454 The Arrival of Danaya, Questioning Marks Identity (1/2)
Day ▋▋ - ▋▋:▋▋ ▋▋ - Eastern Mountains
Above the forest at the north of the Eastern Mountain Territory, a young woman wearing a white dress and a crown made of flowers could be seen flying. Her long wavy hair fluttered with the wind as she flew, holding on to her wand.
She was Danaya, a young Diwata and the current overseer of the mountains in his area. The races around her jurisdiction would come to her for advice and resolve conflicts between themselves. She served as the merciful judge and the ruthless punisher. The innocents would receive justice while the guilty received banishment from the land.
Danaya was not only powerful but was always fair. The races that she looked after liked her, and her existence gave them peace.
Unfortunately, that peace was gone. Right now, Danaya served as the last lifeline for many. Despite the danger, she would regularly roam her land to search for those that survived and bring them to safety.
This time, however, she was returning to the Eastern Mountain with a sad expression. She did not find any survivor this time. And probably, she would not find any in the future.
While flying, several infected birds found Danaya.
These beautiful and lovely colored birds became flesh-eating monsters. That thought made Danaya even sadder. With a deep sigh, she waved her staff.
The infected birds froze in the air before their bodies plummeted to the ground, with their heads squashed by a strong force.
Danaya did not watch the fall and just left. There was no point in staying. She just wanted to return to the last fortress in her jurisdiction.
The Diwata entered the forest blanketed by illusion without any problem. She exited the woods soon, and she was welcomed by everyone that was currently living in this place.
This place could be said as the last line of defense in these mountains. Still, it was good to see that everyone was coping with the situation.
Danaya took her time walking towards the Stone Fortress in the distance. She wanted to see if everyone was doing fine and was looking at every house that she saw.
That was when she reached a certain distance from the Stone Fortress.
Her heart pounded as she felt some presence that she could not recognize. Furthermore, these individuals she felt had a demonic presence. This caused her to worry.
However, she was rational. Seeing that everything seemed to be fine, and she could not detect any feeling of danger, she decided to confirm things first before making any movement.
It was very strange.
She remembered that there should be a meeting happening right now.
Thus, she decided to go there to ask about what was happening.
When she arrived at the meeting room, everyone kneeled before her and greeted her. The kings were not an exception. Well, except a single person, that is.
***
”We greet the Diwata of the Eastern Territories.”
The folklore creatures inside the room, including Pefile, kneeled on one knee and greeted the beautiful woman that entered the room.
It left Mark to stand alone in the room. This caused some of the representatives to feel a bit annoyed. However, they knew that humans in this era did not follow these kinds of customs anymore. While annoyed, they could not reprimand him either.
Mark then felt the scrutinizing stare of the Diwata that entered. It was not a questioning stare, but something that was trying to pry into his soul instead.
Seeing Danaya staring at Mark, the King of Duendes decided to introduce him.
”Diwata Danaya, this man is called Mark. He here is a guest from the World of Mortals that came to exchange information with us.”
”Information?”
Danaya turned to Hieromano and asked.
”Yes, Diwata Danaya. Just now, we learned from him what is the current state of the World of Mortals. It seemed that they had the same circumstances as ours and probably worse.”
”Is this true?”
Danaya turned to Mark and asked with a serious face.
”As he said, I'm here to exchange information, I have no reason to lie. It's not like they could not tell a lie from the truth.”
Mark replied with a shrug.
This caused more animosity to be directed at him, and Pefile was even hitting Mark's knee with his elbow.
Danaya felt a bit relieved as she realized that Mark was not lying.
Still, she wanted to be sure.
”Since you didn't have the reason to lie, then tell me. Are you human, a demon, or something else?”
Her question made the heart of the representatives pound hard. They thought that Mark was human. However, it seemed that he was not. Furthermore, a demon? They actually let a demon into their final sanctuary?
They felt conflicted. However, they were in the presence of Danaya. None of them dare start a commotion.
With a bit of a playful attitude, Mark replied.
”Can I pick all the choices?”
This caused everyone to become confused instead of feeling offended further.
”Why all?”
The Diwata questioned once more.
”Well...” Mark scratched his head. ”I was a human before I became something that no one can tell what I am, and then, I awakened my dormant demon blood recently?”
His answer caused everyone, even the Diwata, to look at him strangely.
”Are you trying to feed us nonsense?”
That was when Pefile decided to speak.
”Please pardon me, Diwata Danaya, for speaking. However, what he said is true. Although I was not there every time, I witnessed how he awakened his demon blood.”
”I see, a half-demon then,” Danaya said. ”Then, what about the others?”
Hearing that, Mark sighed. Of course, it would not be easy. He could say that he awakened his blood, and Mei, the little girls, and Alana were his family members. However, he could not justify things about Chaflar. Trying to cover it up would only lead to more suspicions.
Thus, there was only one way.