The chilling longsword plunged into the ground. The human girl with black hair and black eyes leaned weakly against the Demon Sword, her head hanging as she staggered out of Mount Hakurei. Even on the level road, she could only stumble forward, as though she might collapse to her knees at any moment.
"Um, are you all right?" a child asked timidly from directly ahead.
Zitan raised her head. Before her stood an ordinary villager's child, dressed in the same simple, short clothes she had once worn, with bright, clear eyes. Though a little afraid, the child did not back away.
A faint light appeared on the horizon. "It's... already morning..." Zitan sighed softly. As sunlight fell over her, even the evil power seemed to be suppressed, making her feel as though she had been born anew.
Thump... thump-thump... thump-thump-thump...
It was the sound of her heart pounding violently. The powerful evil aura lurking within it swiftly spread through her entire body with the flow of her blood.
"Ah!" Zitan cried out in agony. Her body slid involuntarily down against the Demon Sword. "Help... help me..."
She reached out to the child, whose terrified eyes reflected her eerily glowing purple pupils.
"Ah! A monster!" The child who had approached her with kindness screamed and fled toward the family members working in the fields.
"Heh. Really, what was I expecting..." Zitan gave a self-mocking smile. She had slashed the monster girl who had treated her gently, then fled because she could not even face another monster's gaze. Her own cowardice was truly disappointing. The girl's will gradually scattered, and her kindness slowly sank to the bottom of the dark lake of her heart, steeped in hatred and resentment. The gates of her heart slowly closed, and the last trace of warmth