Aiden poured all his strength into lifting the sword and, without holding back, swung a powerful slash that severed the wolf demon's head.
The beast's body and head fell lifeless, splattering Aiden with drops of blood.
Within seconds, the demon was consumed by its own flames, reduced to ashes. The fire engulfing the nearby house vanished too, evaporating along with the demon that had conjured it.
Relieved, Aiden didn't see the moment when the sword was snatched from his hands.
"Who do you think you are?" Luan said, confronting Aiden.
"Excuse me?"
"You didn't have my permission to grab my sword, let alone take out my enemy."
"I saved your life. You should be thanking me."
"I didn't ask for your help. I could've crushed that demon myself."
"You sure about that? You looked like you were in deep trouble back there."
"Want to test my strength firsthand?"
"Luan, enough!" Zetra said, storming over and smacking Luan on the forehead.
"Stop being so prideful and show some manners," Lyra added.
"Zetra, Lyra? What are you doing here? And why are you defending this guy?" Luan said, visibly annoyed.
"He's…" Zetra hesitated, catching Lyra's warning glance. "He's Lyra's friend. So you'd better get along."
"Forget it. This guy's gonna pay for butting into my fight."
After shooting Aiden a challenging glare, Luan turned and walked off, ignoring his sisters' calls.
"Your brother doesn't seem very friendly," Aiden said to Lyra.
"He's… hard to deal with."
"Way too hard to deal with," Zetra emphasized. "He's so difficult that one day, without explaining, he moved to his own house in the village just to be alone."
"Do you guys not get along?" Aiden asked.
"No," Lyra said. "Our relationship's complicated, but we don't hate each other."
"Let's drop that for now," Zetra said. "More importantly, where'd that demon come from?"
"No clue," Aiden replied. "Have demons attacked this village before?"
"Not in years," Zetra said. "It's been ages since the last demon attack here."
Lyra and Aiden exchanged glances, both recalling Leonia's words. Aiden's thoughts drifted to the demon that attacked his hometown, deepening his unease.
The villagers had returned, gathering around the charred remains of the burned house, murmuring among themselves.
"Was anyone living in that house?" Aiden asked.
"No," Zetra replied. "It was one of the village's many abandoned homes, so no need to worry."
"We should head back to the house," Lyra said. "Aiden's covered in blood, and if the villagers see him, it'll raise suspicions."
"You're right," Zetra said. "Let's go and get some sleep—I need a break from all this chaos."
With that settled, the three left the scene, eager to reclaim the rest the demon had stolen.
'If it's not nightmares, it's demons keeping me from sleeping,' Aiden thought, exhausted.
. . .
"Where's that damn guy?!"
It wasn't a demon or a nightmare that woke Aiden this time. Luan's shouting, tempered by his sisters in the living room, pulled him from sleep.
"Luan, calm down already."
"The sun's barely up—it's too early for this, don't you think?"
"You never visit, and now that you do, it's just to pick a fight? Aren't you ashamed?"
Lyra and Zetra scolded their brother, but Luan kept insisting he wanted to see Aiden.
'What's all this commotion about?' Aiden thought, getting out of bed and stepping into the living room, where all eyes turned to him.
Aiden and Luan locked gazes, their mutual irritation palpable.
"What are you doing here?" Aiden asked.
"I'm here to settle the score from last night," Luan said. "You wounded my pride, and I'm not letting that slide."
"Still on about that? You're stubborn as hell. So, how do you want to settle this?"
"A duel. I challenge you, Aiden."
"Forget it," Zetra said. "Stop with this nonsense, Luan. I'm sick of your attitude."
"Aiden, ignore him," Lyra said. "Luan's like this—he'll get over it in a few hours."
"Alright… let's do it, Luan."
Both sisters stared at Aiden in shock, while Luan grinned triumphantly.
"I accept your challenge," Aiden said, smiling, his heart pounding with eager anticipation.