The place was vast, a little cold, with a special breeze. The sand was calm, smiling with every meeting of the sea waves. The waves struck the shore rhythmically, then returned to their home. A vast, breathtaking sea. Looking at this part, everything was peaceful—everything beautiful and pure on this beach. Then, as the seagulls flew in harmony and the waves rose in rhythm, a figure hovered above—the figure of a being with red skin, two large horns, and human-like features.
"Victory for Yarum!!" shouted one of the knights as he held his sword and fended off the attacking demons that surrounded him.
Not far from the shore, things were completely overturned. Blood flowed over the sand, staining it. Swords clashed violently. Everyone was fighting—fighting with all they had not to die. Another brutal war was unfolding in the land of Yarum, in the far west, on the coast of Myria.
Among the soldiers were our familiar heroes: Linda, Sebastian, and Kevin. They were fighting with everything they had, their desire for victory burning like an aura around them. Sebastian cast his spells while Runari covered his back. Kevin moved like a ghost, and Linda kept decapitating demon heads with her dual weapons.
Yarum's victory seemed obvious. The demons were few in number, and the Yarum soldiers were defeating them with ease—even without the heroes' help. The soldiers were clearly superior. Linda looked to the horizon and saw a large demon approaching. That's when she realized she had a task in this battle.
She launched some spear attacks, but the demon deflected them all. She then charged at him, her hair fluttering in the air, her distinct outfit visible from afar. She held the spear in her right hand and the poleaxe in her left. The demon picked up a sword lying on the ground, but in his hand, it looked more like a dagger. Still, he stood firm against the advancing heroine.
She tried to land a blow with her spear, but the demon managed to grab it. He then tried to kick her hard, but at the last second, she formed a shield around herself, broke free from his grip, and jumped back to think. The easiest way to kill this monster would've been to use a skill, but that didn't seem to be Linda's intent in this fight.
This time, the demon ran toward her. Linda jumped high—higher than his height—and threw her spear forcefully toward the demon's head. He narrowly dodged it, but it still pierced his shoulder. Linda recalled the spear back to her hand using the rune, then began examining the demon, maybe looking for an opening.
She threw the poleaxe next. It spun rapidly, heading for the demon's abdomen. In a decisive moment, it left a large wound on his left side. The demon grabbed his side and began bleeding. His gray skin mixed with blood, like his pure silver hair, and the ground beneath him stained red with drops.
At that moment, while the demon was incapacitated, a body suddenly moved at insane speed around him—and his head was sliced off in the blink of an eye. As his large corpse fell to the ground, a figure appeared behind—a medium-height girl with blond hair and a distinct green outfit. Her hair danced in the wind as she tightly held her weapons.
Farther away, Kevin was also fighting, disappearing from one place and reappearing in another. His movements were nearly impossible to predict. To the demons, he wasn't a mere opponent—he was a nightmare. Elsewhere, a red-skinned demon with long hair appeared. It was slender, had no mouth, and had the same markings as any other Nardiss demon. It moved swiftly and managed to kill several Yarum soldiers. That's when Kevin suddenly appeared in front of it out of nowhere.
"You're pretty fast. Let's play a little," Kevin muttered as he slowly approached.
He drew his twin short swords and then vanished. He stabbed the demon from behind, who collapsed, revealing the person who killed him—a teenage boy with golden eyes and white hair. Kevin stepped over the demon's body and moved on to assist the others. Suddenly, an arrow flew toward his head at high speed. It was extremely accurate, aimed directly at Kevin's skull.
Kevin tilted his head back just in time, narrowly dodging the arrow. He began scanning the area, but with so many people around, it was hard to identify who shot it. He dashed in the direction it came from, and when he arrived, all he could see was Sebastian casting spells while Runari covered his back with arrows.
What the fuck? Was it her who shot at me? So they want to kill me, huh? I got this. I'm not gonna be some easy prey, you fatherless bitch. I'll show you and that slut of yours. I left that cursed spot and started slaughtering the nearby demons. Damn it—even though they're weak, their numbers just won't end. In the middle of the fight, disturbing thoughts crept into my mind.
Is that son of a bitch really trying to kill me? What now—should I focus on him or the demons? It's all because of that slut. If I have to kill one of them, it'll be her. She completely ruined him. He's become like a puppet in her hands. I can't believe it. That fucking gooner wants to ruin my life—and of course, I won't let that happen.
"Kevin! West side!!" Linda suddenly shouted.
I even forgot my job. They really messed with my head. Alright, I just have to hope another arrow doesn't come, 'cause ain't no way I'm dodging it again. I barely avoided the last one. A fraction of a second slower and it would've pierced my skull. Bro, even the precision was terrifying. Is that bitch really that good?
◆ ◆ ◆
The battle ended. Yarum's soldiers were victorious and managed to protect Myria's coast from yet another failed invasion attempt by Diablos. The soldiers returned to their camps to rest, as did the heroes. On the way back, Kevin kept staring at Runari, suspicion lingering in his mind—but it seemed he had no desire to speak.
"Sorry, I'm bad at archery… I only managed to bring down three or four demons," Runari said.
"No, it's alright. But use daggers next time," Sebastian replied.
"Thank you."
Those words felt strange to Kevin, and it seemed like they stirred something inside him. Maybe it was a question. If Runari was bad at archery, then she couldn't have been the one who shot at him. So maybe it was just a demon. But doubt still lingered, because he hadn't been able to see who did it during the battle.
"An arrow was shot at me in the fight. I almost died because of it, and I couldn't see who did it," Kevin said.
"That's strange… I didn't run into any demon archers in this battle."
They sat inside their tents, each in their own. Linda took off her clothes, then lay down. She seemed troubled, though it didn't fully show on her face. Still, she looked distracted, lost in thought—something was clearly weighing on her. She began playing with her chest while staring at the ceiling of the tent, and finally whispered: "Dad… Mom… I miss you."
It seemed like the heroes' emotions were starting to drift apart. Each had their own desires, their own feelings, their own way of acting. Eventually, this world had changed them completely, pulling them away from their shared thoughts. Now they each had different goals. So… would these heroes keep changing, each colored in a different shade, or would they unite again and walk one path?
"They're back!! Prepare yourselves!!" a voice suddenly shouted in the camps.
The soldiers began to run around in a panic, and at first glance, they could already see ships approaching the port. The sight was more disturbing than frightening. The soldiers readied their weapons for another round of this battle—and so did the three heroes, each one beginning to prepare.
The Diablos ships docked on the shore again, and the demons began pouring out. Their numbers were much greater this time, which could become a serious problem. But Yarum's soldiers charged with strength, shouting their rage into the sky. The clash began. The heroes rushed in as well and joined the battle.
"This time, we'll have even more fun," said one of the Crossif demons to Linda—she was the only one who understood him.
He was tall, with a balanced build, blue skin, pointed ears, and spiky black hair. An evil grin never left his face. He carried a long, wide-bladed sword and wore animal fur around his lower body. He approached Linda slowly, locking eyes with her. Suddenly, he dashed toward her with insane speed, laughing loudly.
Linda blocked his strike, and a huge shockwave erupted from the clash, sending both of them skidding back. The demon licked the blood from a small cut on his cheek, then kept sticking out his long tongue, smiling wide and baring his fangs. Then he raised his blade toward Linda and said: "They call me the Stunning Demon. What do you think of my beauty, girl? I only ask the pretty ones, and since your beauty stunned me, I want to hear your opinion of mine."
"Ugly," Linda replied as she fired a golden beam from her spear.
"Really? Doesn't matter. True beauty is on the inside," the demon said, dodging the blast.
Suddenly, his head was severed and fell to the ground. Linda stood, stomped on his skull, then stared across the battlefield. She clearly wasn't in the mood to play with that demon. After scanning for a while, she spotted another enemy—one of the large type, like the one she had slain before. But this time, it was extremely fat. She started heading for it, only to see Kevin reach it first.
The demon tried to strike Kevin, but he dodged, causing the blow to smash into the ground instead. Kevin then leapt high and managed to slice off the demon's arm. He retreated quickly. The demon began smashing the ground in blind fury, but Kevin used Dagger Storm to finish it off with ease. Then he moved on to another spot in the battle.
A bit farther away, Sebastian was casting his usual spells on the demons. But what wasn't usual was that Runari wasn't behind him. Not just not behind him—she wasn't even nearby. He quickly noticed something was wrong and began looking around. He didn't understand what had happened. She hadn't said anything. And just moments ago, she'd been right there with him.
"Runari!" Sebastian shouted loudly, hoping she'd hear him.
But the place where that demi-human girl was… wasn't far enough to justify such a shout. Kevin kept moving forward. Suddenly, a fiery tornado burst forth in front of him. It was incredibly strong—no, colossal. Everyone saw it. Everyone there. Even Linda moved over to see what was going on. Kevin froze in shock at the power of the flame. When Linda reached him, she too was stunned.
"What is this?!" asked Sebastian as he arrived as well.
Then, the tornado began to fade, slowly dissolving—until a girl appeared from within it. A demi-human girl, with fiery orange hair and matching ears. She looked at the three teens in front of her and gave a slight smile. Everything about her felt strange, and none of them knew what was happening—not even Sebastian.
"What is this, Runari?!" Sebastian yelled.
Suddenly, horns began to grow from her forehead. Her fox ears disappeared, replaced by pointed ones. Her hair shifted color, becoming a blend of blue and black. Her eyes turned blue, and her claws grew longer and more terrifying. Then, blue flames wrapped around her and began to take shape—forming into a bow and arrow.
"I missed you the first time. You won't dodge it this time," said the new Runari, staring straight at Kevin.
It seemed that the maid who first appeared in the royal palace—who Sebastian thought was a sweet demi-human—had never been a demi-human at all. Or sweet. All this time, she had been a Versin demon hiding behind a false identity. This truth would shock not just Sebastian, but the entire kingdom… because now, another Versin has been revealed