Just before she slipped into the embrace of sleep, a sudden thought surfaced in her drowsy mind.
‘Wait... if he killed that demon with a partner... then why the hell is he making me hunt this demon alone?!'
Her anxious dreams were cold and restless.
***
In the morning, Rain untied the rope fastening her to the branch and carefully climbed down. Soon enough, she reached the ground, standing on the outskirts of a vast forest of dead trees.
Ravenheart was so far away that the mountain chain was merely a dark line on the horizon. There was no ash around, and although the frozen ground was covered in frost, there was no snow either.
This was the place where the Awakened Demon she was intedning to kill dwelled.
Humanity had conquered a vast area in the Dream Realm, but that did not mean that the two Domains were entirely safe. In fact, safety was a fleeting illusion here - apart from the Citadels and their immediate vicinity, the wilds were still ruled by the Nightmare Creatures. Humans had only really started to encroach on their reign after the advent of the Dream Gates four years ago, building roads and expanding their settlements.
In that regard, the current era was very much like the dawn of the legendary Age of Heroes, when mortal champions battled against countless abominations to help the nascent human civilization survive and spread.
Of course, modern humans had no gods to guide them. They only had Queen Song, the King of Swords... and the Nightmare Spell.
...Well, in Rain's case, she also had an oddball of a shadow showing her the way.
While she was checking her weapons in the dim twilight of the early dawn, her teacher asked calmly:
"What makes demons so dangerous? Their strength? Their speed? Their resilience?"
Rain shook her head.
"No. It's their intelligence. Beasts and monsters might be stronger, faster, and much more resilient than me, but they are also not too bright. A demon, however, is as intelligent as me... it might even outsmart me, if I'm not careful."
Her teacher emerged from her shadow and nodded.
"So, how do you kill a demon?”
She counted her arrows while answering:
"By being more prepared. By controlling the battlefield, knowing the terrain, and learning about the enemy in advance. By taking initiative and not making any mistakes. By having a clear mind and deadly resolve."
He smiled.
"No one is perfect. Mistakes happen whether you want to or not... so what are you going to do if you do make a mistake?"
Rain stared at him for a moment, then returned the smile defiantly.
"Curse you bitterly while I die?"
Her teacher laughed.
"Go on and try dying. See what happens..."
She stared at him for a bit, then shook her head.
"Fine, Since teacher insists, I won't die."
He nodded with a smile.
"Good. Now go and kill that demon.”