"Any survivors?" one of them asked.
He was a tall male elf with a stern expression and a katana strapped across his back.
"Not even an ant," another elf replied.
She was a woman with long, braided hair. Her voice carried a hint of disappointment as she looked across the ruined village.
"Hmph."
The first elf kicked a piece of debris aside.
"Must have been a really strong demon."
I swallowed.
Demon?
So that's what had destroyed my village?
I crept closer, curiosity briefly overpowering my fear.
Were these people working for Katsuo?
Their ears suddenly twitched.
I froze.
They had noticed something.
Me.
I tried to step backward.
My foot caught on a loose root.
"Whoa—!"
THUD!
I fell directly between them.
Every elf turned toward me.
I looked up.
Seven pairs of eyes stared down at me.
My heart nearly stopped.
"You said there wasn't an ant," one of them growled.
"I don't know where this child came from!" another snapped, raising her rifle slightly.
I backed away.
Then one of the elves stepped forward.
"Hey, little one."
Her voice was surprisingly gentle.
She knelt down in front of me.
She had silver hair and long, pointed ears. Her black uniform was decorated with silver symbols that looked like wings.
"Did you live here?"
I couldn't answer.
My throat felt completely locked.
I looked around at the destroyed village.
At the broken houses.
At the smoke.
At everything that had been my home.
The elf waited patiently.
"We found this place like this," she continued. "You're the only survivor we've found."
I still said nothing.
I needed to think.
Fast.
Then I noticed a loose stone near my foot.
An idea formed.
I shifted my toe slightly.
The stone rolled downhill.
Clack.
It struck a burning torch lying against a piece of broken wood.
The torch fell.
The flames went out.
Several elves turned toward the sudden movement.
That was my chance.
I moved.
My hand grabbed the pistol hanging from one of their belts.
I pulled it free.
The elves immediately turned back toward me.
I raised the weapon.
My hands were shaking.
But I tried to keep them steady.
"WHO ARE YOU, AND HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!"
My voice echoed through the ruins.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then a large male elf with a scar across his cheek slowly raised both hands.
"Whoa, kid."
His voice was calm.
"Put that down."
"We're not your enemies."
"NEVER!"
My voice cracked.
Tears blurred my vision.
I couldn't trust them.
Not after what had happened.
Not after Katsuo.
"Calm down," another elf said.
She stepped forward carefully.
"We aren't here to hurt you."
I kept the weapon raised.
"Then tell me who you are!"
The silver-haired elf took a slow breath.
"Alright."
She gestured toward herself and the others.
"We're the High Wings of the Wing Corp."
I frowned.
"The Wing Corp?"
"We're scouts from the Elven Enclave," she explained. "We were sent to investigate strange disturbances in the borderlands."
She looked around at the destroyed village.
"Our mission is to protect settlements from threats."
Her expression became serious.
"Threats like demons."
I tightened my grip.
"I know you're elves."
I glanced at their pointed ears.
"That's obvious."
The scarred elf raised an eyebrow.
"But why are you here?"
"We came to find out what happened," the silver-haired elf answered. "This village was supposed to be peaceful."
She looked around.
"Who did this?"
I swallowed.
"I..."
The memories came rushing back.
Mom.
Dad.
Katsuo.
The blue mist.
Those six blue eyes.
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I don't know!"
My voice broke.
"I was having dinner with my family when someone named Katsuo came into our house!"
Everyone suddenly went silent.
"He..."
I struggled to speak.
"He killed everyone."
The pistol slipped from my hand.
Clang.
It hit the ground.
I dropped to my knees.
The grief I'd been holding back finally broke through.
I started crying.
For the first time since I'd escaped, I stopped trying to be brave.
I was just a kid who had lost everything.
The scarred elf stared at me.
"Katsuo...?"
His voice had changed.
"What?"
I looked up.
"Did you say Katsuo?"
"Yes."
The elves exchanged uneasy glances.
The silver-haired elf's expression suddenly changed.
"Wait..."
She looked at the others.
"Did you mean Lord Katsuo?"
I wiped my eyes.
"Who?"
The scarred elf stepped closer.
"Demon King Katsuo."
I stared at him.
"...What?"
The silver-haired elf's face had gone pale.
"You're saying he was here?"
She looked genuinely terrified.
"The Demon King himself?"
I blinked.
"Uhhhh..."
My brain stopped working for a second.
"Demon King?"
Nobody answered.
I looked from one elf to another.
"Wait."
I pointed toward the destroyed village.
"That crazy guy was a Demon King?!"
The elves didn't laugh.
That was when I realized they were serious.
"That's impossible," the silver-haired elf whispered. "He hasn't been seen in centuries."
I stared at her.
"Excuse me..."
I looked around.
"WHAAAAAT?!"
My entire understanding of the world had just fallen apart.
Demons.
Elves.
Wing Corp.
Nature Breathing.
And now the guy who had just destroyed my village was apparently a legendary Demon King.
What kind of nightmare had I stumbled into?
The silver-haired elf crouched down beside me again.
Her voice softened.
"What's your name?"
I hesitated.
I didn't know why she needed to know.
But somehow, I felt like my answer mattered.
I looked down at the ground.
Then quietly said,
"Fogo."
She waited.
"Tom Fogo."
The moment I said my name, the elves exchanged another look.
I didn't understand why.
But judging by their expressions...
they knew something about that name.
Something I didn't.