Chapter 41: Intermission: Stephani's past

This story goes back to before Masaru saved Stephani...

"Long Long time ago, when the world was much crueller than it is now. Lived a young girl who was the daughter of a commoner, she was happy living together with her mother..."

a Beautiful middle-age woman with blonde hair tied in a ponytail style was reading a book to her daughter since it was a peaceful day and there was nothing else for them to do, they were waiting for the father to come to visit them today in secret.

The story the mother was telling her daughter was about a little girl born from a common family being pulled through a struggle because of Nobles who wanted her for her beauty and powers she gained from a goddess.

In order to keep her family safe, she endured the struggles until she saw her family was about to be eaten by a demonic beast. The nobles who wanted to keep her were no longer at her sides, there was no one she could ask for help.

"The girl cried calling to the goddess that blessed her with healing power for a miracle to save her family, but when she saw the beast eat one of the residents living in the village approaching her family she fell in despair.

"She could feel the fear of losing her family was approaching with each step the beast took, but the goddess did not forsake her as a Hero appeared right at the moment her family was about to be eaten and slain the beast"

the little girl who listened to her mother, could not help but want to cry happily thinking it was good the girl's family was saved.

"Mommy, will a hero come to save us as well?"

The little girl knew her existence has placed her mother and father in a difficult position, interracial relationships were taboo for some devil families after all. The mother smiled warmly

"Everything will be fine dear, but remember if there is a man who is willing to protect you regardless of the family chasing you is too powerful for him to take them on. Don't discard him, for he will be your hero"

The little girl understood some things but others she could not entirely understand.

>\/<

"Brad, you have disappointed me, my son"

An elder of the Adramelech family spoke to his son, it was only recently discovered that his son made a human woman pregnant which was a taboo for the family during this stage.

"Why have you hidden it from us? You should know we support the Bael Clan in their ideology of pure blood, if it were to be known we have a half-blood as a descendant we will become laughing stocks!

"We can't have any obstacles in our path to replacing one of the dead 72 pillar families and making Adramelech Family which is currently an Extra Family into a Pillar Family instead!"

"I'm sorry father, but the one you all wish to kill is my daughter... I will not aid or follow a family that kills innocents just because of the family's pride! Just because of her lineage she is targeted? Screw off! Your no father of mine"

Brad spit out his anger at his father who chose the Devil Family whom he serves as a Branch family instead of his own immediate family, the elder looked at his son with pity thinking that another talented pure blood devil of the Adramelech Family needs to be sacrificed for the sake of their family's future.

"Kill him"

The elder turned and left his son who started to have life and death combat with family members whom he once called comrades.

>\/<

The days passed by but the father did not appear at all, this was placing stress on the mother who worried that the family might have discovered the existence of Stephani which should absolutely not be made known.

It has been several years since the first night fling that they managed to hide Stephani from the eyes of those devils while hiding in the territories where the Church was, because of Stephani's power called Power of Angels and Beast that allows her to take on the form of an Angel temporary they could hide her devil presence from Exorcist that sometimes walk past their home.

But alas, their happy days could not last long the moment the father appeared at the door the Happy Daughter and Mother was instead given a shock that they will never forget, the father was injured to the point it was a miracle he was even still alive.

"My love, Stephani... You must run! They know of you and their coming"

"But!"

"There is no time, my family wishes to kill Stephani but I can't allow that. so GO!!! I want to hug you and talk but they are coming fast and I can't last long, so take the time I fend them off and run!"

The mother could only cry while picking up her daughter who was still confused, she could see her daddy was hurt but everything was moving too fast for her to keep up with it all.

Luckily they have prepared the items for situations like this so the Mother only took the necessary things and ran through the back door leading down a dark alleyway escaping.

"Brad! You betrayed the family and even made the scourge escape! You should have died loyally to the family!"

One of the elders who led a small group to assassinate Stephani was surprised to see the half-dead Traitor was in front of them,

"You shall not pass.... unless you walk over my dead body"

The Elder smiled sinisterly while pulling out his sword

"That I will do with pleasure"

Soon conflict broke out, because the father of Stephani made the battle incredibly flashy the Exorcist took notice of this and came.

"Why won't you just die already!!!"

The elder felt like he could go mad, this traitor was simply resilient like a cockroach, but Brad smiled

"Heh, if you ever love your family the way I do, then you too will have the chance to experience the power that love can bring out of your body"

The battle grew fiercer and just as the church exorcist arrived Brad's body gave in as he could no longer hold on thus giving the chance for the elder to kill him.

Facing with the enemies approaching, in the end the elder with his squad was forced to retreat as they did not dare face the church in their home grounds.

>\/<

"Mommy! Mommy!"

The girl kept calling her mother who was running fast through several alleyways,

"Shush darling, everything will be okay"

'Don't lie to me!' Stephani felt like something was tearing her little heart apart, everything was fine suddenly became a nightmare. She could only hope that when she wakes up, all will be back to normal.

The mother tried to calm down her daughter but the little girl knew the peaceful days she had was coming to an end, it was not long after the mother was contacted by her brother using a secret mobile number only selective few know of.

"Sis, I heard what happened! You can come to my house to take refuge, I will be able to protect you there"

Perhaps it was because the mother believed her family member too much that she did not realize the strangeness of the call that came too timely with the attack.

Arriving at the house from the back, the mother opened the backyard gate carefully before heading inside with her daughter behind her.

But what awaited them was the Elder and his team looking at her with smug faces, her face became pale when she realized she had been betrayed by her only family member she trusted. She immediately spoke in fairy tongue sending of several magical attacks towards the enemies which surprised them, even her husband did not know that she was a descendant between a human and a fairy thus her powers she inherent.

"My dear daughter, I want you to run as we talked about"

The girl cried while shaking her head but the mother could not allow her to continue so she slapped Stephani, Stephani was too shocked at the fact her mother slapped her which made her unable to continue crying.

"Listen to me, Mommy will be fine. But you have to run while mommy keeps these men busy, we will meet at the place we agreed on okay?"

Stephani reluctantly nodded before running off, little did she know her mother resolved herself to face the elders to her death for the sake of her daughter.

"I hope your hero saves you... I'm sorry about lying... My beloved daughter"

Was the last sentence she uttered as the battle started in it's earnest.

Ever since then Stephani has been moving from one Homeless centre to the next, because of her beautiful looks she was almost raped several times by men and boys alike which caused her distrust in males to form.

All she could feel was fear and despair. there was no one she could trust especially towards males as the harassment they tried to inflict on her grew more each time with a different person. Each time she was forced to kill them after kicking their crotches, despite being young.

It was a year later she became aware of her powers and started to use it to survive but perhaps because she did not understand how much she should have held back to remain low key, she was caught by wandering Pendragon knights who were just about to go out and have some fun to vent their frustration on the last Sword Tournament where they were crushed by Arthur Pendragon.

Once their eyes met Stephani ran towards the alleyway near the truck pick up zone for the Shop where she stood her ground and began her battle against the swordsmen to survive. Because of her inexperience in battles she could not last that long against these swordsmen who beat her down, even now within her heart she began to sob calling for it.

'My Hero...'

Just as she was about to be assaulted she noticed a handsome boy fighting off the swordsmen, she felt happy but sad at the same time when she remembered her family.

'You came too late... My mom and dad is... gone'

She lost consciousness while a tear ran down her cheek at that moment.