The tremor that followed wasn’t as violent as the demon dog’s impact against the ground. It was different. Deeper. As if something invisible had spread across the clearing’s soil, making the earth vibrate beneath the ancient tree roots.

The leaves scattered on the ground trembled.

Small stones began to vibrate slowly.

Shura narrowed his golden eyes.

The small creature was still there, standing between the three gigantic monsters, with that strangely tranquil posture that didn’t match the situation. Its paw was still raised in the air, too small to seem threatening.

But the ground continued to tremble.

The two remaining demon dogs growled simultaneously, their red eyes fixed on that tiny creature. Their backs arched and fangs appeared as a deep sound vibrated in their throats.

They had felt it too.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Strax watched everything with his arms crossed, a small smile curving his lips.

"Indeed interesting," he murmured.

Albedo narrowed her eyes even more.

She was trying to better sense the demonic energy emanating from that creature, but something seemed... strange. The presence was weak and strong at the same time, as if it were being compressed, contained within something too small.

It was like observing a volcano through a tiny crack.

Shura, on the other hand, observed with pure instinct.

The tigress’s body was low, its muscles tense like springs ready to fire. Her eyes analyzed every movement of the creature in the center of the clearing.

Predators recognized other predators.

And that... definitely didn’t look like prey.

The first of the two remaining dogs advanced.

Its enormous body exploded forward with brutal speed, its claws tearing the ground as it tried to crush the small creature with a gigantic bite.

But the creature didn’t run.

It didn’t retreat.

It simply... took a small step.

It was an almost casual movement.

Like someone dodging a low branch during a walk.

The demon dog’s head passed through the space where she had been a second before, and its fangs closed in the void.

For a moment he was confused.

That’s when the small creature moved its paw.

It wasn’t a visible strike.

It was more like a push.

A minimal gesture.

But the effect was absurd.

The demon dog’s gigantic body was thrown aside as if struck by an invisible wall.

CRASH.

It pierced two young tree trunks before crashing to the ground, carving a deep furrow in the earth as it rolled for several meters.

Silence fell over the clearing.

Even the second demon dog hesitated for a moment.

Strax let out a low laugh.

"Okay... that was good."

Albedo blinked slowly.

"She... didn’t touch him."

Shura didn’t answer.

His eyes were fixed on the creature.

The small figure had lowered its paw again.

Its body was relaxed.

Almost carefree.

As if all of this was just... inconvenient.

The second demonic dog finally reacted.

With a fierce roar, it also advanced.

But this time it didn’t attack alone.

The first dog that had been thrown stood up again with an enraged growl, its body enveloped in a violently swirling black smoke.

Both advanced at the same time.

Two gigantic monsters running in opposite directions to surround that small creature.

Shura tilted his head slightly.

"Now it gets complicated."

Albedo murmured:

"She won’t be able to dodge both of them."

Strax didn’t seem worried.

He was smiling.

The small creature twitched its ears. She had heard the two attacks coming from opposite sides.

But still... she didn’t seem worried.

At the last second, she jumped.

It wasn’t a high jump.

Nor a fast one.

It was... strange.

Her body simply seemed to disappear from the ground for an instant.

When she reappeared, she was in the air, between the two demonic dogs colliding at the point where she had been.

CRASH.

The two monsters collided with brutal force, their fangs and claws clashing as their gigantic bodies became entangled in the impact.

The ground trembled again.

The small creature landed a few meters behind them.

She slowly turned her body to observe them.

Strax whistled.

"That one’s fast."

Albedo was now carefully analyzing.

"It’s not just speed."

Strax tilted his head.

"No?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"She’s anticipating their movements."

Shura spoke calmly:

"Or they’re too slow."

The demon dogs finally separated.

Now they were furious.

The black smoke that formed their bodies seemed denser, more aggressive, as if their very demonic essence was reacting to the humiliation.

One of them let out a horrible howl that echoed through the forest.

The other advanced again.

But this time something changed.

The small creature didn’t flinch.

It remained still.

Its eyes gleaming.

When the demon dog leaped, opening its fangs to crush it...

...it moved its paw again.

This time it was different.

The ground exploded.

An invisible wave of force swept through the clearing like a seismic shock.

BOOM.

The earth cracked.

Stones were hurled into the air.

The gigantic body of the demonic dog was crushed against the ground before it even reached the creature, as if a mountain had fallen on it.

Its skull shattered with a horrible sound.

The black smoke that formed its body began to slowly disperse.

Dead.

Silence returned to the clearing.

Only one demonic dog remained now.

It stopped.

Finally.

For the first time, the monster hesitated.

Its red eyes looked at the crushed body of its companion.

Then returned to the small creature.

And something new appeared in its posture.

Fear.

Strax chuckled.

"Look at that."

Albedo murmured,

"That thing... just killed a demon dog with a single gesture."

Shura continued watching.

But now her eyes were different.

She had recognized something.

Something in the creature’s movement.

Something familiar.

The last demon dog began to retreat slowly.

It growled, but its steps were cautious now.

The small creature watched.

Silently.

Then it tilted its head slightly.

It was a curious gesture.

Almost... childlike.

The demon dog took another step back.

Then it turned.

And ran.

Disappearing among the trees with desperate speed.

Silence returned completely to the clearing.

Strax uncrossed his arms.

"Alright."

He began to walk forward.

Shura also took a step.

Albedo frowned.

"Are you going to come closer?"

Strax replied calmly:

"Of course."

He walked as if he were approaching a curious wild animal, not a creature that had just crushed demonic monsters.

The small creature noticed them.

Its ears twitched immediately.

It turned its face.

Now its eyes were fixed on the three of them.

Strax stopped a few meters away.

Albedo stayed a little behind him.

Shura remained beside him.

For a few seconds no one spoke.

The creature simply observed.

Up close, it was even stranger.

Its body was small, about the size of a large wildcat. Its silvery fur reflected the light filtered through the trees, and its eyes shone with unusual intensity.

But there was no malice in them.

Nor aggression.

It was just... curiosity.

Strax tilted his head.

"So it was you who caused all this mess."

The creature blinked slowly.

Albedo spoke in a low voice:

"Does she understand?"

Strax shrugged.

"Let’s find out."

He took another step.

The creature didn’t back away.

But its ears perked up again.

Shura spoke for the first time since they had arrived.

Her voice was low.

Cautious.

"Strax."

He didn’t take his eyes off the creature.

"Yes?"

Shura continued:

"She’s not an ordinary demon."

Strax smiled.

"That’s become rather obvious."

Albedo was also watching intently now.

Her demonic perception was completely focused on the small creature.

And the more she observed...

It was getting stranger.

"Strax," she said slowly.

"Something’s wrong."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Wrong?"

Albedo nodded.

"Her demonic energy..."

She hesitated for a moment.

"...isn’t stable."

Strax looked at the creature again.

His smile became a little more interested.

"Explain."

Albedo continued analyzing.

"It’s as if it’s... contained."

The small creature tilted its head again.

Observing them.

Strax spoke calmly:

"Did you come from the underworld?"

Silence.

The creature blinked again.

Then something unexpected happened.

It raised its small paw.

And pointed.

Directly at Strax.

The three were silent for a second.

Strax blinked.

"...She just pointed at me?"

Shura calmly replied:

"Yes."

Albedo frowned.

"That was... too specific."

Strax looked at the creature.

Then he pointed at himself.

"Me?"

The little creature nodded.

Slowly.

Strax was silent for a few seconds.

Then he started laughing.

"Okay."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"This just got a lot more interesting."

Strax’s laughter echoed softly through the destroyed clearing, breaking the heavy silence that had settled after the little creature’s unexpected gesture. It wasn’t a loud laugh, but a genuine laugh, the kind that arises when something really catches your attention.

He looked at the creature again.

It was still pointing at him.

Its little paw suspended in the air, its silvery eyes fixed on his face as if waiting for a very specific answer.

Strax tilted his head slightly.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, pointing again to his own chest.

The creature blinked slowly.

Then lowered its paw.

And... nodded.

A small movement.

But absolutely clear.

Albedo narrowed his eyes.

"She understands," he murmured.

Shura was also watching attentively now. The tigress tilted her head slightly to one side, analyzing the small creature’s posture with the gaze of an experienced predator.

"She’s not afraid," Shura said calmly.

That was true.

Even surrounded by three powerful figures—a demon, a gigantic tigress, and a being like Strax—the small creature showed no sign of panic.

Nor aggression.

Only curiosity.

Strax crossed his arms again.

"Okay," he said, still with a small smile. "Let’s sort this out." He pointed around the devastated clearing.

"You killed two giant demon dogs."

The creature blinked.

"And scared away the third."

Another blink.

Strax tilted his head slightly.

"And now it’s pointing at me as if it’s looking for me."

The small creature perked up its ears.

Then, slowly...

It nodded again.

Albedo let out a small sigh.

"This is getting strange."

Shura murmured:

"It already was."

Strax watched the creature for a few more seconds. His dark eyes analyzed its every little movement, every gesture, every nuance of its posture.

It seemed young.

Very young.

But the energy escaping from it... was anything but ordinary.

Finally he spoke:

"Can you speak?"

The creature tilted its head again.

Silence.

Then it opened its mouth. And it made a sound.

"...Krr?"

Strax blinked.

Albedo partially covered his face with his hand.

"That... definitely wasn’t a word."

Shura gave a small snort that almost sounded like a laugh.

The little creature seemed to notice their reaction. Its ears moved slightly back, and it looked around as if thinking.

Then it raised its paw again.

But this time it didn’t point at Strax.

It drew something in the air.

Or tried to.

Its little finger moved slowly in the empty space, as if trying to form some kind of invisible symbol.

Strax watched intently.

Albedo too.

The gesture was hesitant.

But it seemed intentional.

Shura murmured:

"It’s trying to... write?"

The creature finished the movement.

And then looked at Strax again.

Waiting.

Strax frowned slightly.

"I didn’t see anything."

The creature blinked.

Then it looked at its own paw.

It seemed... frustrated.

Albedo took a small step forward.

"Wait."

She closed her eyes for a moment.

Her demonic perception expanded around the small creature, trying to capture any trace of energy that might be being used in that gesture.

A few seconds passed.

Then Albedo’s golden eyes opened.

"...Ah."

Strax looked at her.

"Ah what?"

Albedo pointed to the space where the creature had moved its paw.

"It’s using energy."

Strax raised an eyebrow.

"For what?"

Albedo answered slowly.

"To create symbols."

Shura tilted her head.

"But we don’t see anything."

Albedo nodded.

"Because we’re not looking at it the right way."

Strax uncrossed his arms.

"Explain."

Albedo reached out and concentrated some demonic energy in his palm.

A dark aura enveloped his fingers as he slowly ran his hand through the air where the creature had drawn.

For a moment...

Nothing happened.

Then something flashed.

Extremely thin lines appeared in the air like cracks of silvery light.

Three symbols.

Small.

Floating like marks made of energy.

Shura narrowed his eyes.

"Interesting."

Strax moved a little closer.

He observed the symbols attentively.

They didn’t look like demonic runes.

Nor ordinary magic.

They were... different.

The small creature watched expectantly.

Strax pointed to one of the symbols.

"Is that a name?"

The creature immediately nodded.

Strax pointed to the second. "Another name?"

Another nod.

He pointed to the third.

"And this one?"

The creature hesitated for a second.

Then nodded again.

Albedo murmured:

"It looks like a sentence."

Strax tilted his head.

"Any idea what it means?"

Albedo shook his head.

"It’s not demonic writing."

Shura spoke calmly:

"Then ask."

Strax looked at the small creature again.

He pointed to the first symbol.

"Is that you?"

The creature nodded quickly.

Then it pointed to the second.

And then to Strax.

The gesture was clear.

Very clear.

Strax was silent for a moment.

Then he pointed to the second symbol.

"...Me?"

The creature nodded again.

Albedo blinked.

"Wait."

Shura murmured:

"She wrote his name?"

Strax pointed to the third symbol.

"And this?"

The little creature hesitated again.

Its ears twitched slightly.

Then it did something unexpected.

It walked towards Strax.

Small, soft steps on the broken earth of the clearing.

Albedo immediately tensed.

"Strax."

But he raised a hand.

"Relax."

The creature stopped right in front of him.

It was really small compared to him.

It raised its paw.

And touched Strax’s chest.

At the exact spot where his heart beat.

The gesture was light.

Almost gentle.

Then it pointed to the third symbol.

And made the same gesture again.

Strax remained silent.

Albedo murmured slowly:

"...This means something."

Shura looked at him.

"Did you understand?"

Strax was still looking at the symbols floating in the air.

His smile had disappeared.

Not out of concern.

But out of genuine interest.

"Maybe."

He pointed to the symbols again.

"If I’m right..."

He looked at the small creature.

"...this says something like..."

He touched his own chest.

"Me."

Then he pointed to it.

"You."

And then to the third symbol.

"Linked."