**Help! Help!**
An eerie voice pierced the veil of night, yanking Tayo from the fragile clutches of sleep.
**Help! Help!!**
The cry grew louder, a haunting wail that blurred the line between man and woman, sowing confusion in Tayo's foggy mind. He pressed his palms over his ears, willing himself back to the oblivion of dreams, but the voice clung to him like a shadow.
**"Captain Rosewalt!"** one of the royal guards bellowed, his voice cutting through the stillness.
**"What is it?"** Captain Rosewalt muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, the weight of sleepless nights carved into his face.
**"Your attention is needed urgently over here, Captain!"** the guard shouted, urgency crackling in his tone.
**"Alright, Jezz,"** Rosewalt sighed, rising with a groan to answer the summons.
At the heart of the reception hall, chaos unfolded. A woman thrashed against the iron grip of eight royal guards, their armored hands struggling to pin her down as she fought with the ferocity of a cornered beast.
**"Rosewalt, you worthless man, what was your promise to us, the people of Godfall? Huh?"** she spat, her voice dripping with raw, unfiltered pain.
**"Who the hell do you think you are to speak to our Captain like that?"** one of the guards roared, his face filled in fury and frustration.
Rosewalt's eyebrows arched sharply, a silent command that froze the guard's tongue. With a subtle gesture, he ordered his men to release her. The guards stepped back, and the woman stood, trembling yet defiant, as Rosewalt approached.
**"I said I'd protect this town, even if it cost me my life, and I'll do so without the royal capital,"** he said, his voice steady as bedrock.
**"And are you doing just that?"** she cried, her words a blade. **"Over five girls have been kidnapped since the beginning of the new moon, and now my precious pride and joy has also been taken!"** Her hands shot out, seizing Rosewalt by the collar, her knuckles white with desperation.
**"I understand your grief,"** Rosewalt replied, his tone unshaken despite the tremor in her grip. **"Trust me, I know how you feel. In a single moon, I've lost daughters, thoes kids are as important to me as your daughter is to you as a captain I've failed —something never heard of before. Every day, every night, they are all I think about. Mark my words: I shall deliver justice, and they will pay dearly. All I ask is your support."**
The woman's strength crumbled. She sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face like a torrential flood. **"Please! Please! If it's a kingdom's tussle, leave our sons and daughters out of it. For the love of the Gods, they're all we have in this depressing world,"** she pleaded, her voice breaking under the weight of her sorrow.
**"Mark my word, your daughter will be brought back safely,"** Rosewalt vowed, gently lifting her by the hands. She rose, her eyes hollow, and fled the hall without a backward glance, as if chased by her own despair.
**"Captain, do we have any lead regarding the disappearances?"** one of the guards asked, his voice tinged with unease.
**"Sad to say, we've got nothing,"** Rosewalt admitted, a flicker of fury breaking his calm. **"I had to comfort her. If they can't rely on us, then who else do they have?"**
**"Where's the lieutenant?"** he demanded, storming back to his office, his boots echoing like thunder.
**"Nobody should come in, no matter what. Am I clear?"** Rosewalt barked, slamming the door behind him.
---
Tayo tossed restlessly, the sheets tangling around him like chains. Sleep eluded him, his body a furnace of unease. He rolled from one side of the bed to the other, chasing comfort that wouldn't come. At last, he surrendered, rising from the mattress. To his right, Sango slumbered peacefully, oblivious to the turmoil churning within Tayo. With a quiet step, Tayo slipped out of the room, past the inn's reception, and into the cool embrace of the night.
**"Help! Please, help!"**
The eerie voice struck again, sharper now, so close it seemed to brush against his skin. Tayo froze, his heart pounding.
**"What do you want from me?"** he called into the darkness, curiosity warring with dread as he tried to unravel the mystery.
**"I want you to help me,"** the voice replied, its ethereal quality sending a shiver down his spine.
**"How? How should I help you?"** Tayo pressed, his voice steady despite the unease coiling in his gut.
**"I am currently in an abandoned school to the east. Please, we need your help, for you are the only one who can save us,"** the voice implored, its desperation palpable.
**"The east is where the sun rises, right?"**
**"Yes."**
Tayo spun, scanning the horizon. His eyes locked onto the faint glow where dawn would soon break. **"Got it,"** he said, his voice firm with resolve.
He bolted through the city's winding roads, a streak of determination cutting through the sleeping streets. Toward the east he ran, leaping over rooftops with impossible grace, never wavering from his path. The moonlight bathed his face in silver, illuminating the abandoned school on the town's far edge—a crumbling relic reclaimed by nature, standing as a silent sentinel at the border.
Tayo landed before it with a thunderous *crack*, the ground trembling beneath him. As he stepped forward, a searing heat bloomed within his body, as if his very blood were aflame. He staggered back, raising his right hand. To his horror, flames licked across his skin, dancing wildly. **"I see this building is cursed,"** he muttered, defiance flaring in his chest. **"Well, cursed or not, nothing is gonna tell me what to do."**
With a snarl, he strode forward, smoke curling from his hair as he seized the school's doors and flung them open with a deafening *bang*. There, in the moonlit gloom, stood the source of the voice—a girl, bound tightly. Her legs were roped together, her hands tied behind her back, her eyes and mouth sealed shut with crude cloth.
Tayo sprinted to her side. **"Thank you! Thank you for saving me!"** the girl cried, her voice—once eerie—now soft with joy, tears spilling down her cheeks.
**"Don't thank me. I haven't done anything special yet. Save that thanks,"** Tayo said gruffly, his fingers working swiftly to untie her bonds.
**"Well, well, well,"** a deep, menacing voice snarled, freezing Tayo's blood. **"No amount of food can make a ewe compete with a cow—I learned that the hard way. And no matter how good a demon acts, a demon will still remain a demon. This is the principle of life."**
The school doors burst open, moonlight flooding the room and spotlighting Tayo's face. **"There it is, people—the demon who has been taking your daughters!"** Lieutenant Damascus Vanhelsin declared, his voice dripping with venom.
Behind him, an angry mob surged forward, their faces contorted with rage, their eyes burning with a lust for vengeance.