Lyciah couldn’t take her eyes off him. The wind slipped between them, gently stirring the loose strands of her hair and the edge of his clothes.

  He remained completely still, as if nothing around him could possibly affect him. Unshaken. His gaze stayed fixed on her.

  Lyciah pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat. There was something about the stranger’s stillness that unsettled her deeply. It wasn’t only that he was staring at her, but the way he did it, as if he were trying to decipher her.

  “Seriously…” she murmured. “Who are you?”

  He was already turning away.

  “Hide,” he said without looking at her. “Heliora won’t forget what you’ve done.”

  Then he jumped. Lyciah gasped and rushed to the edge of the rooftop. She looked down, heart racing wildly. There was no trace of him. He had vanished as though he had never been there at all.

  He just jumped off a roof like it was nothing… he can’t be human. A demon? Or maybe… a traitorous lumen? But he called me his enemy…

  She let out a tired sigh. Somehow she sensed that strange man would only bring her more questions, more anxiety… and no answers at all. His expression—or rather, his constant lack of one—made everything more complicated. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. And yet, he hadn’t harmed her.

  While Lyciah tried to steady herself, the man walked through the city, blending into the crowd as if he were just another passerby. After so many years, disappearing into the background had become second nature to him.

  She fled Elyndra and doesn’t follow Heliora’s orders. She has power… healing magic… just like her. Just like Vaela. What exactly is she?

  The man stopped in the middle of the street as a memory crossed his mind.

  A field covered in flowers swaying in the wind. And among them, a figure sitting in the grass, patiently weaving stems together into a crown before placing it upon her own head. The wind lifted her long white hair—the very same shade as the Dawnbringer’s.

  “The world already carries too much pain. If I can ease even a small part of it, I will.”

  She had said it with the same quiet serenity she always had whenever she spoke about saving lives.

  Vaela. The Sixth Ancestral. The strangest of the Seven Ancestrals… and the kindest.

  The world had become a slightly crueler place from the day it lost her.

  When Lyciah returned to the hotel, she found Seliane and Momoru waiting at the entrance. Their faces said everything.

  “Lyciah!” Seliane exclaimed, still catching her breath. “Where have you been? I woke up and you were gone… I was already imagining the worst!”

  “You had us really worried,” Momoru added, his usual calm noticeably absent. “Why did you leave? Did something happen?”

  Lyciah lowered her gaze to the ground, ashamed. They didn’t need to say anything else. She already knew it had been reckless. Normally Seliane would have been scolding her mercilessly by now. But not this time. The fear they had gone through still weighed too heavily.

  “I’m sorry… I just wanted to see the human world with my own eyes. I thought it would be quick and nothing would happen… but I ended up talking to someone.”

  Seliane and Momoru exchanged a glance. A second later they both turned back to her at the exact same time.

  “Who?!” they asked in unison.

  Their voices carried equal parts concern and curiosity. Lyciah hesitated, nervously playing with the blue ribbon in her hair.

  “With him… the same man I saw last night by the pond.”

  Seliane and Momoru tilted their heads at the same time, mirroring the same confusion. They vaguely remembered Lyciah mentioning something the previous night, but with the escape and all the chaos that followed, there hadn’t been time to ask any questions. The detail had slipped completely past them.

  “He’s… very strange,” Lyciah added.

  “Define strange,” Seliane said, crossing her arms. “Did he have three eyes? Did he speak backwards?”

  Lyciah quickly shook her head, waving her hands as well.

  “No, no! He was very serious. Very… stoic. And strong. He saved me when I almost fell off a roof.”

  The moment Seliane heard that last part, a dangerous smile slowly began forming on her face.

  “Ah. So he’s a ridiculously handsome human.”

  “What?!” Lyciah exploded instantly. “I didn’t say that!”

  Momoru listened to the girls’ conversation with a calm smile. For him, this was a perfectly normal Tuesday.

  “You made the ‘he was handsome’ face,” Seliane said, mimicking her exaggeratedly, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes.

  “No! I mean… he wasn’t ugly. But he wasn’t handsome either. I mean—” Lyciah began to panic, gesturing more and more wildly. “I wasn’t even paying attention to that! He looked normal… well, not exactly normal. He was very expressionless and said things like he was ancient.”

  Seliane brought a hand to her chin, resting her thumb beneath it while her index finger ran along her cheek, squinting thoughtfully with exaggerated seriousness.

  “Alright. Then he’s an old man in disguise,” Seliane concluded. “Or maybe an exiled lumen. Or a traitor demon. Or a hybrid.”

  “A hybrid of what?”

  “A statue,” she replied with complete seriousness. “Half human, half statue. Still, cold, expressionless. Entirely statue.”

  “No! He’s not made of stone. He even saved me when I slipped. He grabbed my arm and lifted me like I weighed nothing.”

  “Ah. Then he’s half human, half crane.”

  Lyciah opened her mouth to protest—but never got the chance. All three froze when the sound of footsteps echoed across the cobblestone street. The male voice that followed was far too familiar.

  “Well… well.”

  Seliane slowly lowered her hand from her chin. Momoru was no longer smiling.

  “There you are, princess.”

  Lyciah went completely still, instinctively taking a step backward.

  “General Eryon…” Momoru whispered.

  “It’s dangerous for a princess to wander outside the castle alone,” Eryon continued with a mocking tone. “Time to return. Your brother is waiting for you. And the queen as well. Don’t worry—no one will harm you.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Eryon tilted his head with a sharp smile as he glanced at Seliane and Momoru.

  “You two, on the other hand… will be judged as defective traitors. Executed, of course.”

  At those words, Lyciah’s fingers tightened in the fabric of her dress. Seliane noticed immediately. She took Lyciah’s hand and squeezed it gently, offering her a reassuring smile.

  The three of them stepped backward at the same time, measuring the distance.

  Several meters away, Eryon watched them with his arms crossed and that crooked smile still resting on his lips, as though the whole scene were nothing more than an amusing spectacle. His eyes followed their slight movement.

  “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” Eryon yawned. “I’m really not in the mood to exercise today.”

  “No one surrenders just to be executed, you idiot!” Seliane shouted before breaking into a run.

  The three of them bolted down the street. Pedestrians jumped aside in alarm as they rushed past. A cart nearly overturned when Seliane dodged it at the last second, dragging Lyciah along with her. They turned one corner, then another, disappearing into a maze of narrow streets. The chase quickly descended into chaos.

  Lyciah’s legs were beginning to fail her, her chest burned, and the air never seemed to reach her lungs. Seliane kept pulling her forward with unwavering determination, never once looking back. Momoru ran a few steps behind them, casting illusion spells that barely managed to slow General Eryon.

  It wasn’t enough. And just as Lyciah thought she couldn’t take another step, a hooded figure emerged from a narrow alley.

  “Over here!” he ordered firmly.

  The stranger opened an old wooden door, almost hidden between the buildings. For a fraction of a second Lyciah hesitated. It could be a trap. But they had no choice. They turned sharply and rushed inside. The door slammed shut behind them, and the silence was immediate.

  Inside, Seliane dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. Momoru leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Lyciah, still panting, looked around.

  It looked like… a library. Shelves packed with books lined the walls, and dusty tables filled the room—though recent signs of use were everywhere: extinguished candles, chairs pushed aside, open pages as if someone had been reading only minutes ago.

  “You’re safe here,” a calm voice said behind them. “This is neutral territory.”

  All three turned instantly. Seliane sprang to her feet and stepped in front of Lyciah, placing herself between her and the stranger. Momoru, still leaning against the wall, raised a hand with effort; small illusion sparks began to form between his fingers, though his breathing was still uneven.

  Lyciah studied the hooded figure, her heart still pounding. No one spoke for a moment.

  “Neutral… territory?” Momoru repeated suspiciously.

  “Exactly.”

  The stranger raised a hand to his hood and calmly pulled it back. The motion revealed a young face with warm brown skin and relaxed features, as though the chase they had just endured hadn’t affected him in the slightest. His short black curls fell in loose strands over his forehead, and dark eyes watched them with quiet curiosity.

  “In this library, magical presences cannot be traced,” he continued casually. “Not lumens, not demons, not kitsune. In here… you’re all invisible.”

  The silence that followed was brief, but tense. Seliane didn’t lower her guard for even a second. She remained standing in front of Lyciah, her body slightly leaned forward, ready to react. Momoru narrowed his eyes, analyzing every detail of the stranger.

  A faint chill ran down Lyciah’s spine. If what he was saying was true…

  “Then… if there were a demon in here…” Momoru said slowly, “we wouldn’t be able to detect it.”

  “Correct,” the man nodded naturally. “But it also means your pursuers won’t be able to find you.”

  He strolled calmly across the room and sat down in one of the chairs. Seliane never looked away from him. Her eyes followed every single movement.

  “They say this library was created by a scholar who dreamed of peace among all beings,” he added. “Though these days it’s mostly used by fugitives. Mostly demons who have annoyed someone older and more powerful… or traitorous lumens like you.”

  Momoru absentmindedly ran a finger through the dust on the table… and stopped when he realized what the stranger had just said.

  “I don’t recall telling you who we are,” he said quietly.

  Seliane turned toward Momoru with a frown before quickly looking back at the stranger.

  “Who are you?” she asked coldly. “Why did you help us?”

  “And how do we know this isn’t a trap set by Queen Heliora?” Momoru added.

  The man let out a short, genuine laugh.

  “Heliora?” He shook his head. “If I were on her side, you’d already be in chains. I’m risking my own skin to save you. I think that deserves, at the very least, a ‘thank you.’ Though I suppose for now I’ll have to settle for those murderous looks.”

  Seliane and Momoru remained tense, weighing every word.

  Lyciah lowered her gaze slightly. Distrusting someone was easy. Trusting them, on the other hand, always meant taking a risk. But it was also the only reason they were still free.

  “He’s right…” Lyciah murmured at last.

  “Lyciah?” Seliane looked at her, confused.

  “He saved us,” she continued softly. “If it weren’t for him, General Eryon would have caught us already.”

  Lyciah stepped forward just enough to stand in front of Seliane.

  “Thank you,” she said, looking directly at him.

  Seliane exchanged a wary glance with Momoru and tried to step forward again, but he gently held her back with a subtle gesture asking for patience.

  The man held Lyciah’s gaze with steady calm. There was no urgency in his expression, no suspicion—only a quiet patience that seemed to invite trust.

  “I like that better.”

  He stood up and gave an exaggerated bow.

  “My name is Noah. And I’m a demon,” he added with the same casual tone someone might use to comment on the weather.

  Seliane froze, disbelief lingering on her face. Momoru parted his lips slightly, as if he had forgotten what he was about to say. Lyciah’s heart began beating harder in her chest.

  Demon. Monster. A creature incapable of empathy. That was what they had always been taught in Elyndra. And yet the man standing before them had just saved their lives.

  “That’s impossible…” Seliane whispered. “A demon would never help lumens.”

  Noah sighed theatrically.

  “Ah, right… Elyndra’s indoctrination. I almost forgot. Demons bad, lumens good, humans ignorant. Very convenient.”

  Seliane clenched her jaw. She stepped quickly toward Lyciah, her fingers closing firmly around her arm.

  “Let’s go. This is too dangerous.”

  Momoru stepped forward as well, silently supporting the decision. Lyciah, however, resisted Seliane’s pull. Her feet remained planted on the floor.

  “Wait.”

  Noah smiled, as if he had been expecting that moment.

  Lyciah drew in a steady breath, gathering her courage.

  “I’ve always wanted to see the human world with my own eyes,” she said at last. “And now that I finally have… it looks nothing like what I was taught.”

  Her gaze drifted across the shelves filled with books, the worn spines, the stillness of the room… until it returned to Noah.

  “I’m beginning to think the same might be true about demons.”

  The words hung in the air. Seliane frowned. Momoru watched Lyciah carefully.

  “The queen condemned me for being defective,” she continued quietly. “She says I deserve to die.”

  She swallowed before raising her eyes to them.

  “Do you believe that too?”

  An uneasy silence settled in the room.

  “She also claims that kitsune like Momoru are inferior beings…”

  Momoru’s ears lowered slightly and Seliane looked away.

  Lyciah shook her head.

  “I don’t believe the world is that simple. I don’t think good and evil can be divided so easily. Not every demon is a monster… and not every lumen is innocent.”

  The echo of her words slowly faded among the shelves. Noah watched her in silence, and after a moment he took a single step forward. The faint scrape of his boot against the floor was enough for Seliane to reach instinctively for the hilt of her sword. He calmly raised both hands.

  Lyciah felt the tension in the air like a string pulled tight enough to snap; she reached for Seliane’s hand and held it gently.

  “Easy…”

  Only then did Lyciah look back at the demon. Her voice came out quieter now, but still firm.

  “I don’t know what your intentions are… but you saved us. And that means something. So we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  Noah slowly lowered his arms. Not once did he lose that calm expression.

  The introductions came without ceremony—awkward after the intensity of the moment. Just names. Nothing more. Seliane didn’t lower her guard. She remained alert to every movement the demon made.

  But eventually exhaustion won out over suspicion. They decided to rest in that strange library.

  Lyciah read books that carried no seal of approval from Heliora. Forbidden stories. Tales of demons who weren’t villains. Humans who loved the impossible.

  Noah explained that most demons lived among humans without causing trouble. Not all of them were made for war or destruction; many simply found their place in quiet corners of the world, doing their best not to attract attention.

  Lyciah rested her chin on her hand, listening with genuine interest. There was something oddly comforting about his voice and its slow cadence.

  “So there are all kinds of demons…” she murmured. “Vampires, werewolves, liches…”

  She looked him up and down, curious and slightly amused.

  “But what are you? You definitely don’t look like a banshee. Unless you’re hiding a deadly scream somewhere.”

  A crooked smile curved Noah’s lips.

  “Who knows…” he replied softly. “Maybe I’m a beautiful siren waiting to drag you down to the bottom of the sea.”

  He leaned closer, just enough to invade her space without quite crossing the line into discomfort. Lyciah instinctively leaned back, feeling heat rise to her face… but a laugh escaped her before she could stop it. It surprised her how easy it was to relax around him.

  Seliane cleared her throat.

  “We’ve rested enough. We need a plan.”

  Noah stepped away from Lyciah with unhurried calm. He turned to look at Seliane as though challenging her.

  “A plan…” he repeated.

  Seliane held his gaze without flinching.

  “We can’t stay here forever.”

  A faint smile crossed the demon’s face.

  “You want to escape Heliora. That won’t be easy.”

  Momoru let out a sigh.

  “Your optimism is very reassuring.”

  Noah raised a hand theatrically, as though brushing aside an invisible concern.

  “Don’t worry. You have me.”

  He stood up with effortless elegance, confidence evident in every movement.

  “Magical tracking has very strict limitations. If Heliora didn’t even know which territory to search…”

  The group exchanged glances. Noah’s eyes gleamed.

  “I’ll help you leave Spain.”