Chapter 8: Demons of the Golden Age(3)

Soliter wrapped her arms around me, protective, her sigh thin as a breath.

“Haa. Schlacht… You say this, knowing my friends died in the war?”

Kwaang! A wave of magical power slammed into the air, cracking space itself. Soliter’s fury was icy.

“Even if it’s the Demon King’s edict, this is too much. Do you want me to die by your hand before humans kill you?”

Schlacht faced her, detached, the bright moon at his back. He offered a calm apology.

“I’m sorry, Soliter. My death is written elsewhere. You know I can’t give it to you.”

Schlacht spoke fearlessly, accepting his inevitable end but certain of his path.

“Humans now are strong. We demons can’t kill or stop them all. But I see our prosperity, so I’m here.”

As Soliter opened her mouth to argue, I cut in.

“Schlacht, I have a question.”

“Speak.”

“Was my death in the future you saw?”

Schlacht closed his eyes. Stars shimmered above him, his form fading like smoke before solidifying like stone.

Finally, he answered.

“Aura, your death is a faint thread in fate, teetering between existence and non-existence. Surprisingly, it depends on you.”

“…I see.”

I smiled in the tense air.

In the original, Frieren forced Aura to die. That terrifying fate was broken. My destiny was now mine.

I gently pushed Soliter aside and stepped forward. Facing Schlacht, I lifted my robe’s hem and bowed.

“Chilbunghyeon Aura. I obey the Demon King’s edict.”

Schlacht’s expression didn’t shift, but the murderous intent—sharp as a thousand spears—easing around us.

“You have a gentle nature. The only demon in this life who speaks without fear’s weight.”

In other words, refusal meant he’d have beaten me dead and dragged me off. A chill ran down my spine.

Good call, bowing just in time.

Schlacht glanced at me, wiping cold sweat, and spoke quietly.

“The situation is urgent. No time to hesitate. Your war starts now. Join the other Chilbunghyeon and raze the Northern Plateau.”

“I’ll comply. But… just a moment to speak with Soliter.”

Schlacht’s gaze was steel.

“Permitted.”

He walked to a forest corner, swallowed by darkness, no longer visible.

The night’s silence and loneliness brushed my skin with tense anticipation. I turned to face Soliter.

Her hands rested on her chest, as if feeling a demon’s heart. She smiled sadly.

“Are you leaving, Aura? Two hundred years together… those fleeting moments weigh heavy.”

Her smile faded, replaced by deep sorrow.

“Only surviving demons grow old and strong. Aura, to live, kill every human who sees you.”

I shrugged dramatically, hiding trembling shoulders.

“Survival smells of blood, Soliter.”

She didn’t hesitate.

“That’s because we’re demons.”

Demons. Right?

*

I smiled bitterly, understanding Soliter’s cynicism about human-demon coexistence.

Even if demons learned human guilt and malice, the chasm of hatred between races was vast. Humans kill without pause, and no matter the desire for peace, that hatred only grows.

“The path of demons… is hell,” I muttered.

To survive, I’d cling to humans, but how could I wash the blood from my hands?

Soliter smiled faintly.

“Aura, where demons are, hell follows. We were born monsters of the abyss.”

I sobbed. Soliter stepped forward and embraced me.

The wind’s howl, insects’ hum, leaves’ rustle—all vanished, sucked into a void. Silence severed sound and breath. Soliter and I felt hazy, in a dreamlike world apart.

Our heartbeats, small but sure, overlapped, resonating, colliding.

I trembled.

“Soliter, what if I can’t endure this painful path?”

She answered.

“I’m here.”

Her voice was clear, unwavering. I listened, entranced.

“If you can’t go on, come back. We’ll drink tea, study humans, pass time… for decades, centuries. That’s all.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

The crunch of earth broke the silence. Soliter released me, stepping back.

A stray thought slipped out.

“We’re too human for demons, aren’t we?”

Soliter chuckled.

“Well, we’re two of a kind in this world.”

I laughed hollowly and said goodbye.

Two hundred years since I fell into this world.