Mistress of Shadow

Chapter 2: Hunted

Alciel Aurialis smelled the air. His nostrils, keener than the hounds that the demons hunted with, flared with each inhalation. He was standing up to his mid-calves in snow, but the wetness or cold did nothing to hinder him.

He had already killed four humans, who had hoped to migrate through the Province of Tarrok, home of the demons, to the islands that were off its coast. Alciel had taken great care to send for one of the dogs to bring his kills back to Charstryx Arcium.

Now, deep in the forests of Tarrok, he was striving to find more prey. This time, however, he hoped that his target would run and put up a fight. He always liked game with a little spunk.

He broke into a jog, the armour that covered his calves cut through the snow with ease. Powerful leg muscles propelled him forward in long, lanky-legged strides. He could go like this for days on end, traversing many miles of mountains and forests and even great rives.

Alciel revelled in this. The release of his primal urges, just to run and jump and kill and not think about all the responsibilities of being a general. These Hunts were his favourite parts of the years.

He splashed through a running stream, bounded over fallen logs, and wove in between trees like a great deer. Alciel was breathing easily, in through his nose and out through his mouth. A long, reptilian tail swished behind him, giving him extremely good balance.

The scales the surrounded his eyes glinted even in complete darkness, seemingly with their own dull light. His eyes, the colour of sun-baked sands, roved the woods as he ran, searching for game. Humans were easy to find, more-so than demons. The humans didn’t know how to hide and remain unseen. They didn’t know how to mask their scent and still their loud breaths.

That was why they were the prey, and demons were the predators. The hunters.

Alciel was broken from his thoughts when he heard a loud crash, followed by a flash of silver-white light. He stopped in his tracks, his keen eyes focussing on where the light had shone moments before. It was to his left, to the west.

He soften his footfalls so that they were silent on the deep blanket of snow as he neared the place where the silver light had flashed. He wanted to catch his game by surprise, but allow it to escape. Alciel yearned for a good chase to get his blood pumping.

As it was, the source of the light had come from a clearing draped in moss. Alciel recognised the place at once, and smirked. This was the portal between the world of Aerith Iblis and the purely human world of Earth.

If some unlucky human who had no knowledge of demons had fallen through the portal, which the demons had named Xarix, it was a good day for Alciel. Those types of humans would surely run away and not stand their ground.

Game that ran always made the kill so much more satisfying.

Alciel crouched down low, and stalked slowly towards the clearing. The silver symbol that had been etched into the ground by magic was glowing enough to illuminate the being who had been pulled in Aerith Iblis through it.

It was a girl. She was clad in an incredibly short dress with shoes that didn’t look natural. They had a strange protrusion from the heel that made it seem very uncomfortable to walk. Something was very strange about her though, Alciel noticed. She had red hair…

Nobody in Aerith Iblis had red hair anymore. All the demons that had possessed the gene had died out long ago during the early stages of the war against the humans… He reminded himself to tell the king of what kind of human he had found.

The girl raised her head.

She looked around, her naïve eyes scanning right over Alciel’s form crouched at the outskirts of the clearing. The girl pushed herself up, and on unsteady and scared feet made her way directly towards Alciel.