//Choice//

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I am the embodiment of chaotic neutral change my mind.




-----


"So? What'll it be, Y/N?"

My stomach churned as my eyes trailed to X's hand, extended towards me invitingly. As I hesitated my fingertips brushed against the demon's, and my neck prickled in a cold sweat.

"...What's the catch?" I spoke finally, my hand recoiling slightly away.

X stared directly into my own eyes. "Catch?" they spoke innocently.

"Why such a meager reward?" I said, lowering my hand a bit. "You should be... taking away what means most to me in return. Any way you look at it, this deal is ultimately in my favour." my eyebrows drew together in concern. "Not to mention... offering the promise yourself... it's... not like you."

The demon deity didn't retract their hand. "Just because it's in your favour, doesn't mean it won't be fun to watch. Seeing you agonize over not knowing what happened with the capital... Well, I feel like it would be enjoyable, that's all."

I still hesitated while my throat was dry in anticipation.

"I'm offering you a chance." X finished with an edge to their voice. "And if you reject it, I may or may not be willing to offer you another one."

I chewed my lip anxiously while I avoided the demon's eyes.

"Well? What's your choice?"

I drew in a low breath. "I..."



-----





The group of seven trudged through the forest, weary with travel.

"Are we nearly there?" Hannah complained, dragging a hand across a tree while they passed it.

Norman sighed in mild exasperation. "We're almost there."'

The group resumed their chatterless travel, moving quickly and quietly through the forest.

"Hey,"

"I swear to god," Ray snapped, "if you ask if we're almost there one more time, I am going to lose my shit."

"Seconded." Yuugo grumbled, stepping over a log.

Hannah huffed angrily. "I wasn't."

"Well?" Poppy asked when no one else would. "What is it, then?"

"...I was going to ask about that smoke." Hannah pointed to a plume of smoke that rose over the trees. "Isn't that in the direction of the capital?"'

The group froze as their eyes trailed above the treetops.

"Shit."

The first one to break into a run was Ray, and the others closely followed suit.

"Hey," Zack chuckled while they ran. "$10 says it's Y/N's fault."

"I'll bet $20!" Poppy chimed in.

Yuugo grunted. "$50 from me."

"Guys..." Norman sweatdropped. "...aren't you all broke?"

Poppy grinned cheerfully. "You're not."

"For the love of god, my money is NOT for you guys to bet with."

The capital soon came into view, towering walls reaching skywards. Alongside the sight of smoke, there was a clamour of fighting rising over the walls; the clashing of metal and the cries of injury and fear.

"It really is on fire!" Poppy gaped.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!"

"Good grief," –Yuugo groaned,– "would you two shut up for two minutes while we find a way inside??"

"The nearest gate is this way!" Norman called out, pointing along the wall. "The South entrance!"

The kids flinched as there was a sudden rumble followed by another burst of flames rising up. "Thank god we brought weapons." Poppy tittered. Yuugo was pulling his rifle from his back, and several others were following suit. Norman's eyes trailed from them to the wall. 

"Wait, if we go in there with guns, we'll stick out like sore thumbs."

"What, so just go in defenceless??" Yuugo irked. "Do you not hear that?? That is the sound of DEMONS fighting. Are you mad??"

"Our priority isn't fighting right now." Ray quipped. "It's finding Y/N and getting the hell out of here."

Norman nodded. "Keep your guns hidden and only use them if it means life or death. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention."

"Got it."

The humans ran along the wall until they made their way to the South gate entrance. They found it deserted, likely as the soldiers guarding it had been drawn away by the fighting inside the walls.

"Let's start by heading straight to the castle." Norman spoke quickly. "In this chaos, it's our best chance. If we still can't find anything... we'll split up to cover more ground."

The whole group nodded in assent. "Let's move fast."

While humans moved through the capital, they kept a close eye on their surroundings and tried to grasp the situation. The outermost spots of the capital were mostly deserted, with a few buildings ablaze and a few corpses, which varied between armed demons and citizens rested unburied on the ground. 

Poppy, in all of her stupor, tripped on an apple core. "Jeez, who litters in this situation??"

As they moved closer to the castle, they encountered more fighting and skirmishes. It became increasingly clear that most of the fighting had started in the East and West ends of the capital, but had slowly pushed closer to the center.

There were a few close calls here and there, but everyone managed to safely make it within a hundred metres of the castle. They ducked behind a building at Yuugo's direction. Just outside the main gate, there was a small ring of demon soldiers battling a group of armed demons. 

"We know another way in-" Ray started, but just as the words left his mouth, Emma interrupted.

"We should help them."

The other 5 humans looked between the two. Emma frowned. 

"If those armed ones get inside, it'll mean danger for everyone in there– which is probably most of the capital's citizens, cause everything is deserted. And that may include Y/N."

"Speed is our priority here." Ray interjected. "If Y/N is in there, then we should be locating her as fast as possible and leaving."

Norman sighed. "Ray, take Zack in the other entrance. The rest of us will keep more guys from entering while you're in there. Does that work?"

Emma and Ray stalled a moment before nodding. "...Alright."

Ray and Zack broke away from the group, and Ray let the elder boy to the vent that he, Emma, and Y/N had used to enter the castle so long ago.

Zack boosted Ray up into the vent and then sprang upwards. The ravenette helped haul him inside, and they crawled through the cramped space.

As they reached the end of the passage, Ray suddenly stopped. "What's up?" Zack asked. He peeked over Ray's shoulder to see what he had been looking at.

Stashed at the end of the vent was a spare cloak and mask. Folded inside the cloak was a knife. "What is it?"

Ray swung his legs over the edge before jumping out of the vent. "Hope."


-----


Outside the castle, the soldiers were struggling against the group of bandits. "Where are the reinforcements?!" one of the soldiers yelled.

"We're spread too thin throughout the capital! No one is coming!" another panted, slicing the head off of one of their attackers. It's body slumped to the ground, soon joined by it's companions. And yet, as the 5 soldiers looked up, only more bandits were approaching. They numbered at least 20.

"Jesus, do they ever end?" a soldier panted, wiping blood off it's face.

"I heard the reinforcements numbered more than predicted." another grimaced.

"This may be the day we die,"–The captain raised his sword, at the head of the soldiers– "but supposing we do get out, whoever kills the least of these bastards has to buy drinks for the rest."

"Yes sir." those under his command were hardly able to respond before the bandits were upon them, yelling and spitting and swinging weapons. The soldiers grimaced as they prepared for another long-lasting fight.

Yet, they hardly made contact with the bandits when they started to fall. From the back, a green-haired demon sliced through them with a spear. From the side, several were hit with a barrage of arrows. Their blue-haired companion sliced with a sword too quick to see the tip of, several bandits dropping at their feet.

From the same side as the arrows, two demons ran up wielding knives and plunged them into the side of the bandits. This gave the soldiers a chance to slice their heads off, and with that, 20 bandits fell dead in the span of 20 seconds.

"Er..." the captain of the soldiers started. "Thanks for your help."

"No problem." the blue haired one wiped some blood off her mask and sheathed her sword. Emma and Poppy raised to their feet, sticking knives into their belts. "it's my fault, anyway." the demon continued. "my information was faulty."

"You're the informant?" the captain blinked. "I see." The newly-appointed captain sheathed his own sword. "Nice to meet you. I'm Norris."

The blue-haired demon grinned. "I'm Cozbi. This is Benny." the green-haired demon raised a hand. Cozbi's grin quickly turned into a serious expression. "Listen, the bandits are here for Y/N. I need you to–"

Norris frowned. "Y/N? You mean you haven't seen her?"

"...you haven't either?" Cozbi's voice was taught with nerves.

Norris swallowed drily. "she was last sighted yesterday evening. No one has seen her since–"

"You guys know Y/N?" though it was quiet, Emma's voice was heavy with emotion. Immediately, Norris and Cozbi turned to the two other demons who had stepped in to help. Behind them, 3 other demons– all of which a humanoid size, were approaching.

Cozbi scrutinized them a moment, hand resting on her sheathed sword. "Why do you ask?" she spoke. Though her voice was not threatening, it had a dangerous undertone.

"...I need to see her." Emma spoke firmly following a short pause. "or Sonju, or Mujika." her eyes, concealed under her mask, trailed to the captain.

Something about the way the demon spoke made Cozbi's threatening demeanour falter.

"Sonju is fighting right now." Norris spoke quickly. "I don't know where he is. Mujika is inside the castle, helping to treat the injured. I can have one of my soldiers lead you to her."

"Er..." Benny sweatdropped. "are you sure you're supposed to be letting strangers inside the castle?"

Norris blinked. He wondered now why he had been so compelled to let the girl inside.

"How about this," one of the demons backing the girl stepped forward. He was one of the taller ones, and although his frame was on the leaner side, he held himself with confidence. "The rest of us will stay here. If only she goes inside, it should be simple to protect from any harm coming to the queen. And we can act as hostages, if needed."

Norris hesitated, chewing the inside of his lip.

"If I were you, I'd make your decision fast." the demon gestured to the west, Where more bandits were coming from. "There's more on the way."

Cozbi watched the interaction with a frown. (She decided she didn't like that one.)

Norris quickly relented. "Fine. You, take her inside to see Mujika." he pointed to one of the soldiers under his command. "The rest of you will stay here and help me defend the entrance."

Emma quickly bid goodbye to her group and hastily followed one of the soldiers inside the entrance.  As soon as she left, Norris turned to face Cozbi and Benny. "I don't suppose you two can stay and help?"

Cozbi shook her head. "I'll leave Benny to help you, but I'm going to go look for Y/N."

Norris nodded while Cozbi turned away. "That's fine by me."

"Wait," one of the demons gripped onto Cozbi's arm as she turned to leave. "Take me with you."

For such a small demon, she had a lot of willpower, Cozbi thought.

The group of disguised humans looked down at Hannah in mild surprise.

"Can't do that." Cozbi shrugged. "Don't know who you are, don't know if I can trust you, and, above all, you'll probably slow me down." she mercilessly denied the demon. "Stick here with your friends."

Hannah released Cozbi with a disappointed frown.

"But..." Cozbi started, rubbing her nape awkwardly. "If I do find her, I'll let her know you're here, whoever you are."

The tension between Cozbi and the group of five seemed to loosen. "Thanks." one out of the group spoke.

Cozbi's brows furrowed. "It's... nothing." with an uncomfortable feeling in her gut, she then turned on her heel and set off to search through the rest of the burning city.


——-


Emma followed the soldier through the castle hallway with a pounding heart. It had been a few weary days, but they had already heard news that Y/N was alive. When she had heard Ray's theory for the first time a few weeks ago, she was angry. That type of denial... it was unsettling, coming from Ray. And yet, some part of her still wanted to hope.

So she helped with the plan, though she was doubtful. But the second they stepped foot in the demon world, if suddenly felt possible. Now, their efforts were already bearing fruit. However, as she sought confirmation from Mujika, Emma found herself conflicted. Y/N was alive... and she was glad about that. But also... what did it mean? That she'd spent the over a year believing a lie? What were all the tears she'd shed even for?

Emma shook her head, breaking away from her torrent of thoughts. The soldier pushed open a door and gestured for her to follow him inside.

For now, she'd focus on finding Y/N, Emma decided. She'd wait until she saw Y/N face-to-face to decide whether to be upset or happy.

The room the soldier led her to was huge, and filled with the injured lying down across the floor.

Mujika rolled up her sleeves as she rose to her feet. "You'll be okay." she reassured an injured citizen. "You're nerves are shot–you haven't reached your limit yet. You will regenerate, it will just take time."

At the sight of her old friend, Emma broke into a run. She near collided with Mujika, pulling her into a hug.

The queen looked down at Emma nervously, not recognizing her through her disguise. "Er...hello?"

The soldier ran up alongside Mujika. "Miss! I'm sorry!" he yelled in apology. He then turned to Emma. "What are you doing??!"

"It's me." Emma murmured into Mujika's chest.

Mujika's tense smile faded. "Emma...?" she whispered at the familiar voice of her friend.

Emma nodded, releasing Mujika. "It's me." Mujika's face broke into a smile. 

"Emma!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

The soldier watching the interaction startled back nervously. "We came for Y/N." Emma started to explain.

"Really?? That's great!" The demon queen clapped her hands together excitedly. "She'll be thrilled— er..." Mujika's smile faltered. "Well... I mean... I'm glad you're here for her."

"Then Y/N... she's really... alive?"

Mujika nodded. "Yes." she couldn't contain her smile from resurfacing. "Y/N is alive and well."

As soon as she heard those words, Emma's charade faltered. "Oh thank god...!" she sobbed as a flurry of emotions hit her (like a speeding Lamborghini). "I wasn't... sure how I'd react but..." the ginger hiccuped as tears slipped under her mask. "I'm just so relieved!"

Mujika watched her with an irrepressible smile, rubbing her arm in comfort.

"Emma?" Came a startled voice from the doorway. "What's going on?"

Mujika blinked. "Ray, is that you?" she called towards the doorway. "Gosh, you've grown too!"

Ray looked between the crying Emma and Mujika as he walked into the room. "What's—?"

Emma turned to Ray, gripping onto his disguise and shaking him back and forth. "She's alive, Ray!" the ginger wailed. "She's alive! You were right!"

Ray froze in place. "...really?" he asked quietly.

Emma sniffled, nodding enthusiastically. Ray's eyes trailed to Mujika, who nodded too.

Ray paused a few seconds before inhaling sharply. "Where?" (If he spoke any more words at once, he feared the frog in his throat would make his voice crack.)

Now it was Mujika's turn to falter. "I'm... not sure." her eyebrows drew together worriedly. "she left the castle some point last night, but no one saw her return."

As she felt the enthusiasm of the humans falter, Mujika tried to reassure them. "She's not in the castle, I've already had it searched several times this morning. But she does stuff like this frequently, and I doubt she went too far... Y/N knew about the attack that was coming, and knowing Y/N... well..."

Ray turned to look back the way he came. "So... she's out there, somewhere?"

Mujika nodded. "Probably."

——-


I opened my eyes blearily, and immediately wanted to vomit. Leaving the Seven Walls without following the proper procedure always left me disoriented, regardless of return location. It became clear that this time was no exception. In fact, I felt even more nauseous than usual.

The ground spun underneath me as I tried to stand to my feet. An afternoon sun bore down on me from above, which didn't help my nausea.

I shielded my eyes and looked up at the sky. As I opened my mouth to speak, my voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "Where...am I...?"




-----

next few chaps might take a while to release cause I keep having second thoughts!!! Just about minor things, tho.

like whether *redacted* should die or not <3 and whether *redacted* or *redacted* should be the reason why.

and yesm most of this chap, like the others, was written between 1:00am-4:00 am and edited while I was rewatching ttigraas and drawing and drinking coffee and also making grilled cheese so NO I do not remember shat u r welcome. 

p.s. 

Dialogue is weird.

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