Several days passed. One day, Ilyric made his way back to his mentor, but when he arrived, he was not waiting for him. Strange. He had always been there. An uneasy feeling crept into the chest of the little demon. Then he felt a large amount of magic surge up.

He turned around and ran back, but what he found made the blood freeze in his veins. Strange demons with big sharp weapons ran through the streets, the members of his tribe fled in panic. Screams cut through the air and blood soaked the ground. In front of him, a rune demon was split in two and the blood shot in all directions.

"Get the most beautiful specimens and gather them in the big square," shouted the butcher.

Ilyric was frozen. He couldn't move, and that's when the demon targeted him. He felt a large hand roughly grab his arm and dragged him behind. In a panic, he screamed and fought back. He activated a rune on his stomach and shot an energy impulse right in the face of the demon.

The enemy retreated screaming and held his bleeding nose. "For this you shall die!" he grumbled and raised his sword.

Lyric raised his arms protectively, knowing full well that they wouldn't withstand a sword. However, before the blade reached him, the demon was thrown backwards. His mother stood next to him and held her bleeding side. A deep cut stretched over her back.

"Darling, you have to flee," she gasped.

"No, Mom, I can't leave you behind," the little demon cried.

"Ilyric, you can do it. You are strong and smart. They mustn't get you," she gasped.

The demon had got up and ran towards her with a roar. His mother pulled him aside and the little demon had to watch as she was impaled by the sword. As if in slow motion, her lifeless body fell to the ground. A pool of blood spread beneath her, dying her beautiful silver hair red.

"Miserable scum, if you didn't look so beautiful, we would just slaughter you," the demon snorted.

The little boy was shaking. "Mama?" But she would no longer answer him. Ilyric would never hear her voice again, never again would he hear the story of the little bird. An unbearable pain shot through his chest. Thick tears ran down his face and he cried bitterly. He adopted a fetal posture. Strong arms gripped him and he was lifted up, but he didn't care. He wanted to follow his mother, but they moved quickly away from her body.

He opened his eyes and realized that it wasn't the enemy demon who carried him, but his mentor, Ollian. They ran away from the carnage. Together they hid in a group of trees.

The big demon knelt before the small ones. "Ilyric, you have to listen to me carefully. OK. Can you hear me?" he asked insistently, and Ilyric nodded vigorously in reply. "You are our hope, our future. Only you can continue our legacy."

What did his mentor want to say? He didn't understand. His otherwise reliable mind simply let him down. "You will have to finish the rest of your education on your own, but I will give you all the knowledge you need. You can do it, I'm sure."

"Ollian," the little demon sobbed, "what are you talking about?"

But his mentor was running out of time. He tore off Ilyric's shirt, then pressed a rune on his own solar plexus. Why was a rune there? Only the leader possessed one, which is why this spot was the only free one on the upper body of all the others. Was their leader already dead?

The rune lit up brightly. Then Ollian put his forehead on that of the little one. At that moment, all the knowledge that their people had accumulated over millennia flowed into him. At the same time, all the runes that existed were burned on his body. Ilyric screamed in so much pain that he felt he was almost going insane.

Powerless, he slumped forward and breathed heavily. He heard voices around him, but he couldn't focus.

"You are our hope, you must stay alive." These were the last words before it turned black around him.

What the little boy no longer noticed was Ollian pushing him under a tree trunk and covering him with earth so that the enemy couldn't find him. He must make it, otherwise we will be forever wiped out from this world. He fought back as best he could and lured the opponents away from Ilyric. In the end, however, he lost the fight.

When Ilyric opened his eyes, it was quiet. There was a silence full of lies, for it was a deceptive peace that she promised. With awkward movements, he freed himself from the earth and dug himself out of the depression under the tree trunk. He pulled himself up on the tree trunk with trembling limbs and looked around.

He saw and heard no enemies. Carefully he staggered towards the village, but he found only a depressing emptiness. There was no soul left, no heart beating – he was completely alone. He fell to his knees and began to sob and cry. The strangers had killed them all.

Suddenly, he heard a noise next to him. He quieted and hastily grabbed a piece of wood that was nearby.

"Here's a survivor," shouted a strange male voice.

No matter what might come, he would hurt them if it was the last thing he would do. Hatred shot through his body and made his magic crackle.

The strange demon raised his hands and said, "We don't want to do anything to you." But Ilyric didn't believe a word. He ran screaming at him. Then he activated a rune on his left arm that amplified his blow and hit the demon's chest hard.

The demon was thrown backwards and the little demon followed. In the midst of the movement, firm hands closed around his arms relentlessly like steel shackles. He fought back like a berserker, biting and scratching everything that came near him.

"Calm down," said a deep, powerful voice.

Ilyric froze and looked into two bright green eyes. He felt it, this demon was powerful. With a flick of his finger, he would be able to extinguish his life. But that didn't stop him, he ran towards him, fully aware that it was the last thing he would do. But he dodged, intercepted his body and brought it rudely to the ground.

"Is your desire to die?" he asked with a strange undertone.

Ilyric stopped fighting back, the pressure on his limbs subsided. The demon knelt before him and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. We should have been here earlier, we should have protected you and yours. Their blood is on my hands, I will never be able to make up for it."

Ilyric didn't understand a thing, why did such a powerful demon repentantly lower his head before him?

The demon pulled a dagger and held it by the blade to the little demon. "As reparation, I can offer you my life if it is what your soul desires," he said in a repentant voice.

Ilyric didn't know what to say. A life for a life. But at that moment he knew how he differed from the monsters that killed everyone. So he knocked the dagger away and said, "I don't want your life, because it won't bring mine back to me either." Then he got up to leave.

"Accompany me. I will give you a home and teach you to become stronger," the demon said.

The little demon stopped and remained silent, then he turned around and looked deep into his eyes. "What's your name?" he asked him.

"My name is Belial. I am a commander under the Hell Lord Astaroth."

Eventually, he went to the demon and said, "Well, my name is Lyric. I am the last runic demon and the legacy of my people. I accept your offer."

He hereby gave up his name and his homeland. The soldiers remained silent, but they knew that this was a moment when the lives of the two demons would change. And Belial kept his word. Ilyric became a powerful demon and an excellent fighter. A deep friendship grew between them that lasted for centuries. Even when his curse was pronounced, Belial remained by his side. He had saved him then and given him a life. But they had never talked about it again.

"So it was Belial who saved you?" Nix asked after Lyric finished his story.

The rune demon nodded. He had dropped his name and started a new life. All those who knew his true name had died that day. "How do you know my real name, Nix?" he asked the oracle.

Nix looked down briefly. "I know the name of every being, I can't explain it. When I look at someone, I automatically know their name. When I looked at you, your name appeared in my head."

So that was again one of his gifts. Understood.

"For a short time, I had hoped that someone would survive and had told you my name."

Nix looked at him concerned and replied, "No, I'm sorry."

Lyric drove a hand through Nix' hair. "Oh come on, don't make such a sad face. It's all right. My life has become good thanks to Belial. I can't complain per se."

A tear rolled over Nix's cheek, then more followed. He sniffled. "I'm so sorry. That's not fair."

"Nix, fate is never fair, we both know that best," he said with some bitterness in his voice. Then he continued, "But that's exactly why we show every day that fate can kiss our ass."

A chuckle interrupted the sobbing of the oracle. Lyric got up and pulled him into his arms, who immediately returned the hug. He had opened up to someone for the first time and Nix had been right, he felt better. Maybe Nix would confide in him at some point, at that time, he would listen.

"Well, well, we'll be called to dinner soon, you can't be crying. You have a reputation to protect," he teased the oracle.

He punched him in the shoulder and laughed. He still looks beautiful, even if he's completely howled. Again he felt a slight pulling in his chest.

Nix reluctantly broke away and rubbed his eyes. Lyric is so strong. He resists and never accepts defeat. If only I were that strong.

A bell from below signaled that the food was ready. Lyric took Nix' hand and pulled it with a smile.

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With the first encounter between Lyric and Belial, this first brief review ends. Don't worry, more will follow.

How could the two get to the doll?

Your Mouse Goddess