The lady suddenly dropped to one knee when she saw Aquarius.
"I apologize for shouting in your presence, oh great Lord Aquarius," she said, bowing her head.
"Oh, no, it's fine," he replied, crossing his arms.
"I heard the loud sound of lightning and the shriek of a demon. That's why I came to check it out," she explained, her fist planted on the ground.
"It's already taken care of," Aquarius laughed. "So you can stop kneeling now."
The lady lifted her head and scanned the area. Our eyes met before she stood.
"If that's the case, may I take my leave?" she asked, bowing slightly.
"You may," Aquarius said, waving his hand.
She gave me one last glance before leaving. Her aura was strong.
"Hey!" Zyler shouted behind him. "I'm not done talking to you!"
"I'll talk to you later, hybrid," Aquarius said, turning to me.
He took my hand and kissed it.
"I've never seen a face as beautiful as yours," he said, locking eyes with me.
"Hey!" Zyler growled, pushing Aquarius away.
"What's your problem, brat?" Aquarius snapped.
"Why'd you call me a hybrid?" Zyler demanded, punching Aquarius's legs.
"You haven't told him yet?" Aquarius asked, facing me.
"Not yet…"
"Why are you looking at Master? Answer me!"
"Zyler, stop punching Lord Aquarius," I said, placing my hand gently on his head.
"Lord Aquarius... I like how you say my name," Aquarius said with a wink.
"But he hasn't answered my question yet!" Zyler pouted, still throwing punches.
"He doesn't know the answer," I said. "I do."
Zyler froze and turned to me. "What?"
I told him everything—everything except the part where I would one day use him to kill me. He stood in silence for a while.
"Are you mad, Zyler?" I asked softly.
"Why should I be mad? I'm half-demon. That's so cool," he said, eyes gleaming.
I was taken aback by how he reacted. I had expected anger, maybe even sorrow.
"It's like the books I used to read," he added with a grin.
Wait… how did Mayumi feel about this? Her home had been destroyed by demons, after all. I turned to her.
"Are you mad at Zyler?" I asked, placing a hand on her head.
She shook her head.
"She isn't mad because Zyler is half-demon," Aquarius said, now standing beside me.
"Did she tell you that?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. She told me telepathically," he said, tapping the side of his head.
Zyler then grabbed Mayumi's hand and pulled her toward the open field.
"Come, Mayumi! Let's see if I have demon powers!" he said excitedly.
Aquarius chuckled. "Look at us—like parents watching over our children."
"If Pisces told you about Zyler, she must've told you why I kept him with me," I said, turning to him.
"Nope. Big sister didn't tell us," he replied with a shrug.
She didn't? How nice of her.
Half the day passed with Zyler trying to activate his demon powers, and Aquarius spending most of it flirting with me. As night fell, we found refuge in an abandoned cabin nearby.
Zyler and Mayumi soon fell asleep while I read the book I'd bought earlier. I should give this to Mayumi. She'll need it. Eventually, I drifted to sleep as well.
The next day, we continued our journey. Our next destination: Lupain ng Masaganang Ani, the land where all kinds of crops could grow. I was going to meet someone there—someone who knew a lot about different hybrids.
Our journey was smooth—no demons, no distractions. We still had to stop occasionally for Zyler and Mayumi's training. They had improved a lot since I taught them how to fuse threads.
Soon, I saw it: vast rice terraces overflowing with crops. The air was fresh, the water crystal clear. A perfect place for farming.
And before long, we reached the entrance. The town buzzed with life.
"Master, where are we?" Zyler asked.
"We're in Lupain ng Masaganang Ani, the land where all kinds of crops can grow," I replied.
Suddenly, a group of children swarmed Mayumi.
"Whoa… you're an elf!" one kid gasped.
"You're so pretty!" another said.
"You look like Mother!" added another.
"Hey! Don't touch her like that!" Zyler shouted, stepping between them.
"Kids, behave yourselves," a soft voice called out from behind.
I turned and saw her—Albularya, an elf who had lived for over a hundred years but still looked young.
"Oh, I didn't know you were visiting, Diwaon," she said kindly.
"We're just passing through," I replied.
"Well, in that case, why not join us for dinner?"
We followed her back to her home.
"You run an orphanage?" I asked.
"Since our last meeting, I've taken in orphans and started teaching them how to weave," she said, opening the door.
The place was huge, filled with warm laughter and playful chatter. The kids adored her—she was like a mother to them.
Albularya led us to our rooms.
"Diwaon, this one's yours," she said, opening a door.
The room was spacious and even had its own bathroom.
"I didn't know you were training a hybrid and an elf," she said, leaning against the doorframe.
"How did you know Zyler's a hybrid?" I asked.
"You've masked his aura well, but it still pulses with demon energy," she said.
"Well, I wanted to shake things up," I said, sitting on the bed.
"And the elf?"
"Her home was destroyed by the Demon Lord. That's why I took her in."
"The Demon Lord…"
"Oh, right. The reason we came here—I wanted to ask about Zyler."
"You want to know more about him? We'll talk tonight, after everyone's asleep."
"Alright."
After dinner, I helped Albularya clean up. Then, a sharp knock echoed through the house. She opened the door.
It was the lady from yesterday.
"Mother, I came to visit," she said, handing Albularya a pouch. Then she saw me.
"Who's this?"
"This is Diwaon, an old friend. Diwaon, meet Tigalban."
I stepped forward and extended my hand. "Nice to meet you."
She shook my hand firmly. "Mother, I'll be staying the night."
"Alright."
She walked away.
Later, Albularya and I sat at the table.
"So, what do you want to know about Zyler?" she asked.
"Zyler… Do you know who his parents were?"
"That's an odd question. But to answer it, I'll need a piece of Zyler."
"Does it have to be from his body?"
"A single strand of hair will do."
I went to Zyler's room and gently plucked a strand of hair.
"Here," I said, handing it to her.
She placed it in a bowl and added various ingredients. Then, she began to chant.
A light blue smoke rose—and in it, two warriors appeared.
"During the war against the Demon Lord, a demon soldier and a mage fought on opposite sides. But over time, they grew close. In the final days of the invasion, the soldier betrayed the Demon Lord and was impaled by him. The mage tried to save her lover… but it was too late. She carried their child for ten years before giving birth. When the Demon Lord learned of the hybrid's birth, he sent demons to kill her."
"She sacrificed herself, casting an illusion to trick the demons into thinking she held the baby. The demons killed her—and one day, you came along and found the child."
"He's the child of the last great mage…" I whispered.
"And his father," she added, "was the Demon Lord's strongest soldier."
"Can you… check Zyler's future?"
"I'm afraid I cannot."
Suddenly, the door slammed open. It was Tigalban.
"You hid the hybrid from the crown. You must be arrested!" she shouted.
She was listening?
"Tigalban, don't shout."
"I have to report this to the kingdom!"
"Tigalban, don't," Albularya said gently.
"Why not, Mother? Demons killed my family. They destroyed your home!" she cried, slamming her fist onto the table.
"This hybrid can avenge us."
"Are you insane, Mother? He'll grow up to be just like them!"
"Trust me, Tigalban…"
She stood in silence for a moment, then sighed.
"I trust you, Mother. But I still have a duty."
"Of course, dear… but your duty is also to protect this land."
Another pause.
"I can see Zyler protecting this world," Albularya said.
"I—"
"Don't worry. Zyler will kill the Demon Lord," she whispered, embracing her daughter.
"If you say so… Mother."
Tigalban turned to me.
"Can I trust you with the hybrid?"
"You can count on me," I said.
"Then I'll turn a blind eye. But if Zyler causes trouble… I won't hesitate to kill him—and arrest you."
"Don't worry. Zyler's a good kid."
Tigalban left the room.
Albularya and I went to sleep.
The next morning, we packed up and said our goodbyes.
Before we left, Albularya warned me: "Hybrids are unpredictable. Watch Zyler closely."
But I don't need to doubt.
I know Zyler will turn out fine.
On our way to our next destination, a woman covered in blood stumbled toward us.
"Help us... demons came," she said weakly, before collapsing to the ground.
I quickly weaved a healing spell over her and cast a barrier to protect her.
"We need to move," I said, bolting toward the village.
The scene was chaos—normal demons were everywhere. I wove a barrier around the village, trapping the demons inside while allowing the villagers to flee.
Zyler unsheathed his sword and sprinted ahead.
"Zyler, wait!"
A group of injured villagers ran toward us, panic in their eyes.
"Mayumi, stay here and heal them," I said.
She gave a firm nod and got to work.
I chased after Zyler, weaving beams to shoot at the demons as I ran. Where is he?
Following a trail of decapitated demon bodies, I found him squaring off with a soldier-class demon.
I tried to step in, but a beam of blood shot me from the side, sending me flying. Groaning, I looked up—and hovering above me was a winged demon with a staff.
"Brother! We found them!" it growled.
I have to kill this bitch before I can reach Zyler.
I quickly wove Aether wings and took to the sky.
"Oh wow, this human can fly," it said mockingly, pointing its staff at me.
I fired beams of magic at it, but it dodged with ease and blasted me with more blood beams. I twisted in mid-air, narrowly avoiding them, and returned fire.
I had to finish this fast.
Suddenly, something yanked at my legs. I looked down—multiple demons had piled up, reaching for me like a living tower.
"Get him, my minions," the winged demon sneered.
It can summon them?
While I was distracted, a blood beam shot toward me. I tried to dodge, but it grazed my shoulder.
Pain shot through my arm. I tried to move my hand—but I couldn't.
It paralyzed my hand?
"This was fun," the demon said, grinning. "But now, I need to kill you."
She raised her staff.
Suddenly, a glowing bullet of light tore through the air and blasted her hand apart.
She shrieked in pain, dropping her staff.
I turned to see the source.
Tigalban stood at a distance, pistols raised. "Looks like I came just in time."
"You little—!" the demon shrieked, healing its hand and summoning another staff.
It began blasting at Tigalban, who leapt from rooftop to rooftop, dodging the attacks like it was second nature.
"Don't let it hit you—it can paralyze!" I shouted.
"Copy," she replied, firing her pistols back at the demon.
I landed and immediately removed the curse from my hand.
More demons appeared. I shot beams at them, but they just kept coming—there were too many.
Tigalban landed beside me, breathing hard.
"It's over. You're dead," the demon hissed.
We were surrounded.
I pulled an Earth thread and raised spikes from the ground, impaling the demons around us.
Another beam of blood shot toward us, but I managed to weave a barrier just in time.
"Can you buy me some time?" I asked.
"How much do you need?"
"Just a minute."
She nodded and dashed out of the barrier, drawing the demon's attention and unloading her pistols.
I pulled an Air and Light thread, fusing them with Spirit to create Luminous Bind.
Golden chains erupted from the ground, snaring the demon's limbs.
It shrieked and thrashed.
"Now's your chance!" I shouted.
Tigalban leapt onto the demon, placed her hands on its head, and began to chant.
Light poured from her hands, engulfing the demon.
It screamed—and then it didn't.
Its body fell headless, twitching, then disintegrated into ash.
I looked at Tigalban. She was panting, her body trembling.
I gave her a small smile.
But another shriek echoed across the village.
Zyler!
I sprinted in the direction I last saw him.
When I arrived, I found him standing over a disintegrating demon corpse.
"Zyler!?"
He turned to face me—half of his face corrupted, his horns exposed, and his arms pulsing with dark violet energy.
He swayed—and collapsed.
I caught him as he fell. As soon as he lost consciousness, the corruption faded and his horns vanished.
All around us, hundreds of demon bodies lay scattered. The demon soldier beside us crumbled to ash.
Zyler… did all this?
Mayumi ran over, her face full of worry.
"Hey!" Tigalban called out, limping toward us.
I turned to face her.
"Did Zyler do all of this?" she asked.
"He did…"
"Well, damn. Mother's intuition is never wrong."
I weaved healing threads over Zyler's body, mending his wounds.
Zyler… you're becoming stronger.