The Demon King And The Hero (Part One)

Chapter Eight: The Hero's Jealousy

Chapter Eight: The Hero’s Jealousy 

        The days passed slowly in a way that was good. The more Shion thought about it, the more she dreaded leaving Chris. Not because she thought Vestiaa couldn’t take care of him, on the contrary, she knew her friend would take excellent care of him. No, Shion had come to truly care about Chris. He was like the little brother she never had and she wished she could stay by his side. Even with all his quietness, he was sweet and caring, always running up to Shion and hugging her.

   But Shion knew what was best for him and  decided to spend the rest of the time her and Nemis had with him having fun. She wanted to leave him with good memories.

    She bought him treats, more new clothes, and a small keepsake so that he would never forget her.

      She really did care about him.

      All the worry she had felt in the beginning regarding him washed away and she felt ashamed that she’d even thought he’d have anything to do with the Demon King. Chris was so gentle that he wouldn’t even hurt a fly. Literally.

    All types of insects and arachnids pestered them, seeming to think it was time to come out, and no matter how much either her or Nemis urged, he wouldn’t touch them. When she was swatting flies away left and right, he was picking up the spiders and placing them outside.

    He was so gentle that it made even her stony heart ache. Why would someone hurt such an adorable boy? She would ask herself often. 

       There was really no answer that could assuage her.

     They only hurt you because they are afraid of you. They only see what’s on the outside. They didn’t even care to get to know you. She wanted to say to him, but she was so afraid it would only bring up the bad memories that she couldn’t. 

         There was nothing she could do or say that would make up for all he’d been through. She could only grudgingly accept that humans were terrible beings.

    And that included her.

      Why do people hurt others? Why do people believe discriminate? Why do people hate?  Those questions plagued her. Every time she closed her eyes she thought about Chris. How badly he’d been wounded. She thought of Nemis, who every time he left their room was jeered at and mocked. 

   The only answer she could think of was that it was human nature to be afraid.

   Everything boils down to fear. She thought. We fear what we do not know. We fear being hated. We fear being different. Even I feared him because I didn’t know what I was going to find.  She had looked to Nemis when she thought this. You weren’t afraid. You knew what happened to him instantly and you didn’t care. What do you fear?

      That was a very good question. Lately Shion had been thinking more and more about Nemis as a person instead of as the baggage she saved. 

     Nothing seemed to faze him. Not even when one of the more unruly men had thrown a jug of ale at his head. Nemis lithely dodged it and kept walking. The only time she saw him get angry was when someone had tried to pull a similar stunt on Chris when the three of them had been walking in the streets.

    She was sure he’d broken the arm of the perpetrator, but since she’d turned a blind eye, she wasn’t that certain.

     Why is it that I can relate to Nemis and Chris, but I find everyone else worthless. Why do I hate my own kind so much?

           Shion disliked most humans. She would much rather save a rock before she saved one of her own people. Most of the people she considered friends were half demon.