Crazy darted toward the sound, his curiosity getting the better of him. The rain had lessened, but the forest still felt like a murky, glowing maze. As he neared the source of the cries, he paused just before the clearing, lurking in the shadows to assess the situation.
Two men loomed over a girl in a hooded cloak, their voices tinged with frustration, both gripping glinting daggers and shovels.
"Damn it! We've been walking for hours! Even with a spirit mage, we can't get out!" one of them growled.
"It's this cursed place. We should've never come here. But since we're stuck, might as well make the best of it," the other muttered.
Crazy's eyes flicked to the cloaked girl. She trembled on the ground, pleading for them to stop. He didn't care. He'd seen worse. This wasn't his problem. But something felt off—unnatural. The girl… she was suspicious. He could sense it.
Still, the constant cries grated on his nerves. He rubbed his temple, irritation building. The forest, the rain, the endless blue-green trees… it was all starting to piss him off.
With a heavy sigh, he calmed himself. His thoughts drifted to Milchbread and the bakery he'd find once he broke out of this place. Closing his eyes, he muttered to himself, 'Inner peace. Inner peace. This is none of my business. I have better things to do.'
Then the girl screamed again. "Kyaaaa! No, please! Someone help! I'm too young for this! Eeeeee! If only a certain handsome man with black hair and red eyes would come and save me from this situation!"
That was the last straw.
Crazy ran a hand through his black hair, his red eyes flashing in the shadows.
Was she trying to provoke him?
If that was her plan, it worked.
The men laughed. "Ashfhhshfhhehshahahah! So you've gone crazy too. Now, stand still!"
The girl screamed once more. "Kyaaaaa..."
With veins popping, Crazy stepped forward, crashing through the trees. In the blink of an eye, he was on them. Before they even realized he was there, his blade sliced through the air.
A sharp spray of red. Two dull thuds as their heads hit the ground.
He turned toward the cloaked girl, staring down at her with irritation.
"...Shut up."
She gasped, stumbling backward. For a moment, she looked shocked, maybe even terrified. But there was something else in her eyes. Something darker. Satisfaction.
Crazy narrowed his gaze… Was she as crazy as him? Maybe he'd found his true love. She exhaled slowly, as if a weight had been lifted. Then, without warning, she collapsed to the ground, panting, trembling with exhaustion.
"T-Thank you… I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't..."
She looked up at him, her expression softening. Slowly, she got to her feet, swaying slightly as if still recovering from shock. Then, without warning, she wrapped an arm around his neck.
"I… I need to thank you properly."
Crazy blinked.
…Huh?
Before he could react, she pressed her lips to his. Desperate, grateful… or so it seemed.
For a moment, Crazy considered closing his eyes. He didn't mind. Her lips were soft—softer than milk bread. She was definitely prettier than the hags back at the prison. Maybe he could live with this... Her lips felt oddly familiar...
But then, he realized.
One of the men's daggers had disappeared from the ground.
His eyes snapped open just in time to catch the glint behind him.
His hand shot up, grabbing her wrist as she thrust the dagger toward his exposed hip, where his chestplate didn't protect.
There it was.
Her eyes widened, her deception shattered. She tried to pull away, but Crazy's grip was unyielding.
"...Hey, you could've just told me if I wasn't your type."
She gritted her teeth, fury flashing in her eyes. "Demon. I knew it."
Crazy sighed. "Demon this, demon that. I've had enough of this. Just call me Bread."
The girl paused, staring at him blankly, her anger faltering for a second.
"What?"
"Bread."
A tense silence followed. The trees around them swayed in the wind, their turquoise leaves fluttering to the ground.
"..."
"Ah, f*ck this."
Crazy released her wrist, allowing her to jump back. Her hood fell, and her long red hair swept through the air like a fiery wave. She entered a protective stance, raising the dagger while wiping her lips with her other hand.
"I didn't know demons could go crazy too," she spat, her yellow eyes locking with his. "Should've guessed it. I knew there was something wrong with your Aura."
Crazy rubbed his temple. There it was. Another mention of that "Aura."
"...Hell, what aura are you talking about? I already told you, I don't smell bad. Or at least, the last time I checked."
The girl tilted her head in confusion, then glared at him.
"...What? No! The demonic aura you're radiating. It comes from every subject of the Demon King. There's no point in lying, Demon."
Crazy stared up at the sky, unfocused. Demon king..? Subject…?
"...Subject? You mean math?"
The girl's glare faltered for a moment, as if she was trying to process whether he was actually an idiot or just messing with her. She sighed, rubbing her forehead as though her brain cells were slowly dying.
"No. Not math. Forget it."
He stared at her blankly.
The girl sighed and extended a hand.
"Alright. My name's Ayeka. Nice to meet you. You seem… good enough."
Crazy shook her hand. "Yup. Call me Crazy. Everyone does. Just don't stab me again."
She narrowed her eyes. "You don't tell me what to do."
Crazy squeezed her hand harder. "...I'll kill you."
She scowled. "I'd like to see you try."
The two stood there, glaring into each other's eyes, before breaking apart and walking in opposite directions.
"F*ck this. Don't make me save you ever again."
"Tch. I'm not a damsel in distress. If I see you again, I'll stab you."
And they left, almost on friendly terms.
Crazy strolled through the woods, kicking the rocks in his path away. Why did he even bother? That girl was annoying as hell either way. He hoped they'd never meet again.
The rain continued to fall as Crazy and Ayeka walked in opposite directions, tempers flaring with every step. Both muttered curses under their breath, lost in their own thoughts of first-degree murder.
Then, it happened.
They nearly collided face-first.
Both froze. Both immediately scowled.
The trees around them seemed to sigh in silence.
Ayeka's eye twitched. "You've got to be kidding me."
Crazy growled, rubbing his temple. "Ah, for hell's sake! Are you following me or something?!"
"I was about to ask you the same thing!"
They both stepped back, turned, and walked away—only to end up face-to-face again.
"...What the hell?" Crazy muttered, irritation turning into confusion.
Ayeka clenched her fists, taking a deep breath. Then, realization struck her like lightning. "…Oh, f*ck."
Crazy tilted his head. "Huh?"
"The Magic Barrier."
That caught his attention. His anger dissipated almost instantly, replaced by curiosity. "Magic Barrier?"
Ayeka sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yeah. It's the reason we keep running into each other. We're trapped in this hellhole of a cemetery. No matter how far we walk, we always end up in the same place."
"…That's kinda funny," Crazy said flatly… before scowling. "But annoying as hell."
Ayeka shot him a glare before continuing. "No crap. It's because of the Petrichor Heart."
"The what?"
"A giant artifact deep in this forest. It's the core of the Magic Barrier, keeping all intruders trapped inside. As long as it remains intact, we can't leave."
Crazy crossed his arms, nodding. "Huh. How convenient you know all that. It's almost as if we're in some shitty, lazy novel written by a third-rate author who got grounded for hitting someone with a chair and trying to rush the plot."
He looked up at the sky, expecting some kind of sign.
Ayeka just stared at him as if he'd fallen from the second blue moon, Athrealis.
Crazy flicked a strand of hair from his face. "But that sounds like a pain in the ass."
Ayeka sighed. "It is. And before you ask, no, I can't break it. I've tried. The barrier resists spirit magic." She smirked. "And no, we're not in a shitty novel. My spirits told me about the Heart. They tell me everything."
She scowled. "It's getting a bit annoying."
She glanced at Crazy, sizing him up for a moment, before her brows furrowed.
"...But…"
Crazy raised a brow. "But?"
A slow grin spread across Ayeka's face. "I can weaken the physical barrier by sacrificing my movement temporarily. If I do that, I can open a small gap for someone else to destroy the Petrichor Heart."
Crazy scowled, wondering why any of this mattered... before slowly smirking. "Oh. Now we're talking about the artifact. And then you'll just wait for someone else to come along and conveniently break it?"
Ayeka cursed loudly. "No, you absolute moron! You're going to break it!"
Crazy stared blankly at her angry yellow eyes. "...Oh."
He walked away.
"I'd rather not. I'm too lazy for this."
"F*ck you."
And they both walked away again…
Only to end up face-to-face once more.
Now, Crazy was genuinely annoyed.
"...You know, I suddenly feel like destroying an artifact."
"So we'll never see each other again."
"Exactly."
Ayeka shook her head. "Don't get too excited. The Petrichor Heart won't go down easily. And if you screw this up, we're probably gonna be stuck here forever."
Crazy cracked his knuckles. "Pfft. No pressure."
The two locked eyes, a silent agreement passing between them.
It was time for a temporary alliance.