?"

The Formorian wasn't harming the girl in anyway, fortunately. It didn't seem to consider her as a threat.

"I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm good."

"That's a relief, then. Do you mind standing back?"

Valeriana did as Seraphina instructed.

"So much for your big talk, Celeste," said the Formorian.

Seraphina tried to compose herself and took in a deep breath. "Alright, I have no time playing games," she said. "The sooner I get this done, the sooner I leave."

"Behind you!" Valeriana warned her, sensing the demon coming for the lady knight.

Seraphina turned, her arms making sharp movements it would've been considered inhuman. If it weren't for the fact that the woman was from another world and skilled under the area of killing demons, she would've started freaking out. Instead, she was feeling very relieved.

The woman pierced the heart of the Formorian with her sword. Valeriana could only land a short glance at its grotesque appearance before it burned into nothingness.

She didn't even know how it got there.

Valeriana was speechless.

"You make your job look so easy."

"I have to do that every day for the last two decades or so. You can't blame how experienced I am dealing with these situations," she said. "Let's get out of here. These doors should lead somewhere." With that, she sheathed her sword and relaxed.

As Valeriana opened her mouth to speak, Seraphina silenced her by raising her hand in a motion that told her to keep quiet.

She looked between each doors, as though contemplating which path they should take.

"What? How old are you when you started doing that? Three? How old are you anyway?"

"Never mind that," Seraphina said. "I sense a breeze blowing through this one."

She confidently went through her choice, leaving Valeriana to follow her out. Despite having to go through a considerably scary room, both of them were able to reach the main exit of the Horror House soundly without any further demonic encounter. The human girl could only breathe out in relief at this thought.

They came out to an open yard, where people were huddled in small groups, discussing what they experienced from inside. Some girls and younger victims were crying and trembling within the arms of their companions, apparently unable to handle the intensity of the scare they got. Well, if Valeriana was any younger, she would break down crying too.

Both left the premises and started traveling farther down the sidewalk.

"So it's over." Valeriana breathed.

"So it is," the lady knight replied. "But there may still be others in your city. Considering how big it is, they might just not be staying in that Horror House."

"You mean there are more of them?"

"By records, fifty-one escaped. I've already exterminated forty-eight. Just three more to go."

She then pushed Seraphina to the direction of the nearby park, needing some space to breathe. After what recently happened, Valeriana ought to relax where she felt comfortable.

It was really dark out, though. There weren't many people outside now, and the park was basically deserted.

"Do tell me that this won't happen again."

"I can't guarantee that," Seraphina told her, looking disappointed herself. "The whole kingdom is currently unstable. It makes it easy for demons to escape into your world. Even now, some of the other knights are hunting them down."

"You mean you aren't the only one doing this kind of thing?"

"I'm not. There are others in the neighboring cities of this place. It just so happens that there aren't many available knights to help in the hunt. I was assigned here."

"Anyway, aren't you going?"

"Didn't I promise that I'll help you find a summer job?" she reminded, her brows furrowing.

"Oh, right," Valeriana said, sighing. "But you don't have to do that. I'm sure you're pretty tired running around that Horror House killing demons."

"You are, as well."

"Thanks, but you really don't have to. Just do me another favor and don't ever make me help you hunt those demons again. It's really too much for my poor heart."

Seraphina couldn't help but chortle at her statement. "I'm sorry for dragging you into that. I really don't know what to do in this world. When I came here, I got arrested by a man who calls himself a police for pointing a sword to a man who was yelling at a poor woman."

"You what?!"

"He took me to a jail, but I escaped."

To say Valeriana was shocked was a total understatement at the moment.

"Afterwards, I wandered for a few hours but saw no sign of what I was looking for. Before I know it, night had come. I knocked on the doors of a few houses to ask to stay for the night, but doors closed on my face and I had to sleep outside."

"You are ... oh, gosh. No wonder you asked for my help," she muttered. "Are you hungry, though? Have you eaten anything?"

"A kind woman gave me food this morning," Seraphina replied. "I'm really sorry. I wouldn't have asked for your help if I didn't need it."

"No. No one else would've understood you if you asked them."

She nodded. "And I thank you very much for what you've done today, for helping me hunt those demons down and buying me that treat. I'll try not to rely on you when I need to find them shall I have to do it later on." She then flashed her a grateful smile.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but... let me know if you need help."

They shared a genuine smile.

She sensed Seraphina watching her as they continued to travel down the same path.

"How were you able to predict that the demon was coming from behind me?"

Valeriana didn't know the answer herself. "I just . . . knew, I guess."

"Perhaps my hunch is right."

"What hunch?"

"Your sensitivity," she told her. "You can sense demonic presence."

"I can what?" she echoed and turned to her, unable to believe what she just heard. "Maybe you're just exaggerating things. That's impossible."

"Believe me, Valeriana. You are far from what you consider normal." Seraphina made special emphasis on the last word as she watched Valeriana walk away from her with a heavy sigh, through a row of trees to a grassy field.

"Listen, seeing and hearing demons is not something humans can typically do."

There was a strange whistle.

The lady knight stopped upon hearing the sound. Her expression turned hard and her body went rigid.

"Valeriana, you have to go."

"What?"

"Hide somewhere. Now. Better yet, go somewhere else."

"Is it another demon?

Where is it?"

"Just do it!"

"Alright, um . . ." She spun around and walked ahead when she suddenly collided with a hard chest. Staggering back, she looked up and met chocolate brown eyes boring into her own.

This man was similar to Seraphina in a lot of ways.

The same style of uniform, but of different color. He had light-brown hair with a matching pair of eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. His gaze was sharp and cold, like it saw right into her soul.

Valeriana jumped and stepped back.

"Celeste Emmett?"

Seraphina asked, stiffening when the said man took a step forward. "Why are you here?"

"On a mission myself. A new batch of demons descended."

What in the world is going on? Valeriana asked.

Emmett narrowed his eyes as he stared down Valeriana. "Who is this?"

"Obviously a citizen." The face the lady knight had on her face was stoic and devoid of emotions.

Valeriana turned towards Seraphina with wide, confused eyes.

"I was just asking her about important matters."

"Is that so?" His face held suspicion. "I saw a small demon around this park. I was chasing it down since a while ago." He then turned towards Valeriana, raising his voice purposely.

"Perhaps you saw it?"

She looked at Seraphina, who gave her a pointed look.

Valeriana did not know what to say. So instead, she laughed-nervously.

"Haha! That's ridiculous!"

"Quit bothering the girl. She doesn't know anything."

"Do you take me as a fool?"

Seraphina mentally berated herself.

"No." The lady knight ushered the girl away forcefully before running forward with her weapon drawn. "Valeriana, go!"

drawn. "Valeriana, go!"

"But I-"

"Just go!"

Stumbling on her own feet, Valeriana took off running as fast as her feet could take her. The man glanced at her direction but had to divert his attention to Seraphina for her incoming attack.

Emmett pulled his own weapon free and parried the blow skillfully with one hand. "What are you doing, Seraphina? You are raising your sword against a comrade."

"I need you to not tell the others, Emmett," she told him. "The girl deserves a normal life. To tell the Court would mean to destroy what she has. She had already gotten into enough trouble as it is."

"That is not for you to decide," Emmett replied. "Besides, I do not think she can ever go back to the way her life was even if you try to save her now. You've already gotten her involved."

They exchanged blows, their blades ringing noisily with every clang. Sparks would also occasionally flash before them as they fought, momentarily lighting up their surroundings.

"Perhaps that is my biggest mistake," she said. "I was foolish enough to bring her into this because of my own incapability to handle the situation."

"I see you're still not fully matured as a knight."

"And for that, I take responsibility."

"Foolish woman. That girl can see demons.

That is not something a normal being of her kind is capable of!"

Seraphina took a swift turn, her feet shifting while she put in her whole strength in one swing.

The clang was almost deafening as their blades clashed, sending waves of vibrations that stopped immediately as their weapons were pulled back as fast as they were swung.

The woman jumped back before rushing forward once more, determination burning in her vibrant blue eyes. Still, Emmett managed to fully elude her attacks.

He wasn't serious. The fact that he was staying defensive made it obvious to the woman.

His eyes gleamed with no emotion, as though it didn't affect him. Seraphina, with great effort, was slowly pushing him back. She truly did not know what she was going to do if the Celeste before her decided to go all out.

"Lady Seraphina, you are serious about this?"

"I am more than serious."

"I see why you became one of the Celestial Knights. Virtuous and brave you are, but you lack one thing."

Emmett then stepped forward, bringing his blade to willfully clash against her own. He gripped it tighter and struck from above, leaving Seraphina to bring her sword forward to protect herself.

"Experience."

They both paused as the man began to press down hard, letting a battle of strength to take over. He knew that Seraphina made up for lacking in that particular area with her speed and techniques, so if things were to last any further, her body would give in from the strain. The woman was stronger than average females, but compared to Emmett, she was nothing.

She knew he was targeting her weakness. Gritting her teeth, she nimbly slid off the disadvantageous position and struck him from behind with the back of her sword. Emmett grunted from the blow but turned to his opponent.

Emmett struck down at turned to his opponent.

Emmett struck down at her hard. With a clang, her weapon came flying, landing on a bush nearby.

"It is over now, Seraphina," he said. "You stand no chance in this fight."

Although Valeriana had that nagging feeling eating away at her guts that said something bad was happening to Seraphina, she couldn't stop her feet from running. She found herself in her room, covered in sweat and Although Valeriana had that nagging feeling eating away at her guts that said something bad was happening to Seraphina, she couldn't stop her feet from running. She found herself in her room, covered in sweat and panting like a dog. She didn't know how long she was trying to get away, but her lungs burned and her knees ached.

"Valery! I have your dinner in the microwave! Just eat it when you feel like it!" Her mother's soothing voice echoed from downstairs.

"O-okay!" she answered back.

Her chest rose and fell and beads of sweat traveled down the sides of her face. She couldn't believe Seraphina was willing to go that far to protect her.

How was she supposed to feel about that?

Although Seraphina was a particularly strong warrior, her new opponent had a fair share of that confident air about him. No doubt he was just as experienced as she was, maybe even more.

Filled with frustration, she fell face first on her bed and muffled her moans with the sheets. "Nakakainis."

Should she have stayed?

She might've gotten out safely with the woman's help, but if something happened to Seraphina, she would carry that guilt for the rest of her life.

She laugh at saying "I'm hungry"

She sat up and paced about the room.

What exactly is happening to my life?

She jumped back to the mattress, closed her eyes and tried to drown out the thoughts.

What she didn't expect to happen was falling asleep.

When she did open her eyes, the first thing she did was jump out of the bed. She glanced towards the clock and saw the hands pointing at four in the morning. It was still dark out as well.

"It's a dream... it was a dream. " she muttered to herself before raking her hands through her hair and climbing out of the bed.

"Just a dream, just a dream like my dreams where when I die, my soul will be transferred to another body and world, that's it."

That was when she realized she was still in the same clothes as before. However, the comforters were pulled over her body and her shoes were

"S***", she said softly.

body and her shoes were removed. She suspected that this was her mother's doing-who else would've done it anyway?

"What the... I guess it's not." She padded her way towards the window, feeling curious about what happened between Seraphina and that Emmett guy.

Rubbing the crust out of her eyes, she took a deep breath and thought for a moment. She had to go back. She just had to know.

Making her way downstairs, she made sure that she wouldn't wake up her mother or Jareth. Quiet as a rat, she climbed down the staircase and winced at every creak it made. After reaching the landing, she made a dash for the door and rushed out of the house.

Valeriana did a quick jog towards the park and arrived there only to find it deserted. It was painfully quiet that it was disconcerting.

She quietly made her way towards the spot where she last saw Seraphina standing and looked around. Aside from a flickering lamppost, a few bushes, and small trees, there was nothing to see. The skies were dark and covered in clouds, but the moon and stars occasionally peeked through and shed some light.

Valeriana took a step back to leave when she found nothing, only to have a glint catch her attention. Although it could've been just a piece of broken glass, it still made the girl curious. Perhaps it was something that could serve as a clue of what happened to the woman.

What she found lying among the bushes made her heart jump.

It was a sword.

Valeriana only saw it a few times, but she was sure that it belonged to Seraphina. It was the weapon she used to fight those demons with. She slowly reached for it, wrapping her hands around the hilt.

"So you came back. How convenient."

She jumped from where she crouched, her hands tightening around the weapon. "Ohh myyy hott daddy " She turned to the familiar voice and saw Emmett. Wary, she brandished the sword at him shakily and tried to look menacing with it. "You... stay away from me!"

Emmett's eyes were trained to her, undaunted by her threats. "Using a weapon you have no experience with is foolish."

I'm probably just a pretty girl, dude...

In a flash, he caught the sword by the blade and wrenched it out of Valeriana's grip with his bare hands. He threw it away.

"Come." He advanced forward in long strides.

Having no means to fight, Valeriana ran off.

He caught up with her effortlessly and grabbed her wrist. In response, she tried breaking free.

"What did you do to Seraphina?"

She was then caged in his arms.

I was tickled for a moment, she said in her mind.

He didn't answer.

Sure she might've not had the luxury of taking karate lessons from a pro, but her father taught her a thing or two about defending herself. Despite having an outrageous potbelly, he was far more experienced in fighting than anyone expected.

She stepped harshly on his foot and took the time crushing it under the bottoms of her feet. She could hear the grunts of pain erupting from the back of his throat. Still, he kept a firm grip. Given no other choice, she swung her head back and repeatedly started hitting him-head to head.

"E...nough!"

Luckily, before she started feeling dizzy about smashing her own head against his, his hold finally slackened. She took advantage of this opportunity and elbowed him on the ribs. Valeriana managed to slip away. However, he recovered quickly, so she stepped away and threw her fist forward, hitting him square on the face.

He's so stubborn, I'll never do what I did again," she cried, thinking about it.

He stumbled, and at the same time, she screamed, "Bloody murder!"

Her fingers ached from the impact, her hand losing all its strength from the strike of pain. She dismissed that, even so. She ran away as fast it her feet could take her while he was still stunned-though she knew it wouldn't last long.

"That's it," the man said as he struggled to stand back up on his feet. "I am done playing games."

With a flash, he sprinted. When he reached near her, he stuck out his first two fingers out of a fist and jabbed the nerve point located in her neck. This caused her to collapse and lose consciousness.

He paused on his tracks, dust fogging the trails he left behind. He placed a hand on the protesting muscles of his stomach and frowned. A loud sigh escaped his tight lips.

Someone else spoke. "How passionate. Very brutal."

Emmett took a deep breath and turned to meet the owner of the voice.

"Lord Aeron."

"So this is her?"

Aeron walked forward, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He made his way towards Valeriana, who Emmett gathered in his arms. The lord leaned forward and poked her cheek.

"We should go," said Emmett.

"Do wait a moment." Aeron fished something out of his breastpocket. The object glinted when it hit the light and Emmett could only squint at the sudden flash.

He clasped a necklacearound her neck and smiled. "Now we're ready to go."

__________________________________________________________________

chapter 4 end......

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***