The smell of roasted meat and herbs filled Aria's home, wrapping Scarlet in a comfort she hadn't felt since arriving in this world. Aria's mother hummed softly as she set steaming dishes on the table, while her father poured drinks with a broad smile.
Scarlet grinned, patting her stomach. "Finally, some food of this world! I thought they'd look more magical but they look like simple everyday food ."
Aria giggled, and even her parents laughed. For a moment, Scarlet let herself believe that she's very grateful to have met Aria and her Family.
But when the sun dipped below the horizon, the warmth vanished.
Scarlet awoke to the sound of ropes tightening around her wrists. Her eyes snapped open — Aria's father loomed above her, face grim, while her mother stood nearby, clutching a candle that flickered against the walls.
"W–what the hell?!" Scarlet hissed, struggling against the bindings. "This isn't the kind of bedtime story I signed up for!"
Aria's mother's voice trembled, but her words were steady.
"You see, our village is very far from the capital. We are always in danger. Demons threaten us constantly… but then they made a deal with us."
Scarlet's heart pounded. Suspense flag. Big one.
Her mother's eyes glistened as she continued, "In exchange for protection, we sacrifice one of us every year. The demons choose who it will be. This time… they chose my daughter."
Scarlet froze, her breath catching. Aria's mother turned toward her, tears streaking down her cheeks.
"You tell me, how could I sacrifice my own child? How could I, as her mother?"
"You are... our only last hope now "
The candlelight flickered across Scarlet's bound hands, the ropes biting into her skin. The laughter from dinner felt like a cruel memory now, replaced by the heavy silence of betrayal.
Scarlet swallowed hard, her voice breaking through the tension. "So instead… you're offering me."
Her mother's silence was answer enough.
Then came the villagers. The ropes dug into Scarlet's wrists as the villagers dragged her into the square. Torches flickered, shadows danced across stone, and the chanting of Aria's parents echoed like a dirge.
THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP
Her eyes widened.
How could can-n you... THUMP-THUMP... how can you all do this to me.
Someone... Someone help me.
Scarlet's breath came in short, uneven gasps. Her chest tightened as if the ropes themselves were squeezing the air from her lungs.
THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP. Her heartbeat hammered so loudly she thought the whole village could hear it. Sweat slid down her temple, stinging her eyes, but she didn't dare blink.
The chanting rose around her, voices heavy and hollow. Torches hissed in the night air, shadows stretching long across the square. Scarlet's vision blurred at the edges, her thoughts scattering like frightened birds.
What do I do? What do I do?
Her body screamed to run, to fight, to scream — but fear pinned her down, heavy and suffocating.
The ground trembled. A chill swept through the square as black smoke coiled upward. From the shadows, figures emerged — demons, their eyes glowing like embers. The villagers bowed low, voices trembling in reverence.
Scarlet's pulse thundered — THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP — drowning out every thought. She wanted to scream, but the sound stuck in her chest.
One demon stepped closer, its voice a guttural hiss. "This is not the chosen one."
The villagers froze. Aria's father stammered, "She... she is an outsider. This makes no difference!"
The demon's eyes flared crimson. "You dare cheat us?"
The chanting faltered. Panic rippled through the crowd. Screams broke out as the demons surged forward, claws raking the earth, shadows twisting into monstrous shapes.
Scarlet's breath came in ragged gasps. Her fear crested into something sharp, something unbearable. The ritual circle beneath her glowed, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
The demonic energy meant to consume her twisted, resonated — and then surged into her veins.
Her ropes snapped with a violent crack. Scarlet gasped, her body trembling as power flooded through her.
The villagers stared in horror. Aria's mother whispered, "What… what have we done?"
Scarlet rose slowly, eyes blazing with a light she didn't understand. Her fear hadn't vanished — it had transformed.
She looked at the demons, at the villagers, at the shattered circle beneath her feet. "I don't know what this is," she whispered, voice shaking but strong, "but I'm not your sacrifice."
The demons snarled, their forms flickering between shadow and flesh. One lunged, claws outstretched — but Scarlet's body moved before her mind caught up. A burst of energy erupted from her hands, a shockwave that sent the creature sprawling.
Scarlet staggered back, staring at her own trembling fingers. "Okay… that wasn't me. That was definitely not me."
The villagers screamed, scattering in terror. Some fell to their knees, begging the demons for mercy. Others fled into the night.
Aria's father tried to grab her, but Scarlet's power flared again, knocking him aside. She shook her head, disbelief and fury tangled in her chest. "You tied me up. You tried to feed me to them. And now you're afraid of me? Hypocrites."
The demons circled, wary now. Their leader hissed, "You are marked. The pact is broken. We will return."
With that, they dissolved into smoke, leaving the square in chaos.
Scarlet stood alone in the center, the ritual circle shattered, the villagers scattered. Her chest heaved, her heart still pounding, but she was free.
Aria's mother sobbed, clutching her daughter. Scarlet's gaze softened for a moment — Aria hadn't wanted this. She was just a child caught in the web of fear.
But Scarlet turned away. She couldn't stay. Not here. Not with people who had betrayed her.
She stumbled out of the square, the night air cold against her skin. Her hands still trembled, the strange power humming beneath her flesh.
What am I? she thought, fear and wonder mingling. And why did the demons say I was marked?
She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the echo of her heartbeat. The power inside her pulsed in rhythm, as if it had fused with her very soul.
The forest swallowed her, shadows stretching long between the trees. She leaned against a trunk, trying to steady her breath.
Then, faintly, carried on the wind, came a whisper.
Her eyes widened.
It was a name.
Her missing friend's name.
Scarlet froze, every nerve in her body on edge. The whisper was soft, almost fragile, but unmistakable.
"…Angel…"
Her blood ran cold.
The torches of the village flickered faintly in the distance, but Scarlet turned her back on them. She stepped deeper into the forest, the whisper of her friend's name guiding her into the unknown.
The night pressed close, heavy with secrets. Scarlet's power thrummed beneath her skin, her fear still sharp — but now, it carried purpose.
"Hope. Huh... is quite a scary thing"