Scarlet

You don’t know?

Tar nods his head very gently and repeats himself, “We don’t know.”

So… does anyone know why? Is it the Demon King’s doing, or do the demons just hold a grudge against humans for some reason?

“All we know on the subject is that the Demon King – whoever it is at the time – has always held a grudge against the humans. All we can do is make our own assumptions on the matter,” Tar explains, closing his eyes again. “And the only explanation we can think of is that the humans formerly on their world before they were wiped out must have done something unthinkable to the demons, and the Demon Kings always pass that knowledge down.”

My frown grows deeper at that.

That… I’m not really sure how to feel about that. Being told that no one knows why we’re being attacked by the demons. Not even most of the demons themselves.

Also, the very fact that there were, in fact, humans living on Tartarus at one point in time is surprising.

“We didn’t find the demons until only several decades before the Demonic Assaults, as you call them, began occurring. And even we don’t know why it is that they did start occurring, nor why the demons are dead set towards annihilating all of humankind,” Tar says, surprising me again.

Wait, so the fae weren’t behind the connections between the two worlds? I kind of suspected that King Oberon or the past queen had something to do with it.

Tar shakes his head and answers, “No. We fae don’t have much power outside of our realm to begin with. We’re only absolute within the Farshore.”

My brows climb at the mention of the name of the fae’s realm.

Why is Tar suddenly being so open and free about the information he gives to me? Normally he just doesn’t bother telling me this sort of stuff, or says he can’t…

“It’s because your level is raising,” he explains, reading my thoughts.

Oh. Interesting.

Also, I know you fae can’t lie, so why did you say that the fae are helping both humans and the demons because King Oberon wanted only one mortal race? That doesn’t exactly line up with some of the things you’ve said since.

Tar answers instantly, “Because that was his original thoughts when he heard of the humans and demons on Tartarus. So he did indeed say that at one time. He just doesn’t feel that way anymore.”

And I guess you’re telling me this now because you trust me more? Or because I’m at a higher level now than before?

Silence passes between us for a few seconds with Tar neither confirming nor denying either of those possibilities before I eventually ask out loud in a random bout of curiosity, “Hey, you fae feed off of life force, right? So who is King Oberon contracted with?”

Tar stays quiet.

After several seconds pass, I look down at him again, finding him either asleep, or faking being asleep.

Did he really fall asleep, or is he just avoiding the question?

I watch him for a few seconds before sighing and lying my head back down on the pillow again.

Guess he still is keeping secrets. But at least he’s generally honest about it, and not just hiding or manipulating me as much anymore.

And the bit about my level having something to do with what he can tell me… definitely something to think about.

Still wish he wasn’t able to read my thoughts though. Because that’s just an invasion of privacy.

Anyways, it’s obvious that I’m not the only hu- err, Guardian who knows about all this. Because if Tar is willing to talk about it, then who knows how many other fae are. So it’s likely common knowledge amongst the Guardians.

Unless the information is some sort of secret only the royal fae know about?

Either way though, all of this does make me curious about who my blood lycan parent is. Because even if they were some sort of outcast – which I’m assuming they are, considering that they had a child with a human – they’re probably still quite powerful. After all, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a single known noble demon who didn’t become a Class V demon eventually. Not that there are that many examples to go off of, considering the infrequency of Class V Fractures.

In fact, I think there’s only been one Class V Fracture since I was born. And it was a few days before I was found by Allen and brought to… the… orphanage…

My thoughts trail to a halt as something clicks in my mind.

The fact that apparently the Demon King has given me an order before but failed, meaning I was likely on Tartarus personally once or just saw him somehow in a Fracture. That one of my parents is likely a Class V demon. And that a Class V Fracture occurred just right before Allen brought me in…

It can’t be… could it have been possible for me to have met the Demon King in that Fracture? Or even somehow crossed over to this world from it?

But where does my human parent come into all of this? And why…

Damn it! Too many questions.

I clench my fist, having a serious urge to punch something in my frustration before eventually letting out a sigh and flopping my arm on the bed again.

After a few seconds, I take in a deep breath, hold it for a few, then let it out. Then I repeat that process a couple more times before looking at this a different way.

Why does it really matter who my parents are? Who I’m related to? Or even where the hell I’m from?

I am who I am, and I was raised by Allen alongside the rest of the orphans. That’s who I am. And I worked through, or rather cleaved through way too much in my life to go blowing it all off on account of stuff from the past.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the tanuki peeking his eye open to look at me with a proud expression on his face.

You little bugger, you were awake all along!!!

I reach out to grab the guy, but he just vanishes before I can with a chuckle resonating through my mind.

Damnit Tar! Where do you go when you do that anyways?!

An amused voice enters my head from the tanuki, “The border between the mortal realm and the Farshore. A place no mortal can enter.”

My eye twitches as I hear the clear taunting in his voice.

I look around with my eyes narrowed before closing my eyes and focusing on my ears. But nothing comes. Not until I suddenly feel something poking my ear, making me immediately flinch back with my eyes shooting open to find a tanuki floating in front of me, only for him to disappear again when I lunge at him.

Damnit, tanuki!

His chuckling just continues to echo through my head, an entirely uncharacteristic action for the tanuki.