Family (two-in-one)

"Bang!"

A heavy fist slammed into the round table with a tremendous bang.

Everyone at the table looked toward the fist's owner, looking as though they wanted to laugh but dared not.

It was all because the man still had a swollen "pig's head" for a face, yet was also a councilor's grandson.

"Still no sign of him?!"

"Sorry, young master Caso. We haven't found any clues yet."

Caso dragged his fat body forward, his face twisted as he demanded answers from his men in a vicious growl, only to receive the same disappointing reply over and over.

It had all started two days ago, when someone suddenly threw a sack over him from behind and gave him a vicious beating. He hadn't even gotten a clear look at the person.

Caso had been burning with rage ever since.

As a councilor's grandson, everyone he met normally treated him with the utmost respect. Yet someone had dared to throw a sack over him?!

He would find that bastard and skin him alive!

Just then, one of Caso's underlings at the table said, "Boss, do you think that Devil did it?"

"You mean that monster who killed his own father?" Caso asked.

"Yeah. Didn't we have someone teach him a lesson before? Maybe he held a grudge and came to get back at you."

Caso thought back carefully. Something like that did seem to have happened. If he remembered correctly, he had been trying to court the monster's sister at the time.

Mira was acknowledged as a goddess by the entire guild and even the whole kingdom. Whether in looks, strength, or talent, she was among the very best of her peers in every respect, so naturally, she held considerable appeal for him.

But she was always with her Devil of a brother, and that monster was the only blemish on Mira's reputation.

Naturally, Caso, who wanted to court Mira, would not tolerate someone like that continuing to exist.

His men naturally understood his wishes, but for Mira's sake, they had only hired someone to teach him a lesson, hoping to force him to sever ties with her and leave.

"Is that possible? Doesn't that monster always take a beating or an insult without fighting back? Where would he get the nerve?" Caso said.

"Boss, you're not thinking straight! People call that guy a 'Devil.' He even dared to kill his own father, so what wouldn't he dare to do?" the underling said.

Caso frowned and thought it over. That did seem to make sense.

"In that case, we'll go straight to him tomorrow. If he knows what's good for him, I'll only take one of his arms, for Mira's sake. If he doesn't, he can't blame me for getting ruthless!"

"Hey, boss, how about this instead?"

The underling jumped in again with a suggestion. "To keep Mira from interfering, we set a trap and capture her first. Then we make that Devil abandon her right in front of her. That way, she won't keep devoting herself to him."

"Hmm, not a bad idea! The old man brought me a gift from his last trip. It'll come in handy."

Caso was very pleased and made the decision. "That's what we'll do!"

The next day.

Yuri suddenly received a letter asking him to go to the forest near the guild.

Of course, he didn't think it was a love letter. Given his reputation, that was impossible. It was probably a challenge or something of the sort, meant to lure him out for a beating.

Plenty of people in the guild couldn't stand him, and they had all sorts of reasons.

Some because of his sister, some because they followed the crowd, and others because he looked like an easy target. But most of his trouble came from his reputation as a "Devil."

He had taken plenty of beatings over such crap growing up, and he never fought back. But it wasn't because he was a coward...

Ever since that incident, Yuri had deliberately kept his power in check. He feared the "Devil Power" inside him would cause another tragedy.

He also worried it would have a bad effect on his sister... She shouldn't have a blemish like him on her reputation.

So Yuri avoided such "challenges" whenever he could. If he couldn't, he would lie on the ground and play dead, letting them beat him up.

In any case, the country's laws were strict, and no one could kill at will. At worst, it was a little humiliating.

But it was only him, anyway. It didn't matter how badly he was treated... as long as he didn't cause his sister trouble.

With that thought, Yuri tossed the "challenge letter" aside and went to the guild's rooftop, where he gazed up at the sky as usual.

But the weather didn't seem very good today. The oppressive gloom made him a little uncomfortable, and it probably wouldn't be long before thunder and rain arrived.

"Forget it. I'll head back." Yuri turned to leave without hesitation, but after just two steps, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Why hadn't his sister come today?

He paused, abruptly remembering the challenge letter he had thrown away. Things like this happened often enough, but today, he was truly uneasy.

Forget it. He'd go take a look...

Yuri hurried downstairs and headed for the forest.

Mira had always known that her brother had a certain self-destructive streak.

The shadow of killing his father, their mother's abandonment, the rumors and slander from others, and his guilt toward her.

She didn't know how to comfort her brother, so she always tried to cheer her up or quietly stood up for him.

The only thing she could do was stay by his side, but he always seemed to be trying to distance himself from her.

That day on the rooftop, she had seen it... She was afraid, truly afraid that one day her brother would leave her before she even realized it.

She was the sister he cared about, and he was no less the brother she loved most.

They were each other's family... their only family. She hoped that bond would last forever.

So when she heard that something might have happened to her brother, she immediately came to the forest.

Only... it seemed she had fallen for a trap.

Mira knelt on one knee, panting heavily, with numerous wounds from weapons across her body.

"Surrender, Mira. This entire forest is covered by a magic power restriction device my grandfather left me. No one can use magic power here."

"Without magic, you're no match for us." Caso stepped out from among his armed underlings, wearing a smug, wicked grin.

Mira looked coldly at Caso, who stood not far away, and mocked him. "What's wrong? You can't beat me in a fair fight, so all you can do is resort to underhanded tricks?"

"A fair fight! You've got the nerve to talk to me about a fair fight?"

Caso stamped his feet in fury. "That damned Devil of a brother of yours not only dared to sneak up on me, he even beat up my handsome face! Today I'll make sure he learns exactly who he's offended!!!"

Mira was startled, realizing that she had accidentally made things worse. She hurriedly said, "I did that. It had nothing to do with my brother."

"What, now you're worried?"

Caso gave a vicious grin, his gaze toward Mira full of lust. "Want to take the blame for your brother? Fine, I approve! As long as you're willing to marry me and cut ties with that monster, none of this will be a problem."

"Pah!" Mira looked at Caso with icy contempt, as though he were a disgusting maggot. "You despicable bastard, dream on! Even if I die here today, I'll never submit to the likes of you!"

"Hmph, still so proud. But that's exactly what I like most about you, the way you act so proud toward everyone."

Caso snorted and grinned wickedly. "I'd like to see whether you'll still be so proud after I cut off your brother's arm and smash his bones one by one... I can't wait to see you on your knees, wagging your tail and begging me for mercy."

"You dare!" Caso's words thoroughly enraged Mira.

"What wouldn't I dare do?" Caso retorted viciously. "I'll tell you the truth. The reason I lured you here today was to show you just how pathetic that monster of a brother of yours really is."

"Once you've seen him looking more miserable than a dog, let's see if you still like him as much as you do now! Hahahahaha..."

Caso laughed wildly without restraint, and the lackeys behind him joined in.

Perhaps because they thought victory was assured, no one, Mira included, noticed when another figure appeared among them.

"Is that so?"

The newcomer spoke up, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"Brother!" The familiar voice filled Mira with sudden joy, but she quickly remembered their situation and shouted anxiously, "Brother, run! You're the one they're after!"

"Oh? You're Mira's broth..." Caso turned toward the voice.

But before he could finish speaking or even get a clear look at the figure, a fearsome fist struck his face. The fat on Caso's face deformed under the blow, rippling in trembling waves.

"Bang!"

His massive body flew backward, snapping a large tree in its path before tumbling across the ground and carving a deep furrow.

The stunned crowd finally came to their senses and looked in fear at the man people called the "Devil."

All they had ever known was that the "Devil" didn't fight back. No one had told them he was this fierce.

Besides, magic power had clearly been sealed off in this area, so how could he still...

What they didn't know was that even without magic power, Yuri remained powerful thanks to the Devil Bringer's own strength.

It was only for the sake of his family that he had always kept the "Devil" in his heart confined. That was the last line he would not cross.

"What are you standing around for? Kill him! Hack this damned Devil brother and sister to death together!!!" Caso clutched his face and scrambled to his feet, furious and humiliated.

Rage had clouded his mind. He no longer cared about his original goal; he had only one thought: kill the two monsters before him!

"Mira, close your eyes," Yuri said expressionlessly. His voice seemed to carry a deathly silence, as desolate as an abandoned grave.

Mira instinctively sensed that something was wrong with her brother. She wanted to say something, but Yuri had already stepped away and charged into the crowd.

The fierce wind was the horn announcing the opening act, and the dark clouds were a sign of the coming downpour.

As sharp blades cut across skin, fearsome claws tore through throat bones.

The crisp crack of bones echoed in their ears, and chilling screams reverberated in their minds.

The scene before them was like hell...

Broken limbs, torn-open chests, fresh entrails, corpses strewn across the ground, and a young man who looked like an asura.

His eyes seemed to glow blood-red as he walked toward Caso, step by step.

"No... don't... stay away from me! You can't kill me! My grandfather is a councilor. If you kill me, you won't live either!" Caso's legs had long since gone weak at the sight before him. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he backed away, inch by inch.

Seeing that his threat had failed to frighten Yuri and that he was drawing closer instead, Caso immediately begged, "Please... please don't kill me. I was wrong. I won't ever dare do it again. As long as you spare me, I can give you anything, whether it's money or women..."

Yuri didn't answer. He only swayed as he continued forward, expressionless.

From the moment Caso laid a hand on Mira, there was no possibility that Yuri would spare him, because nothing in this world was more important than his family.

"Die..."

The utterly calm voice rang out, and the Devil Bringer pierced straight through Caso's heart.

Scarlet blood stained Yuri's hair and ran down the fearsome Devil Bringer.

With an explosive clap of thunder, rain poured down in torrents...

The rain grew heavier and heavier, gradually washing away the blood on the ground, yet it could not wash the "scarlet" from Yuri's body.

He stood there in a daze, as though remembering the rainy night when he had become a Devil.

But he no longer panicked as he once had, because he had already seen the ending ten years ago.

When Mira was little, she hadn't understood death or fear. But now she had grown up...

Once again, Yuri remembered the fearful look his mother had given him, as though he were a monster.

Perhaps this was for the best.

He had wanted to leave for a long time anyway, hadn't he? Now he would get his wish...

As Yuri dwelled on those bleak thoughts, a warm, slender body suddenly pressed into his arms and held him tight.

"Brother, are you all right?!" Mira's tearful voice reached him.

Yuri stared blankly at his sister, so close to him. He could sense no fear or coldness in her eyes.

Only the same worry and concern as always.

His eyes widened slightly, as though he found it hard to believe.

Why? His mother hadn't been like this back then. Surely Mira should have been frightened and afraid.

Rain ran down his cheeks, and for some reason, Yuri's eyes grew a little red.

His lips trembled slightly as he asked the question he had always wanted to ask but never dared to: "Why... aren't you afraid?"

Mira answered as though it were only natural. "What's there to be afraid of? Aren't we family?"

That ordinary question pierced Yuri's heart like an arrow, instantly reminding him of his past foolishness.

So that was it. He had been wrong. It was all because he had never realized...

Mira wasn't unafraid because she didn't understand. He, her brother, was the one who hadn't understood.

"Ah... because we're family."

Yuri smiled and embraced his sister. His white hair gradually turned black, and the Devil Bringer slowly dissipated.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The world around them fractured like a broken mirror, then burst apart with a bang.

The surroundings returned once more to that dark world with only a single shaft of light.

"This is..." Mirajane rubbed her head and sat up from the ground.

"Yo, demon girl, you're finally awake!"

The crowlike, grating voice caught Mirajane's attention. She turned her head groggily. Although she was still a little disoriented, all her memories had returned.

"You're... Griffon?"

"That's me," Griffon replied. "I never expected you to be the first person to clear this dungeon. Nice work."

"Dungeon? You mean that illusion?" Mirajane asked in confusion.

"You could think of it that way, but I prefer to call it a nightmare," Griffon said.

A nightmare?

Mirajane shook her head and noticed another key word. "You said I was the first. Does that mean a lot of people have been through this... nightmare?"

"Not that many. Including you, there have only been two." Griffon raised a wing in a V sign.

Two... so the other person failed?

"Then what happened to that person?" Mirajane asked on an impulse.

"Her?... I 'forgot.'" Griffon had been about to say something, but suddenly changed his answer and fell silent.

Forgot?

Mirajane looked thoroughly unconvinced. There had only been two people, and he could still forget? Just how bad was this bird's memory?

He obviously didn't want to say!

"Don't look at me like that. It's not as though I wanted to 'forget.'"

Unable to bear Mirajane's stare any longer, Griffon changed the subject. "I say, it's time for you to go out. Someone's been waiting outside for you for quite a while."

Mirajane frowned and looked around. "But I don't know how to get out of here."

"No, you do."

Griffon smiled mysteriously. "When you said those words, you became qualified to leave this place."

Boom!

As soon as Griffon finished speaking, the space around them seemed to shudder. A sudden pull came from within the dome of light, drawing Mirajane toward its source.

Griffon remained where he stood, watching the girl floating in the air with a measure of relief.

Family is the conviction you hold fast to in your heart, and that is why it can protect you from being consumed by devil power.

Family is also a haven for the heart, one that can guide you "home."

While you love your family, your family loves you too... I really hope that guy Yuri can truly understand that someday.