Alicia teleported us somewhere. It was already night. There was no moon in the skies, only stars. It was so dark. I couldn't see anything except those red things approaching.
"What are those things?" I asked, confused.
"Demons," Alicia replied.
"What are you talking about? Demons aren't real," I said.
"And so magic is. You're not here, right now, seeing these things if everything isn't real. You've got to believe in what you see, Kaila."
"Do I have to fight them?" I asked.
"You don't have to fight all of them, only the demon lord Satan and his right hand, Lucifer," Alicia replied.
"Are they strong?" I asked.
"Very strong. These two are the strongest among the demons. They aren't included in your enemy lists, but it's necessary to beat them," she said.
"If they aren't my enemies, then there's no need to fight them. Let's just get away from here. You must have teleported us to the wrong place."
"I'm not mistaken, Kaila. It's included in my plan. Trust me."
"But you said they are the strongest among the demons. Do I even stand a chance against them?"
"You're not alone, Kaila."
"Do you mean you want to help me?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I'll minimize the damage so that your world won't be destroyed," she said.
"Are you bragging?"
"I'm just telling the truth. Even the strongest demon couldn't hurt a ghost, unless they are as powerful as a god."
"You're obviously bragging."
"Just say whatever you want to say, but don't blame me if something happens to you."
A few moments later, the demons had gotten close to us. They have surrounded the hill we were standing on. I couldn't see them; everything was black except for their red eyes that got closer every second that passed by.
"We're not here to fight you!" Alicia exclaimed, breaking the silence of the night. "We want to talk with your leaders."
The demons stopped moving. Behind them were four red eyes getting closer—they were the only ones moving. Those must be the demon lord and his right hand. They got closer and stopped at the top of the hill, facing us.
"What do you want?" A hoarse voice of a man asked.
"We're challenging you to a duel," Alicia replied.
I didn't know what Alicia was talking about. I couldn't even see the enemies. How would I fight them? Then I remembered I might be able to use my clear vision, something that makes me see at night.
My vision gradually became clearer, like I had the eyes of an owl. I see them clearly. They resembled human beings but had reddish skin, horns, and a tail. There were a lot of them around the hill.
"What can I get if we defeat you?" The demon lord asked.
"That's not a problem. You can have these." Alicia showed them a small bottle where she kept the souls of the dead.
I couldn't understand what Alicia was doing. Had she lost her mind already? Why was she trying to give away the souls that had taken us a very long time to collect? Did she forget all those struggles we went through just to get them?
"Why would you do that?" I asked.
"Just trust me, I know what I am doing," Alicia replied.
The demon lord laughed and said, "That's fair enough, and you'll take our souls too if you win, am I right?"
"You're halfway there, Satan," Alicia said. "If you win, you can have these souls; they are very usable, but if we win, you'll help us kill someone."
I understood what Alicia was trying to do. She was bargaining. I knew she was strong enough to beat them, and then she'd use them for her plans to defeat the ghost and that boy who snatched our enemies.
"Milord, please allow me to kill this little girl," Lucifer said.
"I don't give you the permission to do that," Satan replied. "This fight is between me and this ghost. Go and tell everyone to wait for me."
"But lord—" Lucifer wants to argue.
"Don't worry, I won't get in their way either!" I said.
"You're just avoiding it, aren't you?" Alicia asked.
"Sometimes it's the right choice not to fight. I don't want my bones to get broken again," I said.
"Alright, then, just wait for me. I'll do this quick," Alicia said.
"Don't you underestimate me like that, old hag!" Satan exclaimed, charging towards Alicia at a very high speed. His movements couldn't be seen at all.
"Alice!" I exclaimed.
"I got it, Kaila. Just stay away from us if you don't want to die!" Alicia replied.
Alicia used a stick and released a thick, dark smoke that swirled towards the demon lord. It momentarily stopped his movements. He easily got rid of the smoke and attacked with fireballs. Alicia touched the ground, building a solid wall of ice, defending herself from getting burned.
The demon lord released a huge fireball, destroying the wall of ice. Alicia stepped back and dodged the demon lord's punches and kicks. It was like watching a live-action movie. They were both strong and powerful. The fight lasted for about an hour, but in the end, Alicia won.
"It's a shame that I lost to you," Satan said, trying to stand up. His right-hand man, Lucifer, came to help him. "Tell me, who is this you want to kill?"
"We don't really want to kill him; what we want is to catch him and seal his soul. He's been a hindrance to finishing our mission, so we need to stop him," Alicia replied.
"As we have dealt, we'll now help you achieve your goal. Just tell us when you need our help," Satan said.
"I surely will," Alicia replied.
Satan went back and changed direction with the demons. He was strong and stood firmly on his words. I didn't expect that Alicia would collude with a demon, but this would make our mission easier.
"We're done here," Alicia said. "Let's continue the search tomorrow. As for now, I want you to rest."
"How about you? Aren't you tired?" I asked.
"Ghosts don't need sleep," she said.
Alicia brought me to her house. It was bigger and more conducive than her usual cottages located in the mountains. There was a fireplace in the living room. I lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.