BANG!

The sharp crack of the gunshot shatters the silence of the night. From the treetops, dozens of birds burst into flight, scattering into the darkness, while small creatures flee through the undergrowth.

By instinct, Aoshi squeezes his eyes shut the moment he sees the man aim and fire, bracing for the worst. He expects a sharp, burning pain to rip through his body — or Eliss to collapse in his arms with a scream of agony.

And yet, none of that happens.

When he opens his eyes a second later, someone is standing between them and the attackers. A tall, striking young man, his sculpted physique visible even beneath the layers of his refined clothing.

His long, straight, obsidian hair falls neatly over his shoulders.

Between his thumb and forefinger, he holds the bullet fired just moments ago.

Aoshi stands frozen, still holding Eliss, his body trembling uncontrollably after coming so close to death. He has no idea who the mysterious young man is — but Eliss recognizes him instantly.

Raelor Valraen — her bodyguard and brotherly friend.

"W-Who the hell is this now?! Another monster?!" the armed man screams as Raelor crushes the bullet between his fingers.

"You’ve made a grave mistake failing to appreciate the mercy granted to you by Princess Eliss Narkhalis. And unfortunately for you, I’m not as indulgent as that boy," Raelor hisses, referring to Aoshi.

"I-I don’t know how you stopped that bullet with your bare hands..." another snarls. "...but try stopping these, if you can!"

At that threat, the others draw their guns as well, leveling them at Raelor, ready to fire, and...

SLASH!

A chorus of desperate, agonized screams rises together, filling the air with a harrowing symphony that chills Aoshi to the bone and makes his skin crawl.

Blood sprays from the spots where, moments earlier, their hands had been gripping their weapons — hands that now lie discarded in the widening crimson pool at their feet, staining the path a gruesome scarlet.

Before the men even had time to pull the trigger, Raelor had traced a horizontal arc through the air with his index finger, unleashing a blade of energy that moved faster than the eye could follow, slicing cleanly through their wrists.

"Nice one, Raelor! You’re the best!" Eliss cheers, bouncing on the spot like an excited child.

But Aoshi is anything but enthusiastic. Terror and disgust freeze him in place as he stares at the attackers’ severed limbs and the blood spraying from their wounds. He doesn’t get away in time, ending up drenched from head to toe.

He turns sharply, tearing his gaze away from the carnage, pressing his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to shut out the agonizing screams.

A moment later, a violent retch tears out of him like a torrent, splattering onto the grass beside the path, mingling with the blood. The spasm is so intense that tears stream down his face, as if his stomach were about to come up through his throat.

Th-That man... no, that thing... there’s nothing human about him! Being Eliss’s bodyguard, he must be a demon too — someone who can move faster than a bullet and stop it between two fingers... someone who can sever hands before anyone even realizes it...

I should be grateful that Raelor stepped in and made them harmless, and yet... I wouldn’t wish what I’m seeing and hearing right now on my worst enemy. No one should ever have to go through something like this... not even in their worst nightmares.

Eliss... she’s the one who distorted my perception of these demonic beings. So sweet, carefree, cheerful, so... human. These ten days with her made me believe that living with a demon wasn’t so different from living with a normal girl. But now it’s clear that Eliss is nothing more than a rare exception.

Raelor — he’s the reality. And the fact that Eliss isn’t even remotely disturbed by this bloodbath proves it. Where she comes from, executions like this are probably routine.

Shit... I really thought having an overly clingy, provocative roommate was the worst part of living with a succubus princess. Turns out it’s nothing compared to what it really means to deal with beings like them — beings who can kill in an instant with terrifying magic, without even giving you time to react... or realize you’re about to die. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

A terrifying thought flashes through Aoshi’s already fragile, shaken mind like a bolt from the blue, dragging him deeper into despair and terror. He crouches down, still pressing his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes shut with all his strength — trying to make himself smaller, as if he could disappear from the nightmare.

What if... I’m next? If he’s her bodyguard and showed up the moment things turned dangerous, it means he was following us. Which means he saw me kissing Eliss... touching her... Damn it! In any world, laying your hands on a princess is a crime punishable by death — it was the same in ours not so many centuries ago! I can’t even imagine what kind of horrific punishments a blood-soaked kingdom like theirs would have for something like that. I knew it... I should’ve kept my instincts completely in check, like I always have! It was obvious the consequences would be disastrous — and yet I gave in... Is this really how it ends for me?

Lost in the spiral of his own dark thoughts, Aoshi only realizes too late that the men’s agonized screams have fallen completely silent — not even the faintest groan remains.

And against every instinct screaming at him not to look, he turns his head just slightly — just enough to catch, out of the corner of his eye, the five lifeless bodies sprawled across the ground, lying in a wide pool of blood, their heads cleanly severed, as if by a precision laser.

The sight deals the final blow to his sanity.

As if his mind shuts down in self-defense, everything goes black — and he collapses to the ground, unconscious.