章節 15: A Demon's Heart
Meanwhile in the Black Cat Cafe
"Emilia," Rena knocked the door again and again. "Emilia, what's wrong?"
There was no response and the brown haired girl started to get anxious. She was about to get the spare key when she saw Marshall walking down the hallway. "Marshall," she said in slight panic. "Do you know what happened? Emilia just…"
Marshall tossed her a key and Rena caught it with one hand. "See if that can open it, if not then we'll have to resort to magic," he said simply.
"Magic?" Rena put the key into the door handle, but it doesn't seem to fit. She took double look on the key and realized that it's the same key to the room. "But… This is my spare key… Are you saying that Emilia used magic to lock this door?"
"So you know?" Marshall stepped in front of the door and muttered something under his breath. A red circular ring of light formed on his palm as he pressed it on the door. But then, the door seemingly ripple a little and Marshall quickly jumped back.
"LOOK OUT!!"
Rena watched in slight fear and confusion when Marshall suddenly lunged at her. His arms wrapped tightly around her body and his back shielding her from the door. "Ma-Marshall! What…" her words was cut short when a brown blur appeared on her vision.
Numerous thuds followed by a hideous squelching sound appeared all around her. Her vision turned blurry as saw dust picked up around her. But she can still make it out, dozens of thick wooden spikes jutting out of the floor and walls around her.
Something warm and wet dripped down on Rena's shoulder. Her gaze slowly rose and a shocked gasp slipped out of her throat. "Marshall…" tears started to well up on her face. Her blood ran cold at the sight of numerous wooden spikes jutting out of his body. "MARSHALL!!!"
"I'm okay, I'm okay, calm down Rena," a voice suddenly speak in her mind.
Rena's breath hitched a little. "Ma-Marshall y-you're bleeding!" she stammered in panic.
"I can't speak right now, say, can you help me to my room? It's just behind you,"
Rena turned back and saw a wooden door that somehow stood unharmed against the wooden spikes. She summoned the last of her strength to lift Marshall up from his position. She turned the door handle and found it much more welcoming than Emilia's door.
After a gruelling three minutes, Rena managed to help Marshall on to the bed. She couldn't lie him down, with all the spikes jutting out behind his back. "Wh-what now?"
"I need you to look for a blue piece of paper on the drawer behind you," Marshall replied.
Rena wasted no time opening the nearest drawer. Inside it are numerous scrolls and pieces of paper. Then, she found a blue parchment paper on the top drawer along some other colorful ones. "Is this the one?" she asked.
"Yeah, now stick it to me, anywhere is fine, just not the hEAd..!" Marshall's telepathic words were cut short and black mist appeared from the piece of paper. The mist covered Marshall's entire body and Rena took a step back warily.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Rena exclaimed.
The mist soon dispersed, leaving Marshall healthy and unharmed with a few wooden spikes lying around him. "It's okay… Ahh, that's a relief, thanks Rena you really saved me there," he said in relief.
The girl shook her head. "No, thank you, you saved me there," she whispered.
At that moment there's a lot of question in Rena's mind. Like how Marshall and Emilia apparently knows magic or that he can somehow survive a fatal wound. But right now, those questions are nothing else but meaningless chatter in the background.
As the memories of the last three days came rushing back, Rena felt something flutter within her heart. From the very moment she met him, when he complimented her cooking, when he spend whole night listening to her whining through their text, to that moment when he selflessly…
"Rena, there's something I have to tell you," Marshall said.
"Wh-what?" Rena asked, his words pulling her out of her stupor. "I mean, what is it, Marshall…"
"I'm not a human…" Marshall averted his gaze. "It's part of the reason why Emilia hates me…" he curled up his fist and took a deep breath. "I don't want to tell you, I don't want you to hate me, but… You deserve to know…"
Rena looked at Marshall straight in the eyes. "Tell me, I promise I won't hate you…"
Marshall gave her a mirthless chuckle. "I'm a demon, an honest to the devil, born and raised in hell, demon," a pair of horns appeared on his head and a black leathery wings appeared behind his back. "I don't blame Emilia for hating me, I won't even blame you if you would hate me."
For a moment, Rena was speechless. She looked at Marshall with wide eyes. But then, she slowly shook her head. "I don't discriminate," she said.
"This could be the worst mistake of your life," Marshall said.
"I don't care,"
"I could be faking my wounds to gain your sympathy you know? That's totally something a demon would do."
"Girls do that all the time,"
"Listen, Rena, I really…" Marshall's word was cut short when Rena suddenly embraced him into a hug. "Rena, you… you're no really bright are you?"
"Yes, I'm not that smart," Rena said, hugging him tighter.
They embraced each other for a few seconds before Rena finally let go of him. "So… What's a demon doing in this floating town?" she asked. "And what about Ender, is she also a demon or…"
Marshall shook his head. "Ender's not a demon, she's uhh…" he looked away for a bit. "I have no idea what she is. But we're actually here for a mission," he pointed at the entrance. "Emilia is our mission."
"Emilia?" then Rena's eyes widened in realization. "Emilia! Oh my god, what happened there, did she do all that?"
"I don't know, but we're meaning to figure it out and help her control her magic if possible," Marshall explained. "We don't want a little accident like that happen again now, don't we?"
"Of course not!" Rena exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, she almost killed us," she looked at the door and tapped her hand anxiously. "Should we talk to her now or…"
"It's too risky to go outside," Marshall said warningly. "Emilia's magic is much more powerful than I expected, if you step outside we can't guarantee our safety."
Rena bit her lip and looked down. "Then… What should we do? What about the Cafe?" her eyes widened a little. "And my soft cakes! I need to store them before…" her words faltered when she realized that Marshall is still staring at her. "Sorry…"
Marshall chuckled a little in response. "I'm glad to see you're taking this calmly," he said. "Don't worry, we just have to wait for Ender, she'll take care of the magic."
"So, Ender is stronger than a demon huh?" Rena asked in wonder.
Marshall chuckled a little. "Yeah, she's much stronger than any demons…"
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