The Kind of Evil

‎Rasmus wanted to turn around to look at the thing that was as big and tall as a mountain. However, he remembered what Aris had warned him to not answer, to not speak, and to not move. He hated the feeling of not knowing when he felt like he was in an imminent danger.

‎He tried to calm himself down by closing his eyes and controlling his breath. He knew that Aris wouldn't put him in danger if she knew there was even a slight risk of getting hurt. He did his best to lower his heartbeat that was racing so fast that he could feel the pulse behind his eyes and in his ears.

‎When Rasmus finally calmed down, a cold gust of wind pushed him down. He almost fell and hit the ground, but he managed to bend his right knee. He then realized that he wasn't crippling nor did he feel weak. He also could feel the cold of the wind, which made him think if he was in a dream or in another realm.

‎While Rasmus was deep in thought about what was going on, another gust of wind pushed him down to his knee. He was a bit irritated by the gust of wind until it clicked in his head.

‎"(It's not a wind...)" Rasmus thought, his body stopped moving and tried not to move a muscle. "(It's breath...)" His eyes widened by the fact that a breath could push him down and was powerless.

‎Rasmus tried to imagine how big the creature was that a breath was enough to make him fall to his knee. He couldn't imagine it, and if he could make a guess, the creature should be as big and as wide as a mountain.

‎The more he focused on the presence behind him, the clearer the sound of his breathing was. He felt every hair on his body rose, and he could feel the intimidating and unworldly gaze that was pointed at him. He then heard rumblings that sounded like giant boulders hitting each other as if the creature was leaning back, straightening its back.

‎He knew the creature was big, but it felt like it could grow even taller. When he heard the loud sound of flapping like a cloth being spread widely in an instant, he felt the sky was being covered. He knew at that moment what kind of creature that stood behind him.

‎"(A dragon...)" Rasmus thought as his heart raced uncontrollably.

‎He heard a rough surface that was being grazed in front of him like the sound of a massive avalanche. It felt like the land or even the world was being reshaped, and he knew it was the tail of the dragon.

‎"(How big this thing is...)" Rasmus closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

‎He had seen Hell, an Angel, and the Devil himself, but it wasn't as overwhelming as what he felt at this moment. He felt powerless back then when he was brought to hell by Videl for fun, but this powerlessness was completely different from that moment. The powerlessness that he felt in this moment was worse than being insignificant.

‎Suddenly, a heart-wrenching growl was heard from behind. The world that Rasmus was brought to was trembling as if it feared the dragon, feeling as powerless as him. The growl grew louder and deeper, starting to make him feel sick and made him want to pass out.

‎Rasmus slowly put his hands on the ground that felt cold and a bit soft. He tried to stay awake, but as the growl grew louder and didn't show any sign of stopping, was slowly losing his consciousness.

‎The dragon began to roar, and it sounded like the sky was being torn apart. The fierce rumblings of thunder sounded nothing compared to the roar of the dragon. It made Rasmus grunt in pain because every bone, every organ, and his heart were being crushed by the sound wave.

‎"Who dares to make my son kneel..." A familiar voice was heard in front of Rasmus.

‎Rasmus slowly lifted his head and looked at the woman that seemed unaffected by the darkness. He could see his late mother in her white dress standing in front of him as she stared at the dragon behind him.

‎"Ah so it's you..." Rasmus's mother stared coldly at the dragon. "I'm borrowing my power back for this one, child. So just go to sleep and let your mother deal with the true dragon..."

‎Rasmus felt the gentle touch of the cold hand of his late mother on his shoulder before he slowly fainted and collapsed.

‎At the same time in the forest, Aris stood still with a sword in her hand in an open space. She could feel dozens of demonic energies coming from in front of her. The energy was thick, similar to when Aris fought the Demon Kings. They weren't a threat to her, but since she took the Crystallized Dragon's Breath, she had to protect the forest and she couldn't damage the forest. She didn't actually care about it, but she considered Rasmus and she didn't want to ruin whatever plan he had with the spirit.

Aris gathered Mana from the forest and created a pure Mana ball in her left hand. It was enough to attract the demons attention because they believed it was the same energy that they felt from the Crystallized Dragon's Breath.

As soon as the Demon Kings walked out of the woods and entered the open space, it was revealed that they possessed human bodies, strong bodies that were strong enough to contain their existence. They realized they were being lured by Aris. Before they could even think of running away, Aris used that ball of pure Mana and created a powerful Mana barrier. The Demon Kings knew about Aris and Rasmus's whereabouts since they were informed by the people that had been following those two. They were ready to face them, and knew that they would fight them anytime soon.

The Demon Kings slowly ripped the skin and the flesh off of the human bodies they possessed, revealing their true forms to Aris. They were two times bigger than Aris in size even though Aris was already tall even for tall humans. They slowly grew their claws and fangs as they ripped their backs for their wings to grow and then spread them widely. It would put any mortal to kneel, trembling, but not Aris because to her, they were nothing but pests that needed to be exterminated.

Yur and the other spirits were watching in the distance from the top of the highest hill in the forest. They saw demonic energy clash with Mana, and how the demonic energy was absorbing the Mana and making the Demon Kings stronger. However, for Yur, the Demon Kings' fates had been decided the moment they were trapped in the barrier. Yur knew how strong Orthias were, and not to mention an Aristoria.

"Great Spirit... is Lady Aristoria going to be okay?" A spirit asked as it floated behind Yur.

"Lady Aristoria will be fine. Nothing can stop her," Yur answered, its eyes focused on the clashes between Aris and the Demon Kings, using only two swords to fight dozens of Demon Kings simultaneously. "All of you have been living for hundreds of years, so you don't know much about what Aristoria truly is," Yur continued, crossing its tiny arms.

"Who is Aristoria, and what are they?" A spirit asked.

"Aristoria is a special or an anomaly in this world. They're birthed by the world itself with immense power, intelligence, and unlimited growth because they're the protectors of this world. Although it sounds powerful and it's in fact that they're untouchable by any law, Aristoria isn't the final form..." Yur explained, narrowing its eyes. "They're basically seeds, and they will bloom into something more powerful, a power that none of you can imagine. They're meant to become True Dragons, no longer the protector but the ruler of the world," Yur revealed.

The spirits floated there, no longer whispering but watching and witnessing the battle in silence. They watched how Aris moved, not like a warrior, but like a law being rewritten, every slash corrected the presence of evil as if it was never meant to exist. The Demon Kings believed they were hunting the breath. But they had entered the den of its future heir.

They watched how flawless Aris's moves were, as if she was defying the law of physics by the way she moved. The Demon Kings, who were many, felt powerless and overwhelmed by her. The worst part was the fact that Aris didn't try to kill them, she was toying with them until they felt nothing but fear and desperation first.

In the end, there was nothing but silence as if the night was as peaceful as ever. Yur and the spirits watched the Mana barrier dissipate and the only one that was still standing was Aris, unscathed, unscratched, and didn't break any sweat or show any heavy breath.

"Amazing!" The spirits' words echoed throughout the night.