“Emilia, are we almost the~re?”

            Liam is barely able to walk, his legs hurt, his eyes hurt, he has a splitting headache, and it was close to midnight.

“Ya we’re almost there you big baby.” She says, somehow still having energy left over.

Looking around, the pair can’t see much. Clouds cloaked the moon, so it wasn’t giving any illumination to the land. Even if it were out, the thick canopy of trees wouldn’t allow any light to pass through. The only sort of illumination they have is a little ball of light Emilia made, lighting the path a few meters in front of them.

“Can these stupid crickets just be quiet for two minutes.” 

Liam is getting more and more frustrated. They have been walking forever, and these crickets have been making their head throbbing sounds ever since they entered the forest. As if to spite Liam he is no night owl, usually being passed out by 11 pm at the absolute latest.

“Are you sure we’re almost there? I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Yes, I’m sure, it’s just around the corner.”

Liam can’t see any corner, but he chose to trust her judgment.

“Like I said.”

She sticks her finger out, pointing at a small house extending into a tree, seemingly large enough to be the World Tree from Norse mythology. The height of such a tree is unknown to him, the darkness forbade him from doing so. But Liam has a feeling that this thing was supernaturally tall, given the circumference of it alone. Comparing Emilia’s house to it was like comparing an ant to an elephant. 

Liam is done gawking at the tree after a minute or two, being consumed by his lack of sleep.

“Gah finally.” Liam says, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, yes we’re here, you can go rest you old man.”

Emilia finds it very amusing to make fun of Liam. He always seems to laugh at the jokes, before dishing it right back.

“Well, I’m sorry you just sap my energy using it for yourself. It’s the only explanation for your unnatural amount of energy.”

And there was his comeback. Not very good but Emilia enjoys it nonetheless, both letting out a little chuckle. But the visible circles under Liam's eyes indicate that he needed to get to bed. 

Emilia sees this and becomes a little concerned.

            “Are you ok? Those don’t look very good.” She puts a finger up to his eyes.

“Oh, don't worry I’ll be fine in the morning.”

“If you say so.”

Looking like he was on death’s door, she has her doubts.

Finishing up their talk, they try to go inside. Liam opens the door letting himself inside, but the smell of decay fills his sinuses, knocking him back. Almost to the point where it was hard to breathe. He wasn’t expecting to be hit by such a strong odor. But it gets worse when he actually looks at what’s in front of him. Trash is everywhere, not just some recent trash. This must have been over a week old. Liam can’t bear the sight.

“Emilia.”

“Is something wrong?” She is completely clueless, somehow unable to smell the foul odor.

“I’m sorry if this is rude but your house is a mess.”

“No, it’s not, I left it spotless.”

“You sure because this sight and odor says otherwise.”

Emilia looks inside to see what he’s talking about.

“It can’t be that ba—.”

The smell finally reaches her sinuses. She throws herself out the door, throwing up, being too much for her to handle.

“Like I said, it’s pretty bad. But are you ok?”

“I… I’m fine.” She wipes her mouth to get any remains off.

“Did you lock your house before you left?” Liam has a hunch.

“Y-ya I think so.”

“Are you sure? Someone probably broke in and did this.”

She sat on the ground for a few seconds before responding.

“No. I was in a hurry and forgot. Still, we can’t just leave my house like this, we need a place to sleep.”

“Well for tonight we’re just going to have to sleep outside. Do you have any blankets or anything?”

“No. They’re all in there.” She looks inside her house, well away from the door, covering her mouth. Making sure to not inhale the toxic fumes.

“Alright guess I’ll clean this place up then.”

Emilia tilts her head, in confusion.

“Why would someone I just met go so far to help me?” she thinks to herself.

“I-I can help too.” She wants to help, but even thinking about the smell that radiates from the cabin makes her throw up again.

Liam doesn’t want to clean the house, but he isn’t going to let Emilia do it, if the smell was that bad.

“No, no you can’t. You are going to go lay down and get some sleep. Don’t try and fight it.” Liam puts his foot down. Although he was dying on the inside, he isn’t going to let his friend get sick.

“Bu—”

“No Buts. Go get some rest. I’ll come get you once I’m done.”

“Fine but only this once.” She isn’t happy about it, but complies.

“Don’t worry it won't take too long.”

Emilia doesn’t hear him though, already fast asleep on the ground, only having her cloak as a source of warmth.

“Gee. That was quick.”

 Liam walks over, draping his sweater over her, making her curl into a ball. He didn’t notice before, but getting a closer look at her face, she’s really cute. She has long silver hair, part of which covers her ears, there was a hair pin in the left side of her hair, and a braid across the top of her head. Her face isn’t like that of a supermodel, it’s on the cute side, like a little sister. 

Liam grabs his head, feeling a throbbing pain. Like he’s remembering something, but it comes back for so little time that he can’t fully grasp it. The pain dissipates soon after.

He shakes his head. “What was that?”

He looks down at Emilia once more, slapping himself, walking towards the house. He grabs a piece of cloth laying on Emilia’s porch, putting it over his mouth and nose. It won’t protect him very much from the odor but anything will help.

“Welp better get started.”

Liam opens the door to face his most dangerous foe yet, Emilia’s house. Looking around, he spots some bins.

“Emilia when you wake up, please don’t kill me.”

He doesn’t want to use the bins, but they are the only things available. 

Taking a deep breath, making sure to not use his nose. He rolls up his already short sleeves, and begins his cleaning journey. 

“Gahh. Good thing I’m a neat freak or this would’ve taken a lo~t longer.” 

He wipes away the sweat from his forehead, exhaling deeply before falling to the ground with a victorious look on his face. It took him a few hours, but the house is spotless. The only thing left for him to do is get Emilia, and go to sleep, luckily for him he didn’t get dirty while cleaning, he didn’t even smell bad. 

He shifts his body to his left, looking at the elf girl.

“emilia. the house is clean. you can come in now.” Liam makes sure not to speak too loudly.

She doesn’t budge. He tries giving her a little shake, still nothing. Not wanting to disturb her rest, he opts to carry her to bed instead. He shuffles over to her side, picking her up.

“She’s really light.” 

He isn’t surprised, she's pretty small to begin with, but Liam never actually carried anyone before. The closest he ever got to that was throwing people in his Jiu-jitsu class. Even then, it's been four years since he’s been there. 

“Whatever they abandoned me.” 

Liam’s salty to the majority of people he previously knew. Almost all of them either abandoned him, or tried to kill him. Even his master, who said they would always be on his side no matter what. That said he was the nicest person they had met. “He’s a giant teddy bear” they would say. They still tried to kill him, just for being something he can’t change. 

Looking down at Emilia brought him back to reality, finally pushing those thoughts aside. It was surprising, he never really cared for anyone after being ostracized on earth. So why is he taking a chance with her? Maybe he’s sick of being alone. Maybe he wants a friend. Maybe there are other reasons. All he knows is that he doesn’t want to leave her side, he doesn't want to be alone. An unknown emotion begins to build up inside him but he can’t quite figure out what it is.

“You really do have a beautiful smile.” 

She doesn’t have one on her face, he’s just remembering the time he spent with her. She was really like an angel. Not the real ones.

Finally, they are at the door to what Liam assumes to be her room. It has the largest bed in the house, as well as a desk in the corner with a bunch of papers piled on it. He didn’t clean this room much, just enough to get rid of the smell. It wasn’t all that dirty, just a few piles of dust. Plus, he didn’t want to snoop through this room if it really was hers, without permission.

Approaching the bed Liam set her down, tucking her in, trying to take the sweater from her. She isn’t very willing to let go, practically squeezing it like a stuffed animal. He can’t let her keep it though, it hasn’t been washed in days. He begins unfolding her arms, snatching the sweater, making sure not to wake her. 

He starts walking back to the door, stopping just before opening it. 

“I’m not gonna make the same mistakes I did with Jack.” He says, looking back at Emilia. “I swear, I’ll protect you… no matter what.”

He turned back around ready to leave. But something grabs him by his shirt pulling him backwards.

“E-Emilia? I-Is that you?” Liam says.

Soon he finds himself sitting on the bed, Emilia sitting right next to him, still holding onto his shirt.

“What do you mean?” Emilia says with a comforting tone. She can tell Liam was in pain.

“Heh. What do you mean, what do you mean?” Liam says letting out a little laugh, hoping she didn’t hear his previous statement.

She looks at him. “You said you wouldn’t make the same mistake you did with Jack… What do you mean by that?”

Liam’s gut instantly turns itself into a knot. He grabs her hand, taking it off his shirt, before sliding over a little bit, away from her. It’s a sensitive subject, not something he talks about a lot. Feeling his distress, she tries to scoot closer but Liam stops her.

“Please Emilia, this is a sensitive subject… Just… Give me a minute.” He takes a few breaths calming his nerves.

Emilia sits quietly, regretting her question. She doesn’t want to hurt her newfound friend, but… she still wanted to know.

“He died.” Out of nowhere Liam says this. Not sweetening the statement, just saying it in its raw form. 

Emilia jumped a little, not expecting it to be so serious.

“U-u-uhm n-never mind…” Emilia shoots off the bed. “You know what, forget I said anything you can sleep in here tonight.” She turns to leave the room before Liam grabs her shirt, just like she did.

“N-no It’s fine. I have to stop running away from this.” Liam says, pulling her back to the bed.

He looks down, sees his hands shaking, and folds them together. Emilia catches note of this and grabs his hand, looking into his silver eyes. 

“It’s alright… Take your time.” She looks at him with a reassuring face, calming him down ever so slightly.

Liam turns his head down.

“O-ok… Jack was my best friend, my first, only and last friend. He was my pillar when things got bad. God he was amazing. He always knew how to cheer me up. He was extraverted, kind, easy going and just fun to be around. The kind of person who could make any situation into a joke.”

“He sounds like a great person.” Emilia says.

“Ya… He was. The only person who ever gave me a chance. Yet… He still died.” The mood changed swiftly. Tears begin to form in Liam's eyes as he remembers how he found his friend's body. 

Emilia wraps an arm around him, pulling him into her embrace, giving what little comfort she can. Liam in turn rests his head on her shoulder, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing.

“The last time we were actually together was when we were walking through a town together, getting ice cream.”

Emilia doesn’t know what ice cream is, but saves her question for later. It wasn’t a good time to ask questions.

“Just a regular day, nothing going wrong in the slightest. Yet they still showed up.”

“Who is, they?” Emilia asks.

Liam pauses for a moment. “My dear old dad, and his subordinates. They came… and took him, faster than I could even see. I-I tried to get him back… But they knocked me out on the spot.”

Emilia starts rubbing his back as the tears come back.

“I-I tried looking f-for him… It was a-almost a month of looking b… before I found him.”

Liam lets himself cry for a minute or two. The thought of seeing his friend the way he found him made him sick.

“Shhh. Take your time.” Emilia sooths, bringing him into a full hug, wrapping both arms around him, letting him cry into a shoulder.

“A-all I found was h-his skel… his skeleton. H… His arms w-were wrapped around a j-journal… The same o-one he always carried a-around.”

“I found my f-friend like that…” He pauses, his tone getting serious. “And it was my fault… I couldn’t protect the one person I had left… If he hadn’t known me… He would’ve been fine.”

“Hey, don't say things like that. It wasn’t your fault. I’m sure he felt the same.” Emilia pulls him closer, covering his mouth with her shoulder making him unable to speak. “He sounds like too nice of a person to blame you for that. You actually know him. What do you think he would say if he heard you right now?”

Liam closes his eyes, envisioning what his friend would say.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault, I’m sure you did your best to find me.” It’s almost like Jack is directly talking to him. The voice sounds so clear, as Liam can almost swear, he is looking directly at him.

“You have my journal don’t you. Remember what I said.”

And the visage fades away. Leaving no trace that he was there in the first place.

Liam thinks back to the journal trying to remember what was all inside it.

“I know you’re going to do great things after I’m gone, just make sure you don’t lose yourself. This wasn’t your fault. And don’t live off anger, I know you’ll try to. If you do, I'm going to haunt you. I know where you live.”

“Ya… You're right… Jack.” Liam thinks pushing away from Emilia, wiping away the tears.

“D-did that help?” Emilia asks.

“Yes…” He looks up. “Yes, it did… Thanks. For everything.” Liam says with a faint smile. “You’re a great friend Emilia. Thank you.”

“Y-You’re welcome. Now get some rest.” She says, pointing at him. “Your eyes are still black.”

“Heheh. Ok mom.”

Liam is able to see the elf girl's cheeks bulge as her face turns red. Liam laughs it off before getting a face full of a pillow. 

“Take that back meanie.” She grabs another pillow ready to throw it.

“Alright alright. Sorry for calling you mom.” He tosses the pillow back to her.

“Good night, see you in the morning.” Liam says, walking towards the door.

“Hey where are you going?” She says, grabbing his hand.

“Well, you said to get some rest so I’m gonna go do that.”

“I don’t have a guest bedroom, and you can’t sleep on the couch. So, you can sleep in here.”

Liam's face turns red. “W-w-what! I-I can’t do that. We would be in the same bed.”

“No buts mister.” She pulls him into the bed, tossing a blanket over him. “Now just accept this and go to bed.”

She gently pats his head a couple times before turning over and falling back asleep.

“Such a mom.” He thinks to himself.

The blush disappears from his face as he begins to drift into a well-deserved rest.

            Sunlight enters the room, embracing it, lighting it up. Tossing and turning, Emilia isn’t too happy about waking up. She wants to see Liam and talk, but she also wants more sleep. 

            “Hey Liam. Are you awake yet?”

She tosses to her side, not seeing him. Sitting up she looks around the room still seeing nothing.

“Guess he must be up then.” 

She starts walking out of the room trying to find him. Starting with the living room, there’s a towel laying on one of the chairs, but nothing else. Looking in the direction of the bathroom she shakes her head.

“He can’t be there, the doors open and there’s a towel here.”

She begins walking to the library, which is also empty. She looks outside, still nothing. She starts running out the door, yelling his name, hoping she will get a response. But no voice responds, only the wind flowing by and leaves rustling.

“H-h-he’s just like the others. Why was I stupid enough to believe him!” 

She’s sad, hurt, feels betrayed, but most of all, she’s mad at herself and Liam. He made her think she made a friend, treating her so kindly, but she also trusted him. His smiles seemed so sincere, though but she believed them. He even cleaned her house by himself, not wanting her to get sick. And even last night, he explained such a personal experience to her. Someone he only just met that same day.

“Was it really just an act?”

A loud clang comes from the house, making her jump. Drying the tears from her eyes, she walks over, wanting to know what the sound was. Her hands extend in front of her at chest height, making part of a large ice spike form.

She walks through the hallway leading to the kitchen, the source of the sound, sweating bullets. Terror fills her as she thinks of what awaits her, did someone break in, did Liam make the sound, was it a beast? She approaches the door, heart pounding like a drum. Slowly she reaches for the handle, closing her eyes. She takes a deep breath, opening the door, simultaneously shooting the ice inside. There’s another clang, this one much louder than the last. Preparing for another attack, she slams the door, making balls of fire, and more ice spikes, no bigger than her head. 

Liam is standing in the middle of the kitchen, wearing an apron. A metal pan laying on the table in front of him, the same shard of ice lodged inside. He has two knives, one in his right hand, keeping it in front of him in case he gets rushed. The other above his head, ready to throw. The begins opening, in turn he winds his arm back, ready to throw the knife. But seeing Emilia with a ball of fire, makes him instinctively jump for safety.

Having her eyes still closed, Emilia unleashes a barrage of fire and ice, scorching and freezing the spots Liam was jumping to.

“CAN YOU PLEASE STOP IT!”

She opens an eye hearing Liam’s voice, stopping her assault. Seeing Liam leaping around, doing his best to avoid the rest of her spells, cutting a few of the icicles in the process.

The bombardment stops, the room being destroyed in the process, patches of smoke rise from a few of the craters. 

“WOULD YOU STOP ATTACKING ME!”

Liam throws the knives, catching Emilia’s sleeves, pinning her arms to the wall. 

Once more she begins to bawl, trying to move from the wall she finds herself stuck to.

“O-oh my god! D-did I hit you!?” 

His stomach drops, not knowing if he did or not. He runs to her, ripping the knives away, grabbing her and setting her down. She immediately tackles him, wrapping her arms around him, balling in his grasp. 

“Hey what's wrong?” Liam soothed, wrapping his arms around her.

“w-w-where w-were you?” 

“I was at the river washing my clothes. I came back to cook us breakfast.”

“P-please don’t l-leave. I-I don’t want to be a-alone again.” 

She pulls even tighter, never wanting to let go. 

“I won’t… don’t worry.” He leans closer, whispering in her ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She stops crying briefly, taking in the words, and begins bawling even harder. Liam keeps her entangled in his arms, slowly stroking her head, letting her expel her emotions. 

“I feel the same.” He puts a soft smile on his face, still stroking her head.

She falls asleep within a few minutes, still clinging to Liam. It doesn’t bother him; she did the same thing for him last night. It doesn’t take long for Liam to fall asleep as well.

Everything is black, he can’t even see his hands, this shadow garden seems too dark for that. It’s a place not too foreign to him, he’s been here in the past but it was so long ago that he can’t recall it. 

He tries moving his hands around, but feels nothing. He tries gasping for air, but can’t. He tries speaking but nothing comes out. He reaches to touch his arm, and luckily, he can feel it. 

He reaches out a hand, hoping to reach something. A hand? He can’t see it, but it has to be a hand.

“There’s something off about it though… Is this my hand!?” He thinks to himself.

No, this is smaller, but it is his. The same scars present on his left hand, are also present on this one. He blinks a couple times, before being bombarded by light. White is the only thing that surrounds him, and the perfect image of his younger self, which begins speaking.

“I’m useless, the people I care about just end up dying. Slaughtered in front of me. I’m a fool. Thinking I could be some hero and save them. I’m nothing but a fraud. I always boasted to Jack that I was invincible, that I could take over the world if I wanted. He was always my pillar. The one who kept me in check. Now he’s dead. It’s my fault. If he hadn’t known me, he’d be fine. But dear old dad won’t let that happen. That thing hunts down anyone I have ever cared about and butchers them. He has no mercy. He refuses to give them a painless death. He makes sure they suffer in their last moments.”

Every moment that passes makes his younger self’s face become more and more distorted. Replacing it with something so contorted it was making Liam go mad. The older Liam takes some steps back, with a horrified look on his face. Trying to keep as much distance between himself and this beast as he can

“S-STOP IIIT!!” Liam shouts at this thing. 

He crouches down, ripping out hair, scratching his face. He wants to leave, he wants this thing to leave. But it won't, it just keeps talking, each word shaking this endless void, becoming more and more incoherent. Getting to the point where anything coming from this creature's mouth assaults his very soul. His knees give out on him as he drops to his hands and knees, grasping his chest, struggling to breath. 

“Y-your pride, aren’t you?” He can barely say this.

The pain stops, everything stops, it’s calm once again. The pain Liam experienced was like a distant memory. 

“Well, boy, it seems you know who I am.” The voice changes, going from a more high-pitched voice to that of an adult.

Pride's face contorts again, making a devilish smile. Still incomprehensible, but Liam isn’t going mad anymore.

“Of course, I know what one of the most dangerous things in existence is.” He barks at the... Man? Creature? Thing?

It’s like his breakdown never happened. Still, one thing remains, his body is still trembling. It’s no surprise, he’s in the presence of something on such a higher existence, demons and angels alike would be running away, screaming in terror if they were in Liam’s shoes.

“So, you know what’s going to happen now.”

He does. There’s a book written for this very situation with only one thing written down. “If you ever come across it, run for your life, don’t look at it, don’t speak to it, don’t even think about it, doing so will cost you your life. If it speaks you are already dead.” All of which Liam just experienced. So why isn’t he dead?

“Oh, you're wondering that.” Somehow it could read his thoughts. “Don’t try hiding anything, it won't get you anywhere.”

            Liam’s shaken to his core. He doesn’t know what to do next. If he makes the wrong move, this thing will most assuredly kill him. He swallows the lump in his throat, preparing himself to speak.

            “Gah. Fine I’m already gonna die, so what's there to lose. What the hell are you!?”

            Pride smiles at him again, or at least Liam thinks he did.

            “Well, aren’t you a brave one. I’ll humor you.”

            “Huh. Isn’t he supposed to be merciless.” Liam thinks.

            “Oh, don’t get the wrong idea, I am. But you pique my interest. Most people scream and beg for their lives. It’s rare to meet someone bold enough to ask a question while staring at certain death. Dare I say one of a kind.”

            “One of a kind. What are you saying?”

            Pride lifts a finger, swaying it from side to side. “So many questions, and so little time. You’ll have a surprise waiting for you.”

            Pride snaps, sending Liam back to his body.

Liam opens his eyes, grasping his head.

“Man, what a dream.” All he can remember is the white outline of a man, unable to recall his encounter.

He looks down, finding himself still holding Emilia. Unaware of how long he was asleep. Something is off though. He feels like he forgot something.

“That's right, I forgot to make breakfast.” 

He gently takes Emilia out of his lap, resting her on a chair nearby.

“Wait, what time even is it?” 

He reaches into his pocket pulling out a phone, checking the time. Unaware it wasn’t there moments prior.

“Well, it is a little late for breakfast.”

His phone displays the time.

“Crap. It’s almost eleven. Guess we’re having brunch then” Putting the phone back in his pocket, he gets ready. He’s no master chef but when he can make almost anything taste great. He looks around to see if this world has fridges or something similar.

“Oh, thank God… What the heck is that crystal?”

He shuffles to the side of the fridge-like machine, seeing a turquoise crystal sticking out the side.

“Quit geeking out and cook idiot.” Liam says, lightly slapping himself.

Looking inside the fridge he sees… almost nothing. Only enough ingredients to make a single omelet, big enough for one person. Liam, being Liam, takes the short straw, decides to let Emilia have it. So, he gets to work on breakfast.

“Emilia.”

“Emilia.”

“If you don’t wake up, the food will get cold.”

The elf girl slowly raises her head, wiping some drool away, rubbing her eyes.

“Oh, hi Liam. Wait…” She reaches her arm up in the air, stretching and letting out a yawn.  “Food?”

“That’s right, after you’re,” he looks away, “outburst, you fell back asleep, so I cooked you something.”

She shifts her gaze down, noticing the plate of food to her left, grabbing it, and mowing it down like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“Well, someone’s hungry.” Liam puts a smirk on his face.

Emilia sticks her tongue out at him, finishing her meal.

“So. Was it any good?” 

Liam hopes the dish was good. But he has a bad habit of thinking anyone who says that it’s good, really thinks it’s terrible.

She nods in response, swallowing the rest of her food before speaking.

“It was great. Thanks.” Emilia says, still having food on her face.

“...Sorry I could’ve done better.” He says, believing she’s lying to make him feel better.

Slamming her hands on the table, she shoots up from her seat. 

“Don’t say sorry!” she scolds.

“O-ok.” Liam isn’t sure what else to say.

“No. Not ok. You keep on acting like you're not all that great. This food says otherwise. I’ve never had anything this good before. I’ve had to cook for myself for as long as I can remember, and I would always burn it.”

She leaves him speechless. Most people would just ignore his comment, not her though.

“You're amazing.” Liam doesn’t try hiding it, just saying the thought bubbling in his mind.

The once somewhat angry face was now blushing, embarrassed, looking around the room for something else to look at. Finding nothing she looks down.

“Idiot.”

A couple days pass.

Shadows draping over the landscape, balls of light floating around the air. Liam is currently laying down in a clearing circled by trees, hands behind his head, watching the stars. Taking a break from everything, blocking everything from his mind and just living in the moment. Not worrying about the past, or future.

             It was calm, peaceful, a long-awaited feeling Liam needed in his life. No angels, no demons, no parent trying to kill him. Just himself, and the sky. 

             “Is this what peace is like?” 

Liam isn’t sure. Even when living as a human there wasn’t much peace. He was always training, trying to be better. There was never any time he left for himself to unwind and relax.

             “So, this is where you went.” Emilia’s voice echoes from the shadows.

            Liam sits up looking around, trying to find where the voice came from. But his gaze falls upon nothing, only darkness, the moon can only light up so much after all. 

             “Well, I did say I would be out here for a while. Not my fault you get lonely.” Liam begins smirking, it isn’t visible because he’s looking in the complete opposite direction Emilia was at. But she can tell he’s making fun of her.

            Seeing her chance she walks up behind him, ever so slowly before clapping her hands. Yet they never come together, something stopped them in their tracks.

            “What are you doing Emilia?” Lima says, having grabbed her arms.

            “H-how did you---” She can’t get her full sentence in before he butts in.

            “The sky is beautiful tonight.” He says tossing himself onto his back once more, dodging the question.

             She tosses herself to the ground, looking up with Liam. When he wasn’t paying attention, she bopped him on the head.

            “Dummy. You didn’t answer my question.”

            “You know it.” He says, still not giving her an answer.

            “Fine but you will tell me how you did that later.”

            They went silent staring at the heavens, taking in its beauty, sitting in silence for an hour, before passing out.

            “Bright, Bright, Bright.” Liam’s the first to wake up.

            “Did I really fall asleep out here?” He yawns, rubbing his eyes. He’s still tired, but once he’s awake, he can’t fall back asleep. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he checks the time.

6:24

            “Ya she won't be up for a while.” He opens vault pulling out a black sharpie. This was the perfect moment, he wouldn’t miss his change, beginning to scribble all over her face.

            “Oh god she’s sooo gonna kill me when she wakes up.” He raises a hand to his chin, shrugging. “Eh. It was worth it.”

            “Still. It’s pretty nice having someone who dishes it back.” he thinks.

            There’s a sudden thwack as something flicks him in the nose. He looks down seeing red cheeks, inflated like a balloon.

            “I was awake the whole time. You're gonna pay mister.” 

            “Oh crap… I’m dead.”

            “Give me that thing.” Emilia says, leaping for the sharpie, to get her revenge.

            “Only if you can catch me.” Liam shoots up, sprinting away, jumping into the trees, moving around like he was born there.

            Emilia darts after him, she was going to get her revenge one way or another.

            “Vine.” 

Out of nowhere a vine sprouts from the ground, bolting at Liam. It grabs the young hybrid by the waist, pulling him towards its summoner. He’s struggling, trying to break free, but can’t as he begins to laugh, seeing her face.

            “Stop laughing. You brought this on yourself.”

It was an impossible task though, her whole angry-ish expression with the drawings on her face, made for the perfect combo.

             “Sorry sorry.” He’s unable to keep the marker from the elf girl, who yanks it out of his hands effortlessly. Although Liam isn’t weak in any regard, Emilia’s on a different level.

            “Vine” She makes some more vines, fusing Liam’s arms to his side.

            “Now. My turn to have some fun.” Emilia’s face beams with a scary smile. Liam won’t be leaving for a while.

             “Alright alright you win, you win.” Liam stops struggling, accepting defeat.

            “Wait if you were awake, then why did you let me draw all over you?”

            Emilia’s hand stops.

            “I-I… I don’t have a reason, ok.” She starts her crusade, scribbling on Liam’s face, drawing whatever she can.

            “Emilia, is there something you’re not telling me?” Liam smirks, still poking fun at her.

            “Ya, you’re a jerk.” 

Liam gasps, acting hurt by the comment. But Emilia isn’t a fool, seeing through his act and continuing to scribble.

            “You done?” Liam raises an eyebrow.

            “Have you learned your lesson?” She says as she slides the marker up his face.

            “Yes. I promise I won't draw on your face anymore.”

            “Good.”

            She turns him around, seeing his fingers crossed. 

“What’s this?” Emilia says, raising an eyebrow.

“Crap.” Liams says, tensing his body.

Knowing he hasn’t learned his lesson, she throws him into a nearby pond. A shiver traversed his spine the moment he touched the water.

             “Vault.” Liam pulls out a water gun, filling it to the brim. His eyes start glowing as he surfaces from the pond.

            “Hey Emilia. Do you know what this is?”

            Emilia, not being from the modern world, looks at it, tilting her head to the side, pulling her hand to her chin.

            “Uuuhm… no?”

            “So, you don’t. Good, this’ll be even more fun.” Liam pumps it up before blasting her. Her eyes widen as she sees the water coming straight at her. Emilia may be able to use ice magic, but she hates the cold. The water hits her, and she practically jumps out of her skin, shaking.

            “What’s the problem? Little ice mage can’t take the cold?”

            “Water spout.” Emilia yells.

            A waterspout forms from the pond, charging right at Liam. He tries to run, but he fails to notice Emilia rushing at him. Like an experienced martial artist, she grabs onto him, throwing him right at it. It swallows him up, shooting him directly into the pond once more.

            “That was cheap Liam.”

            “Says the one that made a literal water spout, because I sprayed you with a little water.”

            “Can we just get going. I’m getting cold.”

            “Seriously I only sprayed you with a little water. You flung me into a pond, sent me flying with a water spout, which threw me into the same pond again.” Liam sighs, “Dang I really wish I could use my magic.”

            “I get your point. But still, you started this.”

            Liam sighs again. “You're right. Sure, we can go.”

            Liam walks over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Before sliding the same hand under her arm, grabbing her tricep. Grabbing her wrist with the other hand, turning around, and throwing her over his shoulder, into the pond.

            “Like my grandpa said, you reap what you sow.”

            Just like Liam she surfaces. But unlike Liam, she makes the water around her ice, so she can walk back to shore.

            “Air cannon.” A gust of air launches at Liam, nailing him in the bottom of his jaw, knocking him out.

            “I swear. Does this have to happen so much? Although… I did deserve it. I’ll apologize when I wake up.”

            “Weeeelll Heya kiddo.” Liam, still unconscious, hears his mother as the world goes white once more.

            “You know mom, most parents visit their kids in person.”

            His mother appeared before him.

             “Well look at you, finally growing up, getting a girlfriend.” She says, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, smearing a smirk across her face.

            “She’s just my friend. Now what do you want?”

             “You said this the last time I visited.” She says pouting.

“Ok seriously I am never going to get used to seeing you pout. You’re the devil. How are you not actually evil?”

“Well, it’s not my fault humans just assume demons are bad.”

            “If you say so. Did you just come to visit?”

            “Yep.” Her radiant smile appears. “I’ll be going now.”

            “Thanks mom.” He whispers to himself, not wanting her to hear it.

Although he doesn’t like his mom all that much, he’s still glad someone came to visit. Even if it was the devil.

            “Hey Mom. Can I ask a favor?”

            “Oh. Asking me for something. Who are you?”

            “Can you keep an eye on Emilia. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

            “Wiiilll do kiddo. Bye bye.”

            “I’m sorry Liam.” These words keep repeating and sound so far away, like he’s listening to them through a tunnel.

            “Water should wake him up, wait, no, he’s already drenched. Then maybe a shock will?”

            Just as Liam hears that his whole body begins to spasm as his appendages slam into the ground.

            “Daah God. Maybe a little warning next time. I was only asleep.”

            “Well, I tried waking you up normally.”

            “Still, electricity is a little excessive.”

            “Y… you're right. I’m sorry.” Emilia’s head sulks down in shame, she not only managed to hurt her friend once, but twice today.

            “Actually, thanks for that, the pain in my back is gone.” Liam says, trying to make her feel a bit better. He starts rubbing his back, trying to sell the lie.

            “W-well if it helped.”

            Emilia’s stomach growls at them, indicating it’s time to eat.

            “Don’t look at me.” She turns away from Liam, crouching to the ground.

            Liam laughs, “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’m hungry too.”

            He extends a hand toward Emilia, motioning for her to grab it. She reaches her hand, but takes it back.

            “Are you sure you’re fine? I used a lot of lightning there.” She says, still worried about Liam’s wellbeing.

            “Yes. I’m fine. It’s going to take more than a little shock to kill me.”

            The elf’s stomach begins to growl at them once more.

            “Alright alright I hear you. You’ll get food just wait.” he says.

            “A-alright, but you better not take to~ long.” She says, hiding her face.

            “Yes, yes you impatient child.”

            She lightly punches his shoulder.

            “Isn’t there a village nearby, why don’t we just go there?”

            This world is still mostly a mystery to him, so he wants to take as many chances as he can to learn about it.

            “Uhm. Ya there, is, but, do we have to go… there?” She sticks a finger in the air, pointing at her ears.

            “Ya I guess you're right. If you're not comfortable then we won’t go.”

            “Thanks.”

            “It’s no problem. I get it.”

            She stares at him blankly.

            “What do you mean?”

            “Well. I know what it’s like for everyone to hate you. For… something you can’t change.”

            Emilia runs forward, turning around, stopping Liam in his tracks.

            “Well, I like you. So, there’s one less person.” 

            Liam takes a few steps forward, resting a hand on her head. Patting it a couple of times.

            “Thanks Emilia. Same goes for you.”

            The two continue walking back to the house, chit chatting the whole time. 

            “Liam. Didn’t you mention something about magic?”

            “Oh that. Ya I said...” He brings his fist to his chin, trying to remember what he said. “That I wish I could use my magic.”

            “But don’t you use magic now?”

            “I mean, I have vault but that’s it.”

            “Does that mean you could use more magic?”

            “Oh ya, before I came here, I was able to use basically every kind there was, even then I didn’t use it that much.”

            “Can you teach me!?”

Emilia looks straight into his eyes, a spark lit. There was someone else who used magic, who may have been better with it than her. She won’t waste this opportunity.

            “Well, I can’t promise anything, but I might be able to point out some things. Still, your magic is more powerful than anything I’ve seen.”

            Referring to the magic in this world. It’s more powerful than any lesser demon or angel, but nothing she’d be outclassed by normal angels or demons.

            “I’ll do my best sir.” She stomps her feet together, holding her closed fist over her chest. Making her look like someone in the military.

            “Please, no formalities, we’re probably the same age. Plus, I don’t like them.”

            “Really? You don’t look the same age as me. And aren’t really powerful mages supposed to be old.”

            “Maybe… But humor me for a sec…”

            He leans over, squinting at Emilia. Knowing full well he looks a bit older than he actually is, he asks. “How old do I look then?”

            She averts her eyes trying to look at something else, wincing her eyes shut. There’s something about how Liam is acting, that makes her think she will get hit if she responds wrong.

            “T-tw-enty fooour. No twenty-two.”

            “I’M NINETEEN! God do I really look that old to you?”

            She winces back, bringing her arms to her head, preparing to get hit… But nothing comes.

            “Emilia. What are you doing? Wait, do you think I’m gonna hit you or something?”

            “W-well ya. You look scary ok.”

            “Ya that’s what everyone says. Just put your arms down.” 

Emilia feels something grab her hands, bringing them down from their shield.

            “Can we just get some food?”

“Here you go, dig in.” 

Liam hands her a plate containing a regular breakfast. Eggs, toast, bacon, a salad, and some fruit. 

“Where do you keep getting this food from? I know it wasn’t in my fridge.” Seemingly coming from nowhere.

“Vault.” Liam grabs a raw piece of chicken, showing it to her, before tossing it back in.

“Oooh. That’s pretty handy.”

He grabs another plate, putting the same things on it. 

“Ya it is, however.”  He walks to the other side of the counter plopping down next to her.

“It has limits. I can only bring out things I’ve touched before, and they have to be less than 2 meters long.”

“What about a cat!?” She says, getting right into Liam's face. A gigantic smile. That’s the only thing Liam can see.

“Sorry. I can’t bring out living things, unless I put them in there. But if you want a cat, we can probably get one from the village, or we can make a trip to Astaria.”

Emilia scarfs down the last of her food.

“Hey hey. The food’s not going anywhere.”

She bolts out of the room, not giving him time to finish talking, almost tripping over her own feet.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

A response never comes.

“How much does she want a cat…” he shrugs. “Guess I’ll hurry, I won't get any peace otherwise.”

Liam walks out of the kitchen, towards the porch. Grabbing the extra pair of clothes, he left to dry.

“Ya they look dry enough.”

Tossing them over his shoulder, he pivots his body around, walking to the bathroom, the only place he can change without Emilia walking in on him… hopefully.

“Hurry up Liam we have to go!” Pounding comes from the other side of the door. Her voice, like that of a child on Christmas morning.

“I’ll just be a minute I have to change.”

“Well hurry.”

“You didn’t even want to go to the village in the first place. Why do you need to go there now?” 

“W-well. I-I need some supplies.”

“Fine fine, I know you won’t say it’s about the cat.” Liam mutters to himself.

The door swings open, Emilia barging in. Luckily for the both of them, Liam already has clothes on and is walking to the door. She grabs his arm and starts running, Dragging him right behind her, like a sled.

“Can I walk or are you just going to drag me.” Liam shouts, his voice wavering, as he waves through the air like a flag.

“No. We’re almost there.” She can’t wait, she won’t wait, the excitement got the best of her, clouding her judgment. She continues running for another hundred meters, before a bump in the road makes her stumble over her own feet, causing her to throw Liam ahead of her.

“Vault.” It appears right in front of Emilia, making her dive head first into the abyss.

“Sorry but you’re staying in here until I get there.” Liam isn’t going to be dragged around anymore. The look on his face is clearly that of annoyance.

“Wait let me ou—.” she’s cut off.

“Three… two… one… Vault.” the portal opens, dropping the girl flat on her back.

“Owowow. Why did you do that?”

“You were dragging me around, quite literally.”

His clothes which were once black and white, were now a deep brown. Even the slight movement of his breathing is causing dust to fly off.

“Sorry, I’m just reeealy excited.”

“Yes, I can tell, I haven’t seen anyone that excited to get a cat before.”

“B-but I said I was getting supp—”

“You're terrible at lying.”

Emilia opens her mouth to say something, but closes it. There's nothing she can say that will make things right again. Time and time again she keeps hurting him. Why does she keep doing this? She enjoys her time with him so much, and yet he isn’t getting anything from it. All he gets is trouble. So why. Why is he sticking around?

Liam walks over, sensing that something’s wrong. He flops his hand on her head, rubbing it, messing up her hair.

“I don’t mind that you lied. You were excited, I understand. But maybe next time try talking to me instead of dragging me a couple kilometers, or barge in on me when I’m changing. We’ll get you a cat, don't worry, but they may not have any there, so I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

“Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, I said it was fine.” His face softens, as his hand sways back and forward a few more times.

“Let’s see if they have a cat... Alright?”

“R-right.”

The village is just in sight. Fairly small, only having about 12 buildings total, all of which seem like regular houses, still in a medieval setting, but much smaller and not quite as grand as the ones seen in Astaria.

 The villagers swarm out of their houses to see what all the commotion is. All they can see is a cloud of dust, and two people walking towards them. The group of children, four in total, against their parents' wishes, run towards the duo. 

“Crap. Vault.” A portal opens in front of Liam as he punches his hand inside, ripping out Emilia’s cloak, tossing it around her head.

“Whoa, what was that mister?”

One of the kids asks, astonished by Liam’s vault, while another was trying to pull him away.

“I’m sorry about him, he doesn’t know how to be polite.” Liam doesn’t mind though, Liam’s always been a person who gets along with kids pretty well.

“Hehe. Don’t worry about it.” He crouches down getting on eye level with the kids, extending a hand. “Hi there, my name’s Liam.”

Whispers come from the kids as they huddle up, deciding if they are going to talk to the strange man that just appeared. They decide. All of them lunge for his hand, shaking it. Each of them introduces themselves one at a time.

“H-hello, I’m Hunter.” He looks to be a timid boy, clinging onto one of the others, almost hiding behind him.

“Nice to meet you, Hunter.”

The next boy speaks, the one who first talked to Liam.

“Hiya. You can call me Renal.”

Liam tries to speak, but before he can the same boy, who was pulling him back before and apologizing on his behalf, smacks him in the back of the head. Clearly the older of the two.

“That is not how you introduce yourself. I’m sorry about him, my name is Tinsel, it's nice to meet you.”

Liam chops his head lightly.

“You shouldn’t hit your brother like that. But it’s nice to meet the both of you.”

“How did you know we’re brothers?” The older of the two says.

“I had a little brother once. I know how brothers treat each other.”

“You’re right. They're always like this.” This time a girl speaks, she looks to be a little older than the others. Not much though, only about a year.

“My name is Beatrice. What’s yours?” She turns towards Emilia, making her jump, not expecting anyone to talk to her.

“Oh. Uhm… Me?” She points at herself.

“Yes you.” The young girl smiles at her.

Emilia looks at Liam, desperation filling her eyes. She needs to know what to do.

“Go ahead.” Liam mouths the words, not wanting the kids to hear.

“I-I’m Emi-Emilia.”

“That’s a really pretty name, Emi-Emilia.” She laughs.

“Nice one.” Liam pats the young girl on the head.

“Why is everyone so mean to me?” Emilia sulks.

“Hehe. It’s because it’s easy to make fun of you.” Liam smirks at the elf.

“Bully.”

“Would you two like to play with us?”  Beatrice butts in, speaking on behalf of all the kids.

The kids look at them with puppy dog eyes. It’s clear they want nothing more than to have someone else to play with.

“Not right now, sorry. But we’ll be back another day, so when we come back, then we can play.” Liam doesn’t want to break the kids' hearts but the anxiety inside Emilia was radiating out; She’d probably have his head if they took too long.  

“Awww.” All of the kids let out the same expression. 

            “But can I ask you something? Have you seen any cats around here?” Maybe, just maybe they know.

            “Nope. Sorry about that.” Renal comes forward telling them, the rest of the kids nod, agreeing with him.

            “That’s alright, but could you guys keep an eye out for one. Someone is very anxious to get one.” He looks over to Emilia, giving the kids a little hint, as well as poking fun at her.

            “Y-you bully.” Liam’s body starts violently shaking as the red-faced girl begins rocking him vigorously, making all the kids laugh.

            “You two are a funny couple.” Beatrice says.

            “We’re not a couple.” Both the “Adults” say in response.