LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 6 – Blending into Shadows
After the disastrous dinner, Rosa spent a lot of time thinking about her situation. Previously, she had always swept all these unpleasant topics to the side since a small, irrationally stupid part of her hoped that this whole situation might have been nothing more than a dream. But it was time to face this new, unpleasant reality and figure out what it was that she needed to do.
First I should probably compile all the things I know about this world.
Rosa wished she could have some pen and paper to write it all down, but obviously her nursery had none of those things. So instead, she decided to organize the information she knew in her head.
- I am the youngest daughter of the Demon King and his designated heir.
- My mother, the Demon Queen, is dead.
- I have magical potential that hasn't been seen in five thousand years. Apparently.
- Elves and dwarves are treated like slaves by the demons.
Rosa tried hard to think of other important things, but she realized that these were the only things that she knew for certain. The rest was nothing more than her own guesses or assumptions. She didn't even have a clue whether there were humans in this world.
There must be, but I've never seen one or heard anyone talk about them. Even the books that Faenor and Demon Man read never mentioned anything about humans. And I can't take anything written in these books at face value, since I don't know what's fiction and what's reality.
Rosa's conclusion was simple – she knew far too little about this world. She needed to learn more. But to do that, she has to acquire two of the most important skills – talking and reading. The thought of trying to understand the weird writing of this world made Rosa cringe. Letters looked difficult, and even after all the books she's seen, she still hasn't picked up on a single letter. Rosa guessed that most likely the writing worked much like Japanese or Chinese where a letter could actually represent a whole word.
She probably won't be able to easily learn the writing on her own, so her best course of action would be to start talking.
"M-Me neim is L-L-" she stuttered in her crib, trying to make her unruly tongue to cooperate. Rosa wasn't sure whether it was her undeveloped baby body that made it difficult to speak or the new language.
"I a-am Rosa," she said in human language and that turned out better albeit it sounded foreign with her new voice.
I shouldn't forget my native language. If I find a way back home, then I need to be able to speak it.
And so Rosa continued her talking practice late into the night. Mostly she spoke in English, because whenever she spoke the demon language, she often stuttered and pronounced words wrong. It frustrated her to no end, so after a few failed attempts, she called it a night and went to sleep.
***
Rosa diligently continued her talking practice for the next month, doing it whenever she was sure that nobody was around. It didn't take long for her to master the unruly baby tongue and speak English without much trouble. But the demon language… Well, let's just say that her pronunciation was not the best.
Why is this language so hard to pronounce? It's like they mixed German with French and Chinese. My tongue is going to twist in on itself.
It was going so badly that Rosa considered abandoning her efforts altogether.
Who am I going to talk to? Demon Man? The only thing I would tell him is probably a slurry of curses? Talking to Gunna and Faenor could be more productive… They probably wouldn't mind answering some of the questions I had…
In the end, Rosa sighed and continued practicing. She had to find a way out of this. A way back home where she could return to her art. Having already spent so much time without even sketching anything made Rosa worry that when does have the chance to draw or paint, all of her skills will be gone.
Perhaps, I could ask Gunna to bring me some pencils or paints or crayons or whatever it is they have in this world. All the more reason to hurry with my practice.
"Me neim is L-L-Roza," she keeps repeating at the swirly-patterned ceiling above her. It was already late into the night, but despite the many attempts the words sounded wrong. They weren't as smooth as when others spoke, instead her speech reminded her of a jagged, rough stone wall.
I should call it a night today, since I'm not improving anyway. Tomorrow I'll try to repeat the words Gunna and Faenor say throughout the day.
With this thought, Rosa's eyelid slowly closed, tiredness beckoning her into dreamland. Her breath became steady, her heartbeat – slow. A vague dream of the seaside began to form in her mind, when she heard the light sounds of the nursery door opening and closing.
Who is coming in this late? Gunna? Or Demon Man? Probably decided to watch me sleep or something creepy like that.
Rosa opened one eye to take a look at her late visitor. Her breath hitched as she saw a figure covered in black from head to toe, only their murderous eyes visible through the tiny slits. Their hand was raised high, a dagger in it.
They're about to kill me!
Rosa grabbed onto the crib's railing and with strength she didn't know her baby body had, dragged herself over the edge. She collided with the floor with a 'thud', and a pained grunt escaped her lips.
"You actually dodged that? Impressive for a baby, but I guess I should be expecting no less from the Demon King's daughter," they snarled out in a barely audible voice. It was unclear whether it was male or female, the voice was too gurgled.
The assailant slowly circled around the crib, dagger primed in their hand. Rosa scrambled away from him on all fours, trying to get away as far away as possible.
This can't be happening! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Somebody help me!
"Hahaha! There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide! Even your daddy won't be able to save you, as you'll be long dead before he even realizes what is happening," the figure gloated with disgusting glee. They clearly didn't care about the consequences as long as they completed their mission.
Rosa crawled into the corner and looked straight at the figure. Death. It's like she was staring it straight in the eyes. Soft, muffled laughter came from underneath the mask.
No, I don't want to die! I want to live! Please, just let me just melt into the shadows and disappear!
The dagger glinted as it was swung down straight at Rosa. She expected to feel pain, but instead of cutting her flesh, the dagger dug into the wooden floorboards.
"Wha-? Where did you go?" the intruder frantically looked around the room, searching for her left and right.
What just happened? Rosa wondered. She still felt herself being in the same corner, but the dagger didn't hit her. Something wasn't right. Her vision seemed to be perfect – she was able to see everything in the room, even the places where her vision shouldn't reach. And she felt incredibly light – as if floating in the air, except in a more solid way.
The attacker then stopped and focused on the corner where Rosa was. Then she heard him laugh hysterically. It echoed through the quiet of the night like thunder during a clear day.
"To think that a baby less than a year old would be able to hide in the shadows. It's almost a shame to kill you," they cackled in pleasure. "But kill you I shall. I've never let anyone escape after all."
The intruder's blade got surrounded with purple, mist-like substance and then it turned somewhat translucent, ethereal. Like a shadow.
I have to run! Rosa realized and willed her body to move. She couldn't feel her body as such, but she felt herself moving along the nursery wall. The feeling was nauseating, but pushed herself forward.
If I don't move, I'll be killed! This desperate thought propelled her forward as the attacked began stabbing at the wall, following closely behind her.
Faster! Faster!
Rosa got to the door, but she had no form to open them with. However, there was a small crack underneath. She didn't understand how, but she felt like she could get through it. So she crawled under the door, and slid into the hallway outside, the intruder stabbing into the door right as she slipped out.
Two bloody corpses of Rosa's guards laid in a puddle of their own blood. Rosa would have screamed if she had a mouth to scream with. But the intruder smashed the door open and launched themselves straight at Rosa.
She frantically moved through the dark shadows of the wall, going as fast as her form allowed her. There was no time to think or try to understand what she was doing, as every few seconds a dagger collided with the wall where she was less than a second ago.
If I stop, I die! I have to run! Rosa thought as she propelled herself forward with all of her might. She could feel her core shake from exhaustion as she was slowly nearing her limit.
If I stop, I die! RUN! She turned a corner and melded into shadows below the staircase, moving down at a speed which her assailant couldn't match. She slid underneath the first door that she saw. Light footsteps continued to chase after her, keeping close no matter how much she twisted and turned.
I c-can't do this for much longer… But if I stop, I die. Rosa felt her being almost slipping apart from the exertion, but no matter how much it protested, she held onto the power with an iron grip.
"Dammit! This has dragged on too long! I need to end this now!" the figure snarled from behind her, and Rosa felt the room instantly turn cold. The change was so sudden that she paused for a second. It was enough. A dagger flew straight at her and she saw a delightful glee in the murderer's eyes.
I'm going to die! Rosa thought as she desperately tried to move away from the weapon. The dagger hit the wall, and Rosa screamed in agony as it pierced her shoulder. She materialized out of the shadows, tears of pain and agony streaming down her little cheeks.
"Amazing! You dodged a death blow! To think that my most spectacular prey would be a baby! It is horrifying to think what you would be able to do as an adult," the intruder padded heavily as he came closer and closer to her.
Somebody, please… Rosa thought, pain of death and cold spreading through her wound and slowly taking over her body.
"HELP!" she allowed herself to scream as loud as her little lungs could. The murderer paused, shocked by her sudden scream, and then went very still. A bloody blade came out from their chest – exactly where their heart should be.
They spat up a bunch of blood that seeped through the mask, coloring their clothes and the floor before them in a thick, crimson color.
"This death is too merciful for you," said the loud and clear voice of Alphegor. He pulled his sword out of the corpse, and threw it to the side like it was nothing more than a bag of thrash. Then he threw the sword to the side and ran to Rosa's side.
"Get a healer! Immediately! I'll kill you all if they're not here within three minutes!" his voice boomed menacingly, but his face was distraught with worry and fear as he looked over Rosa's injury.
"I-I…" Rosa muttered, tears streaming down her face and she reached her arm towards him. Alphegor grabbed her without hesitation and cradled her close.
"You'll be fine! You'll be fine! We'll get you healed in no time!" he muttered it like a mantra, but his face was panicked. Rosa's vision blurred, she was unable to endure the pain any longer. But before her consciousness faded, she saw a single tear roll down Alphegor's face.
So demons do have feelings…
