An hour had passed since Sirus left.
"Did… did the monster really go away?"
"Y-Yeah, it looks like it," Jacob muttered, peering cautiously through the cracked door. His grip on the frame was tight, knuckles white.
"Papa, why'd you scare the monster away?" Bella asked with a child's frown, as if disappointed.
Jacob ignored her. "Have you ever seen anything like that?" he asked instead, voice low. "It looked like a beast, but… the way it moved—it thought like a man."
Jemma scratched the back of her head, eyes narrowing as memories sifted through her mind. "Could've been a demon," she said slowly. "But the legs—too strange. Still, only one race has eyes like that."
Jacob's face stiffened. "A demon?"
He'd never seen one—but every soul in Ozbark had heard the tales. The red-eyed monsters of legend. Beings who ruled the land before humans ever knew fire.
"Our ancestors never spoke of any race with red glowing eyes... except demons," he whispered. "And the legends say, if you see such a creature—your life ends soon after."
He sat down slowly in the same chair the creature had used earlier. The wood creaked beneath his weight. Hands clasped under his chin, he stared into memory. Silence pressed against the walls. Minutes passed.
Then he stood. The chair scraped loudly behind him.
"With that aura… those eyes…" He paused as a cold draft kissed his face. "A demon entered our home. And by God's grace—we survived."
He bowed his head and began to pray, hands trembling.
Jemma's breath caught. She joined him, her heart drumming in panic.
Bella blinked in confusion. 'Grown-ups are weird.'
She slipped outside. The sunlight stung her pale skin, and the wind tousled her hair. She looked right, then left—hoping to catch another glimpse of the red-eyed monster.
But all she saw were swaying trees and a river glistening in peace.
…
Meanwhile…
"I really hope I'm going the right way," Sirus muttered, pushing forward along the riverbank. "It would suck to walk all the way back…"
His mind drifted—home. Where his mother brushed his long, silky white hair while humming lullabies. Where his father's laughter echoed through the walls during rare, golden evenings.
Sirus smiled. Warm memories… a cruel thing to carry in a cold world.
His stomach growled violently.
"Great. I get hungry fast here too." He stopped, crouched, and placed his palm against the soil. Maybe I can feel something… some life beneath…
Two minutes of silence.
"…What the fuck am I doing? I'm not Steve Irwin." He sighed. "And I look like shit."
He yanked a dirty lock of hair in front of his nose and sniffed. He gagged.
"Smells like a swamp's armpit. Why the hell did I—ugh." He clutched his face. "Demons have enhanced senses. Brilliant. I'm a genius."
He considered washing in the river. But one look at his hands—caked in grime—and he thought better of it.
"Whatever. I'll survive. I've gone days without food before. This'll be easy... if I wasn't stuck in a kid's body."
He trudged forward.
6 hours passed. The sun dipped low, shadows stretching across the land.
"Shit… dizzy…" His legs buckled, catching a tree for support. Everything spun.
Water. That's it. Water first.
He staggered to the river, bent down, and scooped cold water into his mouth. It tasted… clean. Almost unnatural.
After five handfuls, he splashed his face. Once. Twice. A third time. The world steadied.
He exhaled, long and slow.
"I needed that," he muttered. "I forgot to wash my face. Just eggs and bread this morning…"
A rustle snapped him to alert. Eight o'clock. Dense bush. Movement.
Food.
He crept toward the noise, but a twig betrayed him.
[Crack]
"Shit." The rustle exploded into motion. He leapt over the bush with his hind legs—swift and precise. A small creature bolted ahead of him.
He chased.
The creature darted over a bush. Sirus followed with ease—but what he landed in front of made his blood chill.
Three massive beasts stood guard. Tall, thick-necked deer with bull-like horns, black and brown bodies, and intelligent, furious eyes. The small one he chased now cowered behind them.
"…Deer-bull hybrids? What kind of Pokémon-ass crossover is this?"
They pawed the ground. Dirt flew behind them.
"They're going to charge…"
Sirus knelt low, fist in the dirt. Eyes narrow. Smile sharp.
"Good," he whispered. "I like a challenge."