Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

Ivy and Zero returned as the old man began locking up for the night. Sakura inquired about when he would be back in the morning while Ren nodded at the pair’s return.

“There’s two inns,” Ivy told the angel. “And both are full. Looks like it’s the tent tonight.”

The old man turned to them. “They normally are this time of day. We get a lot of people coming through to Wei Wen. You can stay with me.” He began to walk away without waiting for their answer, expecting them to follow.

“We don’t want to be a bother.” Ivy moved to catch up, pulling Zero along. “We’ll be alright camping. We do it all the time.”

His cane clacked on the ground with every slow step, and he looked at the girl. “If you’re interested in devils then I’m the person you want to talk to. I would argue that there’s no one on the land who knows more about them than I do. I would also be interested in talking to your devil there.”

Ivy looked back at her companions, receiving a nod from Sakura and shrugs from Ren and Zero, before turning back with an appreciative smile. “Thank you. We can pay you.”

The man waved her off with his free hand. “I have no use for your coin. You can pay me back with information.”

She nodded. “I’m Ivy. That’s Sakura, Ren’s the tall one, and Zero’s the devil.”

“Hwan. Is your devil there the reason you’re here?”

The girl stalled, unsure of what she should say as Ren fell into step on the other side of Hwan.

“We are.” The angel took over, much more accustomed to flying by the set of his pants than the girl was. “As you can see, he’s not your typical devil, and we’re interested in finding out why. You said you’re the person to talk to in regard to devils. Have you ever heard of one who was similar to him?”

Hwan shook his head carefully. “No. He’s unique as far as I know. You normally wouldn’t be able to get close to one without losing your life. Has he always been this calm?”

The angel grinned. “Oh no. This is him excited. He gets so much more calmer than this.”

The old man looked over at the stoic devil and chuckled. “I’d like to see that.”

They arrived at the man’s home. The blue tile roof was still in good condition but had faded with age, and the wood of the pillars and floor were well maintained. He showed them to their room before heading into the kitchen to prepare their meal.

Ivy rushed over before he could grab the first pot. “I can cook if you’d like. It’s the least I can do for allowing us to stay here.”

He nodded his head and took a seat at the table, joined by Sakura and Ren while Zero went to help Ivy. Hwan watched the two prepare the meal, cutting and pouring and stirring, the girl cheerfully chattering away to the silent boy. “I could have never imagined having a devil in my home, much less cooking for me. Even now, seeing it with my own eyes, it’s hard to believe.”

“How long have you been here for?” Sakura asked, not wanting to waste any more time. “Do you know anything about the devil that came through here?”

The old man turned to the fox. “I’ve been here my whole life, but I happened to be in Wei Wen with my older two children when the devil came through. That was about fifty-four years ago. I lost my wife and youngest to her.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

A grunt came from his throat, having had heard plenty of condolences over the years and no longer caring enough to give a polite response. “That devil, she destroyed most of the town and half of the people. Not much has been built since then, and more people leave than come now. It’s the same with most towns and villages that encounter a devil. Puts a sour taste in people’s mouths, and they want to get as far away from it as possible. My daughters went to Wei Wen shortly after and have been there since, but I’ve chosen to stay.”

The demon leaned closer to the old man, watching him intently. “What happened to the devil?”

“I heard that her eyes were black with the madness. She ended up ripping out her own spine before she could finish her rampage. She was like a tornado, taking out certain buildings and skipping others, no rhyme or reason to it.”

“Are you the one who has maintained the records?”

Hwan nodded. “Yes. When I was younger, I would travel place to place and gather all the information I could and compiled it in that book. I’m unable to travel now, so I stay and work at the center. I see people often, but you four are the first to ask about devils. People fear them, but they have little interest in learning anything more about them. Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose.”

The conversation was interrupted by Zero setting the platter of bowls on the table before taking his seat between Ivy and Hwan. He served the old man first and then Ivy before himself while Ivy handed bowls to the other two. Hwan took his bowl, taking his first bite of the soup, while observing Zero carefully.

“How old are you?” he asked the boy after several minutes.

Zero looked up from his food at the man. “Eighteen.”

“Where are you from?”

The devil glanced at Ren who gave a slight, approving nod as he took Sakura’s empty bowl and handed over what was left of his.

“The Dymeria region.”

The old man raised his brows. “The desert?”

Zero nodded.

“Do you know who birthed you?”

The boy set his attention on the table, studying the direction of the grain in the wood as he swallowed the lump that had balled up in his throat. “Woman,” he said quietly, the name he had never spoken.

The two women looked at Zero, a mix of shock and confusion across their faces. Ren took Sakura’s empty bowl from her frozen hands, set it in his, and placed them on the platter.

“Lailah,” he told the devil, calmly. “Your mother’s name was Lailah. Not Woman.”

Zero looked at the angel and nodded. “Lailah.” The actual name of his mother heavy on his tongue and in his chest.

The demon turned to Ren. “He didn’t know his mother’s name?” she hissed.

He began grabbing the other empty bowls. “He never asked.”

The old man considered it. “Lailah doesn’t sound like a devil’s name.”

Ren stood, taking the platter and Hwan’s bowl. “That’s because it’s not.”

Hwan looked up at the dark-haired man, taking notice of his deep blue eyes and flawless features. “I’ve never heard of a devil having a child with an angel. Or of a Fallen One living past birth.”

The angel smiled kindly. “Neither have I. Will that be a problem? We can leave if you’d like.”

The old man smiled back slightly. “No, it’s no problem. It’s quite intriguing. I’d like to write this down and add it to the records.”

Ren took the dishes to the kitchen to begin cleaning. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t. It would be a real inconvenience for us, and it’s better to avoid that. I hope you can understand.”

“Is The Kingdom aware of his existence?”

“They’re not, and I would like to keep it that way.”

Hwan pursed his lips together, disappointed but resigned. “I understand. I can imagine the problems this information would cause for The Kingdom and for this young man. I’ll keep this to myself, but I hope you’ll still entertain this old man’s curiosity while you’re here. Off record, of course.” He began to rise from the table as Zero went to him, helping him the remainder of the way and he smiled at the boy. “Quite the polite devil, aren’t you?”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Well, make yourselves at home. I’ll see you in the morning,” Hwan made his way to his room, sliding the door closed behind him.

The moment Sakura heard the old man step away from the door she was scurrying across the room and lunging onto their bags, tearing through them with a vengeance. “Soup is not a meal,” she growled to herself as she ripped into a large slice of dried meat, relieved to finally have something solid in her stomach.

“You’re being ridiculous. It’s not that bad,” Ren insisted from the wash basin. “Don’t eat all that, though. I’m hungry, too.”

The woman snarled at him with her mouth full but relented, tearing the hunk in half and setting it aside for the angel. “You’re always so needy.”

“And you’re always so greedy.”

The two went back and forth with their bickering but Zero barely heard it at all, his gaze focused on the door that the old man had disappeared behind all while not really seeing it at all.

The boy only saw white hair and blue eyes.

Though, he had only ever known her as Woman, that wasn’t who she was. She was Lailah. An angel. From The Kingdom. And she had been someone before his father had taken her.

Before he was created.

Forced on her.

The woman that Zero had known was only a broken form of who she had once been.

Just as he had been a broken form of who he could be.

But he had been able to escape.

She never did.

It had been so long since he had seen her, but her voice was still so clear in his mind.

You should have never been born. You’re an abomination.

Perhaps she was right.

The tightness suddenly constricting around Zero’s waist pulled him from his thoughts and he looked down.

“It’s not true,” Ivy spoke softly and peered up at him, her violet eyes spilling with heartbreak onto her cheeks. “She’s wrong. Please don’t believe that. You belong here.”

Zero nodded, accepting the girl’s words without question, and wiped at her tears.

Ivy unwrapped herself and grabbed his hand to pull him off to bed, leaving the angel and demon behind without so much as a farewell.

Ren stacked the last clean bowl, watching the door slide closed, unsure of what had just transpired. “What do you think all that was about?” he asked as he went to the woman and plopped himself down next to her with his hand out.

“Who knows. Leave them be.” Sakura slapped the dried meat onto his palm before beginning a new search through Zero’s bag for more food. “Those two are always so fucking weird.”