A Stone Cold Demon

Chapter 2

A few days later, Yui was on her way back when she had to pass by the Fortified City of Weise. She thought back about her encounter with Macht and she decided go check on him out of curiosity.

She was flying while admiring the view from the skies. A while later, she landed silently beside Macht. She saw that he was deep in thought so she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Is it just me or did you mana detection skills regressed? You couldn't even detect my presence even when I set foot in your domain." 

The demon was surprised for a brief moment by the intruder's statement. He did not sense the presence of the stranger. His mana detection skills could indeed benefit from more practice. The demon remained silent for a few seconds, observing the stranger's presence. This intruder was truly unusual.

The demon remained unfazed at the intruder's comment, keeping his voice even and unemotional.

"I see. Well, you have returned once more. What's the purpose of your visit this time?"

"You do know that I don't plan on disturbing anything that's going on here right, I'm just travelling." Yui explained.

"I am aware." The demon replied, his voice cold and expressionless as usual. "But regardless of your motives, you are still invading my domain. I will not stop you from traveling, but you need to be wary of my powers. A single mistake could have fatal consequences."

"No offence, but I'd like to see you try." Yui said, now intrigued.

"You would like to see me try?" The demon's voice remained calm and unemotional, his face unchanging as well, despite his rising irritation. The intruder's arrogance and disregard for him was truly surprising.

"I am curious. Why do you have such confidence in facing me? Do you think you can survive my powers?"

"Well that's the thing, I do not overestimate my abilities, I'm just interested in your magic." Yui said.

The demon's irritation grew slightly as the intruder claimed not to overestimate their abilities, but continued with a calm tone and expression.

"I see. You are merely intrigued by my magic. So let me ask you a question - if you do not overestimate your abilities, then why do you remain here in my domain despite the risks?" The demon's face remained expressionless and his voice cold as always, but his curiosity was growing.

"I know I can survive." Yui said confidently.

"You are very confident. I wonder if your confidence is founded in ignorance or actual strength." The demon's voice remained calm, despite his irritation growing as he spoke.

I always wondered why he looks so gloomy and depressed....or is it unemotional? Anyways, this wouldn't be good for anyone....

Yui tried to pull his face into a smile. " You look so gloomy, you should smile."

The demon's expression remained unchanged, but his irritation grew even more upon the intruder's attempt to provoke him."Why should I smile? I see no reason for it."

"I know demons can't really feel emotions, but have you ever tried? Like you are feeling irritated and that's a feeling too." Yui tried reasoning as she herself did not really understand how does demon emotions work too.

The demon remained silent for a few moments, pondering the intruder's question. His annoyance at being poked and prodded was growing by the second, but he chose to remain calm and respond to the question.

"Demons can indeed feel emotions; however, they can rarely be expressive with them. Emotion does not cloud my judgment and thoughts like humans do, nor do they dictate my actions. Instead, I use emotions as tools to understand the motivations of others and predict their actions. That way, I stay one step ahead."