"It's the work of demons."
We all froze mid-step.
Beside me, Tessa let out a sharp, terrified gasp, her fingers digging painfully into my arm.
From the rear, Scarlet let out a low, vibrating growl.
She narrowed her bright green eyes at Edric's back.
"Demons? What nonsense are you babbling about?"
I couldn't exactly blame her for the reaction.
In this world, demons weren't a tangible threat.
They were a myth. A boogeyman.
The holy scriptures mentioned them, sure, but only as vague, philosophical metaphors for sin and corruption.
Servants of dark gods, bringers of chaos, enemies of civilization itself.
But actual, documented existence? Evidence of real demons walking around causing problems?
I'd never heard of anything like that. Not in the estate libraries. Not in guild records. Not in any conversation I'd ever overheard.
They were just the terrifying bedtime stories mothers told their children to keep them from wandering into the woods at night.
