Traitor Pt 1

Suddenly, I felt a freezing breath near my neck and then... everything went black.

We didn't stand a chance. Why did we think we had a chance of beating the final boss in the first episodes? We don't have a chosen one here, there's no prophecy. They could just kill us if they felt like it. Maybe they did...

I only see darkness. Everywhere I look...

"Am I... dead?" I tried speaking out but heard nothing at all. Maybe I am dea-

Wait no... my shoulder is aching and everything is fading back in.

Opening my eyes, I find myself in front of blackish iron bars. No... I'm not in front of the bars... I'm behind it. As I tried to reach my hand out to teach it, I realized my hands were restricted, tied. Looking back I find a familiar dark purple hair next to long silky black hair, both of them tied to me.

"Anyone awake?" I whispered.

"Me," Mia spoke out.

"Mia?" I asked to make sure.

"Add an S and you'll be right," Misa used the back of her head to hit my head.

Misa...

Between us and freedom are 2 guards and a solid bar. I've gotta get out of this rope first though...

"Soul flame" I whispered and activated the fire on the rope to find the fire had no effect on it. Right... objects have no soul...

So... we're in a pretty messed up situation here. What do we do? There's not much we can do... maybe wait for someone else to break out? The best plan I've got at the moment. I guess I'll just talk to Misa to kill some time.

"What did they do to you?" I asked Misa.

"Knocked me out from behind, I didn't have time to react. On the bright side, we ain't dead yet," Her monotone enthusiasm sure made it sound sincere.

My stomach feels like it sank thousand times over. My chest feels heavy and my heartbeats feel like it's trying to break out of my chest.

I'm alive, but... I'm still worried...

I might be a selfish douchebag, but Amber, Damon and the others are way closer to me than any of the classmates that died.

"I'm sure Amber's alive, don't worry. No matter what, she never dies," Misa's voice almost sounded proud for a second.

"Yeah, thanks,"

"Though..." Misa paused and sighs, "Willing to bet someone betrayed us,"

I shouldn't be surprised. It makes sense, there's no way they'd know that there was a backup team for even the reinforcements. If it's a stealth mission for them, they would leave as fast as possible so they wouldn't have waited for me and Shin.

So... the real question is who's the traitor?

"I hate to say it, but I think you're right. They wouldn't know that Shin and I were even coming. It explains why they knew our rankings if we exclude the possibility of some human betraying their own race."

"Then who? Who is it?" Shin asked, finally awake.

"Everyone's a suspect," Misa pulled her body away from the rope as far as her hand could stretch. "Even I am suspect to you and so are you 2 to me,"

"What do you mean? We should be able to roll me and Hiroto out. We were a cave for too long to even know that there was an attack in the place" Shin suggested.

"No, we can't." Misa replied immediately, "What if you met them in that cave or you got out faster than our knowledge? I can't be sure,"

That's fair enough...

"Your right" I agreed with her. She's more calculating than I thought. Honestly, Amber should try being more like Misa. Both of them are smart in different ways, but Misa's way nicer and explains her thought well without belittling me.

Silence... silence in this world is almost deafening, bone-chilling. It's awkward... all I can hear is their breathing and my own... it's weird.

I can't think of who would do this. Maybe Kyle? Maybe... Fay? We have to suspect anyone.

There's never a plot like this fantasy, well at least it's not the main plot point in the first damn season. I really don't know. None of them seem like they'd want to be on the enemy's side.

"I've got no clue what to do or who to suspect," I leaned back to them.

Not to brag, but I think I have enough common sense and survival instincts to stay alive in this world unlike Kyle and Shin, but those aren't helping to deduce who the hell the traitor would be at all.

"I do wonder what course of action you may take." A voice beyond the bars spoke to us, it was a girl's voice. It's not as pitchy as Mia's voice but not as low as Amber's. It's close to the same pitch as Misa's, yet it seemed more monotoned.

I'm focusing a lot on her voice, but honestly, that's the only thing I can focus on. I can't exactly describe anything else, she's wearing a damn cloak and the hood is so big that it covers half of her face.

"So who are you supposed to be?" Misa dragged our entire group closer to the bar to stand closer to the cloaked girl's face, "Some faceless killer?" she taunted and blew the girl's hood up a bit.

It wasn't suspicious at first, but the girl immediately stepped back and pulled her hood down as low as possible, "I have absolutely no obligation to answer your question, hostage."

For some reason, the hostage part pisses off Shin a lot, "We're hero-"

For some reason, the hero part pisses her off, "Heroes chained and captured are no different from a hostage,"

"Just you wait, demon! I'll get revenge for doing this!" Shin shouted.

If I want to live I'd rather please her than piss her off. I can't be like Shin.

Her quiet giggle echoed the empty halls and then stopped abruptly, "One moment... was that not humour? I fail to understand your persistence in remaining a weakened race. Pathetic."

I know I suck. I know I'm weak, but you don't have to rub it in my face you know? I don't want to piss her off, but she sure pissed me off. How hard is it to break someone's bones? Asking for a friend.

Wait I can't be thinking like this. I'm being too irrational. How can I get her to get us out of here?

No, I can't think as myself right now... I just have to be detached, indifferent, logical. How can I get her to get ME out of here? Survival of the fittest huh? I feel bad that I'm being selfish, but I'd rather not die.

"If I may, what is your purpose here?" I have to cut the conversation short or else any moment now the suicidal maniac will kill himself with his tongue.

"Straight to the point, you are much easier to converse with, human. I am to deliver the 'heroes' individually to" she paused, "Their king. You seem the most compliant. You will be first to be delivered in the three, I suppose."

'Their king' huh? So she's not loyal to him... that's good to know.

"I'm terribly sorry, but... I can't move my arms. I'm tied up if you haven't noticed," I moved my body aside to show the rope in all its glory.

Instantly, the rope automatically untied itself with her glance and the bars bent to make an entrance large enough to make me go through

Stepping a single step out of the cell, I felt cold hard metal on my wrists. She placed shackles on me before my brain could even register. With these damn shackles, I can't burn these too. It's even worse than that rope.

Quietly she walked me into a hall, decorated with riches beyond my dreams. Everything in here looks so fancy I can go blind from the sparkles in the jewels.

Closing the distance between me and the throne, I finally was able to take a look at the demon king's face.

His hair was crimson red. His eyes looked like he stared directly into my soul. Then a man walked to me. His hair was silvery white and his eyes, red. His skin was pale just like the cloaked girl behind me, yet I felt an aura of dominance that the girl never gave off.

The man stood in front of the girl with a smirk on his face, showing his fangs as she kneeled like it was second nature, "My lord I have delivered the abandoned hero, Hiroto" the cloaked girl spoke.

Vampire...

How does she know my name?! Plus, my title is the abandoned hero? Yeah SURE rub it in that my friends didn't come to get me when I fell into that cave why don't ya?!

Yeah, I'm salty. Think I'd just forget? I know a lot of crap happened to them, but still.

"Leave," The vampire commanded the girl without a single hint of gratitude in his voice.

"Of course, my lord." the girl bowed and left in a blink of an eye.

"Heroes, what a sacred title you hold when you are only a child. I pity you. I truly do. On a level, I empathize with you. We will give you a choice, simply, join us... or die." The demon king finally opened his mouth. His voice didn't sound like any great leader. Not a commanding cry or a charismatic persuasion. Only a voice. A voice of a man. Only a man.

Is this a little too easy? I don't know and I couldn't care less anymore so...

"What would I get if I joined you? Not to be disrespectful your highness, but if I get no benefit by joining you then I'd rather die" That's not true... I value my life for than anything, but if I'm about to be worked to death under the demon lord, I'm fine with a death a little earlier that seems more heroic.

"You're a reasonable man, just like a few of your friends. You will be one of the power 9, my inner circle,"

Finally, he gave out some information I can work with. Power 9? That sounds like some sort of card thing. Sounds a little stupid, to be honest... shouldn't judge though.

Anyway, he said 'like your friends' which means at least 2 have already joined him. Since I'm not the first I hope they'll understand my decision as well.

"Very well," I sighed softly to myself, "I pledge my allegiance to you. Your highness"