In the chaos following the demon's defeat, the group rushed Silas to the nearest available medic, a kind-faced woman named Dr. Juno. She quickly patched up the minor wounds from the fight, her hands glowing with a soft, green light. "All it is is minor injuries. He should be okay with some rest," she said, her voice calm and reassuring. "You can leave him here for the night."
"That's great to hear! Thank you!" Kuren replied, a wave of relief washing over his face. With a final wave, they left the infirmary.
They walked toward the guild, which was barely left standing, a testament to the brutal battle that had just occurred. Still, people were everywhere, grabbing what they could and beginning the slow, arduous process of rebuilding.
"Guys!" Rin's voice called out to them.
"Yo Rin, we're glad you're alright," Kuren said, a genuine smile on his face.
Rin looked at the group, a huge smile on her face, relieved that everyone was okay. "I'm so glad you guys are alright," she said, her voice filled with emotion.
"Yup, we all made it out in one piece," Kuren replied, puffing out his chest with pride.
"That's amazing! Where's Silas?" Rin asked, her eyes scanning the group.
"He's in the infirmary," Kuren explained. "Dr. Juno said it's only minor injuries, and he just needs rest."
Rin's smile grew even wider. "That's amazing!" Then, a serious look came over her face. She bowed low to the group, her voice filled with apology. "I'm sorry! This shouldn't have been your first experience here."
Kuren, Shizuma, and Kain looked at each other and smiled. "It's alright," Kuren said, his voice gentle. "We're just glad we could help you guys."
Rin looked back up at Kuren with a smile. "Thank you! We really owe you guys one."
"I'll hold you guys to it," Kuren replied with a playful wink.
Rin then put on a more professional demeanor. "Onto another matter. How did you guys beat the demon? Vice generals of the demon king's army can only be beaten by a party of four A-ranks or an S-rank hunter."
"Well, it's a long story," Kuren said. "I'll tell you when things calm down."
"Alright! I will wait on your guys' response on the situation," Rin replied, and with that, she went back to helping with the reconstruction of the guild.
"So, Shizuma, I have a question," Kain said, his mind still reeling from the events of the day.
"Hm?"
"When you were stabbed through the chest... why wasn't there any blood?"
As Kain said the words, Shizuma's head was suddenly struck with a splitting headache. A part of his memory came to him, not as a vision, but as a pure, unfiltered knowledge that flowed into his brain. He gasped, clutching his head with a pained groan.
"Ughh," he moaned, his body trembling.
"Shizuma, are you okay!?" Kain asked, his voice filled with concern.
Shizuma's eyes were wide with a mix of shock and dawning realization. "I'm... an undead," he said, his voice a disbelieving whisper.
"Really?" Kain asked, his eyes widening.
"For real?" Kuren chimed in.
"Yeah. I'm sure," Shizuma replied, his voice still shaky.
"Does that mean, like... you can't die?" Kuren asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I'm pretty sure I can still die, Kuren," Shizuma said, a touch of annoyance in his voice.
"If you're undead, how can you die?"
"I'm not entertaining this," Shizuma grumbled, rubbing his temples.
"Come on, it was a genuine question!" Kuren whined.
"We should find an inn to rest in for the night," Kain said, cutting off Kuren's questions.
"I'm not really that tired. How am I not tired?" Kuren asked, confused.
"Because you're a slime," Kain said flatly.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," Kuren replied, and with that, the group found a local inn and rested for the night.
That night, the past came back to haunt Kain in a vivid and terrifying nightmare.
"SHIZUMA!" he screamed, his voice muffled by the sheets.
Shizuma's body, lifeless and still, lay on the ground. Kain looked over at Kuren, his head on the ground, separated from his body.
Silas was fighting the demon by himself, a blur of motion and chaos.
"SILAS!" Kain screamed, but his voice was lost to the wind.
Silas and the demon were exchanging many fierce blows, each one fiercer than the next. The sounds of their battle could be heard across the entire village. But it wasn't enough. Silas's arm was chopped off, and then his head.
"SILAS!!!" Kain screamed, his voice raw with terror as Silas's decapitated body fell to the ground.
Kain woke up with a start, his body drenched in a cold sweat. He looked around the inn room, breathing heavily, trying to calm his racing heart. It was the next morning. "A nightmare?" he thought to himself. "I really need to work harder for the good of my friends." With that thought, he got dressed and checked out of the inn.
Kain got dressed and checked out of the inn. He stepped outside into the morning air, and a small, weary smile came to his face. The village, though still marred by the scars of the battle, was already alive with the sounds of reconstruction. People were moving debris, laughing, and helping each other. He was glad to see that most of the village had made it out safe.
With a new sense of purpose, he made his way to the infirmary. He found it to be a hub of controlled chaos, with people being treated for minor wounds. He walked into Silas's room to find Kuren and Shizuma already there.
"Yo, Kain!" Silas greeted him, his voice cheerful.
Kain's eyes immediately went to Silas's hand. The mark he had seen in his nightmare, the Seal of the Demon God, was still there. It looked like a black eye with three different markings on each side, a permanent reminder of the power Silas possessed.
"Hey, Silas! How are you feeling?" Kain asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.
"I'm feeling fine now. I feel fully replenished," Silas replied, a look of confusion on his face as he looked at the mark on his hand. "Kuren and Shizuma were already here when I woke up."
"Must be nice not having to sleep," Kain said with a chuckle.
"Until you have to figure out what to do all night," Shizuma said, his eyes a little bloodshot.
"He's acting like training's gonna kill him," Kuren chimed in. "I mean, he's already undead."
"Training all night until you exhaust your mana is tiring, even for the undead," Shizuma replied, a hint of a smile on his face.
Kain looked at his friends, a warm feeling spreading in his chest. Despite everything that had happened, they were all here, and they were all okay. He was glad to see all of his friends happy and here with him.
Kain looked down at the dark, pulsating mark on Silas's hand. "I don't want to sour the mood," he said, "but Silas, do you have any idea what that marking is on your hand?"
Silas's face instantly turned serious. He looked at the mark, a mix of fear and curiosity in his eyes. "No," he said, his voice quiet. "But when the mark takes over, I'm not in control, so I don't plan to use it unless I have to."
"Yeah, I figured," Kain said, his mind flashing back to the raw, untamed power he had seen. "When you were unconscious, you were terrifying."
"Yeah, he's right," Kuren chimed in, "You were going toe-to-toe with that demon. It didn't even seem like you."
"Well, let's just be glad I passed out after we killed the demon," Silas said, trying to lighten the mood.
Suddenly, a voice from the hall bellowed out. "DUDE, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GUILD!?"
Rin, who was helping in the hallway, quickly stepped in front of a new figure, her hands out in a calming gesture. "Zephyr, calm down. Let me explain to you what happened." Rin quickly gave Zephyr the rundown of what happened while the others listened.
The man, a tall, imposing figure with a chill demeanor, was clearly not calmed by her explanation. He had long, dark dreadlocks, and a lit cigarette hung from his lips. Tattoos snaked up his arms and chest, and he had a bandana tied around his head. His eyes were a piercing golden color, and he looked at Rin with a mix of disbelief and annoyance.
"So four random F-rank guys beat a demon vice-general?" Zephyr asked, a hint of a sneer in his voice. "Absurd! I have to see these guys for myself!"
Rin simply sighed, knowing she couldn't stop him. "Alright, I'll lead you to them. Just follow me."
Zephyr, with his chill demeanor and a lit cigarette dangling from his lips, finally walked up to Kain, Silas, Shizuma, and Kuren. His golden eyes scanned the group with a keen intensity that belied his laid-back posture. "So you guys are the four that took on a demon vice-general, huh?" he asked, a subtle smirk playing on his lips.
The group tensed, sensing a challenge. Zephyr, however, just let out a puff of smoke. "Don't get me wrong, that's impressive for F-rank adventurers. I'm just here because I have to see it for myself."
The mood in the room shifted from an after-battle camaraderie to a tense standoff. Zephyr took a final drag from his cigarette before flicking it aside. "I have an idea," he said, his voice casual. "Let's test your strength."
Kain, ever the cautious leader, stepped forward. "We have just finished with a tough battle so we are not in our best condition," he stated, his voice firm. "We're all running on fumes."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Zephyr replied, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You'll be fighting my son."
The whole group looked at Zephyr with a confused face. A teenager with a strong sense of justice and a calm demeanor stepped out from behind Zephyr. It was Elias, a young man with Zephyr's dark hair but with a more earnest expression on his face. Elias took a small step forward and said, "Sup."
Zephyr put a hand on Elias's shoulder. "My son, Elias, has a strong sense of justice and likes watching fights," he explained to the group. "But he's too strong for his own good, so he doesn't have many friends. He needs a good opponent."
The group looked at Elias, a bit intimidated by his calm and composed aura. Silas, with his usual bravado, stepped forward, a wide grin on his face. "I'll fight him," he declared, cracking his knuckles.
Elias met his gaze with a serious look, his hands already in a relaxed fighting stance. "Alright," he said, his voice calm and steady. "Come at me."