Freedom's daughter

Lyet and I head out.

You can still see the corpses lying on the platforms and the ground.

Several elves, all girls, are kneeling around a corpse; they seem to be around thirty, praying.

That elf died badly, his neck has a six-centimeter deep hole.

"I'm sorry that he had to die like that..."

"No, Histrio, keep looking."

Uh? I don't really follow, but I do as she says, and some seconds later, the elf stands back on his feet; the injury is no longer there.

"Is it really possible to resurrect people?" I ask.

"Yes, but it's among the most difficult high-level spells; that's why there were so many elves."

"Exactly. We were able to find a way to link our mana, thus allowing us to use complex spells when together."

From behind, Balus joins. 

"What happened yesterday at this point is normal for us. I'm glad nothing bad happened to you two."

"Even the other demon?" Asks Lyet.

"It may or may not appear; it's still a mystery. I just assume there are also conflicts between different demons."

"I think... I think it is protecting you..."

"Might be, but my knowledge on the matter is limited."

"If you two don't mind, I'm going down. I want to check something. Tely, join me when you are done."

-

"I know you are unsure but—"

"You are a demon, aren't you?"

What? How does he know?

I wanted to talk back, but no words came out.

He waited for Histrio to go away on purpose to open this topic. If Histrio were here he would be able to bluff it out, I'm sure of it... I'm not him, though.

...

"I wasn't sure at the start, but now it's clear. I'm just glad you aren't like the others."

"How did you find out?"

"We elves are more perceptive than you might think, but admittedly, I just guessed. You confirmed it by remaining silent. I only noticed that you always seem to stay behind Histrio, except when I started talking about demons, it was the only moment you didn't wait for him to do something, to defend your species. You also seemed frustrated when I mentioned I wasn't sure about considering the other demon an enemy or not, you took it personally."

"Do I really... Stay behind Histrio that much?"

"From what I can tell, yes. Your eyes also generally look for him as if to ask 'What do we do now?' Quite often, it's involuntary."

"..."

"Can we talk somewhere more private? I have a few questions about demons."

"...Ok."

-

I moved to see what the elves were doing.

I joined them in looking for tracks or anything about those demons, but apparently, there's nothing.

"Did you guys find something?" I ask an elf who's looking for scent.

"You are the one who should help us, right? Unfortunately no, demons are especially good at not leaving anything except for corpses. No scent, no footprints, no hair... Nothing."

"Really? No wonder you can't figure out where they come from."

"Do you have something in mind?"

"Can't you just use a spell?"

If Dante possesses a spell to localize Lyet, I assume they might use something similar.

"No, we already tried... But those creatures are immune to magic."

"What?"

"Yes, that's why we use weapons to fight them... We have little problem with magic, yet whatever we use always fails."

"How many caves are around?"

"In the forest? A lot. We already thought of looking into them. We explored all, except for one, it's too dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Well... It's full of magical mist. It's the same as darkness, but where light doesn't work, making it unexplorable even with magic."

"That mist wouldn't bother something that only relies on hearing to orient itself, right?"

"As I said, it's complete darkness; it has nothing to do with hearing."

"Would you be capable of using a spell to read my mind?"

"Not me specifically, but it's possible, why?"

"I'll talk with the chief first."

-

Mmmm? Are they talking inside?

Knock

"Come in." Replies Balus.

"What are you two talking about?"

"You're friend Lyet was telling me everything about demons."

"...And he doesn't want to believe me." Whispers Lyet.

As expected, you can't change someone's grounded belief with words alone.

I place a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

"If you believe she is wrong, why didn't you attack her?"

"Don't compare us elves with humans. We would never attack someone unless for self-defence. Regardless of the demons' nature, Lyet hasn't done anything bad to us. Also, I never said she is wrong; it's just that I can't verify it. Lyet says demons aren't bad, religion says they are, who am I supposed to believe and why?"

"I can't argue back, as long as you don't intend to harm her, it's fine by me. To change topic... I think I can find a way to hunt down those creatures that are attacking you."

"I'm all ears."

"I was told someone is capable of reading minds here."

"All women can."

"Would they be capable of linking my mind to all the fighters you have?"

"It's possible as well."

Are all elves that good with magic or something? If I remember correctly, this kind of spell is medium-level.

"Then I can orient myself in that cave with the magical mist. If everyone is connected to my mind, I can show everyone the way."

"This is interesting, how so?"

"As you know, those creatures heavily rely on sounds to orient themself. I believe they can echolocate."

"Like a bat?"

"Exactly."

"Either they can or not, it's little important right now. How do you intend to orient inside that cave?"

"The same way as them"

"With echolocation?" 

Both Lyet and Balus look at me, surprised.

"Yeah, it's achievable if you train a bit."

I believe they are surprised because in a world where blindness can be cured with magic, there is no need to develop echolocation, and so they might think it's impossible. But in my world many blind people use echolocation, either consciously or not. I learnt it just in case I needed to play as a blind person.

"Do you mind demonstrating it?"

"Not at all. If you want I can open the door and go out with my eyes closed."

"Please do."

I stand up and close my eyes...

I click with my tongue.

Click...

I use the rebound of the sound to understand the distance between me and the door.

Click...

I check where the handle is, turn it, and go out, doing everything as if I were seeing.

I go back to them.

"Impressive. Then we might test your idea, and if it works, we'll go to the cave."

"If everything works out, can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?"

"I see you elves are extremely capable with magic. If my idea succeeds, would you mind training Lyet? She is still inexperienced with magic, and I can do very little to help her."

"...Only basic spells, but yes."

He was reluctant because she is a demon. I hoped for something more, but it's better than nothing. If I push, I might not receive anything at all.

"Lyet, are you fine with it?"

"Yes! Thank you!" She makes a little bow to the chief.

"It's decided then. Please, follow me outside. I'll gather the elves, it's important not to waste precious time, we'll go right away."