You'll def wanna have enough time to read both this chap and the next one when you start it. This one is 2,900+ ish words, btw.
I'm going to quickly add some final touches to that one then publish it. It wont be long, I swear.
Have fun, lmao.
-----
I yawned as I sat in the dark library, the lantern casting a faintly glowing orange light across the room. Ray had fallen asleep outside a small while ago, and Norman had helped carry him back to his room for the night. And now... I was...
I stared down at the paper in front of me, chewing on the inside of my lip. The fountain pen's ink had dripped below my still hand as I stared at the blank paper, unable to find the right words to write.
After a long pause I took in a deep, shaky, breath and dipped the pen into the ink again, placing it gently against the paper and deciding to just write my thoughts as they came.
-----
"-N? Y/N?" A sweet voice cut through the ringing in my ears. "Are you alright?" Mujika asked softly, laying a hand on my shoulder. "You were staring into space again."
I blinked my way out of my thoughts before nodding. "Yeah. I'm okay." I grinned, rubbing the back of my nape. "Just a little lost in thought." The two demons had arrived a few minutes earlier, and the children were all preparing for departure at last. Although to me, everything felt like it was moving too quickly.
"I see." Mujika smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see everyone in good health."
I grinned, trying to blink the tired out of my eyes. No matter how hard I tried, I hadn't managed to get even a wink sleep. I'm sure I looked awful, but Mujika was likely just trying to be comforting. "You too." I responded. "How is Lu-lu, by the way?" I spoke with a cheesy grin.
The demon queen sighed. "He's still feeling a little reluctant about letting the humans all leave." She smiled brightly, tapping her chin. "Although he's too stubborn to go back on his own words."
"...You call him Lu-Lu?" Sonju cut in, a mildly concerned- and partially disgusted- air about him. I snorted.
"Yeah. Just a little...fun." I discretely yawned, rubbing my eyes. "Oh, did you ask him how he liked the bullet I put through his middle eye?" I smirked in amusement. "It was satisfying, that's for sure."
Sonju's lip wrinkled in a moment of disturbance. "Are you sure you want to hear what he said?" The demon man asked.
I hesitated for a moment, puffing out my cheeks. "Well... is it something that is going to be bordering on pedophelia?" I confirmed with the raise of my eyebrows.
"On the barrier is an understatement." Sonju responded with a raised eyebrow. I winced, pursing my lips.
"Yeah,,, no. I'm good then." I waved my curiosity away and turned back to the demon girl as she began speaking once again."
"So? How will you be implementing the promise?" She asked, tilting her head.
I suddenly felt to anxious to feel tired. "We'll be doing it below Gracefield." I answered quickly.
"And the promise?" Sonju inquired, causing my stomach to squirm.
"It's no biggie." I smiled broadly. "I guess..." I turned to the crowd scattered about nearby. "-we'll head there now, then?" Everyone nodded anxiously and excitedly.
"Let me see you off?" Mujika offered, holding onto my hands gently. "As a friend, and also as the queen." I beamed.
"Of course."
----- 3rd person POV -----
"WOAHHHH-!!!!" The children exclaimed at the sight of the glistening golden water.
"I know, right?" Y/N laughed, elbowing the ravenhead to the side roughly. "Ray had the same reaction to the one in Goldy Pond, just barely managing to suppress his excitement."
"No I didn't." The emo quipped.
The albino girl raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" She looked to the ceiling with an exaggerated sigh. "-Maybe it was the elevator, then."
"Oh, it was definitely the elevator" Lucas emphasized the words with a slow nod. To Ray's irritation, the girl gave her second-dad a thumbs up in response.
"Traitor." The ravenhead grumbled.
"Says you." Y/N stuck her tongue out.
"-What is this place, though?" One of the mothers asked, interrupting their banter.
"I've heard of it." Norman volunteered. "It's the passageway the Ratri clan used to transport goods."
"So, I'll use this water to tell him that I want to implement the promise." The white-haired girl gestured towards the small lake as she explained. Y/N knelt by the lake and scooped a small amount of the golden water into a jar. Ray then handed her a knife from his bag, and Y/N raised an coldly amused eyebrow. "Really?" She asked sarcastically. "Emma couldn't of given me one?"
The ravenhead blinked for a moment before begrudging realization dawned in his eyes. "...You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"No, of course not." Y/N smiled innocently before grabbing the knife from the emo's hand. "Hey, Yuugo-" The girl called over her shoulder. "If I pass out after using this knife you have my full permission to maul Ray. You too, Reina. I know your b*tch slap is on another level."
"-not that the permission would be needed for such." Yuugo wisecracked with a raise of his eyebrows, although his amused expression didn't seem to reach his eyes.
Y/N let out a laugh, quickly averting her gaze from his eyes. "Fair enough." She then dragged the knife against her palm- not before inspecting it carefully, to Ray's distress. Then, trying to keep her hand from trembling noticeably to the others, she placed the cut Vida plant into the jar before standing up shakily. Unexpectedly, as soon as the girl made it to her feet, Ray's hand gripped onto her own. She turned to him with a shocked look before it melted into a bittersweet smile.
The world around Y/N suddenly changed, until she was back into 'his' domain of night and day.
The inky sky filled with stars swirled endlessly beneath her booted feet which cast ripples across the surface. Her hands were cold and clammy, the presence of Ray's solid grip temporarily gone, as she clenched and unclenched her fingers again. "You're ready then, I see?" He spoke humorously.
Y/N nodded, the pits of her stomach churning anxiously just under the surface. The demon man nodded and raised his hand, small ball's of light forming in front of his fingers, the water from down below turning from sparkling black to gold. The albino girl found herself back in the underground cave, Ray's hand suddenly back to being intertwined around hers.
"Bye, Y/N-!!" Mujika called, Sonju nodding from behind her. He raised his hand in an air fist-bump and the young girl copied the gesture.
"Balalalalala." The two companions spoke in unison.
"Bye, pipsqueak." The demon grinned bittersweetly- or as much as you can do such with massive pointy teeth.
"Yeah. Bye Sonju. See you later-" Y/N suddenly cut herself off, annoyed with her slip up, rolling her eyes after the very blue orbs flicked quickly to everyone in the room. "You get what I mean." The albino girl joked, The demon man nodding as the golden water spiralled about more, picking up all the way to the ceiling and scattering golden light and droplets everywhere, twisting staircases beginning to materialize in the room.
Everyone turned their attention to the swirling mass of golden water as it began to grow brighter. Y/N's heartbeat picked up and every cell of her body panicked. The albino's hand subconsciously squeezed tighter against Ray's, her knuckles whitening, who turned to the girl.
Suddenly, Y/N was wrapped up in an embrace as Yuugo wrapped his arms around her, the light around them brightening. "Sorry." The man mumbled quietly, squeezing the young girl tighter, his face wet with tears. "God, I'm so sorry, Y/N."
"No." Y/N grinned, releasing a shaky breath, tears spilling from her sad blue eyes. "Thank you, Yuugo."
"Wait-" Ray muttered in shock as he stood besides Y/N, his voice filled with fear. "What- why are you-"
At the last second, Y/N wrapped her arms around him in a final hug, the world suddenly falling black as the ravenette fell unconscious.
-----
"Urg." Ray grunted as he came to, pushing himself off the ground as a splitting headache racked his brain. The beach sand lay below him, an unfamiliar sight. "We-" He stumbled to his feet as a jam-packed city lay across from him.
"We're....here?" Lani muttered in surprise, the pure shock and excitement visible in his eyes.
"We did it!" Poppy cheered, engulfing Reina in a hug.
"IT'S THE HUMAN WORLD-!!" The children all erupted into choruses of wonder and relief.
Gilda clasped her hands together, eyes watering, barely holding back tears. "We really made it."
"IT'S SO HUGE!!" One of the young children cried out, pointing towards the buildings laying in the distance.
"Look, there are people over there!!" Alicia pointed out the small clusters of people as they walked by in the distance.
"Real people!!" Don added excitedly.
"There- there are no demons here!!" Nigel sobbed in relief. Ray stood completely dumbstruck, shocked at seeing the the sight... well, the sight he thought he'd never see. 'Y/N...did it?'
"I did it Ray, I did it." Her voice spoke quietly from behind him, and Ray spun to look to her, a barely suppressed smile of elation on his face,
But she was nowhere to be seen.
The other kids began to notice it too, as they looked to congratulate the girl and to celebrate with her. But...where was she?
"Y/N-??" Emma asked in surprise, as she, too, noticed the albino girl's absence.
"She..." Norman spoke, his eyes wide as he surveyed the beach, which held no night of any footprints leaving their area. "She's not here-!" The celebratory air immediately became tense and riddled with confusion and worry.
"Y/N, where are you-?!" Reina called nervously, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Please answer if you're nearby!!"
Ray stayed standing stock still, his face so full of negative emotions it was hard to believe there could've been a near-smile there but a few moments earlier. 'Damn it!!' He cussed internally, his blood running cold. 'So there...there really was some sort of compensation.' His eyebrows drew together, panic seizing his chest. 'I knew it-!!' He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes crinkling. 'I knew something was off... but I still-!... I believed her words... "I'm not leaving you, okay? Or anyone else, trust me. I'll be right here, okay?" His eyes widened, his jaw clenching as his eyes widened. 'You promised me. So... where are you?'
Norman fell into a crouch, staring at the ground. 'Even though I know how much Ray... What am I doing-? I was so careless.' His expression turned frustrated from guilt. 'But why, Y/N? Why would you make promises you can't keep? You told me not to bear it all myself!!' Norman thought angrily, tears blurring his vision. 'Yet you did it to yourself! How could you dissapear like this? How could you do this to Ray? To everyone'
'I was just holding onto her hand.' Ray thought to himself, staring down at his weathered hands. 'She was... holding onto me. Just a moment ago-' His hand clenched tightly. 'I should've held on tighter. Then maybe-' There was a 'whoosh' from up above as an airship flew nearby, which turned and stopped after passing them, lowering to hover shortly above the lake, a man exiting from the top and walking towards the children.
"My name is Mike Ratri. Peter's uncle, and currently the proxy head of the Ratri clan. "Code solid." I already know. I am not your enemy. Our clan will no longer harm you children. We'll take you in. Climb aboard." His eyes slid to the side and the children's own eyes followed his, landing upon a crowd as it began to gather, people gawking at them. "Before things get complicated."
-----
"Don't worry." Mike reassured everyone as they listened worriedly to the news report, possibly scanning for any video of Y/N, any mention of the albino girl. "We're securing the farm children as they come in."
"...It's good news." Norman murmured a while later, staring at the ground, everyone gathered in a singular large room while they debated their situation and kept an eye on the news. "The world isn't at war... and the environment isn't significantly polluted. Actually, without national borders, there's no concept of 'immigrants'. The situation makes it easier for us to be accepted." His eyes were wide, as he tried to convince himself everything was okay. "We're lucky."
"Norman..." Rossi murmured worriedly.
"What?" Chris murmured, his eyes wide and hurt. "We're...not lucky at all. How could you say that...?"
Everyone's eyes glanced towards the ravenhead, who was sitting with his head in his hands. Ray hadn't spoken once since they arrived in the human world.
"Damn it!" Poppy cussed, punching a wall with enough force for the vibration to be felt through the floor a few feet away. "I'd say we'd drag her butt back... but we don't even know where she is-! Or if she's even-" Her voice failed herself, unable to speak the words they all feared would turn out to be true.
"What does it mean... that Y/N isn't here?" Don asked, his jaw clenched.
"So there was some reward..." Dominic murmured as well.
"That jerk!" Barbara huffed, crossing her arms. "How dare she act all high and mighty then pull a stunt like this."
"Did Y/N die?" Phil asked everyone. "Or was she kept in the demon world?"
"No." Reina shook her head. "If Y/N made the promise with the exact words we told her to... He can't take Y/N's life. Or keep her in the demon world-" She trailed off as she heard her own words, panic rising in her chest.
"That is..." Emma spoke quietly, finishing the silver-eyed girl's sentence reluctantly. "If the promise really applied to her..." The room fell silent, heavy with tension and fear.
"That's ridiculous." Vincent scoffed, rolling his eyes. "How could it not apply to her?"
Norman sighed. "Y/N... it's hard to explain. There's always been..." He paused for a moment, failing to find the right words. "-something aloof about her- not even mentioning her visions. Especially after her word choice while speaking to Peter Ratri..." He spoke more words everyone feared hearing, even if they all suspected it deep down. "It's a possibility that she's not a cattle child."
"I'm afraid that's not possible." Isabella refused, cutting in. "I've seen her documents. She was born and raised in Gracefield. Not a chance she came from anywhere else."
"But-" Yvette teared up. "Then why isn't she here??" Isabella herself swallowed, unable to respond, and the room filled with worry once more.
"She's always worked the hardest." Oliver sighed, after more silence, falling back into his position of natural leadership. "She wanted to save everyone! And I'm certain... she wanted to live on with everyone as well, so..."
"Yeah!!" Thomi and Lani agreed. "She wouldn't try to take care of it if it meant sacrificing herself-!!"
"Really?" Ray muttered, finally speaking. "What if it was the only option?" He didn't look up from the floor. "No, I'm sure even if there was other options, as long as the only ones that didn't involve sacrificing herself involved harming another..."
"...can we really say she wouldn't?" Norman finished chewing his lip.
"I..." Theo broke the heavy air once again. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her! And my siblings wouldn't be here either!"
"Me too." A small chorus of people agreed.
"I'd of given up by now..." Nigel reminisced of his time in Goldy Pond.
"Even if we had survived without her, as she would claim... we would still be without Lucas and Yuugo at this point." Paula added, the very dads watching from the back corner. "And, even if she doesn't know it herself..." Although a bandana covered her lower face, it was easy to tell she was smiling from her tone of voice. "-It's not the same without her."
Zack nodded. "If it weren't for her help, I wonder what we'd be doing right now? Still resenting and killing demons? One thing's for sure, my..." He struggled for the right word. "vocabulary of cusswords have... certainly improved." His words sent a small tentative chuckle throughout the room.
"Yeah. We were only able to come this far thanks to her." Violet agreed.
Gillian grinned, taking a step forward. "And even though she cussed like a drunken sailor, she was still a surprisingly big goody-two shoes. Even though her suggestions were always crazy... we always ended up pulling through with her help."
"Y/N..." Lucas spoke softly, leaving his old friend's side, who was abnormally silent and contemplating. "-acts according to her own plan, right? It's all stored inside that weird little brain of hers. No matter how reckless, or... mildly-crazy her plans are, we all know it'd work out in the end."
Emma nodded in agreement. "Yeah. So it doesn't matter where she is, right? Because she's definitely alive." The ginger grinned. "I want to see her."
"Me too-!!" Several kids chorused, their eyes all landing on Ray, who finally looked up from the floor.
"Yeah." He managed to pull off a smile despite his stress. "Me too. We'll look for her, then-."
"-Sorry to burst your bubble..." Yuugo stepped forward from the back wall where he'd been silently watching the interaction. "But Y/N-" His voice cut out for a moment as he tried to keep his welling emotions out of his voice
"Y/N... is dead."