Capítulo 9: Born from Curiosity, Living Through Ambiguity

I know I said this before but this absolutely felt like a dream. It was weirder than the pulsating tumor dream last night because at least that one didn't affect me on a personal level. Finding out that the person I befriended within this creek wasn't just a demon, but someone who had human blood coursing within her veins.

I don't know what implication this information carries, but it somehow explains why Feuer has not made any murderous actions yet. Well, aside from the Armored Bear just now. She surely obliterated it into a huge pile of ashes. Rest in peace, good sir. You may continue your sleep in the afterlife.

Anyway, I should be asking Feuer some questions to clear my mind. Upon taking a glance at her, I noticed that she was averting her eyes as if she was trying to hide something.

"Hey, Feuer," I called out, trying to sound agreeable despite the big reveal we just had. "Can we talk about, you know, the whole 'being half-demon' thing?"

Feuer sighed, her eyes finally meeting mine. "It's not exactly a topic I enjoy discussing, but I suppose you deserve some answers."

"Great! Let's get this half-demon story rolling," I remarked, trying to inject some enthusiasm into the heavy atmosphere.

With that gesture, Feuer proceeds to narrate a piece of her origin story. It turns out that her father is a wandering human scholar who happens to stumble upon the lair of an eccentric demon. In their encounter, the demon didn't attack the scholar. Instead, she welcomed him, and they shared knowledge about living beings, science, and the basic understanding of life.

Eventually, their unique bond resulted in some serious eldritch activities. In other words, they managed to conceive several human-demon hybrid offspring, and Feuer is one of them.

Feuer's mother was fascinated by human emotions while her father was obsessed with the longevity of demons. Her parent's union was more of an experiment than a relationship. An action rooted in pure curiosity, rather than love and affection.

"Wait hold on," I interrupted, struggling to wrap my head around it. "So, you are basically just a living science project? And there's more of you? That's... intense."

Feuer nodded, her eyes reflecting a mixture of sorrow and acceptance. "Yes, there are others like me. But we were all separated and sent to live in different parts of the world. It was part of my parents' grand experiment to see how we would adapt and grow."

Whoa, talk about family dynamics! My biggest challenge was trying to meet her without Dad noticing that she was a demon.

"Hmm, that's interesting," I muttered, trying to process everything. "So, you're just wandering the world on your own and ended up in the woods?"

Feuer gave a small smile. "Something like that. When I first met you, I decided to station here and work my way to be a somewhat acceptable part of society."

So, she was trying to be a model citizen, huh? If that isn't commitment, I don't know what is.

"Anyway, there's a mess I need to clean up," she added, turning away from me. "I should be going now."

"Feuer, wait," I called out to her, causing her to stop and look at me. "I want to help too."

"....Fine, let's go," she gestured, continuing to move forward.

With that, I found myself trotting along behind her, willing to help achieve her unusual goal.

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Look, you probably be wondering—Siegfried, why are you helping a demon? Isn't this against your mother's principles? Isn't this a betrayal?

First of all, Feuer isn't a demon in the traditional sense, but more like a human with demonic horns. It's like calling a half-elf a human with pointy ears or saying a werewolf is just a dog on a bad hair day.

Secondly, my mom's principles apply to full-blooded demons who terrorize the innocent, not someone like Feuer, who is more of a misunderstood magical being trying to find her place in our society.

Lastly, helping Feuer isn't a betrayal of my mother's teachings but an extension of them. She always said to kill demons on sight. However, she never mentioned anything about doing it to a human-demon hybrid, so hopefully, she'd understand my reasoning one day.

In conclusion, Feuer deserves my help. And besides, it's not every day I get to team up with someone who can incinerate armored bears with a flick of her wrist.

"What's the plan, oh mighty miss half-demon?" I asked excitedly. "Should we keep on slaying these monsters until there's nothing left? Or there's something else you're planning?"

Feuer rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of entertainment in her smile. "Killing them one by one would be a waste of time, so we should find the alpha of the pack to end this mess."

"Alpha hunting? That sounds like fun," I responded, twirling my magic staff like a baton. "Lead the way!"

With that signal, Feuer and I ventured deeper into the woods. The atmosphere is thick with tension and suspense. Whenever an Armored Bear appeared, Feuer immediately incinerated them with her fire magic while I assisted her with my Zoltraak.

Eventually, we found a cliff face with a massive cave opening that looked like the entrance to the lair of some grand fantasy beast. It's essentially telling us, "Dangerous boss right ahead."

"Stay here, I'll lure the alpha out," Feuer instructed, her tone firm and determined.

"Wait, you mean I'm just supposed to stand here and look pretty?" I protested, puffing up my chest. "I can do more than just be an adorable eye candy, you know!"

Feuer giggled. "Don't worry, pretty boy, you'll get your chance. Just ready yourself when the alpha shows up."

Nodding compliantly, I watched her striding confidently toward the cave entrance. Her steps were brave and resolute. I gripped my magic staff, hoping nothing bad would happen to her.

As soon as she disappeared into the darkness, I could hear the distant growls and roars of the bears inside, causing the ground to shake. Moments later...

FWOOOSH!!

The cave suddenly lit up and a blast of very warm air whooshed out of the entrance, making me instinctively shield my face.

What the heck was that?!

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Once the dust had settled, I glanced forward and saw Feuer emerging from the cave, her hat slightly burnt from the flame but her eyes blazing with determination.

Behind her, the ground trembled as the alpha bear—a gigantic, hulking beast with spiky worn armor and glowing red eyes—stomped out of the cave, roaring furiously.

"Now, Siegfried!" Feuer shouted, her voice carrying a mix of urgency and excitement.

"Alright, time to show this overgrown teddy bear who's boss!" I declared, pointing my magic staff at the alpha. "Zoltraak!"

A beam of piercing light shot out, prompting Feuer to dodge out of the way while striking the alpha bear square in the face. This forced the monster to stagger backward, overwhelming it temporarily before it roared and began charging towards me.

"Crap, I misjudged the situation," I muttered, bracing myself for another attack with my staff.

KABOOM!

Just then, a tremendous explosion struck the alpha bear's back, causing it to stagger again but with greater force. After that, Feuer landed in front of me, her hands blazing with fire.

"Are you okay, Siegfried?" she asked firmly.

I nodded, feeling a bit dazed from the explosion. "Yeah, just a little woozy."

"Well, pull yourself together then, and keep the alpha distracted for me," Feuer instructed as she rushed towards the recovering monster.

Rawr!!

Meanwhile, the alpha bear let out a furious, menacing roar, sending a shockwave through the ground. It's time to bust out the light show. I took a deep breath and focused on my mana.

"Okay then, you overgrown furball, let's dance one more time!" I exclaimed, readying a brand new spell. "Knallkörper!"

I watched as a tiny spark erupted from my magic staff before bursting into a majestic display of flashing lights that temporarily blinded the alpha bear.

"You're up, Feuer!" I exclaimed, encouraging her to take action.

Feuer seized the opportunity and unleashed a ferocious wildfire that engulfed the alpha bear, causing the monster to roar in agony as its massive form was eradicated by the inferno.

"Hah, take that, Freddy Fazbear!" I taunted while resting my staff on my shoulder.

However, Feuer turned to me and shouted, "Siegfried, It's not over yet!"

"Huh?!"

At that moment, the alpha bear emerged from the raging wildfire. Its messy fur was scorched and flesh exposed as if the creature had chosen to go out with a bang.

"Oh, come on! There's a second phase?!" I groaned, aiming my staff at the stubborn monster.

RAAAAAWR!!

The alpha bear, now looking like the stuff of nightmares, let out a booming roar and started charging at us. Feuer and I exchanged knowing glances, understanding that this marked the final phase of the boss fight.

"Let's split up and hit it with everything we've got!" I declared, trying to sound confident.

Feuer nodded as she conjured balls of fire with both hands. "Got it!"

Upon receiving that confirmation, we both rushed toward the alpha bear from two opposite sides. Unfortunately, the creature targeted me, so I immediately used another Knallkörper to temporarily blind it and gain some distance.

"Light 'em up, Feuer!" I exclaimed while charging my next magic spell.

Understanding the assignment, she launched a barrage of fireballs, each one blasting at the monster with pinpoint accuracy. At the same time, I fired a series of Zoltraak at the exposed flesh for massive critical damage.

RAAAAAAAAAWRRR!!!

The alpha bear roared in resentment and agony, swiping its massive claws erratically as if it were throwing a tantrum. Both Feuer and I managed to avoid the attacks by stepping back, but I accidentally tripped over.

"Crap, that's stupid," I murmured to myself, trying to get back up quickly.

However, before I could take any action, I noticed the bear's incoming paw in the corner of my eye. I desperately tried to move out of the way, but I didn't have enough time. But then...

KABLAM!!

Feuer swooped in like a fiery comet, slamming her blazing fist into the alpha bear's side. This caused the monster to burst into several bits and pieces with blood spattering everywhere.

I was taken aback by what had happened, feeling a mixture of awe and disbelief. As I turned towards Feuer, I could see that she looked exhausted, her clothes were burnt, and she was breathing heavily. But worse of all, her hat is completely gone, exposing her demonic horns.

"Hey, your horns are showing," I gently reminded her.

Catching her breath, Feuer touched her head and became flustered. "Damn, you're right. I need to go before—"

"—Siegfried?"

My blood went cold when I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned around and noticed my father accompanied by several townsmen, all looking shocked. Was it because of me, or the fallen alpha bear on the ground? No, it's because of Feuer, the half-demon beside me.