The five murmur among themselves in low voices, then snicker.

"Shameless brats... didn’t your parents ever teach you that certain things belong in the bedroom, not out here in the woods?" one of the men says.

"See? I told you this place gets interesting at night. And that kid’s girl... not bad at all," another adds.

"Yeah, it’d be pretty selfish of him to keep a body like that all to himself instead of sharing. Just look at her — anyone can tell she’s dying to be fucked properly. That effeminate boyfriend of hers probably can’t satisfy her."

"This is your lucky night, sweetheart. We’ll make you feel things you could only dream of with that loser."

The five men step forward from both sides, restless and impatient. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Each step echoes in Aoshi’s ears like the ticking of a clock counting down to an execution.

I... have to do something — anything! I can’t let those bastards lay a hand on Eliss! But... there are five of them, and they’re all way bigger than me — and I’ve never even thrown a punch in my life!

Should I... act tough? Yeah, right. They’d just laugh in my face and make me look pathetic in front of Eliss.

What kind of man would I be if I didn’t do anything after they threatened and insulted us like that?

Aoshi suddenly stops trembling when he feels the warmth of Eliss’s hand on his. He looks up at her — she’s smiling.

"Am I really that pathetic?" he murmurs, his voice low and resigned. "I should’ve said something, but I’m so scared I can’t even stand up... Not exactly how a guy’s supposed to protect a girl."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Aoshi. There are five of them — all bigger and stronger than you. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were armed. You, on the other hand, are alone, unarmed, and probably have no combat experience at all. They’re the cowards — the ones who should be ashamed, not you. Throwing yourself at them wouldn’t make you more of a man in my eyes — just a fool. Only brainless animals with no survival instinct run toward certain death. And you don’t seem like one of them. So don’t see yourself as a coward — see yourself as someone... evolved."

"You always manage to make me sound better than I really am, even now. I wonder if it’s the Eliss in love talking, or if you’re really like this... Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re trapped."

"Trapped, you say?"

Her eyes narrow — colder, more ruthless than those of their attackers.

"Aoshi, these past ten days you’ve seen my softer side — the gentle one, that of a girl hopelessly in love with her man. And maybe that made you forget something very important about me..."

Suddenly, two enormous violet wings burst from Eliss’s back. Her irises, emerald green until moments ago, now glow with a sinister purple light, paired with a sadistic smile.

"...I’m a demon."

"W-What the hell is that thing?!" one of the men screams.

They stand frozen, gripped by a primal, incomprehensible fear they can’t tear their eyes away from.

And Aoshi is no exception.

It’s not the first time he’s seen Eliss’s demonic form, and yet this time it feels completely different.

That sadistic, almost wicked smile, those half-lidded eyes glowing violet — this isn’t the Eliss he’s come to know.

"T-This... this is a joke, right? Hey, kid, you do know Halloween’s still a long way off, right?!" one of them snarls.

"Nah, just some low-rent hentai cosplay or something. I mean, dressed like that, she really looks like some kind of demon slut," another adds.

"Who am I?" Eliss hisses. "You stand before Eliss Narkhalis, princess of Ravessia and the most enchanting woman you will ever see in your miserable lives... and the last. Now — kneel before me, filthy insects!"

At her command, the five men drop to their knees against their will, as if their legs gave out all at once.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! What the hell is going on?! Why can’t I move a single muscle?!" one of them shouts.

"There’s no point in struggling. Your bodies now answer to my will. You see, my succubus magic allows me to control both the body and mind of anyone who finds me sexually attractive. Insects like you don’t stand a chance of breaking free from my spell."

Yet despite her cold expression, inside she’s a storm of doubts and questions.

Why is my magic working perfectly now, when it backfired on Aoshi? Whatever... this isn’t the time to think about that.

"W-What the hell are you planning to do to us, you sadistic bitch?!"

"Alright... you’ll be the first to die."

Eliss raises her arm, pointing at him with her index finger. The tip of her nail begins to glow with a violet light.

"N-No, please! I was joking! Don’t hurt me, I beg you! I’ve got a wife and two young kids waiting for me at home! Think about them — do you really want to make a woman a widow and two children orphans?!"

"Why should I care, when instead of being with your family, you spend your nights hunting girls to rape?" Eliss hisses, her voice ice-cold.

"You’re right — you’re absolutely right! I was wrong, I was an idiot!" he pleads, trembling, tears streaming down his face. "I promise I’ll never do it again! I swear on my children’s lives! Please — don’t kill me..."

"If you think those pathetic pleas are enough to save you, you’re very mistaken."

The light at her fingertip intensifies — she’s ready to strike.

"Eliss, please, don’t do it!" Aoshi shouts.

At those words, she stops instantly.

She turns slightly, her eyes shifting toward him, her expression uncertain, questioning.

"Those men are despicable," Aoshi begins, his voice trembling with fear.

He slowly rises to his feet, step by step, moving closer to her.

"I don’t even want to imagine the cruelty they’ve inflicted on the girls they’ve targeted in the past — or what they would’ve done to us tonight if you weren’t a demon! Maybe death is what people like them deserve... but if you kill them, you’ll become an animal just like them. You said you can influence their minds, so erasing their memories so your true nature stays hidden shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?"

"I could... but the terror they felt tonight would vanish along with their memories — and tomorrow they’d be hunting again. Killing them doesn’t make me a monster, Aoshi. Like you said, it means giving them the punishment they deserve. They wouldn’t have shown us any mercy, so why should we show any to them?"

"It seems humans and demons have completely opposite views when it comes to capital punishment. We humans believe no one is entirely evil — that even the worst people can be redeemed through long rehabilitation. We already know their faces, and with your powers it’ll be easy to make them give up their names. Tomorrow morning we’ll go to the police and report them — I promise. So, Eliss, if you really love me like you say... please, spare them."

Eliss’s expression falters for a moment. Then she lets out a long, resigned breath.

"Using my feelings to manipulate me... you’re even more devious than an incubus..."

Slowly, she lowers her arm, and the violet light at her fingertip fades.

"Thank you, Eliss. You’re incredible," Aoshi says softly, relief in his voice.

He steps behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her into a gentle embrace.

Eliss stiffens, her face flushing at the sudden display of affection.

A bright, happy smile spreads across her lips as she melts into the warmth of his arms.

But that happiness lasts only a second.

Suddenly, terror flashes across Aoshi’s face. The five men regain control of their bodies, as if Eliss’s Charming Magic had been abruptly dispelled.

Before she can react, one of them — the very man she had just spared — moves fast.

His hand slips into his jacket and pulls out a gun, raising it straight at Eliss’s chest.

"Go to hell, you damned monster!"

BANG!