Survival In The Demon Queen's Heart

Chapter 2: The Forest

Micah pants heavily, he's been running for a couple hours. Yet there's this constant prickly feeling, as if there is someone following him. "Fuck, I'm so tired, I need to rest for the night." He says to himself, gathering up some firewood. Micah thinks back through the days events, to the woman who stood in front of him,"Ayaka" he whispers to himself, with a strange pain in his chest. "She was strong, and cold, but why was she holding back on me, did she not want to kill me?" Micah talks to himself "She was beautiful, honestly if they weren't trying to kill me I wouldn't have minded a longer chat.". He chuckles "God I must be going crazy, wanting to talk to those Demons, but this loneliness..." He trails off, listening to the crackling of the fire in the dark night. He looks up at the stars, reminiscing on his past before having to survive. He thinks back to a tiny village on the outskirts of a large city, his mom telling him his dad will be right back. He smiles wearily, "She really was worried about me after dad left for the war, I wonder if things would've been different if he stayed, would they still be alive" tears well up in his eyes. He thinks back to the fires and the screaming, his mom hiding him away in a discreet area behind the house. He hears a rustling around him, he's not sure from where but he can sense a presence near him. He jumps up and grabs his sword searching his surroundings.
Ayaka had been tracking Micah for miles, the scent of blood still fated but she can see his footprints in the dirt. "Almost found you, Micah" she feels strange, normally she'd want to destroy this human, and she would've before, but she had never seen such strength of will, much like her own. She can smell a fire nearby, curiosity peaking her mind she snuck into the area. Ayaka watches the man, silently, fully taking his figure into view. He was a tall man, not super muscular but he was fit, his caramel skin contrasted with his short black hair. "He is quite attractive isn't he." She watches him, her curiosity blooming further in her mind, and in a moment of weakness, she accidentally made some noise, startling him.
Micah, looking around him, stood still prepared for any attack that could be launched at him, but he strangely couldn't sense anything, not a smell, nor the killing intent of a demon. "I know you're here, state your name and show yourself". Ayaka comes from around the corner with a smirk "Fine, fine you caught me, so I suppose this is where we fight to the death again, Micah the Last Human". Micah stares at her, his heart is racing, but its not from fear, is it excitement he just can't tell. "Look can you just pick, Human, Pest, or my name please, it's getting real confusing." He jokingly states, keeping his sword trained on her direction. She giggles, "Fine, Micah.". "How did you find me, I could swear I lost you in the forest back there?" He asks weary of her still "And why did you come alone, I figured you would stop underestimating me after our last encounter.". "Oh I have, I just don't want to fight you right now, I'm far to curious." She smirks, looking him up and down. "What curious what my insides look like, or what I taste like, or whatever you demons do?" He asks, not expecting her to giggle and say "No, nothing like that, I just want to chat, promise not to bite, unless you ask me to" she says, playfully winking. "Are you really flirting when you have a sword pointed at you, you're crazier than I am." He says with a cheeky smile, his fear fades away just a little. "How about this, you toss your sword to the side, I do the same, and we just talk, right here, sitting across from each other" he offers, a large part of him is screaming for him to get out, but, the loneliness really is killing him.
She looks at him, considering the offer, she can't trust that he doesn't have a trick up his sleeve, but she really wants to satisfy her curiosity about this human. Deciding she could come out of this alive either way albeit with minor injuries "Fine I'm game." She says, tossing her sword aside, and sitting on a log. Micah breathes a sigh of relief, tossing his sword aside as well, and sitting on a log across from her. A deafening and awkward silence follows. "I have a question..." the both say, seemingly at the same time. "You go first." She says with a giggle. "Why did you order the eradication of humans?" He asks going for the throat on the first question. She sighs "I know it must seem that way, but you humans attacked first, and I had my people to think of, if I had it any other way we would've left you alone.". "Then why not stop at the soldiers, we've been at your mercy for 10 years, why did you keep attacking when we lost everything" he asks, frustrated at the cold answer he was given. "I did what I had to do for my people, eventually you would've fought back, just like you do right now, I just couldn't risk it." She answers "Does that answer your question.". He sits there, he isn't happy but what can he do, he understands her plight, choosing one race over the other it only makes sense to choose your own. "Yeah, now what's your question?" He asks in a somber tone. "Why do you choose to fight, under these crippling odds, surely you know you can't win, and even if you do, what is there left, a couple humans maybe, but there is no chance of that. So why fight instead of just dying?" She asks, looking him in the eyes, staring into his soul. He looks back at her "Well...".