<Green Valley 5th Region>
<Cat Cafe>
Inside a large café where dozens of cats roamed freely, one animal stood out—a large, black dog that, for some reason, was being used as a cushion by the cute cats.
"Oh, look at the dog! He's not attacking the cats at all."
"Hey, take a picture. This is Instar worthy."
"Wow, I can't believe how chill it is."
Small talks started to circulate as a group of high school girls took pictures, ensuring they were in the frame so they could brag on social media.
In fact, 75% the pic was their face, and they ended up pouting their cheeks and adding heavy filters to make themselves look cuter than they actually were.
"Do you think we can touch it?" one of the girls asked.
"I think so. It looks smart and not aggressive at all," another student chimed in.
The group of high school girls, encouraged by the dog's calm demeanor, approached it cautiously.
One of them extended her hand to pet its head, and it merely glanced at her before resting its head back on the floor, utterly unbothered by the attention.
"Oh my gosh, he's so soft!" one of the girls exclaimed, running her fingers through the dog's dark fur.
"He's like a big teddy bear," another added, kneeling down to scratch behind the dog's ears.
The dog let out a contented sigh, its tail thumping lazily against the floor.
The cats continued to lounge on and around it, seemingly unfazed by the growing crowd of admirers.
"This is amazing," one of the girls said, snapping more pictures. "I've never seen a dog so relaxed around cats before."
As the girls continued to pet and fuss over the dog, it remained calm, enjoying the attention.
A café employee approached, smiling at the scene.
"He's a special one, isn't he?" she said. "We call him Wick. "
"Wick, huh?" one of the girls repeated. "I don't think that's a good name at all"
"Yeah, he looks like a gentle giant, it's better to call him Blackie" another girl agreed.
"RRRRR," Wick suddenly growled, his demeanor shifting dramatically.
His eyes squinted as he stared at the girls.
Startled, they stumbled backward, falling to the ground in a scramble to get away from him.
"What the—?"
"Why is he angry all of a sudden?"
The café fell silent as everyone turned to see what was happening.
The cats, sensing the change in the Wick's mood, quickly scattered, hiding under tables and behind chairs.
"Yeah, by the way, we have good news," George hurriedly spoke up.
"What is it?" Cyril asked, noticing the genuine happiness on his face for the first time in the long time.
George's face lit up with excitement. "That asshole is alive!"
Cyril's eyes widened in surprise, her heart skipping a beat.
"Are—are you sure?" she asked, still in shock from the news. It was almost unbelievable, especially after all the bad news she had heard.
"Trust us. I'm sure that guy will just come and find us sooner or later," George assured with confidence.
He had believed the chance of rescuing his daughter was nonexistent after months of not receiving any news from her
But with him becoming a demon lord, all he needed to do was figure out her exact location, and they could save her.
"That's a relief," Cyril sighed, a soft smile lighting up her face.
But she quickly turned away, cheeks flushing slightly as she realized her expression might be giving away more than she intended.
However —
Melissa and George noticed Cyril's reaction and couldn't help but feel awkward.
Cyril still didn't know that Reign was a man-eating, psychotic, brutal, demon made of bones.
They knew it would take all the kindness in the world for her to actually like him after seeing his true form.
As for Melissa?
Well, she had always been the type to be attracted to exotic men.
***
***
***
'Why do I feel like someone is talking behind my back?' Reign muttered to himself as he made his way to the next city.
He kept following the railways, but after passing another destroyed city, he ended up at a crossroads.
Ahead, one rail continued straight, while another veered to the right.
'Wait, where should I go now?' he mused.
The map he had seen last time turned out to be fake, leaving him with two options: go straight or turn right.
As he pondered, one part of him leaned towards going right, while another insisted on continuing straight ahead.
"Fuck it, I'll just go straight," he decided and flew forward.
SWOOOOSH!
The wind from his flight created small shockwaves. They uncovered something buried in the sand.
It was a sign that read [Green Valley City Straight Ahead.]