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"They're headed to the royal capital." Anna said. "Right now."
Ray was confused on how in the world was he back at the hideout. Him and Emma were just at the seven walls. Now he opens his eyes with news of Norman and (Y/N) on the way to kill the whole monarchy?
He hurried outside to find if Emma was safe. Thankfully, she was. "Emma!"
"Ray! Are you okay?" Emma asked.
"Yes, I'm alright." He replied.
"It's November 7, 2047. Three hours after I came back, they're already heading for the capital. The extermination plan is underway at full pace." Ray said. "This is really bad, we need to hurry."
"And you?" He turned to Emma. "Did you remake the promise?"
"Yup! We did it! Everybody will be able to leave to the human world. Without anyone dying or any demons following us." Emma smiled in reassurance.
"Huh?" Ray asked in disbelief. "For real?"
"Yes!" Emma replied. The crowd of children around them cheered after hearing the news.
"What was the price? The reward?" Ray asked.
"Nevermind that now, I'll explain later." Emma said, making Ray a little bit suspicious.
"Well, alright. When we have time, I'll listen to every detail you say. Leave that aside, we must hurry!" Ray exclaimed, getting his gun. "We're leaving right now. Thoma and Lani found out about something horrible."
"What?" Emma asked in confusion.
"Norman's plan isn't just simply killing the royals and the court. They will exterminate every demon in the capital." He said, which made Emma widen her eyes in surprise.
Ray was getting worried if they ever can't make it. And is slightly worried for (Y/N), scratch that he is worried for her. He knows she can handle the demons but he's still worried.
They hurried to the capital with determination of stopping the extermination.
"Okay, let's go to the royal capital!" Emma exclaimed.
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"The festival has already started." Emma said, disguising herself as a demon.
"Yeah." Ray said. "The timing was stricter than we thought. Norman and (Y/N) must be at the heart of the ceremonial grounds, inside the palace."
"We have to hurry." Emma said.
Then, a loud noise to what seems like the sound of an explosion was heard. "What's going on?!" Emma asked in worry.
"Agh!" Ray groaned as he shielded them from the explosion. "We took too long! They already started the attacks!"
"Emma? Ray?" Gilda's voice was heard from behind them.
"Don! Gilda!" Emma exclaimed. Gilda hugged the girl with worry plastered on her face. "So you made it back from that place! I'm so glad."
"Hello, Hayato! So you were traveling along, right?" Emma asked the boy with them. Hayato nodded in response.
"And this is Ayshe." Gilda introduced the girl with wolves by her side. They turned to the two figures beside them and to their surprise, it was Sonju and Mujika.
"Mujika! Sonju!" Ray exclaimed, smiling in relief.
"Emma." Mujika called her. "It's going to be okay."
Emma embraced Mujika. "Thank you. Thank you for doing this for us. I'm so glad you're all doing well!" She smiled.
"You too, Emma." Mujika smiled as well.
Releasing from the hug, Emma shouted in determination. "We'll stop Norman whatever it takes!"
"Emma, if you and Ray are here. Then that means you made it?" Don asked in hopefulness.
"Yes! The promise is redone." Emma cheerfully said, which made Sonju and Mujika shocked. "But it's not in effect yet. For now, it's on hold."
"Right! Just like we planned." Gilda said.
"What about Oliver's team? They said they wanted to bring you guys back on a horseback. Did they go already?" Don asked.
Emma then explained on what happened earlier. "That's why we only arrived now! We gotta hurry and stop them!"
"But it was a good thing in the end because we got to find you." Ray said. "Though, there's one more problem to deal with."
"A note?" Emma asked, looking at the piece of paper Ray was holding out.
"This is Norman's handwriting." Emma said, taking the note.
"It's the formula to the poison Norman developed." Ray said, as they hurriedly ran.
"He must be planning to use it not only to the nobles but on the whole population of this town." Ray started. "His first goal is to genocide the whole entire population of the Royal capital. It is unlikely but knowing him, everything must be set that way."
"If anything happens to the city when we come back, I would like to limit the damage as much as possible." Ray said. "All the more so with Mujika is here. It makes the prospects much more likely, I think."
"But of course, our top priority is your safety. So if you catch even a hint of danger, please run away!" Emma exclaimed in worry.
"Emma, go make your move." Sonju said, handing over an object.
"What's this?" Emma asked as she looked at the object on her hand.
"A communicator." Sonju replied. "We seized it from this fellow and his other comrades. If you need help, use this device to call. I will come to you at once."
"If you press it, it makes a noise and you can tell the current location." Don informed them.
"I see." Ray said. "So if anything happens, tell us in morse."
"We will take care of the city." Mujika said.
"Still, if you face any danger call!" Sonju said.
Ray whipped his head to the hooded figure behind Mujika. Those familiar (E/C) eyes made him relieved at the sight of them. "(Y/N)!" He exclaimed.
"I see you're here." She said in a cold voice. "With them.." She said, looking at the two demons with them.
"Yes!" Emma exclaimed. "They're Sonju and Mujika! We also made the pro-"
"I don't care." Her sharp voice shutted Emma up.
Ray was appalled by her sudden, intimidating behavior. She was standing with her mask on, not the demon mask they wore. She had no intention of hiding that she was human. Her cold eyes stared back at his.
"Ayshe." She called to the white-haired girl. It caused the girl to go by her side, with her gun pointed at the demons.
"Hayato!" Hayato also hurried to her side after hearing her angry snarl.
"Now." (Y/N) held up her bow, pointed straight at Mujika. "The very first demon to die."
"Wait (Y/N)-" Everything happened so swiftly. Sonju hurriedly grabbed Mujika out of the way before the released arrow from (Y/N) got pierced through the demon girl's heart.
"You're making this hard." She said, shooting another arrow at Sonju. The arrow was flying straight to Sonju's eyes but luckily Sonju dodged, barely. "I need to kill the evil-blooded girl."
"Ayshe shoot her." She ordered and the girl obeyed her. Ayshe was about to shoot Mujika when Emma and Ray stood in front of them.
"What are you doing, (Y/N)?!" Ray exclaimed. "I thought you didn't want to interfere!"
(Y/N) clicked her tongue, laughing. Before laying her minatory eyes staring straight at him. "That's where you were wrong, Ray."
He was fooled back then. He should've had known. After all, she was able to lie back then at Gracefield.
"I'm such a good actress, aren't I?" She said in a calm voice, with a hint of amusement.
"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked.
"Yes, I didn't care if you ever made the promise or not." She said. "But I don't want you to take my chance away of killing these monsters who mercilessly slaughtered us like cattle!"
"I-" She paused. "I h-hate them! They made me s-suffer so much!" She said, her voice wavering. "We all suffered so much!"
Ray had softened his gaze when she heard her stutter. Like she was having second thoughts on all of this.
"Move out of the way, Ray." She said, pointing the arrow at Mujika who was behind him. Sonju couldn't move as Ayshe had her gun pointed at him. Sonju didn't want to hurt the children.
"I said move out of the way!" She stomped angrily making them startled by her voice suddenly raising. (Y/N) was clearly running out of patience.
"I'm seriously going to consider on shooting you, Ray." She threatened.
"You wouldn't do that." Ray said. "Because that's not what Norman ordered you to do."
She was taken back by the sudden statement. "You were ordered to only kill the evil-blooded girl, which is Mujika here."
"You follow orders just like back then." He said. "I may not have known you well but you're doing this to yourself. You're letting yourself being controlled. You don't have to be a puppet! Norman isn't manipulative like Mom!"
That's when he triggered her. She was riled up right now after hearing his statement. His heart was about to burst when she got near, with her arrow pointing straight at him.
She got Hayato point his gun at Mujika while she held her weapon with her other hand. She marched up to him, making him feel a little tensed and scared. She roughly pulled his collar making their face near. Her frightening gaze made him a tad bit scared.
Her glare frightened him. "What did you just say?" She asked, tightening her grip.
"I am not a slave to no one." She angrily said, her piercing stare made him even more scared. But he gained confidence to face her, because she was just a broken person acting tough out on the exterior.
"I know you want to kill them so badly." Ray said, softening his gaze towards her. "But we can go through this without any bloodshed, demon or human."
"We can go through without killing anyone." He said, taking off his mask. "(Y/N), please listen to me."
"Don't do this." He said. "Let us pass."
"I don't give a crap on your speech." She said, gripping harder. "They're demons, what else is there to tell?"
"Now, if you don't step aside I'll gladly throw you off the side." She calmly said, her eyes raged like fire. "I like you but that doesn't mean I won't break your bones, Ray."
Ray was taken back by her sudden confession. His heart skipped a beat but he didn't let his guard down. "(Y/N), please."
"I won't hesitate." She said, her eyes glaring at his.
"Do it." He challenged. "Let's see if you can do it."
(Y/N) gritted her teeth in frustration. She obviously can't hurt him in any way. "Just step aside!" She roughly shoved him. He fell to the ground, widening his eyes when she pointed the bow and arrow to Mujika.
Before Ray could stop her, Mujika started to talk. "Dear, you look tired." She said in concern.
Mujika tried to touch her face but (Y/N) raised her arrow straight at her eye. "Don't come any c-closer."
Ray noticed her legs were shaking. "Have you gotten any sleep?" Mujika asked.
"Stop talking!" She exclaimed.
Ray got up and walked towards her, trying to reach and stop her. She jolted, accidentally kicking him out of reflex.
"You hate us, don't you?" Mujika said. "Your family has been mercilessly slaughtered and eaten. I feel the same way as well."
That made (Y/N) widen her eyes but was still on her guard. "They killed my whole family, my friends and I'm the only one left."
"If only Sonju and I could've saved you back then in the forest." Mujika said. "You were the girl the kids kept crying for."
"Shut up! I'm done with all of your crap!" She exclaimed. "I never had a family to begin with! You don't know me! You, Emma, Ray.. You all don't understand!"
"But we do understand." Mujika said.
"Shut up! Shut up!" She yelled in frustration. Just then, Ray was alarmed when she dropped to the ground. No longer holding the weapon, she screamed in pain as she held her head.
"Athena!" Hayato dropped his gun to the ground
"Agh!" She screeched, tears flowed down her cheeks as she gripped her hair. "Make it stop.. Make it stop!" She cried.
Ray hurried to her side, rubbing her back. She feared of what would happen to (Y/N). Emma, Gilda and Don hurried to her side, crowding her. As well as Ayshe and Hayato.
"This is bad!" Hayato frantically said. "I don't have any spare medicines with me!"
Mujika went through her bag. "We've ran out of herbs!" Mujika exclaimed in worry.
"What do we do?! At this point, Athena will die from this!" Hayato's statement surprised them all.
"You mean.."
"We all, from Lambda, don't have much time left. That's why boss is doing everything he cans! These seizures are getting worst for over the past two years!" Hayato exclaimed.
The thought of (Y/N) dying frightened him even more.
"Who has the medicines?" Ray asked.
"I bet boss does! But he's currently at the palace!" Hayato said.
"Then let's hurry." Emma said, putting on her mask. "Let's stop Norman while we cure (Y/N) immediately."
"We should hurry up. The seizures might get worse." Ayshe surprisingly talked.
(Y/N) screamed in agony as she clutched onto Ray's arm. Ray noticed her hands trembling. Immediately, he carried her in her arms. "Alright, let's go."
"Are you sure you'll be able to carry her?" Emma asked.
"Yes, now let's hurry to Norman before we lose her." Ray said, carefully carrying her while running with them.
"Stay with me, (Y/N)."
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A/N:
oOoooOoooh an update.
This was an earlier update than I expected. And it's a short one too, sorry-
But anyway, 19K reads?! Hold up let me breath some air.
Sadly, this book is nearing to end. And just realized how confusing this book is. WHICH IS A VERY BIG MISTAKE OF PAST ME FOR NOT PLANNING AHEAD-
(Y/N) and Ray will surely have those 'romantic moments' couples do, or will they? :0
Anyways, thank you for making this far guys! The votes are very much appreciated!
Oh yeah I have another ray x reader in my drafts right now so I hope it will turn out decent.
Also, you can call me Amanda instead.
Stay safe and wait for the next update! :D
The despair is just ever-growing, will she even see past another day? 🗒