The second female lead Dual Cultivates

"Stupid outsiders with their stupid sense of adventure and that stupid demon who decided they were no threat to them so he could let them do as they wish. Why did I have to be put in danger?" Samuel cried at the unfair treatment he got from the hands of the outsider.

And to think that he's been having such a good week as well. The demon and its Zombies had left the main town alone for some time and things had genuinely settled down enough to be considered peaceful.

But then those outsiders had to come and drag the pair of brothers into this forbidden territory they were not supposed to venture into. Terrible things happened here and every child had been specifically warned to never come in this direction, no matter what.

It was Samuel's first time here as well and he had no idea what he should be doing now. He had been asked to take down the shield but how did one achieve that? Were there any specific guidelines for Samuel to follow? Did he have to destroy something to achieve that?

"God. Why is it all so complicated?" Samuel had just wanted a peaceful life but it had been stripped away and then he had just wanted peace and quiet for his family. Was it all too much for him to ask?

"Pika has never seen you before here. Are you a new type of Pika" for a second, Samuel felt like he was hearing his brother talk? His brother had sounded eerily similar a few years ago before Samuel had helped him outgrow that style of talking.

But on second thought, he dismissed the thought of this voice belonging to his brother. It was too young and fragile sounding than his brother. Also, Daniel could not cross this barrier for some reason. (He knew the reason but he was in denial)

"I, sorry, wrong place. I'll be going now" Samuel turned around and ran. Getting caught here would be a sure way to die. No, it will be worse than death since the very consciousness Samuel was trying to protect would-be swiped away.

He could not forget. Samuel could not afford to forget the things he needed to keep close. He was the only one who could carry the torch of the Grand Canyon traditions and perform the sacred ceremonies for the world tree since he was the only one old enough to remember.

'Those ceremonies are what keeps this continent afloat. If we stop doing them, then something bad will wake up. No matter who dies or who gets killed, one of us has to survive' that was what a village elder had told Samuel when he had been young and those words had been the ones that had been stuck inside Samuel's head.

They gave him the courage to just keep going for as long as he could. Now that he thought back at it, those words had almost been a curse for him and had enslaved Samuel in their grasp.

"Running from Pika is futile. Humans are to be Pika's friends or they are to be killed" the child replied as it ran behind Samuel. And the demon was fast. Samuel did not know what to make of it. Was it a zombie? A human? A mix? Or even something more?

But the demon was not omnipotent which was the biggest advantage Samuel had. The demon was as fast as it could be for someone that size but it was slow in reflexes and other departments.

It took too long to notice that Samuel had changed directions or even notice the slight trap Samuel had set while running which caused the demon to trip. It was slow progress but Samuel could feel the changes in the distance between them already.

The demon was almost upon him when the most amazing of things happened. The wall between Samuel and the demon collapsed which caused a rift to form between them. Samuel was finally free from his pursuer and could breathe a sigh of relief.

"I finally found you. You are a hard human to track down and that's saying something when it's coming from me" it was Maria that had barged into the scene. She skipped from the top of the stone pile to Samuel's current location, all the while ignoring the pile beneath her feet.

Some of her skips looked like they could cause her to slip but the female never did. It made her look like a clumsy angel and Samuel could not help but feel blessed. There was a small halo of light forming behind the female that gave her an otherworldly look. She looked so beautiful that Samuel felt unworthy to look at her….

…and then she slipped. The grace only lasted until the very last step which caused the female to crash into Samuel painfully. Her elbow knocked the wind out of Samuel's chest in a painful way and whatever magic that has been cast vanished in a second.

"Hey, look carefully before standing in someone's way" the female cried out in anger and Samuel felt his temper rise. It was not his fault here but Maria's for barging into him.

"I've been standing there longer and you saw me stand there. How is it my fault all of a sudden?" Samuel almost yelled and then felt the colors drain out of his face.

Maria had just taken down a stone wall and harmed a demon. She was a potential demon. If she decided to harm Samuel then there was no way he would be able to outrun her. Not when she was far faster than the monster from before and did not have slowed reflexes.

Samuel waited for Maria to snap and decided to kill him. He would deserve it as well with the way he had been behaving. He closed his eyes out of reflex and waited for the blow to come. If he was going to die, then he did not want to see his last moments.

And he waited for Maria to end him but the pain never came. Nor did any other sensation indicate that Maria was approaching him. Maybe it will be a quick death by a spell which would also be agreeable with him. He just wanted it all to be over with.

But nothing came his way except silence and a small laugh being forced out of Maria's throat. Surprisingly enough, it was not mocking but reassuring and melodic.

"I knew you had it in you to be brave after all. Let's get going then. Our friends are waiting for us" the female turned away and just like that, Samuel got to live another day.